What does it really mean to work for yourself?

There are around four million sole traders in the UK, yet they rarely get the same attention as employees, startups or big businesses. No paid holiday. No guaranteed salary. No corporate safety net. You find the work, do the work, chase the invoice — and then do it all again. That’s exactly the world this episode explores.

This week, Andy Oury and Jemma Hotta are joined by Giulio Miglietta, a multidisciplinary artist, craftsman and long-time sole trader.

Giulio’s route into business was anything but conventional. He arrived in London with around £200, couch-surfed and occasionally slept at Victoria Coach Station while trying to create a life and career for himself. His goal was deliberately to get uncomfortable, find opportunities and learn how to make things work.

That journey eventually took him through graphic design, illustration and lecturing before developing his own multidisciplinary embroidery studio and distinctive creative practice.

The conversation gets into the reality behind self-employment: independence, uncertainty, finding clients, building skills, standing out in a crowded creative market and choosing a career where there isn’t always a safety net.

And because this is Business Without BS, there’s also plenty that has absolutely nothing to do with sensible business advice — including why an Italian prefers tea to espresso and whether Giulio needs to find himself a vice.

In this episode:

• Giulio’s journey from Italy to London with just £200

• Couch-surfing, squatting and deliberately choosing discomfort

• How struggle helped him develop determination and spot opportunities

• Building a career through transferable skills rather than following a traditional path

• Going from graphic design and illustration to becoming a sole trader

• Why independence is such a big part of self-employment

• The reality of having no paid holiday or traditional employee safety net

• Whether social media has made it easier or harder for young creatives to build careers

• Why standing out matters more than ever

• The forgotten role of craftspeople and sole traders in the economy

• Tea vs espresso — and Giulio’s questionable status as an Italian

This episode also ties into The Rebel Accountant’s Sole Trader Anthem — a rallying cry for the millions of people working for themselves across the UK.

Think of Business Without BS as a conversation with your lawyer and your accountant — you just don’t have to pay for it.

No unnecessary jargon. No corporate b****t. Just conversations about what running a business is actually like.