Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Working 9-to-5 becoming a less popular way to make a living - Yahoo Finance

Working 9-to-5 becoming a less popular way to make a living - Yahoo Finance: "Henry W. Brown ditched his fledging advertising career 11 years ago, sick of spending 15 hours a day at work and having "no life." Now he works 30 hours a week, juggling about four projects a year and earns a salary in the six figures designing websites and apps. Brown has time for two-hour yoga sessions, midday bike rides around his New York City neighborhood and lunch dates with friends. He also has more time for passion projects: He spent a month at an elephant sanctuary in Thailand this year, and he started a Facebook page called TheDogmatic, posting photos of dogs in shelters to help get them adopted. He never plans to work for just one employer again.

"Everything about an office was such a waste of time to me," he says.

When Brown first went freelance, he emailed companies asking for work. Now, most comes from referrals. Sometimes he checks in with a hiring agency. "I'm not clamoring for work," says Brown. "I can be picky and choosy with what I do."

Depending on the industry, the work can be lucrative. At hiring company Business Talent Group, independent contractors can make between $1,500 and $2,500 a day, says CEO Jody Miller. Most have a master's degree and at least 10 years working experience, she says. They can be hired by companies to help launch new products, research investments or other tasks.

Companies weren't always so thrilled about hiring freelancers, says Allison Hemming, CEO of New York staffing company The Hired Guns. When she started the company 15 years ago, companies would say, "if they were that good they would have a job," says Hemming. That's changed. "The concept of freelancers as slackers is completely over," Hemming says.

Spex, a company that makes software and apps used for home inspections, turned to Canopy Advisory Group to find a part-time publicist. CEO Brett Goldberg says he didn't have to post a job description, sift through resumes or conduct interviews, saving him time and money.

At food company Cargill, Michael Balay hires independent contractors with specialized skills to manage projects, such as combining groups of workers inside the company. Balay, who is a vice president of strategy and business development, has increasingly turned to hiring agencies.

"It cuts the search and qualification time down," says Balay. "It's way easier now."

Stephen Wunker left a consulting firm in 2009 to spend more time with his kids. Wunker and his partners started New Markets Advisors and are hired by companies to come up with business plans or create a growth strategy. He still works 40 to 80 hours a week, but his schedule is more flexible. He can take days off whenever he wants, and also spends about a month a year working from Ecuador."



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