How Crunch Chorus has amplified the Self-Employed Community

‍Ever since Crunch was but a twinkle in the eye of Crunch CEO Darren Fell back in 2007, it’s been our primary mission to empower the self-employed community. This is the fundamental basis of why we produce free online accounting software with jargon-free help from experts - but the work shouldn’t (and doesn’t!) end there.

‍We’re obsessed with doing what we can to ensure everyone is able to love what they do, and want to make sure that people with an entrepreneurial spark don’t have to jump through all sorts of legislative hoops to become their own boss. 

That’s why in 2015 we launched Crunch Chorus - the UK’s most helpful community for the self-employed. Alongside offering a cavalcade of handy resources for no cost, we’ve always proudly amplified the collective voices of our members.

Speaking up for the self-employed community

In 2016 we brought Jason Kitcat - former leader of the Brighton & Hove Green Party - onboard to add the all-important advocacy function to the community. Jason notably wrote to then-Chancellor George Osborne prior to his Budget to urge him to consider the implications on micro-businesses stemming from issues such as the clumsy rollout of IR35, and Dividend Tax increases. 

Here’s our advocacy work on Dividend Tax at the time being discussed in Parliament!

Most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic provided plenty of obstacles for our community, many of which are still being felt. Thousands of hard-working entrepreneurs, small business owners and self-employed people could not access any of the government grants; or were only able to receive just a fraction of their usual income in support. To highlight this, we sent an open letter to Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak.

Providing integral research

The Safety In Numbers Report was put together in 2018 to source and provide an insight into the world of self-employment - specifically to find out what motivated people to take the leap, how they benefited, and which factors made the lifestyle more difficult.

The report made headlines in a plethora of the nation’s biggest media publications, and Darren Fell embarked on a series of radio appearances to share the findings with Jazz FM Business Breakfast, BBC Sussex & Surrey, Meridian FM, Swansea Sound, Yorkshire Coast Radio, BBC Radio Tees and Waves Radio. 

The year prior, Crunch partnered with the RSA - an independent think tank - to create ‘The Entrepreneurial Audit’. This report examined the past, present and future of self-employment policy in the UK, and contained a series of policy proposals to better support freelancers, contractors, and small businesses. 

You can watch the launch event below, chaired by the FT's Sarah O'Connor alongside the RSA's Benedict Dellot, TUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady and Diane Coyle, Professor of Economics at the University of Manchester.

The Crunch Chorus Community Forum

Want to let us know where you think our advocacy work should take us next? What are the burning issues that need resolving, or the preventable barriers to self-employed success?

Let us know by joining the new Crunch Chorus Community Forum - the friendliest place on the internet for self-employed workers to socialise and get much-needed support.