Join the nation of freelancers

Posted on | January 22, 2009 | No Comments

Join the nation of freelancers.

Gen Y makes a mark and their imprint is entrepreneurship

There is no doubt about it, we’re a nation of entrepreneurs.  We have always been founded on the small business and it’s one of the many things that makes this country great.  It drives immigrants from around the world to come to this country in search of a better life and never has it been more true that today.

Now I don’t know what Gen Y is and most people don’t either.  Ask 10 people and you’ll likely get 10 answers but one thing is obvious, they tend to be younger.  I would say they’re in their 20s and they don’t want to wear suits and ties and go to work all day to make a living.  They are starting companies in increasing numbers and striking out on their own.  Maybe it’s a new idea, a company that does something different, or just freelancing so they work for themselves.  Now I don’t think everyone is cut out for this and that’s good.  We need employees but we’re transitioning into a new economy.

We’re moving in the direction of buying just what you need.  We’re finding more and more companies don’t need to hire an HR manager, they have 10 employees.  However, they need certain aspects of a good HR department.  Magazines can buy stories written by writers living in Australia about a story on the Peruvian mountain lizard to publish in a Canadian magazine.  Photographers have worked independently for years selling their photos to magazines and newspapers.  Software developers have found they can be outsourced easily often times over seas. Our economy is finding instead of hiring someone to be good at many things they can hire someone to be great at one thing.  It’s cheaper for the company and the freelancer can focus on one skill.

Imagine signing up for cable or satellite TV and they asked what you want.  For me it’d be the national networks, the history/science/technology channels, CNN, and maybe some ESPN but not ESPN8 The Ocho for sure.  I’d keep MTV as far away from my house as I could as well as the shopping channels.  My wife would insist on the food networks and the home decor and design channels which are fine by me.  Now sure the cable/satellite companies would insist on charging just about as much but if they did it right, I could buy what I wanted or needed and not things I’ll never watch.  I have satellite TV and I’d say I spend 90% of my time on probably five channels.  There are channels in there I have never used.

It’s the same thing we’re trying to do with Crowd Rent.  We want people to “buy only what they need”.  That means you don’t need a wet saw if you’re just tiling your shower.  You need a wet saw for the weekend, not a lifetime.  Rent it for a fraction of the cost to buy it.  Rent it locally and save a fortune.  Supplement your income and buy just what you need and no more.   Buy only what you truly need and if you’re like us, rent the rest.

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