Here’s a summary…”Today, careers consist of piecing together various types of work, juggling multiple clients, learning to be marketing and accounting experts, and creating offices in bedrooms/coffee shops/coworking spaces. ”
This intrigues me because I am part of the Gig Economy. My current occupation is college professor/consultant/speaker-workshopleader/blogger. The way I work is more common than I would have thought.
Interestingly, in 2005, the government stopped calculating ‘freelancers’ so we really have no idea how many people are working this way but estimates have at about 42 million people.
As freelancers we face all kinds of issues. This month I found out by accident that my health insurance (which came through COBRA) had been cancelled. I got no letter, no warning from my insurance company. Just shut off. When I called my insurance company, they said, “We have no obligation to tell you that your insurance is lapsing.”
Thanks, no really, thanks a million.
I am one of the lucky ones, I have a way to get health insurance. If you want to read more about the reality of health insurance for freelancers, check out this post in the NY Times, “Safety Nets for Freelancers.”
I love working this way but it takes a lot of discipline, hard work, flexibility and perseverance. What’s my secret?
Focus. I am clear about what I need to do and don’t wander around the house until I accomplish certain things.
Finish. Get it done. Period.
Fun. I reward myself when I’ve finished something that I totally did not want to do.
If a beaver really thought about all the work it would take to build a new home (dam), (s)he might never start. But since the need, desire and drive to build are innate… he doesn’t stop before he starts.
Somewhere along the way, human beings, who start out curious and driven (just watch a baby learn to walk) – we stop learning new things. How many times have you stopped yourself from trying something new because you were afraid?
Is it looking, acting or sounding stupid or admitting you don’t know something? We think that if we act like we’re not sure that we’ve somehow failed. The older we get, the less likely we are to try something different. We need to recalibrate our ideas so that learning new things is what’s good!
Here are my suggestions for staying hungry. Those of you who know me, know I’m already foolish (thank goodness!)
Everyday do something you don’t want to do… just for practice. Don’t gripe or complain, just do it. If you say one word about it to anyone, it doesn’t count. Do it for 7 days in a row and then talk with someone about the experience.
If you have a chance, watch a child learn new things. Do they get frustrated easily?
Make a list of the last 5 things you learned. Is it an easy list to construct or did you have to think about it for a while?
Set a goal to learn something new and take one small step towards it.
If you want to be Steve Jobs (author of ‘stay hungry, stay foolish’ and noted perfectionist) then this post is not for you. If you’re a mere mortal, then please tell me…. how do you stay hungry?
Do you believe the world of work has changed forever? I do. Whatever the root cause of our unemployment issues; big companies will no longer create the majority of our new jobs; small and mediums-sized companies will. And many more people will work for themselves or freelance.
The stereotype of a freelancer is a geek with a laptop sitting at home on their sofa in their sweats. You might be surprised that freelancers, like entrepreneurs, come in all shapes, sizes and are from many different fields. Think for a minute of consultants; engineering, management,etc.
I have a strategic marketing consulting practice that is supplemented by teaching at the Masters level and an active speaking schedule so I consider myself both an entrepreneur and a freelancer. As more folks aged 50+ lose their jobs (and have lost significant value in their retirement plans) — more of us will need to find work wherever we can.
This week I had the opportunity to visit NYS Senator Joe Robach with a group of freelancers and representatives from the Freelancers Union . (If you are an independent worker, you may want to check out their site. It’s free to join!) At issue is the right for freelance workers to have the same protection to ‘get paid’ as ‘regular’ workers; 83% of freelancers have experienced delayed, reduced or non-payment. Senator Robach was very supportive of the bill.
If we are going to adapt to a global marketplace, we are going to need keep up our legal and regulatory supports for new kinds of work. Are you working freelance? I’d love to hear from you.
Whether you are employed, unemployed or self-employed, one thing is clear; this country needs jobs. If you are someone who lost your job (uh-oh) and then started a company (a-ha!) then you, like me, are part of an exciting national trend.
I am an entrepreneur– in year 2 of my second start up. While it is a lot of work (yeah, get the work, do the work AND run the business), it’s very rewarding. I like the boss (me), the flexibility and I get to choose who I work for (the customers).
Here’s an interesting article on people who give up their full time jobs to start businesses. What? They gave up the security and paycheck of a full time job for the risks of a start up? Read on. These folks actually think working for someone else is the riskier proposition.
If you are wondering whether you’d make a good entrepreneur or want to learn more about how to get started here are a few resources.
Entrepreneur magazine - Even if your not sure whether starting a business is for you, start by reading a magazine like this.
You’re pretty cool. You’ve worked hard, you’re a nice person. So, are you where you want to be?
Sometimes we get so caught up in day to day living that we forget that we have the power to change ourselves. We have everything justified in our minds about why we can’t change, why things aren’t going our way, blah, blah, blah.
Practice one of these and it will change you…forever:
Promote someone else. When was the last time you helped to promote someone else? Not yourself; someone else. A person who you think is great. Talk about him/her to your connections. This will require you to know them well enough to help promote them. (No promoting your son, daughter– doesn’t count!)
Be brave. My favorite poet is Mary Oliver. I know you’re thinking, oh no, not poetry. Yuck. Well, I get that. I like poetry and I don’t understand most it. (Maybe that’s because it’s bad poetry!) Anyway, Mary wrote this poem titled The Journey. She talks to us about listening to our inner voice and having the courage to be ourselves. Not easy but the most worthwhile of life’s adventures.
Be here now. During your day, be fully present when you are talking to someone. Look them in the eye, smile, listen as if you were going to have to repeat back to them what they just told you. Practice this with your children, spouse, friends, parents, etc. You’ll be surprised at how much fun it is, how much it is appreciated and the joy of being in the moment.
Change is good, timing is everything, patience is the key. I’m in your corner!
There are 3 types of job seekers that scare recruiters (oh yeah, and clients/customers too). Maybe you are one of these and don’t realize it. Maybe you are:
- The Tasmanian Devil (The Stalker): over zealous applier to jobs and obsessive ‘check on the position that I applied for’ person
- The Lion (The Ego): thinks that the level of their previous position means that the rules don’t apply to them and yes, they think they’re better than everyone else
- The “Poor Me” Possum (The Victim): blames everyone and everything else
Each of these types are carrying forward thoughts and ideas about themselves that are not helping them adjust to the reality of the new job market.
Finding a job is not easy, but sometimes we add to the problem by acting in ways that do not help others see the best in us. Note these additional types:
- The Ostrich: often due to poor choices or avoidance behaviors; this person keeps doing the same things they’ve always done but does not understand why they’re not making more progress
- The Hog: talks endlessly about themselves and what they’ve done. If people are telling you to listen; you’re a hog
- The Cat: spends lots of time chatting, resting and thinking but doesn’t really want to work and acts really busy but never accomplishes anything of value (except what gratifies them). They borrow money and make excuses for not being able to ‘close’ the deal.
If you’re a person who’s been out of work for while, try talking to a mentor. Ask someone you trust to level with you, try to accept what they are telling you with grace. Or maybe you need to just listen to what the people currently in your life are telling you. Do you know some other types? Please share. Remember don’t try harder, try different!
There are 2 kinds of households – those that have a teenager at home who can help with the computers and those that don’t (OK, there are some households that have an adult that understands technology but they don’t count!)
Many of us don’t see the world through the filter of a connected/electronic world. We weren’t raised on instant messenger in high school nor did we become social beings via Facebook in college. Someone moved our cheese and now we do need to understand and embrace technology and the ‘socialness’ that is the new world of business and commerce.
I advocate for ‘reverse mentorship’- the pairing of a ‘digital native’ (younger/wired person) with a senior executive in order to create synergies, teach each other, learn and grow a company. The executive gains insight about how technology is affecting the world and the younger person gains experience and guidance. The key to making this work has less to do with interpersonal skills and more to do with the openness of the executive and how ‘coachable’ the younger person is. Setting goals, having lively discussions and respecting each other are all part of the process to help our companies keep up with global competition.
Alexa Scordato, piloted this idea at her first job at Mzinga and has gone on to talk about it at TEDxBoston.
Leaders need to embrace new ways of listening and engaging customers and how social is changing all aspects of the enterprise. Regularly hearing unfiltered feedback (not through sales reps or customer service) direct from our customers and prospects is an exciting proposition. The question is… when we have it, what will we do with it?
Please share who are you learning from these days.
I have a friend who talks about the power of two. One person can make a huge difference in the lives of many people. However, 2 people, joined in purpose and intent, can move mountains.
I believe that the way that we work, play and innovate is undergoing a revolution and social media/web 2.0 are at the heart of it. Beyond Facebook, Twitter and Linked In are wikis, online communities, videos, ning groups, meet ups, blogs, podcasts and so many more cool ways to communicate that we have barely begun to scratch the surface.
Back in the mid-1990′s, we used altavista to search for information on the then new “world wide web.” Remember? If we had to use a search tool like that today, we would be tearing our hair out. The tools we have for collaboration are similarly unsophisticated compared to what we’ll have at our fingertips in just a few short years. The ways we want to work together are already evolving faster than the toolkit.
I have started a new blog, A Collaboration Nation to share ideas and get us thinking not only about tools for sharing ideas, but also how we work together. I came across a book called “The Power of Two” and from it, I took this excerpt;
Effective allies agree with these 3 statements:
We focus on each other’s strengths, not weaknesses.
We accept each other as we are and don’t try to change each other.
We are understanding of each other when one of us makes mistakes.
In those cases where you work with one other person, how effective are you as a partner? When we focus on the power we have to make great things happen, guess what; great things happen.
I personally have started 2 businesses and am currently helping another one get cooking right now. While it’s an almost overwhelming amount of work, I enjoy it the challenge of creating something from nothing.
As a SCORE volunteer (part of the Small Business Administration), I meet a lot of wonderful people who have great ideas. Each of them is taking a step towards starting their own business. They are asking for help (by the way it’s free and available to everyone) and researching their idea. I tell them that even if this particular business doesn’t get off the ground, another one just might so keep learning, growing and exploring.
When people find out that I have started businesses or volunteer at SCORE, they inevitably talk about how much fun it must be. They don’t really think about how hard it is to start the business, find the customers, run the business and do the work. While it may sound a bit overwhelming, 20,000 new businesses start every year. I believe that if the United States is going to remain economically strong, we need more and more entrepreneurs to step up.
When I was looking for an image to include with this post, I realized that no photograph of a person or people would work. Entrepreneurs come in every size, shape, age, race, gender, religion and nationality. This is an important challenge and even if you are not inclined to start a business, I ask that you to visit, support, encourage and cheer lead for local entrepreneurs. When picking a restaurant, pick a local restaurant instead of a chain. Eat local food, buy local goods and we’ll all reap the benefits. I’d love to hear from other entrepreneurs. We need to stick together!
To love what you do and feel that it matters, how could anything else be more fun? Katherine Graham
What would it take for you to be joyfully jobless? Think about it for a minute. Would $500,000 do it? Have you thought about being an entrepreneur? Have you wondered what it would be like to have your own business?
I have not only thought about it, I had a marketing consulting practice. I did a lot of research, wrote a business plan, rented an office and created a web site. It was harder than I thought. Finding the work, doing the work and running the business (legal, accounting, etc.) proved a good challenge. September 11, 2001 squashed my dreams. The good news is I learned a lot. The experience makes me a better employee.
There are so many options for self employment. Where should you start?
These books that help you begin to think about doing it differently.
• Making a Living Without a Job: Winning Ways For Creating Work That You Love (learn more about the author at: http://www.joyfullyjobless.com/)
• Caught Between A Dream and A Job – D. MacNeall II
• Feel the Fear…and Do It Anyway – Susan Jeffers
• Write It Down, Make It Happen: Knowing What You Want And Getting It – Henriette Klauser
Today, I volunteer as a SCORE volunteer. SCORE is a national volunteer organization of experienced business professionals offering free, confidential counseling to new and existing businesses. If you are considering starting your own business, including franchising, service businesses, etc.; I suggest you visit http://www.scorerochester.org/) or contact me and I can help you get started with them.
Fun and Interesting Inexpensive/Free Things to Do in Rochester
If you haven’t explored the High Falls area downtown, I recommend it.
At the very least you will see the 96 foot drop waterfall and the bridge, Pont de Rennes which is dedicated to our sister city in France. The Triphammer Forge and, if you plan it right, a laser light show across the falls, make this worthwhile.
For more information: http://www.cityofrochester.gov/article.aspx?id=8589936508/)
Ok, so the gig economy doesn’t have anything to do with singing. In an excellent article in the Atlantic titled, “The Freelance Surge is the Industrial Revolution of Our Time,” we learn that the gig economy describes the way work is changing. Freelancers rule!
future of work, having fun, job search, Life Transitions, skills | Deborah | 
December 20, 2011 9:45 am | 
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