Working For Yourself, Not By Yourself

“Priceless.” That’s how writer Sue Carrington describes her working relationship with Share On Purpose.

A full-time freelancer since 1999, Sue is a seasoned member of the gig economy. She embraces her role as a writer entrepreneur and loves the autonomy her freelance life provides. Working for herself, however, doesn’t have to mean working by herself — a mindset she said she shares with Share On Purpose.

“The writer’s life can be a solitary one,” said Sue. “It’s what we’re called to do, but sometimes we’re on the outside, looking in. Remote writers can feel even more apart. Share’s approach to working with contractors acknowledges that reality; the company bridges the divide somehow and makes every effort to create community for us.”

Creating a Community of Wordsmiths

Earlier this month, Sue took a 1,300-mile road trip to Texas from her home in northern Virginia (her Pomeranian, “Poet”, in tow) to meet her long-distance co-workers face-to-face for the first time since joining Share in May 2016.

“It was a little surreal,” she said about being in Las Colinas for the company’s Thanksgiving party. “Umpteen emails and conference calls carved initial impressions, but talking with virtual colleagues face-to-face truly filled in the picture — in the best of ways!”

Sue’s perception of Share as a supportive community, which was in part why she joined the company, only grew stronger while she was in Texas.

“During the Writer’s Cadre, held after our Thanksgiving party, Share President and CEO Terri Maxwell sat down with the writers to say how much she and the Share team appreciate us. Her words confirmed for me that Share truly understands the writer’s way and values us both as subject matter experts and as writing entrepreneurs. That’s unique.”

Collaborating as a Team for Individual Success

The writers at Share are long-time professionals. Most have their own writing and editing businesses in addition to their work with Share and its partner companies. This helps create a synergistic team environment that, in Sue’s perspective, delivers benefits to each writer.

“Share is a place that enables us as writers to help grow each other’s businesses,” said Sue. “The collaborative community encourages freely exchanging ideas, developing relationships, and growing our individual networks. Over time, we’ve gotten to know and rely on each other. So whenever we get ‘too much’ work, we can ask for help from another Share writer, knowing the work and the client will be in good hands. For solo writers, that kind of alliance is a blessing.

“Our competitive advantage as freelancers is that we’re always available to serve our clients. Often, that means working wee morning hours or late nights and weekends,” Sue added. “But we do have choices. The key to work/life balance is empowering ourselves to make those choices wisely, and Share helps us in doing that.

“It’s never this or that; the ‘and’ is everywhere. The entire culture is about purposeful integration of work and life — and appreciating each other’s individual working styles. That kind of understanding leads to a better work product, a stronger collective, and happier clients. Who could ask for more?”

If these principles sound like a culture that you value and would fit into your life, check our open positions.