I was Unemployed in Des Moines for several months before we decided (myself and my husband) that I would become a Free Agent 
(independent professional). It wasn’t an easy decision to stop looking for a J.O.B. I actually kept my ears open for job opportunities for the first four months of being a Free Agent.
For us, the decision to become a Free Agent didn’t hinge so much on finances – which is a HUGE deciding factor for a lot of people. When you work for yourself, sometimes the path to stable income can be a rocky and uneven one.
My advice for the unemployed, underemployed, people needing a change, current Free Agents:
- Determine what your monthly expenses REALLY are. This sometimes makes the leap into Free Agency a little less scary. You know how much you need to make each month to break even.
- Have six months worth of savings at your disposal. If you’re a Free Agent and you’re just getting started or you’re having a slow quarter, this gives you a cushion.
- Pay down your debt. Car payments, credit card payments, monthly payments on appliances/electronics…
- It’s okay to still look for a J.O.B. There are so many flexible J.O.Bs out there – you could work a 3-month contract job while getting your consulting business organized to keep your cash flow where it needs to be. It’s okay to dabble in both worlds. The best part is that you’re in control.
- It’s also okay to get a J.O.B. If you’ve been living in Free Agency World for sometime and the finances still aren’t right for you, find an employer. There’s nothing wrong with that; but keep your passion for Free Agency ignited by continuing to work on your business. There are several local resources available to help you determine what you need to do moving forward (ISED, SBDC).
These are just a few things to consider from a financial standpoint before becoming an independent professional. Any other Free Agents out there that have financial advice? Who is ready to take the plunge?
Predictably Irrational was the third book featured at the Meyvn Group’s Business Book Club this year. They’re taking a break for the summer, but don’t fret; the club will resume in September.
I really enjoyed this book because it overlays behavioral economics on top of theoretical economics (I majored in Economics in college…). We all understand the concept of supply and demand; but behavioral economics is the study of why people DON’T buy more of a product when the price goes down, for example. In a vacuum, theoretical economics works great, but who lives in a vacuum? There are so many factors that influence our decision-making process.
The book contains fifteen chapters and each chapter tries to answer a specific question through a few of Ariely’s social experiments and then comes full-circle with real world applications.
Chapter IV – The Cost of Social Norms: Why We Are Happy to Do Things, but Not When We Are Paid to Do them. Who can relate to this? My husband and I often open our home to our friends to socialize and we both cook a nice meal for all of them. This is a social norm; however, if one of our friends were to view the gathering in the context of market norms, they would try to offer us money to offset the cost of the meal and our time spent preparing it. My husband and I would feel a bit awkward. Ariely goes on to explain that it may be more impactful to reward employees with gifts for performance rather than money…see the connection?
If you’re interested in understanding why we, as consumers, make the decisions that we do, this book is a must-read. I’ve already applied concepts from this book to a few of the strategies I’m asking my Clients to employ. Great real world applications…
What’s the last business book you read? Do you have a favorite author?
I’m new to the Android SmartPhone. I now use my time wisely when standing in line at grocery stores and coffee shops checking email 
and seeing what my friends are up to on Facebook. Yesterday I realized that there’s an App that syncs to my Google Reader!!! My Reader is loaded with content that I never have enough time to get through. Now, there’s no excuse!!!
Follow all your favorite sites, blogs, and more, all in one place. See what your friends are sharing, and easily share any interesting articles you read. The Google Reader app syncs with the web version, so all your reading lists are always up to date.
What your favorite App for your Android Phone?
Since my laptop has been “in the shop” for the past week, I find myself asking 
these types of questions a lot…and I don’t like it…
I use Microsoft Outlook’s calendar feature as my “task list”. It’s great because I can set recurring tasks; things I need to do daily. All of my tasks pop up in a dialogue box when they’re due; once they’re done, I can “dismiss” them until they’re due again and they reappear. This system was meeting my needs…
Until this past Monday morning…
We’d been out of town for the weekend spending time with family. I’d been working in car on the drive there and back, accessing the wireless world via my mobile device.
For some reason, when I fired up the old girl Monday morning, she didn’t want to respond. I called my “tech guy” and he made an emergency house call and has had her since Monday.
And I’ve been without my task list. For those of you who know me, this is a big deal…
This leads me to Remember the Milk which was recommended to me by a buddy of mine. It allows you to do some pretty neat things:
- Manage Tasks. An intuitive interface makes managing tasks fun. Set due dates easily with next Friday or in 2 weeks. Extensive keyboard shortcuts make task management quicker than ever.
- Get reminded, anywhere. Receive reminders via email, SMS, and instant messenger (AIM, Gadu-Gadu, Google Talk, ICQ, Jabber, MSN, Skype and Yahoo! are all supported).
- Organize the way you want to. Are you a list lover? Create as many lists as you need. Into tagging? Use the task cloud to easily see what you have to do. Want to store notes along with your tasks? You can do that too.
- Locate your tasks. Use the map to see where your tasks are located in the real world. See what’s nearby or on your way, and plan the best way to get things done.
- Work together to get things done. Share, send and publish tasks and lists with your contacts or the world. Remind your significant other to do their household chores.
- Add tasks wherever you are. Adding tasks is as simple as firing off an email (even from your phone). See an important date on the web? Add it to your list with Quick Add.
- Take your tasks with you. Access your tasks on your web-enabled mobile device. Print your entire list or a handy weekly planner which shows upcoming tasks. View your tasks on your calendar with Apple iCal or Google Calendar. Subscribe to feeds with Atom/RSS.
- Plan your time. See what’s due today and tomorrow, and the things you’ve missed. Prioritize, estimate your time, and postpone with ease. Set tasks to repeat every week or after 2 months.
There’s a gadget available via Gmail Labs or a browser add-on for Firefox and Chrome which connects your tasks with your mail, contacts and events in gmail…those are free and right up my alley. A few of the features above are available to those who pay the $25/year to upgrade to the Pro version. I’m testing out the free version right now, but I think it’s going to be a no-brainer to pay the fee so I can get my tasks on my Android phone…what do you think?
How are you currently managing your tasks? Is that system meeting your needs?
Joe Burklund and I appeared on the “We’re Entrepreneurs, We can Help!” show on Des Moines Amplified last week. The show title was, “The Reluctant Entrepreneur“. Follow this link to watch the show: http://blip.tv/file/4875643
Many of us have found ourselves unemployed, or staring down it’s barrel, whether through cutbacks, closings, change in business objectives, or simply giving up a position to relocate with a significant other. We suspect that there may be more of us that have experienced this than those who have not. Today, we explore the experience. Looking for something new — a replacement for the job lost. Consideration of something different. Going back to school to sharpen our skills and skillset. Changing careers. Getting something “temporary.” starting a business of our own. We explore these topics and experiences with guests Joe Burklund, and Suzanne Hull.
