If you consider yourself a Jill or Jack of all trades, you’re probably an entrepreneur. The clincher is that along with that handle comes the inevitable “master of none.” It’s an undeserved close to the phrase. Most of us are capable of much more than the few talents we use and get paid for.
These days it’s said that you need to specialize to succeed in anything we do. Niche it — and the narrower the niche the better.
So what’s wrong with being a Jill or Jack of all trades?
A lot of writers and bloggers today are referring to the employment situation as the new “piece-work” economy. It’s a great place for any Jill or Jack of all trades. The fact is, people still need things done but now they often piece it out instead of hiring full time workers.
There are plenty of technology-driven sites online today that cater to bringing people together that have tasks they need done and those willing to do them. Sites such as:
- Skill Slate (“Citizen” teachers – any topic)
- Task Rabbit (Neighborhood runners and taskers)
- Tutor Spree (Credentialed educators)
- Skill Share (Sharing skills – all types)
Those are just four of the many marketplaces bringing “neighbors together to get things done.”
You can “rent” bookkeepers, event planners, office help, delivery drivers, errand runners, assemblers, and just about anything you can think of, work or task related.
So the phrase that categorized people that had multiple talents as a “Jill or Jack of all trades” is being changed. Today they are being referred to as “hyphenated-professionals.” This is possibly because of the negative connotation with the ending of the phrase Jack of all trades, “master of none.”
Workers with concurrent multiple careers adopt a “hyphenated” professional identity. A “teacher-painter” might refer to an individual who works for nine months out of the year as an Elementary School Teacher and three (summer) months out of the year as a painter.
“Hyphenated-professionals” even sounds better than Jack of all trades. After all, they see interconnectedness of the bigger picture. A perfect entrepreneur!
You could work for one of the “neighbor task” sites, or you could start your own business. You could test out your ideas for a business on one of those sites and then fine tune your own service business. You could even model a business after this “new” industry and provide the service to your own community.
Being adaptable to the economic needs of your community (and country) is a great way to thrive in your own independence.
Give it some thought. What could your Jill or Jack of all trades, er, hyphenated –professional service be?
Chiropractic-massage-reflexology-and-yoga resource?
Hair-makeup-esthetician-and-nail service?
