The era of stable lifetime jobs for business professionals within a single company are gone. Companies are rightsized quickly now as markets change rapidly, and business professionals are quick to jump to new opportunities for growth and survival, with no ties to special benefits or pension plans. Thus smart business professionals are rapidly becoming the new entrepreneurs.
As a mentor to startups, I see more and more startups that are really an individual professional, marketing themselves as a consultant or freelancer. This is a positive in uncoupling them from a dependency on a single company or boss, but the downside is that they have to suddenly manage all facets of a business, including finances, strategy, and savings for the future.
Of course, entrepreneurs delivering services have existed for some time, including business consultant, independent contractor, and freelancer titles. But these titles are not descriptive of specific roles or skills, and have always had marginal credibility in the business community. I suggest that new entrepreneurs lead with their “professional” title, which suggests their focus and specialized skill, and can be applied to almost any role. Here are some examples:
- Marketing Professional. Every company and startups needs marketing experts, who are skilled and knowledgeable in the development of marketing programs, content creation, lead generation, and the utilization of social media. This world changes rapidly, and needs a professional with experience in digital and conventional media to keep up.
- Software Development Professional. Even big companies I know find it hard to keep their in-house programmers up to speed on the latest technologies, including mobile devices, the latest Web technologies, and multi-tenant applications in the Cloud. More and more are scouring LinkedIn for specialists willing to do short-term relationships.
- Staffing Professional. Staffing requirements come and go in every company, big or small. One of the harsh realities for most product entrepreneurs is that they have deal with hiring and firing as their company grows, and they have no experience or idea where to start. For existing trained professionals, it’s an opportunity to become an entrepreneur.
- Administrative Professional. Long ago, these were called secretaries, often starting in the typing pool, with the best aligning themselves with an advancing executive, leading to a long career. Now the new breed of these is a self-managed entrepreneur, working remotely, with real expertise on the administrative tools and ways of business today.
- Sales Professional. The best sales people in any company are highly focused, and self-motivated by the commissions they can earn by closing a few big deals. They know how to capitalize on social media, viral marketing, events, and the new tools of the trade. They are always ready to move on to the next big opportunity as markets change.
I’m sure you can think of a dozen more examples today. Tomorrow you may be looking for a Personal Finance Professional, Health-Care Professional, or even a Startup Professional. We are becoming a society of entrepreneurs. Even the education system is starting to recognize this, with entrepreneurial courses and majors springing up in every university across the world.
Thus you don’t need to invent an innovative product or technology to be a real entrepreneur. The cost of entry as a services professional is at an all-time low, with powerful free tools to create your own website, cheap incorporation of yourself as a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) via the Internet, and community colleges offering courses for anyone in the new technologies.
The challenge is that not everyone is ready and willing to take on the responsibility for their own skills, lifestyle management, and financial stability. Many of these new entrepreneurs come to me looking for an angel investor or crowdfunding, which will never happen. Investors don’t fund entrepreneurs offering services, since these don’t scale, don’t have large margins, and need just a customer contract to start.
So if you have some resources, some skills, and some confidence in yourself, maybe it’s time for you to jump on the entrepreneurial bandwagon. There is no longer any excuse for a professional businessperson to be stuck in a position they don’t enjoy and can’t control. The entrepreneur lifestyle is much more satisfying, and has unlimited potential.
Image credit: CC by Seattle Municipal Archives
