Entrepreneurship In The Age Of the Freelancer Economy: A Conversation

Admin   |   17 February, 2016   |   2051   |   3980

Imagine waking up in the morning, and as your coffee is brewing, reflecting on the work that needs to be completed for the day. For many of us, this can include a long commute to an office, sitting down at a desk and working within restrictions that are set by management or an organization. Oftentimes these types of people want and need something where they are not tied down or working within the confines of a traditional organizations, they want to cultivate their entrepreneurial spirit.

With today’s technology advances there are many options available for different types of freelance work.  Sites like Upwork and Fiverr allow people to post and bid for tasks and jobs, Airbnb allows a homeowner to turn their spare bedroom into income, and an Uber driver can make a living while traveling all across their city. What if you want to tap into the freelancer economy, but are not sure where to start? How does one use these new tools to their advantage to actually become successful? Today we look at cultivating entrepreneurship in the age of the freelancer economy, with my guest, Doug DeVos, the president of Amway which has over 21,000 employees in over 100 countries and territories around the world.

Amway was founded on the spirit of entrepreneurship. Starting in 1959, the founders, including Doug’s own father, believed in a model where people could have their own businesses. Clearly a lot has changed since 1959 and that’s exactly what we talk about. How do we take the same principles of wanting to be an entrepreneur or a business owner and adapt them to the new world of work we are living in now? In fact, one of the things we explore in this episode of the podcast is the Amway 2015 Global Entrepreneurship Report which clearly shows that the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well.

Tune in to the podcast and make sure to subscribe on iTunes for more episodes.

What you will learn in this episode:

• Amway’s 2015 Global Entrepreneurship Report
• Hurdles and risks in entrepreneurship
• Life stages and entrepreneurship
• Difference between being a freelancer and an entrepreneur
• Entrepreneurial characteristics
• How people without an innate entrepreneurial spirit can grow in their organizations
• Innovation ecosystems
• Technology in entrepreneurship
• The freelancer economy and the future
• Advice for new employees

Jacob Morgan is a keynote speaker, author, and futurist. For more, visit The Future Organization.

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