Traditional Job. You show up at 7:30 a.m., punch the time clock, leave at 4:30 p.m. and include a one-hour lunch break, biweekly paycheck, two weeks vacation, a 401(k) retirement program and insurance.

 

Office Supervisor. You still show up for work at a specified time and have benefits, but you have some freedom in decisions made.

 

Sales Representative. You are the Southeast representative for Nike. But rather than just representing one company, you decide to contact 10 sporting goods manufacturers and represent their products. You have no guaranteed salary but open-ended income based on sales generated.

 

Consulting. You realize that you are knowledgeable about health and safety requirements in the workplace. So, rather than having a variety of duties in a traditional job, you decide to offer this one area of expertise to multiple companies. You charge $8,000 per week but are responsible for booking yourself for these weekly commitments.

 

Franchise. You happen to like sports, so you buy a Play It Again Sports franchise. You pay a franchise fee and small monthly royalty, but in return, you get a clear operating manual. You are your own boss but have a clear plan to follow.

 

Distributorship. You find a product or service that you are excited about, such as NASCAR matchbox cars. You ask to be the area, state or national distributor. The ones who market usually make more money than the manufacturer or inventor.

 

Licensing. You are a fan of country music, and you have a great idea for a humorous T-Shirt design with Toby Keith in a Ford truck. You have to negotiate a licensing agreement with Ford and Toby's people. But then you have the advantage of instant recognition; you go to the next concert and make $20,000 selling your shirts.

 

Business Opportunity. You see an ad for a system for gold-plating small objects. You realize that all of your motorcycle friends are constantly looking for new ways to customize their machines. You pay $1,500 for an instruction manual and an innovative tool to allow you to gold plate any object smaller than 12 inches long. You pay no royalties but now have a creative way to generate your own income.

 

Personal Service. You buy a lawn mower for $100. That afternoon, you go out and offer to mow your neighbor's yard for $60 a week. When you have booked your weekly schedule, you hire your nephew to work for you at $10 an hour. You duplicate this model and one year later have 50 residential and 14 commercial accounts for full yearlong yard maintenance.

 

Very Nontraditional Work. You realize the local apparel factories reject rolls of fabric because of small, recurring flaws. You purchase the fabric as scrap material for pennies on the initial cost. You then cut it into small squares and sell them as clean-up rags to auto dealerships, body shops and retail outlets. After 90 days, you receive a contract with Dollar General. The first year, you net $150,000 working on your own schedule from your own garage.

 

It is not a black and white issue of working for someone else or working for yourself. Rather, it is a process of recognizing the changing work models, which may open the door to the best application of your purpose. Rather than feeling forced into a traditional job, you may experience the freedom of creating the work you love.