Here\u2019s something I\u2019ve been thinking about a lot lately \u2013 how important the shades of grey are. It\u2019s become more important to explore in my business life because I\u2019ve been thinking and planning what the future could look like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I began this freelance journey, it was obvious that I would be focussed on non-profits. They were what I knew and they were where my heart was. They were 100% in my comfort zone, my experience and skill set. They spoke a language I understood, and where my ethics were centred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But as I\u2019ve grown in experience, confidence and ambition in my freelancing, this has started to look fuzzier. I\u2019ve recognised that my experience and skillset are applicable to all sectors and industries, particularly areas such as coaching and facilitation where your independence from the issue is often your greatest strength.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Realising the opportunity for growth and change was exciting and uncomfortable. I immediately felt reticent to consider \u201cleaving\u201d the charity space. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And when I really dug around into my reaction, I realised I\u2019d subconsciously been holding onto a really unhelpful non-profit versus private dichotomy in my mind. I knew loads of brilliant small businesses. There are incredible social good programmes out there. But one of my biggest (and most embarrassing) realisations was that I\u2019m a for-profit! Admittedly, I\u2019m a one-woman band wanting to cover her mortgage and occasionally chase a holiday, but very much not a charity. There is a huge spectrum of grey between the non-profit and \u201cprofit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some great conversations with fellow freelancers revealed similar reflections, and one of the best suggestions was less focus on the organisational governance and more on the purpose of the work \u2013 is this supporting social good? Keep your ethics tuned to the right cause but be open about what work might get you there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The other key thing for me was recognising that expanding my reach doesn\u2019t mean \u201cleaving.\u201d I have the opportunity to learn and grow and bring that skillset back to the non-profit sector. I also have the opportunity to consider whether private sector work may support me to continue and even do more of my local passion project work that has less ability to pay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So here\u2019s to a new open-mindedness about where my work could take me in 2024 and beyond \u2013 to keep exploring those nuances, to being bolder in sharing my skillset and to looking forward to new opportunities to learn and grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Photo by\u00a0Cristian Escobar<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0Unsplash<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Here\u2019s something I\u2019ve been thinking about a lot lately \u2013 how important the shades of grey are. It\u2019s become more important to explore in my business life because I\u2019ve been thinking and planning what the future could look like. Professional Identity When I began this freelance journey, it was obvious that I would…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":624,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[38],"tags":[11,12,25,10],"class_list":["post-623","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-development","tag-consultant","tag-freelance","tag-self-employment","tag-start-up-2"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t