CHAPTER 12

Go Fish

I grew up on a lake in the Midwest, and fishing is a big deal in that part of the world. Before dawn the fishermen rise and pack their coolers, secure their tackle boxes, grab a few fishing poles and a net, and then set out on their boats to get in position on the lake before daybreak. Each fisherman has his theories about which lure works best, as well as corresponding stories about the size of the fish he caught with each kind. Each fisherman has a different opinion, a different strategy. The thing is, no one is wrong. Although fishing is, in fact, partially about how you approach the task at hand, it’s also about just casting out the line over and over to see what you get at different times and in different locations.

Fishing for clients works in much the same way. There are theories, and none of them is wrong (well, except for a few lunatic ideas). But ultimately it comes down to casting the line out and reeling it in to see if you get any bites. It’s about the combination of technique and persistence. Let’s talk about what fishing is within the context of the Patchwork Principle and how to go about it and then review a few pointers from an experienced fisher... fisherwoman, that is!

What Is Fishing?

To get started, let’s define the term fishing in the way it works within the framework of the Patchwork Principle:

Fishing

To cast out inquiries in search of job leads.

Simple enough, right? In other words, fishing is looking around for work. However, you are not looking for just anything that happens to surface; you are looking for work that is enjoyable and that ultimately will fit into your Lifestyle Design. Keep that in mind because as Henry David Thoreau once famously said, “Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing it is not fish they are after.”

Within the context of the Patchwork Principle, there are two fundamental fishing techniques:

• The Eagle Eye
• The Seagull Scavenge

Let’s talk about each one and what each has to offer as you set off on your journey to score the first of many new clients for your business.

The Eagle Eye

The eagle is a magnificent creature, well known for its keen eyesight and masterful ability to swoop in and spot an opportunity from great distances. Perhaps this is why, as Wikipedia notes, “the Albanian word for eagle is ‘shqiponje’ deriving from the root ‘shq,’ which is the same for the word ‘shquaj’ (‘distinguish’) and could be explained with the outstanding ability of the bird to distinguish clearly objects from long distances.”¹ This quiet bird with a stealth approach can look out on the vast landscape and clearly distinguish an opportunity available in the vicinity.

The Patchworker who operates like an Eagle Eye enjoys carefully analyzing his or her territory (brick-and-mortar businesses, online organizations, and so on). The analysis results in the identification of key opportunities, which are gaps that signal a need the Patchworker can propose to fill. The Patchworker performs methodical research to learn more about these organizations to craft a pitch that will strike the right tone and make it clear to the decision maker that the Patchworker understands the organization’s needs and is proposing a customized solution. This Patchworker takes pleasure in a great deal of concentrated effort focused on accomplishing a single goal instead of dividing attention across several goals. The Patchworker carefully selects opportunities that appear to warrant special preparation, does the necessary research, and then carefully pitches solutions to the decision maker before making an approach.

There is an old African proverb to this effect:

Be present where you are.

But I would like to put an American spin on that old saying:

Life is like a sweepstakes, and you must be present to win!

Observation is the key to success for the Eagle. Being observant serves anyone well in life; however, for a Patchworker, observation is critical to livelihood. If you can observe a need within an organization before anyone else does, you can pitch a proposal to the decision makers, identifying yourself as the solution to the problem.

Here is a perfect example: I worked at a large technical college where the filing system in the office in which I was working as a consultant contained countless reams of confidential documents; the office was in utter chaos. This bedlam caused ongoing problems for administrators at all levels of the organization. Although I was hired to perform a very technical legal function for the college, I sensed that pitching a solution to the filing system issues would be well received. I pitched the idea and was instantly hired to put my plan into action. The college could easily have delegated this job to a salaried administrative assistant at no additional cost to the organization; however, they instead chose to pay my highest consulting rate simply because I observed a need, pitched the solution, and was willing to take action immediately.

Being eagle-like can be a rewarding approach for a number of reasons, including the following:

• You have an opportunity to do in-depth research about one specific organization, which allows you to gain some level of expertise about a business in your industry. This informal process of educating yourself about the major and minor players in the field builds your knowledge base, which allows you to speak intelligently to prospective clients.
• You have an opportunity to really “wow” the decision maker with detailed, customized solutions for the organization. Your pitch will likely leave a lasting impression on the decision maker who may keep your contact information on file for future reference.
• The odds of getting a meaningful response from the decision maker are very high. The level of effort you demonstrate in your communication will be obvious and will likely spark some interest—or at least intrigue—about you and/or your proposal.
• The approach requires more mental exercise than repetitive effort, which can feel more rewarding at times. Instead of racing around pitching ideas to a number of organizations, you are able to concentrate on a select few. However, this extra effort can make you feel more invested in the outcome, and it can be unsettling if the pitch falls flat.

Although you may think that existing employees within an organization have the upper hand, I have found the opposite to be true. Being an Eagle is distinctly easier for a Patchworker than an existing employee because you are not so entrenched. In other words, you are able to spot an opportunity on the landscape instead of trying to separate yourself from the people, the politics, and the systems that are in place in the work environment.

Think about how you feel after being away from home for a long time and then returning. Does the landscape look different to you? Do you see things, both good and bad, that you never noticed before? Perhaps you were in the military and returned home from a tour of duty only to find that the people or the places seemed to have changed. Perhaps you went away to college only to return at the semester break to find that your childhood home and neighborhood looked smaller. This phenomenon is often referred to as re-entry shock or reverse culture shock. The “shock” occurs from distancing yourself from the familiar environment and then coming back to it with new experiences that give you a unique perspective on familiar surroundings. This distance is what’s missing for the existing employees within an organization; when they look around, they see only the familiar systems instead of the gaping holes. That’s where you come in!

As a Patchworker, whether you sporadically work for the organization in question or have never worked there at all, you are viewing an organization as a visitor. You are not “part of the machine” in any way. This gives you the ability to see how existing systems work (or fail to do so), identify missing systems, and see the “big picture” instead of getting caught up in the office politics at a micro level.

The Eagle quietly observes the landscape, identifies opportunities, and swoops in to pitch an idea to an immediate need. If you remember the 1987 movie Wall Street, Michael Douglas played an ultra-rich stock speculator named Gordon Gekko. He taught his young protégé the secret to his success, which describes the Eagle approach in plain and simple terms: “I look at a hundred deals a day. I pick one.”

The Seagull Scavenge

Seagulls are noisy birds that squawk loudly as they scavenge for food on the landscape. They are opportunistic and well known for being resourceful and intelligent, adaptable and resilient.² And are they gutsy—whoa! They dive into seemingly perilous situations regularly in order to check out opportunities, and they aggressively protect that which becomes theirs. In fact, The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds says, “No other family of bird divides opinion as much as the gulls.”³ Let’s face it; they are noisy, persistent birds who rummage around a vast area and make contact with a multitude of possible opportunities in a single day of flight.

The Patchworker who operates like a Seagull Scavenger enjoys a fast-paced, exhilarating day searching for opportunities among a wide array of businesses. They have a rough strategy in mind about which direction to head, but are not against going off course when a new opportunity appears. They expend a great deal of energy getting the word out about themselves to a large number of decision makers, essentially squawking out their marketing pitch with the hope that an opportunity will present itself in response. The pitches are relevant to the organization but are not necessarily highly customized solutions. The Seagull approach is simply playing the numbers and hoping that a percentage of the pitches will spark inquiries from decision makers interested in learning more about the Patchworker.

Being seagull-like can be a rewarding approach for a number of reasons, including the following:

• You have the opportunity to present yourself to a large number of potential employers. Be sure the lasting impression you make is a positive one that portrays you in the best possible light.
• The approach requires more repetitive effort than mental exercise. This can allow you to still be productive during periods when you are not in the mood for deep, analytical processing due to time of day, location, and so on.
• It is more spontaneous in nature, allowing you to test out a new approach, angle, or pitch at a moment’s notice. This approach is markedly more creative than the Eagle’s measured manner, which can be fun and energizing. It also allows you the opportunity to learn which pitches seem most effective; these experiences help you to work “smarter” instead of “harder” over time and eventually render you an expert pitcher.

The Seagull approach is a high-energy approach. Playing the numbers is key, and the resulting quantity of incoming interest can be tremendous. The Seagull uses a wait-and-see approach—whereby a show of interest is thrust out into the marketplace—and then follows up on the responses systematically.

Comparison: The Eagle vs. the Seagull

The approaches of the Eagle and the Seagull are quite different, but each has an important role to play in the overall success of your Patchwork business, as shown here:

You may find that you utilize one approach more than the other for any number of reasons, but generally speaking you will utilize both in combination. Keep in mind that one approach may be better suited for your industry or a specific company, which only you will be able to determine based on your experience and observations. There is no magic formula for determining which approach will always work for you; however, there are two generalizations that can be made:

• The Eagle approach may be more appropriate for decision makers at organizations that are conservative in nature and adhere to a stricter protocol. Examples of these businesses include law firms, accounting firms, medical practices, educational institutions, and religious organizations.
• The Seagull approach may be more appropriate, and in fact well received, at organizations that appreciate feisty initiative. Examples of these businesses include factories; retail establishments; community organizations; and businesses that recruit creative talent, such as design studios.

Likewise, one approach may be a better fit with your personality type (but again this is an oversimplification):

• Type A personality types are more likely Eagles, willing to do the sometimes-tedious work of researching an organization, drawing up a customized proposal, presenting it, and following up with the decision maker. They anticipate specific results, respond categorically, and strategize about future communications. The possibility of landing specific accounts they have in mind energizes them.
• Type B personality types are more likely Seagulls, enjoying the opportunity to work at their own pace with only a loosely defined sequence of events in mind. Communications may be in the form of e-mail or brief social networking missives that are applicable to any number of recipients. They do not have definite outcomes in mind, preferring instead to see what turns up and be energized by the surprise factor.

Whichever approach you choose, there are definite advantages to fishing for work, including the following:

• The odds of being hired are in your favor. You are not competing against others in a resume stack.
• The boss will be impressed with your insight and initiative and will consider you a star performer from day one, which may lead to future opportunities within the organization.
• The boss may have the authority to hire you on the spot because the work will be short term and perhaps project based.
• Funding will be more easily approved for an immediate, well-defined need than a standard position. This is an understatement!
• You will likely be paid at a higher rate than you would be if the position were formally advertised. The decision maker is paying, in part, for immediacy and expertise.

Both the Seagull and the Eagle approaches offer opportunities for success. Now, take this fundamental information about the tactics of each approach and apply it constructively as you learn how to fish for leads, described in the next section.

How to Fish

To begin, let me say that fishing for leads is not rocket science. In fact, you have probably done some fishing in the past within the context of searching for a 9-to-5 job. This is good news. It means that no matter where you start from, you can do this! You can jump in and get started right now. The process consists of the following four basic steps, each of which is described in detail in the next sections:

1. Reflection
2. Observation
3. Identification
4. Evaluation

You will notice that “procrastination” is not on the list—so let’s get going. Let’s discuss each step in a way that teaches you to fully understand how to fish for your own leads, on your own terms.

Reflection

This entire section on reflection could be summed up by a single quote from the well-known actor, lawyer, and writer Ben Stein:

The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this:

Decide what you want.

Decide what you want before you start fishing! In the first half of this book, you figured out what kind of lifestyle you are after, and in this second half of the book, you figured out what kind of work you are after. In other words, you have decided what you want. Now it’s time to go look for it. Go fish!

Observation

Observation is strategic looking around. Take Thomas Edison, for example, He was especially good at fishing for new ideas and leads related to his inventions. When asked how he did it, he said, “I find out what the world needs, then I proceed to invent.” This is the same mindset that you must have when you set out to fish for clients. Although you don’t have to have the know-how of Thomas Edison, you do need to invest some time in the process. When you’re first starting out, you may spend a disproportionate amount of time fishing for leads, but rest assured that you will be able to scale back as you build momentum.

For the most part, the work you are looking for is the unadvertised and perhaps unrecognized opportunities in business and industry. Observation means looking at the landscape with your Eagle eye and seeing how you can insert yourself into various organizations in a meaningful way. This form of job searching is nontraditional, and that is partially why it is so effective. You are not competing with others in a huge resume stack on the decision maker’s desk. Here is an example of how this strategy works from my early days as a Patchworker; in fact, this is how it all got started:

When I made the conscious decision to leave my so-called university “dream job” years ago, it seemed that the only thing left to do was search for college or university decision makers that had a potential use for my skill set and solicit them. However, I soon discovered that none of them was hiring—not officially anyway! I felt stuck. “What am I going to do?” I thought to myself. So what did I do? Well, the only thing I could do: find a way to make myself useful to these organizations. (This was my first credible attempt at fishing for leads in nontraditional ways. At the time I had no idea that it would become one of the most important exercises of my professional life.)

I spent every evening after work scouring the Internet for colleges or universities within a one-hour radius of my house. Then, I searched each institution’s Web site in order to learn about the organizational structure and culture of each one in order to identify potential gaps in the various offices on campus.

I began a letter-writing campaign to college and university presidents and described the gaps that I believed I could fill for them, including detailed plans full of statistical analyses that cited respected industry resources they would surely recognize. One day, I received a call from a college just five blocks from my house. The president requested a private meeting and hired me on the spot, a new position created just for me. I was thrilled!

Also, during my fishing expedition several consultant opportunities surfaced. This was not my first experience with consulting; I had been hired as a consultant many times in prior years. However, this was the first time that I was able to negotiate what I considered to be extremely high hourly rates for my services, because I was pitching immediate solutions to known problems. Usually it was the organization seeking me out, but with the tables turned, they were both impressed and excited, which translated into dollars. It was also the first time that I was hired on retainer, which meant being paid a regular stipend in order to make myself immediately available for consultation upon request. This was a brave new world! In a matter of months, I had left my old job, gone fishing with great results, and landed several new consulting clients. It was my introduction to being a Patchworker, and I was hooked!

That is my story, but it could easily be yours. Think about your own area of specialization, such as nursing, welding, accounting, teaching, or programming. Each area of specialization has core business types to which it caters. For example, the core business types for nurses include hospitals, medical practices, nursing homes, and home health care. If you are a nurse, you could select the business type that most appeals to you and begin searching for ways that you could insert yourself into the organization in a meaningful way.

Keep in mind that, generally speaking, the larger the organization is, the greater the likelihood that the organization has existing gaps in services waiting to be filled. However, the advantage of approaching smaller organizations is that the decision makers are often more accessible. Select one business type and begin fishing around; see what happens. If you find that one approach (Eagle or Seagull) is not getting you the response you had hoped for, then simply switch the approach, the level of decision makers you are contacting, or your pitch (which we will talk about in the next chapter). The key to success is to keep fishing.

The most effective and information-filled place to begin your first fishing expedition is online. The following sections describe three ways to get started on your first online fishing expedition: Visit the Web sites, social media outlets, and blogs of potential clients.

Visit the Web Sites of Potential Clients

When you visit the Web site of a potential client, take time to learn about the organization’s mission, vision, and current initiatives. Do they align with your own values and your new lifestyle framework? Because time is precious and the Internet provides a wealth of information, visit company Web sites by the hundreds!

As you visit the Web sites of potential clients, keep in mind the following:

• Learn about the organizational structure and culture by viewing the posted images and studying word choice. I always take a moment to read the president’s or CEO’s welcome statement to look for clues about their priorities, both those that are written and those that are omitted.

  Omission counts for a lot in my book; it speaks volumes. For example, most organizations traditionally include a statement about a commitment to diversity. However, one organization that I visited online did not include a statement or mere mention of diversity anywhere on the Web site that I could locate. Then, when I looked through the staff directory, which included a photo of each employee, I discovered that the only people of color on staff were unskilled workers. Because I have a strong commitment to diversity in the workplace, I crossed that organization off of my list. One of the benefits of Patchwork is the choice to work with organizations that match your priorities and values.

• Scan the staff directory to identify the powerhouse decision makers. If you have an idea to pitch, begin by pitching it to those individuals who appear to be a good fit. Be sure to pitch your idea to the appropriate decision maker instead of just the person closest to the top. Pitching low and then working your way up is a better strategy than the reverse. The top dogs are often not directly involved in the hiring processes at their organization; they are more often in charge of steering the ship and fundraising. Know your audience and, if you need help figuring it out, take a look at the job postings to see if you should direct submissions to a specific person. Keep in mind that human resources personnel do not qualify as potential contacts for fishing purposes because they are in the business of carrying out the wishes of the decision makers, not making decisions independent of them.
• Study the organizational chart to determine who the key decision makers are for your purposes. Is there an obvious position missing from the chart that is calling your name? For example, a college in my area desperately needs a social media coordinator on their organizational chart—they just don’t know it yet!
• Scan the job postings to see if any specific departments seem to be hiring in great numbers; this can be either a warning flag or an indication of a department flush with cash. Perhaps there has been a change of leadership and everyone jumped ship; then again, perhaps the organization just received a large grant. Find out which one it is. Organizations experiencing big shifts are ripe for welcoming new talent—like you!

Nearly every business in the world now has a Web site, so take advantage of these free, comprehensive, and image-rich resources as you fish online for leads. A wealth of information is available at your fingertips.

Visit the Social Media Outlets

Social media outlets, such as Twitter (www.twitter.com) and Facebook (www.facebook.com), provide a wealth of information that may provide (or at least imply) information about a company that the official Web site will never tell you. Why? Several reasons, including the following:

• These missives are more informal by nature.
• These postings are often maintained by a single person, unlike Web site content that is generally vetted by several people or even a committee.
• Company personnel generally do not traffic their company’s social media outlets as much as they might the official Web site, which means content that might otherwise draw objections for being too forthcoming, for example, may go unnoticed for long periods of time.

This informality can work to your advantage, giving you the inside scoop in some cases. To get started in the world of social media, do the following:

1. Sign up. Opening an account is free and easy! In a matter of minutes, you can be part of an online community and listen to the real-time conversations of any one of the millions of individuals and organizations. Although the nature of your intended work may or may not require that you send out newsworthy announcements to the online community, your fishing expeditions could surely benefit from being someone who listens to the stream of news and other important announcements posted by individuals and organizations that could potentially utilize your services.
2. Become a follower. Opening an account is necessary in order to become a “follower” of those companies and individuals that matter to you. This membership allows you immediate access to their stream of posts in real time.
3. Become worth following. If your business would benefit from becoming a source of news and information about a specific topic, develop a regular feed that you send out to the people who will follow you in the form of an electronic newsletter or blog. This can position you as an expert in the field by regularly displaying your expertise about cutting-edge information, answering questions from your followers, and more. As word about you spreads throughout the social network (Twitter, for example), your list of followers will grow in number. The larger your list of followers, the greater your potential for sparking interest from someone looking to hire a person with your expertise. Your social media account has the potential to open new doors of opportunity; interested individuals and organizations may seek you out based on their interactions with you within this social media framework.
4. Change with the times. Social media is an ever-changing arena, so you need to be prepared to change with the times. For example, for several years my clients simply maintained a Facebook account because it was the outlet most often used by their clients. However, recently there has been a dramatic shift among many of my customers. They have abandoned their Facebook accounts and have instead built a presence on Twitter. This switch means that their posts now appear on Twitter instead of Facebook. As a result, I now have accounts on Facebook, where some clients still reside, and on Twitter, where the majority migrated. Those substantive posts are what I’m after, so I will follow them wherever my active clients and potential clients decide the announcements will appear.

Social media sites offer access to free, immediate, and relevant information about a great number of corporations. These online resources can provide useful news about an organization as you research potential leads. Also available online are other information-rich resources such as corporate and employee blogs; let’s take a look at them in this next section.

Visit Company and Employee Blogs

A blog is simply a modern-day diary. The word derives from the blending of the words Web (as in online) and log (as in diary) to mean an online diary. Corporate blogs offer a treasure trove of information about company activities. Some blogs are a series of announcements in a press release format whereas others are informal accounts of important happenings or simply the rant of a disgruntled employee. To get started, keep these points in mind when viewing a prospective client’s blog:

• Read through the current and archived posts of company and employee blogs. Links to blogs commonly appear on Web sites on the home page, About Us page, or individual employee pages listed in the staff directory. Recent blog entries can give you information about new initiatives, comings and goings, and anticipated projects. However, remember to look through the archives to learn about organizational trends, such as the typical timeframe when new projects appear to be rolled out, when new batches of employees seem to be hired on or let go, and so on. History often repeats itself, in business and in life.
• Sign up for the RSS feed at each relevant blog (and Web site) that offers this feature. RSS stands for really simple syndication, which essentially means a plain-looking, no-frills format for viewing online text and image content. By using an RSS reader, such as Google Reader, you can view myriad updates to blog and Web site content simultaneously in one browser window instead of visiting each site separately and looking for pertinent updates. RSS will definitely save you time and make your fishing expeditions more productive and, let’s face it, more enjoyable.
• Look for links to the blog’s social media accounts. Such links will help you scout out other places where the organization might post relevant information. Generally speaking, blog managers post small icons that link directly to their accounts, which represent other social media outlets where similar information is posted.

Observation comes naturally to some people. For others it requires cultivation. Wherever you are starting from, whatever your natural inclinations, know that success comes from observation that is strategic, dedicated, and consistent. It’s the same way that you get to Carnegie Hall: Practice, practice, practice!

Identification

This step involves looking at known, advertised gaps that organizations are actively seeking to fill. The identification process is the traditional job search, with a twist (a big one!). Previously, you were searching for full-time 9-to-5 work that fell within certain parameters, such as geographic location or health insurance benefits. However, now you are seeking Patchwork opportunities, giving you a completely different focus as you scout around for work. Now, your focus is work that is both enjoyable and a good fit with your lifestyle framework. Although the advertisements appear the same, the way you view them needs to change in order for you to see the plethora of new opportunities that await you. Let’s look at some traditional search techniques and work through what matters and why in each instance.

Job Search Engines Aimed at the Masses

Thanks to million-dollar investments by leading job search engines, companies such as Monster.com and CareerBuilder.com are household names. These job search engines serve up a wide array of available jobs in every occupational field including legitimate positions posted by legitimate businesses and spiraling downward toward pyramid schemes looking for new contacts.

Some of these ads are actually seeking applicants, whereas others are posted merely to comply with standardized advertising requirements before the position can be filled, rendering the posting useless for the job seeker. Some ads reveal the name of the company that is hiring, whereas others indicate the name of the industry only. This lack of identification may indicate that the ad is either protecting the identity of a position that is currently filled (the person currently occupying the position is about to be fired, for example) or that the business of prescreening qualified and promising applicants was delegated to a temporary agency, known as a direct hire. So, after you sift through all of the listings, what is the take away for the Patchworker? Plenty!

• Scan the ads. You can search jobs based on location, industry, level of education, years of experience, and more. Use these postings to research a company for information about vision, mission, cues about organizational culture and names of decision makers. You may wish to apply for part-time positions that are a good fit with your career lifestyle or use them as a jumping-off point for a customized nontraditional pitch.

  For example, if a company advertises for a graphic designer, then you may want to pitch your skills to them as an independent contractor that can come in with a customized plan on day one. The pitch must be compelling, be tailored, and offer your skills as an immediate solution to their needs. Does your pitch need to mention having seen the advertised posting? Not necessarily—hold your cards close whenever possible.

• Create a profile. Although you are not seeking the traditional employment, it never hurts to create a profile that allows companies to find you, and it’s free! If you have a Web site, blog, or social networking profile(s), be sure to include that information in your bio section.
• Monitor the trends. When you work independently, you can easily fall out of touch with trends in your field(s) of specialization or interest. In addition to subscribing to RSS feeds from leading organizations in the industry, following trendsetters and trendspotters in social networking communities, you may also want to watch as changes occur “on the ground” by watching the search engines. New job titles may appear, or the qualifications for existing jobs may be lowered or raised across the board.

Job search engines like these provide an excellent overview of the changing marketplace in real time. They present a big-picture look at known opportunities locally, regionally, and nationally. What a resource!

Specialized Job Search Engines

These search engines are a boon for Patchworkers! I just can’t say enough about how much specialized job search engines have to offer, but I’ll do my best to pack it all into the explanation in the sections that follow. These search engines are repositories of specialized job postings for work that is directly in line with your no-strings-attached, make-my-own-hours, set-my-own-schedule, work-from-home (or elsewhere) career aspirations. If your skill set qualifies you for work at any of these sites, which is likely due to the great variety of jobs available, you could very well earn a good portion of your income via these sites! There are three basic categories that are of greatest interest: freelance engines, specialty skill sites, and location-specific sites. Let’s look at each category in detail.

Freelance Job Search Engines

Freelance job search engine sites are your best bet for finding short-term, part-time, or project-based work in volume. It’s out there just waiting for you to click and bid. The sites contain ads placed by either individuals or businesses seeking help from skilled workers, or as one site phrases it, “online talent.” Freelance job search engine sites specialize in matching employers with talent (that’s you!). Quality sites manage the progress of and payment for the work in a virtual workspace online. After the project ends and payment is secured by the freelancer via the site’s escrow-like system, parties on both sides leave feedback about one another, which is publicly visible going forward. This feedback is powerful, based on the same premise used on eBay, but in this case the feedback relates to services instead of products.

Now, before you rush off and begin madly fishing around, let me mention a few important points:

• If you have a specialized skill that is in high demand on these sites, you could very well find 100 percent of your Patchwork here. The leading site currently is Elance.com, but there are literally dozens of sites to choose from, and you could register at each one and have a look around to determine which is the best fit. To scout out the many freelance sites available online, simply do a Google search for “freelance work.”
• Volume is the name of the game. Each freelancer who applies for work on these sites submits a proposal that includes a proposed price for the work, which is either hourly or project based. Many qualified and talented people bid on nearly every reasonable project that is posted it seems, which drives the cost of the project down. This bidding war means that you would likely earn significantly less than if you were fishing for this same work independently (that is, doing the research, identifying gaps, and pitching your ideas to decision makers). However, there is a lot to be said for the ease of simply logging in to a freelance job site and scanning the ads. The Boston Globe reported that many workers find a healthy volume of work on sites like Elance, citing that workers often have nine or ten projects going at any one time.⁴
• Momentum happens, sometimes. Employers use these sites as a way to find talented workers, test them out, and then work with them on an ongoing basis and sometimes even make them long-term offers after completion of the initial project. When they provide feedback about your work on Elance, it builds your reputation and helps you find more interesting jobs. This process can lead to an ongoing relationship with multiple employers over time in true Patchwork style—in other words, momentum.

These freelance sites offer a fantastic volume of opportunity for you to peruse from employers located in the United States and beyond. Spend time reviewing these sites carefully to see if the jobs are a match with your skill set and Lifestyle Design. There is work available for practically every skill set imaginable; take a look around.

Specialty Skill Sites

Separating themselves from the pack, specialty skill sites offer work that focuses on the recruitment of talent with a specific skill set, such as graphic designers, writers, or photographers. To locate a freelance site that caters to professionals like you, simply do a Google search for the word “freelance” followed by the name of your specialty (freelance transcription, for example).

Virtual Assistants

The International Virtual Assistant Organization (www.ivaa.org) defines a Virtual Assistant (VA) as “an independent entrepreneur providing administrative, creative and/or technical services.” A VA may provide general office support, such as reception (called “live phone answering”), executive assistance, word processing, and typing; or specialized support, such as bookkeeping, advertising, or paralegal services. VAs typically perform all work from their home office or some other space that they independently maintain. VAs who own the latest and greatest software and equipment are often at a distinct advantage over their colleagues, depending on the nature of the work.

Some VAs band together and create groups in order to offer a greater array of skills and services or to provide seamless service to clients in the wake of illness or injury. Approaching a VA group to inquire about opportunities to serve as a backup during busy periods of time is another angle for finding Patchwork in this VA environment. I made such an inquiry myself, and many groups were quite interested in vetting potential talent to join their group on a regular basis or to serve as a second string. You can find a list of VA groups on the IVAA Web site.

Telecommuters

Another specialty sector worth mentioning caters to telecommuters. This area may be of great interest to the Patchworker who is excited at the prospect of working in pajamas, being home with young children or aging parents, or simply working at home in order to escape the typical 9-to-5 work environment. Finding credible telecommuter work can be a challenge, so consider this a warning.

The key is working with a reputable site that specializes in telecommuter work and then vet the company for legitimacy. Take a look at FlexJobs (www.flexjobs.com) to get started. The greatest numbers of available jobs are in the following fields, in rank order: sales (think telemarketing), computer and IT, writing, Internet and e-commerce, Web and software development, education and training, customer service, business development, medical, and marketing.⁵

Reverse Outsourcing

Finally, you may wish to consider working in a reverse outsourcing arrangement. If you are unfamiliar with this term, you are not alone. Although it is not a new concept, reverse outsourcing has been brought to the attention of the general public only quite recently as media outlets have cited it as a source of employment in a tough job market. What is it? Simply put, it is when companies overseas hire American workers.

While traditional outsourcing is when American companies hire mostly overseas workers to fill position vacancies, reverse outsourcing is when overseas companies hire American-based workers to fill position vacancies. In other words, it’s the reverse. ABC News reported that in 2009 U.S.-based freelancers earned a combined total of $15 million from overseas employers within this reverse outsourcing framework and anticipates this figure to more than double in 2010.⁶

If you are scratching your head wondering why countries like China and India might hire Americans at a price much greater than hiring local labor, the reason is this: No one knows how an American thinks better than a fellow American. Companies that want to attract and retain customers in America hire Americans to deliver some of the front-end services such as Web content, public relations, marketing, branding, and customer sales. Sites that offer these opportunities include Elance (www.elance.com) and Odesk (www.odesk.com).

Location-Specific Job Sites

Location-specific sites are those that offer job postings for the masses but within specific geographic locations. These sites can be a fabulous way for you to penetrate a local business and get to know the decision makers, learn about organizational culture and quirks, and more. Although companies will advertise full-time positions that are not of interest to a Patchworker, the part-time and temporary listings may be just what you are looking for.

Generally speaking, all of the same sentiments mentioned in the previous section regarding job search sites for the masses apply to location-specific jobs. However, there are unique advantages to landing work with nearby organizations, including the possibility of building an ongoing relationship for on-site work, networking opportunities with local business people, or creating a niche in your hometown (this is the foundation of my own success). Many sites choose to specialize in advertising work in specific cities, regions, or states depending on their location, with midsize and large cities providing enough volume for sites such as www.milwaukeejobs.com.

Employment Agencies

I grew up hearing the everyday minutia about employment agencies from my family, which owns and operates a small staffing office in the Midwest. I always felt like I really understood what their office and others just like it all across the country had to offer to a prospective employee—until I became a Patchworker. When I initially embraced the Patchwork Principle, it seemed to me that employment agencies were not applicable. After all, they typically place prospective workers in one of these general categories: day labor, temporary light industrial, temporary clerical, or highly skilled permanent positions. Because it seemed that none of those categories was relevant to me, I scratched employment agencies off of my list of possible sources for leads.

Over the years I have come to see how much value there would have been in connecting with a few high-quality services in my area, especially as a new Patchworker eagerly seeking a great volume of leads. These agencies are in the very business of serving up leads that fit your skills and lifestyle preferences—free of charge! You don’t have to figure out how and where you fit into the mix of jobs that comes across the employment agency’s desk. You simply show up and let the agency do the rest. In exchange for filling out an application form, taking a few basic aptitude tests—perhaps a skill-based test, such as typing—and submitting to a ten-minute interview with an office staffing agent, you enjoy the benefit of receiving customized leads on a regular basis. The notifications continue as long as you agree to accept an assignment once in a while and prove to be reliable. Fair enough, right? Did I mention that this service is free? Okay, I did. So check out employment agencies in your area, which by the way, are now referred to in our politically correct culture as staffing agencies.

Face-to-Face Networking Groups

If the statistics are right, the majority of 9-to-5 jobs are found through networking efforts. However, you might wonder if this same truth (if it is one) applies when it comes to work that is of interest to the Patchworker. In my experience, it can. As the old saying goes, “People hire people,” and so the more people you make contact with, the better it is for you.

Although there are, of course, those standard networking groups that we all know and frequent, there is one tool that I find particularly useful in identifying location-specific networking groups or other interest-specific groups: MeetUp (www.meetup.com). I love this site and have a lot of experience organizing groups and joining existing groups as a regular member. My advice is, scan the Meetup groups in your area and look for a freelancer’s meetup, a specialty meetup (such as Web designers), or a group that may be seeking your services that would allow you to come in and offer a presentation and pass out business cards. Take a look at the Meetup groups in your area and consider the possibilities. Networking with both like-minded people and potential clients can be a lucrative and rewarding combination!

Evaluation

Evaluation is all about sizing up the opportunities that appear on the horizon and determining how closely they align with the priorities that matter most to you. You may wish to be highly selective right from the beginning or to work slowly toward that goal. Your approach will be determined in part by your finances, your emotional state, your personality, and other salient factors. Keep in mind the guiding principle discussed in Chapter 9, “Guiding Beliefs of the Patchwork Principle”: Small jobs may lead to big opportunities, so consider the hidden potential of every opportunity.

If an opportunity appears to have potential, don’t rule it out until after you get a chance to speak with the decision maker about the details of the would-be position. Sometimes the work you initially inquire about can be put on the back burner as the decision maker presents some more-pressing need within the organization for which you are qualified. In some cases, these secondary opportunities are even more attractive and potentially higher paying based on their priority at that moment in time.

Ultimately, only you can determine whether a potential opportunity for work is a good fit with your Lifestyle Design. Survey the possibilities, identify promising leads, and charge ahead; stand and deliver!

The Cardinal Rules of Fishing

As we wrap up this chapter, let’s take a look at the cardinal rules of fishing to guide you as you set out to cast your line into the sea of opportunity:

1. Create a strategy. It may take some time to settle into a routine, knowing where, when, and how to fish for leads. That’s completely normal; everything new takes time to perfect. However, with each passing day your tactics should improve. This progress will be affirmation that you are refining your search techniques and becoming more efficient in the process. Efficiency, or lack thereof, will determine how many leads you can identify and pursue in a given timeframe. Those leads translate into dollars, so efficient fishing is tied directly to your income. Create an initial strategy and then keep refining it; it’s that old “work smarter, not harder” speech.
2. Toe the line. There is a famous line in the movie Wall Street: “Life all comes down to a few moments. This is one of them.” You are striking out on a new path to seek enjoyable work on your own terms. This is your moment. Make it one you can be proud of. Don’t tarnish your reputation by resorting to spamming people or any other form of unsavory behavior. Your reputation is all you have, so protect it like gold. Unlike the unsavory characters in Wall Street, remember who you are and what you stand for.
3. Keep your eyes open. Use this time not only to research opportunities in your own area(s) of specialty, but also to learn about changes in the industry, including emerging trends. Let those trends be your guide as you look ahead to the future.
4. Have fun! Fishing is an integral part of the Patchwork Principle, especially when you are first getting started, so learn how to make it fun! Bring your laptop to a coffee shop or do whatever it is that inspires you.

Cast your net wide, enjoy the experience, and reap the rewards of fishing for leads. The more you fish, the better your technique will become. So, get started—go fish!

Endnotes

¹ Wikipedia, s.v. “Eagle,” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eagle#The_word (accessed August 20, 2010).

² The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, “Gulls and man,” www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/features/gulls.aspx (accessed August, 24 2010).

³ The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

⁴ Drake Benett, “The End of the Office and the Future of Work,” The Boston Globe, January 17, 2009, www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/01/17/the_end_of_the_office_and_the_future_of_work/?page=3 (accessed August 20, 2010).

⁵ “Finding a ‘Flexible’ Job,” Cable News Network, television interview, www.flexjobs.com/cnnvideo.htm (accessed March 5, 2010).

⁶ “Working from Home: Reverse Outsourcing,” ABC News, February 15, 2010, television interview, http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/JobClub/video/working-home-reverse-outsource-9840138 (accessed August 20, 2010).