[speaker001:] I am in fact a self-employed business advisor, management consultant
[John:] Mm.
[speaker001:] call me what you will.... Under contract TEC come here usually one day a week to... carry out these interviews... erm they poke me in any corner they can find.
[John:] [LAUGHTER] Yes. []
[speaker001:] Erm... I started my business some nine years ago when I was unemployed under the Enterprise Allowance Scheme. Very much a rubber stamp exercise in those days and as a result of that only one in four of the businesses that were supported was actually surviving at the end of the first twelve months.
[John:] Mm.
[speaker001:] So when the Training and Enterprise Councils were given responsibility for a new stream of scheme they said quite rightly I think that... they would only support survivable businesses. They... wanted to ensure that people sufficient skill and training to run their own business and that they'd done their homework. That policy appears to be paying off... in as much the national survey run at the beginning of last year showed some seventy two percent of businesses were still there after eighteen months. And locally we carried out a similar exercise some six months ago which showed that eighty two percent of the businesses were still there after months. Still there, but not necessarily making a profit.
[John:] Right.
[speaker001:] Okay?
[John:] Yes.
[speaker001:] ... [cough] Right, you seem to be pretty well qualified.
[John:] I hope so [LAUGHTER] yes [] erm
[speaker001:] What made you... give up education?
[John:] Erm quite frankly I erm... pulled out because of stress.
[speaker001:] Right.
[John:] It was a doctor's instruction basically. He... I I'd been to them over a... a period of about two years... erm with all sorts o of different problems and in the end he said, You know I can increase your drugs but that won't help.
[speaker001:] Mm.
[John:] I know how to sort your problem. It's to remove you from the source of this, and that is the school you're working in.
[speaker001:] Right.
[John:] So I took his advice and left.
[speaker001:] And you [sigh] are actually qualified to teach the organ?
[John:] Organ, piano... erm harmony, theory anything to do with music basically.
[speaker001:] I mean... did you progress to the organ through the piano or?
[John:] Erm... yes and no. It's something that I worked on... er... independently as it were. My father who was a er a clergyman taught me the piano from an early age... and er I first became interested in the organ purely for money... purposes [LAUGHTER] in fact [], when at the age of fifteen a local methodist church in Durham where we lived at the time said er, We need an organist. We've heard you playing the piano for the local Sunday school... erm we'll pay you sixty pounds a year, which in nineteen fifty whatever it was a lot of money, provided you spend half of that having organ lessons. [LAUGHTER] And I duly accept their off accepted their offer.
[speaker001:] Right.
[John:] from that.
[speaker001:] Erm we pay our church organist I think twelve pounds a year. [LAUGHTER]
[John:] [LAUGHTER] Yes [] it it varies from one to another I think.
[speaker001:] Mm.
[John:] The Royal College of Organists wouldn't be pleased to hear [LAUGHTER] [].
[speaker001:] And you have you own organ do you? Or
[John:] No I've go I've got access to several in
[speaker001:] Right. A cathedral organ or...
[John:] Yes yeah.
[speaker001:] Do you play in the cathedral yourself or?
[John:] I have done in the past, not recently. There have been other things occupying [LAUGHTER] me recently [].
[speaker001:] Right. Yeah.... And... do you find... I mean you mention somewhere in here that... you have... one or two potential clients.
[John:] That's right.
[speaker001:] Are any of those for the organ?
[John:] One is yes. He's got his own organ at home erm
[speaker001:] Mm.
[John:] erm but essentially now I've discussed with him, as I mentioned in my... er plan, er the intention is to meet anybody who wants musical services and find out from them precisely what er they really need. He doesn't need organ lessons and I've advised him as such and he's accepted that. What he was particularly interested in is he's been taught the Yamaha method in fact
[speaker001:] Right.
[John:] where his right hand, he's a very confident music reader and plays but his left hand... he's merely sort of hangs there like a claw and plays the odd chord
[speaker001:] Mm.
[John:] and he wants the same facility with his left as with his right. So I am proposing with him to... er undertake a fairly simple but comprehensive business of reading the bass clef, using the left hand, and introducing it into the kind of music that he already plays, and at the same time getting him to play other music... as well, which he seems to be very happy....
[speaker001:] Right. Erm... organs are... classified by the number of stops they have or something, isn't it?
[John:] Erm not necessarily no but er yes that that is partly important in that if it's not there you can't use it [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] Mm. I mean... how do they... I'm just trying to remember because I... remember
[John:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] having... a session with an organ builder right?
[John:] [LAUGHTER] Right. []
[speaker001:] And he was talking about one two three four stops. Have I got the right term?
[John:] Yes oh yes yes. A stop a stop is a misnomer because it's in fact a starter. [LAUGHTER]
[speaker001:] Right.
[John:] When you draw it you allow... to enter that rank of pipes.
[speaker001:] But what... okay some organs have one or two keyboards
[John:] Two keyboards yes.
[speaker001:] Some have four
[John:] Right.
[speaker001:] that I've seen. I mean... how do they categorize that? Does that relate to stops or what?
[John:] No each each division is a separate... erm section of the organ in fact
[speaker001:] Right.
[John:] erm and in the traditional er properly made organ as it were, the pipe organ, erm each keyboard... er is available to you to play from. Each keyboard has its own ranks of pipes and each sound, each rank of pipes is controlled by one stop
[speaker001:] Right.
[John:] so that for instance you can have four stops on one keyboard, three on another... and the three... sounds that are available on this keyboard are available from those, the four sounds that are available
[speaker001:] Okay. Plus the feet pedals?
[John:] Plus the pedals.... And you can then also couple... between keyboards so that if you want to you can play... the... sounds from this keyboard on the lower one by coupling the two together and making them work... as a pair, but that removes the inde independency of being able to set one against the other.
[speaker001:] You make an interesting comment about your wife's experiences that ones ends up with a private practice. What does she do?
[John:] She's a piano teacher.
[speaker001:] Oh right.
[John:] Yes.
[speaker001:] Okay....
[John:] Works from home.
[speaker001:] So she can give you... her overspill work.
[John:] Well... yes [LAUGHTER] yes [].
[speaker001:] Okay. Alright.
[John:] In... in fact one of my... one of the pupils I am proposing to work with he's one of her... people who have contacted her and she's... she's quite deliberately limiting the number of... her... days in the week she teaches to two. We have a son who still lives at home who in fact has been quite ill for a long time and... erm... she you know... the amount the work she has done therefore has been seriously limited. She's definitely erm... reduced it to two days a week.
[speaker001:] Okay okay.... Er you will I think have one problem [sigh] er in working for the L E A. Erm I happen to be a school aid inspector and I'm finding now... quite a with er with the income tax people at the moment
[John:] Mm.
[speaker001:] because I'm self-employed... and you're intending to be self- employed which means you're
[John:] That's right.
[speaker001:] taxed under schedule er... D
[John:] D
[speaker001:] ... and I have just done some work for... Derbyshire and they have deducted... twe tax at twenty five per cent and for my invoice. Erm and the difficulty is proving to some of the L E As that you're actually self-employed. So you're gonna have to... if you do any work for L E As
[John:] Yes.
[speaker001:] set that up right at the beginning which means going to the Inland Revenue
[John:] To the Inland Revenue yes.
[speaker001:] and in our my case give a zero... or or an infinite, I'm not sure which way round they'd do it... erm tax coding which I find
[John:] Mm.
[speaker001:] annoying cos I sort of flared up with them and said, Well quote me the law, and they can't quote you the law I mean they... it's just someone who they seem to be we do it.
[John:] conniving.
[speaker001:] Yes.
[John:] Well they're creating law I think.
[speaker001:] Mm.... Yes. another issue.
[John:] Now I've been told by other people who've er... erm gone down this route that I'm proposing to follow with L E As that erm... there are two ways round it. Either you've got to do what you're suggesting, go in right at the start and say, It's all sorted, here's the coding, this is what you will apply, the Inland Revenue have agreed it already, you... you know don't use your own system. Or you accept precisely what they do and claim it back at the end of the year.
[speaker001:] Well you hope you claim it back at the end of the year.
[John:] Well you hope you claim it back.
[speaker001:] But you haven't got the use of that money in that, the government has.
[John:] No of course, yes, yes.
[speaker001:] Right.
[John:] On principal I don't [LAUGHTER] like that idea [].
[speaker001:] Now what are you going to do, I mean... you you've listed out here your marketing approach.
[John:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] Erm... how much do you think you'll need to do that?
[John:] Well quite an amount of it has been done already. Erm the the... talking about the the idea with various er colleagues and contacts within the Southwell area obviously continues. It works on a continuing basis. I was talking with a... erm... a... well she's not a colleague actually she's another piano teacher, only about two days ago while walking dogs, she's walking hers, I'm walking mine, and, Oh I see from your recent advert in the local paper you're accepting piano pupils. Yes erm
[speaker001:] Ah I don I don't want to you've advertised.
[John:] Yes. No well erm... this was a form of market research.
[speaker001:] Right okay.
[John:] It was try trying the waters... and er I merely, you know pla place placed a reference there saying erm, Was it possible? And er she said, I I have occasional requests, I'm full at the moment, erm would you mind if I passed some of my... enquiries on to you as and when they occur. perfectly alright, thank you very much. those contacts exist... erm... I ant anticipate publicity in communicating with local schools and other institutions and things like that and there after merely maintaining some kind of a... a a regular... advertisement slot in the local paper... that says, Yes I'm still here, because [LAUGHTER] people forget []. Erm perhaps operating a mail shot at the beginning of the academic year with the er... er appropriate educational and other institutions. It's be the best system for this kind of thing. My wife's never ever advertised in fact.
[speaker001:] Mm.
[John:] People just got to know about her....
[speaker001:] Okay.
[John:] ... In fact as far as local... education establishments are concerned, I've already had two enquiries from... direct enquiries from schools saying, Are you available? I'm not available yet... erm because I retired under erm health on health grounds. The authority refuses or did refuse to... consider me as a supply teacher in nay capacity until six months had passed. This was a ruling the Medical Officer... er instituted. But er because I've had requests I've approached them and said, Well... we'll get your documents released and see... see if we can speed matters up because use your experience.
[speaker001:] happens, what about the public schools around?
[John:] Public schools, there are only three or four fairly close. I've written to them all. Erm I've not had any replies [LAUGHTER] from any of them []. Erm... but I intend to er contact them again and say to them, Well you know I'm still here and should you... hit problems or find that you've just lost one of your... erm staff who were providing the kind of services that I do, don't forget that I'm still here.
[speaker001:] Okay. Alrighty erm... I'll put it through as approved. Erm... a letter will... go from the powers that be here... er later today I should think. It certainly should get out today.... Erm... back to Newark Enterprise to tell them you've been accepted.
[John:] Right.
[speaker001:] The Business Plan will go back with the letter to them. I'll tell you why in a moment. Give them a ring on Friday to see... er that they've got the letter. If they have then organize a date and time mutually acceptable with them to go in and sign on. When you go to sign on you will need to take with you evidence of having opened up a business bank account.
[John:] .
[speaker001:] The Business Plan goes back with the letter because they... will... require a copy of the business plan so that they when they see you at three, six, twelve and eighteen months
[John:] Right.
[speaker001:] they can compare your books and your progress against the Business Plan
[John:] .
[speaker001:] and you will also need a copy if you haven't got one... have
[John:] complete copy of everything I've given you.
[speaker001:] [cough] So there's there's no problems. Right any questions, anything I can do to help you?
[John:] Erm... actually I've spoken to Ian at erm Newark... TEC, and he's already arranged to see me tomorrow afternoon.
[speaker001:] Now he... does tend to jump the.
[John:] He's... quick off... quick off the mark.
[speaker001:] I shall catch him out one day.
[speaker003:] [LAUGHTER]
[John:] He he he actually suggested that I might like to call and see him this afternoon but I wasn't available [LAUGHTER] for that so [] well
[speaker001:] Yes, yes.
[John:] tomorrow it would have to be.
[speaker001:] Okay.
[John:] Erm... apart from that no, unless you've got any other suggestions from your long experience as being a self-employed person by way of guidance.
[speaker001:] Well the only thing I think you will need because you're going to go onto other people's premises and I
[John:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] don't know if you've got it in here or not, it doesn't look as if you have, but you will need public liability insurance.
[John:] That I'm organizing in that I have now... done a little bit more research. I've contacted the Musicians' Union and the Incorporated Society of Musicians.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[John:] Erm membership of the Incorporated Society of Musicians which comes at about seventy eight pounds a year does actually include public liability...
[speaker001:] Yes.
[John:] and I am making... I'm in the process at the moment of making application to be accepted by them.
[speaker001:] I mean you you might fall over and smash his precious organ or something
[John:] Oh this is true yes.
[speaker001:] and er if he sues you er well at least you
[John:] Yes.
[speaker001:] would be covered for that sort of thing or
[John:] No this this is covered.
[speaker001:] with people coming into your house for instruction if they fall over the front door mat
[John:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] and break a hip or something you know then
[John:] Well that's already covered in fact within our house because we... my wife as a
[speaker001:] Ah... right, yes.
[John:] teacher erm our we've already made sure that our own private
[speaker001:] Yes.
[John:] insurance does... cover that.
[speaker001:] Right.
[John:] Which she won't want to know about. [recording ends]