I am fascinated by small business owners, the backbone of the economy. Hard working people plying their trade often from vans. What interests me is how all the necessary tools of their trade are crammed into these vans. Only the van owner knows exactly where each specific tool is hidden in what to everyone else looks like a chaotic mess. I plan an ongoing series of portraits, which means I will have to start to always carry my Rolleiflex with me, not a bad thing. I will ask then a few simple questions, when they set up the business and why along with the pros and cons of being self-employed. I will also shoot a detail picture inside their van so you can also enjoy the chaos.

Paul Claydon, owner of Fast Track Pest Control started his business in 2018. Previously, he worked in the technical department of a private equity corporation. I caught up with him as he was taking two dead rats out of a family home. He said ‘I always wanted to run my own business but in an industry that is recession proof. I wanted to look forward to going to work and not dread it’. He added ‘after a lot of research I felt that pest control, a job many would shy away from, ticked all the boxes. Every day is different, I constantly meet new people, many of whom are now good friends and it’s recession proof. IT and pest control industries are surprisingly very similar, both are providing a service, client facing and about problem solving. Of course, the day-to-day activities are a million miles apart. ‘Cockroaches and bed bugs are the hardest infestation to get rid of and you have to work closely with the people who have the problem. Due to legislation, health and safety and to help protect the environment the chemical used these days are less powerful and consequently less effective, so we have to use other methods. The worse infestation Paul has every worked with was a flat above a shop. ‘Every draw I opened, every cupboard, every utensil was infested, even the toaster and their child’s water bottle was infested. Cereal packets, biscuit packets and rice, you name it there was cockroaches in it. It took a deep clean and four visits to clear the problem.

Ciaran Wheelan sits on a van load of house clearance rubbish with worker Kwame Campbell in London August 19, 2026. Ciaran said, ‘The worse job I’ve had was clearing out a two-bed flat where a body had been decomposing for six months. It was horrific’. Ciaran has been self-employed for a year after restarting his waste clearance business which he originally sold in 2018. After he sold his business, he worked in property maintenance until 2025. He said, ‘I decided to get back into waste management because there is more money in waste than maintenance. Being self-employed you’re on your own hours and terms. My job is fun as you come across so many interesting things’. He added ‘the hardest thing about being self-employed is that if you don’t work you don’t get paid’. The most interesting object he’s collected from a house clearance is an antique Greek war sword which he has yet to get valued but as it’s very old, he’s hopeful it will be worth a lot of money.