Meet Huw, 20, and find out about how he's created a social media channel all about his love of gardening. Part of our Bitesize world of work series.
Huw:
I'm Huw, I'm 20 years old, and I make online videos about gardening.
What I love about gardening is that every day has its own opportunities and challenges and it's just always nice to be outside in the fresh air and just have a chance to relax.
I developed my love for gardening thanks to my parents. They would always have me out in the garden since I was probably about three. If there isn't the usual jobs, like trying to plant or harvest things, then what I do is just pop up every now and then to the garden to make sure that the plants are looking OK, and to spot any early possibilities of any pests or disease.
When I was 12, a friend of mine was making gaming videos and he had about 200 views and so I thought, hang on a minute, I could do this, but with gardening. What I found about online videos is being able to always speak with loads of different people – it’s a very collaborative community, we're always there to help each other. And even though you might be on the other side of the world, to know that you've got friends with similar interests is always a huge boost.
One of the biggest challenges is actually consistently uploading videos. I try and stick to at least once a week, but it's always hard doing that – especially if the weather is bad outside in the garden. But I think having that as a fundamental starting point, especially if you want to create your own videos, is a really good goal.
When I was 16, I realised that if I had a full-time focus on gardening and increasing online videos, I could turn it into a full-time job.
During GCSEs, and especially A-levels, I had a lot of pressure and expectation on me to go to uni, but I just stuck with my gut feeling. And I just never looked back because this is something that I've always wanted to do.
It still feels a bit surreal to have got one of the biggest channels in gardening in the world. In the future, I'm really looking forward to actually where this ends up because every year is actually very different, and new opportunities come and go all of the time. But it's just staying true to myself and making sure that I enjoy what I do. And I think things like publishing books and hopefully some TV work later on would be awesome.
It still feels a bit surreal to have one of the biggest channels in gardening in the world.
- Huw has only just finished his A-levels but he's one of Britain's most popular gardeners on social media
- His videos show people how to grow vegetables like potatoes, including tips on how to create the beds for seeds to be planted in
- Huw believe it's his love of gardening that makes his videos so popular.
For more information about getting into making videos, check out CBBC Own It.
Huw publishes his own videos online, managing the content like a business. Scroll down to learn more about running your own business.
What to expect if you want to be a business owner
The salary and working hours when you own a business can vary enormously but what's most important is that you work hard and love what you do.
Working for yourself looks different for each person and each business, but in general it means you:
- run your own business and are responsible for its success
- can decide how, when and where you do your work
- charge an agreed, fixed price for your work
- sell goods or services to make a profit
- can hire people at your own expense to help you or to do the work for you.
You can be both employed and self-employed at the same time. You can work for your employer during the day, for example, and run your own business in the evenings and at weekends. It’s important to contact HMRC for advice if you’re not sure if you’re self-employed.
You can get help with setting up or developing your business, through the government’s business support services, for example, for advice about tax or about how to find funding to start your business.
This information is a guide (source: GOV.UK).
For careers advice in all parts of the UK visit: National Careers Service (England), nidirect (Northern Ireland), My World of Work (Scotland) and Careers Wales (Wales).
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