On Being Selective

It’s only been a few mere months since I took my business full-time, and one of the best things that has come of it has been that I’m able to be selective, capture my dream clients, and increase my overall work life happiness.

When I put together my presentation on How to Build Your Portfolio, I really had to consider some of the most important positives that having a portfolio has garnered for me. The top one was that it allows me to be selective. Now, being selective doesn’t mean that I don’t jump at new opportunities; it just means that I consider the new opportunities before jumping in feet first. This saves me a lot of time and heartache when I realize that I’ve jumped into a contract well below my going rate.

With that being said, there are some contracts I would gladly work on for less than what I’m worth because I’m passionate about the organization or the project or both. This doesn’t happen often, but with a stream of steady clients (that my portfolio helped funnel in), I’m able to be choosier about my work.

This week I was offered a full-time contract with a local university. I had been working on contract part-time since February, and I had always wanted to move into the Higher Education sector. Where I’m from, it is incredibly difficult to score such a gig by applying the old fashioned way, and I was shocked that a cold email a year earlier had resulted in the procurement of my part-time contract. In any event, I’ll be taking on full-time hours starting in the fall, and this is really where being selective comes into play.

I’ll still be running my business, albeit I’ll end up lightening my workload in the coming year, being more selective, and choosing to work on contracts that I’m truly passionate about. The security that the full-time contract brings will allow me some flexibility with regard to my business workload, and I’ll be able to focus on both aspects of my work life that I’m happy to focus on. It’s been a long road to reach both goals: working within Higher Education and starting my own business, and I want to give both roles 100%.  At the same token, I want to ensure that the contracts I accept within my business are ones that align well with my beliefs and serve to enhance my current portfolio.

It’s going to be an interesting journey, and I’m excited to take you all along for the ride!