Ever thought about joining the gigeconomy?  It’s a fab way to use your hard-won skills and experience to do something to boost your own self-confidence and your bank balance.

The #gigeconomy is a trend which is coming your way. Check out The Office for National Statistics’ latest report showing that part-time self-employment grew by 88% between 2001-2015 (25% for full-time self-employment). And a recent article in the Daily Telegraph highlighted that the self-employed will overtake the public sector. PeoplePerHour, an online freelance marketplace, forecasts that one in two people in the US and the UK will be freelance by 2020.

Top Three Gigeconomy Tips

However if you’re not ready to give up the day job but want to put a toe in the gigeconomy water, here are my top three tips:

  1. First of all, ask yourself what you want to get out of being part-time self-employed within the #gigeconomy:
  • Creating a Plan B to be able to sack the boss?
  • Carving out your own identity while still looking after the family?
  • Establishing a secondary income directly related to the amount of work you put in?
  • Setting up a pension pot?
  • Or something else?

 

  1. List out what you like doing and then decide if any of these skills can be applied to an opportunity within the #gigeconomy. If you like driving, then Uber may be for you.  Anyone with a spare room, can consider Airbnb.  For those known to be a people person, working with us is one avenue to explore.

 

  1. Finally, decide how much time you can sensibly give to your new business in #thegigeconomy out of the 168 hours in your week. Read this book by Laura Vanderkan for advice on how to allocate the time to touch your business every day.

Be a part of the #gigeconomy

Most of all, being part of the #gigeconomy means that I have the flexibility I crave.  I have time to be with my family, for myself and am able to use my skills and experience to their full potential.  To misquote JFK, “If not me, who? If not now, when?”