Working for the Woman (Me!)

I have worked for The Man since 1998, when I graduated from college (except for a short hiatus during grad school).

Sure, it had its perks, like a regular paycheck, benefits, 401(k) matches, paid vacation and sick days, that sort of thing.

Yet I always had this irritating little voice in my head reminding me that my employer was always getting the better end of the deal. The harder I worked, the more they benefited. I might get a little something too, like a promotion or small raise, even a little bonus from time to time.

But if I came up with smart, creative ideas that made big profits or saved the company money — or more typically, worked my ass off nights and weekends without overtime pay — I could help my employer pocket thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit. The thought made my paycheck seem mighty puny in comparison some days.

Now, I’m self-employed as a writer, blogger, and social media junkie. No regular paychecks anymore. Benefits have to come through the Hubs’ full-time gig. If I take a day off, no one’s paying me for it. But I’m finally working for The Woman (aka, me!) I’ve always wanted to do this, and now I’m making my dream come true. Gotta tell you, it feels pretty good.

Here’s one reason: I get to choose who I work with/for. For instance, my latest client is Mom Corps, a staffing agency that specializes in connecting experienced professionals with flexible work. I’m helping the Cincinnati franchise get new candidates by spreading the word through Twitter (follow @MomCorpsCincy), Facebook (become a fan, won’t you?), LinkedIn (connect with the Cincinnati owner), blogs (in development right now) and other social media. HOW COOL IS THAT? My client also happens to be a very cool WMAG (and happened to attend high school with Sara — small world!) who has been delightful to work with.

Doing this type of job doesn’t even feel like “work” — it’s what I do for fun. Yet, I’m getting paid for it. And the harder I work, the better ideas I generate, the more profit for me, The Woman.

Now I just have to figure out how to be as efficient as possible during my very precious, limited child-free hours, so I can do more awesome work like what I’m doing for Mom Corps and bring home the bacon my way!