Coming Soon: The Great Re-Shuffling

Welcome to the first issue of The Next Gig newsletter!

So we are on the same page, this newsletter is focused on helping independent professionals find more joyful work, faster.

I analyze trends, read loads of gig/freelance/contingent related news and digest it through the lens of an experienced independent professional (15+ years experience, >$85k/year, indy by choice).

Whether you work in nursing, IT, finance, marketing, operations, logistics or engineering, I distill information down to a common denominator where the fundamentals are the same.

If you are currently working as an independent or thinking of going independent at some point in your career, think of us as a tour guide/concierge/Sherpa hybrid that will help you get you where you want to be and thrive as an independent worker.

So let’s get cookin…

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MBO State of Independence 2021 Report Review

For those of you unfamiliar with MBO Partners State of Independence Report (“SOI”), this specific research report is the best overview of the United States “gig economy” I’ve seen in my 10+ years of research.

2021 was the 11th edition of the SOI and noted a record 51.1 million US workers who identified as full-time independents (17 million, defined as 15+ hours per week) or part-time independents (34 million).

For a reference point, the TOTAL US Workforce is 162.3 million people…??

That’s more than 1 out of 4 who dabbled into independent waters in 2021!

“Independent worker” is a very broad category and includes Uber drivers, contract nurses, interim executives, freelance designer and even social media influencer/creators.

With such a broad brush it takes a little digging to understand how the report relates to higher-skillset/professional gig workers, but that’s where I come in… ??

So what three things should you care about from this report?

1. Great Resignation/Realization Impact
2. Biggest Challenge Remains: Predictable Income
3. Technology Trends

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The Great Resignation/Realization Impact

With 20 million payroll jobs wiped out in a month due to COVID, there was an awakening of the workforce that “traditional employment” was not as safe as once thought.?

Professional office workers fortunate enough to keep their positions were forced into remote work which sparked a fire around the traditional assumption that you “must” be in the office 5 days a week.

With both work and schooling moving into the home, we were all in a tornado of change that led to more self-reflection than many of us ever expected:

• "I spent how many hours of my week commuting!?"
• "I was away from my family 2 nights a week for meetings I can do in my pajamas!?"
• "Holy cr*p! I am approx. 8,432% more productive in my home office than in an open office..."

As we come back to the office in the "new normal" we have a better understanding of how our work life satisfaction impacts our overall life satisfaction and are empowered to ask for what we want.?As MBO noted in the SOI:

“Millions of people are re-examining their career paths and goals, their relationship to work, and their priorities.”

So what does this all mean??

I present to you then next “Great” that is upon us: “The Great Re-Shuffling”

Two things are going to happen in the next 12 months:

1. Workers are going to decide how they want to work
2. Companies are going to decide how they like to work

Once these two variables are solidified, the Great Re-Shuffling will commence and likely take 3-5 years to play out based on my estimation/gut feel…

Some people are going to pursue a fully remote lifestyle, others full in office.

Some companies are going to want hybrid 2 days a week, others 4 days a week, and others full in office/remote.

If talent needs to adjust work environments to meet their personal and professional goals they will do so. It may take some time to find the “right” fit for everyone, but it is going to happen.

My bold prediction is leaning towards a hybrid model of work with more in office than remote over time (3 days in, 2 days remote on average).?

Despite tech’s best efforts, workplace technology is not advanced enough to replicate the distraction free, collaborative nature of being in office to build a company culture employees can stand behind.? Thus, with technology not able to fully bridge the gap we have a long way to go for full remote work.

Where will all the reshuffling lead you may ask?

I think it is going to bode well for Independent Worker’s biggest challenge:

Finding the next gig.

Biggest Challenge Remains: Predictable Income

Per the MBO SOI report, “Predictable Income” remains the biggest challenge for independent workers in 2021.

I am not surprised by this finding since it’s been the same old song and dance for at least the last 5 years, and I get it. I’ve spent the last 10+ years hunting work for independent workers on a full time basis and it is not easy!

Here’s the disconnect:

• Building client relationships in the market takes time and client’s call those they know and trust when they are in a pinch
• As an independent worker, you are busting your hump all the way until the project end-date and don’t have time to build a sales pipeline/relationships
• If you are not doing Biz Dev while on assignment or aligned with the appropriate intermediaries (staffing firms, tech platforms, referral partners), when you do come to market you are flat footed and may sit idle for weeks/months

I spend A TON of time educating independents on effective go-to-market strategies and even spun up a podcast giving away the framework to find work on a faster and more sustainable basis if you care to listen: The Next Pro Gig Podcast

As it relates to the MBO SOI report, they found that:

“Among all independents, word of mouth continues to be the top method for finding assignments and customers, with 51% listing as their top method. It’s followed by social media (34%) and other independents (25%).”

I will talk about "why" word of mouth is so powerful in future newsletters, but for now let's get to my prediction:

Business development will become easier over the next 5 years due to increased demand for independent talent from overall market acceptance of leveraging outside talent and from the fall out from the Great Re-Shuffling.

With all the shuffling, companies are going to have gaps in their org structure which creates SUSTAINED DEMAND for independent consultants to stabilize the org chart, keep projects moving forward and helping clients meet their business needs.

As this unfolds over the next 3-5 years, companies will be looking for proven talent to help them navigate the transition period. As an added bonus, at the end of the Re-Shuffling period, companies are going to be WAY more comfortable leveraging outside talent and it will become even more commonplace in the "Future of Work."

Double bonus!

If you are positioned well in the market (I will cover how to do this in future newsletters), your future is looking bright per this nugget from the SOI report:

“The number of independents reporting annual earnings of $100,000 or more soared in 2021, from 3 million to 3.8 million, an increase of nearly 30%. That’s the highest number of high-earning independents in the 11 years of the survey, and nearly twice the number in 2011.

Gotta wear shades...

As it relates to finding sustainable income, one rising business development channel available to independent workers is through a smorgasbord of technology platforms coming to market, which is the last trend I'd like to highlight.

Technology Trends

I need to give a nod in this newsletter to the evolving technology platforms that are helping independent workers find opportunities, but are going to dive deeper into some of the challenges and opportunities with tech platforms in future newsletters.

To give you a sense of the growth of tech over the past 10 years, check out this nugget from the MBO SOI report:

“The trajectory of these platforms has been one of the most powerful growth stories in this survey. In 2011, only 3% of independents reported using an online talent platform in the previous 12 months. As recently as 2017, only 20% did. But in 2021, an impressive 40% said they had done so in the past year. And an even higher number—43%—said they planned to do so in the coming 12 months.”

There is no doubt these are some impressive numbers and if you follow the space you will see what feels like an endless amount of "talent exchanges" or "talent marketplaces" that are trying disrupt the industry.

At this point in time most exchanges are just virtual staffing agencies, but there are some innovative approaches and big success stories within certain niches.

My next newsletter will address tech platforms, their strength, weaknesses and how you can maximize their use over time. We will also have our first brush with the word "Trust" and why it's such a key ingredient in aligning independent talent, even in the tech space.

Thanks for reading and if you have any comments, questions, or witty commentary (!) please let us know in the comments below.

Here’s to a great week!

~ Roger

Roger Lumpp?spends his working hours hunting opportunities for independent workers in the Chicago market. He is the creator and host of?The Next Pro Gig Podcast?which empowers independent/freelance workers of all disciplines with the tools, frameworks, knowledge and ideas to help them thrive in their careers as independent prof.?He firmly believes WORKERS will gain more and more control over the independent employment conversation as we move into the “future of work” and is fully committed to helping aspiring, new and tenured independents maximize their go-to-market strategies to find their next gig, FASTER.

Opinions expressed are my own, all rights reserved.