Information about working as a self-employed freelancer

We have created this as a guide to help professionals who use the Blys platform manage their obligations as self-employed independent contractors/ freelancers. Further information and resources are available from Self Employed Australia which is an association for contractors as well as ATO's website.

If you are unsure what business structure you have please follow this link for more information: https://www.business.gov.au/planning/business-structures-and-types. Generally, most professionals provide their services as sole traders. 

Please note this guide is NOT legal accounting or tax advice and is only designed to alert you to things you need to be considering as self-employed independent contractors. Advice to help people like you is readily available in most suburbs from accountants, tax agents, and lawyers.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Am I employed by Blys?
• Does Blys sub-contract me?
• Can Blys give me a work reference? (e.g. for my rental or job application)
• Are the clients ours or Blys' clients?

Am I employed by Blys?

No, you're a self-employed freelancer. You deliver your services directly to the clients so you're employed by the client as a self-employed freelancer / independent contractor for the duration of the treatment - just like you would do to your private clients.

You work under your business number (e.g. ABN) and are solely responsible for your business expenses, your tax obligations, and entitlements & benefits such as annual leave and superannuation.

Should you wish to apply for a membership with an association or get a health fund provider number, you should provide your details such as your business address, ABN, etc.

Qualified wellness professionals like yourself use the Blys platform to connect with clients and operate their mobile wellness business in a safe and reliable environment, whilst outsourcing their scheduling, payments, invoices, marketing, customer service, and technology to Blys.

Being self-employed has many benefits such as determining where, when, how, and with whom you work. You have full control over your work.

Does Blys sub-contract me?

No, as a self-employed freelancer, you are booked/ contracted by the client to deliver your wellness services directly to the client. You are a contractor to the client for the wellness services you offer.

The contract you have with Blys is a Software Licence Agreement, which sets the terms and conditions of your use of our platform/ app.

Can Blys give me a work reference? (e.g. for my rental or job application)

Unfortunately no, however, you can use your public Blys profile page (which includes your client reviews) as evidence that you actively use the Blys platform to find work and have clients.

If you have regular clients that you see through Blys (or your private clients), it might be an idea to ask them for reference. Asking clients for references is a common practice for self-employed freelancers when applying for a full-time job or rental property.

Are the clients ours or Blys' clients?

Both.

• Clients are Blys' customers for the services that Blys provides to the clients (the platform that they use to book/ hire mobile practitioners)
• Clients are practitioners' customer for the services that the practitioners provide to the clients (the wellness services such as massage therapy, beauty therapy...etc.)

Further, the practitioners are also Blys' customers for the services Blys provides to the practitioners (the platform that they use to create online business profiles and find clients).

Blys charges the clients and the practitioners a small platform fee for every booking. This is how Blys generates income to cover its costs.

Blys operates a two-sided online marketplace, which means there are 3 parties involved and Blys has 2 types of customers.

1. People who use the Blys platform to book/ hire wellness professionals ('Clients')
2. People who use the Blys platform to create online business profiles and find clients ('Practitioners')
3. The platform that facilitates the transactions between the two and provides marketing and admin support ('Blys')

Disclaimer: This is not a tax advice. Please seek professional advice from an accredited tax professional.