Is soloism your flexible friend?

Sam Leader One of the things I love about being a soloist is the flexibility. I’m not alone in this, obviously, but I was reminded recently about how important this is to me.

Firstly, it has enabled me to spend the last six weeks in Europe. “All that time off!” you may think. Actually, it’s not time off. I’ve been working the same amount of hours as I would in Australia.

The only inkling clients (that’s you lot) will have had that I’m not physically present down under is my emails arrive at odd hours and, in the absence of an SMTP client, are sent via Gmail.

My Flying Solo colleagues, bless ‘em, tell me they miss my presence at our monthly face to face meetings. But we still have a director’s meeting on Skype every Monday afternoon, EST. A few painfully early starts are a small price to pay for being able to work whenever, wherever.

A far more significant gift soloism has given me is the ability to help those close to me.

When a friend’s mum fell gravely ill, he and his wife rushed back to the UK from Sydney. They stopped at their London flat long enough to dump their bags before leaving on a long train journey to his family home.

I found out what time they’d be at the flat and called round with some food for the trip.

I wonder how many of his other friends would have been able to duck out for an hour on a Tuesday morning to extend a helping hand? I love that I can do that without worrying about getting permission from a boss or attracting disapproving looks from colleagues.

A while ago, Robert, Peter and I completed a values exercise. One task was to build a profile of Flying Solo as a person. One of their qualities was “Has priorities straight – would not hesitate to put down their computer to help a loved one.”

It’s great to be living it.

Does soloism give you the flexibility you seek? Or does the burden of earning your own income have you shackled to the desk? Let us know.

I’m really looking forward to meeting many of you in person in a few short weeks at Flying Solo LIVE!

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Until next week.

Love your work,

Sam Leader is a director of Flying Solo and its editor. She is the co-author of Flying Solo - How to go it alone in business.

23 comments | Add your own 1 2 3 4 | Next» View all»

Soloism absolutely gives me the flexibility I seek!
Most of my work does not have to be completed during 'business hours', so I am happy to work early or late into the day, and spend the day with my baby. I also have access to great care, so I can easily work during these hours if I need to.
I couldn't imagine life any other way. Amanda Jephtha from Sydney
Same here - at 51 years old/young, the thought of living whatever is left of my life according to someone else's rules is horrifying! Grant Hyman from Sydney | Read my articles
I agree, the flexibility is excellent. By the way, I really like the Flying Solo 'person profile' that you, Robert and Peter put together - it's a nice compliment to all of us out here. Have you put together a visual profile as well, like the police do?! If so, will look out for it on Australia's Most Wanted ;). Thanks for this article, it's a nice reminder of the great stuff when I was in the middle of the not-so-fun stuff. Lucinda Lions from Sydney, Australia | Read my articles
i love the flexibility - one of my clients was making an appointment and we were comparing diaries, he said "I wish My diary looked like that!" He was of course talking about EVERY Tuesday in mine - the entry says simply GOLF! I usually tell clients that i am on a course on Tuesdays - they dont know it has 18 holes. I like to be able to drop everything at short notice and go on business trips with my husband when he gets put up in luxury hotels, I get to shop while he attends meetings. I have just taken on some regular freelance work, and it wont interfere with my main business or my golf. Diane Knoll from Nowra NSW
Sam - you should configure your email domain to run through Google Apps. That way you can choose between POP3, IMAP, Web and WAP (mobile phone) to access your email. Your clients will never know the difference because it will be sam@yourdomain, not sam@gmail. The basic service is free and you'll get 6 Gb of storage. You'll also get access to private chat, online document storage and collaboration, and shared/private calendars. No soloist should accept 2nd class email services when they need flexibility and power, and it's all available for the ultimate price point : free. All you need is a domain name and the ability to follow instructions. Bruce Chapman from QLD
Flexibility is definately there. It allows me to be a full-time mum to 3 boys. I never miss sport or school concerts. I can play outside with them, take them to the park and go visiting. But it doesn't give me total freedom. I can't just go out when I want to. I have not had a holiday in 3 years. I am struggling to fit in even a weekend away. Somedays (even weeks) I am shackled to the desk and fax machine. (I'm in an industry where technology is detested by many). With freedom comes long hours and flexibility to meet client needs. So the phone rings at 10.00 pm on a Sunday night or 6am on a Monday morning the door knocks - and sometimes I'm crazy enough to answer it. Bernadette from Engadine

23 comments | Add your own 1 2 3 4 | Next» View all»

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