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Everyone a Business - Is Becoming a "Free Agent" for You?

by Gordon Miller; Gary Resnikoff    

One of the key concepts in this idea of becoming an entrepreneur, a "free agent" if you will, is how well it mirrors what is happening in the business world today. As Corporate America continues to downsize, out-source, acquire, and merge, the opportunity for people to start their own businesses has never been greater. Companies will continue to

re-invent themselves on a regular basis to stay competitive in this warp-speed, technology driven, "we can no longer guarantee you a job" workplace. They will continue to figure out how to reduce their cost of doing business and strive to become a more fluid and flexible business model:

A model that is much more responsive to what is happening in their field.

A model that allows them to change the way they do things on very short notice.

A model that seeks to replace permanent employees with a contracted, short-term, project-based staff.

Therein lies the opportunity for those of us who choose to go down the "everyone is a business" path. The New Look of Work (some studies predict that by 2005 up to 50% of the workforce will be independent contractors) will provide the vehicle for people to

launch their own businesses; including becoming an independent consultant, a small-business owner, or a web-based entrepreneur. And, the benefits can be enormous: more freedom, more control of your working time, more diverse assignments, telecommuting, and better work/life balance to name just a few.

So where are the best opportunities to become an independent contractor/consultant? Here’s a list of a few of my recommendations;

Accounting Market Research

Advertising/PR Telemarketing

Career Coaching Office Productivity (word processing)

Editing/Writing Tax Planning

Janitorial Technology (web-site developers, network engineers)

But maybe the best opportunity to become a "free agent" is with your current employer.

Companies are becoming more and more receptive to employees, or groups of employees, quitting the firm and being re-hired as contractors. Often times with contracts, at higher pay, for months or even multi-year terms. The benefits to the company are: (1) They know your skill level. (2) They reduce their fixed expenses. (3) They put themselves in a position to terminate you on a moments notice.

The benefits to you are: (1) You make more money. (2) You have the flexibility to change assignments or move on when the work is completed. (3) You get the chance to be taken more seriously by the company so as to propose different, better solutions for the same work.

Should you decide to "Go Solo," here are a few tips on how to be most effective:

If you’re working out of your home office, don’t hang around the office all day. Take some time each day to get out, meet some customers, lunch with fellow contractors.

Don’t spend too much time on your computer each day. The tendency is to get lost in some back-water and spend hours watching the alligators (which may have nothing to do with your biz).

Focus on servicing your customer better, rather than on trying to grow your business too fast. There is a tendency when you first leave Corporate America to get more customers. That’s somewhat understandable. You no longer have the cushion of a regular check. By focusing on giving your current client un-paralled service, you will quickly build a strong reputation and gain a reference that will provide plenty of future revenue.

Don’t think in terms of a formal, rigid, business plan. When you’re an independent consultant or contractor, you have to be extremely flexible to quickly respond to the market needs. The customer is still king.

Don’t let business run your life. Once you’re clear of the Corporate Claw, there is sometimes a tendency to let the responsibility overwhelm you. Stay focused and remember that the goal of having fun and achieving work/life balance is doable.

Think about this: haven’t we really been self-employed all this time? Haven’t most of us been independent contractors performing a defined set of services with no real guarantee of continued employment? I think so. If you do too, and you’re ready to take the plunge, goodness is just around the corner.

And, remember: Go Confidently in the Direction of Your Dream.


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Gordon Miller is a career coach, speaker, and author of THE CAREER COACH: WINNING STRATEGIES FOR GETTING AHEAD IN TODAY’S JOB MARKET (Doubleday). Gordon can be reached at gordonmiller@group56.com or www.group56.com.