Whether or not you’ve noticed (—and if you haven’t, where have you been?—) there’s a movement happening, and it’s made up of soloists. You know the type, maybe you relate: people who shun the idea of working for corporations in a traditional setting, preferring to work with them as independent contractors, or act as their own employers. Soloists can be freelance writers or photographers, rising entrepreneurs, or other kinds of indie professionals, creatives and free agents. And thanks to decades of corporate layoffs, the rise of collaboration technologies and expanding opportunities for project work, their movement has been quietly gaining momentum: Freelancers and temps make up nearly 15 percent of the workforce right now, and by 2020, are expected to represent nearly 20 percent. Here’s the thing, though: The soloist life isn’t necessarily glamorous—in fact, it comes with a host of challenges that are certainly not for the faint of heart.
The Solo Project, a new media and research venture from the minds who helped build—and lead—the Inc. Magazine and Fast Company brands, seeks to empower these professionals. What they’re creating is a community for soloists, to which they'll offer inspiration, ideas, tools, and other resources required to thrive.
Observing a revolution
George Gendron, founding editor-in-chief of Inc. Magazine for two decades—where he started the Inc. 500 and contributed to the creation of the Inner City 100 ranking—estimates he has been watching the soloist economy for two decades.
When he left Boston Magazine, Gendron spent three years freelancing himself for the very first time (Gendron’s first job was in the mailroom at New York Magazine, and he worked his way up from there to be Arts Editor).
Freelancers and temps make up nearly 15 percent of the workforce right now, and by 2020, are expected to represent nearly 20 percent.
“On the one hand, I loved it—working with different clients, and on a variety of projects,” Gendron told BostInno. “But on the other hand, it was tough financially.”
It’s no secret that freelancers are chronically abused, being forced to chase after paychecks for months or worse, never getting paid at all for the last installment of a project. Not to mention, getting sufficient health insurance remains a struggle for them.
It was around 1987 that Gendron started studying soloists. Most, he says, were women—disillusioned by the glass ceiling they faced, they set out to launch their own businesses. Gendron began doing a series of dinners to get to know what makes soloists tick, and became instantly captivated. These people were not your typical one-track-mind founders—in fact, they had no interest in growing the business or adding employees. Instead, they simply wanted the freedom and flexibility that came with that lifestyle.
“I was so taken by them, and I found them far more interesting than traditional entrepreneurs," he admitted. "I kind of fell in love with them.”
By the ‘90s, Gendron says he and was kicking around the idea of a publication for soloists, but he felt it was too premature to launch at that time. The market just wasn’t quite ready.
Then, about a year ago, he was working on a project with long-time colleagues Michael Hopkins (editor-in-chief, MIT Sloan Management Review and executive editor, Inc. Magazine) and Patrick Mitchell (founding creative director, Fast Company, creative director for O: The Oprah Magazine, Boston Magazine, Nylon, and Success). It was then that the trio began to actually piece together a concept for what would become The Solo Project.
A multi-dimensional venture
What they came up with included four components.
The first of these is The Solo Quarterly, a 200-page printed owner’s manual for soloists, which will be available sometime in 2016. The Quarterly’s premium content will be distributed on newsstands and through select partners’ channels.
“Print is not only not dead, but experiencing a kind of renaissance right now,” Gendron told BostInno. “We think that the print quarterly is going to play a really important role in focusing public attention on just how important indie professionals and creatives are to local entrepreneurial ecosystems.”
On the digital side, his team will also be featuring a podcast and video channel on the new website by next year, which will explore the lives of soloists, their best practices, and the world of work they’re creating.
The third aspect of the Solo Project is focused on planning community events to build local memberships. These gatherings will offer soloists the opportunity to network, share experiences and ultimately help one another.
Recently, the team has been traveling around the country exploring different markets and environments for these chapters. And they already have renowned local event management consultant Dawn Curtis Handley on board to help with the planning process.
“The interest in this is enormous,” Gendron said. “There’s this unbelievable hunger for face to face contact.”
In partnership with the Miami-based Knight Foundation, which is focused on driving and supporting journalism and media innovation, The Solo Project is currently conducting national research on the drivers of the solo economy, and what leaders can do to support these professionals. This entails a lot of research—interviews and mini-summits with practitioners in city government, universities, the corporate world, and the social sector, as well as entrepreneurs.
“We’re in the early stages of some really profound changes. The way things are going, more and more people are going to have to be soloists, whether they want to or not.”
Most recently, the team conducted a discussion at the Pearson headquarters, engaging educators about what needs to be done to prepare the next generation of soloists. Then, on September 10, the Solo Project will hold its first Solo City event at Boston’s District Hall exploring two topics: the key qualities, skills and other drivers essential for making solo life sustainable, and also what city leaders can do to help. After the event is over, the team will be compiling their findings from the initial focus groups and other research as well as the event to produce a magazine-like Solo City report capturing the highlights.
In addition, The Solo Project is working on developing educational products for different groups of people, like baby boomers and millennials. One such program they’re particularly focused on would be designed for “professionals in transition,” who Gendron describes as a 40-something with a ton of career experience who’s miserable with corporate life, and who wants to try and start their own business.
“We’ll help them think through their assets, social networks they’ve developed, access to capital they can develop, how to position themselves, and even create a name or a website,” Gendron explained.
While the trio behind The Solo Project have certainly amassed a powerful network of contacts, Gendron says they deliberately decided to bootstrap this venture and enter the market solely through partnerships (like with The Knight Foundation). With five on the team total—including Aaron O’Hearn, co-founder of the Startup Institute (now at Funsize in Austin)—Gendron expects that they’ll be adding a few more people in the coming months on the business development side, and eventually moving into their own office.
“We’re in the early stages of some really profound changes,” Gendron added. “The way things are going, more and more people are going to have to be soloists, whether they want to or not.”
Photo courtesy of The Solo Project.
