1. Learn to depend on yourself because you CANNOT depend on anyone else
by Kent Spoerlein | on December 4, 2012
Tip for today – make yourself as independent as possible (as soon as possible).
I’m 64 years old. I’ve had several jobs over the years. I’ve owned my own businesses 7 separate
times in a variety of disciplines and I’ve been an employee or independent contractor 9 times. I’ve
had many employees and I’ve been a “lone wolf”. Some of these “ventures” have been wildly
successful – and a couple have “totally bombed”. That’s 16 different things that I’ve done over a
working career that started part-time as an usher at sporting events and concerts in 1962 while I was
in school and progressed 50+ years to today to where I’m self-employed – I do free-lance copywriting
for catalogs and also write a blog with Empower Network. 50 years divided by 16 separate “things”
means I did each of them for a little over 3 years on average. In reality, some were considerably
longer and a few were shorter.
I remember, when I was younger, stories were widespread about workers in Japan that would join a
company when they finished school and would work for that one enterprise their entire career –
retiring 45 years later and getting the stereotypical gold watch as an end-of-career kiss-off. That, of
course, no longer is the norm in Japan. I’m not sure what the “average tenure” is these days in
Japan…but it’s a LOT shorter than 45 years. I’ve read more than once that, conservatively, here in
the US, you should anticipate changing companies & jobs at least every 5 years and more likely 3
years.
I admit I’m more entrepreneurial than most so maybe my various businesses and companies and
positions over the years is more movement than most. But the pace of job change is increasing as we
all become less “secure”. Unemployment and “under-employment” are the watchwords these days.
Everyone knows somebody – a relative, a friend, a neighbor – or even yourself – whose been
affected in recent years. And I fear it’s going to get worse – accelerate – going forward.
So you better keep your resume up-to-date and your networking skills sharp because everyone’s time
at a given job is growing progressively shorter, year after year.
In the last few years, many people have learned that what they THOUGHT was a stable, relatively
secure position with an equally stable company in a solid industry or market niche was in truth
depending on a literal house of cards built on a foundation of sand. When they lost their job, many

2. people who, until that time, had NEVER been without a job, found themselves unemployed and
“looking” for up to 2 years (or more). That’s a VERY long time to be “looking”.
My own wife was one of those folks. She had 35+ years experience managing large commercial
office buildings and big, complex projects – things like moving 1,000++ employees, the file rooms, all
the IT systems and telecommunication systems, the furniture - everything – over a weekend so that
everyone could come back to work on Monday morning (at a completely new location) and pick up
where they left off the previous week. If you’ve ever moved something as relatively simple as a single
house, you can appreciate the scope of what I’m talking about. These projects were planned over
many months and the detail is enormous. This is an extremely rare and valuable skill and she was
super-highly regarded throughout the Chicagoland real estate community. She had been recruited
(they contacted her – she was not looking) to take on an assignment for one of the biggest, oldest
and most highly respected RE management firms in the US – one that had NEVER had any kind of a
cut-back in 50+ years, managing one of their flagship properties. Inside of 2 years, her job was
eliminated so they could keep a 30 year tenure person employed and they put him in her job because
his had been eliminated. She was the last person in so she was the first person out.
It took her 2 years to find a replacement. Sure she did consulting during that interim time and was
able to manage some big moves here in Chicago as an independent consultant. But being a
consultant is NOT the same as having a job.
My point is – don’t depend on your employer to look out for you and to have YOUR best interests in
mind if the going gets rough. You will be sent packing in a heartbeat, regardless of where you sit on
the organizational chart. If you doubt this you are fooling yourself and it will be especially devastating
when you see the truth some unhappy day in the possibly not-too-distant future.
You must at least begin the process of having an alternate plan – a plan “B” that is already in motion
and that you can do simultaneously with whatever you’re doing now. Don’t wait until the *%#@ hits
the fan – be proactive. Cover your ass. Build a safety-net.
A second source of income is ALWAYS a good thing to have – and someday soon it might literally
save your “bacon” – your lifestyle, your house and your marriage. The future is looking increasingly
uncertain and potentially tumultuous…now is the time to start building your own insurance policy for
what might be coming.
And…if nothing happens to you and the world (your world) keeps on turning…a little extra part-time
income could just give you some mad money for a getaway to Paris or Hawaii. or wherever YOU
would like to holiday.
Take a moment to explore the business here at Empower Network. You might just be VERY glad you
did. Start small and take it as far as you wish…
Don’t wait until you house of cards collapses – that’s just no fun at all.