portfolio career

Exercising your entrepreneurial muscle

June 19, 2020 By // by Rachel Brushfield

More competition for jobs and consultancy work makes being entrepreneurial as well as resilient essential.

The word entrepreneurial can make people put pressure on themselves, as it is associated with entrepreneurs, and many people don’t identify themselves in this way.

Alternative words for entrepreneurial

Other words that you can use instead of ‘entrepreneurial’ that may feel more ‘you’ are:

Enterprising
Imaginative
Ingenious
Inventive
Pioneering
Resourceful
Creative

Coronavirus has forced entrepreneurial behaviour

The coronavirus has seen a massive amount of fast change and reinvention with on-line learning and teaching, for example.

Our local pub is planning to re-open in July re-organised to accommodate social distancing with an App to pre-book tables and pre order and pay for food and drinks. Food and drinks will be placed in a holding bay, for people sitting at tables to collect themselves, protecting the staff and minimising touch and risk of infection, instead of staff serving at the tables. This system will also enable more planning, and perhaps less waste, with prior knowledge of what ingredients are needed and in what quantity.

Invention and innovation

Entrepreneurial behaviour underlies the inclination to undertake invention and innovation, including the creation of something new, as well as the distribution and adoption of the new throughout society. Think Zoom and Team which are now the norm, when a few months ago, not everyone had heard of or used them.

Portfolio careers require entrepreneurial behaviour

Entrepreneurial behaviours are essential with a portfolio career, a career made up of different work strands, where you create different opportunities for yourself. As an analogy, just as with cookery, the more ingredients that you have – skills, experience, knowledge and contacts, the more ‘recipes’ you can create for yourself.

What are entrepreneurial behaviours?

Confident/’can do’ attitude

Proactivity

Learning

A mistake/failure is an opportunity to learn/relearn

Try different things

Curiosity

Assertiveness

Being inventive/enterprising

Resilient

A preference for change

Desire to change the status quo

How would you rate yourself currently on these entrepreneurial behaviours out of 100%?

Developing entrepreneurial habits helps to develop entrepreneurial behaviours.

10 habits of entrepreneurs

What are the habits of entrepreneurs?

1. Plan a day in advance

2. Get proper nutrition

3. Position themselves to serve others

4. Set clear S.M.A.R.T. goals

5. Take calculated risks

6. Know their strengths and weaknesses

7. Hire ‘A’ team players

8. Are constantly learning

9. Always look for opportunities

10. Evaluate their actions and priorities every day

6 tips to develop your entrepreneurial ‘muscle’

Block out time in your diary each week for personal and professional development
Diarise a half day or whole day away day every 2 months to think, reflect, plan and create
Read Charles Handy’s book The New Alchemists
Learn to coach yourself – ask yourself open incisive questions e.g. for a trainer: ‘What trends are growing in the tech sector that I could adopt for the training industry?’
Diarise ‘important not urgent’ tasks to make sure that they happen. According to Stephen Covey, author of the international best seller The 7 habits of highly effective people these tasks are:

Preparation
Prevention
Planning
Relationship building
Empowerment
Self awareness, learning, exploration & development
Learning new skills
Creative thinking
Networking
Prioritisation
Training & development
Exercise

6. Push out your comfort zone each week – do something that you have never done before

Get in touch https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/portfolio/connect/

How to future-proof your career

June 18, 2020 By // by Rachel Brushfield

The Brexit/political impasse and more recently the impact of the coronavirus has been very stressful for many people

With redundancies now likely to be on the horizon, and many companies currently having recruitment freezes, it can feel very challenging indeed to get a job/paid work.

Even in these challenging market conditions, a sense of moving forward and progressing is vital.

So how can you take steps today to future-proof your career for the longer term?

This blog shares some practical tips and further reading to inspire and help you.

V.U.C.A. world
The current world is volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous, or V.U.C.A. This is the new ‘normal’.

Focus on how you can help senior management and businesses with the challenges they face, for example business agility and transformation, creating a competitive advantage, original communication etc.

The competencies of control, curiosity, commitment, confidence and concern are important to be adaptable in your career.

5 career adaptability competencies

Control – being proactive, decisive & taking responsibility for your career;
Curiosity – broadening your horizons by seeking options, possibilities and knowledge;
Commitment – passionately pursuing & taking action to move to the career horizon of your choosing;
Confidence – belief in yourself & that you can achieve your goal;
Concern – having a positive & philosophical attitude to mistakes or rejection.

How would you rate yourself on these competencies?

Here are some tips to future-proof your career.

Build your career adaptability competencies: If you think of the above career adaptability competencies as ‘muscles’, how can you exercise them? What S.M.A.R.T. goals can you set yourself and what CPD can you undertake to build these ‘muscles’? This will put you in good stead now and in the future.

Understand your transferable skills: Skills you possess are useful in many different contexts outside of your current sector. Investigate new work areas where the skills that you already possess are valued.

Look at trends: Keeping an eye on changing trends is very important at all times, and especially when things are changing fast, which they are at the moment. In any shrinking market, there will always be areas that are growing. What specialisms are growing, for example, cyber crime and data analytics? Where are there skill shortages?

Update your skills: There are lots of free on-line courses, called Moocs shared by universities all over the world. Take advantage of these to learn new skills and develop your knowledge. For example critical thinking is a key skill of the future. Change management and commercial awareness are also good areas to develop. What actions could you take to refresh and develop these specific skills?

Build your career capital: With more competition, you need to have a higher level of qualification to succeed, and add value. Consider new accreditation and building a specialism. Investment now can create more opportunities in future. Explore thought leadership and initiate key note/panel opportunities.

Widen your options: It is wise in uncertain times to develop a portfolio career. Rather than having all your career ‘eggs in one basket’, and just have one source of earning money, explore new/different options, and develop multiple strands to future-proof your career. This is called a portfolio career – it is ideal for uncertain times. You develop different work ‘strands’ so you can pivot as markets change and you change. As an analogy, as with ingredients and cooking a recipe, the more ‘ingredients’ you have of skills, knowledge and experience, the more you can create opportunities for yourself.

Become tech savvy: New tech tools can be daunting at first, but learning them satisfying. Being tech savvy is important so that you hit the ground running in work. If there are two candidates of comparable skill and experience, having superior digital acuity will go in your favour.

Broaden your network: In the digital age, it is becoming more important to have a large diverse network. Many networks are providing free Zoom sessions during lockdown – take advantage of this and attend some networks you wouldn’t normally consider to broaden your network. Join some new LinkedIn groups, and connect with the members.

Free resources: Take advantage of any free resources from your professional body. There may be webinars, case studies and other resources you can access on their website.

Do a skill swap: A skill swap costs nothing, and enables you to learn a new skill, for example Excel spreadsheets, social media, cashflow planning etc. When you’re worried about the future, skill swaps are a brilliant way to skill-up.

Consider retraining: Retraining into a work area where there are skills shortages is worth exploring to improve your security and prospects for the longer term.

Build your resilience: Some people are naturally resilient, but it is a skill that can be learnt. Persistence and not giving up are very important. Determination will take you a long way. In fact, according to Charles Handy, a pioneer in modern ways of working, in his book ‘The New Alchemists’, determination is THE no 1 factor for success. Don’t give up!

It can feel like very challenging times at the moment. Remember you are not alone. Keep going.

Contact us to receive a free report ‘Discover Portfolio Careers’ https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/portfolio/connect/

Recommended further reading

Our articles for the award winning Future of Work Hub:

Future skills for a lifelong competitive advantage part 1 https://www.futureofworkhub.info/comment/2019/3/22/future-skills-for-a-life-long-competitive-advantage-part-1

Future skills for a lifelong competitive advantage part 2 https://www.futureofworkhub.info/comment/2019/6/26/future-skills-for-a-life-long-competitive-advantage-part-2

Supporting our network

May 19, 2020 By // by Rachel Brushfield

We’ve been writing an article a day on LinkedIn as well as sharing an inspiring quote to support our network. Here are a selection:

Insight mining

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/insight-mining-rachel-brushfield-the-talent-liberator/

Saying yes more to saying ‘no’

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/saying-yes-more-rachel-brushfield-the-talent-liberator/

Successful difficult conversations https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/successful-difficult-conversations-the-talent-liberator/

What creates trust?

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-creates-trust-rachel-brushfield-the-talent-liberator/

For the latest articles, check our postings on our LinkedIn profile. https://www.linkedin.com/in/energiseliberateyourtalent/

If you have any specific topics that you would like us to write about, please e mail us: https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/portfolio/connect/

Emotional resilience

March 30, 2020 By // by Rachel Brushfield

The dictionary defines emotion as ‘any feeling that disturbs or excites the mind.’

Some people are naturally more emotional than others with more highs and lows than people who are more logical and analytical. Likewise, some people are more positive and see the glass as half full, whereas others see the glass as half empty. Life and work can present us with situations and people that we find challenging and sometimes threatening.

The good news is that how we react to these situations is within our control. Nelson Mandela and how he handled his confinement is an example of being in a hugely difficult situation, and coming up trumps. Emotions are often created by thoughts so having self-awareness of your values, motivations and insecurities can help you to have emotional resilience.

Unless we are very lucky, we don’t get taught how to be emotionally resilient, but learn it as we go along and using shopping, alcohol, drugs and busyness can be an easy way to anaesthetise difficult emotions.

We can learn to be more resilient and challenging situations have a lot of gifts, even if we don’t see them at the time, e.g. opportunity to be more creative, assertive etc

What situations test our emotional resilience?

Coping well in one area and struggling in another is normal.

The Coronavirus period
Redundancy and unemployment
Mergers over which we have no choice
No pay rises over a period of time
People pulling rank
Lack of planning by others affecting us
Unreasonable behaviour and bullying
Bosses and employers with values different to our own
Trauma and crisis e.g. end of a relationship, death of someone we are close to
Financial pressure and hardship
Covert undermining behaviour e.g. passive aggressive

5 FREE tips to maximise your emotional resilience

What’s the worse thing that can happen and what is the likelihood of it happening?
Ask yourself ‘What are the positives of my challenging situation?’
Ask yourself what qualities and resources you have to help you to deal with the challenge you face
Focus on what you can influence not what you can’t
Map out vicious circles of the thoughts and emotions and work out how you can create virtuous circles

Self-reflective question

“When have I been most emotionally resilient and what enabled me to do this?”

More

A portfolio career is a resilient career. Why? Because it is made up of different components, so you can change direction or ‘pivot’ as external trends change or your own circumstances change.

Contact us to receive your free report ‘Discover Portfolio Careers’: https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/portfolio/connect/

Joe Reevy’s guest blog about his portfolio career part 2

September 5, 2019 By // by Rachel Brushfield

This is the second of a 2 part guest blog by Joe Reevy about his portfolio career. Read part 1: https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/joe-reevys-portfolio-career-part-1/

How do you approach marketing your portfolio career?

I don’t. I have never sought work or asked for a promotion or pay rise. However, in the early days I did a lot of public speaking, which works really well… if you have done anything long enough at a senior enough level to have a good bank of stories to tell. Now I am super connected on LinkedIn…but I haven’t said yes to anything in quite a long time.

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

Just little old me. My style is intentionally confrontational when I do talks etc. If 10% of the room think I am a jackass/crazy I don’t care, as long as a bigger percentage think I am fab/challenging. I’ll join the debate with anyone. Your biggest enemy is being anodyne.

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

Don’t. Join a really big business or government, get to the top, mess it up and then take the tons of lolly they give you for failure – then do something fun. OR…get a REAL and believable CV to prove expertise, get in front of a lot of people and make friends. Helping others is the best way to do that in business (and life).

What benefits do portfolio careers bring specifically to women and mothers, rather than to men?

I don’t know, I’m a man… although the flexibility re time is a boon and would be especially so for those with young children.

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

Be damned good at something
Listen and listen some more
Be super organised
You’ll catch a lot more bees with honey than salt. Kindness and generosity beget kindness and generosity.
Learn to speak your client’s language (all industries have them… read their press etc).

Always take a little time to remember everything you have to be grateful for and to marvel at the wonders of nature. Slow is better.

If you are asked to give a talk, practice it in real time at least 4 times.

More

View Joe Reevy’s LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joereevy/

Interested in creating a portfolio career for yourself? Contact Rachel Brushfield for a confidential chat: https://www.energiselegal.com/contact-us/get-in-touch/

Stephen Poole’s guest blog part 2 of 3 about his portfolio career

April 9, 2019 By // by Rachel Brushfield

This is a three-part guest blog by Stephen Poole for Energise, The Talent Liberation Company. This is part 2

Biog

Stephen Poole is a self-employed, award-winning values driven Project Management and Learning & Development professional delivering solutions with passion, drive and with a talent for bringing people together to build relationships. He uses a blend of empathy, creativity and customer focus to deliver results. He possesses a substantial delivery track record in the international trade and development, UK logistics, not for profit sectors and the UK Civil Service. He has delivered in complex, high profile and politically sensitive roles and programmes directly contributing to; London bidding for and winning the 2012 Olympics, the rebuilding of Wembley Stadium, Social Care Learning & Development operations and building capacity in Governments overseas. Engaging with ease and diplomacy with all stakeholders, the many roles undertaken have directly supported members of the public, Top Civil Servants, Cabinet Ministers, Senior Business representatives and Governments across the world. Committed to delivering sustainable outcomes, Stephen began building a portfolio career in the Summer of 2016.

Read part 1:

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/stephen-pooles-guest-blog-part-1-of-3-about-his-portfolio-career/

How has your portfolio career changed over time?

My first reaction to this question was yes it has changed, but then I changed my mind. It has always been governed firstly by my values – doing what I love and loving what I do, but secondly by not being prescriptive about what I do as long as it met the first (and I could afford to live). That remains my strategy.

I left my Learning & Development Manager role within a year to focus on International Development work in 2017. I began to learn that the nature of such work could mean a timeline could change – often at a day’s notice, and so securing financial security became important, as an income profile was just a curvy line on a chart not a bank balance. I looked around… I loved cycling and had heard that the new ‘gig’ economy was creating opportunities to become self-employed, to work when I wanted, how much I wanted. So I signed up in 2017 and get paid to cycle about 200 miles a week! No gym subscription for me! My Postman role too came about because of signing up to be a Christmas casual in 2018 – a way of life that looks for those little opportunities to create an income stream by doing something I knew I would enjoy.

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

‘A bit of this and a bit of that’. If I am being serious, I will say I support overseas Civil Servants by helping them to learn from my own experience as a Civil Servant, feed local people and most recently have added – ensure they get their post each day! It all depends on who I am talking to.

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

I took me some time to build the confidence to move from direct employment to self-employment. During my coaching, I had identified that the latter was the place I needed to be happy. The opportunity, when it came, was by chance – it started with a conversation with a great friend who worked in International Development. She was very supportive, and I still work with her today. As those opportunities played out and the nature of how they come about and evolve has taught me the importance of looking and planning 3 – 6 months ahead.

What do you most love about having a portfolio career?

Doing work I really enjoy, choosing what to do and just having control over that. I earn less than my previous career, but I am happier, not stressed, never get that ‘Monday morning feeling’ and feel a sense of delivering against my values!

What are the challenges of having a portfolio career?

The life of an L&D contractor is somewhat uncertain – dates change, the nature of the opportunity changes so keeping an eye on my financial security is important. In looking ahead, there could be a lot of work / investment that is needed to land a contract, but also it is important to invest time in continual professional development (CPD). Building and striking this balance of earning/learning and investment of time to secure paid work is my biggest challenge.

More

View Stephen Poole’s LinkedIn profile:

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

Find out common times in a career when people choose a portfolio career: https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/when/

Contact Rachel Brushfield for a no-obligation chat about creating, marketing and managing your portfolio career: https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/portfolio/connect/

Sarah Broad’s guest blog about her portfolio career part 1

January 3, 2019 By // by Rachel Brushfield

This is part 1 of a 2-part guest blog for Energise.

Mini biog

My career has allowed me to develop a distinct set of skills and experience in HR and Recruitment within the legal and professional services sector. I set up Attune Flexible Jobs 2 years ago, to help clients advertise their business support roles and showcase their flexible / agile working with stories, case studies, and thought leadership. We also provide consultancy and bespoke flexible working solutions. For candidates, we provide a one stop shop for professional roles on a flexible working basis, connecting candidates to employers, so the hard work is done and there is no need to worry about when to have the flexible working conversation. Also, advice, training and coaching programmes. As a qualified coach and MCIPD professional I have coached many individuals, managers and teams to ensure flexible working is beneficial for everyone. I also write and provide guidance, advice and updates on flexible and agile working and have been interviewed for many different publications. I have been on radio and podcasts in the UK too.

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

I am self-employed and work from home 2 days a week and in an office 2 days a week. I have a retainer, working 20 hours a week for one of my clients, a recruitment company, managing their social media and marketing, I have my own recruitment business Attune Flexible Jobs and I am a career coach supporting clients through their careers whether they are looking for a new role, promotion or development opportunities.

How did your portfolio career come about?

Slowly. There was no plan – although it was something I had thought about previously. My career heritage is working in recruitment and professional services. When I was made redundant, (the day I returned from maternity!) I decided to freelance and then my marriage ended – it was a difficult time. The client I am now working with on a retainer offered me a Recruitment project which I successfully delivered. It then led to another and another! I also did a 6 month course to learn social media marketing which helped rebuild my confidence and I started up Attune Flexible Jobs. I had been coaching for years so this part of my portfolio career was my stability!

How has your portfolio career changed over time?

It has got bigger and I have been able to adapt to the changes over time. I have gone from projects to a retainer with my main client which suits me as I have two children under ten. I am also an extrovert so like being with people and working in an office. I soon realised working on my own all the time was not for me. My portfolio career has given me flexibility and freedom – flexibility is important so I can be there for my children.

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

What I say I do has changed over time. It also depends on who I am talking to but in the main I would say I work in recruitment – I am a Marketing Manager for a recruitment company, run a flexible working job site and career coach individuals. They are all interlinked.

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

My portfolio career wasn’t planned. It happened as a result of circumstances 3 years ago and has evolved through networking, being adaptable and working out what I like and don’t like.

What do you most love about having a portfolio career?

I love the flexibility and variety. It is fluid and I can design it to fit my life. It might mean that I work some evenings or weekends on one or all of my projects or I can do some of my telephone career coaching in the evenings. As my kids get older, I may evolve some of my projects and work part time 4 days a week.

Part 2 of Sarah Broad’s guest blog about her portfolio career coming soon.

More

View Sarah Broad’s LinkedIn profile:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-broad/

Look at the Attune Jobs web site:

https://www.attunejobs.com/

Follow Attune Jobs on Twitter:

Tweets by attunejobs

Interested in a portfolio career for yourself?

Download your copy of our free report Discover portfolio careers:

Who is a portfolio career for?

Ashley Cavers guest blog about her portfolio career part 2

November 6, 2018 By // by Rachel Brushfield

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.

Read Ashley Cavers guest blog about her portfolio career part 1

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/ashley-cavers-guest-blog-about-her-portfolio-career-part-1/

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

This is still hard as I wear so many different hats. It used to be something I was somewhat embarrassed by and would find myself getting quite defensive when explaining the various elements of my working life – as though somehow it revealed that I was a bit flighty or flaky, unable to stick to one job or career path. But in recent years, my portfolio career is something I have come to embrace and even be proud of (after all, it’s not easy juggling many different roles!). This is partly due to my own acceptance of the twists and turns of my own career journey and learning to banish any regrets and ‘what if’ moments, but is also down to a broader cultural shift where it is now much more acceptable to have a portfolio career, so no reason to make any apologies or excuses!

What do you most love about having a portfolio career?

I love the freedom that a portfolio career has given me. It has enabled me to flex my workload up and down at different stages in my life and has also given me the chance to explore different interests and skillsets. It is the rare few that have an exceptional talent in just one thing. Most of us have more moderate talents in a wider range of areas, so why not try our hand at a number of them? It seems crazy to me that you would commit your entire working career to one path only, when most of us are now living long enough to experience multiple careers over our lifetime.

What are the challenges of having a portfolio career?

There are many challenges, of which I am well aware. There is significantly increased financial risk in what I do. I have little to no job security; I don’t get paid when I take a sick day or a holiday, and it’s very hard to make long-term financial plans. I accepted a long time ago that I will never retire and will probably work until I drop, but that is fine with me. I think if you choose the ‘portfolio’ path, it’s because you want to love the work that you do, so why would you choose to give up something that you enjoy? Portfolio working is all about breaking down the dividing line between work and life. But this can of course also be a negative. I have to carefully manage my life so that work does not become all-consuming. At the moment I have three ‘jobs’ – all enjoyable and rewarding and interesting, but the level of organisation required to manage them all well can be overwhelming and is something I constantly battle with.

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:

https://www.wonkyfoodco.com/

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 report Skills to find out what your transferable skills are.

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

Ashley Cavers guest blog about her portfolio career part 1

November 6, 2018 By // by Rachel Brushfield

Ashley Cavers mini biog

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:

https://www.wonkyfoodco.com/

Browse The Wonky Food Company web site:

https://www.wonkyfoodco.com/

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’s guest blog about his portfolio career part 2

November 6, 2018 By // by Rachel Brushfield

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.

To read part 1 of Doug Glenwright’s guest blog about his portfolio career, click on this link:

https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/doug-glenwrights-guest-blog-about-his-portfolio-career-part-1/

What are the challenges of having a portfolio career?

Juggling projects with competing deadlines is always a challenge, especially when they are on different continents, however the businesses I work with know that whilst I do my best to be flexible, that sometimes my schedule cannot be moved. This is really just about clear communication and prioritisation. Secondly for me, it has been difficult adjusting to a more independent life – working more from home (and lacking the social aspects of an office), not being able to manage or control the politics to get the “right” decision and lastly (and most problematic to me) letting go of projects when businesses no longer need external support…as a “completer/ finisher” this is a key frustration, but is also (I believe) a reason that I get commissioned. I am passionate about the project and doing the right thing!

Who or what helps you to manage your portfolio career?

I don’t know how to answer this – I feel like I am only in the early days of my portfolio career and that there is still a lot to learn. I try to take each day as it comes and mitigate risks and potential gaps in employment by planning both short and long term. I never say never – which means I am not fixated on my portfolio career and there could be a time when a permanent role is worth considering, but I also believe that for what I do more companies should be looking for a temporary resource, so this is definitely a conversation worth having even if they are advertising a permanent position.

How do you approach marketing your portfolio career?

It can feel a little awkward “marketing” yourself, so for me I try to put “catch ups” in the diaries of influential people I know or am known to in businesses which I am keen to work with to understand what is going on in their business and remind them I am around and available if that is helpful. Up to this point, this has been sufficient from a marketing perspective, but I am sure my approach will develop over time.

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

My personal brand focuses on my strengths and values as well as highlighting my key achievements. All “reasons to believe” and, I hope, reasons to hire me!

What skills/experience/qualities does someone need to have a portfolio career?

I think there is a need to be well connected, with a clear understanding of what you can offer and reasons why a business should use you and not someone else. For me a lot of this has been done through contacts who know me and were confident recommending me when suitable projects were discussed. Within this confidence and a sense of worth are also clearly important.

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

For me the most important thing was to be able to safely trial and ease myself into a portfolio career – in my case I first considered it a “stop-gap” until I found my next permanent role (it might still be!), but it was a time when I had sufficient resources to take some time off and experiment with different types of work. For me I was then able to make proactive decisions comparing and contrasting my portfolio work with other full-time opportunities I was offered and to this point the portfolio has always won!

What are your top 5 tips to successfully manage a portfolio career?

Know your market
Manage your network
Define your offer (personal brand and USPs)
Know your value
Deliver your best

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/