Workplaces, and how we view them, have changed dramatically
since the beginning of the 20th century. Particularly in
the last 30 years, the complexity of business has grown
enormously, making traditional jobs nearly obsolete. With
punishing, productivity-sapping expectations and vise-like
deadlines the norm, old assumptions about how to work and
how to advance are out of date. The old-school work ethic
of doing “whatever it takes” to get the job done is a
present-day formula for disaster and burnout.
Your Parent’s Workplace
The old-school work ethic was based on the notion that
security, peace of mind, and a steady income came from
having a job, being loyal to the company, and maintaining
the status quo. Indeed, less than 70 years ago,
generations of men and women confidently built their family
economic and security systems around this way of thinking.
Then, people generally had one job, advanced through the
company ranks, and kept that job for life. In return, the
company was there for them in good times and in bad.
The Changing Workplace
Today, if you want to work in the traditional workplace,
don’t expect the same work environment your parents
probably experienced. You need to be ready for a brutal,
80-hour-a-week “extreme” job. You need to accept that your
workspace is a little cubical on the third floor, where
people driven to excel and win at all costs surround you.
It is likely that you will come in early, stay late, and
work weekends. And, in the end, there is no guarantee that
all this hard work will help you get promoted or keep you
from being down-sized.
Today’s Workplace
Today’s workplace is driven by an information and
communications technology that wouldn’t have been
considered in previous generations. In addition, it is
fueled by a Baby Boomer generation whose dominant
characteristic is individualism and supported by Gen Xers
who aren’t motivated to do anything unless they find
meaning in it. These harbinger trends of our times are,
arguably, the most significant factors that have influenced
our changing workplace and how we think about work.
Many Baby Boomers, once the stalwarts of the production
work force are getting ready to retire, if they haven’t
already done so. Education has lost its distinctive power
to get you hired. What’s more, experience and long service
to the company do not guarantee continued employment.
The Baby Boomer generation knows that as company fortunes
rise and fall, jobs are created and destroyed. Security,
peace of mind, and benefit packages are casualties of the
process. Vastly different from their parents, Baby Boomer
workers find themselves in a less stable and predictable
work environment, with the length of time spent at each
job, whether by choice or otherwise, getting shorter.
For the first time, they are faced with something that
their parents never had to consider:Â how to make ends meet
while ensuring a secure retirement and financial future
with adequate health coverage. The traditional workplace
is gone, and left in its wake is a confused and discouraged
workforce wondering about its future.
The Case for Owning Your Own Small Business
Small Business ownership is on the rise. According to the
U.S. Small Business Administration, the estimated 25.8
million small businesses in the United States:
• have generated 60 to 80 percent of net new jobs annually
over the last decade,
• employ 50 percent of the country’s private sector
workforce,
• represent 97 percent of all the exporters of goods,
• and represent 99.7 percent of all employer firms.
According to The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor’s 2005
Report on Women and Entrepreneurship:Â “Women represent
more than 1/3 of all people involved in entrepreneurial
activity.”
The U.S. Census Bureau reports that “black-owned businesses
are the fastest growing segment, up 45 percent between
1997-2002.”
Entrepreneurship among seniors is growing due to jobs
disappearing and people taking early retirement. AARP
reports that in 2002 “those age 50 comprised 40% of the
self-employed.”   Definitely, the trend for going smaller
is growing bigger. As large corporations scramble to keep
pace with the latest business developments and trends,
independent contractors and small business owners are
stepping in to fill the gap. Security, peace of mind, and
a steady income (once thought only possible by working for
a large company) are now being viewed by millions of small
business owners as “doable.”
For the individualistic Baby Boomer generation, becoming a
small business owner is the mother-load of opportunity.
For value-driven, looking-to-make-a-difference-in-the-world
Gen Xers, owning a small business is the way to go. In
light of today’s changing workplace, now is a great time to
become a small business owner.
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Susan L Reid, MS, DMA, Small Business Start Up Coach &
Accidental Pren-herâ„¢ is the soon-to-be author of The
Accidental Preneur: Discovering Your Inner Samurai.
Transforming start up woes into start up goes, she provides
value, inspiration and direction to entrepreneurial women
starting up small businesses. For ideas and start up tips,
subscribe at http://SuccessfulSmallBizOwners.com Add your
pren-her story at http://susanreid.typepad.com
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