This morning I got a call to return to a contract position at an ad agency where I worked last summer. I said no.
I used to believe that only creative types were aboard the Good Ship Freelance. From time to time we’d sail into port and work, and the rest of the time we were at sea. (Sometimes seasick, and sometimes flat out lost at sea…)
Financially, this lifestyle requires a different mindset and approach.
Now I am convinced that in the coming years everyone will in effect be a freelancer/entrepreneur/intrapreneur. What does this mean for you? Are you prepared to embrace the changes in the workforce? How will it impact you financially?
Here are 3 tips I’ve learned, and they aren’t the typical financial advice. Rather, some coping mechanisms. The choices you make will impact your financial comfort both short term and long-term.
1. Invest in your reputation first. In a mobile workforce you must aggressively build and protect your reputation. Your reputation is the greatest sales tool you have to differentiate yourself amongst your peers. Problem? You don’t control your reputation.
Your reputation rests solely in how other people perceive you. Therefore it becomes more critical than ever to:
* Do what you say you will do — when you said you’d do it.
* Treat everyone, every time, with respect — your work circles are smaller than you think!
* Be the kind of person people want to spend time with (and therefore, work with)
* Don’t be shy about actively crafting the image you want — the fact is, people judge you and pigeonhole you regardless. Help them put you in the right box.
2. Leverage your relationships. Most people talk about this in terms of figuring out how you can get someone else to help you out. Here’s the big secret: people are a lot more helpful when they know you’ve got their back, too. Actively help others without expecting anything in return. When you do, you store up social savings and these always have a way of paying out favorably.
3. Prepare Financially. In a topsy-turvy job environment you must be prepared. The two biggest items? Saving for the future and paying for health insurance. Everyone knows health insurance is wildly expensive if you are on your own. Investigate your options and do the best you can.
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