The Top 9 Workforce Terms You Need to Know

Over the last 10 years, the work world has been highly impacted by new workforce trends that have changed the way we work. These trends have shaped the language of the work world by giving us new terminology that reflects how employers are hiring and managing their workforce, and also describes how we are choosing to work. In order to effectively navigate your career, being well versed in terminology is necessary as you plan your next moves or search for new opportunities.

To help you get started, here are the top 7 terms you need to know and why.

Let's start with agile workforce.  

Today, an agile workforce is a talent pool that is nimble, flexible and responsive in a globally competitive market or in uncertain economic climates. It mixes full-time, part-time and independent workers, giving employers the opportunity to better respond to both customer demands and the next generation of workers who desire flexibility and lifestyle-driven work lives.

Additionally, an agile employer is a goal driven company that values collaboration, adapting to change, and trusting it's flexible workers. Pre-pandemic, employers were beginning to shift to an agile workforce. Post pandemic, after surviving one of the biggest disruptions of our time, employers realize the importance of being responsive to change and disruption. In a recent Randstad 2021 Talent Trends, 77% of employers said they planned to create more workforce agility. Workers who understand the agile mindset of employers will be better able to adapt and respond to employer needs.

Let's talk independent workforce.

An independent workforce is nothing new. For years, employers have hired an independent workforce of on-demand labour such as contractors, consultants, or freelancers. However, what has changed is the accelerated global growth of the independent workforce among highly skilled workers as companies learn how to respond to demands, disruption and competition through the use of technology.

Pre-pandemic, it was estimated by employer's in Randstad's Workforce 2025 report, that by 2025, 35% of the Canadian workforce would be made up of independent workers. In 2016, McKinsey Global Institute published one of the most comprehensive reports on the impact of an on-demand workforce across the globe called Independent Work: Choice, Necessity and the Gig Economy. At this time, it was estimated that 68M Americans were independent workers out of choice or necessity.

As businesses become more agile, they hire more independent workers. Workers who have the capacity to navigate both traditional and non-traditional opportunities will have an advantage because they will be adaptable, flexible and agile.

Let's look at the term independent worker.

An independent worker is a highly skilled worker who often specializes in a specific skill set or knowledge base allowing employers to tap into skills that are not present in their core workforce. Because they are self-employed and not on payroll, they are expected to take care of their taxes, benefits and pension. Their ability to network, build relationships with employers, and develop an entrepreneurial mindset is key to their success. The independent worker has also been called a contractor, consultant, freelancer or gig worker.

Professionals today need to know the difference between being an employee or an independent worker. In some cases, especially with more employees working remotely, on call, casually or seasonally, the lines can be blurry. Yet, it's important that professionals know the differences in order to ask the right questions in an interview, effectively negotiate an offer and also know how to do your taxes.

What’s the difference between traditional and non-traditional workers?

The traditional workforce is made up of permanent workers. This could be permanent part-time or permanent full-time workers who are often working on salary with benefits and have set hours. On the other hand, the non-traditional workforce is made up of on-demand workers whose hours will change depending on the needs of the employer. There are two groups of workers that make up the non-traditional workforce.

First, there are workers that are hired as employees and they work on-call, casually, seasonally, flexible part-time or full-time on contract. With this model in Canada, the employer takes off the workers pay tax, Employment Insurance and CPP. Secondly, there are workers that are hired as self-employed independent workers such as freelancers, contractors and consultants. Independent workers pay their own taxes and contribute to their own benefits.

The non-traditional workforce has grown because it allows employers the opportunity to dial up or dial down their workforce, hire workers with specific skills to work on certain projects or hire workers who want more freedom and flexibility in their work lives

What about the gig economy?

Over the years, the term "gig economy" has evolved globally and now includes subsections. It is now the umbrella term for on-demand labour and can be described as an economy of trading goods and services that supports temporary work as opposed to permanent work.

As already mentioned, the need for employers to dial up or dial down their talent pool to be responsive to disruption, consumer demands and to stay competitive in their industry has driven the growth in the gig economy (on-demand labour). Because of technology access and a globally talented workforce, solopreneurs, startup companies and established employers now have access to remote, independent workers from around the world through talent hubs such as Fiverr, Freelancer.com, HireMyMom and Upwork, to name a few. This creates the opportunity for workers from around the globe to create lucrative side hustles, become a digital nomad or work from anywhere in the world.

Which brings me to remote workers.

A remote worker is characterized by their lack of physical presence in the workplace. Consequently, the pandemic accelerated the growth in remote work and normalized it. A remote worker can now work from the top of Mt. Everest (depending on the Wifi connection) or can be minutes from the office working from home.  

Although the pandemic forced many of us into remote work, now that we are used to it, many employers and workers want to continue working either fully remote or in a hybrid model. Additionally, remote workers have realized they can move out of larger centers to smaller more affordable communities or take advantage of locations where the sun shines brighter and hotter.  The shift to a remote workforce isn't going to go away. From an employers perspective, it saves significant costs in housing workers. From the workers perspective, it saves precious time and the costs associated with a daily commute, a work wardrobe, lunches out, and parking.

We can’t forget side hustles.

A side hustle is a side income in addition to your full-time job. It can be a casual job, task-based gigs, freelance work, or an entrepreneurial venture. A side hustle job is a great way to get your foot in the door of a new industry or make extra income. A side hustle gig is a great way to build your skills or a portfolio of work. A side hustle business is a great way to flex your entrepreneurial muscles.

Over the last 10 years, side hustles have grown out of choice or necessity. Gig platforms have made it easier to pick up task-based side hustles. The growth in remote work has reduced commute time making it easier for workers to fit in a side hustle. As well, the desire for flexibility and autonomy have made many workers take an entrepreneurial risk and start a business based side hustle.

Side hustles also add extra income to our bank accounts as the cost of living increases making it a growing necessity for many families to have an extra source of income to add to their full-time salary.

Finally, what is a portfolio careerist?

Portfolio careerists are workers that income stream by combining full-time, part-time, freelance, contract, consulting, seasonal, project based or entrepreneurial ventures. (Typically, not all of the above simultaneously, but SOME of the above simultaneously). Someone who has a side hustle can also be classified as a portfolio careerist because they are streaming income from two sources, a full-time job and a side hustle income.

The portfolio career approach to work is nothing new. People have been income streaming for centuries. The farmer who worked off the farm, sold cattle, eggs and rented out a room in their home is an example of a portfolio careerist. However, the term portfolio careerist is a relatively new term in North America.  We have been called multi-trackers, slash careerists and, of course, the bad word of the 1950s, wait for it...MOONLIGHTER. Remember when you couldn't have that night time gig singing in seedy bars because it would look bad to your daytime employer? Well, those days are over. 

Prior to the pandemic, the trend towards a portfolio career was growing. Today, the growth in portfolio careers has coincided with the growth in gig work across North America. It also reflects the need for workers to be more flexible, able to adapt to workforce trends, labour market shifts, and pivot to meet their personal, career and financial needs.

The changing world of work has rapidly generated new opportunities. We now have a a talent pool of non-traditional workers and new terminology that workers need to know to effectively navigate their careers. This new vocabulary both shapes and reflects how employers are managing their workforce and how we are working.

Gail Kastning is a Certified Career Strategist and a portfolio careerist. She regularly interviews portfolio careerists and people with out of the box careers. She features them on her blog and in her speaking engagements.

How to Create a Portfolio Career You Love

Maureen McCann has a pragmatic and fearless approach to her unique career. Currently living in Victoria, BC, Canada, she has a career consulting boutique business called Promotion Career Solutions, owns and operates a vacation rental property with her husband and is a landlord for a property she owns in Ottawa. Her wise management of money, and her understanding of real estate has helped Maureen design a work life that she enjoys.  “Learn what works for you and play to your strengths,” she says as we converse over the phone about her portfolio career.

In her 20’s, Maureen started to read financial books about money management and property. “I read on my 20 minute commute to work. What I was reading made me realize that managing money better could make a huge difference in people’s lives. I considered becoming a financial advisor but changed my mind. I didn’t want to be someone who sold mutual funds."  Maureen developed a motto “run the numbers” and it has helped her create her work life. “I genuinely love what I do and I want other people to love what they do. When people run the numbers, they find out what they really need to live on. Then, they can make career decisions based on their true financial situation."

At this point in our conversations, we veer off slightly and discuss wise money management and Maureen shares a tip. Drive a beat up car. "“With the income from our cottage, we could’ve bought new stuff like a new car, but we didn’t.  We made sacrifices and drove an old 1998 Chevy Celebrity and we put our rental income back down on the mortgage to pay it off faster.” Now, her vacation rental property has almost become a passive income. "I have created systems that help me manage the emails and bookings, and the people who rent from us clean it themselves and do a really good job.”

Wise money management skills are essential skills for everyone and portfolio careerists managing multiple income streams need to learn how to manage their money wisely but it is not a skill that everyone innately develops. Maureen believes we have to be taught and she has spent hours combing over books trying to understand how to manage her money well. "When people don’t understand money," she says, "They often live in fear. You have to run the numbers in order to address the fear of not having enough because running your numbers helps you to see what is and isn’t enough." We discuss how fear often paralyses people and prevents them from changing careers.  "It’s a cop out to say I can’t change careers because of financial security. People have this underlying fear of how much they think they need so they don’t change anything. They stagnate and don't make any changes out of a fear of not having enough.”

Money, fear and careers. Maureen has made a career consulting business out of understanding some of our deepest fears around money and our jobs. She has also made some tough career choices herself. Three years after she and her husband bought their cottage in 2001, she got laid off from her job and it was a lesson in change and transition. “I started to volunteer in the career development field and shortly after, got offered my first paid job as a career professional.” Simultaneously, she got pregnant which was also a lesson in having tough conversations with a new boss. “It was a very hard conversation to have with a new employer and now that I understand that piece about our careers, I can help my clients with their tough conversations. Somehow, I felt like I had dishonoured my employer's trust because they had just hired me. But, from my experience, your boss will totally understand."

In 2005, she had her first child and went back to work six months later.  Then, in 2007, she decided to go in a different direction with her career as a career professional. "I officially walked away to start my second business. I always knew I wanted to work for myself. I thought I would be able to help more people if I could go out and do it on my own." As well, because Maureen’s husband works for the military, she knew he would eventually get posted somewhere else so entrepreneurship hit all of the criteria she needed for her career.  “I created a business plan and I showed a guy that worked at the entrepreneurship centre. He said my business plan was all good, gave me the thumbs up and it was like, 'Away you go’.”

She broke the news to her husband with a power point presentation when he was on a home leave from Afghanistan.  “I sat him down and I was at slide number two which was to run a business and stay home to take care of our daughter.” He stopped me and told me to go ahead and do it.” Maureen adds, “We have to have these conversations with our spouses.  A lot of couples don’t have these conversations and they stay in their jobs and aren’t happy.” It is often hard for people to break out of the work they are doing even when they are unhappy. Maureen adds, ”I firmly believe we are raised to think that we have to have a steady income but I think we are doing a disservice to ourselves. People approach their careers out of fear, fear of not having, and they sign up for misery, and in some cases, it's becomes like jail time. I’ve decided I’m going to make my own jail time and privately fund my pension.”

For Maureen, a portfolio career that allows her to income stream from different directions helps her create a work life she loves. "If someone asks me to do something and its fun, I'll do it. But if it isn’t fun, I won’t do it. When I first started my business, I said yes to everything but now I have built my life so that it wraps around my family life. When we lived in Europe, I worked enough but I was also able to travel. I can adjust my work life to match what I want. If I invest, I want a good outcome."

I ask her what advice she would give to someone thinking about a portfolio career. " They need to ask themselves what do they really need to make?” Maureen continues.  “Then, work for yourself. You are handing out the keys of your destiny to an employer and you don’t have to do it.  But, if you choose to work for someone else, either way, you don't have to hand them the keys. Your employer is not responsible for your happiness. If you are unhappy, do something about it. The next step is scary. However, we have to first work for ourselves by being wise with our money." 

How to Build a Freelance Photography Career You Love

Josainis Veria Belet is a focused, hardworking and ambitious fashion photographer who came to Alberta from Cuba, landed in Red Deer and didn’t know at the time that this prairie town would be the beginning of an freelance career in the fashion photography industry.  Just like many newcomers, in the beginning, she worked a variety of jobs. "I started with the beauty counter at Superstore. That was my first job in Canada."  

Reaching goals doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time, perserverance and the ability to plan. With these traits in hand, within only four months of arrival, Josainis enrolled in Red Deer College to study web and graphic design.  "It was an intense program and I had a language barrier but I made it through." When she finished her program, her entrepreneurial spirit kicked in and she immediately started her own business doing freelance website and logo design. "I thought this was what I wanted to do but I just didn’t like it,” she says.  "It wasn't a waste of my time though because I knew I could use the skills."

Her positive attitude seems to permeate everything she tackles. She quit her web design business and worked retail for five years running a store. She learned the ins and outs of managing a small business and started thinking about opening another business of her own. “I had an interest in photography but the equipment is so expensive. If I was going to start a photography business, I needed to make money so I quit my retail job and went to work in the oil patch.” It's not your typical career path. From beauty counter, to web design, to retail, to driving a Kenworth iron truck in the oil patch. Josainis was creating a random career path that didn't appear to make sense to someone looking from the outside in, but she didn't let perception get in her way. Her oil patch career move made sense.

To prepare, Josainis got all the necessary tickets, found a job and started driving truck with the goal of saving startup money for a photography business. Somewhere along the way, she went back to to MC College in Red Deer for makeup artistry because she thought the combination skills of photography and makeup would be good together. Her makeup artistry certificate alongside her oil patch safety certificates certainly make for an interesting combination of training and, at this point in our interview, I marvel at the unusual combination of skills she has built.

However, random skills can come together and since her business called Josainis Photography launched about 3 years ago, it has grown. Her style, business savvy, incredible work ethic and relationship building has brought her recognition in the photography industry.  She got into fashion photography by serendipity when she did a model’s headshot. Numa modeling agency became interested and hired her to do test shoots.  In addition to her work with Numa, she does her own freelance work, building model’s portfolios and shooting commercial and creative editorials that have been published in magazines.

But her entrepreneurial spirit won’t let her quit there. She recently decided to partner with two other photographers Emelia Kim and Chris McMullan to create a one stop shop for model portfolio building giving models access to three photographers, with three different styles and three different looks in one photo shoot with a hair and makeup team working alongside. It is a smart concept that helps models build their portfolio faster. The team also gives models the option of submitting to magazines for the additional exposure. She adds, “We work with the model to do whatever they want, mentoring with styling and posing so they can learn. We make up the mood board three weeks ahead of the photo shoot but we tailor for their preferences so they come out with a portfolio of photos that they feel connected to.”

Sometimes expanding a freelance career to include a partnership can be daunting but Josainis sees the value in collaborating. “Working with a team, we are shooting six outfits so it takes more time, but we help each other, and we are wearing a lot of hats. We will be a posing coach while the other photographer is doing lighting and we have to respect each other’s ideas, style and personalities. Communication can get tricky because we also have a hair and makeup team that we are also working with but the collaboration is good.” I ask her what is her role in the team and she responds, “I do a lot of the advertising. I’m the one who does the sales and communicates with the client. I also do pricing and then Emelia handles the communication. She also does the mood boards and Chris handles the printing. We have our jobs based on what we are comfortable with.”

When asked what her plans are for the future, there is a tone of determination in her voice. “I want to be able to do more commercial photography and work with other companies if possible in the beauty industry. I’m currently working on how to connect with other businesses. I want to understand more about how the beauty, modeling and commercial industry works.”  We talk about the importance of verbalizing our dreams and goals and how it is like creating a mood board of what we want our future to look like agreeing that we are more apt to go after our dreams once we put it out there with people. “What I want to do is take care of sales, work with my team, build teams of photographers, makeup artists and hairstylists and build relationships with businesses to take care of their photography needs.” She definitely has a vision of where she wants to go and she isn’t afraid of sharing it. “I’m not scared of sharing my dreams with other people. I can’t be scared because then I won’t do it.”

Josainis’ experiences and skills have come together in her business. Her retail beauty experience and makeup artistry training helps her in photo shoots. Her retail business management experience has provided a foundation for managing her own business and driving truck gave her the investment capital to get her photography business launched.  And, even though she didn’t like web design as a job, she is grateful that she has the skills to design and manage her own website and social media platforms. Since her arrival in Canada, the skills and experience built from a jagged career path has finally merged to create Josainis Photography.

If you want to learn more about freelance career strategy, subscribe to Career Corner Toolkit for FREE monthly injections of freelance, portfolio career and other career tips. To subscribe to Career Corner Toolkit or to have a free consultation, go to my home page.

I would love to connect with you if you are thinking of starting a freelance career or already have one and want to OPTIMIZE.

Emelia Kim, Chris McMullan and Josainis Veria Belet

Climbing Trees Instead of Ladders

I grew up as the daughter of Portfolio Careerists Farmers/entrepreneurs/salaried employees who streamed income from various sources, so I have had the added advantage of having role models who indirectly taught me to diversify. Even though they suggested I get a nice, secure, steady job with a reliable income, they never worked like that and I don't think they would change their work history. I watched them as they streamed income from various sources and it has made sense to have more than one income stream to sustain me.

For years, we were taught to climb the ladder, but in all honesty it never fit for how I organized my work life. Working my way up wrung by wrung just didn't work for how I choose to work and it wasn't until a few years ago that I came up with the idea of a tree. It sways in a storm, I can climb it and if a branch breaks, I have other branches in tact to sustain me. When I  apply this model to my portfolio career, it makes sense.  The root system contains my network, skills, education and experience, creating stability and rootedness. Through the trunk of my tree, I draw upon my root system, generating and transporting ideas for potential branches of income turning the leaves on my tree into - yes, you guessed it! Income. Money can grow on trees.

A portfolio career approach and climbing trees instead of ladders  isn't without it's disadvantages and isn't the answer for all situations. The work world is far too complicated and people are too complex to think that one approach to work will fit everyone, their occupation and work in all economies. However, I believe the tree model vs. the ladder model resonates with me because over the years it has simply worked, it made more sense and I have weathered some pretty big storms because I work like this.  I have used this approach to put myself through school, to transition from school to a full-time job, to work in another country and as a model for my entrepreneurial ventures.

This doesn't mean that some days I don't want to pack it all in  and find that reliable, steady, full-time job (that my parents obviously fantasized about at times) and start climbing the ladder. Juggling more than one income stream can be challenging. However, the tree model has provided structure to how I approach my portfolio career and as I interview other portfolio careerists, they approach their work life with a similar structure in mind. The concept of growing branches and having multiple sources of income gives a model to visually hang our hats on.

What are the Benefits and Challenges of Being Entrepreneurial?

Self-employment seems to be in the air! I have recently been meeting former portfolio careerists who became solopreneurs or entrepreneurs, income streaming from various entrepreneurial ventures. I am so intrigued by their work lives that I have decided to spend the next few months covering self-employed solopreneurs like Kym Keith (recent June article) and Brad Hussey (future August article) who work on their own providing a service or selling a product without hiring staff. They are flying solo in their business and are streaming income from multiple directions.

Others like Ryan Corry (this month's July article) are entrepreneurs; the term used for self-employed individuals who hire staff to help them with their business. Entrepreneurs, like Ryan, who are also portfolio careerists may stream income from more than one entrepreneurial venture or they may run a business and possibly work in a salaried job or do contract work.

Whether they are flying solo or hiring staff, there are definite benefits to operating a branch on our portfolio tree that is completely donated to self-employment. Portfolio careerists who are opting for self-employment tend to like the freedom to create, innovate and control the work being done. They like the ability to take charge of marketing, networking and the growth of their venture. Their entrepreneurial project gives them an outlet for their creativity and business savvy, and also provides them with a sense of pride and ownership.

There are certainly advantages to having a self-employment branch to our portfolio tree. However, as I've said before nothing is perfect. The ability to start a small business that will make and not lose money is a difficult endeavour. It requires doing our homework, learning how to write a business plan and coming up with an idea that will be marketable. As mentioned by Kym Keith, she went through an intense business planning course to come up with a marketable plan.

A good business plan is just the beginning. Just like hard work without a plan can lead to business failure, a well-done business plan won't be executed without hard work. Launching and running a business is exceedingly time consuming and most business owners work long hours, which for some people may be a disadvantage. Another disadvantage is that many businesses don't make money right away and, hence, streaming income from other directions will be necessary. This is the juggling act that can become tiresome because there are only so many hours in a day.

However, I enjoy being a self-employed solopreneur who primarily works on contract. I have an incorporated career services business as part of my portfolio career and I like the freedom self-employment gives me to create my own work life. There are downsides. If I don't work, I don't get paid. I don't have paid vacation or benefits. I have to come up with my own retirement plan and I often have no idea how much money I will make in a month.

When I read the above paragraph, I realize self-employment is not for the faint of heart. I tend to have a higher than average risk and uncertainty tolerance, but being comfortable with risk isn't the key ingredient of a self-employed person. I have met people who have a lower tolerance for risk, yet they choose self-employment because they prefer to be in control of their work life rather than leave it up to someone else who has the power to lay them off, leaving them with no income at all. I have learned through meeting various entrepreneurial portfolio careerists that everyone is different. No two are alike in their approach and their level of risk.

In the articles to come, I will feature some of the inspiring people I have met who are streaming income from various self-employed ventures and are, in a sense, paving some interesting pathways that may change the way we all work in the future.

The following link solopreneurs has more information on the differences between the two self-employment approaches.

How to Work as a Contractor and Consultant

Kym Keith is a independent worker and portfolio careerist with a newly launched business called Stillwater Workplace Training that provides life skills and workplace training, instructional design and technical writing. With the recent launch of her business, Kym is streaming income from primarily contract workshop design and delivery for First Nations. She prepares each workshop according to client needs then delivers on site. Kym’s ability to custom tailor her workshops to suit the needs of the students is what she believes is the key to her success. She loves to create hands-on, relationship building activities that students can easily apply to life.

Kym launched her business in January while simultaneously studying in an entrepreneurial program at Douglas College that helped her start her business after being laid off. “To get accepted into the program I had to complete an orientation and create a business proposal outlining my business idea, market research, and target market to see if my idea was viable. After being accepted into the first part of the program, we learned how to write a business plan,” she continues. “The business plan went to a team of four people. They decided my proposal was realistic and I continued on to the remaining courses in sales and marketing, business law, accounting and business operations.”

Kym has a diverse background in education, with a Master’s degree. She has managed programs in Special Education and ESL, provided sessional instruction at a small university, launched an international student program, managed an Adult Literacy program, and has done instructional design and technical writing. Her years of experience in management, design and work with adults have prepared her well for her own business. 

It was a combination of experience, passion to help people, her skill sets, good timing and networking that started her working with First Nation’s. “A week before I was laid off, I met with a friend who was going to be resigning to take a job with First Nations. She knew I had experience teaching life skills and workplace readiness and asked me if I would go onto the reserve and facilitate some life skills workshops. Afterwards, the manager on -site told me she was happy with my work and that my training was well received by the students. They called me back several times to facilitate. I just fell in love with working with First Nations. It is so rewarding when the students have those ‘aha’ moments or when they hug me and tell me that I have made a difference in the way they see something.”

Kym has additional skills that provide opportunity for her to grow her business: instructional design and technical writing. Over the years she has gained a reputation for writing good program funding proposals. “It’s the teacher in me that loves good writing and ensuring that what people write is what they mean.” She also does instructional design, creating training materials for companies. She has written on-boarding manuals, work search programs, banking curriculum, and respectful workplace workshops. However, her true passion is providing life skills and workplace training.

“I love being my own boss and being responsible for my own success. I like making a difference. I like change. The idea of a 9-5 day drains me. I’d rather work longer hours and get something out of it at the end of the day.”

Kym chose to follow her entrepreneurial, pioneering roots rather than go back to a full-time job when she was laid off, because she felt it suits her better. “I love being my own boss and being responsible for my own success. I like making a difference. I like change. The idea of a 9-5 day drains me. I’d rather work longer hours and get something out of it at the end of the day."  She does recognize that there are significant disadvantages to being self-employed. “It can get lonely if you don’t network and I’m consistently looking for new work. However, once my reputation is established, I feel I will have regular work. “

It hasn’t been easy. There have been weeks when she doesn’t have any work coming down the pipe and it looks like it may be a tough month. When I asked her what motivates her to keep going she said, “When I had exposure to First Nation’s people, I realized that I wanted to invest in people and not in the corporate world so that I could make a difference. There is nothing better than at the end of the day than thinking ‘I can’t believe I get paid to have so much fun’. To make a difference in the lives of people is rewarding and doesn’t feel like work. I had a gentleman come up to me last week and thank me for some things I had taught him. He told me it made such a difference in his life. He is now working full time and loves his job. I believe that I can build a business that is year round once I become known within the First Nation’s community.” She adds with a laugh, “Right now, I seem to freelance on a wing and a prayer.”

When I asked her what advice she would have to anyone venturing off into a self-employment, she said, “Make sure networking is something you enjoy or can learn to enjoy. Never burn a bridge and always be kind.”

Her business plan gave her focus and networking has provided the start she needed. She is still studying while she actively seeks out more work possibilities for Stillwater Workplace Training.

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No more 9 to 5.