Free Agent with Meg Schmitz

For many free agents, the last year has been a period of pivots, adaptations and growth. Even though the entire business world was faced with a huge crisis, many leaders saw past the difficulty and tapped into opportunity.    As a result, the companies that used the crisis to reframe and reimagine their businesses externally and internally are now miles ahead of their competition.    Businesses th...

Free agents start their business in order to have more control over their lives, and more fulfillment from the work they do - but our ventures also have to be financially rewarding and sustainable.    It's impossible to build something financially stable without systems and procedures that keep the pipeline full.   What we've learned from the last year is that the state of the economy doesn't alwa...

Leveraging LinkedIn is a blend of business invigoration and authentic connection; it's a critical piece of putting our best professional selves forward and establishing relationships.   Simply put - in today's world, establishing a personal brand and showing up online in a powerful, consistent and impactful way is must!   Jobs, company roles, projects and businesses may end, but our personal brand...

So many Corporate Warriors grew up in the system to believe that working a job is a straight line to retirement, and that their singular value is determined by the role that they assume within the corporate structure.   Through free agency, we can expand beyond how a 9 to 5 defines us, without being confined. We're all multi-dimensional human beings, and being able to transition our skills is key...

Franchises are extremely powerful financial engines. When built properly, franchised salon systems are a potent business model leveraging community, industry training and support.   Becoming part of a franchise is a path many investors choose for diversification, to enhance financial freedom. But for some entrepreneurs, becoming The Franchisor is an opportunity to leverage past business success to...

Building a high-performance business requires a leader who has the desire to build something bigger, and discipline to consistently follow through with the actions that matter.   Business owners can learn a lot from athletes who have the mindset and dedication to get better at their game every single day. Even though they are superstars, they still commit to practicing their craft and hold themsel...

In corporate America, people are often forced to fit into a toxic work environment and culture, and this makes their daily experience difficult and uninspiring. As free agents, we can take that bad experience, and use it to inspire us to create a business and culture where people are happy to come to work every single day.   As business owners, we don't just have financial responsibility. We are t...

Having a network of advisors is one of the most powerful ways we can confidently navigate free agency, especially for new entrepreneurs.   There's so much value in having an infrastructure of support around you. If we want to build a business that will give us freedom we need a solid foundation, utilizing good advice from the right people.   What many people discover in their free agency journey i...

When we make the transition to Free Agent, we take on the added responsibility of leadership. Driving the business forward and making sure it thrives rests squarely on our shoulders. Every outcome, both positive and negative, can be attributed to our decisions and actions.   If we don't understand our responsibility as leaders, the culture we want will never take hold, and ultimately our businesse...

People take the leap into free agency because they love what they do, but often misunderstand the key numbers driving business. Leveraging the data and key performance indicators enables us to continue doing work we're passionate about in a financially sustainable way.   Small business owners can struggle with details like financial data and struggle to formulate a plan to direct their operations....

The people who leave corporate and become free agents understand they have power. Instead of having a corporation dictate what they can or cannot do, they choose to be the owners of their own destiny.   When you're confident and self-assured, you can lead yourself towards the right opportunities, the best mentorship, and ultimately, the achievement of your goals.   If you tap into your own confide...

Going from being a highly successful and accomplished corporate executive to a free agent isn't just a career change, it's a complete mindset shift. It's about shedding the corporate identity, seeing past the success traps of a 9 to 5, and knowing that there's something more fulfilling on the other side.   In order to successfully exit that 9 to 5 life, we have to redefine ambition so that it's on...

So many people have the potential to be free agents, but they never take the leap because it feels intimidating and overwhelming. That's because we think of making that change as a reinvention, instead of seeing it as a continuation of self-discovery, and another evolution of our individuality.   There are ways to explore free agency and explore our potential in other areas so that we're prepared...

When we make the leap from corporate into free agency, the first big decision we have to make is the kind of business we want to run. The franchise model has always been one of the best business ownership paths because there's so much support and structure available to us from day one.   We get the benefits of buying into a proven model and following a blueprint that has been used successfully by...

Free agency is a powerful vehicle for freedom and an opportunity to be more instrumental in the customer's happiness and satisfaction than we could ever be as corporate workers.   In this journey, there are two paths we can take, independent business ownership or owning a franchise. Many people gravitate to the franchise model because it's so much more collaborative. We have the support of other b...

Career transition and reinvention are no longer a rare path, they are the new normal. A confluence of factors in our world has led to career displacement or a change in what work means to us.   Whether it's the lack of job security in corporate, getting older and wanting to leave an unfulfilling job, or external factors like the pandemic, many people are choosing the path of free agency. It allows...

The volatility and uncertainty of 2020 has made insurance a bigger deal than ever before. In this environment, commercial insurance agents have become trusted advisors who help free agents operate in a turbulent and fast-changing world.   Not only are business owners contending with the insurance needed to keep their businesses going. They are also dealing with new coverage demands and the constan...

The reality of free agency is that our businesses are something we can never fully disconnect from. This is rewarding but also stressful and emotionally taxing. When we have so much responsibility and so much is required from us, the business can take over our entire lives.   There are pieces we need to put in place to make sure we're not carrying more than we can manage. We need to make sure that...

Some of the world's best entrepreneurs became free agents to escape a toxic corporate culture. It's easy to feel disposable in the corporate machine and become the victim of restructuring, downsizing and other unfavorable cost-cutting measures.    Toxic corporate culture has created the platform for people to jump into free agency and experience true impact and fulfillment. By removing the shackle...

The pandemic has affected businesses across the country in different ways that are unique to each industry and locale.  For companies that go beyond the call of a 9 to 5 business, the pandemic created more intensity and complexities to operate under. Since health services are essential in the pandemic, the day-to-day operations have had to shift. Leaders have had to focus on keeping things running...

Covid-19 has impacted every aspect of our lives, and businesses have had to adjust to new market and customer demands. While some industries came to a halt because of the pandemic, others have seen an explosion in demand.   The Antimicrobial Protection space has gone from being relatively unknown to one of the most necessary services in a covid-19 world. A fast ramp up of business in a pandemic br...

2020 has been a challenging time for entrepreneurs, but business is far from dead. Even though we've had to adapt to the virtual space and struggled with a sense of isolation from our business support structure - many businesses are thriving, seeing significant growth and an increase in their effectiveness.  My goal is to help people transition into business ownership and navigate this new world....

Taking the leap from corporate America to business ownership is an incredible journey that changed my life. Successfully making that transition isn't as simple as changing where we work, it's about actually changing who we are, and transforming from the traditional corporate persona to a mindset of business ownership.  We have to shed some of the habits we picked up in the corporate world, so we c...