This week, I talk with Jenny Hargreaves, Founder & CEO of Tellent, a Toronto-based flexible job board and resource for professional women to pursue flexible careers. 

When we talk about the new work economy, we're talking about flexible work. And in my opinion, flexible work is the answer to the number one pain point that professional women experience when they're newly self-employed or have just "gone freelance." 

And that pain point is how to sell. 

When I'm coaching new entrepreneurs on how to get started off — the first thing I coach them on is to change their work mindset to focus on sales. 

At least for the first three years.  

No matter what you do for work — whether you're a writer, an HR consultant, a chef, a caterer, a project manager — whatever it is, the first three years of entrepreneurship rely heavily on your ability to sell your services and develop your business. 

But sales and business development don't come naturally to everyone, they can be a huge barrier to success for women in business who haven't been trained in productizing their services, cold-calling and prospecting new clients, asking for the sale, knowing how much money to charge, how to write a proposal, how to write a legally-binding contract, how to create and send invoices, and the list goes on. 

Finding new clients and selling them your services is tough, especially if managing the sales process doesn't come naturally to you. 

And if you are currently self-employed and struggling with sales, OR somebody who wants to leave full-time work, or has to leave full-time work for anyone of a variety of reasons — like maternity leave, for example — flexible work is the saving grace you've been hoping for. 

Just wait until you hear what Jenny Hargreaves and the Tellent community are doing with flexible work, it's a game-changer for those of us who are already self-employed and the thousands of women who REALLY want their career to change shape in the near future. 

It's all happening. 

 

Key Takeaways: 

 

1. Flexible work is the answer to the number one pain point that professional women experience when they're newly self-employed or have just "gone freelance" — a lack of confidence in selling. 
2. Flexible work is equally beneficial to companies as it is individuals, giving them access to top talent committed to a career in the new work economy and project-based or temporary contract work. 
3. Just in from the World Economic Forum: The jobs of tomorrow are those that women happen to particularly skilled at. 

 

Resources: How To Access The Tellent Talent Ecosystem 

Talent Ecosystem: https://community.wearetellent.com/landing

Website: https://wearetellent.com/

Social: @wearetellent

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferabarclay/