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10 tips for happy self-employment – part 2 of 4

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Self employment is on the rise. This is a 4 part article series sharing 40 tips for happy self-employment.

Read part 1.

10 tips for happy self-employment – part 1 of 4

1.  Utilise social media to create awareness free – be focused

2.  Build your skills – gives you options to develop a portfolio career over time

3.  Co-opetition vs collaboration – there can be a fine dividing line between people who do similar work to you being an opportunity to collaborate and being competitive

4.  Protect yourself with legal docs e.g. web site terms and conditions, associate agreements etc.

5.  Create case studies to demonstrate how you can help clients

6.  Gain and share client testimonials

7.  Design your business around your personal values – what is really important to you

8.  Create a compelling verbal business card – what you answer when asked ‘what do you do?’

9.  Support your clients in their roles/careers and they will support you

10.               Timing is everything – monitor business and seasonal cycles which influence and affect decisions 

Get in touch

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/portfolio/connect/

Chris Jones guest blog about his portfolio career part 2

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This is a 2-part guest blog by Chris Jones for Energise – The Talent Liberation Company about his portfolio career. This is part 2. 

Biog

Chris Jones is a multiple business owner based in Oxford. His current businesses are:

  • Glooo: digital analytics
  • Boys and Girls Promotions: events staffing business
  • Boys and Girls Events: events management business
  • Oxford Influencers: Oxford Instagram solution

His events business, both Corporate and Private events, provide event design and staff in #Oxfordshire and #London. Clients include: The University of Oxford, Blenheim Palace, Soho Farmhouse, Oxford City Council, The Westgate Shopping Centre and many colleges and venues.

Chris is husband to Julie, father of 2 young adults finishing University, and a social butterfly.

Read part 1:https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/chris-jones-guest-blog-about-his-portfolio-career-part-1/

The rest of this guest blog is in Chris’ own words.

What do you most love about having a portfolio career?

My portfolio career and the whole digital world growth happened at the same time.

I.T. developed off the back of IBM and Microsoft delivering personal computing solutions and from 1983 web sites developed at a rapid rate.

It was very interesting being at the forefront of PC / website delivery in the UK.

What are the challenges of having a portfolio career?

The continued changes and improvements to the digital world, so it is always been a learning curve of new technologies and solutions. 

My ‘skill’ for want of a better word is that I’m very good at understanding technology and seeing where it can be implemented. 

Who or what helps you to manage your portfolio career?

I think it’s a ‘self-improvement’ journey, either in a broad format for your whole industry or specialisation in specific areas.

How do you approach marketing your portfolio career?

It always will be for me working in the digital world (although a marketing mix is important) first and foremost and then backed up with networking. I network 2 3 evenings per week. LinkedIn is our key social media platform for my businesses.

Image below: Boys and Girls Promotions doing the ticketing for Countryfile Live at Blenheim – one of our greatest achievements in winning the work and delivering on the 3 days of the event.  

What if any, is the personal brand used for your portfolio career?

Have fun, be professional, and deliver on promises. That’s it!

I won’t work with people who are going to be difficult (don’t tell the bank manager!)  and I need to enjoy and be inspired by my work.

What advice would you give to someone considering a portfolio career?

“The journey is long, don’t worry about things you can’t control.“

What 5 tips can you share for people considering a portfolio career?

1 Gain in-depth knowledge of your sector

2 Have an individual career plan a), b) and c)

3 Work with likeminded people, and be easy to work with

4 Always trust your ‘gut’

5 Value yourself and don’t compromise

More

View Chris Jones LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-jones-8a88b05a/

Browse the Boys and girls promotions web site: https://www.boysandgirlspromotions.co.uk/

Want to discuss a future face to face event? E mail Chris Jones: chris@boysandgirlspromotions.co.uk

Interested in a portfolio career yourself? Contact us for your free report ‘Discover Portfolio Careers’: https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/portfolio/connect/

Thanks to Chris Jones for making the time to write a guest blog about his portfolio career for Energise. We are looking forward to his future original events, when the world returns to normal socialising and networking, post lock-down!

Chris Jones guest blog about his portfolio career part 1

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This is a 2-part guest blog by Chris Jones for Energise – The Talent Liberation Company about his portfolio career. This is part 1

Biog

Chris Jones is a multiple business owner based in Oxford. His current businesses are:

·       Glooo: digital analytics – new web site being created at present in this fast moving dynamic business area

·       Boys and Girls Promotions: events staffing business

·       Boys and Girls Events: events management business

·       Oxford Influencers: Oxford Instagram solution

His events business, both corporate and private events, provide event design and staff in #Oxfordshire and #London.

Clients include: The University of Oxford, Blenheim Palace, Soho Farmhouse, Oxford City Council, The Westgate Shopping Centre and many colleges and venues.

Image below: Event managing the opening of the Westgate shopping centre in central #Oxford. “It was wonderful to win the business, as a local business owner and deliver on a venue of importance to the City of Oxford.” Chris Jones.

Chris is husband to Julie, father of 2 young adults finishing University, and a social butterfly.

The rest of this guest blog is in Chris’ own words.

What are the components of your portfolio career e.g. study, paid freelance work, part time job, volunteering etc.?

This is such a massive question!

First and foremost, my career journey hasn’t and isn’t a planned/classic career path. It had no planning, direction, or reasoning, after School, O levels /College ONC. My list of jobs has included:

·       I.T.

·       Accountants

·       I.T.

·       Web Developer

·       I.T.

·       Then self-employment

The accountants’ role was pure desperation for a job and lasted for 3 months and ended after I suffered bullying. (I didn’t realise it was at the time, and only realised when told 20 years later by a colleague).

The I.T. companies were a range of distribution, channel, reseller and manufacturer, all roles in ‘business development’ and ‘account management’ roles. The web developer role was again business development – this rounded off my digital/I.T. journey.

I have been sacked, made redundant and chosen to leave companies, but I always felt I maintained relationships with the businesses, which is weird and good in equal measure.

How did your portfolio career come about?

As stated above, my career bumped from pillar to post sometimes by necessity, and sometimes by choice. The phrase I use now is that “at 53, I’m totally unemployable!“. With hindsight, I think I was unemployable at 20! Due to that fact that a) I always did a lot of research and training for jobs so put myself in a strong position but b) I didn’t suffer fools and found a good percentage of my bosses stuck in archaic ways of doing business.

How has your portfolio career changed over time?

It has changed with experience and knowledge, but I still had a clear vision of what I wanted to achieve based on the job requirements, but this didn’t always align again with line managers/owners.

When people ask you ‘what do you do?’ – what do you reply?

“I have a digital business, an events staffing/management business and an online Influencer website.”

Depending on the environment/network, I might only mention one of the businesses as I don’t really want the entrepreneur ‘label’. I’m an operational business owner not a visionary.

To what extent did your portfolio career happen by chance/luck and to what extent was it planned?

My journey has weaved!

I was always very good at getting jobs, being quite personable and strong in my knowledge base.

The second part of Chris’ portfolio career will include his tips for aspiring portfolio careerists.

More 

View Chris Jones LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-jones-8a88b05a/

Browse the Boys and girls events web site: https://www.boysandgirlspromotions.co.uk/

Want to discuss a future face to face event post lockdown? E mail Chris Jones: chris@boysandgirlspromotions.co.uk

Interested in a portfolio career yourself? Contact us: https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/portfolio/connect/

Juliet Russell’s guest blog about her portfolio part 2

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This is a 3-part guest blog by Juliet Russell for Energise – The Talent Liberation Company. This is part 2.

Read part 1 https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/juliet-russells-guest-blog-about-her-portfolio-part/

Biog

Juliet Russell is a singer, composer, vocal coach and choir director. She is also a creative director of Also festival and co-founder of Salon London, alongside Helen Bagnall. Passionate about supporting individuals and communities to develop their voices and creativity, Juliet is also the vocal coach on two of the UK’s biggest entertainment shows, ITV’s The Voice and BBC1’s Michael McIntyre’s Big Show, where she prepares the Unexpected Stars for the performance of their lives. Specialising in artist development, Juliet has also worked with Grammy, BRiT, MTV Europe and MOBO award winning artists. She has performed with innovative artists including Damon Albarn, Imogen Heap, alt-J and Paloma Faith, most recently writing the vocal arrangement and leading the #ThankYouMidwife choir on Paloma’s beautiful rendition of Silent Night, in association with Pampers UK. Juliet has composed and arranged music for film, television and radio. She leads the Portobello Live Choir, a community choir in West London and Assemble professional choir. www.julietrussell.com

To what extent did your portfolio career happen by chance/luck and to what extent was it planned?

I’d say a bit of both. I’ve never had a full-time job and I’ve never really considered that as an option. I read something recently in Unsafe Thinking by Jonah Sachs, where he was exploring Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s work on flow state. He explains that to be successful you need a high level of skill and a high level of challenge. We grow when the level of challenge slightly exceeds our level of skill. I would say that as my skills have improved so have my opportunities. I do set intentions and I do work towards goals, but also I’m very instinctive about what I do. It has to feel right. I’m not scared to say no if it doesn’t.

What do you most love about having a portfolio career?

Definitely the people. I get to meet interesting people all the time and this can happen on the bus as much as it can happen at work. I love seeing people grow in confidence as they learn to sing or find a whole new level of creative expression. For me singing is our birthright. It is an incredibly human way of expressing ourselves and connecting with each other. It upsets me when people get told that they can’t sing and then lose touch with that part of themselves. Fair enough if you choose not to sing, but if you want to, go for it. Join a choir, get up at a karaoke night or learn to sing. Our voices are as unique as we are. All the humans who are around today evolved as singers and every human culture that exists or is ever known to have existed has made music.

What are the challenges of having a portfolio career?

It’s definitely easier now, but being overwhelmed with busyness / business and low income have both been things I have struggled with previously. Even though money has never been my main motivation, I have probably lived on a lot less than salaried peers would have considered at times and have been quite dogged in making something work when maybe I should have walked away earlier. That’s probably been the best lesson too though as this was partly to do with how I valued myself. I am also aware that we live in an incredibly privileged part of the world, and even so some people live on the streets, so equally I don’t take what I have for granted and sometimes you don’t need as much as you think you do. For me, a portfolio career brings more rewards than it brings challenges. Also, I like a challenge!

What 5 tips can you share for people considering a portfolio career?

1. Follow your passion and it will never feel boring

2. People and relationships are your greatest asset

3. Learn to be excellent at what you do

4. Understand your finances and your value

5. Give back. Be aware of what’s needed and what you can bring.

More

Juliet Russell’s LinkedIn profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliet-russell-b37739a/

Also Festival https://www.also-festival.com\

Salon London http://www.salon-london.com

Music Gurus https://www.musicgurus.com/course/learn-essential-skills-for-singers-foundation-level

Follow Juliet on Twitter @JulietRussell

Interested in a portfolio career for yourself?

Get in touch for a no obligation chat with Rachel Brushfield, The Talent Liberator https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/portfolio/connect/

Read our client testimonials for the different parts of our portfolio career https://liberateyourtalent.wordpress.com/energise-client-testimonials/

The ‘push me’, ‘pull you’ of a portfolio career

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Question for you.

How do you know when to edit or evolve your portfolio career?

I was reflecting on this recently during a career retreat and came to the conclusion that there are ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors.

‘Push’ factors are negative things that cause you to re-evaluate.  ‘Pull’ factors are things that attract you so ‘pull’ you to want to change the mix of your portfolio career.

Top 11 ‘Push’ factors

  • Low satisfaction or fulfillment
  • Doesn’t help you to progress or grow
  • Poor money for the effort/time
  • More competition for work
  • Doesn’t fit your career vision
  • Bored of doing the same work
  • Technology replacing demand
  • Trend to in-house from freelance
  • Stressful or feels like hassle
  • Doesn’t fit with your personal values
  • Unreasonable deadlines or demands

Top 11 ‘Pull’ factors

  • Builds your career capital
  • Learn a new skill
  • Stimulating new challenge
  • Broaden your network
  • Good money
  • Emerging new work area
  • Work you can do flexibly
  • Work you can do from home
  • Project with people you like
  • New ‘string to your bow’
  • Aligns with your longer-term vision

What would be your top 3 ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors?

Defining your own portfolio career ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors helps you to screen work options and feel clear about what projects you say ‘yes’ to and ‘no’ to.

Interested in a portfolio career?

Download our free report ‘Discover Portfolio Careers’:

Who is a portfolio career for?

The brand called You – why you need a personal brand

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Personal branding is becoming not just more important, but essential. Increasingly employees and consultants for projects will be resourced online via ‘Trip Advisor style’ sites. Just as videos and infographics have grown in importance to provide communication cut-through online, so defining your personal brand is a modern way to stand out.

Picture a sea of faces on a resourcing or recruitment web site. An avatar (headshot of you), and a couple of sentences maximum to get the message across, plus ratings about you from previous clients, employers and peers.

A busy executive looks at the site to find someone for an exciting career enhancing project or contract. How will you stand out and be chosen from the hundreds of choices? What will make the browser notice you in a good way so you are on their initial resourcing or recruitment list? Or will you be invisible – your online profile showcasing your high-quality experience not even read, because you didn’t get past the first hurdle.

So what is a personal brand and why is it so important for the future of work?

A personal brand is the territory you occupy in the minds and hearts of your target audience. It gets you noticed in a good way and positions you as the ‘go-to person’ for your specialism or niche.

The wording of your personal brand is crucial. The best personal brands are memorable, relevant and emotive. Articulating your personal brand in just three words follows in-depth analysis of yourself and the needs of your target audience, plus emerging trends, takes time and thought.

Articulate your brand in just three words.

Many people find it hard to create their own personal brand because they are so close to themselves that they can’t see their own unique talents. Synthesising, distilling and articulating the essence of you and the gift you bring to others in just a few words is a skill in itself.

Here are some pertinent quotes about personal branding.

“All of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.” Tom Peters in Fast Company.

“Building a profitable personal brand online is not a sprint, and something that happens overnight. Don’t aim for perfection early on. Instead allow your brand to evolve naturally over time and focus on providing massive value and over deliver to your target audience. Then you will get more clear over your message and brand as well.“ Navid Moazzez.

“Personal branding is about managing your name — even if you don’t own a business — in a world of misinformation, disinformation, and semi-permanent Google records. Going on a date? Chances are that your ‘blind’ date has Googled your name. Going to a job interview?” Tim Ferriss.

“If you don’t give the market the story to talk about, they’ll define your brand’s story for you.” David Brier.

“Branding demands commitment; commitment to continual re-invention; striking chords with people to stir their emotions; and commitment to imagination. It is easy to be cynical about such things, much harder to be successful.” Sir Richard Branson.

My personal brand is ‘Talent Liberator’. I do what it says on the tin. Originally at the beginning of my business 20 years ago, my personal brand was ‘Energising Connector’ which was an accurate summary of what I do, but it lacks the emotive quality which makes a better personal brand.

Here are some examples of personal brands:

‘Network Navigator’ – a networking specialist

‘The Body Coach’ – a personal trainer

‘The Clean Food Coach’ – an expert in natural food to stay healthy

‘Mr Loophole’ – a lawyer who specialises in getting celebrities out of driving bans.

‘The Book Midwife’ – a writing coach who helps her clients to self-publish a book

‘Insight Integrator’ – A strategist specialising in insight to inform an integrated strategy

‘Career Sherpa’ – a job search coach for the digital age

‘Miss Masala’ – an Indian cook and food writer

Make time to think about and create your personal brand. It takes time, but is one of the best investments you will ever make to attract the work you really want.

If you would like to receive information about Energise Personal Branding individual mentoring service, please e mail me using the link below. Thanks!

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/portfolio/connect/

 

Vanessa Vallely’s portfolio career – guest blog the sequel

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This week, it is International Women’s Day on 8 March, so a fitting time to post this guest blog about a woman who does so much to support women.

About Vanessa Vallely

Vanessa Vallely is one of the UK’s most well-networked women and has provided keynotes on a variety of career related topics for over 250 companies worldwide. Vanessa is also one of the UK’s most prominent figures in gender equality and often provides guidance and consultancy to both government and corporate organisations who are seeking to attract, develop and retain their female talent.

At the height of her successful 25 year career in financial services, Vanessa launched the award winning WeAreTheCity.com in 2008 as a vehicle to help corporate women connect and grow professionally and personally. WeAreTheCity.com now has over 60,000 members and in 2013 launched a sister site in India.

Vanessa is also the founder of UK wide diversity forum Gender networks (formerly The Network Of Networks, or ‘TNON’) which brings together diversity leaders from over 120 firms to share best practice.  Vanessa is the author of the book “Heels of steel: Surviving and Thriving in the Corporate World’ which tracks her career and shares 13 chapters of tips to succeed in the workplace.

Over the past seven years, she has been named Women in Banking and Finance’s Champion for Women, Financial News Top 100 Rising Star, The International Alliance for Women Top 100 Women globally and Brummells Top 30 entrepreneurs. In 2015 Vanessa was in GQ UK’s Top 100 Connected Women and The Evening Standard’s 100 Most Influential Londoners. Vanessa is a regular guest on TV and radio and also sits on the Government Digital Services Advisory Board.

Vanessa is also The Pearly Queen of The City of London, a tradition that has been in her family for over 100 years. She is an avid charity worker and sits on the board for Cancer Research UK as one of its Women of Influence.

Keynotes and workshops include The Power of Profile, The Power of Social Media, The Big Brand Theory, Speed Networking, Pay it Forward and Manage your Career.

What headline sums up 2016 for you?

BeBoldForChange, which is this year’s IWD theme.  Both I and WeAreTheCity pushed our boundaries last year and took risks to introduce new things we wanted to do.  I personally learnt to respect my time and that if I was to be able to take on new things, that I had to let some other things go!

What has changed in the last 12 months?

I have lots more help at WeAreTheCity which has taken the pressure off of me to come up with ideas and mobilise our initiatives.  Our client base has grown substantially as has our reach to working women.  In 2016, we ran the Rising Star awards in India and we introduced a new conference for Women in Technology, WeAreTechWomen. Both were substantial projects which we needed to fit in with an already packed annual calendar of activities and events.

How did any change come about?

From a professional perspective, I think we just decided to take more risks. We stepped in to markets we previously had no presence in, lucky for us what we brought to the table was a little bit different.  I think having such a strong team at WeAreTheCity means there is no end of ideas of things we can do, it is just a case of prioritising what we do and ensuring that we focus on projects that will have the biggest impact for working women.

What is the significance of this change for you?

We are growing at pace! Which is great, but it also means that we have to adapt and be flexible to change. WeAreTheCity started in 2008 as a part time hobby whilst both me and my husband were working full time.  Now it is an organisation that works with over 100 clients, with 9 staff who service over 72,000 working women, 8 million website visitors per month, whilst running two, soon to be three sets of awards as well as 20 events and 2 conferences per year! It’s a tall order for a small team, but we absolutely love what we do so it doesn’t feel like a job or hard work.

What next for you in 2017?

WeAreTheCity are in the middle of canvassing for nominations for this year’s Rising Star awards in the UK as well as planning our forthcoming conference, WeAreFutureLeaders.  The back end of the year is all about women in technology, which includes our WeAreTechWomen conference and our new tech awards.  My personal focus for 2017 is the growth of WeAreTheCity and introducing further projects and programmes that will help working women in the pipeline to achieve their potential. I am still speaking regularly at corporate organisations, charities and schools as well as being committed to a number of boards and advisory groups.  It will no doubt be another busy year, but I am excited and very much up for the challenge.

Thanks to Vanessa Vallely for making the time to write a guest blog for Energise – The Talent Liberation Company.

More:

Web site

http://www.vanessavallely.com/

LinkedIn profile

https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessavallely/

We Are The City

http://www.wearethecity.com/

Career Club

http://www.wearethecity.com/careers-club/

Twitter

@WATC_Girl

Read Vanessa Vallely original guest blog part 1 for Energise. 9 January 2016

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/vanessa-vallely-guest-blog-part-1-rachel-brushfield

Read Vanessa Vallely original guest blog part 2 for Energise. 9 January 2016

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/vanessa-vallely-guest-blog-part-2-rachel-brushfield

Interested in a portfolio career?

Free report: Discover Portfolio Careers:

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/who-has-portfolio-careers/

Free report: Find out your transferable Skills

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/what-is-a-portfolio-career/

Free report: Pain free career change

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/talent-liberation/

Web site – Inspiring Portfolio Careers

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/

Are you a Woman Lawyer seeking a portfolio career?

http://www.llclub.org/

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/energiseliberateyourtalent/

Twitter

@TalentLiberator

Are you a senior woman employed in an Oxfordshire company or firm? We run our own cross sector/profession network PWHub – Inspiring Professional Women for you with quarterly events:

http://www.pwhub.org.uk/

View our chapter on gender balance for The International Bar Association/Globe Law and Business.  (2013)

http://www.energiselegal.com/published/books/managing-talent-for-success-talent-development-in-law-firms/

Funke Abimbola’s Portfolio Career – the sequel part 2

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This is a 2 part guest blog for Energise by Funke Abimbola about her portfolio career. This is part 2.

Funke Abimbola is a multi-award winning Lawyer/TEDx Speaker/TV contributor/Diversity Leader/Patron/Board member and proud mother. She is currently General Counsel and Head of Financial Compliance at Roche UK.

To read part 1 of this guest blog, please click on this link.

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/funke-abimbolas-portfolio-career-sequel-part-1/

How did any change come about?

I made a conscious decision to say “yes” to as many opportunities as possible in 2016, especially where I was taken outside my comfort zone. Although I was unbelievably busy in 2016, the year led to unparalleled opportunities not only for me but for countless others within my sphere of influence.

What is the significance of this change for you?

By saying “yes” to everything, I am in a much better place to recognise my boundaries and to know what I need to prioritise during 2017. Importantly, I now know what to say “no” to going forwards without feeling guilty in saying “no”! Last year was another year of development and key learnings for me and my team.

What next for you in 2017?

I started 2017 with another promotion – from 1st January, my role at Roche expanded to include heading up our financial compliance function. As General Counsel & Head of Financial Compliance, I continue to lead on legal and corporate compliance for the Roche UK pharmaceutical business, sitting on several senior leadership teams and providing legal support in the UK, Ireland, Malta and Gibraltar. In addition, I have also gained responsibility for all financial compliance matters for the UK pharmaceutical business including overseeing and leading on internal financial audits, internal financial testing (ICFR) and other financial controls that maintain the integrity of the organisation’s financial systems. This is a first within our organisation so a key priority for me is to embed my expanded team and to ensure that we all continue to develop together.

In terms of my external, voluntary diversity work, 2017 has started on a very promising note. I was listed in the law section of Debretts 500 (together with Supreme Court President, Lord Neuberger, Deputy President of the Supreme Court, Lady Hale, and others) as being one of the most influential people in Britain because of the impact of my diversity work within the legal profession. In January, I took part in my first panel discussion event as Patron of UCLU’s Leadership and Management Society. The discussion was called “How to embrace your diversity and lead’ and I was joined on the panel by a number of colleagues and friends in senior leadership roles. Collectively, we shared our wisdom and experience with the students and other attendees. The event was a huge success and I continue to receive inspirational messages from those who attended, thanking us for our contributions and the impact we made.

I have been interviewed for a book being published by Harper Collins in Spring 2018. Called ‘Slay in your lane’, the book will be a guide to life for black British women. It was a real honour to be approached as one of the black women being interviewed for this ground-breaking publication. Others being interviewed include actress Thandie Newton, GQ publisher Vanessa Kingori MBE and Karen Blackett OBE, Chairwoman of MediaCom.

International Women’s Month (March) is always really busy for me and this year is no different. I have a range of engagements in my diary including delivering a keynote speech at my alma mater, Newcastle Law School, as part of the Inspirational Women in Law project and the 2017 Freedom of the City celebrations marking 50 years since Martin Luther King was given an honourary degree by Newcastle University. I am also partnering with Speakers4Schools and INTO University and will be speaking to a group of school students about my career journey, providing mentoring and work experience opportunities to them. I will be interviewing a high profile speaker to mark International Women’s Day itself in my capacity as an advisory board member of Women in Law London, a large network supporting the progression of women lawyers in the UK. I am speaking at the Solid Woman conference at the British Council as part of an initiative to empower and upskill women from a minority ethnic background. Another highlight in March will be speaking to a large group of school children from a BAME background at the House of Commons, providing guidance and advice about their future career options.

In May, I will be part of a panel of senior leaders at WeAreTheCity’s first ever leadership conference in May called WeAreFutureLeaders. Founded in 2008 by Vanessa Vallely, WeAreTheCity is a free, centralised hub for professional women who want to progress in their careers, enhance their skills and build their networks. WeAreTheCity has 42,000 members, 80% of whom are professional women. WeAreFutureLeaders will be held at Simmons and Simmons, a leading international law firm. The aim of the conference is to equip its female attendees with the skills they need to progress to leadership positions. I am looking forward to being part of the panel, including providing speed mentoring to attendees.

Later on this year, I will be judging the Inclusive Network Awards and This Is Me Awesome 100 nominations, recognising inspiring individuals who have given back and made their mark in our community. I am also one of the judges for the third We are the City Rising Star awards, a unique awards programme that recognises the pipeline of female talent across a range of industries.

Throughout 2017, I will continue to appear on BBC 1 as part of the world news review team, providing expert commentary on topical news items. In addition, I am being considered for another TEDx talk taking place this summer.

Yet to be scheduled is an important meeting at number 10 Downing Street. Suffice to say that the Prime Minister and I are struggling to align our diaries at present but we will get there!

Anything else you would like to add?

Whilst 2016 was, undoubtedly, a year of tremendous successes for me, it is also important to add that I made my fair share of mistakes last year too. Learning from mistakes is an essential part of being a leader and there were some key learnings for me throughout the year. I feel empowered to improve even more during 2017 and remain committed to increasing my influence and impact in the process.

The final thing to mention is that my teenaged son signed up to UN Women’s HeforShe campaign in 2016. He had noticed that the girls in his class were very capable but lacked confidence and did not always put their hands up in lessons, even when they knew the answer. He has committed to empowering the girls and supporting their confidence, quite remarkable for a teenager. I really hope that more male gender champions are encouraged and inspired to follow his example!

Funke’s LinkedIn profile:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/funkeabimbola

Follow Funke on Twitter @diversitychamp1

https://twitter.com/DiversityChamp1

Interested in a portfolio career? Download your free report Discover Portfolio Careers:

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Funke Abimbola’s Portfolio Career – the sequel part 1

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This is a 2 part guest blog for Energise by Funke Abimbola about her portfolio career. This is part 1.

Funke Abimbola is a multi-award winning Lawyer/TEDx Speaker/TV contributor/Diversity Leader/Patron/Board member and proud mother. She is currently General Counsel and Head of Financial Compliance at Roche UK.

What headline summed up last year, 2016 for you?

The year I said “yes” to (almost) everything.

What has changed in the last 12 months?

Within my career as a senior lawyer and leader for Roche, I was promoted to General Counsel & Company Secretary in December 2015. My key priority during 2016 was to develop into my new role. Two other members of my team were also promoted at the end of 2015. As a team, we have been involved in a number of core initiatives across the UK & Ireland pharmaceutical business and have developed together, making best use of our strengths as a team and learning from our mistakes and other areas for improvement. I am so proud to have seen my team receive recognition through a range of awards programmes including the Legal Business Awards, the Lawyer Awards, the British Legal Awards, the Law Society Excellence Awards and the Global Equality & Diversity Awards. In addition, 2 members of my team have won individual awards for their outstanding work, a source of tremendous pride for me. I thrive on seeing my team members flourishing and maximising their potential.

Also within Roche, I was filmed for our employee pride video called ‘Everybody In’, sharing my perspective on why I am so proud to work for Roche. The diversity within our UK organisation is very proudly showcased throughout the video. I was part of a small team of colleagues working on producing a report highlighting the overall impact of our organisation in the UK, including the impact of our diverse talent pool. The report was successfully launched earlier this year.

My voluntary diversity work went from strength to strength in 2016 as my influence broadened and became more widely recognised. Roche recognised me as a ‘Volunteer Superhero’ early in 2016, commending me for the impact of all my voluntary diversity and inclusion work. I now partner with the organisation’s global head of diversity and inclusion, providing my insights and guidance on our global D&I strategy.

I successfully launched the Akindolie Medical Scholarship in April in memory of my father, Dr. Frank Akindolie, a gifted, German-trained doctor who died over 4 years ago. The scholarship is privately funded and is aimed at supporting UK BAME medical students, comprising both a bursary award and leadership mentoring. My family and I were able to award the inaugural scholarship to an exceptional medical student at the British Medical Association in September.

I have continued to support the Law Society’s diversity agenda by providing keynote speeches at several Women Lawyers Division and Ethnic Minority Lawyers Division events, together with providing mentoring and networking support. I have partnered with the current Law Society president to further the race agenda amongst all practising solicitors in England and Wales.

I have been appointed as Patron of BAME and other philanthropic initiatives this year  – Power Up, an initiative focused on upskilling and empowering BAME professionals, the Interlaw Diversity BAME Forum, with a focus on BAME lawyers and the Asian Voice Charity Awards. I was appointed as the first ever patron of UCLU’s Leadership and Management Society, the fastest growing society at UCLU and the only one devoted to leadership development. In August, I agreed to become Ambassador for the Precious Awards, supporting and recognising women of colour.

Throughout 2016, I spoke to and inspired over 2,000 school children, sharing my personal leadership journey with them and encouraging them to overcome challenges to maximise their potential. Following each talk, I followed up with those students who were interested in work experience and tapped into my network to secure opportunities for them. I also spoke in Parliament, at the Open University, within a number of corporates and at several law firms, all with the same consistent message that embracing diversity and inclusion is not only the right thing to do but makes good business sense and helps organisations to maintain their competitive edge. I was privileged to be one of the keynote speakers at the National Diversity Awards reunion event in February, having won the Gender Role Model award in 2015.

In June, I spoke at my first TEDx event sharing my personal story of overcoming various challenges. I was an expert contributor to David Lammy MP’s review into the criminal justice system and have also provided expert advice to the Ministry of Justice on a number of issues.

I became a Senior Advisory Board Member of Aspiring Solicitors, the UK’s largest diversity platform and resource within the legal profession and will be mentoring female BAME future lawyers going forwards. I was appointed as an advisory board member of Women in Law London, the largest network for pre-partnership women solicitors working in private practice and in-house. By providing strategic input and vision to the network, I am contributing towards extending the network’s influence and impact.

I held the first leadership conference for my own women’s network, Women Leaders in Life Sciences Law, in September 2016. The theme of the conference was ‘Letting down ladders’ and the conference was a huge success with many delegates flying in from overseas and demand already high for our 2017 conference.

I was privileged to have judged a number of award programmes in 2016  and was recognised through a range of award programmes myself including Divas of Colour, Women4Africa, We are the City, Women of the Future, European Diversity Awards, Lift Effects and CA Awards. It was a real highlight of the year to be awarded ‘Point of Light’ status by Prime Minister, Theresa May, recognising the impact of my voluntary diversity work in improving workplace diversity across the UK and in inspiring thousands of school children. Incredibly, I am now on the Prime Minister’s Christmas card list too!

My leadership and legal expertise were also recognised on 3 powerlists in 2016 – the UPStanding powerlist (ranked as being a top 20 BAME leader globally), Powerful Media’s Powerlist (top 100 leader of African/Afro-Caribbean descent in the UK) and Legal Business magazine’s GC Powerlist 2016 (top general counsel within the life sciences/healthcare sector).

I have been interviewed by several magazines and media outlets including the Law Society Gazette, The Guardian and the International Bar Association. Following an interview with BBC journalist Sally Bundock, I was invited to be a part of the BBC’s team of volunteer expert news reviewers and now regularly appear on BBC 1 discussing a range of world news topics.

I also took part in the Law Society’s ‘Solicitor Brand’ media campaign and was filmed for this campaign, sharing my personal story about how and why I became a solicitor and what being a solicitor means to me.

Funke’s LinkedIn profile:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/funkeabimbola

Follow Funke on Twitter @DiversityChamp1

https://twitter.com/diversitychamp1

Interested in a portfolio career? Download your free report Discover Portfolio Careers:

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/who-has-portfolio-careers/

Follow us on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/talentliberator

 

 

Big or small career change?

By //  by 

Happy New Year!

Career change can feel very daunting and ‘all or nothing’, which is especially challenging at times of uncertainty.

At a time of slow economic growth, combined with the rising cost of living, but salaries not keeping up, is making a career change a good idea or not?

There are many types of career change, from evolutionary to revolutionary, internal and external.  It doesn’t have to be a big change e.g. completely changing career direction or leaving the security of a full time job.

Here are 30 different types of ‘career change’:

  1. Changing your attitude to your current job
  2. Job-redesign – staying with your current employer but doing a different role
  3. Studying for a further qualification to increase your long-term career prospects (your employer funds or you fund yourself)
  4. Taking on additional responsibility at work to build visibility, gain new experience and skills and pave the way for a future promotion internally or externally
  5. Volunteering to be a mentor to develop new skills and help others
  6. Getting involved in your employer’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme to make a difference, broaden your network and increase your own career fulfilment
  7. Setting up a business
  8. Evolving a current business in a different direction
  9. A career breakthrough e.g. getting a pay rise, promotion or new job
  10. Moving from full time employment to interim or freelance work
  11. Changing from the private sector to work in the public sector
  12. Moving from private practice to in-house
  13. Creating a portfolio career – a career with multiple work strands
  14. Changing career direction completely
  15. Securing a more junior role for less stress and better work life balance, rather than a senior role
  16. Creating an ‘encore’ career pre-retirement
  17. Getting on the right career path as a graduate
  18. Switching careers without training
  19. Returning as a Returner post maternity leave back into employment
  20. Returning into employment having taken a career break to travel
  21. Evolving your career to have more meaning and fulfilment
  22. Creating a business from a natural gift or hobby
  23. Achieving a dream job
  24. From redundancy/gardening leave into a new job
  25. A career secondment internally
  26. A career secondment externally
  27. Taking a career sabbatical to take stock and rethink what next
  28. Moving from full time employment to part time employment
  29. Moving from full time employment to a part time job plus freelance work
  30. Moving from a full-time job to a full-time job plus a non-executive director position

What other career changes can you think of?  What’s your career goal in 2017 and how can we help?

Here are some examples of clients we have worked with and how a career change does not have to be big and scary.

TH negotiated to stay with their current employer but from a full time 5 day a week job to a permanent contract working 4 days a week, freeing them up to develop their future portfolio career.

DW decided to improve their career fulfilment by staying with their employer working 4 days a week and using the fifth working day each week being a trustee for a couple of charities that meant a lot to them.

NW achieved a full-time role working at a less senior level saying no the high level salary and bonus plus stresses and responsibilities of a director level position, and gaining better work life balance and doing the work they enjoyed at a more junior level role.

Having already made one successful career transition with our support from working as an engineer for British Gas to working on oil rigs, DM got in touch as they had to re-think their career direction as a result of the fall in oil prices and reduced use of contractors. Result? They have found a new engineering role on land near to their home with their employer funding a qualification which will enhance their career prospects and options longer term.

EM’s employer was merging with a much larger company giving them a forced career crossroads and a culture that did not appeal to them. They decided with our coaching support to accept a full-time job with a different employer, without the responsibility of managing a department, a new role at a reduced salary but with the stimulation of lots of learning, something that was very appealing to them.

What career change are you seeking and how can we help?

What next?

Why not download one of our free reports?

Pain free career change:

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/talent-liberation/

Find out your transferrable skills

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/what-is-a-portfolio-career/

Discover portfolio careers

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/who-has-portfolio-careers/

Read what our clients think about our services:

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/testimonials/