Tell me about your work: What kind of acting do you do? What are some projects you have been a part of that you enjoyed?
I’m predominantly a theatre actor, but I have done a little TV work and written plays. I studied theatre at university, and it’s what I have wanted to do since I was 12.
I have a solo show called He Māori? It is about being Māori and Pākehā, not really looking Māori but feeling Māori. It’s about wanting to reconnect with my culture and the awkwardness that comes with that.
What has been your favourite role to date?
My solo show has been my favourite because it’s gone on for so long and I have performed it to so many different audiences. One of my favourite things about it is interacting with different people, hearing their stories and what they thought of the show, which is personal and vulnerable. It often brings up feelings about identity for people, whether they are Māori or not.
How did you become a sole trader?
I started doing plays at university. At first, it was mostly community projects or University productions that let me have fun, try out new things, and meet people. Then I started getting into bigger productions, which paid.
Photo by Fender Maeva
What are some of the challenges you face as an actor and sole trader?
As a theatre performer, the pay can be low. It is not a financially stable career, which is partly due to the nature of being a contractor. I have always worked project to project. It can be challenging to make this work financially.
Even when I have worked with a client before, each new project is a new contract, so I have to go through the administrative process again. I didn’t get into acting to do admin; it’s something I’ve learned to do. But it’s become more enjoyable partly because of Hnry.
Hnry makes it easy to keep track of the many different jobs I do. I can be sure that I’ve invoiced a client, they’ve paid me correctly, and I paid my taxes. Having all of that taken care of is really convenient and has improved my experience as a sole trader.
If becoming a sole trader was the first time you had to manage your own tax, how did you find the learning curve?
I only had a vague grip on taxes until I signed up with Hnry. Then I spent a lot of time reading the resources to learn what this meant, or that meant, and how it affected me.
I had no idea before Hnry that I could claim expenses. Initially, I was stabbing in the dark with what I could claim, and it felt pointless because I wasn’t making that much money. With Hnry, what you can claim as an expense is made clear, which helps with the learning curve. Once I looked through the different categories, I realised that I had a lot to claim.
I use the Hnry Business Mastercard particularly when I’m on trips because it’s an easy way to keep track of all my expenses and raise them immediately. It also makes it easier to see how much I should spend on expenses. It’s like having a company card for my own business.
Is it hard to balance running your own business while focusing on the job itself?
Yes. I don’t have a massive business budget. As jobs come in, I judge whether each one is financially viable.
Before Hnry, I just hoped I was getting paid what I should be and that everyone else was doing their due diligence. In the early years, I struggled to understand if I was doing everything right. I could handle the acting, the performing, and the writing, but I struggled to keep on top of the admin. Hnry has made this a lot easier because I can send an invoice, know that it contains the right information, and even prepare them in advance.
What has been the biggest surprise in your journey as a sole trader?
That I actually enjoy it and have the capacity to do it. Growing up, society tells you to get employed and receive workplace benefits. I doubted that I could ever be anything more than an actor or an artist. I’m not a manager, the accountant, the administrator, or the producer, and yet I have become all of those things.
Photo by Fender Maeva
How did you discover Hnry and what drew you to it?
When I started doing shows, everyone would ask me if I had Hnry when I needed to invoice them or to raise an expense. When I realised it was a New Zealand business, it was less daunting. I didn’t want to use something just because everyone else used it. I wanted to be sure it was right for me.
I immediately realised how simple it is and that I had been doing so much extra work. I’m probably never going to not have Hnry as long as I am working as a sole trader.
I send around 50 invoices a year. With performance jobs, I usually get a down payment fee and then another once the job is finished. Sometimes this is because my pay depends on how many tickets have been sold at the box office. Sometimes, I will need to send three separate invoices for one job. Usually, that would be annoying, but with Hnry, it’s like copy-and-paste. This has been really helpful.
What was your sole trader life like before joining Hnry, and how is it different now?
I wasn’t sure if I was paying everything I needed to, and I didn’t even think of myself as a sole trader or my work as a business.
It felt like others saw being an actor, especially in theatre, as a joke in the workplace. You don’t hear politicians talking about getting jobs for our actors and our painters. In New Zealand, I don’t think people often see acting as a job or a business; rather, there are just people who act.
That’s how I felt about myself; I didn’t really think it was a real job, it was just what I loved to do. Yes, it made me money occasionally, but not much, and that’s not why I do it.
Now it feels like a profession where I deserve to be paid well. It’s a business.
Photo by Fender Maeva
What was your biggest hesitation about Hnry if you had any, and what put it to rest?
I didn’t know enough about tax or the value of having someone do it on your behalf.
Whenever something has a fee, there’s always a need to consider whether it’s worth the cost. When I saw that the Hnry fee is 1%, I was happy to pay it, even just to have peace of mind at the end of the tax year. When I compare the cost of Hnry to what I pay for tax, my student loan, and ACC, it’s nothing.
What is the biggest change to your work-life balance that you have noticed since using Hnry?
I used to fret more about whether contracts and invoices were legitimate. Now, because I don’t worry as much, I can focus on my art and the next project.
Hnry has made it easier for me to negotiate contracts and agreements quicker. This is partly from experience but partly because with Hnry, I know exactly how I am going to ask for my money.
Knowing I can easily claim expenses like flights and accommodation has relieved a lot of stress and made the end of the tax year so much easier.
In the past, I might have forgotten about a show I did because it had been 6 years, but now I have a paper trail. I can look back at my year of work and feel satisfied and rewarded.
When you recommend Hnry to other people, what is the first feature or part of the service that you describe?
The invoicing feature. Usually, if I’m recommending Hnry it is to other actors or writers. I am not in this business to do financial admin. So, I explain that Hnry legitimises this aspect of the business and makes it simple. There’s no opportunity for miscommunication about how much you are going to get paid for a job.
What is one Hnry product or feature you couldn’t live without?
As an actor, you don’t necessarily think you have business expenses. Sometimes actors are under a production company and so it is that company’s responsibility to book flights and cover the costs. If you are doing this yourself, it’s a business expense.
There are certain purchases actors make, like equipment, which we don’t necessarily think can be a business expense, especially if we use it for leisure as well. However, now I know that expenses can be claimed on a percentage basis. I think all actors should know that we work more than we think we do. Hnry helps with this uncertainty of what you can and can’t claim, which I think a lot of actors should know about the platform.
I don’t know how people do expenses without Hnry. I might figure it out but I would never feel 100% sure that I was doing everything by the book. Like I still sometimes raise an expense, and Hnry lets me know it might not be claimable. I’m like, “Shoot. Ok.” It’s a good thing I’m using this and not just sending stuff to Inland Revenue.
