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Make 2026 Your Gold Medal Year

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Independently employed Freelance professionals remain one of the most robust segments of the global labor market, powered by a still growing number of U.S. workers. The San Francisco, CA based Grandview Market Research projects the 2030 Freelance economy market size will reach $14.39 Billion (USD), up from $7.65 billion in 2025. According to the Upwork Research Institute, currently 28% of skilled knowledge workers operate as Freelancers or independent professionals here in America. In 2024, those Freelance workers generated $1.5 Trillion in earnings.

Freelancers recognize that the outcome of a growing number of talented and ambitious colleagues leads to the inevitable presence of increased competition for work assignments. As a result, Freelance professionals are aware that you’ve gotta hustle on many levels, from consistent marketing that demonstrates thought leadership in tandem with other inbound marketing formats designed to appeal to your most promising prospects. Continual upskilling of your core knowledge base is yet another tactic that can help to strategically position a one-person empire in ways that are sustainable and push you ahead of hungry competitors.

If that’s not enough, savvy Freelancers must always keep eyes and ears open to consider how you might improve the quality or delivery of your services. The five SMART business development goals listed below—-Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timely—should be on every Freelancer’s business strategy list, for they constitute a reliable roadmap that’s capable of taking you to the top and helping you grab your gold medal in 2026.

To further enhance the impact of the goals, think of them collectively as potential focus points in the storytelling narrative you’ll present when in discussion with prospects. Incorporating into those conversations benefits derived from implementing the goals that you know or surmise would be of interest to them bolsters your ability to structure a more compelling in the conversation. You can weave into the story narrative that frames the conversation why and how your capabilities, experience, ability to collaborate and education make you especially well-suited for the role you seek, whether it’s an exciting client project or new W-2 job. Your mastery of the goals presented here will enable you to “paint a picture” that helps search committee members, hiring manager and other influential parties on the prospect’s team to clearly envision how you and the competencies you bring to the table will get the job done, meet or exceed expectations and (best of all!) make them look good to superiors, direct reports and colleagues.

  1. Update your online presence and portfolio

Type your business entity name and your own name into two or three prominent search engines to conduct a review of your online presence. What does the internet reveal about you? Is the information accurate? Does it portray you in ways that highlight your strengths? According to MBO Partners, 42% of Freelance professionals rely on digital platforms for finding clients; that means the sum total of your digital presence, from your website, to your social media presence, to postings of your appearances on podcasts, webinars, magazine articles and notices for your speaking engagements or other public appearances constitute what you might call your digital “storefront.”

Your collective online presence informs interested parties, that is, prospective clients, that your entity is open for business and ready to deliver valuable services. The vault for your professional credentials and capabilities is online in the cloud, so it’s imperative that your bona fides up-to-date and presented in visual and text language that inspires confidence and interest, so that the online story of you, the Freelance professional, works hard and smart to generate leads for your business. Update your portfolio with descriptions or examples of recent project work that makes you proud and will convince clients that you can be trusted to produce the outcomes they need. Convincing client testimonials and case studies will further help you make your case. Don’t forget to review your profiles that appear in Freelancer directories and third-party websites that are viewed and trusted by prospects, as well.

2. Consistent engagement on the right social media platforms

A persuasive LinkedIn profile is a powerful communication channel that will communicate the capabilities of your Freelance business entity to potential prospects; 40% of B2B marketers say LinkedIn is the most effective channel for driving high-quality leads. You now have significant motivation to regularly share your unique thought leadership, valuable insights and opinions on industry news and updates that will heighten your professional visible and enhance your status as a go-to expert in your niche.

In 2026, make a point is to become a consistent LinkedIn participant and more than someone who just gives “likes.” When you feel able to make a relevant contribution to a conversation thread be brave and speak up! Even if your opinion or advice is expressed in a mere sentence or two, remember that succinctly delivered info is always appreciated. Moreover, your participation helps to build a respected reputation on the platform and will increase your LinkedIn Social Selling Index (SSI)— a metric that LinkedIn says pays demonstrable professional benefits on the platform.

Along with LinkedIn, research and follow-up may lead you to discover that Facebook, Instagram and/or TikTok also have significant marketing potential for your venture. What are the norms for your industry? If those who hire for your service or product categories consider certain social media platforms are good hunting grounds for talented professionals, that’s where you hang out your digital shingle.

 3. Increase PR activity

Public relations and media mentions help build name recognition and credibility for your brand and make you and your business entity a known and trusted quantity. Moreover, PR features are posted online, so PR adds to your digital presence. Noteworthy media mentions should be uploaded to your website (you can add a “press” tab to your website and upload media mentions there) for review by interested parties. Freelance professionals should aim to earn valuable media opportunities (that is, unpaid media exposure) and leverage that exposure to grow trust and credibility.

Favorable PR is an important ingredient in a comprehensive inbound marketing strategy—-PR is soft sell leadgen and should not be overlooked. An effective and achievable PR strategy for Freelancers might include two or more of the activities listed below. Be sure to leverage your PR opportunities by sharing them on your website, email list and social media channels. Published articles that you’ve authored will be published online by the media outlets. Videos of your participation in podcasts and webinars will be posted online by the hosts. Sponsors of any awards you’ve received will be delighted when you share news of your victory with members of your email list, post to your online platforms and send a press release to local media outlets—because it also creates good PR for the sponsoring organization and encourages more candidates for the next round of awards (for which the sponsoring organization collects entry fees). Charity organizations will likewise be delighted when you distribute your participation to media outlets as well as your digital platforms and email list.

  • Be a guest on three or four industry-relevant podcasts or webinars
  • Write four or five industry-relevant posts (or guest posts) for blogs, newsletters, or other publications
  • Be a guest speaker, or introduce the guest speaker, at a business association meeting
  • Moderate an industry-relevant panel of experts, or be a panelist yourself
  • Campaign for a local business award and if you win so much as a bronze participation trophy, send a press release to announce your victory to local media and also post to your website, social media platforms and send to your email list (include a photo of you accepting the award with your press release)
  • Become a sponsor of a local charity event, for example, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Little League, or social services organizations. You might have an event-day volunteer presence and be able to take a few photos that document your participation. Feature your volunteerism on all of your digital platforms plus your email list with two or three photos plus information about the role the organization plays in the community and the impact of the event.

 4. Create meaningful client case studies

Use your storyteller’s perspective—a competency that you utilized while polishing your overall online presence and portfolio in the first goal and becoming more strategic and active in your use of PR initiatives in the third goal—to review and decide which of your most successful client projects could make compelling case studies that you can share on your website and social media channels? Case studies are powerful stories that provide irrefutable proof that you can deliver what clients need. They are the ultimate testimonial.

The marketing gurus at HubSpot report that businesses that publish case studies generate +45% more qualified leads than those that don’t. By illustrating a sampling of the real-world work and results you’ve created for clients, you’ll stimulate more trust in your brand and add positive influence to purchase decisions. This year, aim to create and strategically post data-driven case studies that showcase your expertise are housed in your portfolio or on your website.

Hubspot marketing experts go on to recommend that when writing your case study, whose purpose is to showcase your problem-solving expertise, ability to collaborate and the customer experience and support you offer, include the following information:

  • Define the problem you were hired to solve. Furthermore, succinctly explain its relevance to the client and the client’s definition of desirable benefits that will result from its resolution
  • Describe the solution you provided to resolve the problem. Explain why proposed that solution and also your process for delivering the solution and the results produced by implementing that solution.
  • Describe the beneficial collaboration between you and the client. Make clear how the trust and respect between you and the client enabled and supported the choice, implementation and favorable outcomes of the solution you provided.
  • Client testimonial. Invite one or more representatives of the client’s team to describe the problem and explain why an effective solution was a priority. A brief overview of ineffective attempts at resolution that produced unsatisfactory outcomes will shine a flattering light on you. Encourage the client to discuss how members of his/her team initially felt about your proposed solution and what gave them the confidence to hire you, instead of a competitor. Likewise, encourage the client to celebrate the benefits that were derived from the solution that you provided—saving money, saving time, simplifying workflow processes, for example.

5. Explore and implement AI tools to improve your annual earning potential

According to PwC’s 2025 Global AI Jobs Barometer, workers with Artificial Intelligence skills command a +56% wage premium, meaning that Freelancers who add AI-related skills or services to their offerings may increase their earning power. Address this goal in 2026 to both learn new and in-demand AI tools and then use your valuable new competencies to both create operational efficiencies in your own business and offer and offer desirable premium services to clients.

LinkedIn career expert Catherine Fisher attests that candidates who demonstrate their fluency in artificial intelligence are much more likely to pique the interest of hiring managers and I’m sure it’s safe to assume that that her recommendation refers to both Freelance professionals and W-2 employees. Her top tip for job seekers is to emphasize their AI literacy and highlight how they use different AI tools in their day-to-day work. Specifically, Fisher urges job candidates to come to interviews prepared to discuss how AI makes them more productive in completing their work responsibilities. “Make sure you have some examples, because you know you’re probably going to get asked, ‘How have you used AI in your work?'” she said,” but keep in mind that you don’t have to be a computer programmer to demonstrate your competence with AI tools.”

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: © Getty Images 2022. Chinese skater Wu Dajing wins the short track speed skating gold medal at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

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Give Me A Break!

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Ambitious people work hard. Their to-do list is too long—and they wouldn’t have it any other way. They are achievers and they have mountains to climb. They are always flat-out crazy busy and cannot afford to waste a single moment. Working hard, working smart (hopefully) and working nonstop defines being productive, as they see it. Productivity is the engine of ambition. To the hard-working ambitious, this is a no-brainer, right?

It seems that many, if not most, ambitious people buy into this mind-set. To show the world (and themselves) that they are not slackers, they may brag about sleeping just four or five hours at night, because they have so much work to do. Others brag about waking up at 5:00 AM, so that they can wring as much productivity as possible from the day. Working 10 or 12-hour days and maybe skipping lunch, too, is standard behavior for members of the Hard Working Club; even vacations can include a Dropbox file filled with documents to review and a list of emails destined to populate their send file.

If the above scenario describes you, please know that I admire your ambition, work ethic and determination to succeed. To keep you on your path, I respectfully offer an observation—in order to sustain your ability to work hard and smart and maximize your productivity so that you can take aim at the ambitious goals you want to achieve, you must effectively manage your energy, concentration (i.e., focus) and endurance, mental and physical. Proper management of energy has nearly as much impact on productivity as the time spent working on your task.

Recall an instance when you finally had time to work on a task that was hanging over your head, but you put it off because you were too unmotivated or exhausted to do it. What your brain and body were telling you was that every once in a while, it is beneficial to stop working and rest. Rest periods—breaks—during your working day are more powerful than you might realize. In fact, rest breaks can improve productivity because they allow you to replenish your physical and mental energy.

A period of at least 10 minutes, during which you stop working and engage in a restorative activity (or inactivity) helps your body and mind to relax and refresh. Fatigue undermines concentration, creativity and endurance. Ignore that reality and you can find yourself unable to focus or perform well. Habitually pushing yourself to work through fatigue is not a sign of discipline or determination. Ignoring your human needs is counterproductive and can lead to burnout, a condition associated with unfortunate physical and psychological consequences.

By contrast, taking short breaks throughout the workday will restore your energy and help you maintain the physical and mental endurance needed to maximize your productivity. Taking breaks also supports the healthy self-regulation of your emotional state and behavior—that is, your mood—to promote positive interactions with others. When over-tired, we are vulnerable to responding to others in ways that are reactive—brusque or irritable—and we’re prone to taking frustrations out on others.

So, to stay at the top of your game, take a few micro-breaks throughout the day. Those respites can be as brief as 10 minutes in duration, but they matter. Just as micro-stresses might accumulate at work, micro-breaks can help you counter the negative effects. Below are examples of how and when you can incorporate restorative, productivity-enhancing breaks into your crazy busy workday.

1. Give yourself permission to take breaks.

Challenge the assumption that you’re too busy to take a break—you can’t afford to not take a break! Instead of leaving it to chance that you’ll find a few random minutes to squeeze in the rest you need, be as intentional about restoring your energy as you are about working hard and being productive. When you get into your car to begin a journey, you must have fuel in the tank. Taking a break during your workday is like going to a filling station to get the fuel needed to reach your destination.

2. Schedule breaks and set reminders.

Schedule blocks of time during the day when you’ll step away from work-related activity and do something that allows your mind and body to relax, so that you can replenish your physical and cognitive energy. You can let your biorhythms guide your break time and schedule a rest period when science predicts that your energy is at its lowest — in mid-to-late afternoon.  Research shows that our energy is typically lowest at around 3:00 P.M. You might try giving yourself 15-minute breaks at mid-morning and mid-afternoon, plus a 30-60 minute lunch break. Adjust the timing as you see fit.

If you’re inclined to get lost in your work and ignore the physical or cognitive hints that signal it’s time to rest a few minutes, install a pop-up alert on your desktop or phone to encourage you to stop working for a few minutes. Having a visual cue on your workspace screen, maybe a coffee mug, or an image of someone walking a dog or in a yoga pose, is a practical and entertaining reminder that break time has arrived. There are several apps designed to do this and some are free.

3. Build on bio breaks.

The breaks we must all take are the bathroom breaks. You can build an add-on to one or more of your bio breaks by “stacking,” that is, developing a new habit by attaching it to an existing habit or behavior. So, after your bio break, add your preferred relaxation or exercise activity. In this way, you pair something you want to do (or should do), with something you must do, such as visiting the bathroom. After your bio break, it will feel easier to transition to a 10–15-minute break that you devote to practicing deep breathing, meditating, climbing a stairwell or, for a longer break, taking a walk or run.

4. Batch email and other communications.

It can be tempting to use a few spare minutes when you have them to quickly respond to email or Slack messages, to make what could be an avalanche of mail more manageable. Yet, blocking out specific times in your workday for responding to emails is not only an efficient use of time, the practice also makes it easier to develop the habit of scheduling time exclusively devoted to breaks that do not include some form of work. It is in your interest to enable yourself to periodically relax and refresh, to sustain your energy and work at peak productivity.

5. Maintain meeting boundaries.

If possible, do not allow yourself to be trapped in meetings that exceed their allotted time frame (admittedly, this is easier to enforce when you preside at the meeting). If you are not the convener or meeting leader, be proactive about defending your boundaries by communicating in advance that you have another commitment that follows the meeting and therefore, you must observe the adjournment time indicated on the agenda and make your exit. Setting the expectation from the start that you will leave a meeting on time subtly encourages other attendees to be sensitive to the need to adjourn promptly.

It’s imperative to exert control over your time. When meetings exceed their projected adjournment time it can cause you to join your next meeting late, which is disrespectful and possibly disruptive to those attendees. Moreover, being late adds stress to your day. Most people will appreciate your stated intention to leave the meeting when the expected conclusion time arrives because respecting time often benefits them as well. In the event that you arrive late to your next meeting, spending just 15 seconds to take three deep breaths can help you focus, feel more prepared and be fully present.

6. Your go-to routine for unexpected breaks.

When possible, take advantage of unexpected breaks that occur when a meeting adjourns early or, conversely, starts late. Whether you listen to music, stretch your neck and roll your shoulders, or engage in a breathing exercise, creating in advance an easy to do and remember relaxation routine will allow you to use unanticipated breaks to your advantage. When it happens, embrace the serendipitous gift of time and use it to reduce stress and replenish your energy.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: © Bettmann Archive, Lunch Atop a Skyscraper photographer unknown, September 1932. Iron workers take a lunch break 800 feet above West 49th Street during the construction of NBC Studios at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

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Why, When and How to Delegate

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WHY? Because you have a boatload of things to do and there aren’t enough hours in the day to complete them all. Because you may not have the expertise or inclination to do everything that needs to get done. Because removing certain tasks from your plate will improve your productivity and also lower your stress level.

The best leaders know how to delegate. There is an art to delegating, though, and to do it well takes practice. Some leaders resist delegating because they assume it will take as much time to explain to someone how to do what needs to be done as it would to do it themselves. Others are so buried in work that they’re unable to recognize what only they, the leader, can do and what someone else can do.

Those who have employees should also realize that delegating certain tasks to the team represents skills-building opportunities for them. Delegate selected tasks and you acknowledge the expertise within your team and demonstrate your trust in their professionalism. Employee job satisfaction will increase, as will the quality of work they do, because your employees will feel valued and respected.

Delegating can be a win-win for all, but upfront planning and maybe also a tutorial will be necessary. Furthermore, you’ll need to decide who you’ll delegate to and why.

WHEN? First, take an honest look at your to-do list and the timetables involved. Do you have the time and bandwidth to do it all? Then, determine which tasks can be called executive functions that only you can do, like meeting with clients or writing proposals and contracts. Next, acknowledge your primary skill set and own up to those tasks that you simply hate doing.

Now you’re ready to figure what you might delegate. Rather than muddling through and forcing yourself to take on what you either don’t do well or hate doing, do the smart thing and delegate to employees or to a Freelancer who has the expertise needed.

Bookkeeping, graphics, payroll and video meeting tech help are often outsourced. Do you have an important client proposal to prepare? If you’ve been invited to submit a proposal that may win you a new client, ask a team member who has a talent for creating data presentation graphics to turn the numbers you’ll include in the financial section into easily understood and visually interesting charts and graphs. Train a team member who has an affinity for technology to run and manage the tech requirements for videoconference meetings and webinar.

HOW?

Communicate expectations

Be specific about what you would like to be done. If there is a deadline attached, make it known. Create project milestones to help guide and pace the project and ensure that the final deadline is achieved. Commit directions to writing, so that everyone understands and you remember what you asked for. Verify that the person(s) to whom you delegate understands what to do, the process you would like him/her to follow and the deadline for completion. If you delegate to a team, appoint a project leader.

Provide resources

Empower the person or team to whom you delegate and give them full access to all necessary information, budget, authority and all necessary support to come through for you. Provide the context of why their work is integral to the overall success of the larger project, if that is what is delegated, or explain why the routine task you have now passed along may seem mundane but is nevertheless vital to operating or managing the company.

Verify and give feedback

Ask questions about the progress of the work and examine what has been done. If a mid-course correction is needed, show patience as you point out what must be redone and why. Were your directions not understood, or were the required tools or resources not made available? If everything is going well, be generous with your praise.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: Chefs training in the culinary arts program at the University of Hawaii

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Trending: Remote Work

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A recent survey of 500 + venture capital backed tech company founders conducted by the Kung Group, a San Francisco Bay Area organizational development consulting firm, revealed that the most prominent response employers have had to the coronavirus pandemic has been the launch of the work from home culture.

70% of Kung Group survey responders said they planned to allow some or all of their employees to continue to work from home when their office reopens.

76% of responders reported that their employees had either maintained or increased business productivity while working from home.

66% of responders plan to reassess their company’s future use of and need for office space, as a result of their company’s success with the work from home strategy.

The predictive value of the survey results has been confirmed by prominent technology companies, including Google, Facebook, Square and Twitter, indicating that a significant portion of employees will continue to work from home when the shutdown ends. Facebook projects that in 5 – 10 years, 50% of its employees will work from home.

Remote work is poised to become a defining feature of the early 21st century work place—-work from home, work from anywhere. The new normal for millions of Americans will not include returning to the office. Some employees are already considering a change in their living arrangements, as they contemplate trading cramped and expensive city apartments for houses in the suburbs, or even rural locales, where a home office (single or his & hers) can easily coexist with their personal lives.

Amid the enthusiasm for the shrinking of the corporate office, business owners and leaders would be wise to give serious thought to the practical functionality of the company. In particular, how to build cohesive and productive teams that theoretically might stretch from Ghana to Georgia to Goa?

Needless to say, exceptional communication and collaboration proficiency will be needed. For certain projects, companies may learn that face2face interaction produces the best results.

In support of that approach Apple has decided to continue the company culture of in-house collaboration and is in the process of moving 12,000 employees back into the Apple Park headquarters in Cupertino, CA. Even Facebook is hedging its bets on remote work; it’s been reported that the company plans to create hub offices in the (moderately priced) cites of Atlanta, Dallas and Denver.

But the question for readers of this column is, what will happen to Freelancers in the office space shake-up? It remains to be seen, of course, but there may be reasons for cautious optimism.

If so many team members are working remotely, we Freelancers may have a better chance of inspiring the trust and confidence of decision-makers because to a certain extent, a significant percentage of the workforce will operate in a similar fashion to Freelancers, with the exception of submitting a monthly invoice. Freelancers can much more easily position ourselves as another remote team member.

Furthermore, the shutdown encouraged businesses to re-evaluate many jobs and discover that an unexpectedly wide range of tasks can be performed remotely. The consensus is that most tasks relegated to employees working remotely have yielded satisfactory results. The expectations of their customers have been met.

So the outcomes of remote work have been demonstrated and it bodes well for Freelancers. As businesses recover from the shutdown and need more hands on deck to get things done, decision-makers will feel more comfortable about bringing us on board. Ka-ching.

Harshvendra Soin, Chief People Officer at Tech Mahindra, a multinational technology company headquartered in Pune, India, recently said, “We hire gig workers for niche or scarce legacy skills which are not immediately available internally.” Tech Mahindra has an AI based talent marketplace called Talex that identifies gig workers internally. Soin elaborated, “ We have built an external marketplace called Flex.ai, that allows employers to seamlessly tap into the Freelance workplace.”

Top Freelance skills in demand include business planning, brand strategy, cloud computing, data analytics, digital marketing and SAP implementation. Now you’re smiling.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Photograph: A traveler passing through South Station in Boston, MA gets some work done remotely.

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Pandemic Home Office

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There is an art to working from home and not everyone can master the craft. Before COVID-19 dominated our lives, working from home was not a government mandate, but a privilege for the traditionally employed and a practical adaptation for Freelancers. The traditionally employed considered the ability to work from home a valuable perk that became a point of negotiation in employment contracts and employee annual reviews.

Those who work from home save time and money associated with commuting. One can avoid at least some aspects of office politics and those impromptu meetings that might ruin one’s work schedule. As long as water, electricity, Wi-Fi and heat or AC are working, you’re good.

The coronavirus pandemic has taken away some of the work from home luster, I’m sorry to say. Working from home still eliminates the time and money associated with commuting but it now also means that you might share your workspace with roommates who are also working from home; roommates who are home but not working; an intimate partner who now works from home, or does not; and children who must be alternately home-schooled, entertained and refereed because school and all after-school activities are cancelled, which effectively means that your kids are at the office with you.

The work from home life has become a radically changed landscape, filled with potential landmines that threaten to upend your carefully cultivated office environment. The internet is slow and Skype is freezing up because too many people are streaming data. The noise level is distracting. Your once de facto private workspace is now crowded and people are barging in and asking where the peanut butter went. Working from home is starting to feel like an out-of-control co-working space and you hate it.

Guy Winch, Ph.D., a New York City psychologist and author of Emotional First Aid (2014) told the New York Times in April 2020 to “…establish office rules and get granular.”

‘What are our work hours?

Where do we go in the house when one of us needs to take a call?

Where will our individual work stations be?

Who keeps an eye on the kids and when?’

At the end of each day during the first week of following a work from home plan that you and household members create, Winch recommends that you all “Check in with each other and say something like, ‘Just in terms of being work colleagues, what worked for us today? What would we like to change? Was it useful for us to take a lunch break at the same time?’ “

Most of all, be mindful of the emotions involved as those at home work, or don’t work, study, or put on a brave face as they wonder what will happen to their job when it’s time to return to work. Below are a few tactics that will keep you in a good work from home groove.

1. Create an office space

If you are able to have a room in your home to use as an office space, you are fortunate. City dwellers might place a small desk or writing table in the corner of their bedroom. Keep your work space clean and organized, as recommended by feng shui experts and also the neatness guru Marie Kondo. Orderly and attractive environments put us in a good mood and that state of mind boosts energy, creativity, confidence and productivity.

2. Establish boundaries

Teach household members to understand that when you step into your office space, you are at work. You cannot referee spats; you cannot chat with your mother-in-law; you cannot drive anyone to the post office. Shut the door and work. Noise canceling headphones may be helpful. Encourage yourself to take regular coffee and lunch breaks. When possible, take your breaks off-site to give yourself a battery-charging change of venue.

3. Dress for success

The popular image of those who work from home is of someone who is in sweats or even a bathrobe all day. Remind yourself and those with whom you live that you are a professional who takes your work seriously. Shower daily, brush your teeth, comb your hair and dress for work, whether in business casual attire or jeans and T-shirt.

4. Keep regular work hours

Go to work every morning, Monday to Friday. You may have the luxury of starting your work day in mid-morning, after a 5 mile run or a bike ride that gives you a burst of energy or ending work in late afternoon to do your workout after close of business.

Of course if you’re tied to an office – based team, you must align your work hours accordingly and that includes the time zone. At least some will be able to allow either their biorhythms or projects on their desk guide the work schedule. Resist the temptation to be either a workaholic or a slacker.

5. Stay connected

Working from home is by its very nature isolating, although some thrive on the independence. Still, maintaining and creating your professional ties is important.

At least every two weeks, schedule a video chat with a colleague so that you’ll stay in the loop with what’s happening at the office if you happen to be a remote team member. Furthermore, participate in your team’s group conference calls that allow you to check in and stay abreast of front burner projects as well as get advance word about what’s on the horizon. Write reports that document your contributions to reaching project milestones and goals achieved.yo

Enhance your professional skills and listen to a (sometimes free!) webinar. Promote your thought leader status, showcase your expertise and expand your network when you present a webinar or become a podcast guest.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Photograph: Co-working office spaces are available at WeWork in the (adjacent) neighborhoods of Fort Point and the Financial District in Boston, MA.

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Freelancing in America 2017 Report

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I’m happy to share highlights from the 4th annual Freelancing in America report, produced jointly and published in October 2017 by the Freelancer’s Union and Upwork, the freelance job site.  The online survey queried 6002 U.S. adults who had performed full or part-time Freelance work between August 2016 – July 2017.  Freelancing was defined as temporary, project-based, or contract work performed at a for-profit or not-for-profit organization or government agency.  There are gradations of Freelancing, described as follows:

Independent Contractors          35%  exclusively Freelancing, f/t or p/t

Freelance Business Owners      7%    exclusive Freelancers who’ve hired employees

Diversified Workers                   28%   working a mix of p/t traditional jobs + Freelancing

Moonlighters                               25%   f/t or p/t traditional employees who take side projects

Temporary Workers                   7%

See the full report here  Freelancing in America 

There are now 57.3 million Freelance workers in the U.S., representing 36% of the nation’s workforce and a 30% increase over 2016, and we contributed about $1.4 trillion to the U.S. economy in 2017.  Since 2014, the Freelance workforce has grown three times faster than the traditional workforce. At that rate of growth, most U.S. workers will be Freelancers by 2027.  The Millennial generation is leading the way, with an astonishing 47% participation rate in the Freelance workforce.

Demographically, slightly more men (54%) than women (46%) are Freelancers.  There is great diversity in educational background, with 32% having earned a high school diploma or less; 24% have earned a bachelor’s degree; and 19% have an advanced degree (those statistics are nearly identical to members of traditional employees).  Most live in the South (40%) and in the suburbs (47%); 65% are white, 11% are black, 5% are Asian and those statistics also closely mirror the traditional workforce.

The majority of Freelancers report that they chose self-employment (63%) and 79% assert that Freelancing is preferable to traditional employment; 50% say they would not accept an offer of full-time traditional employment, at any salary.  Freelancers feel respected, empowered and engaged in their work, excited to start each day.

On average, the full-time Freelancer bills 36 work hours a week.  Freelancers seek to diversify the clients with whom they work and the services they provide; 63% feel that this strategy holds more advantages than working with one (presumably steady provider of adequate billable hours) client only.  In 2017, the average full-time Freelancer worked with 4.5 clients per month and repeat clients comprise 52% of their work. Economically, some Freelancers did rather well in 2017: 36% earned more than $75,000, with 19% who earned $75,000 – $99,999; 12% earned $100,000 – $149, 999; and 5% earned more than $150,000.

Presumably to enhance their value to prospective employers, Freelancers are noticeably more likely than their traditionally employed counterparts to upgrade their skills in response to an evolving job market, 65% to 45%.  Virtual-reality related skills, natural language processing and econometrics are among the fastest-growing skill sets for Freelancers.  More than 50% of Freelancers are concerned about the potential impact of Artificial Intelligence and automation on their future income, as compared to 19% of full-time traditional employees.

Cash-flow and getting paid weighs heavily on the minds of Freelancers.  Among those who participate full-time, being paid at what is perceived as fair value (52%), income unpredictability (46%) and debt (46%) are concerns. Among part-time Freelancers, difficulty in finding work (47%) and debt (56%) are primary concerns.  Sadly, 20% of full-time Freelancers lack health insurance; affordability is an issue for those with or without health coverage.

No doubt about it, there is greater economic instability in the life of a Freelancer as compared to the traditionally employed, the result of gaps in billable hours and checks that do not arrive within 30 (or even 45) days. 63% of full-time Freelancers report that they must tap into their savings one or more times a month, while only 20% of the traditional full-time employees feel the need to do so.  56% of Freelancers have less than $5000 in savings, compared to 49% of traditional employees who have such small savings. Perhaps in response to this harsh reality, 46% of full-time participants raised their hourly rates/project fees in 2017 and 54% plan to raise their rates in 2018.

Freelancing continues to have a significant impact on working and living in the U.S. and the expansion is expected to continue.  Those who Freelance full or part-time report that they’re quite satisfied with the arrangement and a chosen few are doing well financially, at least at this time.

But the spectre of debt and an inability to amass savings loom large.  The Freelancer Survey reported that in 2017, 20% of Freelancers lacked health insurance and as reported in Forbes Magazine in November 2017, 40% lack retirement savings.  Yet, traditional employment continues to hemorrhage advantages.  That promotion may come with a fancy title, but no raise to acknowledge the additional responsibilities.  The health insurance plan costs more and covers less.  Rumors of approaching lay-offs keep people awake at night.  Getting, or holding on to, your piece of the American Dream has become more difficult.

How can you cope? Remember that the best defense is a good offense.  Identify skills that can be expected to bring value-added to you and do what you can to obtain, package, promote and leverage them, whether as a traditional employee or a Freelancer.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Photograph: Lewis Hine (1908) courtesy of the National Archives                                     Girls at weaving machines in Evansville, IN

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Administrative , , Leave a comment

Stepping Up Your Game: Office Space

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Working space matters.  We spend many hours at work and the place where we do our job can impact the quantity and quality of the work produced therein.  Freelancers often brag about our ability to work from home,  or the coffee shop,  library,  vacation house,  or wherever,  but these environments may bring many distractions that have the potential to de-rail concentration or creativity.  Furthermore,  none are a suitable location into which an A-list prospective client can be invited for a serious meeting.

If you find that you need an office outside of your home,  perhaps it’s because you’ve hired others to work with you and a home office is no longer practical and appropriate?  Your office,  regardless of the configuration that you can afford,  is an extension of your brand.  It must represent you well.

If your goal is to attract bigger budget clients,  then you must demonstrate in many ways that your operation is capable of delivering more complex products or services.  You must instill confidence in those who you ask to hire you. That will almost certainly entail contracting for good office space.  At last,  it’s time to move out of the house.

Co-working space

This is often the first place that Freelancers and entrepreneurs consider when it’s time to move from a home to a formal office.  Think of co-working as moving in with roommates.  Lay-outs vary,  but you’ll have dedicated work space that will feature a greater or lesser degree of privacy.

Besides your discrete work area,  all other spaces are common and amenities are shared. You’ll gain the use of resources such as a photocopy machine,  scanner,  conference room with basic audiovisual equipment like LCD for Power Point presentations and a screen.  There will probably be a kitchen,  or at least a coffee and tea maker, microwave and a refrigerator.

Many co-working spaces are exclusive to a particular industry (tech, usually).  They’re designed to encourage networking and referral building,  because they are populated by small operators who tend to outsource functions such as website building,  graphic arts,  accounting,  HR,  or bookkeeping, for example.

But like living with roommates,  privacy can be a challenge because so much is out in the open,  including perhaps the desk space.  Book the conference room for important meetings.  Or maybe confidential meetings could be held in a local coffee shop, ironically,  where anonymity could work in your favor.

Shared prestige

Some co-working spaces are in luxury commercial buildings that have lost a big client and the owners make up the lost revenue by renting out to those who seek the prestige of a great office,  but only for a fixed amount of time each month,  when they need to impress a client or prospect.  An office share is probably a more accurate term.

Typically,  there is a receptionist who calls when an appointment arrives and you come out to the desk and greet your VIP,  pretending that you can afford an elegant office on a full-time basis.  You’ll most likely have the use of a lovely conference room or maybe two.  You will have a proper office with a door that closes,  giving privacy.  You’ll have a great kitchen,  high-end photocopy machine and other standard office amenities,  too.  The receptionist may also answer your office land line and then forward calls to you,  which you can return at your convenience.  If it’s set up correctly,  no one will know that you’re in a share.

Private office

An office suite,  even a small space,  is a big financial commitment; commercial leases are often three years and difficult to break.  You must have a good handle on your projected revenues.

Think carefully about your staffing needs to determine the square feet that you’ll rent.  Do you anticipate hiring an administrative assistant and others to work with you in some capacity? There must be space to accommodate these workers,  even if they are not in-house 52 weeks/year.  Whether or not they are likely to all be in the office simultaneously is another consideration.

The types of work stations that different workers will require is another important consideration (as are the computer software programs they’ll need to do their jobs).  The size of the desks and the type of chairs matters,  as well. Ergonomics count,  as its use decreases the risk of developing back and neck aches and promotes productivity.

Finally,  there is the issue of the floor plan.  Open plans are popular,  but the office cubby gives more privacy.  Will you,  the boss,  have a private office,  or will the open plan work for you as well,  communicating that you are a team player?  Will you need a conference room?  Speaking with an office planning specialist could be money well spent.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

 

Business Plan , , , Leave a comment

Transition: Employee to Freelancer

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Happy New Year! Is your number one New Year’s resolution to establish your own entity and become a business owner or Freelance consultant? Are you planning to abandon the “safety” of a traditional job to directly market and sell your products or services to customers with money and motive to do business with you?

Going out on one’s own is a thrilling and sometimes frightening prospect. Those who take the plunge eventually discover that many resources that are casually taken for granted while working in an office are not readily available to those who step out on their own.  As you weigh your options and prepare to write your business plan,  be aware of a few changes and expenses to expect should you join the self-employed sector:

No paid days off

It is now Winter and there will be days when extreme snow fall could make it impossible to meet with a client or otherwise work.  Further,  regardless of the season,  there will be no more paid sick days,  vacation days or personal days.  In particular for those who own a small B2B or B2C venture where the business model requires you or your employees to visit a customer location (e.g., cleaning services),  or customers to visit your location (e.g., a laundromat),  snow days = no revenue days.

Establish business credit

For tax purposes,  it will be useful to open a separate business bank account and also apply for a business credit card or two.  There will be business expenses to write off and you want to make it easy to monitor spending.  Do yourself a favor and check your personal credit ASAP and correct any errors.

Financial management

Financial management will assume more than one form.  As noted above,  you’ll need to establish credit for the business,  so that you can order inventory and supplies without immediately impacting business cash flow,  for example.  Those are Accounts Payable items.  You will also need to ensure that clients pay on time,  or at all,  and that is an Accounts Receivable function.

Maintaining sufficient cash flow is crucial to the business’ survival and your own ability to keep a roof over your head,  food on the table and your car on the road. You must develop a business budget and plan for the purchase of equipment,  licensing costs (if applicable),  insurance (if applicable),  professional certifications (if applicable),  or space rental (if needed).

In addition,  you may consult with a business attorney or accountant to discuss the legal structure of your venture: Sole Proprietor,  Corporation (chapter S or C),  or Limited Liability Company.  The type of business that you’re in and your exit strategy will play a role in choosing the legal entity.

Paying for office supplies

Free scanning and photocopying will be over.  When you need to staple a few pieces of paper together,  you must buy the stapler and the staples and you’ll buy paper clips,  photocopy paper and envelopes,  too.

There will likewise be no meeting space or audiovisual equipment for you to reserve.  You’ll have to meet at the (prospective) client’s office,  or at a coffee shop or other restaurant.  Privacy might be an issue and arranging a Power Point or other visual presentation can be awkward as well.  A lap top computer or tablet are must-haves.  It will be imperative to possess the tools of your trade and to always appear as a competent and prepared professional as you develop your reputation and build your brand.

Next week,  we’ll look at more unexpected challenges that await those who choose to launch a business venture.

 Thanks for reading,

Kim

 

 

Professional Development , , , Leave a comment

The Best of Times!

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There has never been a better time to live the self-employed life. Jacob Morgan, co-founder and principal of Chess Media Group and author of The Future of Work (2014), researches how market forces, demographics, political forces and advances in technology will likely impact the global workforce over the coming years and his research indicates that self-employment has significant momentum. “The picture for Freelancers is very good. It’s going to be a huge area going forward.”

Morgan points out what most traditionally and independently employed workers have learned over the past two decades: the steady paycheck is going the way of the dinosaurs. Those who are now age 50 or above started a career and expected to work steadily and at increasing pay for 25 or 30 years and then collect a pension as a reward for their contributions.  Employment at one company was considered an accomplishment and job-hopping was seen as instability, if not disloyalty. Morgan’s research shows that now, the average worker is employed at a place of business for an average of five years and Millennial Generation workers last an average of three years. “Nowadays, when a company is struggling, the first thing it tends to do is cut jobs.”

Because Freelance consultants typically have a list of active clients, we are somewhat insulated from the whims of business owners. We win some projects and lose others, but unlike the traditionally employed, we will not be laid off and abruptly lose all of our income. We do not qualify for unemployment benefits, but that benefit eventually runs out. The Freelance money is sometimes less than ideal, but finding project work is much easier than finding traditional employment that pays more than $20/hour, especially when the job seeker is 50 years or older. Freelancers are not at the mercy of a single employer. We have more opportunities to create options for ourselves.

As companies shed permanent workers, the demand for project-specific professional help continues to rise and for Freelancers, that is a good thing. Much depends upon one’s skill set and local economy, but the next three years and most likely more than that, look promising. Deciding which of your competencies are the most marketable and discovering how to connect with available projects forms the heart of the Freelance business model.

The uncertainties inherent in Freelance employment can also carry advantages, one of which is that you might earn a great deal of money. Traditional employment comes with income caps, unless you are employed in luxury real estate sales, high finance or big-ticket sales (fields that are overwhelmingly closed to most people).

The traditionally employed have been finding that getting a raise is harder than ever. Employers are keeping the money to themselves. The best anyone seems to get is 3%.  Bonuses and commissions for many sales reps have likewise been cut. Middle class wages have been stagnant to falling for 25 years. I’ve done adjunct teaching for 10 years and I’ve never received a raise, regardless of a decades’ worth of good evaluations from my students.

In 2010, Intuit predicted that the independently employed workforce in the US will rise to 60 million by 2020. There are already many associations and other resources, such as the Freelancer’s Union https://www.freelancersunion.org, that give relevant support to us in many practical ways, such as facilitating the purchase of affordable medical and dental insurance. Co-working spaces are available to those who need per diem meeting space at an affordable price or shared office space for those who would like to interact with a cohort of like-minded Freelancers.

Morgan recommends that those who have full-time employment consider taking on Freelance work as an experiment. “Now is an excellent time to do it, but I would do it in a smart way…do a little moonlighting and see how it goes. If it goes well, devote more effort to it. if not, you’ll have learned it’s not for you.”

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Survival Strategies , Leave a comment

The Risks and Rewards of Time Management Triage

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As of September 22 at 10:30 PM,  Summer 2014 ended and Autumn officially began.  September is a hectic month for many,  as projects that have been in limbo since June,  because completion would require more time and energy than the principals could muster during July and August,  are resumed.  September is when you pick up the thread and work toward a pre-Christmas victory.  It is time for you to evaluate both work responsibilities and social invitations and decide who and what are worth your scarce time and energy.

One must learn to triage,  as emergency room physicians and nurses do,  and give ourselves permission to prioritize and move forward with what has either value or consequences and ignore what and whom are a waste of time or a low-risk write-off.  Following this strategy is not without its own set of consequences and depending on who is tugging at your sleeve,  things can get uncomfortable.  Please,  allow me to rant for a minute.

At various times in my life,  I’ve had the misfortune of interacting with one or more disrespectful,  manipulative,  boundary-crashing and supremely entitled time-sucking vampires who shamelessly and relentlessly took every opportunity to control my time and hence,  my life.  These were personal relationships and thankfully not work relationships,  but the scenario was no less stressful just because a paycheck and professional advancement were not at stake.  I am inclined to believe that women encounter this problem more often than do men.  Sadly,  both women and men will disrespect women on a regular basis.

Be advised that failing to triage one’s time also entails consequences.  The only way to have the time to fulfill important responsibilities and also participate in activities that you enjoy is to neutralize the time-suckers.  It will not be easy.  These folks are determined to get their way and they do not give up without a fight.  Expect wheedling and pestering and be prepared for possible escalation to accusations,  emotional blackmail,  harassment,  lies and guilting.  Whatever you do,  never give in to a campaign for attention and control.

But I am getting melodramatic here.  The situation is not always so heavy.  It’s just that you must recognize that you are not obligated to do everything that you’ve been asked to do,  because it’s impossible.  Your first qualifier is doing what will bring consequences if you ignore it.  Taxes come to mind,  along with deadlines for important work projects.  Activities and special occasions that involve your children and spouse will closely follow in priority and and events that involve your parents,  siblings and close friends will occupy the next tier.

Less pressing work projects,  volunteer commitments,  acquaintances and relatives whom you like are the next level down and anyone after that can take a number.   You may decide to decline or ignore their requests because quite honestly,  they are not sufficiently important to you.  If Uncle Stanley is a mean-spirited idiot who enjoys undermining people,   why would you waste time going to his birthday party?  Do not let your mother guilt you into it.

According to Ed Battista,  executive coach and instructor at Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA,  the key to making time management triage work is acknowledging the emotional aspects involved in saying no or ignoring people.  Attempting to assume an intellectual approach may not be useful,  for reasons that I’ve mentioned above.  The time-suckers are masters of arm-twisting and no one wants to be portrayed as cold and callous.

Battista recommends that we must aim to expand our comfort with discomfort.  Difficult emotions and awkward  “scenes”  will no doubt have to be managed in the triage process and that is a by-product of our need to control and allot our time and energy as we see fit.  Among the skills that may be helpful is acquiring the vocabulary to communicate how overwhelmed our current responsibilities make us feel and how the prospect of additional obligations will make us feel.  The line of people demanding attention may be long,  but we must learn to say a kind,  but firm “no” when it makes sense to do so.

Thanks for reading,

Kim