It Sure Beats Working

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I was a guest on Melissa Gerdes' one hour teleseminar last week, on the topic of starting and thriving in your own business as a solo professional. 

If you missed it live, you can listen to it here for free:

www.escape-9to5.com/penguinlisten

Do Whatever You Want

Today is the last day of school for my kids:  "Have a nice summer.  We've decided that today is the day you start vacation.  We'll see you back here on September 4th... the day we decided you need to be back here."

Okay, that's not quite the way they say it, but it's clear who's in charge.  And then one day they'll go to college where someone else tells them what courses they need to take.  And then they'll get jobs where someone tells them what to work on.

Again, I'm exaggerating a little bit.  But not a lot.  For most people -- myself included for the first 40 years of my life -- there are people telling you where to be and what to do all along the way. So it's not so surprising that many first time solo professionals feel a little disoriented at the prospect of "no structure."

I got an email from someone the other day -- a guy thinking of leaving his job.  He asked if he needed a business plan to get started.  I said, "Only if you want one."  If it made him feel comfortable and more secure, be my guest.  But if you'd rather just wing it, that's fine too.

Here's the point:  There are no rules out here.  The key is to figure out what works for you and to follow that.  And the sooner you see that as a feature, rather than a problem, the more you'll enjoy the process.  And, I believe, the more successful you'll be.

The Illusion of Safety

I had lunch with my friend Brian yesterday.  He'd been working at a small, software startup here in Boston and over the weekend the investors decided to pull the plug.  No warning, just a phone call and a couple of months severance.

He figures he has three options now: 

1.  Go to work for a big company.
2.  Find another startup.
3.  Start something on his own. 

What I find most interesting about Brian's situation is that most people look at that list and assume it's laid out in increasing order of risk.  Ten years ago, I would have thought the same thing, but today, I think that's totally backwards.

Working for a large company is like being a solo professional with one client.  And not just any client; a client in which the decision to keep you on or let you go will often have nothing at all to do with you, your value or your performance.  That's what I call risky.

As solo professionals, on the other hand, we've all learned how to "live off the land."  Clients will come and go, but we know where to find more, and we do our best not to become too dependent on any one of them. If you ask me, that's what security looks like.