I tweeted yesterday that the King's Speech showed the value of the experienced freelance. Within a few minutes I had enough responses to demonstrate clearly that 140 characters are sometimes just not enough.
So here' goes…
There's a wonderful scene towards the end of the film where the King points out that Logue has no qualifications, no training, no authority. The implication being that this made him an unskilled nobody – an accusation the King had thrown at him in an earlier scene.
Logue calmly runs through all the experiences that had given him the skills he needed to help people with speech problems. He also pointed out how many successes he'd had.
This struck a chord with me. If you work for yourself it's essential to understand what skills you have, what you've achieved and what makes you different.
You also need to find ways to explain this to potential clients. It's more important than any formal qualification.
New freelances starting out in the creative industries sometimes find it difficult to see how anyone will take them seriously – especially if they've only ever worked as an employee of the BBC and are going through a redundancy process.
The most important thing is to recognise and value all the experience you've collected, and turn that to the advantage of the client and yourself.
It didn't do Lionel Logue any harm. And having Geoffrey Rush playing you in a film about your life wouldn't be so bad either.
Posted on 16 February 2011
How is the British media coping with Wikileaks? As a broadcaster, journalist and trainer it's a good question to ask at the end of another fascinating week.
It's been difficult to remember at times that Wikileaks is not the same as Julian Assange. And as John Naughton says, the real story here is the former, not the latter.
But for journalism to have an impact the story must be relevant and accessible. The best way to do that is to humanise it. Assange has therefore become the face of Wikileaks.
[I did a Google image search on 'wikileaks' this morning and half the images on page one are of Assange. Most of the others are rather dull screengrabs. Plus, bizarrely, one photo of Sarah Palin.]
This has been partly deliberate on the part of Assange and his co-workers. He has said it's better to be the organisation's front man than have journalists constantly speculating on who's behind it.
He's also deliberately blurred two distinct issues this week, calling Sweden "a cipher" for the US. Full marks to Will Heaven in the Telegraph for pointing out the difference. [For an outline of the Swedish charges, see the Daily Mail.]
So Assange has done little to dissuade anyone of the view that he and Wikileaks are the same thing. This no doubt benefits Wikileaks in the short term. With all the attention on one man, others can get on with their work. [For more on Assange promoting the Wikileaks agenda, read City University's George Brock.]
But does that help us understand what's going on?
Focusing on one man – who happens to look distinctive and have a foreign sounding name – no doubt helps sell papers and get viewers. But parallels with a Bond villain, and headlines about a 'fugitive', don't get to the bigger story about Wikileaks.
Any digital native will point out that Wikileaks is more leak than wiki, but its actions have certainly encouraged new ways for people to express mistrust of governments, and anger when commercial operations are leant on.
Hacktivists – a word I learnt this week – appear to come straight out of a Stieg Larsson thriller, adding to the intrigue around Wikileaks, and bringing DDoS to the news pages.
I suspect DDoS attacks on Visa or Mastercard are the digital equivalent of chaining yourself to the railings: a nuisance to the target institution, but probably more damaging to reputation than to daily operations.
That's not to belittle the implications. Some admirable causes down the ages have successfully included railings.
But Wikileaks is more an idea – even a philosophy – than an organisation. Very hard to pin down, and almost impossible to strangle. Equally hard to frame in a news story, not least as there are implications for journalism itself.
You simply have to engage with it. And we've hardly started down that road.
Posted on 09 December 2010
Outlines some of the implications for small businesses and freelances of the rise in VAT on 4 Jan 2011. Includes some info about the flat rate scheme for small businesses.
READ MORE > Posted on 06 December 2010
Trying to keep up with technology is never easy. Just when you thought you understood the ins and outs of the latest flash recorder or editing software something else arrives on the market.
Two things happened to me this week which got me looking into equipment and software for reporting and carrying out interviews.
Firstly, I've been playing with an amazing iPhone app called VC Audio Pro. It's from Vericorder which specialises in mobile recording kit. The app puts a mixing desk and editor in your phone. You can record, edit, mix, top and tail, all with taps, pinches and finger-swipes. For just £3.49.
I'm still in the experimental stages, but it feels very intuitive. I particularly like the way it slips straight into record mode when you tap the main screen. No messing around while your interviewee escapes or your actuality gets missed.
Vericorder sells an XLR adaptor which not only allows you to use a professional mic with your smart phone, but also lets you monitor what's going into the phone via headphones.
I thought that was a major advantage until I read this review by a radio reporter at WTOP in the Washington DC. It appears the quality of the iPhone mic is so high you may be better off recording straight from that.
I'll be playing with all this for a while, and let you know how I get on.
The second thing to come my way this week was a phone call from one of my charity clients, asking about kit for down the line interviews. They have an old "ISDN room", but are moving to new premises and want to upgrade, possibly adding video as well as audio.
Here's another area where things are on the move. ISDN (essentially high quality phone lines) have been the way of getting audio from remote or ad hoc studios for decades.
Not any more, as this article by Sam Upton at the BBC College of Journalism explains. The BBC is trying out LuciLive, another app which gets you on air in studio quality. At £250 it's not exactly dirt cheap, but it's still a fraction of the price of installing ISDN.
I'm interested in any experiences you have of using kit like this in the field. Meanwhile I'm off to play with my new mixing desk. (*now – where did I leave my phone?*)
Posted on 26 November 2010
In amongst all the talk of cuts to budgets and freezes on spending, my eye was naturally drawn to today's story (for example in the Guardian) about changes to the funding of the BBC.
Many papers (like the FT) have run stories focusing on the freezing of the licence fee for the next 6 years – though these articles are generally tucked away on inside pages.
On its own this would be a pretty shocking announcement for demoralised BBC staff, raising the spectre of years of squeezed programme budgets as inflation and rising costs eat into the money.
But for me, having in the past spent 16 years at the BBC World Service, the real story is the agreement of the BBC to take over funding of the World Service, S4C in Wales and BBC Monitoring.
As David Elstein points out on the Today programme, the real effect of all these changes added together will be a reduction in the BBC's spending power of 25%. That's enormous.
But this is not just about the money. It's also about the effect on those who run BBC departments and programmes.
I remember dealing with BBC restructurings in the 1990s and 2000s and coming across unforeseen knock-on effects on departments in Bush House. I have no doubt that the changes announced today will bring new challenges for World Service staff. Some of those challenges will become clear within years rather than months.
Here are some areas to watch:
Distinctiveness
Broadcasting to audiences outside the UK requires a different approach from UK broadcasts. Bringing the World Service within the funding structure of the BBC provides an opportunity for the best of World Service practice to have a higher profile in the rest of the BBC.
It also provides a challenge for the World Service to remain focused and distinctive in its output when BBC bosses in the UK may only be vaguely aware of how it is valued overseas.
Up to now the FCO grant-in-aid has effectively been a ring-fenced budget for the World Service. This will no longer be the case, which means everyone will be arguing over the same (reducing) source of money.
World Service managers will have to argue their corner against high-spending UK TV departments, not easy when radio and overseas services can feel like second-class citizens.
Independence
It's always been difficult to explain to citizens of other countries that the BBC World Service is editorially independent but funded directly by the FCO. Arguably it will be easier to convince the world of the BBC's independence if the World Service is funded directly by the licence fee.
Alternatively BBC World Service staff will have to guard against UK-focussed priorities which may not be in the best interests of overseas listeners.
The Daily Mail Factor
The licence fee payer will now be funding the World Service, so brace yourself for tabloid stories about UK viewers' money being wasted on unworthy foreigners.
Career prospects
It's not fashionable to talk of 'career paths' these days, but everyone needs to feel they're moving forward, and anything that breaks down barriers to movement must be a good thing.
In recent years there has been much closer coordination between programme makers and journalists working for UK outlets and those reaching overseas audiences. Expect this to continue, especially as Bush House is emptied and everyone moves to the new Broadcasting House. This may well provide better opportunities for staff to move between different parts of the BBC.
Having said that, it will be much more difficult to get a job at the BBC in the first place, given the shrinking funds.
Good luck to all at the BBC who will be grappling with these issues in the coming years. Let me know if you can think of any more.
(Update: here's a nicely succinct list of pros and cons from someone closer to the decisions than I ever was.)
Posted on 20 October 2010
Well Mr Osborne has spoken. There's plenty of analysis of the coalition's emergency budget elsewhere. Nick Robinson says 'age of austerity' and Robert Peston says…well, something I didn't quite catch.
As promised, I've been listening to it all and reading the press releases, so you don't have to.
Here are some of the areas I think will affect small businesses like you and me.
Value Added Tax
VAT up to 20% (from 17.5%): – the rise from 4th Jan 2011 (after the New Year bank holiday) may persuade some to register for VAT. Getting 20% back off business purchases is a pretty attractive proposition with a rate this high.
VAT Flat Rate Scheme: – because the standard rate is going up, so is the flat rate. For example the Film, radio, TV and video category is currently 10.5%. This will go up in January to 13%. Read more about the flat rate changes: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2010/bn45.htm
(The reduced rate of VAT will be unchanged at 5%, by the way. And exempt items like kids' clothing and newspapers will remain exempt.)
Income tax and National Insurance
Personal allowance:- individuals and sole traders will be allowed to have an income of £7,475 before paying any tax (up from £6,475). The rates of income tax stay the same.
National Insurance: sole traders' class 2 NI contributions might be unchanged at £2.40 per week. They'll come to a view about it in the autumn. But class 4 NI will be 9% (up from 8%) and the top rate will be 2% (up from 1%). Both from April 2011.
If you're operating as a limited company, class 1 NI on an employee's salary is 12% (up from 11%) and the employer's contribution is 13.8% (up from 12.8%), but with a 'tax holiday' on the latter if you set up from today, and if you employ fewer than 10 people, and set up outside London and south-east. (I'm still checking thresholds and other details on this…so don't quote me…will post again on this.)
Corporation tax for small businesses
Also for limited companies – the small business rate of corporation tax will be reduced to 20% (from 21%). In fact this is the first time I remember a Chancellor talking about the small business rate in a budget speech. He also said he recognised the importance of helping the smallest of businesses. Collectively they (we) are a significant force.
Capital allowances
This year you've been able to put up to £100,000 of capital equipment against your turnover to reduce your tax bill. This is called the Annual Investment Allowance.
The cap has been reduced to £25,000 from next year – a reduction of 75%. This seems draconian, but most people I work with will not spend that much on capital equipment in a year. And even if you did you can spread the costs above that cap at a rate of (typically) 20% until April 2012, when it will go down to 18%.
Still checking the small print. If you want to have a look yourself (with a stiff drink close at hand*) try the treasury website:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/junebudget
Let me know how you feel the budget will affect you and your business. And feel free to point out anything I've missed.
Now – time to go out and enjoy the sunshine!
*I suggest cider or perry – the planned increase in duty has now officially been abolished
Posted on 22 June 2010
The always fascinating BBC College of Journalism blog has a couple of new posts about the recent election coverage.
Much discussion by a panel of journalists and political activists about the role of new media vs old.
Not many conclusions, but it seems that new media (Twitter & Facebook) furthered the conversation, but didn't start it.
Read a summary of the discussion here.
View a video of the discussion here.
Posted on 15 June 2010
I’m sometimes asked about tax rebates, tax refunds and emergency tax in business skills workshops, particularly where people are changing from employee to freelance/self-employed status. Or where they are both employed and self-employed.
Well, as if by magic, Jasmine Birtles has talked about this on her wonderful MoneyMagpie.com website.
The key thing here is to check with HMRC, even if you’re just vaguely thinking that you might be owed something.
Many people don’t like contacting the Revenue because they think they are somehow going to be stung for more cash by umbrella-wielding, bowler-hatted monsters.
In fact the HMRC helplines – and the people who staff them – have been set up to be, well, helpful. In my experience they are also charming and polite.
Posted on 27 May 2010
If the country said anything in last week’s extraordinary election it was that they want politicians to earn their right to positions of power.
Part of that test is to demonstrate the ability to cooperate across traditional boundaries.
We’re not used to seeing this played out in Westminster politics, and certainly not in the papers. Partisan reporting allows no shades of grey. ‘The Sun says…’ usually precedes a statement that allows no wiggle room and implies the readers can’t cope with subtlety.
In the five days after the election result the media found themselves in a position of being shut out of the cosy briefings and off the record conversations.
Some reporters (BBC’s John Pienaar) took it on the chin and were happy to answer the question “what’s going on” with “I haven’t got a clue.”
Memorably Adam Boulton lost his temper on air. Too many late nights. Too many thwarted predictions.
Others resorted to abuse born of frustration. (“Sort it out you clowns”, Daily Star)
Even when it became clear that they had indeed been working hard to sort it out, as opposed to enjoying a bridge rubber in the cabinet office, the media took time to tune in to the new politics.
After complaining about a hung parliament (threat to civilisation), it then became a “love in” (implied threats to democracy).
Journalists started looking for splits between Lib Dem and Tories, implying any difference of opinion is, again, disastrous, or highlighting compromise (also bad, because they’ve “sold out”).
It’s interesting that most papers have been falling on some tired stereotypes in trying to get a handle on the David and Nick relationship: it’s either a comedy duo or a civil partnership.
No room, it seems, on the front pages to see it as workmanlike respect, or common enthusiasm to tackle an economic crisis.
While David and Nick appear to have had an epiphany over the weekend the rest of us are still trying to catch up. As Benedict Brogan says in the Telegraph, electors and the media are experiencing a kind of time-lag.
What interests me is the way our language will have to catch up too.
For journalists used to reaching for the familiar cliche of left and right there’s been a dawning realisation that we’re not in Kansas anymore.
If it’s true that “language equals thought” it’s going to be a while before we get our heads in the right place.
Sky News demonstrated the problem nicely during what we must now call “the Rose Garden love-in”.
While David Cameron was explaining the new paradigm before our very eyes – referring deliberately to a “Liberal Democrat-Conservative Coalition” – the on-screen graphic was shouting “Breaking News: Cameron Coalition”. This was a bit like suggesting that someone could get married by themselves.
Sky’s Kay Burley also struggled a bit to formulate questions about the forthcoming Malton election. The ballot paper will include a Lib Dem standing against a Tory, amongst others. “WIll there be a coalition candidate?” she asked of her interviewee, who was polite enough not to suggest that the question totally misses the point.
We’re so used to the media and politicians trying to highlight the faults in others. It now comes as a shock to see the politicians refusing to play that game and highlighting the areas of agreement.
I suspect some in the media feel miffed that they weren’t asked. There is no greater demonstration of the limit of media power than the fact that it took 5 days for a dozen elected politicians to re-draw politics. And the only way they could do that was during a media blackout.
As Nick Cohen wrote in the Observer, part of the problem with all-powerful, winner takes all politics is that it encourages crony journalism. If you think your man (always a man) is going to get in next time, of course you’re going to big him up. If you didn’t you’d never get his ear when he was in power.
At a stroke this power partnership has been de-railed. And some papers look silly as a result. (Nick Clegg a Nazi sympathiser, anyone? I can’t see the Mail running with that one again.)
Of course it might all go horribly wrong, with Tory and Lib Dem cabinet ministers briefing against each other off the record. But why should we assume that from day one?
An emerging peculiarity is that the most anti-European mainstream party is now part of a European-looking coalition, where skills in finding consensus are important and valued. Certainly more important than cheap points-scoring.
Le Monde reached for its own stereotypes, declaring on Tuesday that “British fair play” had won out in the end.
In fact that’s only true if you ignore the fact the British politics has been about ya-boo tribalism for the last 65 years. During the same period countries like Germany have realised fairness and concensus are better ways of running things, however imperfect.
We’ve just caught up with them. And they thought they were catching up with us. The irony.
(Cultural aside: “British fair play”, like pea-souper fogs and bowler hats, is something everyone knows about the Brits. The German word for fair play is actually die Fairneß. They also insist on calling us all “the English”.)
So will language change to accommodate the new politics? To quote John Pienaar “I haven’t got a clue”
Expect to hear the word ‘progressive’ more, as Labour tries to work out what it’s for. (No, I don’t know what progressive is either – but it sounds better than regressive.)
Perhaps we’ll adopt ‘balanced parliament’ from the Welsh and Scots Nats – though I think that sounds a bit too much like a tight-rope walker.
Perhaps ‘hung parliament’ will disappear as a phrase – tainted by its negative use in the days of old politics. And perhaps it will all seem ‘unsurprising’, to use Nick Clegg’s words.
After all, the German for ‘hung parliament’ is ‘parliament’.
Posted on 14 May 2010
Happy new year!
The start of another tax year is customarily greeted by a) daffs, and b) groans from the vast majority of self-employed people. Where are those train receipts? Who was the person I took out to lunch 8 months ago…and why? What is that PC World receipt for? Why can I only find half my invoices?
The one certainty is that you have a tax return to do and that you weren't as organised as you should have been for the last 12 months.
The worst of it is the knowledge that you have till the end of January to sort out the mess. Great! You can leave it, and leave it, and leave it….
But it doesn't have to be like that.
Here are a few ideas we've kicked about on our business skills workshops:
- Buy a concertina file (or just a box file) and put it next to your computer – or wherever you usually do your paperwork
- Label it 'Receipts for tax year 2010-11' – and the time of the week you're going to sort receipts (see point 4)
- Download one of our free spreadsheets for keeping track of everything and save it somewhere really obvious on your computer
- Set aside 10 minutes at the same time every week to put any receipts in the file you just bought, and fill in the details on the spreadsheet you have downloaded
You won't need more than 10 minutes a week if you do this regularly. I find keeping all my receipts in the same place in my wallet works well. The wallet gets too bulky to close properly after about a week, so I'm forced to sort it.
The beauty of it is that by the end of this tax year you will have effectively done your tax return without even realising it.
If you have an accountant they should even charge you less.
So don't put it off. Get organised today. Think of it as a new year's resolution.
And have a very, very happy new year.
Posted on 06 April 2010
