Entrepreneurs' 9-to-5 drill is a thing of the past
One of the recurring themes of this column over the years has been the fast-changing nature of work because the very way in which do business has undergone tectonic shifts in the past generation. I want to re-visit this issue again because it seems to me that we are on the cusp of yet another big change, and so in this column and the next, we are going to look at the Next Big Thing in work:
Whether you know it or not, and whether you like it or not, you are now an entrepreneur. This is true whether you are self-employed, work for a small business, are unemployed, are a middle manager, or are a corporate executive.
Today, we are all entrepreneurs (or better be).
A little background for context:
Back in the 90s, work was still a fairly traditional experience; generally speaking, folks went into an office, started work around 9, knocked off around 5, and called it a day.
How quaint.
The advent of the Internet age began to change all that of course, starting with e-email. Seemingly overnight, spam became a significant issue and over-crowded inboxes became both the norm and the bane of our existence. Dealing with email meant that we started to work at odd times.
The good news though was that the Internet also leveled the playing field, especially for entrepreneurs:
• First, no longer did small businesses have to look small. Having a great Web presence meant that we could look every bit as big as our biggest competitor. For the first time ever, a small business could – really and affordably – compete with a big business.
• Additionally, this new e-conomy also meant that any small business could be a global business. It used to be that only the East India Trading Companies of the world could conduct business globally, but no longer. The Internet made it so that any business, no matter how small, could find customers and partners all over the world. This too was a radical shift for the better.
More broadly, not long thereafter, the combination of laptops, wireless broadband, and – just maybe – Starbucks, meant that people could work on the go. And work on the go they did. Employers and employees alike seemed to love the freedom that came with being unchained from the desk, mobile, wireless, free.
Right.
Little did we know it, but that wireless connection and those fancy new smartphones meant that not only could we work anywhere, anytime, but, too often, we were expected to work anywhere and anytime. (Who expected that? Mostly ourselves, but still.) On vacation with the family? Oh well, I can still check my email, right?
The challenge of being able to work when, where, and how we want is that it puts the onus on each of us to draw a line. Just because you can work anywhere or any time, it doesn't mean that you should. As such, one of the biggest work issues for people today is that finding the right work-life balance is a real challenge.
One thing you will also notice is that the main reason for these changes in the way we work has been technology. Technology has enabled us to do more, faster, cheaper, and often better. And this, in turn, this has helped fuel an entrepreneurial renaissance, especially in the tech world, but not just there.
Once upon a time, big business was big. But no longer. Today, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurial thinking are where the juice is. Entrepreneurs are the new rock stars of business. Whether it is finding the next Facebook, or the hot Kickstarter, or just the startup down the street, entrepreneurship is where it's at now. One of ABC's hit shows, after all, is Shark Tank, and HBO's hot new show is Silicon Valley -- and Alibaba just broke records for an IPO.
What this means for you is that you need to think entrepreneurially too – about your business, your career, your path.
Next week – how to think like an entrepreneur.
Steve Strauss, @Steve Strauss on Twitter, is a lawyer specializing in small business and entrepreneurship. E-mail Steve at: sstrauss@mrallbiz.com. His website is TheSelfEmployed.