‘It’s like trying to drive a car with the handbrake on’

A SPORTS therapist with a clinic in Mornington has opened up about how the uncertainty going forward is causing concern for the self-employed.

Daire Smith Sports Therapist has two clinics, one in Mornington and one in Dublin and says not knowing what is ahead is causing havoc for entrepreneurs.

“It is like trying to drive the car with the handbrake on, you get started again you get into second gear you start building a little bit of momentum and then it is closed again and it has been like that since last March.

“I am only new to being self-employed in the last couple of years, coming out of the first lockdown I was a little bit worried but business started building and building and I was very busy and then the second lockdown hit and it was basically back to square one.

“Then when we reopened in December and in my mind working with injuries and that kind of stuff I was thinking it’s not going to be that busy because everyone is just going to be focused on Christmas but we were coming out of lockdown on the Tuesday and from 11am on the Monday my phone was just red hot then it was a good couple of weeks and then it was lockdown again.

“Bottom line being self-employed is that if I don’t work I don’t get paid. I have clients over in the UK who play in the English Premier League and I can’t get over to them so it Is affecting everything.

“It is frustrating trying to pay rent and overheads and trying to stay ahead of the game and live at the same time, you can’t plan you can’t do anything.”