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

By Gordon Miller

Author

The Career Coach: Winning Strategies for Getting Ahead in Today's Job Market

 

Most of us have thought about it at one time or another. We have dreamed of taking control of our careers and heading out on our own. Occasionally it's because we don't like our company, or can't stand our boss or co-workers. Sometimes it's because we are tired of making all this money for our company, or because we are concerned about the unpredictability of future employment. But more often than not it's because we have this "fire" in us that says we want to own our business. We want to pull all of our ideas, experience, and drive together to prove we can do it better. We want to do it our way!

 

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, outsource, 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 percent 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: they know your skill level; they reduce their fixed expenses; and they put themselves in a position to terminate you on a moments notice. The benefits to you are: you make more money; you have the flexibility to change assignments or move on when the work is completed; and you get