My Parents Taught Me About the Gig Economy and Didn't Even Know It!
Growing up, I can't remember a time when both of my parents weren't working at least two jobs each, and sometimes more. My dad was a mechanic and owned a garage in our home town and worked full time for the Ohio National Guard while my mom was a full time bus driver and sold Home Interiors. My parents were unwitting entrepreneurs, often running multiple businesses at once. There is no doubt they taught me the value of working hard in less traditional ways. They both had full time jobs, but they also had other streams of income coming into our home. Neither went to college and it didn’t matter. They were smart (and still are), hard-working people who never hesitated to do what they needed to do to provide a great life for our family. Long before it had a name, my parents were participating in the gig economy.
If you’re not sure what the gig economy is, you’re not alone. It’s been a buzz word the last couple of year’s used to describe a growing segment of the workforce. According to WhatIs.com, the Gig Economy is defined as “an environment in which temporary positions are common and organizations contract with independent workers for short-term engagements”. I would expand this definition to include those like my parents who conduct business as a side activity.
Research indicates that Millennials are more likely to participate in the gig economy, with many holding full time jobs and choosing to either have a part time job or choosing to do short term projects for organizations. According to USnews.com, nearly 3 in 10 American workers earn some form of income through independent work and gig opportunities. For some, it is about having the extra money they need to survive thanks to heavy debt. For others, it is about doing something they are passionate about. With Millennials buying into this type of dual career, America’s largest generation may be ready to start a career revolution and employers should pay attention. The idea of a traditional 9 to 5 job may be on its way out. As technology has changed and improved, we may need to revisit our concepts of work. If you’re an employer, you’ll want to read next month’s blog post where I’ll be giving ideas for how you can capitalize on the gig economy and engage your employees in new ways.
For those participating in the gig economy, there are some major benefits. Among them are flexibility, the opportunity to complete projects that you love doing, the chance to pursue your passion, and extra money just to name a few. There are some negatives though. If it is your only source of income, it can be unpredictable and you’ll need to make sure you have enough projects to help you pay your bills. If you hold a “day job”, having a side gig can take away a lot of your free time, often leaving you exhausted trying to keep up with everything. Finally, you are in essence a business owner when you join the gig economy and you may need to learn how to become an accountant to manage your earnings and expenses, a marketing and sales professional to promote yourself to clients and pick up jobs, an administrative assistant to organize everything, and a Human Resources manager if you grow too big to manage the projects alone. Yes it’s a lot of work!! For those willing to put in the effort though, it can be totally worth it.
Thanks to my parent’s example, I have been a member of the gig economy since college. What started as a hobby while in school became a way of life for me. For more than 20 years (wow does that make me feel old!), I have had a full time job while pursuing a music career on the side. I know a lot of musicians just like me. We have day jobs and we play in the evenings and on the weekends. Like those that I know, it’s been about pursuing a passion for music but I realized very quickly that music was never going to be what paid my bills. For those of you who make a living at it, my hats off to you. It’s not easy.
For me, music definitely went from hobby to business early on. For the majority of my adult life, I have managed my music projects just like a business. We promote like a business, pay taxes on our income, interact with clients professionally, and try to provide great customer service to the venues who hire us and the fans who come to support us. Thanks to my music projects, I learned how to run a business. I now know how build websites, create marketing campaigns, sell my “product”, develop social media strategies, manage a business and people, and so much more. My side gig has given me a number of skills that I did not develop at my full time job. I can even credit music with my decision to go back to school and get my MBA. Now here’s where the story starts to get really interesting. My undergrad was a Bachelor of Social Work. I’m now a Marketing Manager. Curious how I got from point A to point B? Well, music allowed me to showcase my skills and develop a portfolio of projects I could show my employer to prove my abilities. There was a really unexpected outcome to doing music on the side. I learned that I had a passion not just for music, but also for the business and marketing side of it. That gave me an opportunity to shift my career completely. I started picking up projects for other people, creating websites for them, working on their marketing and promotions and more. That caused me to start a promotions company to have a more formal approach to picking up these projects. So now if you’re keeping score, I have a full time job, I play in 2 bands (Sugar Shot and Finding Friday); I pick up projects for clients through my promotions company (Foggy Creek Promotions); I speak and provide training through my other company (J.E.N. 3.0); and I’m working on writing a book (Walking with Eli). Yes, I’m busy, and at times too busy, but I love my life. I love music, I love marketing, and I love helping people so I have a really fun life. The gig economy has been good to me.
So how can you join the gig economy? Well, think about what you like doing. Do you have a skill, passion, or experience that you think others might benefit from? Try starting small. Maybe look for non-profits that need a little extra help and offer your services. I recently joined a start-up non-profit board (Lisa’s Legacy) and helped them get their website up and running. When I first started picking up projects, I realized there was no shortage of organizations that needed my services. After a few of them, I had started building my portfolio and soon was able to pick up clients I could charge. Don’t be afraid to use your own network as well. I’m betting most of you have social media, so put a call out and ask people if they need help with what you enjoy doing. You might be surprised about the response.
I’ll continue to share my tips in next month’s blog (for employers and those interested in joining the gig economy).
Well, that’s it. I ended up a member of the gig economy thanks to my parents who were doing it before it was cool!
