With the news breaking that the UK will leave the European Union what impact will this have on individuals providing freelance, remote and virtual assistant services?
Ed Molyneux, the CEO and co-founder of FreeAgent (an accounting service for freelancers, so on the pulse of not just startup culture, but also those with less secure incomes) had the following to say on the subject:
“This result is a big blow to the UK’s micro-business sector and I think that a lot of people will be very concerned about what the future will hold.
“It was clear during the run-up to the referendum that the overwhelming majority of micro-business owners and freelancers were in favour of the UK remaining in the EU, and that they did not think a ‘Brexit’ would be beneficial for their own businesses or the economy in general.
“The ramifications of leaving the EU are going to be huge – especially for small businesses who sell products and services worldwide, rather than just domestically. And we now look set for a lengthy period of uncertainty while negotiations presumably take place over the terms of the UK’s exit.
“I would therefore urge the government to be as swift as possible in providing updates about how these discussions are progressing, and give every business owner in the UK clear, up-to-date information about what the effects of Brexit will be on important issues such as trade and tax. The last thing the business sector needs is to be kept in the dark.”
The location independence being a Virtual Assistants offers and the very nature of the industry allows for an international customer base. With VAs crossing trade borders daily are there concerns for what ‘Brexit’ means for the industry? Perhaps you see a brighter future or is it business as usual for you? We’d love to hear your thought on the matter in the comments below.
