Learning from the Self-Employed

Earlier this month, MBO Partners released its 3rd Annual State of Independence in America report. The report had a number of interesting insights including the sheer volume of independent workers in this country. While many believe that the rise of self-employment is directly tied to the decline of traditional employment opportunity, that may not be the case. One of the data points that I found particularly interesting is the notion that we are headed to a 50/50 workforce, in which half of all private workers will have at some point worked as an independent.

I am reminded daily of how much the workforce has shifted. We have minimum wage workers fighting for increases even as those jobs become less plentiful and far less fulfilling. There is an ever widening gap between low and high wage earners and the middle seems nearly non-existent in this day and age. A degree or two no longer guarantees employment let alone a high wage. Working today even in traditional employment requires more than job specific skills. We all benefit from a robust and active network, an entrepreneurial approach to work, technological skills and a savvy to create and maintain a personal brand.

In my view, we can all learn a lot from the independents whether or not you choose to join them.