We are all self-employed

Being an employee is like running a one-client business, requiring service, marketing, relationships, and constant value creation.

A few weeks ago on the podcast that I do with my partner (and former Zweig White employee) Eric Howerton, Big Talk About Small Business, the topic was “solopreneurs.” While I have always disliked that label because not everyone who is self-employed is an entrepreneur – some are just small business owners – the conclusion we came to is that being an employee is just like being self-employed and having only one client on retainer. 

While we could build a case that having only one “client” devalues your “business” due to client concentration risk, thinking about yourself as being self-employed with only one client has certain lessons and implications for you:

1. You better keep your client (i.e., employer) happy, or you are out of business. No doubt that may not always be easy and sometimes you will probably have to do some things for them you don’t want to do or feel you should have to do. But hey – they are your only client. So meeting their needs and exceeding their expectations for the services provided by your firm is essential. 
2. It pays to have more than one relationship inside your client company. People come and go. You don’t want your “business” dependent on a relationship with one person. Too risky. So the implications of that are you need to have a good relationship with your boss, your boss’s boss, and other decision-makers inside the organization. You have to be known to others inside the company to protect your “business.”
3. You need to keep marketing to your client even though they already are a client. They are subject to cognitive dissonance just like anyone is who buys anything. Not to mention you should always be selling them new stuff (the message being that your capabilities are broader than what you are currently used for).
4. Doing business with you should be friction-free for your client at all levels. No one likes to work with a business that is difficult to deal with. If their people are unavailable, prices are too high for the value received, or their systems are too cumbersome and difficult to navigate, they will go elsewhere. So you need to be sure your ”business” is easy. 
5. Your “hours of operation” impact client satisfaction. No one likes a business that is closed when you want to go there – be that a restaurant, hardware store, or IT service provider.  Most businesses can’t make it by just being open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the week. So don’t be “closed” for business in the evenings or weekends by answering your phone and returning texts and emails when needed by your client. 

1. You need competent outside advisors. Just like a small business owner needs competent outside attorneys, accountants, tax advisors, and more, you will need competent people you can go to outside of your client for help and advice. That might be a mentor, peer group, counselor, or career coach. No small business owner is good at doing everything themselves!
2. You should look for ways to expand your services for your client. If you want to have the capacity to do higher-level, better projects for your client, you first need to know how you will take care of the work you are currently doing for them. Training someone else to do your job so you can expand the services you provide to your client is an essential step.
3. You should always be on the lookout for your next client, because you never know when they may decide they no longer need the services of your company. That said, it should never be at the expense of your current client, as long as your current client is a good one that pays you fairly for what you do and appreciates your work. If they have to be dropped for you to take on a better client, be sure to help them find someone else to do what you do for them so they will say good things about you down the road. 

So do you think treating your job as if you are self-employed with one client has any merits? If so, what do you need to do differently?

Mark Zweig is Zweig Group’s chairman and founder. Contact him at mzweig@zweiggroup.com.