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Self-employment

Self-employment was considered in the past as one secondary means of bringing a person into the mainstream of society as a productive and contributing individual. Growth in self-employment over the last two decades in most western economies has changed this perception. Self-employment is now considered as a full and viable alternative to traditional wage and salary employment. Self-employment is used to reduce unemployment and foster entrepreneurship. This page lists and rates valuable Internet resources related to self-employment and the self-employed.

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Last updated May 25th 2005

no star: Average ; Fair ; Good ; Very good ; Excellent ; Outstanding

Sites are reviewed individually and rated mostly according to content depth and value added, while also considering ease of navigation and speed of loading. For each category best resources are listed first.

Info-Guide - Assistance for Self-Employment This Canadian guide is designed to inform current or future self-employed workers of the rights, privileges and obligations associated with their status as well as certain resources that they can turn to for assistance. Excellent and very comprehensive guide which covers all aspects of self-employment and acts as a gateway to other internet resources. Certain areas (taxation, government support) are useful mostly for Canadians but there is a lot of information of a general nature. Do not miss the Online Small Business Workshop. FirstGov for the Self-Employed FirstGov is the U.S. Government's official web portal. The section FirstGov for the Self-Employed is structured like a table of contents listing the various subjects and/or issues related to self-employment. Excellent site, easy to navigate. Do not miss the section on franchising International Conference on Self-Employment This OECD conference, which took place in 1998, is to my knowledge the first international conference on self-employment. The site presents all the papers delivered at the conference. This includes international perspectives on self-employment trends, country studies, the relationship between the taxation system and self-employment, gender and self-employment, self-employment assistance programs, etc. Very interesting site despite its age. The sections on gender and self-employment and on the role of self-employment for job creation are particularly interesting. Self-Employment for People with Disabilities The Research and Training Center on Disability in Rural Communities of the University of Montana works closely with Vocational Rehabilitation agencies to show that self-employment can be a viable employment option for people with disabilities. They have developed an excellent (and free) on-line manual "Self-Employment: Steps for Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors Helping a Consumer Start a Business" which is a "must" for anyone wanting to prepare and understand a business plan for a self-employed person. Office Depot Small Business Handbook From one of the largest retailer of office products in the world comes this surprising and extremely well made Small Business Handbook which covers all aspects of a small business operation. Although the main target group is the small business owner it can be extremely useful for the self-employed particularly the sections on starting, planning and getting financing for your business. Do not miss the section "Do you have what it takes". Workinfonet.ca The purpose of Workinfonet.ca is to ensure that all Canadians can obtain enough information when conducting a search for wage and salary employment or self-employment. Their site includes a self-employment section which leads to 106 relevant websites. Despite the facts that the target group is Canadians and the main focus wage and salary employment this is a very good site for anyone interested in self-employment. Do not miss self assesment in the career planning section and business tools and supports in the employment section. Self Employment Handbook The U.S. Department of Services for the Blind (DSB) is home to the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Program, whose purpose is the employment (wage employment and self employment) of its participants. They have developed a Self Employment Handbook to assist the participants of the program in developing a self employment proposal. The handbook which includes preparation of a business plan can be useful to anyone having self employment objectives. Own-Account Self-Employment in Canada This report by Human Resources Development Canada summarizes and updates what is known about own-account self-employment (OASE). It identifies the reasons for growth, the determinants of success and failure, and the various lessons learned. Startup Journal The Startup Journal also called the Wall Street Journal Center for Entrepreneurs aims at the individual starting a business or buying a franchise. The site includes sections on franchising, financing, running a business, etc.. Its content is quite interesting and comes mostly from articles and editorials from the Wall Street Journal. It is also possible to do an online trademark search or access business tools. The section on business planning tools, which includes a cash flow calculator and mini business plan could not be accessed at the time of my visit. Very good site nevertheless. Guide to self-employment The National Group on Homeworking (NGH) is a UK non-governmental organisation which campaigns for improved employment rights and condition for homeworkers. They have produced a small guide to self employment which covers the basics in a very simple and concise way. It is a short introductory guide, easy to understand and aimed at individuals who want to start a micro-business from their home. It does not include an entrepreneurial self-assessment test nor a business plan although it covers basic record keeping and costing. Considering self-employment "Considering self-employment: What to think about before starting a business" is a 9 pages article from Occupational Outlook Quaterly (1999) which presents a general overview of the various steps to be taken in order to achieve self-employment. The table showing the repartition of self employed workers by occupation as well as the forecasted trend for 2006 is quite interesting. Occupational Outlook Handbook Revised every two years, the Handbook describes what workers do on the job, working conditions, the training and education needed, earnings, and expected job prospects in a wide range of occupations. Quite useful for anyone looking at self-employment opportunities Home Business Magazine Online This online complement to the bimonthly newstand magazine Home Business presents a combination of short articles, book excerpts, interviews, success stories, advertisements, etc. on a variety of topics related to Home Business. Merits a few exploratory visits. National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) The National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) is a U.S non-profit organization providing a broad range of benefits to their 250,000 members and representing the interests of the self-employed among legislators in Washington D.C. on key issues that affect their business. The site includes a section on micro-business advice as well as a newly created women's action center. National Fraud Information Center The NFIC was originally established by the National Consumers League, a nonprofit consumer organization in the United States, to fight the growing menace of telemarketing fraud. An interesting site useful for both consumers and small business owners.