Kickstart membership is designed for people at the very start of their self-employed journey. 

It combines structured support with practical protection so you can focus on building your business with more confidence.

It is there to reduce the most common early-stage pressures: uncertainty about pricing, confusion around contracts, and the financial risk of something going wrong before you are established. 

Kickstart gives you access to the IPSE Incubator, alongside expert advice and practical resources.

This helps you make better decisions early on and build something sustainable.

It is particularly useful when you are working out how to position yourself, how to find work consistently, and how to avoid underpricing or taking on unsuitable contracts. 

Illness and injury cover up to £1,500 provides financial support if you are unable to work. 

At the start of self-employment, even a short break in income can create pressure. This protection is designed to give you breathing space if something unexpected happens. 

You also have access to tax and legal helplines to deal with any questions you may have around employment status, contracts or payments.

Members also benefit from a free IR35 contract review so you can understand risk before agreeing new work.

Alongside this, you have a dedicated member support contact who can help direct you to the right support quickly when needed. This is especially helpful when you are not sure where to start or what service you need. 

Through events, peer to peer sessions, mentoring opportunities and the Community Hub, you are connected to other members who can support your development. 

This is often one of the most valuable parts of early membership. Hearing how others have approached pricing, won work, or dealt with difficult clients helps you avoid trial and error.

Mentoring and peer to peer discussions also give you practical perspective that you cannot always get from formal advice alone. 

A lot of members only realise this in hindsight, but Kickstart is as much about avoiding problems as it is about support.

It helps reduce the risk of taking on work that is unsuitable or undervalued, or signing contracts without fully understanding what they mean in practice. It also means you are not left dealing with early challenges alone, particularly at a point where you may not yet have a steady buffer of income or experience to fall back on.

For many people, having that structure in place early on is what makes the difference between building steady momentum and losing confidence when issues arise. 

Our campaigning focuses on the issues that most affect day to day working lives. That includes fairer tax rules, clearer employment status, an end to long and unfair payment terms, and better protections around parental pay and support when things go wrong. 

Your membership helps strengthen this work.