Insurance for Freelancers

Fascinating story on identifying the trend toward freelancing and taking action.

Don’t Have Health Insurance? Start Your Own Insurance Company!

How Sara Horowitz created affordable health care benefits for freelancers.

By Seth Stevenson|Posted Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, at 4:45 AM ET

Sara Horowitz

Courtesy Sara Horowitz.

Sara Horowitz was born into a proud union family. Her father worked as a labor lawyer, her grandfather as a vice president of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union. So it felt like kismet when, on the first day of a new law firm job, Horowitz discovered that she and several other recent hires had been classified as independent contractors. “We weren’t given retirement or health insurance benefits. We called ourselves ‘the transient workers union,’ and I was made president. We joked about it, but for me it was a significantaha! moment. I started realizing there was this whole new way that workers were being treated.

Read full article here. 

Fascinating Article on "Solopreneurs"

The Orange County Register covers the trend of 'solopreneurs' defined as "adults who work at least 15 hours a week as independent contractors, consultants, freelancers or project workers."

'Solopreneurs' capitalize on changing workplace

Almost 17 million Americans are now "solopreneurs," 900,000 more than in 2011, according to the second annual "State of Independence in America" career study by MBO Partners. And another 27 million U.S. adults are considering a shift to this form of work.

MBO loosely describes solopreneurs as adults who work at least 15 hours a week as independent contractors, consultants, freelancers or project workers. MBO also includes small-business owners who have fewer than five employees.

Read the entire article here.

Creating a "No-Fear Career"

If you accept that each of us is the CEO of our brand and our careers, then fear is a challenge that we have to confront.  Oh sure, you don't want to let on that your're fearful, never let them see you sweat, etc. but in those quiet times it helps to have a plan to deal with the single most destructive challenge we all face.
Robin Fisher Roffer shares this advice to attack the challenge of fear:

3 Steps to Creating a No-Fear Career

By Robin Fisher Roffer

Trying to foresee or control the future is pointless. With a tough economy, technology advancing every minute, hiring and firing policies changing on a dime, an election looming, and employers continuing to operate from fear, things have never been more uncertain or the challenges so great. 

Where we fall short is in our response – when we look for someone to blame – rather than let go and surrender to what’s happening and manage the chaos one step at a time with grace, and with faith. 

Read more on the Simply Hired Blog: http://blog.simplyhired.com/2012/08/3-steps-to-creating-a-no-fear-career.html#ixzz25bZk3Vlv

The Growing Impact of the Free Agent Workforce

This excellent article in the Austin Statesman talks about the huge increase of free agent workers in the Austin area and also about the changing dynamics around the U.S. For example, since 2001 the free agent workforce in the U.S. has increased 14 percent and now accounts for 7.1 percent of the entire workforce.
An excerpt is below and the entire article can be found here.

Rise of the free-agent workforce
By Dan Zehr

Bernie Charland didn't exactly follow a traditional career path.

Over the course of his working life, he has lived in 10 different countries, moved almost 50 times and worked on an eclectic mix of projects — from Toronto's bid for the 1996 Summer Olympics to Dell's early social media efforts.

Yet, despite the diversity of his experience, Charland spent the first 20-plus years of his career in the most traditional of working relationships: as an employee, working for an employer.

Full article

Check out the All Free Agents Twitter page

You can follow All Free Agents (or AFA as the hipsters refer to it) right here: https://twitter.com/AllFreeAgents

Get Your Swagger On

Whether you are working for yourself or working toward a job interview, it's all about the presentation.
In the world of "Brand You" it's tough to make a sale if the smart, talented person you are doesn't show up.
Here's a very good piece on helping your prospective employer or client see the real you.

5 Ways to Get Your Swagger On 

So many people I know who once had major success in high profile positions now feel like they can’t get even get a phone call returned.  One former television executive just asked me, “Am I pathetic?”

When you question yourself in this way, you don’t show up, uncertainty does. You may think you’re fooling everyone with the right clothes and your game face, but your insecurity is all they see.  Full article here.

Impressive Job Qualities and the Golf Swing

As a free agent in the new world of work, your impressive resume isn't enough to seal the deal.  Here's a good article that lists twelve qualities of impressive job candidates.
The qualities that make a good job candidate are similar, in some ways, to the qualities of a good golf swing.  While it's important to know and practice all the steps, concentrate on only one or two at the moment of contact.  If your head is awash with all the right things to do, you'll never hit a good shot. Get comfortable before the interview running through all the points.  Pick out those essential stories that will be most relevant to the interviewer and will make you the logical choice. If you think about too much at once, it wrecks your rhythm and you'll miss your shot.

Impressive Job Candidate Qualities

Read the full article here.