Step aside, Kris Jenner, there’s a new momager in town.

When I was in high school I played soccer (I was pretty fair) and basketball (I was really bad). No matter how we were doing, I could always hear one voice (and a pair of hands, clapping furiously) above all others: my mom’s.

I’m a few years (OK, decades) out of high school and we live 1,500 miles apart. Yet she’s still my biggest cheerleader. When I decided to launch Jen Mertz Creative she encouraged me with phone calls, texts, cards and gifts.

One recent text included a link to a Harvard Business Review article, Thriving in the Gig Economy.

“Although [freelancers] worried about unpredictable schedules and finances, they also felt they had mustered more courage and were leading richer lives than their corporate counterparts.”

The authors identify the four things freelancers need to thrive:

1. Place

It’s important to create a time and place to do what it is that you do. For me, that tends to be in a coffee shop in the afternoon and at my kitchen table in the evening.

2. Routines

Routines can increase focus and cut down on distractions … in other words, they’re life savers. One of mine includes listening to a study playlist on Apple Music while actively writing.

3. Purpose

Do you know what you’re meant to do? I went out on my own so that I could share with the world my passion for messaging while allowing me more time to serve others through volunteer efforts.

4. People

As independent workers it’s imperative that we continue to connect with other human beings, whether that be peers, advisers, family members and/or friends. If I am to succeed I need creative collaborators, inspiring mentors and a momager who cheers the loudest.

Check back for highlights on other articles, tips and advice from my business manager AKA mom.

#jenmertzcreative #HBR #messaging #freelance #freelancer #gigeconomy #thatswhatshesaidblog