Today is Independence Day in the U.S. I’ve written before about the theme of independence and how it plays out in our lives today.
Independence is more important to Americans than ever. Thirty-five percent of the U.S. workforce are now working as freelancers. And while the current uncertainty around our health insurance system might make it seem “safer” to take a more traditional job, rapid economic change also creates a lot of turbulence in traditional employment.
Running a “side hustle” — a micro business with controlled costs and limited risks — offers amazing benefits for your peace of mind, your financial health, and your creative soul.
In other words, it can help make you healthy, wealthy, and wise.
Abruptly quitting your job so you can jump into running a business, on the other hand, is often a short road to health-killing stress, money crunches, and panicked decisions.
So — if you have the luxury of spending some of your time, in Jeff Goins’s phrase, “building a bridge in the direction of your dream,” this is an awesome time to do that.
I wrote my first Independence Day post for Copyblogger in 2009 around three critical steps to take toward independence. Those same three steps are just as relevant today. Here’s how I’m thinking about them in 2017.
1. Expand your audience
I strongly believe that for any business owner, the audience is the source of all the good things.
- Revenue
- Product ideas
- Reputation
- Creative energy
- Meaningful work
It starts with a solid understanding of your own values, and clarity about precisely who you want to attract.
Once you have a concrete idea of who you want to serve with your business, focus relentlessly on that person’s wants and needs.
We have lots of tips for you on how to “get more traffic,” but you always need to approach it with that attitude of service and respect.
2. Create a revenue stream
Once you know your audience incredibly well, you can start figuring out how to help them get what they want. That’s where sound product ideas come from.
Most people start with the idea of a product or service they’d like to offer. That’s a recipe for a business without customers.
It’s wise to start small — what’s sometimes called the minimum viable product. This isn’t, as some interpret it, a half-assed offering that you haven’t put much time or care into.
Your first product or service should be your best guess, rooted in a deep understanding of your audience, of a small way to create a meaningful change for that audience.
- If it’s not grounded in your audience’s desires, they won’t buy it.
- If it’s not small, you’ll get overwhelmed before you can launch it.
- And if it doesn’t create a meaningful change for them, you’ll never get any momentum.
3. Never stop learning
The United States was born during the Enlightenment, a time of disruptive change. The Industrial Revolution only accelerated that change — for good and for ill.
Things seemed to smooth out for a while there in the 20th century (other than those nasty world wars), but the age of the computer showed us what disruptive change really looked like. And there’s no sign of things slowing down anytime soon.
To navigate all of this change gracefully, each of us, of every age, needs to become a lifelong student.
Beyond facts and figures, we need to nurture our ability to create and evolve.
We are all makers. We are all artists.
It’s our nature as makers and artists that will bring us to the best possible future.
As I wrote back in 2009:
Knowledge is your greatest asset. It can’t be stolen or confiscated. It sets your intellect free. And when your mind is free, the rest of it is just a bunch of beautiful fireworks.
How about you?
Do you have anything cooking that will help you become more free? Let us know about it in the comments …
Image courtesy Hugh MacLeod.
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Wish you Happy An Independence Day! to all CopyBlogger Readers.
Wow, i had no idea that such a large population of the working class, 35%, in America are freelancers.
I found that number completely amazing, myself. It would be interesting to see how it breaks down …
Great article, Sonia! I think it is funny how so many Americans celebrate “Independence” while they are stuck in their own place of “dependence.” Going to jobs they hate, living in cities they care less for, and being in unhealthy relationships. To truly celebrate and love your own independence, I like how you talked about building out your own dreams along the way with a micro-business. You never know if that “micro” biz will blow up until you put some blood, sweat, and tears into building it! you could have the next resource like Reddit, or Facebook 😉 Thanks for this!
Great thoughts, Sonia! Your views are equally applicable for people from other parts of the world.
Even if we still have to show up at an office for food, when we keep learning, we can be more resilient to economic changes.
Absolutely agree — economic borders become more arbitrary every day. The global economic tides affect all of us, everywhere.
Great thought, Sonia! Independence is such a hugely important word today! I, for one, am a senior who has worked as a freelance editor, writer, and coach for about 12 years. Just this year I decided to take my services to the internet by means of a blog. I find it challenging, particularly in the technical sense (!), but very exciting in every other way. Independence is definitely the strongest motivator for me!
I always enjoy and appreciate your content! Thanks for sharing with us!
That’s excellent! Best of luck to you with it.
The technical bits can definitely be daunting at first, but it smooths out. And if you decide you just don’t want to fuss with it, you can try something more turnkey. (We have options.)
I think your thoughts are spot on. I’m also surprised that the number of freelancers in the US is so high, though. I can’t agree more on the fact that we can’t assume a traditional job format will be there forever. Things are changing; we live longer, and we need or are forced to retire younger. Your thoughts align with my cultural background upbringing regarding work: do more than one thing for a living, and make sure at least one of them is something your can do on your own and at any age. I don’t think I’ll ever want to retire, but rather do whatever I like most, freely.
Hi Sonia,
Loved the article and I agree that it’s important to work towards our freedom to do what we really love.
Continual learning is a must for anyone who is trying to achieve freedom. Things change so much on the Internet, the only way that we’ll ever be successful is if we take the time to learn.
If we start working towards or freedom and building our own income online right now, we won’t have to worry about our future.
Thanks for taking the time to share this
Susan
Hi Sonia. I would be curious too about how the 35% of freelancers break down. I’m more curious about the other 65%. Why don’t they have something going on, either as a primary income or as a side-hustle? I wonder how many of them don’t even know that it is an option?
I completely agree with points 1 and 3. Always expanding and always learning.
Regarding #2, additional revenue doesn’t have to come from a product or service that you create yourself. Network marketing and affiliate marketing are great options when done properly.
They are the 2 areas where I play because I have very little interest in product creation but I am very interested in my own freedom.
Excellent post, Sonia. Thank you.
Thank you Sonia for doing a great justice to this topic.
Short and concise.
I also agree that knowledge is the greatest asset we have, since ignorance on it’s own is a deadly disease. One thing that is even bigger is application. I may read this post and grab all the ideas. Even understand the concept fully. But if I don’t apply them to my own life, it will be knowledge wasted.