There has never been a better time to live the self-employed
life. Jacob Morgan, co-founder and principal of Chess Media Group and
author of The Future of Work (2014), researches how market
trends, demographics, political imperatives and advances in technology
will likely impact the global workforce over the coming years and his
findings indicate that self-employment has significant momentum."The
picture for freelancers is very good. It's going to be a huge area going
forward."
Morgan points out what most traditionally and independently employed workers have learned over the past two decades: the steady paycheck is going the way of the dinosaurs. Those who are now age 50 years or above started a career and expected to work steadily and at increasing pay for 25 or 30 years and then collect a pension as a reward for their contributions. Employment at one company was considered an accomplishment and job-hopping was seen as disloyalty, if not instability.
Morgan's research shows that now, the average worker is employed at a place of business for about five years and Millennial Generation workers last an average of three years. "Nowadays, when a company is struggling, the first thing it tends to do is cut jobs."
Because freelance Solopreneur service providers typically have a list of active clients, we are somewhat insulated from the whims of business owners. We win some projects and lose others, but we will not be laid off and abruptly lose all income. Our revenue-generating billable hours are sometimes less than ideal; however, finding project work is much easier than finding traditional employment that pays a living wage, especially when the job seeker is age 50 years or older.
Self-employment allows more opportunities to create money-making options for yourself. The flip side of the uncertainty inherent in self-employment is that becoming your own boss could earn you a great deal of money. Traditional employment comes with income caps and many employees have been disappointed to learn that generous merit increases, bonuses and sales commissions are harder than ever to come by. Government statistics for the past 20 years have shown that middle class wages have become stagnant.
As companies shed permanent workers, the demand for project-specific professional help continues to rise and for freelancing Solopreneurs, that is a good thing. Much depends upon one's skill set and the local economy, but the next three years and most likely more than that, look promising. Deciding which of your competencies are the most marketable and discovering how to connect with available projects forms the heart of the freelance Solopreneur business model.
In 2010, Intuit predicted that by 2020, the independently employed workforce in the U.S. would rise to 60 million. There are now numerous associations, such as the Freelancer's Union https://www.freelancersunion.org, that offer professional resources and other support to Solopreneurs, including affordable medical and dental insurance. Co-working spaces are available to those who need modestly priced per diem meeting space or shared office space for those who would like to interact with a cohort of like-minded Solopreneur professionals.
Morgan recommends that those who have full-time employment consider taking on freelance work as an experiment. "Now is an excellent time to do it, but I would do it in a smart way... do a little moonlighting and see how it goes. If it goes well, devote more effort to it. If not, you'll have learned it's not for you."
Thanks for reading,
Kim
Morgan points out what most traditionally and independently employed workers have learned over the past two decades: the steady paycheck is going the way of the dinosaurs. Those who are now age 50 years or above started a career and expected to work steadily and at increasing pay for 25 or 30 years and then collect a pension as a reward for their contributions. Employment at one company was considered an accomplishment and job-hopping was seen as disloyalty, if not instability.
Morgan's research shows that now, the average worker is employed at a place of business for about five years and Millennial Generation workers last an average of three years. "Nowadays, when a company is struggling, the first thing it tends to do is cut jobs."
Because freelance Solopreneur service providers typically have a list of active clients, we are somewhat insulated from the whims of business owners. We win some projects and lose others, but we will not be laid off and abruptly lose all income. Our revenue-generating billable hours are sometimes less than ideal; however, finding project work is much easier than finding traditional employment that pays a living wage, especially when the job seeker is age 50 years or older.
Self-employment allows more opportunities to create money-making options for yourself. The flip side of the uncertainty inherent in self-employment is that becoming your own boss could earn you a great deal of money. Traditional employment comes with income caps and many employees have been disappointed to learn that generous merit increases, bonuses and sales commissions are harder than ever to come by. Government statistics for the past 20 years have shown that middle class wages have become stagnant.
As companies shed permanent workers, the demand for project-specific professional help continues to rise and for freelancing Solopreneurs, that is a good thing. Much depends upon one's skill set and the local economy, but the next three years and most likely more than that, look promising. Deciding which of your competencies are the most marketable and discovering how to connect with available projects forms the heart of the freelance Solopreneur business model.
In 2010, Intuit predicted that by 2020, the independently employed workforce in the U.S. would rise to 60 million. There are now numerous associations, such as the Freelancer's Union https://www.freelancersunion.org, that offer professional resources and other support to Solopreneurs, including affordable medical and dental insurance. Co-working spaces are available to those who need modestly priced per diem meeting space or shared office space for those who would like to interact with a cohort of like-minded Solopreneur professionals.
Morgan recommends that those who have full-time employment consider taking on freelance work as an experiment. "Now is an excellent time to do it, but I would do it in a smart way... do a little moonlighting and see how it goes. If it goes well, devote more effort to it. If not, you'll have learned it's not for you."
Thanks for reading,
Kim
Kim L. Clark is an external strategy and marketing consultant who
brings agile talent to the for-profit and not-for-profit organization
leaders with whom she works. Please visit
http:..polishedprofessionalsboston.com to learn how your organization
can benefit when you work with Kim.
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