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Christina Blacklaws’ guest blog about her portfolio career part 2

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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/

Joe Reevy’s portfolio career part 1

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Joe Reevy

I came to the UK at 10.

I got into Exeter University at 16 – studied psychology, then an MSc Southampton University (Institute of Sound and Vibration Research). When the government pulled my PhD funding because I am foreign, I did a couple of years in Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) and then trained as a Chartered Accountant with Grant Thornton (that’s how people become Chartered Accountants), starting my first (Mail-order hi-fi) business at the same time.

I moved back to Devon and within 3 years was a full equity partner in a good local firm. I grew that firm and then quit in my early 40s and started my portfolio career. At the start, I consulted for lots of (mainly) law firms and was managing editor of LawZone, which was sold to The Lawyer in 2003. I became chairman of a forensic science company. I founded Words4Business in 2001, LegalRSS in 2010 (both sold 2019) and Crosselerator in 2017. I have been an NED of Timber Milling plc since 2004.

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

I am currently Director of Crosselerator Ltd, Director of Hoppings Softwood Products plc and informal mentor to a few small businesses. In the past I dabbled at a part-time PhD, was on the audit committee of Exeter University for several years and was lead trustee of a charity which gave more than £600k to good causes.

How did your portfolio career come about?

I was always a ‘Mr Fixit’ type, not a conventional audit/tax accountant. I really like challenges and am really good at looking forward. When the challenge goes, so do I. An awful lot of jobs are really part-time jobs with people turning them into full-time jobs.

How has your portfolio career changed over time?

When I have solved the problem(s) I was brought in to solve, I always fired myself, but the big strategic roles last a long time. I pretty much gave up working outside our family businesses and my long-term Non Executive Director role in 2008.

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

I think a lot and have ideas and people find them useful enough to want to have me around.

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

Quitting my practice was planned:  my partners were driving me crazy. I didn’t have anything to go to when I gave notice, but getting work was always really easy. When we founded Words4Busness, we built that quickly enough to not worry about the other stuff, which we have progressively rolled off since 2008. If a really interesting thing comes along, I’ll look at it, but unless it is interesting, no amount of money would get me on board.

What do you most love about having a portfolio career?

I pick my own work and people to work with. We can live in gorgeous Devon and don’t have to go to the big city (London).

What are the challenges of having a portfolio career?

If you are very direct (business shouldn’t be a game or an ego-trip), some people (especially men) don’t take criticism well, no matter how necessary or well-intended. The hardest thing is telling people they (or people they work with) have to go for the good of the business.

Who or what helps you to manage your portfolio career?

My faithful desk diary keeps my schedule sorted. Carrie (my wife) keeps me sane and is a much better negotiator than I.

Part 2 of Joe Reevy’s guest blog about his portfolio career coming soon.

Interested in finding out more about a portfolio career for yourself? Get in touch:

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/

Lorna Turner’s guest blog about her portfolio career. Creating your future part 1

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Lorna Turner biog

I have over 20 years’ experience in business development, initially in the private sector, before moving on more recently to working primarily with social enterprises and ethical businesses. I am a co-owner of two businesses; The Fruit Tree for Business LLP and Court House Care Services (Devon) Ltd. The Fruit Tree for Business is a partnership with Debbie Stewart. We provide business advice, training and consultancy services. We have both set up and run various businesses in the past 15 years. This hands-on real experience is of tremendous value to our clients. We offer one to one business advice sessions, a range of training courses including some of the more complex topics of legal structures and governance for social enterprises and co-operatives, as well as the introductory guide to starting a business and consultancy services such as developing business plans for community buildings, options, appraisals and associated funding applications. My other business is a Residential Care Home. I am a co-director of Court House Care Services (Devon) Ltd with my partner, Marcus Lyward. His background is in the Care Sector and along with my business skills, plus a great manager and some fabulous staff, we have a growing social business. Consequently, I now have in depth knowledge of the Care sector and am learning more every day.

How did your portfolio career begin?

I came out of the corporate employee world about 20 years ago and I moved back to my home county of Devon. I left London and an international jet-setting life having well and truly burnt myself out. It was a major crossroads for me. I think a lot of people have those crossroads, just points in time that occur for different reasons where we are forced to stop and think. It was certainly a time when my mental health needed to be a priority. Over the next few years, I struggled to find what I really wanted to do. I’m not sure that the phrase ‘portfolio career’ had even been coined, but it was where I was heading. It was through a voluntary position that I found the world of social enterprises and not-for-profits and when I had a ‘light bulb’ moment. My business skills could be used to support the development of businesses to benefit people and planet. Great! However, earning a full-time living was not going to be quite so easy. So as this developed, I looked for other opportunities. Always with a view that it needed to be something that I would find interesting and challenging.

5 tips for people considering a portfolio career

1 Understand your strengths and weaknesses (what can you offer that’s unique?) and identify areas of interest

2 Research those areas of interest and assess whether they are right for you as part of your career or whether they need to stay as interests and hobbies

3 Be clear about your financial position – and have a plan to develop your portfolio career without stressing the finances e.g. what could you do part-time, evenings or weekends?

4 Have or build confidence to talk to others, network, use social media in your career options

5 Write down your plan and be accountable to someone who can give impartial advice (most family and friends tend to be naturally positive). In my experience, the process of writing helps the brain assess our thoughts and ideas. Don’t worry, plans can always develop over time – they aren’t set in stone.

More

If you are interested in setting up a social enterprise but not sure where to start, contact lorna@the-fruit-tree.co.uk

Who is a portfolio career for?

View Lorna Turner’s LinkedIn profile:

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

View The Fruit Tree web site:

http://the-fruit-tree.co.uk/about-us/

Current Heritage Lottery Funded community project in Newton Abbot:

http://the-fruit-tree.co.uk/news-and-views/

View The Court House Care web site:

https://www.courthousecare.co.uk/

Twitter: @Courthousecare

Ashley Cavers guest blog about her portfolio career part 2

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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

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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:

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

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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?

  1. Know your market
  2. Manage your network
  3. Define your offer (personal brand and USPs)
  4. Know your value
  5. 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/

 

 

 

 

Doug Glenwright’s guest blog about his portfolio career part 1

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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.

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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’:

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Viv Groskop guest blog about her portfolio career

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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!

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‘How to own the room. Women and the art of brilliant speaking’ by Viv Groskop. Published 1 November 2018:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Own-Room-Brilliant-Speaking/dp/1787631125/ref=sr_1_1_twi_har_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1538408943&sr=8-1&keywords=viv+groskop

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/