It is. Are you?

As part of trying to promote Corporate Escapology I’ve joined the rather amazing Lucy Werner’s Hype Yourself paid community here on Substack.  Lucy is a PR legend and is helping me, through her posts and books, to get featured in some media and podcasts.  If you have any ideas for things you read where Corporate Escapology might be relevant, please do message me.

Right shameless plug out of the way, the main reason I tell you about Lucy is she’s connected me with at least five people who she believes I can help and who can help me.  One of those is Lilli Graf, who I spoke with earlier this week.  Lilli is ex-Frog (a Cap Gemini service design agency) and left corporate life to become a climate adaptation specialist.  Lilli is passionate about helping people and businesses adapt to the climate crisis and has formed a community of like-minded designers who want to make a difference. 

She is a champion of the freelancer and runs IMMA Collective (Impact Makers), a community of freelance designers sharing advice and, very importantly, jobs.  Lilli is going to be a guest on Corporate Escapology the podcast in a few weeks, but you can read more about her here.

When we talked this week, Lilli surprised me with the stat that freelancers make up roughly half of the workforce, according to the World Bank. And what’s driving this trend towards freelancing is a growing need for independence and flexibility in a world where people feel less control. 

I think there are a few sources of that independence:

1.     Choice

The obvious one – freelancers can choose where they work (to a degree), some have control over how much they charge.  But even if not, they’re not tied into a contract in the same way (otherwise they’re a de facto employee) so they can walk away – and they can have multiple gigs, some playing to quite different needs.

2.     Confidence

One of my major learnings from talking to hundreds of people in corporate jobs is that few people are tested like they once were.  Earlier in their career people move more, they apply for jobs, get them, get good at them and repeat.  Until they stop.  Because there aren’t the same number of openings as they rise in the ranks and because life outside work gets busy so they value stability at work.

But being tested is both how we grow and how we maintain and even build our confidence.

Freelancing is like constantly being tested once again.  And each time we get a win (a new client, a repeat client, a referral) it validates our value and contribution.

Unlike validation from an annual performance review or being asked to take on someone else’s job as well as your own for no extra pay.

3.     Redundancy

Of the multiple-eggs-in-basket variety but nonetheless linked to the other type.  When I was at bp, other than property, my current and future stability rested on how bp performed and whether it continued to want me: salary, bonus, pension, healthcare etc.  There are some trade-offs obviously, but multiple sources of income diversify risk.  Fact.

4.     Thought

I had an interesting experience recently where I spoke up about some bad behaviour, when it was much harder for an employee.  And the same experience can be true for freelancers offering advice or, dare I say it, criticism – it can be easier from the outside.  Your opinion can (not always) be treated differently because you’re independent.

I realise a good chunk of the 47% of global workforce freelancing might not all choose to freelance, and maybe another chunk don’t feel like they’re getting the benefits above.  But the likelihood is people exiting from successful corporate careers will.  And it’s you I’m talking to.

I often say I left corporate life to gain autonomy, which is another way of saying I wanted independence, I wanted control, I wanted choice.

I’d be lying if I said I have all those things, because I’ve got three kids and a mortgage, but I wouldn’t be lying if I said I have much, much more of them than I ever had in my corporate job.

It involves more risk sure and for many it’s too much risk.  Finding a network like Lilli’s is one way to de-risk it, as is doing some work on the side (if your contract allows), or building a waitlist of clients for when you are available.  You can test out your pricing, your offer, your understanding of your client and whether it suits you.

It’s just one of the many options open to you when considering what comes next.

If you want to chat to someone who’s escape corporate life you know where I am.

Follow me on Instagram, LinkedIn and do please share this blog!