1978: How to BE YOUR OWN BOSS | The BBC Documentary | World of Work | BBC Archive

As old industries die out or slim their production lines, more and more of us are out of work. But redundancy payments offer many workers the potential working capital to become their own boss.
Christopher Brasher investigates the satisfactions and tribulations of people who have done just that.
He meets Clive Sinclair - the electronics genius, Peter Taylor - the Salcombe man who builds the fastest single-handed Olympic boats in the world, Joe Radley - who makes money making holes, Ivor Jackson - who has gone from laid-off steelworker to self-employed steel frame manufacturer, Nigel Fitzhugh - who turned his home brew into a one-man brewery, and Brenda Breakwell - the one time Mayor of Dartmouth, who is trying to set up her own fish-processing business to bring employment to Dartmouth.
Could you do it? Could you be your own boss? Watch this documentary to find out.
Clip taken from The BBC One Documentary: How to be Your Own Boss, originally broadcast on BBC One, 20 June, 1978.
You have now entered the BBC Archive, a time machine that will transport you back to the golden age of TV to educate, entertain and enlighten you with classic clips from the BBC vaults.
Make sure you subscribe so that you never miss a single stop on our amazing journey through the BBC Archive - www.youtube.co...
You can also dive into plenty more BBC Archive on our website - www.bbc.co.uk/...

[@10garytaylor]

This was my mam and dads knitwear company ,closed 1990 not long after the company closed to. Bit weird seeing them both after all this time

[@kujouk]

Looks like your dad did well and proves no matter where you start, you can still make it.

[@interestingvideos8127]

Your dad had a lovely W116 Mercedes. Do you know what happened to it?

[@michaeljose8122]

@@interestingvideos8127I was thinking the same thing, nice w116 are rare now… alas I think this particular car is long gone… 😢

[@marvellousleopard]

The gentleman with the clothing factory had the right attitude. Give employees the right tools and pay them fairly so they have a good standard of living. Unfortunately businesses nowadays seem to be run by people who just want to make money for themselves and stuff everyone else.

[@puppets.and.muppets]

ive been the boss for 24 years. i am NOT the highest paid person in the company. thats how you do it. you pay people right.

[@10garytaylor]

My mam and dads knitwear company

[@WhatALoadOfTosca]

Quite a generalisation. Most businesses do treat staff well. It keeps employees. A few bad apples tar an industry. If you don't like your job, you should maybe find another ;)

[@andymoore9977]

Businesses since the beginning of time have exploited workers - many really were slaves. It is not a new thing. Employees have more rights nowadays and a minimum wage. I can't understand why folk stay in the same job if they feel they are being mistreated. Have they no pride? Do they expect the nanny state to mollycoddle them?

[@puppets.and.muppets]

@@andymoore9977 nobody is stopping a worker starting his own business. they just want the benefits without the risk.

[@Richard-gl7xu]

Fantastic footage. so many great characters in this documentary, was great to see a young Sir Clive, he was ahead in so many ways.

[@BsktImp]

38:15 Precisely! Britain went from manufacturing to services to the point where it's now London's world centre for money laundering is what's propping up the whole place.

[@Search4Help]

Brilliant advice from these true gentlemen about becoming as your own boss, thanks for the lessons

[@stopcrueltyagainstanimals2578]

Blackawton Brewery history = One of the early microbreweries, founded in 1977 in Blackawton, Devon. Moved to Saltash in Cornwall in 2005 then back to Newton Abbott in Devon in 2011. Brewing was suspended in 2012. Restarted in 2012 using the Masters name, with some beers to be sold under the Blackawton name. Closed again in 2013. Seems Nigel's own business , at least saw him out to retirement, so a success I would say.

[@user-lx6bl2wd8g]

A bit off topic, but I'm sure that's a Rover P6 Estate at 5.40. How rare is that?

[@davidkmatthews]

Well spotted! Yes, it is a P6 - the giveaway is the sloping roofline, which made it a bit less practical as an estate car than its rivals from Ford, Volvo, etc. I don't think Rover made the estates themselves, rather they were custom-built by a coachbuilding firm who converted them from normal P6 saloons. Hence their low volume and great rarity.

[@smokerjim]

Johnny Smith did a barn find P6 estate the other week on his Late Brake Show channel

[@More_Row]

Awesome looking machine

[@video99couk]

And at 1:13 A nice Hillman Avenger, I still drive one of those.

[@smokerjim]

@video99couk I always loved the "face" they had - reminded infant me of Clint Eastwood giving a narrow eyed stare in the Dollars trilogy or Dirty Harry films.

[@30scapri]

47 years ago. The majority of these fine people will now be long gone...goodness me. Clive Sinclair - 7 years before the C5. If I could reach out across time, I'd say "Clive give that POS a miss." No doubt he wouldn't listen.

[@alejandroalessandro7820]

I love the former mayor Miss Brenda Breakwell. She seems so grounded.

[@spidyman8853]

Salt of the earth.

[@10garytaylor]

The persona of my dada in the programme is nothing like my dads true character.He was abusive and controlling, who had numerous affairs with staff ,and my parents were separated in 84 and divorced 86 .My mum is only aged 46 in this programme but looks a lot older after what my dad did to her .The company went in receivership in 1990 the same year both my parents died ,May then July .It was very upsetting seeing this false portrayal of my dad and brought back many bad memories.Wish it could be taken down

[@veneration1]

Damn, sorry to hear this. Your mum died young then if she passed away in 1990 and was 46 in 1978. How did you manage to see this video within 3 days of it being uploaded ?

[@sadalite]

Marvelous video, and I live in usa

[@tim_longhurst]

Is no one going to mention the host, Chris Brasher? Famous Olympian, the pace maker for Roger Bannister’s 4 minute mile and co founder of the London Marathon? 😊🎉

[@MTCason]

This documentary showed clear the tidal shift that would usher Labour out of power in the following year. Independence of thought and entrepreneurial enthusiasm were necessary to revitalize the British economy after the decline of the 1970s and those were forces Labour didn't (and arguably still doesn't) understand.

[@More_Row]

Man Britaina has really lost something, hasn't it.

[@aac74]

This was a low tax, low regulation, low debt, net migration, high lending standards world. We live in the inverse world.

[@noplace82]

How sinister does Clive Sinclair look @2:45

[@JJONNYREPP]

1978: How to BE YOUR OWN BOSS | The BBC Documentary | World of Work | BBC Archive 30.12.24 0922am dunno what kindda person an entrepreneur needs to be in this damn country.

[@fburton8]

Had a couple of pints with him in 1979 when he visited Cambridge. He was very friendly and as nerdy as you'd expect.

[@JJONNYREPP]

@@fburton8 Comments on ‘1978: How to BE YOUR OWN BOSS | The BBC Documentary | World of Work | BBC Archive’ 30.12.24 1143am who, Clive Sinclair? much maligned and ill used by a nation too up it's own arse to see the validity or the technological magic he was putting forth. just think about nowadays throw away hi-tech innovation re: the smart phone and i-pads and music systems - all integrated into a couple of ear plugs or ear muffs... he was wayyyy ahead of his time, whether it be ecologically sound transport or personal entertainment systems. lay off the man. he was top notch genius. or, rather, the technological innovation he was propounding was... had he been Chinese or german they'd be making sure all his notions and ideas were promoted or tested... then again, looking back thru history - the biggest gobs not necessarily with anything to say seem to still hold sway.... and such as he - hid!!!

[@Jack_Warner]

Great Britain was built by men in overalls, and ruined by men in suits. (Fred Dibnar).

[@chrisb4504]

How to be your own boss legally is now the question? Governments have allowed national businesses to be sold to foreign ownership whilst lining their own pockets which in turn has been shut down here or moved away so less jobs longer hours to make ends meet extortionate high taxes are the killer for ordinary folk to try and make a go to be successful. But how long will it be until all of London is foreign owned? What is left? What are we still good at? I genuinely fear for my kids future. Skills are not being passed down. Can anyone give me an answer or a glimmer of hope? Best wishes for the new year to all of the once Great Britain 🇬🇧✌️

[@video99couk]

Self-employment is easier than it was in the 1970s. The Internet gives any small business a huge advertising opportunity. We can sell our services and products world-wide. Granted, Brexit has made that harder, much harder, and killed off some small businesses. My own business has lost about 50% of our EU business as a result and nothing will solve that any time soon. But despite that, small businesses can flourish, especially with goods and services to the UK market.

[@rhysbradshaw9244]

Greed, greed has got the better of this once great nation, on a governmental and a personal level.

[@matthewtrow5698]

Wellingborough market appears to have met the same demise as 99% of all markets across the UK, a handful of stores and the local council constantly dicking about with what is left. Something about anti-social behavior. I really try to look on the bright side about this country and I've been known to have a gentle go at people always putting the country down, but when you see footage like this, it's clear just how much we have lost over the decades. We lost most of our manufacturing capabilities decades back because we couldn't compete with the far east. We lost most of our markets and much of our independents over the years, first because of supermarkets being given more and more license to sell different goods, then the rise of DIY superstores and finally, amongst the last nails in the coffin, internet shopping. Internet shopping in turn killed off many big name high street shops. As far as "being your own boss" is concerned, still possible, but far harder these days. The level of competition is global, the cost of startup is exorbitant and the cost of living crisis means few can afford to do business with small companies. Sadly, we can't rewind the clock.

[@Pedritox0953]

Great video! Peace out

[@jordanrowlands6060]

2024 and its history repeating itself!

[@marvelousmarvyn]

Presented by Herr Lipp, league of gentlemen.

[@leeosborne3793]

Haha! As featured prominently at the beginning of Micro Men!

[@andymoore9977]

27:34 Manufacturing is a better option for a new business than offering a service. How the world has changed! A service no longer needs a "flashy office". I started an accountancy practice in the early 2000s from the back bedroom. I worked with sub contractors (also using their back bedrooms!). It all worked very well and I retired in my mid 50s. Hold tight things are moving very very fast.

[@theeggman4806]

Anything good come of the Sir Clive Sinclair Chap ? ;)

[@cptnkrenon]

Although I'm a Sir Clive fan, 'Holey Joe' is the absolute star of this programme for me. 😄

[@noodles4822]

Toxic positivity British vintage style! It is scary how nothing changes.

[@highlandmalt6368]

Clive Sinclair explaining the crackpot tax system. The EIS scheme has helped, but that didn't appear for almost 20 years from the date of this film.

[@bolshevikproductions]

Don’t sell your country’s assets.

[@trevorwylie5882]

either massive business, china or computer any less that is where the uk is right in 2024. as for the nation of small shop keepers thats history.

[@WhatALoadOfTosca]

£1.8m selling veg on a market a year... not bad!

[@joeboss1750]

Never, while commy Labour are in power !!

[@video99couk]

Or, just as bad, Brexit has crippled small business opportunities.

[@spidyman8853]

The geezer that made his own beer would be in his 70s now

[@spidyman8853]

Most of the those interviewed would be in their 70s actually.

[@johnarnehansen9574]

Why couldn't they just learn from their own past!?..

[@andymoore9977]

From the mid 1970s over fishing of mackerel was already becoming a huge issue. Moreover, a survey of the UK "housewife" in the 1976 showed only 3% bought it on a regular basis. Not a good risk, unless it is being spun by the BBC.......

[@ZulkifliJamil4033-x6s]

🤗

[@sleepyheadsleeps]

😮

[@puppets.and.muppets]

2024 borrow fiat currency, buy your neighbours houses. reckon yourself a landlord......

[@LauraDilal]

If you are not in the financial market space right now, you are making a huge mistake. I understand that it could be due to ignorance, but if you want to make your money work for you...prevent inflation

[@OfficialPhilCollins-m1q]

A lot of people still make massive profit from the crypto market, all you really need is a relevant information and some ‹professional advice. ‹it's totally inappropriate for investors to hang on while suffering from dip during significant

[@OfficialPhilCollins-m1q]

No I don't trade on my own anymore, I always required help and assistance

[@OfficialPhilCollins-m1q]

From my personal financial advisor

[@OfficialPhilCollins-m1q]

HE'S ON TELEGRAM

[@OfficialPhilCollins-m1q]

@Agent_Francisco0 ✌️ that's

[@andymoore9977]

Sinclair had many commercial failures. His little TVs failed as did the watch. He used other folk's money. In 1979 the Nation Enterprise Board (NEB) which had been bank rolling Sinclair for years wrote off their investment in his business Sinclair Radionics (£40 million in today's money, 2024) and even gave him a personal pay out of 60k! But behind the scenes Sinclair had already been planning a new future - the TV was a lame duck. He just needed to have the debt written off. He was always happy to exploit the wealth of others including the British tax payer. He always used other folk's money. In 1978 the BBC were guilty of poor quality research - in 2024 nothing seems to have changed!

[@csr7080]

Having investors is pretty normal.

[@twobob]

Propaganda much

[@bolshevikproductions]

Most are now dead or locked up.

[@shahsheikh541]

All business covered…..where are they now? All in China,including the beer!