From Energise - The Talent Liberation Company
Guest blogs are really useful to help us create awareness as a small business.
I really enjoyed writing this one ‘Magical NLP’ for NLP School. reflecting on some of our clients’ successes over the last 20 years of coaching.
Magical NLP: https://www.nlpschool.com/course-faq/guest-blog-magical-nlp-by-rachel-brushfield/
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/
This is a 2-part blog for Energise – The Talent Liberation Company by Christina Blacklaws. This is part 2.
Read part 1: https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/christina-blacklaws-guest-blog-about-her-portfolio-career-part-1/
Biog
Christina studied Jurisprudence at Oxford and qualified as a solicitor in 1991. She now runs her own consultancy business advising domestic and international law firms and legal businesses, speaking globally and holding a number of non-executive directorships. She holds a range of public appointments including chairing both the LawTech Delivery Panel for the Ministry of Justice and Innovate UK’s Next Generation Services Advisory Board and sits on the Ministry of Justice’s Legal Support Advisory Group. She is an advisory board member for Elevate, 20-First and Thompson Reuter’s Women in Leadership in Law programme.
Christina is the Simon Professional and Industrial Fellow at the Alliance Manchester Business School. Christina was President of the Law Society of England and Wales until July 2019 and continues to represent the Women Lawyers Division on Council and the UK on the International Bar Association Council.
She is passionate about diversity and inclusion, technology and access to justice and uses every opportunity to advocate and progress positive change in these areas. Christina is a multi-award-winning published author, lecturer and frequent media commentator.
What do you most love about having a portfolio career?
Being my own boss and in control of my life. If I don’t like a particular role, then I can move on without any major issues. I can take time off when I want without feeling guilty, and I can influence my own work life balance.
A portfolio career is endlessly interesting and challenging and every day is a ‘school day’!
What are the challenges of having a portfolio career?
In many ways, the same as the opportunities! It’s difficult to manage your time, you don’t have much support and you don’t have the stability of full-time paid employment.
Also, you can never really have a day when you’re not on top form. People are paying for you to be fabulous – and this means you have to plan in some downtime into your routine.
Who or what helps you to manage your portfolio career?
I have an amazing bookkeeper; Rachel Brushfield has given me some sterling advice and I am currently investigating employing a virtual PA.
Personally, I try hard to create space when I’m not working and reflect often about the mix of work and whether it suits me and what I want to achieve.
How do you approach marketing your portfolio career?
I have been fortunate in that the work has come to me. However, I use social media (LinkedIn and Twitter) to publicise my speaking engagements and thought leadership work and, if I have time, I write articles too.
What 5 tips can you share for people considering a portfolio career?
1 Think carefully before you embark on a portfolio career, especially if you will be leaving a secure, full time role and craft out exactly what you want your portfolio career to look like.
2 Speak to others who have experience in the relevant areas who will be able to give you advice and insight and reality check your plans.
3 Make your intentions known widely – get others to be on the lookout for you be your ambassadors.
4 Start or ramp up your social media engagement/ presence and start to produce some output in your chosen areas
5 Just do it. I’ve loved every minute and encourage others to take the plunge!
More
Christina’s LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinablacklaws/
Our book for the Law Society ‘Career management for lawyers. Practical strategies to plan your next chapter’ is available now in the on-line book shop: https://bookshop.lawsociety.org.uk/p/career-management-for-lawyers-practi-paperback/
Interested in a portfolio career for yourself?
E mail us to request your copy of our free report ‘Discover portfolio careers’: https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/portfolio/connect/
Ashley Cavers mini biog
Ashley has a background in print and broadcast media, and has worked for both the BBC and Sky TV, with more recent experience in corporate communications and enterprise networks. For the last eight years, she has worked freelance for The Sunday Times Fast Track, meeting the entrepreneurs behind some of the UK’s most successful private businesses. She also has direct experience of starting and running her own businesses, having previously run a PR and events firm as well as a retail business, which she successfully sold. Earlier this year, she took up a role as Lead Network Navigator with Oxlep Business, helping to support start-up and growth companies across Oxfordshire. Ashley experienced OxLEP Business’s support first-hand, after co-founding The Wonky Food Company in 2017. The company makes relishes out of imperfect fruit and veg and started selling in The Midcounties Co-op this summer. Earlier this month, The Wonky Food Company was included in the 2018 list of Game Changers in the Thames Valley region.
How did your portfolio career come about?
I never consciously set about to have a portfolio career (in fact, I hadn’t even heard of the phrase ‘portfolio career’ until fairly recently!). My career started off fairly conventionally, working in staff roles for the BBC and then for Sky Television during my twenties. But when I turned 30, and recently married, my husband and I had the opportunity to move to West Cork in Ireland, a place where we had frequently holidayed and had always loved. I was feeling a bit disillusioned and burned out, doing some serious commuting and working long hours in an industry that I found increasingly at odds with my values and interests.
I guess I had an early mid-life crisis of sorts, so when a job opportunity came up for my husband in Ireland, I jumped at the chance for a fresh start! I continued to freelance for Sky but found myself increasingly involved in an active local community (at one point I ended up managing the local bookshop!). After volunteering to do the PR for an inaugural local arts festival (a festival which more than a decade later is now one of the biggest in Ireland!), a number of local groups and businesses started to approach me to do their PR, so I started my own consultancy.
At the same time, the stint at the bookshop had given me a taste for retail and spotting a gap in the market for good quality stationery (I had always been a paper junkie!), I opened my own upmarket stationery and gift store. This was at the height of the economic boom in Ireland, and the business did well. I was considering opening a second site, with ambitions for a national chain of high street stores, when the financial crash came. Overnight, the economy in Ireland collapsed. Although I managed to sell the business, this turn in events combined with starting a family, prompted a return to the UK.
I realised on my return that my experience in Ireland had completely changed my attitude to work. I had proved that I could successfully combine a number of separate career interests, and returning to a 9-5 job now seemed inconceivable to me. I took a bit of time out to have my second child and settle back into life in the UK after a six-year absence. Being the height of the recession, there also weren’t too many opportunities to choose from. But I soon started freelancing for The Sunday Times Fast Track, which for me, combined the two recurring threads of my career: journalism and entrepreneurship. I’ve now been back for 10 years, have started two other businesses and have never been busier!
What 5 tips can you share for people considering a portfolio career?
1 Be organised!
2 Develop a good professional network – you never know where the next opportunity will come from.
3 Don’t be afraid to change direction or drop a part of your portfolio that isn’t working. Take time to regularly evaluate where you are.
4 Have a good support system – I couldn’t do without my cleaner, accountant and family (not necessarily in that order!)
5 Self-belief is essential, but accept that moments of self-doubt are inevitable.
More
View Ashley Cavers LinkedIn profile:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-cavers-68613534/
Browse The Wonky Food Company web site:
Browse The Wonky Food Company web site:
Follow The Wonky Food Company on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/wonkyfoodco
Browse the OxLEP Oxfordshire web site:
https://www.oxfordshirelep.com/
Interested in a portfolio career for yourself? Download your copy of our free Skills report to find out what your transferable skills are:
https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/what-is-a-portfolio-career/
Doug Glenwright mini biog
Innovative Customer Centric Propositions. Multiple award-winning leader with 20 years’ transformation experience across retail and leisure. Passionate about customers and transforming tangible experiences by developing a strategic vision and delivering it holistically and with integrity. Visionary, vivacious and versatile with strong communication skills and creative flair, balancing commercial and customer needs whilst engaging people with a sense of fun.
What are the components of your portfolio career e.g. study, paid freelance work, part time job, volunteering etc.)?
Paid freelance work (plus a little dabbling in creative art)
How did your portfolio career come about?
I was very lucky to be offered redundancy following the relocation of my office after 14 years in a corporate role. After so long in one business, this was a scary prospect and I was fortunate to be offered a seconded role which allowed me to test my new commute (and ultimately prove I didn’t want to be spending so much “wasted” time in the car) and allowed me to prepare myself for a significant change, by working with Rachel Brushfield as a coach to understand more about the value I bring to a role and what I was looking for at the time of change. I did not seek out a portfolio career and was perhaps even a little resistant to it – this felt so different from the structure and (perceived) control of a regular career – however I tried to remain open to it as one of a number of possibilities. After a month or so off, I started talking to contacts and was approached to be an SME for a top consultancy firm as they developed the strategy for a Middle Eastern travel company; there was no contract, there was no job description and ultimately there was no risk, it was 2 to 3 days a week, which still left me time to apply for other roles, so I agreed… To an extent, I do believe we make our own luck, however I was fortunate to know of some big projects coming up in various businesses and was therefore able to position myself well to be of assistance.
How has your portfolio career changed over time?
During this initial assignment I was still actively applying for permanent roles, going to interviews and even got offered a few positions, but each time I compared them to what I was currently doing and proactively chose the instability, flexibility and variety of a potential portfolio career – however it cannot be a portfolio with one role, right? So I started reaching out to other contacts to understand if there were things I could help with. Mostly this led to nothing, which can be disheartening, but I reassured myself that it did remind people I was here and available and hopefully keeping me front of mind – a good marketing strategy; I picked up some piecemeal jobs and learnt more about my processes, what I enjoy, what I actively need to avoid and I started juggling larger projects.
When people ask you ‘what do you do?’ what do you reply?
Knowing what to call yourself is one of the challenges I have faced since I stopped working in a full time corporate career – we are all capable of much more than our job titles give us credit for, then there is what we are known or famous for and then there is what role you are being asked to play within each assignment…whilst you want to be flexible enough to adapt to the needs of any assignment, it is still important to have a clear sense of self, what your unique selling points are and what you can personally deliver for that role. At a high level when describing my role, I tend to use the term “Customer Centric Contractor” but this is a really grey area with many different disciplines focusing on customer experience, so this still doesn’t feel that ownable, but I explain this as “delivering strategic propositions and holistic transformation whilst balancing both customer and commercial needs”.
What do you most love about having a portfolio career?
I love getting the 3+ hours back in my day when I was previously commuting and using this time for something constructive – exercise, art or even chores. That said, I do still feel guilty when I take off time in the middle of the day to enjoy a sunny walk… it’s interesting how ingrained the corporate structure has been in my life!
Coming soon, part 2 of Doug Glenwright’s guest blog about his portfolio career.
More
View Doug Glenwright’s LinkedIn profile:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/doug-glenwright-18a2234/
Browse Doug Glenwright’s web site:
http://www.dougglenwright.com/
Interested in a portfolio career for yourself?
Download your copy of our free report ‘Discover Portfolio Careers’:
https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/who-has-portfolio-careers/
Viv Groskop is a writer, stand-up comedian and TV and radio presenter. She has guest-presented BBC Radio 4’s Front Row and Saturday Review and appears regularly on BBC1’s This Week.
As a prolific freelance interviewer and columnist, she has written for most of the British newspapers for the past 20 years, contributing most frequently to The Guardian and the Observer. She is the veteran of four sold-out one-woman Edinburgh Fringe shows. Her latest show Vivalicious celebrated therapy and the world of self-help and imagined a world where Oprah Winfrey is President.
Her latest book How to Own the Room: Women and the Art of Public Speaking (Transworld) is about women, confidence and public speaking. She also works as an executive performance coach for groups and individuals, specialising in women and leadership.
What headline sums up 2018 for you?
The phrase Oprah used when she gave her speech at the Golden Globes for her Lifetime Achievement Awards: “Time’s up.”
This year it has felt like time is up on a lot of things: women not being heard and believed, women not being prominent in public spaces, women not taking up more space on FTSE 100 boards… And this debate is spilling out away from gender equality towards equality and diversity in general. Hurrah! When I’m doing stand-up, there’s a real hunger for people who can find the humour in all this. (Not bloody easy.) And when I’m doing corporate work as a performance coach, there is a sense of urgency from people — especially women – who want to find their voice and get better at speaking. Everyone is realising how important it is to be public-facing now, both for video content online and for events, large and small.
What has changed in the last 12 months?
I’ve leaned harder than usual into the usual chaotic but rewarding mix of a portfolio career: writing (two book deals this year), my own shows (Vivalicious at Underbelly at Edinburgh Fringe this summer) and helping other women find their voice (working with corporate groups and individuals).
Best moments? Hearing that a woman I coached got the role she wanted at first interview after a long period of job uncertainty. Finding out that another client who was absolutely petrified of speaking had given a speech in front of 300 people at her grandfather’s 70th birthday party. And having Sarah Brown come to my Edinburgh Fringe show and tweet about it to her 1 million followers.
How did any change come about?
I let go of the self-doubt and anxiety I had around a couple of book ideas I was aching to write, got my act together, pitched them and they sold. I think this happened partly because I suddenly feel old lately (I’m in my mid forties) and something in me just said, “Come on. Put it out there. So what if it gets rejected?”
What is the significance of this change for you?
Huge and tiny at the same time. Huge because I proved to myself that I’ve been sitting on really good ideas because I want to get them “just right” — and that moment never comes. Done is more important than perfect. Tiny because this isn’t a mental shift that is easy to hang onto. Sure, it makes a difference if your fear is proved wrong. But it soon floods back. So you just have to keep working on it.
What next for you in 2019?
A live version of the book How To Own the Room: Women and the Art of Brilliant Speaking (published 1 November 2018) will be touring in Spring 2018 when the paperback is out. And I’ll be finishing writing Au Revoir, Tristesse: Life Lessons in French Literature, which is due out at the end of 2019. I’m also planning a series of workshops and retreats for groups of women who want to achieve their potential in public speaking and own the room!
More
‘How to own the room. Women and the art of brilliant speaking’ by Viv Groskop. Published 1 November 2018:
View Viv Groskop’s LinkedIn profile:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/viv-groskop-9798b711/
Follow Viv Groskop on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/VivGroskop
Interested in a portfolio career? Why not download your copy of our free report: Discover Portfolio Careers:
https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/who-has-portfolio-careers/
This is a two part guest blog by Miranda Brawn. This is part 2.
Miranda Brawn is a multi-award winning legal business and diversity leader who is hailed as a trailblazer. Named Top 30 most inspirational women by Brummel, featured on CityAMs Women In The City and Speakers 100 Powerlists, BE Mogul Winner and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. With a background as an investment banker and a barrister, over 15 years’ experience in philanthropy and diversity work, Miranda wanted to go the extra mile and founded the Miranda Brawn Diversity leadership Foundation. She has also co-founded the General Counsel Diversity Leadership Forum and part of the Thomson Reuters Legal In-House Advisory Network and Business Law Consultation Advisory Board.
Here is part 1 of Miranda’s guest blog in case you missed it:
https://liberateyourtalent.wordpress.com/2016/05/08/guest-blog-part-1-miranda-brawn/https://liberateyourtalent.wordpress.com/2016/05/08/guest-blog-part-1-miranda-brawn/
The rest of this blog is in Miranda’s own words.
When people ask you ‘what do you do?’ – what do you reply?
A lot – wearing several hats! Board advisor, Entrepreneur, Founder, CEO, Barrister, Banker, Investor, Public Speaker, Brand Ambassador, Founder of Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Foundation, Vice Chair of the Black Cultural Archives, Business and Diversity Leader are among the main responses.
To what extent did your portfolio career happen by chance/luck and to what extent was it planned?
My portfolio career has happened purely by chance due to a range of interesting opportunities which have been presented to me in order to help make a real positive difference in the world.
What do you most love about having a portfolio career?
I love the variety and diversity of the different people and industries with the continuous learning of new skills and knowledge which help my portfolio career. In addition, my extensive network has grown immensely which enables me to help others to succeed.
Who or what helps you to manage your portfolio career?
My PA is amazing and helps me to manage my diary in order to stay on top of everything.
How do you approach marketing your portfolio career?
My portfolio career has grown organically with the help of social media, word of mouth and D.I.Y. PR to help raise my profile. I have been able to use my business and marketing graduate studies from years ago to implement a successful marketing strategy for my various initiatives. In addition, I have relationships with several influencers, journalists, radio and TV producers to help with any of my PR campaigns. The Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Scholarship was launched in the first week of January 2016 and I was approached by journalists, radio and TV producers who wanted to help to promote this diversity initiative.
What are your top 5 tips?
1) Develop a plan.
2) Get organised.
3) Have a support system.
4) Use your network.
5) Be open to unexpected opportunities.
What next?
More about Miranda Brawn:
Website www.mirandabrawn.com
Twitter https://twitter.com/brawnm
Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/mirandabrawn?trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile
Facebook www.facebook.com/MirandaBrawnEsq
Interested in a portfolio career yourself?
Download your copy of our free report ‘Discover portfolio careers’:
This is a 2 part sequel guest blog, an update to the guest blogs Funke did for us in 2015. In part 1 Funke shared what has changed and how the change came about and in this post, part 2, she shares the significance of the change and what next for 2016.
Funke is a practising solicitor and multi award-winning lawyer and diversity campaigner. She joined Roche as Managing Counsel in January 2012, leading the legal team supporting Roche’s pharmaceutical operations in the UK, Ireland, Malta and Gibraltar and was also appointed as Data Protection Officer for the UK. She was promoted to General Counsel & Company Secretary in December 2015. Her career began in private practice before moving in-house. Outside of her role at Roche, Funke undertakes a lot of work to support diversity & inclusion in society as a whole and within the legal profession in particular, initiating and driving through a range of ground-breaking diversity initiatives. She has received national and European recognition for her diversity work, all of which is carried out in her spare time on voluntary basis.
Part 1 of this guest blog in case you missed it:
What is the significance of this change for you?
The changes were all significant to me as they showed once again that there is no substitute for hard work, determination and maintaining your focus, whatever the challenges. Tenacity always pays off in the end. I feel incredibly privileged to be making such an impact across all roles within my portfolio career.
What next for you in 2016?
I am focusing on developing my leadership even further and have an exceptional executive coach who is helping both me and my team to exceed our goals. Various members of my team have been promoted to new roles and I look forward to supporting the whole team’s development as we make our 2016 vision a reality.
Outside of work, I will continue to build upon last year’s diversity work across several diversity strands, including gender, and to broaden my influence into broader CSR initiatives. I already have 15 speaking engagements booked for 2016, including another engagement at the BBC and speaking at the House of Lords.
I was recently appointed as a Patron for Asian Voice’s Charity Awards (more details can be found at http://asianvoicecharityawards.com/) and look forward to supporting this new awards programme designed to reward those charities with a big vision, seeking to solve the most pressing social issues of our time (both in Britain and globally).
I am hoping to speak to over 2,000 school children this year, impacting positively on their lives by showing them what is possible with hard work and determination. As the mother of a teenage son, I find working with school children incredibly rewarding and absolutely fundamental: children really are the future and should be given every opportunity to maximise their potential. For example, I am speaking at an event in March called “The Art of Diversity”, a nationwide competition for children aged 4-19 to create a piece of art showing what diversity means to them (see https://theartofdiversity.communisis.com/). My son has entered the competition and I look forward to being inspired by the children’s vision of what diversity means.
The list of what I hope to achieve during 2016 is endless but above all, I want to be able to look back on this year and feel proud of what my team and I have achieved, both within and outside work.
Read Funke’s original guest blogs from 2015:
Part 1
Original guest blog part 1
Part 2
Original guest blog part 2
What transferable skills do you possess that you could leverage in new and different ways? Download your FREE report now:
Changing careers report
www.theheadshotguy.co.uk
07768 401009
This is a 2 part guest blog by Vanessa Vallely. This is part 2 of 2.
Vanessa Vallely is the founder of leading women’s network, job board and web site WeAreTheCity and WeAreTheCity jobs. She also co-founded the UK wide diversity network The Network of Networks (TNON). Vanessa had an extensive 25 year career in banking and finance and is the winner of numerous awards.
In case you missed it, here is part 1:
https://liberateyourtalent.wordpress.com/2016/01/09/vanessa-vallely-guest-blog-part-1/
The rest of this blog is in Vanessa’s own words:
What are the challenges of having a portfolio career?
Obviously a lot of the work I do isn’t paid, so I need to balance my time in terms of what I do that pays the bills versus what I do because I am passionate about it. Other than that, there are no down sides at all.
Who or what helps you to manage your portfolio career?
My PA, I couldn’t live without her! She also challenges me to ensure that my time is balanced across my many different projects and ensures that I am not neglecting any of my commitment.
How do you approach marketing your portfolio career?
I don’t tend to market my career as one particular activity. It is made up of lots of different component parts, all of which compliment each other. A lot of my speaking work comes in via word of mouth. My charity positions tend to be for 2-3 year periods so they are fairly fixed. In terms of WeAreTheCity, my core business, this is actively marketed, as it is a business therefore needs the right level of marketing in order for it to be successful. Other than that I attribute the opportunities I am presented with through my networking activities and my social media presence (e.g. Twitter, LinkedIn etc).
What advice would you give to someone considering a portfolio career?
To plan what they want to do before actually biting the bullet. To ensure that have the network and connections to support their aspirations. To make sure there is a balance in terms of commercial and voluntary activities.
What benefits do portfolio careers bring specifically to women and mothers, rather than to men?
I don’t see the difference. I expect if I still had very young children, the flexibility of a portfolio career may be of use, however I don’t see why it should be any different for either gender.
What next?
Visit Vanessa’s web site:
http://www.vanessavallely.com/
What transferable skills do you possess that could open up new avenues e.g. a second career or business? Download your FREE report now:
http://careerstrategies.co.uk/changingcareersreport/
www.theheadshotguy.co.uk
07768 401009
This is a 2 part guest blog by Vanessa Vallely. This is part 1 of 2.
Vanessa Vallely is the founder of leading women’s network, job board and web site WeAreTheCity and WeAreTheCity jobs. She also co-founded the UK wide diversity network The Network of Networks (TNON). Vanessa had an extensive 25 year career in banking and finance and is the winner of numerous awards.
The rest of this blog is in Vanessa’s own words:
What are the components of your portfolio career e.g. study, paid freelance work, part time job, volunteering etc.)?
Since leaving my corporate job in 2012, I have been building my portfolio career. This consists of running 2 businesses both here and in India, speaking at corporates and schools and sitting on charity boards. I also had a 3 year stint as a school governor at a local primary school.
How did your portfolio career come about?
I felt I wanted to do more than just one job. I also felt an inherent need to start giving back to my community and to apply my skills to a multitude of things.
How has your portfolio career changed over time?
I feel that one opportunity has led to others. For example, my first charity board position lead to a connection that led to the next. My experience on that charity board made it easier for me to transition on to the next. I evolved from my school governor position to actually working in schools as part of Future First & Inspiring the future.
When people ask you ‘what do you do?’ – what do you reply?
I wear many hats. Business, Community and charity. I have a portfolio career.
To what extent did your portfolio career happen by chance/luck and to what extent was it planned?
I always knew I wanted to do a variety of things when I eventually left my corporate role. I knew what I wanted to do, however the opportunities really came when I started to invest time in building my network.
What do you most love about having a portfolio career?
I like the variety more than anything. I can go from running my business to presenting to teenagers at a school. On another day, I can be contributing towards a charity’s strategy to travelling to India to volunteer. It is a dream to have a portfolio career as I get to choose what I get involved in and I feel like I am contributing in both business and to the community. I just wish I had more time to get involved in all the projects that come my way.
What next?
Visit Vanessa’s web site:
http://www.vanessavallely.com/
What transferable skills do you possess that could open up new avenues e.g. a second career or business? Download your FREE report now:
http://careerstrategies.co.uk/changingcareersreport/