Portfolio Career

There is a middle ground between full employment with one employer and full entrepreneurship. That is the realm of the self-employed, freelancer, independent contractor, free agent, solopreneur, etc. When I worked at Monster.com with responsibility for this self-employment market, we had long debates about what to call this kind of person - one label that fit. I think self-employed was the broadest category, but it was a lesson in how broad people's careers can be.

One model of self-employment is the portfolio career. This is a strategy that appeals to people who desire the independence and flexibility of self-employment, but who want to minimize the risk of full scale entrepreneurship. Judging from the clients I have worked with, it resonates particularly well with people in the late 40s, early 50s. The concept is simple: pursue multiple streams of income, with different clients, doing different things. Short-term and long-term contracts. One day engagements. Define a mix that works for you. To learn more, read my latest Monster.com article Pursue a Portfolio Career.

Marketing, Marketing, Marketing

On my mind and the minds of a lot of my clients recently is marketing. Whether you run a small business, are self-employed, work for someone else or are on the job hunt, MARKETING IS KEY. I have been personally experiencing the benefits of marketing recently, some of which I describe below.

Ultimately, your ability to thrive, to survive no matter what the circumstances, to succeed where others fail, to make bold changes in your life will be in great part due to your ability to market YOU.

If you are in the job market, you are marketing yourself, what you can do for a prospective employer and how you fit into their organization.

If you are employed and you have career development goals, you better be engaging in effective marketing activities to build your personal brand and expand your network.

If you are self-employed, your first product is you. The quality of the service you provide is as important, but without the consistent ability to market yourself, you will fail.

If you run a small business, there is certainly more emphasis tied to the brand and the product / service, but again, there is a fine line, and in some cases, that small business is all about you and your attractiveness to the market.

I love marketing. There are so many ways to go about it, and I think it is important for you to pick the right mix of activities to complement you and what you are selling. Networking, of course, is a key part of the marketing puzzle, and again, there are different ways to network.

I know from experience that my love for marketing isn't shared by most of you. My clients are certainly asking for this kind of support.

That's enough for today. I will pick up on this theme again soon. If you need marketing support, please give me a call at 604-787-9593 or email me at ian@boldcareer.com.

The core challenge of self-employment

This is my 2nd time around in the ranks of the self-employed.

The first was very successful. I sold the business. In between, I also had the great privilege of managing Monster.com’s self-employment / free agent market. Talk about interesting times. For the last 18 months, I have been working on my 2nd venture.

I can tell you from experience, that the ultimate challenge of self-employment is managing yourself.
*How effectively & efficiently you use your time
*Focus
*Determination, persistence and vision
*Self-confidence and how you come across with those you interact with
*Energy
*Knowledge
*Wearing many, many hats

When you think about it, no matter how simple the business model you are pursuing, it is an incredibly complex equation. Most of us fail, apparently. And the latest statistics show that the self-employed earn far less than the employed, on average.

I relish the challenge, and the freedom, and the opportunity. But, it isn’t easy, and at times, it seems frightfully impossible. It takes immense faith and persistence to stay the course. And sacrifice.

And yet, I recommend it highly - if you have the stomach for it. The rewards can be immense.

Bold Career is a good place to get encouragement and practical tools to be successful self-employed. Be certain to subscribe to our free resources or if you would like some help from me, let me know. Good luck!