Things I wish someone had told me before my first contract

#1 · June 6, 2026, 3:31 pm

Fifteen years in and I still remember the panic of my first contract. No sick pay, no holiday pay, invoice chasing, a limited company to run and a client who thought "outside IR35" meant whatever they wanted it to mean.

If you're just starting out, the single best piece of advice I can give is this — get a good accountant before you do anything else. Not your mate's cousin who does self-assessment. A proper contractor accountant who knows the difference between a dividend and a salary.

What do you wish you'd known at the start?

#2 · June 8, 2026, 5:24 pm

The accountant point is spot on. I wasted six months doing it myself before I admitted I needed help. Cost me far more than the accountant's fees in mistakes and stress.