Category: Freelancing

On Indies and little breaks – @ThisIsSeth

Seth Godin is always worth reading.

Here he is on the importance of recognising what type of indie (independent, i.e. sovereign professional) you really are

Independent workers, founders, creators and organizers are often lumped together with a simple term, but that one-size-fits-all model fits no one.

Read, and select, here.

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Craftspeople, paths and time – @thisisseth

Seth Godin posts a couple of considerations for independents.

Firstly, on time and deadlines

It’s amazing how much slack people will give you if you’re proactive about what you see and what you know. No need to make promises you can’t keep, and no need to hide from the promises you’ve made.

Secondly on the different strategies available, along with the consequences…

1. Honor the noise in your head.

2. Embrace your market.

3. Stay busy.

Two pithy posts worth a deep ponder. Read them here and here.

Photo by Nicolas Hoizey on Unsplash

Creatives lead the way in freelance growth

Creative services show the biggest growth in two reports on the freelance and independent sector in the US and UK.

In the UK, Simply Business reports a 31% year-on-year growth in the number of freelancers. They note that:

the real growth in this space is being driven by a wave of emerging lifestyle and creative businesses. This suggests that more people are attempting to turn their hobbies and passions into businesses.

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Getting laid off. Starting again. @HarvardBiz

Losing your job can be hard. For some, though, it’s the spur they need to start out on their own.

Here’s some interesting research from Harvard Business Review (Eliana Crosina of Babson College and Michael G. Pratt of the Carroll School of Management, Boston College). The researchers find that such job-seekers fall into two categories: Recreators and Repurposers:

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Modern Stoicism, stress and freelancing – @StoicWeek

The Modern Stoicism site has just posted an expanded version of Freelancing, Stoicism and Stress. I am both grateful and humbled.

Hopefully, fellow independent professionals will find it informative and perhaps useful, too.

Many thanks to Modern Stoicism’s editor Greg Sadler for his support.

The Modern Stoicism article is here.

The shorter original, elsewhere on this site, is here.

Photo by Nik Shuliahin on Unsplash

Power and the independent professional

Power can be complicated for freelancers and independents. You have power over your own business, but on client projects your power can less clear, jeopardising your ability to deliver.

How can you ensure you have the power you need to achieve the task in hand?

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