“Just what do you do, Mary?”
As a self-employed “hired gun” I do a lot of collaboration, which means “Mary Schmidt” frequently pops up next to different company and group names in articles, announcements, and proposals - sometimes all at once. In one case, I may be the designated “strategic planner” In another, the “web expert” (ha). In yet another, I’m listed as “the marketing guru” (eek) And so on. This understandably confuses some people. “Who are you working for these days, Mary?” they ask with a concerned look (I’m sure they have mental images of me standing on a busy corner somewhere soon, with a cardboard sign, “Will think for food.”) Mom has long since given up keeping track. She contents herself with “Are you making any money?”
But, I’m not alone out here - there are an increasing number of self-employed people using collaborative marketing tactics to address new markets, expand their service capabilities and share the load on biz dev expenses. The number of businesses with no employees jumped to 18.6 million in 2003, the biggest increase in self-employment since the Census Bureau started tracking it in 1997. Sure, some of those are unemployed who are selling real estate or something while they look for another “real job.” But, more and more people are finding they like going it alone.
Our society is in the midst of evolving from the traditional “work for the man” employment model to a much looser Free Agent nation. Even Money magazine finally caught up with Dan Pink a few months ago that Free Agent is really happening.
The cool part? If you are working within a company, you can still think like a free agent (check out Tom Peters classic Brand You! ) Further, collaboration marketing - versus strategic alliances which are usually neither strategic nor an alliance - can help companies of any size better serve their customers and go after new ones.
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