We eat what we kill, an emerging workforce.

We eat what we kill! No, the emerging workforce is not using this phrase for wild game hunting. This phrase is a running joke between our full-service office space clients. This one-liner is shared when a business deal is sealed and we know the paycheck is coming. We have scored a “business touchdown.” We, entrepreneurs, know what it means. With the shift in the economy and recession of 2008 more and more workers are coming to understand the phrase, you eat what you kill. If you don’t close the deal, you won’t eat. Do you ever feel like you’re a hunter trying to find the next business deal to close?

There are all kinds of terms to define the 2008 emerging workforce who are coming to understand the “eat what you kill” work experience. Here are a few workforce terms and their definitions. See if you fall in one:

• Contingent Worker. This definition is a summary of what the U.S. Department of Labor says. You are a “just-in-time” participant in the workforce. Contingent workers can also be a freelancer, part-time, seasonal, temporary employee, independent contractor, or leased worker. This type of work arrangement offers flexibility for the employer and the worker. The work demand could be seasonal or cyclical.
• Gig Economy. This definition is a summary from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. If you’re a contingent worker, you’re probably part of the gig economy. It seems many contingent workers also work on clearly defined projects and your job is done. You could have a specific skill set like computer programming or information technology, musicians, construction, engineering, appliance repairs and the lists of tasks goes on. Many contingent workers hold multiple jobs or you are responsible for finding your next work project.
• YouEconomy. Success.com went on to say entrepreneurship is becoming more popular based on the growth of contingent workers and the gig economy, whether your entrepreneurial pursuits are a part-time or a full-time pursuit. The digital environment in which we now are living is creating all kinds of work innovations, from the influence of mobility to easy access of information in the palm of your hand. This digitalness influences the use of social media for personal branding, so people looking for someone with a particular set of skills can be found. Work is how and when you want to do it along with how much work you want to do. Work can be all about you!

This shift toward a digital environment is creating an emerging micro-pool of specialized crafts people, too. Just look at the explosion of Etsy to 1.7 million sellers. If you create something, consider how you might find a buying audience.

If you’re not crafty, that’s okay. Here are some other entrepreneurial options. Consider making use of that extra bedroom with AirBnB. Maybe you have a nice ride and want to make some extra bucks driving around town with Uber or Lyft.

The sky is the limit, or should we say your imagination is the limit. If you can create the buying experience and understand the local business environment for the product or service you want to provide, you’re in business! Economist Paul Zane Pilzer projects 50% of our workforce will be composed of the YouEconomy participants by the year 2020. Will you be part of this emerging workforce?

It seems there is a consensus from several sources that a business can be started in 60 seconds. The real trick is keeping your business going once you have passed one minute.

There are all kinds of supports for business start-ups. The first sustaining business milestone is one year. Have you laid out a plan that will keep the cash register ringing for a year? What if the register is ringing, but you’re not getting a paycheck? It is very possible you’ll have to sink every nickel back into the business for it to grow. Being a contingent worker is not for the faint of heart, especially if you’re considering how to create your own business in the gig economy or the youeconomy.

The next milestone of business success is five years. The Small Business Administration says 50% of businesses fail within five years. A ton of things can happen in a business within five years. Think about how quickly you can scale your business. How can you leverage the available resources and sustain the product or service? Where you position your business or the actual business footprint is important. You want your clients to find you easily. You want them to feel safe going to and from your business. What is your buying public saying about the business address? What if you’re working from home and someone searches for your business? What if you have a P.O. box that doesn’t offer a business street address? Sometimes perception is everything. Does your business address offer a polished business presence?

Time is money. Are there services available at the business location that compliment your business goals? Are you looking at how you’re spending your time managing the business location and related services? Do you have more time or less time by positioning your business at a particular address? Here are some questions that might help you determine where a full-service office space can support the growth of your business:

• Are support services bundled or shared to reduce the time and money spent managing all of them?
• Do you have a budget for support staff while you’re focusing on what makes you money?
• Are there networking or educational events?
• Are their private meeting spaces that could be made available on an as needed basis? Do you really meet in the private meeting space enough to warrant the expense of the square footage?
• What if you wanted to impress a client with a meal or host a meeting larger than your current office space?
• How convenient are building amenities?

Many full-service office spaces, like The Concierge Office Suites, offer businesses the opportunity to leverage their resources. Consider how virtual office positioning could propel your business growth over time.

• You would have access to a polished, established downtown business street address with convenient covered parking adjoining the building. You can even validate parking for your meeting guests.
• Our business concierge staff during traditional office hours would notify you of any guests that dropped by the office, first class mail, overnight shipments or hand deliveries received.
• Have access to private meeting rooms and only pay for the hours you use with some hours included in the service.
• We also provide business center services like postage, scans, copies, and faxes where you don’t have to maintain this equipment.
• We’ll even provide public access wi-fi and beverage services in the private meeting spaces, just ask and no extra charge.
• Save time by coming by the office to pick up correspondence and leave your dry cleaning. We’ll get this done for you and you can pick it up next time you’re in the office.
• Consider attending an Idea Factory, Jelly! Chattanooga event, which is free and open to the public.

Yes, you could find traditional commercial office space. Yes, you could furnish the office space. Yes, you could hire support staff. Yes, you could manage all the vendors that provide Internet, coffee service, housekeeping, add equipment leasing for postage, scans, copies, and even a fax. But why would you want to spend all this valuable time doing something that doesn’t make your business money? Consider the services of a full-service office space like The Concierge Office Suites and leverage the resources available to your business. If you eat what you kill, spend your time hunting what makes you money and grows your business!