10 Reasons to Switch from W2 to 1099 Free Agent Entrepreneur by Mike Farrell with aspenIbiz

Times are difficult for the man on the street ... Main Street to be precise, not Wall Street.

From the struggling small business owner to the disillusioned college graduate and near-to-being wiped-out retiree, there is a complete sense of disbelief.

Many are unemployed and facing the highest unemployment rates since the Great Depression.

If they could land a J.O.B. (some refer to this sort of work as Just Over Broke), it is usually for lower pay and part time.

Consequently many are reluctantly considering becoming an entrepreneur and switching status from a W2 to a 1099 thereby becoming a member of the Free Agent Entrepreneurial nation.

Being self employed offers independence and variable work hours yet as part of making this reluctant transition, many are asking why has this situation happened to them.

So that you can rewire yourself for success and understand it is not you that developed the problem ... you need to understand the forces at work creating the Free Agent Entrepreneur and that this is creating a chance for you to thrive ... not just survive.

Here are 10 Reasons driving the switch from W2 status to the ascendency of the 1099 Free Agent Entrepreneur.

1st – Corporate loyalty is dead. The decade of the 90s was full of downsizing; the 1st decade of this century was full of dot-com layoffs and busts in the telecom, housing, mortgage, and financial services industry. Loyalty to the corporation or institution is dead however loyalty to clients, colleagues, and projects, this loyalty is stronger than ever.

2nd – The workforce is adrift operating without a broad social contract. The life-long employment deal of the Company Man has disappeared however the bargaining nature of Free Agency, where individuals trade talent for opportunity, is alive and thriving.

3rd – While the traditional view has been, the best measure of economic success is growth with higher profits and larger workforces, bigger is not necessarily better. The Free Agent Entrepreneurs are redefining growth and the measure of success in terms of meaning or purpose in their life.

4th – On the surface, the Free Agency Economy may seem to make workers less secure. In reality, many Free Agent Entrepreneurs mitigate this risk by having multiple clients, multiple customers, and multiple projects finding themselves more secure than traditional W2 employees.

5th – Most parents try to balance work and family. Laws have been passed mandating family leave and corporations have responded with family-friendly initiatives however, these well-intentioned efforts have not alleviated the anxiety because one-size solutions don’t work. Many Free Agent Entrepreneurs are operating work at home or Internet based businesses to erase the boundary between work and family.

6th – Many potential Free Agent Entrepreneurs are afraid of missing the fabled water cooler. The isolation is real however Free Agent Entrepreneurs have formed an array of small groups and online communities using Social Media tools and webinar technologies to rebuild the social life of the workplace.

7th – Why should workers want to retire? Retirement came about in the 20th century and many are asking why does it have to be a fixture of the 21st century? Many older workers do not want to retire and are becoming Free Agent Entrepreneurs as a way to re-invent a new “older” age.

8th – Public education is in crisis as evident by more families opting to home school their children and many questioning whether formal schooling should be compulsory and if a college degree is even necessary. Many Free Agent Entrepreneurs value life-long learning and can obtain the education they desire as they are constantly attending online seminars and obtaining relevant education for their businesses … and that is spurring the growth of online universities.

9th – There is an assumption, that today’s organizations hold the power and that by “empowering” workers they will be “retained” in their cubicles. Due to the Global Financial Crisis and the other transformative events of the workforce, these “empowerment” efforts end up being laughable and patronizing. In a Free Agent Entrepreneurial Economy, you can inspire and challenge people but you can’t retain them.

10th – Having Americans get their health insurance through an employer is an arrangement built on a historic accident and underpinned by almost no economic or moral logic … witness the healthcare reform efforts and debate of 2009. Many are asking why we should have employer-based insurance coverage when fewer of us will have employers.

The GFC(Global Financial Crisis) is becoming a transformative event such that no matter how cherished the notions are about how precisely employees should behave, how companies must operate, or how economies can flourish, we have reached the tipping point and the Free Agent Entrepreneur is not going away.

No matter how much we dream about it, many of us prefer the security of a job and paycheck, and no amount of entrepreneurship propaganda will change human nature. Yet for both the doers and the dreamers, the Free Agent Entrepreneur is not just a style of work, it is also a way of life. Entrepreneurs zig when everyone else is zagging.

However you can find still enormous obstacles for small businesses. Taxes are out of control, credit remains tights, and banks are still stingy. Add to this list the expensive topic of healthcare and things can seem very gloomy.

Because of this, many are considering a Web based business where you leverage a suite of best practices, Internet software tools, education, and support inside a community of gifting colleagues thereby placing themselves at the center of the New Economy 2.0: The Ascendancy of the Entrepreneur.

Adhering to an approach where you essentially carbon copy success of leaders in the community ... you can stand on the shoulders of giants that proceeded you and this how you can successfully launch a home based business and start making money in a reasonable amount of time.

While you are putting the pieces of your business together, you are taking care of your personal training and development. Like anything else, no one really understands Internet promotion from the start. One reason is there is so much to understand. As you start, you need to consider “Reengineering You” which includes mastering of new skills, defining your brand, and ensuring you have a high level of energy and commitment to success.

Because you do not need large amounts of capital (as is frequently required in other business opportunities) you can generate among the best ROIs (Returns On Investment) as you operate an Internet Marketing business. The time is right to get started today. To use the slogan of a famous maker of sporting gear, “Just do it!”

You can find out more about these Top 10 Trends, Internet Marketing opportunities, and home-based businesses by reading updates that will be posted at my blog over the next few weeks and following my Tweets on Twitter.

As a former engineer with General Dynamics and management consultant at Deloitte ... I am on a mission to empower individuals by increasing their financial literacy, improve their ability for personal sustainability, and contribute to the program that has a goal of creating 100 Millionaires by 2012.

Until next time, I invite you to:

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Join me in my venture at aspenIbiz as I pursue financial literacy and alternative business opportunities with multiple income streams.

When not traveling for business or pleasure, Mike operates his own Internet Marketing company and consulting firm from his home in the mountains of Colorado.

In closing, if you are a reluctant entrepreneur, a business owner, employed in an 8-5 job, or recently retired, yet still wanting to be plugged-in to the next wave of economic prosperity, you can join me in pursuing the lifestyle you want to live by following this aspenIbiz link.

You can watch my video update of this blog post here .