Thu, 22 January 2015
I remember when one of my female colleagues first told me about the struggles many self-employed women face. It was about 10 years ago. "Yes, there's discrimination," she said. "But much of it is self-sabotage. We just weren't brought up like men. We're not supposed to be driven and assertive." I was shocked. Yet the more I talked with other women freelancers and entrepreneurs, the more I realized that this is a huge issue. We've addressed this issue before here at the Academy. In fact, Dianna Huff's detailed post a few years ago is one of the most shared articles on our website. But in this week's episode my pal Coach Jenn Lee shares a few more insights on the issue — along with a few great ideas for breaking out of this cycle.
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Thu, 8 January 2015
Is freelancing a growing trend or a fad? And if it's growing, who's really profiting from this massive shift in the labor force? If you've followed me for a while, you probably know that I'm a big "trend junkie." I even put together two comprehensive reports on the state of freelancing, back in 2011 and 2012. But I've never come close to the information and insights that MBO Partners has produced over the past few years, mainly through their State of Independence reports. Ever since having MBO Partner's Gene Zaino on the show to discuss the new emerging models of freelance/client engagement, I've been meaning to have a separate discussion with him about the freelance economy — and specifically what his firm has uncovered via these comprehensive studies. In this interview, Gene and I discuss the biggest findings from the 2014 report, including who's doing well, what they're doing to thrive, how freelancers impact the economy, and what's ahead in the world of independent work.
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