Brian Dakin, PMP is a Principal at Rhombus Consulting, Inc. and author of the On The Ball Theory.
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Like millions of other Americans, I work for myself. I am technically the owner of a small business, having established an S corp for my business affairs, but at the end of the day, I am self-employed. I have been at it now for nearly 20 years, and as with any career choice, it has its risks and rewards.
The Pros And Cons Of Working For Yourself
Finding work that meets my criteria is difficult, and opportunities are few and far between. I get to be my own boss but have not had a performance review to discuss my professional strengths and weaknesses in two decades.
Sometimes you end up in a bit of a dry spell, having actively pursued some prospective projects but finding that nothing has closed. You might quickly go through a few phases: first, being happy to have a little downtime to recharge, then energized to chase after a new project or client, and then anxious once some time has passed and you are still looking for the next opportunity.
I’ve been fortunate that this has not happened to me often. However, when it does, I remind myself to stop, look in the mirror and provide the same leadership and mentorship advice to myself as I would to anyone else.
Three Steps To Get Through Dry Spells
Without a boss or colleagues within my own organization, I have no one to turn to but myself to work through these situations. Bill Bradley once said that "leadership is unlocking people’s potential to become better." Sometimes you need to look inward and unlock your own potential to become even better, and keep driving forward.
This is the Leadership of One.
Step 1: Have A Plan
The first thing I would ask someone in my situation is whether or not they have a plan.
Each night I make sure I have a plan for the next day. Who I am going to reach out to? Who can I reconnect with? What prospective clients do I want to target? Sometimes, when I’m lucky, a lead falls right into my lap. But more often than not, leads come from your network, referrals and industry connections.
In addition to planning to find the next project, there is also financial planning. What happens to me financially if I go a month before finding my next project? Many experts recommend having at least a few months of personal financial cushion in case the unexpected happens. This rule of thumb applies even more to the self-employed. Be willing to ask yourself the hard questions about whether or not you can weather a financial storm.
Those who can consistently find new clients, and are disciplined enough to be financially prepared, will have greater success in the self-employed world.
Step 2: Be Persistent
If you are self-employed, you are most likely a highly driven person. Most of the time the drive comes out of the desire to achieve a personal goal for yourself. If you were mentoring another self-employed person, you would encourage them to keep at it and be persistent. Sometimes I refer to it as turning over rocks—if you look under enough rocks, you will eventually find what you are looking for. It then just becomes a numbers game, and with persistence, you will make the right connection, be in the right place at the right time and, the next thing you know, you will be engaged by a client and billable again.
If you think these comments sound overly "rah-rah," then keep in mind: If you are not persistent, if you just expect the next opportunity to come to you, your time among the ranks of the self-employed will be short-lived. Every morning, the leader in my mirror tells me to keep at it. Do not let up your pursuit of the next client.
Step 3: Be Patient
Let's say I’ve put in a full day of emails, phone calls and searching my network for potential opportunities. At the end of the day, I may feel like I have nothing to show for it, but that's never the case. The leader in the mirror reminds me that the seeds for future opportunities were planted today. Sometimes those seeds blossom and bear fruit very quickly. Other seeds I first planted years ago but were worth the wait when the right opportunity presented itself.
As eager as you may be to find the next project, and as persistent as you work to secure it, I would remind you to balance that persistence with patience. If you have the right plan, you can afford to be patient. The clients have needs, the work is out there, and it is the right balance of persistence and patience that will land you the right engagement for your skill set. In the same way that the leader in the "morning mirror" tells me to go after them, the leader in the "nighttime mirror" tells me it’s okay, don’t let up, but give it some time.
Final Thoughts
Working for yourself can be stressful, and at times it takes an emotional toll. However, even taking that into consideration, I constantly remind myself that if I can be successful leading others and providing value to client resources and team members, I am also capable of leading myself.
If on any given day I begin to doubt that, I just check in with the leader in the mirror.
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