Look Before You Leap


Copyright 2001 Industry Standard  - Original article in 3/12/01 issue. Excerpts below involves Johnson & Company.

By Constantine Von Hoffman

Jennifer Johnson decided to drop out of corporate America on the way to meet her husband at the airport. The 38-year-old marketing executive at software maker Novell (NOVL) was heading out of town on yet another business trip, and she was meeting her spouse at his arrival terminal – kids ages 4 and 7 in tow – for an impromptu handoff.

Her husband's flight was delayed, which meant Johnson nearly missed her own. "I had to sprint to another terminal to catch my plane," she recalls. "As I sunk into my seat I realized this was really stupid. Life wasn't working, and I needed a change." She wrote her letter of resignation on the plane and delivered it to her boss as soon as she returned from her trip.

Now Johnson has a corner office with a peaceful view of the mountains, in her home just outside of Salt Lake City. She does freelance marketing and public relations work, and enjoys the things that other freelancers love: flexibility, no commute, no meetings or office politics, and no nagging boss on her back. ...

Johnson, the marketing exec and mother of two, created her own organization for freelancers, many of whom call each other for advice or bid on large projects together. The group gives her the social interaction with grown-ups that she can't get from her kids.

Still, with potential downsides both socially and financially, why embark on a free-agent career? For some the work brings a high level of satisfaction. According to a survey by research firm Penn, Schoen & Berland for Aquent, 70 percent of independents say they are very satisfied with their current work situation, compared with 50 percent of their peers who say they are happy in traditional jobs.

Free agents who have managed to survive the hurdles of building their own businesses have a hard time returning to a "real job." Ask Leslie Pound or Jennifer Johnson if they would go back to working for someone else and their response is loud and clear: No thanks!

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