Ian had heard about EFS Liverpool when attending a Liverpool Chamber of Commerce event as an employee of the company where he worked.

Ian contacted the Facilitator directly as he had in his possession an EFS Liverpool business card. Ian described that his employment as a WHS Adviser had been affected by COVID-19. Ian’s hours had been reduced and he had been directed to work from home.

Many of his employer’s branch sites had been shut due to COVID-19 and he was not required to travel to conduct safety audits on those sites. Ian described that this caused him to reflect on his job security and sought out a chat with EFS Liverpool about the idea of self-employment. 

We agreed with Ian that it was good to have a back-up plan should his fears of being made redundant or stood down be realised. Ian wanted information on how to go about registering an ABN and choosing the right business structure.

Ian had acquired years of experience in the WHS industry and was considering applying his specialised knowledge into working for himself by offering consultancy services to businesses. 

Ian came to EFS Liverpool with barriers that included confidence, fear and a lack of business experience. Ian cited concerns about initial cashflow, potential irregular income and sourcing clients.

We assisted Ian in registering his ABN and explained to him the difference between structuring his business as a sole trader, partnership, trading company and trust. Ian settled on starting out as a sole trader under his own name. We referred Ian to Davie Mach of Box Advisory Services to provide him further qualified advice about business structures, record-keeping, and tax planning.

We also referred Ian to The Marketing Angel which provides website and digital marketing services in plain language to start-up entrepreneurs. While a digital marketing specialist can assist in directing leads to his website, we reminded Ian to take advantage of the industry contacts he had acquired in his career.

Ian cited that he lacked confidence to approach people and pitch his services. We explained to Ian that networking is a core entrepreneurship skill, essential to the success of a business. We reminded Ian he is his business’ most valuable asset. 

To overcome his fear of self-promotion, we referred Ian to several networking workshops run by The Workary and Business Connect. We also encouraged him to continue attending chamber meet-ups and include in his calendar key industry events.

Ian is continuing to work reduced hours which has allowed him to slowly start building his WHS consultancy business. This is an example of EFS Liverpool assisting a client fearing redundancy to prepare a contingency plan that involves self-employment. Ian has used the referrals and services provided to him by EFS Liverpool to get business-ready in the event of further reduced hours or redundancy.