Can corporate-style models help solopreneurs?

Despite having 10 years of corporate life under my belt from my career beginnings, I'm about as tightly structured as a caftan. (Which is, for the uninitiated, not very.)

So why do I find myself taking on more and more responsibility in Toastmasters, one of the most structured, hierarchical organizations in existence today?

Quite simply, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. No, I'm not thrilled with their predilection for parliamentary procedure. But the opportunity to practice communication and leadership skills is unparalleled at that price point (YMMV, but low, overall--international dues are just $27 per six-month term.)

If you had told me 10 years ago that I'd sign on as president of a club, I'd have laughed: I was an individualist, a lone eagle, with no use for groups. Hell, if you'd told me 10 months ago that I'd sign on to assist struggling clubs in shoring up their membership, I'd have laughed even harder: I was in this to improve my skills, not those of a group of strangers.

But over a year into the proposition, I am seeing the value of collaboration in new ways. Yes, many of us choose to work outside traditional corporate structures. It doesn't mean those structures can't benefit us in other ways, and that we can't add to the equation with our hard-won, lone-eagle skills. I've been able to extract a good deal of benefit from my affiliation; I feel equally fortunate to be able to "infect" the other side with some of the improvisational skills I've learned from flying solo.

If nothing else, it's a good reminder that most of the world doesn't live the way we do. And how useful can we be to our clients if we lose touch with their day-to-day world.

Do you keep a hand in the corporate world? Have you found it useful in ways you didn't expect? I'd love to hear of similar--or different--experiences.

Comments

[jgeditor]

I find my corporate-style skills and approaches are hugely valuable. "Corporate-style skills" doesn't mean bureaucratic, aloof, or overly formal. It does mean I bring sound, thoughtful practices and high standards to my work, which actually helps build trust, provides positive structure, and even inspires clients to improve their own work processes (often in areas unrelated to the project at hand). Plus, many people in start-up or growth mode have strong corporate skills and backgrounds of their own and they appreciate that level of professionalism in their current endeavor. It makes everyone feel they're "in the game."

[Dani Nordin]

This is an interesting lesson, and one that I'm set to learn myself - I just signed on as the VP of Marketing for a networking group I've been involved in since starting my business 2 years ago. I'm a bit nervous about it, to be honest, as I'm pretty far out of the "corporate" world by now.

But certain things I have taken from the corporate life, and they've stuck with me - particularly the way I organize jobs and track time and finances. The systems I created for my everyday operations have proven tremendously helpful not only in making sure I get paid (and on time!), but they've helped me evaluate whether I'm charging too much or too little for my services; plus, I've been able to confidently raise my rates, as I now know pretty well what goes INTO a project, as well as how long it takes me on average, and what that work is worth.