I want to start a thread about the 'slashcareer' movement. This is a term coined by former NYTimes blogger, Marci Alboher (twitter: @heymarci). Alboher uses the term to refer to the growing trend in America of entrepreneurs and SBOs who haven't 'left their day jobs.' 'Slashers' (as I like to call them) may work FT at a job, but also have one or more 'entrepreneurial side pursuits'.
My wife and I are 'slashers.' I personally feel very comfortable in this role. I work FT but have also built a business. She works from home and has built a home-based business as well. Between the two of us, we have a piano studio, an SEO consultancy, and a professional writing service - all operating under a Limited Liability Corporation. Together, we have 13 piano students, a half dozen or so writing clients, and we've just barely started getting serious prospects for our other online marketing services.
Our firm has 4 staff members who work very flexibly in Independent Contractor postions. It has taken us, working together, 3 years to build all this up, and we are very proud of our accomplishments. Of course, she and I have put in a ton of hours to build this through many long days of challenge and adversity, but all the hard work is paying off handsomely.
But the point is: We're 'slashers'. I like the stability and predictability of a regular job, with regular income. But if that's all I did, I would soon get bored. Building and growing a business has been one of the most enriching experiences for the both of us. Our businesses give both of us the creative outlet we both need, and also unchains us a bit from having to rely solely on a regular job for our self-esteem, income, and sense of purpose.
So, I wanted to start a thread to hear from other 'slashers'. What have been your experiences with being a 'slasher'? Do you like it? Or, are you more wanting to be completely self-employed? Do you think being a 'slasher' is a poor substitute for being a 'real' business owner, or the best of both worlds?
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@SteveHenson. Funny.
Marci Alboher uses the term in her book, 'One Person/Many Careers'. I haven't read it, but she used to blog for the NYTimes and now blogs for encore.org about the subject. She talks about people combining multiple career paths. I tried to pick the book up yesterday at Barnes & Noble but it was out of stock.
One of my clients is a slasher. He's a lawyer and a playwright. An unusual combination, eh? It's becoming more common.
I think it's a good thing: It's really where the term 'Renaissance Man' comes from. During the Renaissance, it wasn't uncommon for the educated class to excel in more than one profession - often unrelated. A lot of those guys, like Descartes and Newton and JS Mill, even Ben Franklin, had multiple sources of income from multiple professions. It was considered narrow to only be good or apply oneself in one thing back then.
petrosianii | Window Shopper |
2/16/2010 - 8:28 am
I think you hit the nail on the head, Ray. I think sometimes we as entrepreneurs see working a regular jo as a limitation. In fact, sometimes is affords more flexibility. It's the whole 'glass empty, glass full' perspective.
One suggestion: I would set as a goal for your business to get to the point where it is solvent - that is, you're paying all your business operating expenses from revenues the business itself generates. Using personal income to pay business expenses can work OK to start, but over time it can cause problems in accounting and budgeting.
You make a good point, teamextension. One downside of being a slasher is divided time and interests, and feeling like you cannot devote your full potential to any one place. It does depend on what your ultimate objectives are, I suppose.
I started out as a 'slasher' I took a data collection assignment that my employer assigned to me and turned it into a online business.... That was 2 years ago... Now I live in Bangkok and make almost as much as I did in the States and I only work 3-4 hours a day!
A lot of us want to start something of our own and do the things we want to do but we still have to hang on to our job so that we still have the cash flow to give us resources and time to do our own things. I am currenly working full time job at a retail store and spend the night time and weekend on my online shop. I really want to spend 100% of my time on my business but i just dont have enough cash to keep me going as i have to use my full time income to pay for the marketing part of my site. My site currently generates 20% of what i earn from my full time job so until then i will have to put half of my time on each job!
teamextension | Contributor |
2/14/2010 - 12:19 am
If you view your business as a side business and wish to keep it that way, then you got a great setup. Some people want to be employees. Some people want to be business owners. Some people want half and half. No option is better than the other. It depends on what you want in life. How much money you want to make, how much time you want for your family, how much risk you want to take.
One thing about half and half, is the fact that you cannot give 100% to both your job and your business. If you want to become a CEO of a Fortune 500 company, or an Olympian, or an owner of an Inc 5000 company, I don't think the half and half setup will work.
petrosianii | Window Shopper | 2/16/2010 - 1:55 pm
SteveHenson | Window Shopper | 2/16/2010 - 1:21 pm
petrosianii | Window Shopper | 2/16/2010 - 8:28 am
petrosianii | Window Shopper | 2/14/2010 - 12:05 pm
krummelhart | Creator | 2/17/2010 - 7:13 am
souvenir | Creator | 2/16/2010 - 7:09 am
teamextension | Contributor | 2/14/2010 - 12:19 am
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