Tweet

Free Agent Act – What it takes to be self-employed

Written by: Kristin Thalheimer

Article Overview: Giving up the security of a weekly pay check in order to become a free agent is a leap few people take lightly. What does it take to do this, and are you the right kind of person for it?

Free Agent Act – What it takes to be self-employed

Sitting down in a café for a cup of tea with a friend recently, we pulled our chairs up to a typically wobbly coffee-shop table. To rid the table of wobble, we chose the standard engineering feat of wedging a folded napkin under one of the four legs of the table. That prompted my friend to say – mind already churning with ideas, “I bet I could invent a five-legged café table that wouldn’t wobble.”

But what would it take to bring an idea – a really good idea – to market? And are you the kind of person to do it?

Today there are more than 25 million self-employed Americans, according to Daniel Pink, author of Free Agent Nation. That’s more than one in ten in the U.S. And Margaret Heffernan in her article, “The Female CEO” (Fast Company. Issue 61) tracked women fleeing corporate America at a much faster rate than men. Between 1983 and 2002, the number of self-employed women rose 77% while the increase for men was 6%.

Despite the changing realities of our country’s economy and the trend toward self-employment, despite even the allure of being your own boss, most people walk back to their cubbies without taking a square look at what you do and don’t need to be self-employed.

You don’t need to have a million-dollar idea, but you do need to know that there is a willing market ready to pay for your product or service. Do café owners want a five-legged table? Does one already exist? Knowing there’s a ready market means testing and piloting your idea. And for most of us without trust funds or investors eager to jump in, that means working nights and weekends to do research while still working your day job. You must, with some sense of certainty, be able to predict that there are enough people and enough dollars available to allow you to fulfill your financial requisites and goals.

You don’t need a million dollars to start a business, but you do need a passion for your ideas and unwavering perseverance.

• Passion: Remember the nights and weekends mentioned above? Well, it’s true. So if you don’t LOVE what you are going to be involved in, forget it. It’s that simple. Not only will you need that level of passion to merely manage the hours in the beginning, but your future clients and customers will sense, one way or the other, if you love what you do. To make it work, you’d better love it.
• Perseverance: More than smarts, more than glitz, more than any other single aspect which could tip the scales toward success, you have to be ready to stay in the game – for better of worse; in sickness and in health. When you start, you will hear “no” much more than you prefer, but you must be confident enough in what you are offering and its future to keep going. In today’s here-today, gone-tomorrow culture, your customers’ expectations are that you will not survive. You, as a self-endorsing individual, must have undeniable focus and be able to tolerate the slammed doors, so that when people hear your name today and tomorrow and next month and next year, they will realize you are in it for the long run. That’s when you are first taken seriously. Then and only then. And that’s when the real fun begins.

As a potential free agent, the trends are in your favor. And while the level of commitment is intensified considerably, as an independent worker, here’s what you get:
• the rewards of doing what you love
• the combining of work and family (often)
• the self-enlightenment of answering to your own decisions
• the choice of working on Saturday but not on a Wednesday
• the reclaiming of your self-esteem by never having to ask permission to go to a dentist appointment or leave an hour early
• financial prospects that have potential to exceed a yearly salary or corporate bonus structure

And even while working long evening and weekend hours, you can still cash in on the undeniable perk of going to a café with a good friend in the middle of the day – any day – for a cup of tea.

© 2006 Kristin Thalheimer

Kristin has worked as a manager, leader, team player and coach in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors for over 18 years. Trained in business development and entrepreneurship, Kristin’s areas of expertise include leadership, negotiation, communication, and project management. Kristin also has a dual role in the fitness industry and is currently partnering with Healthworks Fitness Centers for Women as an instructor and business coach.
Contact Kristin at 617 407-1124 or by email at info@ourlifebusinss.com
www.ourlifebusiness.com

Related Articles
  Statutory Agent
  The Benefits That You Can Reap From Getting In Touch With A Travel Agent
  Best Travel Agent Programs
  Travel Agent Programs
  Why Can't We All Just Get Along

Article Tags:



Related Forum Posts
Re: Free elecrtricity generator - Can anybody help me with any aspect of my invention? In basic terms it is the energy of Gravity conserved and reused = (Auto engaging and disengaging shafts) = perpetual motion Perpetual motion + static friction generated in a pipe = free static electricity Free static electricity converted to usable electricity = Free usable electricity Free usable electricity generated by the constant friction generated by an auto engaging and disengaging machine that conserves the energy of gravity in a overcrankable clock spring The weight is easilly lifted back up the shaft with the aid of a double pully on ropes
Re: Internet Fax Services - any suggestions? - This is a list of the best free internet fax services. Efax 1 Month Free Trial Only Receive unlimited faxes in your Efax email (or you can forward your Efax email to another email account), but your fax number may not be based in your local area. Also get free voicemail over the phone or on the web. JFAX.com Free Fax Plus 1 Month Free Trial Only This service gives you a free personal phone number (your number may not be in your local area code, so long distance charges may apply) you can use to receive voice messages and faxes right in your email. This service is available in the US and UK. Xoip Receive faxes on your Xoip number (Netherlands, Belgium, and United Kingdom numbers only) and it will be forwarded to your email address where you will be able to view it as a graphics (.tiff) file. This service also provides free voicemail.
Simple way to avoid Cold Calling - Gary, A chiropractor I work with hates cold calling (me too!) and he uses a technique to warm people up to using his services - it's so simple! In Sales your dealing with 3 pools of people: 1. Strangers 2. Prospects 3. Returning Customers You need to move people from one pool to the next. We'll concentrate on #1 and #2 as it's most relevant to your question. My Clients does the following (you just have to tailor it to your situation - be creative). My Client (we'll call him Bob) Bob leverages his time and resources to only get people that need his offer (pain relief) to put their hand up. Dealing with Strangers can get expensive and they don't like to be told what to do as they have no trust or relationship built with him. So to get Strangers to put their hands up he writes up an offer with a free report on a particular pain relief - let's say lower back pain (note: he can simply just change lower back pain to neck pain and have a new report). and uses multiple marketing vehicles to promote the Free report - magazines, newspaper, forums, postcards, private clinics etc. The only people picking up this information are the very people Bob would like as customers as they have Lower back pain. Bob's Free report ends with him stating his services and includes a Free in-house Consultation with no obligation. You'd be surprised at how easily Bob converts Strangers into Prospects. Note: They become prospects when they ask for the Free Guide and in exchange provide their contact details. This gives Bob unlimited opportunity to contact them for the Free in-house consultation with no obligation to continue using him. At this stage Bob's ability to close the sale lies in his office providing good customer service, Bob's ability to help the prospect and provide value at the free in-house consultation. Notice, he hasn't had to pick up the phone to COLD-CALL his Stranger pool or his Prospect pool. Hope that example helps to increase your prospecting!
Library to Meet - Has anyone ever tried the Public Library? they have meeting rooms there too and Toronto has over 30 locations with Free Wireless Internet.
Re: New Window/Tab May Inhibit Posters? - I think if any link takes a visitor away from the forum when clicked then it should go to a new tab. But if it just takes them to another page on the forum when clicked it should stay in the same tab.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

How To Be Happy at Work? Acknowledge Yourself

Starting a Business a Brave Move or a NoBrainer

The new marketing question. Will they follow?

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.