The music had always been there

Alex was good at his trade. He had worked hard for his qualifications, built a reputation for reliable work and appreciated knowing when his next wage would arrive.

He also spent hours finding tracks, practising transitions and playing sets for friends. Then came a paid birthday booking. A small venue asked him back. Someone wanted to know his rate for an upcoming event.

The possibility was becoming harder to ignore.

But his mortgage was still due each month. He shared household expenses with his partner, and a few promising weekends could not tell him what a full year of bookings would look like.

Before asking his employer about fewer days, Alex wanted to know what the change would mean at home.

Working out what the change would cost

He and his accountant began with the household budget. They looked at essential spending, savings and the income he would give up by reducing his electrical work.

Next came the DJ business. A booking fee had to cover more than the hours behind the decks. Equipment hire, music subscriptions, travel and insurance all affected what remained. Preparation, setup and packing down took time too.

They mapped confirmed bookings separately from enquiries and tested a quieter month. The plan included money for tax, time off and retirement savings, alongside an agreed limit on what Alex could spend getting started.

The tax setup needed attention too. After reviewing his circumstances, Alex chose to begin as a sole trader. His individual tax return would include both his employment income and the results of his DJ business. The tax already withheld from his wages might not cover everything he owed.

He opened a separate account to make tracking income and expenses easier. He kept receipts and checked the business-use portion of costs shared with his personal life. Equipment purchases needed their own deduction checks. He also put GST registration on the review list as bookings grew.

Giving the new career time to develop

With those figures in front of him, Alex negotiated a four-day working week. He used the extra time to prepare sets, follow up enquiries and build relationships with venues.

He and his partner agreed to review the change after three months. They would look at bookings actually paid, business costs and the effect on their savings before reducing his employed hours again.

For now, a full move into DJing remained something to work towards. He could see what another step would require, and he had a way to recognise when the timing was right for his household.

That gave him something useful to take into the next booking: room to enjoy the work, with a clearer understanding of what it needed to earn.