How has the pandemic changed self-employment for young entrepreneurs? Get insights from volunteer Youth Ambassadors and Special Guests attending our Youth Voice Forum.
Has the pandemic changed how you feel about self-employment or entrepreneurship?
Answers to this important question have been compiled by young people and youth-friendly experts as part of our regular online Youth Voice Forum, with thanks to all attendees including Chair Charlotte Jeffreys, Special Guest Ellie Taylor, and our amazing volunteer Youth Ambassadors.
How has the pandemic has affected young people’s ability to work?
Josh: My partner is self-employed and was due to open her business in London two years ago. However, the pandemic hit and the sector was shut so it wasn’t viable for the time being. For her, the main story of the pandemic has been frustration because there is only so much work she can do outside of what her job is. The pandemic has essentially made her put her working life on hold.
Online events and activities have been useful and accessible
Magda: I have a friend who is a freelancer. She is self-employed now after graduating from university. She followed all the advice given on how to build up your social media profile as a freelancer. She said that it is very time intensive, and she found that the singularly most useful thing to build up her career as a freelancer was attending live and virtual career networking events.
Increased use of social media has been a helpful tool for growth
Ellie: Due to the pandemic, a lot of restrictions came into play and I couldn’t do what I needed to do for the business, but we’ve got sixteen animals that needed to be fed. I wasn’t able to make any money and I struggled to get any financial help from the government at that time. I had to think about what else I could do in this time.
I took time to build up clientele via social media. I think we went from a following of probably 50 people to almost 900 people during that time. When restrictions were lifted, we had a lot of people waiting to make bookings because during that time we had done interactive sessions with the animals and people named some of the animals. It’s about still engaging with people and building a network as much as you can.
Ella: Social media really helped me with my poetry opportunities. My mentor told me that you have to build a brand. I started following people similar to me. I also learnt that to get your work out there, you have to reach your followers and get involved.
Volunteer with us
Would you like to volunteer with us if you are aged 16-24 and care about your future? You can build your skills, confidence, and CV online or at exciting local events near you as a volunteer Youth Ambassador. You can also take part in our regular Youth Voice Forum.
