A recent article in Harvard Business Review, the bible of corporate business, legitimized the Brand U:
“The fundamental unit of such an economy is not the corporation but the individual. Tasks aren’t assigned and controlled through a stable chain of management but rather are carried out autonomously by independent contractors. These electronically connected freelancers – e-lancers – join together into fluid and temporary networks to produce and sell goods and services. When a job is done – after a day, a month, and a year – the network dissolves, and its members become independent agents again, circulating through the economy, seeking the next assignment.”[i]
The time is right and is now for Brand U’s. Work opportunities abound. The job market is drum-tight for many professionals. There have been stunning pay increases and gold plated stock options for many, including chief executives and secretaries. The economy is blistering hot as the unemployment rate has hit thirty-year lows. [ii]
[i] Malone, Thomas and Laubacher, “Dawn of the E-Lance Economy,” Harvard Business Review, September-October, 1998, p. 146.
[ii] Kaufman, Leslie and McCormick, John, “Year of the Employee,” Newsweek, July 20, 1998, p. 38-41.