A Soaring Free Agent Economy

…and the Prescient Book That Predicted It

Unsplash Photo Credit: Shridhar Gupta

In 1996, a young 30ish woman named Theresa approached me after a Minneapolis speaking engagement I just gave with an interesting proposition. Having heard my presentation, she inquired about whether I might be open to having someone handle  the administrative duties for my burgeoning speaking and consulting practice. 

There was one issue with this, or so I thought, namely, the distance between us — she lived in the Twin Cities area while I resided in Chicago. But as fate would have it, the internet was in its emergence, allowing for a new spate of virtual possibilities. 

So we agreed to work together, a splendid move given her desire to work at home and my need for support for my growing national presence. In addition to her monthly salary, I agreed to outfit her office with a desk, computer, email,  a landline phone plan (.20/minute at that time ), and one of those infamous fax machines. 

Fast forward to 2023 where our world is deeply immersed in the age of virtual work. All of this was predicted in a prescient book I read back in the early days of the new millennium entitled Free Agent Nation: How Americans New Independent Workers Are Transforming The Way We Live.

Curious about the free agent proposition he was espousing, I reached out to author Dan Pink by phone at his home in Bexley, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus where I incidentally went to Catholic grade school as a youth. 

This landmark book was originally published in 2001, well before the words “gig economy,”  “coworking,” or “Uber and Lyft” became a part of our popular lexicon. Pink explores the rise of freelancers and gig workers in America — from the marketing consultant down the street to the home-based “mompreneur” to the footloose technology contractor. 

He argues that the rise of independent workers is driven by a desire for autonomy, flexibility, and control. Pink believes that these workers would transform the way we live and work, and that they represent a fundamental shift in the nature of work itself.

In light of when it was written, the book offers a prescient and surprisingly accurate look at today's world of independent workers. Throughout its pages, it predicts trends that are now shaping today’s rapidly evolving worker economy.

Readers will find it replete with extensive research and interviews Pink did at the time with independent workers across a variety of industries. This led to a detailed analysis of the challenges and opportunities facing these workers, as well as their impact on the economy and society as a whole.

Overall, I found Free Agent Nation to be a thought-provoking and insightful book that provides a valuable perspective on the changing nature of work. It’s in my view a must-read for anyone interested in the future of work and the gig economy. Widely acclaimed for its engaging style and provocative perspective, it has helped thousands transform their working lives. 

Despite having been written over twenty years ago, the message of Free Agent Nation is still very relevant in that it offers a broad look at the enormous opportunities for those committed to the independent worker path. This is particularly true if you have a specialized skill or craft as popularized in Cal Newport’s bestselling book “Deep Work.”

In closing, here are five of my predictions on the impact of the rapidly evolving free agency economy and how you may be able to capitalize on it: 

• By 2030 in excess of 50% of America’s corporate workforce will be independent contractors and virtual workers.  Businesses that fail to adapt to the new worker narrative will experience a rapid decline and likely death. 

• A fresh set of housing models that align with this new independent, digital lifestyle will proliferate. Look for online housing marketplace Airbnb to boost offerings that cater to location independent workers who are seeking hybrid housing/workspace arrangements. And it’s here where coworking spaces like WeWork would be wise to explore the possibility of providing short term residential pods at their locations as a part of a premium membership package. 

• Cities and towns that offer the highest levels of reliable, secure, high-speed internet as a competitive advantage will flourish over other geographical locales. Moreover, I believe we will see economic development incentives such as partially subsidized housing and pet insurance used to attract new talent and tax dollars to an area. The highly successful program Tulsa Remote is just one example of this. 

• Growing number of brick and mortar retailers and dining establishments amid massive worker shortages and retail theft will be forced to shutter their doors in coming months. I predict that this will open up an ocean of independent worker opportunities in retail e-commerce and food (ghost kitchens). I believe that we will see a continued uptick of the type of delivery based options for meals, groceries, clothing (Uber Eats, DoorDash) that were fueled by the pandemic.  Many of these deliveries will occur by drone and driverless vehicles

• Las Vegas with its vast array of freelance, income producing opportunities will be christened the “Side Gig Capital of the U.S.” Whether it be rideshare (many Uber and Lyft drivers make in excess of 6-figures there), sports betting, or facilitating wine tastings for resorts, those seeking additional side-income streams the Vegas ecosystem will flourish. 

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