Marc L Goldberg
According to CNBC’s 2022 study of the gig economy, 36% of US workers play a role in this $57 billion industry. The 2022 Brookings Institute study reported that 52% of workers planning to quit their job admit they are considering a freelance career rather than their more stable, secure corporate life. The same study reported that the gig economy has grown by 15% over the past decade.
What type of work is defined as a “gig”? Caterers, videographers, management consultants. Life Coaches, Web Designers, Graphic Designers, Brand Marketers, Writers, Editors & Proofreaders, Entertainers and Builders/Remodelers.
If you are considering “gig” work, there are benefits:
You set your own schedule. You can decide when you work, who you work for and whether or not you accept an assignment.
You can decide how much work you accept. If you want to work four days a week, you can accept or decline jobs depending on your desired workload.
You can decide what kind of work you accept.
There are also some disadvantages:
Business runs in cycles, that is, economical and seasonal. The Cape is expected to be busy during the season, so how are you going to generate enough income in the off-season?
There is no paycheck. You need to generate enough business to create positive cash flow to cover your expenses and pay yourself.
There are no benefits. No vacation, health insurance, disability, sick leave or pension. How do you cover the loss of these safety nets?
Being on your own as a “gig” entrepreneur You must be highly motivated and a self-starter.
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There are four connections freelancers need to make in the gig economy.
A place to work. Unlike the office, where most workers take up space, freelancers need to find places that are sheltered from distractions and safe enough to avoid feelings of disconnection. This seems to contradict the image of a freelancer sitting on a bench at a local Starbucks, hammering out copies for a new brochure or ad with his laptop. Gig workers need a space to create that is separate from the chaos of everyday life.
Mine was a room above our garage with a door which, when closed, was a signal to our young daughters that “Dad was at work”. It was self-contained with a bathroom and an armchair so I could work, take breaks, communicate with my support team, and focus on customer projects.
Set up routines. Organizations create routines to improve employee focus and productivity. Gig workers have their own routines that best fit their personal “clocks”. Sometimes it helps to stick to a schedule, create a to-do list, and end-of-day activities that allow you to focus on the priorities of the next day. These rituals strengthen the sense of order and control.
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When I left the corporate world for our own small business, I didn’t change my routine. Got up at the same time, put on business clothes, had breakfast and “went off” to work at the same time, even though it was through a door in the garage. I worked until noon, took a break, and returned to the desk from the “office” after lunch and a physical afternoon break. When we travelled, which we often did for trade shows and events, our schedule was very different.
My to-do list was made before I left the office at 6pm. I tried not to come back after dinner as it wasn’t the routine that was most productive for me or our family. Sometimes a break was needed for a personal errand. This time was “made up” at the end of the day or in the evening or at the weekend if the work was not done. Since much of our work was weekend work at events, we put our “weekend” on Wednesday or Thursday. French writer Gustave Flaubert was quoted as advising, “Be regular and orderly in your life…so that you can be violent and original in your work.” Find your routine.
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Focus on purpose: For many gig workers, stepping away from the security of corporate life was based on following their passion for one interest or another. For them, their work had meaning and they avoided assignments that were not based on their passion. The work for many freelancers is more than just “making a living”. It is a means of satisfying a passion for a mission.
For us, Marketech360 was born to offer stability to the family so that we would not be relocated regularly, but also to help small and medium-sized businesses to focus their marketing initiatives to improve their productivity, competitiveness and efficiency. For many, the mission to “make a difference” holds more appeal than the income that comes from actually making a difference.
Build a network of colleagues. Freelancers, like any other worker, are social animals. However, one of the biggest downsides of becoming a gig worker is loneliness. You can have all the discipline needed to hold a job, have routines aligned with the mission, and still suffer from loneliness. There’s a simple solution: find two, three, or four other freelancers and talk to one or more at some point each day. Use them as a sounding board and they you. Share problems you are facing. Make them part of your network.
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People in the gig economy must strive for a different kind of success—one that results from finding a balance between predictability and possibility, between feasibility—the promise of continued work—and vitality—feeling present, authentic, and alive in their work.
Contributed by Marc L. Goldberg, Certified Mentor; If you need assistance planning and running your “gig” business, contact SCORE Cape Cod and the Islands, www.score.org/capecod, [email protected] or 508-775-4884. Sources: Wonolo, Brookings Institute, Gig Economy is Growing and Here’s How Much.
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