State of Independence

Mark Gilbreath is CEO of LiquidSpace, a leader in hybrid and work-from-anywhere workplace transformation. In this episode, MBO Partners speaks with Mark about what productive work environments look like, why distributed work can be good for both companies and workers—whether employees or independents—and what work culture has to do with it.Mark talks about how the pandemic accelerated the shift from “the orthodoxy of presenteeism” to a “work-from-anywhere” workplace and how companies must look along a few axes of office space suitability to get the transformation right. He speaks on the suitability of the physical environment itself – beyond the binary of work and home – as well as the nature of the employee's role in the company and the nature of the work being done. He also discusses how companies that are now undertaking workplace transformation are fixated on creating great employee experiences and he talks specifically about how company culture can thrive even in non-centralized workplaces. About This Episode's GuestMark Gilbreath is CEO of LiquidSpace, a leader in hybrid and work-from-anywhere workplace transformation where workers can access an online office marketplace and enterprise leaders can access their own workplace management platform.About MBO Partners®MBO Partners is a deep jobs platform that connects and enables independent professionals and microbusiness owners to do business safely and effectively with enterprise organizations. Its unmatched experience and industry leadership enable it to operate on the forefront of the independent economy and consistently advance the next way of working. For more information, visit​ mbopartners.com. Episode hosted by Aassia Haq; produced, edited, and engineered by Leslie Jennings Rowley. With music by Brian Burrows.For more episodes, visit mbopartners.com/state-of-independence/podcast/. MBO Partners © 2021

Joseph Fuller is Professor of Management Practice at the Harvard Business School, where he oversees the Managing the Future of Work Project and focuses his research on the changing nature of work and the evolution of the C-suite. He was the founder and longtime CEO of The Monitor Group, the global strategy consulting firm, now Monitor Deloitte. In this episode, MBO Partners speaks with Professor Fuller about what, in this time of rapid change, the term “the future of work” actually means and how we can apply his learnings to workforce design and transformation. Professor Fuller also talks about what he sees as the biggest challenges facing today's CEO and organizational management and how many of those top requirements for organizational success involve changes to aspects of talent development and sourcing, including contingent work; digitalization and decentralization; diversity and inclusion; globalization and the labor supply chain. He discusses a recent BCG and HBS Future of Work study on the topic of contingent work and discuss how, in the future, more and more organizations will have needs for high-skill contingent talent for business-critical assignments – and how this is shifting the power equation in favor of the supply side of the talent equation. He also provides a look at the higher education sector and discuss the role of credentialization in talent acquisition. Citing his soon-to-be-published research, Professor Fuller talks about the ways AI is poised to improve and expand talent profile of companies in the future – a profile that will begin to also include the contingent worker to a greater degree. About This Episode's GuestJoseph Fuller is Professor of Management Practice at the Harvard Business School, where he focuses his research on the changing nature of work and the evolution of the C-suite. He was the founder and longtime CEO of The Monitor Group, the global strategy consulting firm, now Monitor Deloitte. At HBS, he oversees with Professor Bill Kerr, the Managing the Future of Work project; the pair co-hosts a podcast of the same name. Research Mentioned in This EpisodeFuller, Joseph B., Manjari Raman, Allison Bailey, and Nithya Vaduganathan. "Building the On-Demand Workforce." (pdf) White Paper, Harvard Business School and Boston Consulting Group (BCG), November 2020. Fuller, Joseph B., and Manjari Raman. "Dismissed by Degrees: How Degree Inflation Is Undermining U.S. Competitiveness and Hurting America's Middle Class." (pdf) Report, October 2017. (Published by Accenture, Grads of Life, Harvard Business School.) About MBO Partners®MBO Partners is a deep jobs platform that connects and enables independent professionals and microbusiness owners to do business safely and effectively with enterprise organizations. Its unmatched experience and industry leadership enable it to operate on the forefront of the independent economy and consistently advance the next way of working. For more information, visit​ ​mbopartners.com. Episode hosted by Aassia Haq; produced, edited, and engineered by Leslie Jennings Rowley. With music by Brian Burrows. For more episodes, visit mbopartners.com/state-of-independence/podcast/. MBO Partners © 2021

Paul Estes, the author of The Gig Mindset and currently the Chief Community Officer at Mural, is a workforce influencer thinking about how to keep the human at the center of the SaaS industry. In this episode, MBO Partners speaks with Paul about how workers and organizations are transforming themselves using gig economy strategies, as well as how organizations can harness the power of their own communities of on-demand experts to help create customer-centric solutions. Paul talks about his book The Gig Mindset and the TIDE concept of taskifying, identifying, delegating, and evolving to power an independent career. He also talks about his own transition from independent work back to joining the creative SaaS company Mural as its first Chief Community Officer. He talks about the connection between a software-driven economy and the need for in-demand experts. He also touches on outcome-driven work, the companies that do that well, and approaches that both enterprises and independents can take to optimize work. About This Episode's GuestPaul Estes is an unstoppable advocate for the talent economy, dedicated to creating opportunity for everyone through a thoughtful marriage of technology and human talent. He has held leadership roles at Dell, Amazon, and Microsoft, where he led a team of progressive HR, procurement, and legal trailblazers to launch Microsoft's Gig Economy freelance program. Still keeping an active “gig mindset” of his own, he has recently joined Mural as its Chief Community Officer. He is the author of The Gig Mindset.About MBO Partners® MBO Partners is a deep jobs platform that connects and enables independent professionals and microbusiness owners to do business safely and effectively with enterprise organizations. Its unmatched experience and industry leadership enable it to operate on the forefront of the independent economy and consistently advance the next way of working. For more information, visit​ mbopartners.com. Episode hosted by Aassia Haq; produced, edited, and engineered by Leslie Jennings Rowley. With music by Brian Burrows. For more episodes, visit mbopartners.com/state-of-independence/podcast/. MBO Partners © 2021

Sharon Kan is the co-founder and CEO of Pepperlane, the organization helping mothers turn their skills and ideas into businesses that fit into their lives. She's also a serial entrepreneur whose startups have been acquired by Oracle, Microsoft, and Barnes and Noble. In this episode MBO Partners speaks with Sharon about how she is shaking up the patriarchal system of work and supporting a 20-million strong market of talented moms that has the power to reshape the small business economy.Sharon talks about how denying our full identities at work—leaving the motherhood label at the door—adversely affected economic output even before the “She-cession” brought about by COVID-19 put many women out of work. She notes, however, how the current situation has also sparked great creativity among entrepreneurial mothers. She discusses how most professional gender gaps are motherhood gaps and the role that independent work plays in closing them. She also talks about the ways that organizations looking to educate and support new sectors of talent can work together to close entrepreneurial knowledge gaps and how a few pointed policies could aid working mothers and society as a whole.About This Episode's GuestSharon Kan is co-founder and CEO of Pepperlane, the organization helping mothers turn their skills and ideas into businesses that fit into their lives. She's also a serial entrepreneur whose startups have been acquired by Oracle, Microsoft, Infor and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, she co-founded WIN, the Women Innovating Now Lab at Babson College to help female entrepreneurs start their businesses. About MBO Partners®MBO Partners is a deep jobs platform that connects and enables independent professionals and microbusiness owners to do business safely and effectively with enterprise organizations. Its unmatched experience and industry leadership enable it to operate on the forefront of the independent economy and consistently advance the next way of working. For more information, visit​ mbopartners.com. Episode hosted by Aassia Haq; produced, edited, and engineered by Leslie Jennings Rowley. With music by Brian Burrows. For more episodes, visit mbopartners.com/state-of-independence/podcast/. MBO Partners © 2021

Liz Elam is the founder of the Global Coworking Unconference Community—GCUC—the largest coworking conference provider in the world. She's also a consultant and a leader in the flexible work space, studying both the design and the structure of the industry. In addition, Liz is a card-carrying futurist and popular coworking podcast host. In this episode, MBO Partners speaks with Liz about the roots of the coworking trend and why coworking and community are so important for the health and well-being of the future workforce. Liz talks about how COVID-19 has accelerated the discussion about flexible work environments but has also potentially endangered workers through the isolation brought on by work-at-home arrangements. She also speaks from the lens of a futurist about what the workplace of 2045 might look like and how individuals and companies can make today's workplace work as well. She discusses the ways that coworking spaces can benefit workers in all stages and configurations of work and how companies should be looking toward coworking spaces as strategic aids in managing the needs of both their employees and independent workers.About This Episode's GuestLiz Elam is the founder of the Global Coworking Unconference Community—GCUC—the largest coworking conference provider in the world. She's also a consultant and a leader in the flexible work space, studying both the design and the structure of the industry. She also hosts the GCUC coworking podcast. About MBO Partners®MBO Partners is a deep jobs platform that connects and enables independent professionals and microbusiness owners to do business safely and effectively with enterprise organizations. Its unmatched experience and industry leadership enable it to operate on the forefront of the independent economy and consistently advance the next way of working. For more information, visit​ mbopartners.com. Episode hosted by Aassia Haq; produced, edited, and engineered by Leslie Jennings Rowley. With music by Brian Burrows. For more episodes, visit mbopartners.com/state-of-independence/podcast/. MBO Partners © 2021

Diane Mulcahy, independent consultant and advisor to Fortune 500 and startup company clients on the future of work, created the first MBA course in the country on the Gig Economy and used it to inform her best-selling book of the same name. In this epsidoe, MBO Partners, speaks with Diane about how the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the Gig Economy and how the experience of the last year has both emphasized the benefits of a strong independent work economy and highlighted the need for improved labor policy. Diane talks about how gig work de-risks economic shocks for both the independent worker and the enterprises looking to be nimble in today's economy. She touches on how the last year has shaped our notions about flexibility and what a new digital nomadism might look like. She also speaks about how policies that helped protect independent workers during the pandemic can now set the stage for the extension of other protections that will further strengthen the independent economy. About This Episode's GuestDiane Mulcahy is a sought-after expert on the future of work and the gig economy. She also works independently as a consultant and advisor to Fortune 500 and startup company clients, and as a speaker, writer, and adjunct professor at Babson College, where she launched the first MBA course on the Gig Economy. The book that sprang from that course, The Gig Economy: The Complete Guide to Getting Better Work, Taking More Time Off, and Financing the Life You Want, is an Amazon best-seller and has been translated into five languages. In addition to her work in the Gig Economy, Diane has been a professional investor for the past 15 years. She is an Advisor to the Kauffman Foundation, where she manages the private equity and venture capital portfolio. About MBO Partners®MBO Partners is a deep jobs platform that connects and enables independent professionals and microbusiness owners to do business safely and effectively with enterprise organizations. Its unmatched experience and industry leadership enable it to operate on the forefront of the independent economy and consistently advance the next way of working. For more information, visit​ mbopartners.com.Episode hosted by Aassia Haq; produced, edited, and engineered by Leslie Jennings Rowley. With music by Brian Burrows. For more episodes, visit mbopartners.com/state-of-independence/podcast/. MBO Partners © 2021

Joe Mullings is founder, chairman, and CEO of The Mullings Group, the world's leading search firm in medtech, healthtech and the life sciences, as well as the founder of a number of other companies, including a production company and a start-up incubator. In this episode, MBO Partners speaks with Joe about his ideas about how the future of technology is already impacting the future of work and the future of search and how workers need to be in control of their own career and personal brand to stay competitive.Joe talks about how independent professionals have become a critical and in-demand part of the talent ecosystem due to the acceleration of the specialization of skills in specific verticals and industries and the convergence of technologies around service- and platform-based work. He speaks about how the expectation that learning is complete at the end of college is shortsighted for those launching a career and how a lifelong reskilling mindset is required for any worker today. He also talk about the need for talent to develop their subject matter expertise into thought leadership to the point of becoming a voice in their industry, using himself as an example of someone who has used the lessons of social media marketing to stake that claim in his own industry space.About This Episode's GuestJoe Mullings is founder, chairman, and CEO of The Mullings Group, the world's leading search firm in medtech, healthtech and the life sciences, as well as the founder of a number of other companies, including a production company and a start-up incubator. He is also the creator of TrueFuture TVand the TrueFuture docu-series, that takes audiences on a global search for incredible technology, interesting people, beautiful places and rich cultures.About MBO Partners®MBO Partners is a deep jobs platform that connects and enables independent professionals and microbusiness owners to do business safely and effectively with enterprise organizations. Its unmatched experience and industry leadership enable it to operate on the forefront of the independent economy and consistently advance the next way of working. For more information, visit​ mbopartners.com. Episode hosted by Aassia Haq; produced, edited, and engineered by Leslie Jennings Rowley. With music by Brian Burrows. For more episodes, visit mbopartners.com/state-of-independence/podcast/.MBO Partners © 2021

Keaton Swett is the CEO and co-founder of the open innovation platform MindSumo and vice president of product at MBO Partners. In this episode, the State of Independence podcast focuses on Keaton's last decade of experience building and growing MindSumo, MBO's acquisition of the open innovation platform, and what it means for expanding the reach of crowdsourcing to both enterprise organizations and independent businesses of one. Keaton talks about the typical Bay Area startup story that launched MindSumo, and how he and his team grew the platform to include massive pool of Millenial and Gen Z talent and some of the world's biggest brands. He talks about the value the platform has provided to companies beyond idea generation and into talent acquisition, as well as the benefits to talented thinkers all over the world who have connected with those enterprises. He also talks about the next phase of MindSumo's evolution within MBO, providing leverage to the strong independent talent network within MBO's platform to help create more value for the enterprise clients they serve. About This Episode's GuestKeaton Swett is the CEO and co-founder of the open innovation platform MindSumo. Upon the company's acquisition by MBO Partners in 2020, Keaton retained those roles and became MBO's vice president of product. Keaton graduated from Johns Hopkins University, where he studied business and history. He previously worked in Oracle Corporation's analyst relations and PR divisions.About MBO Partners®MBO Partners is a deep jobs platform that connects and enables independent professionals and microbusiness owners to do business safely and effectively with enterprise organizations. Its unmatched experience and industry leadership enable it to operate on the forefront of the independent economy and consistently advance the next way of working. For more information, visit​ mbopartners.com. Episode hosted by Aassia Haq; produced, edited, and engineered by Leslie Jennings Rowley. With music by Brian Burrows MBO Partners © 2021

Connie Steele is the principal of Flywheel Associates and host of the Strategic Momentum podcast. In this episode, MBO Partners speaks with Connie about her insights from her own independent consulting career and the thesis from her new book, Building the Business of You, on how all workers today must tap into their own strengths to build and curate a "mashup" career. Connie talks about the power of approaching one's career from the seat of a CEO, constantly looking at the shifting landscape and adjusting one's strategic plan. She touches on how networking, not only with close contacts or when looking for the next job, is an important component of career success. She also about the need for enterprise organizations to respond to the uncertain future by harnessing the best talent-- “Tiger teams”--wherever and however they appear. She shares why she thinks organizations must design to a future workforce will include a higher number of freelance and independent contributors, by design. About This Episode's GuestConnie Steele is principal of Flywheel Associates, a strategy consultancy that works with businesses to create the necessary momentum to lead to sustained success. She is also the host of the Strategic Momentum podcast and author of Building the Business of You. For all her media channels, she draws from insights spent leading marketing initiatives for major technology players such as AOL and Network Solutions, as well as her decades in leading her own successful firm. About MBO Partners®MBO Partners is a deep jobs platform that connects and enables independent professionals and microbusiness owners to do business safely and effectively with enterprise organizations. Its unmatched experience and industry leadership enable it to operate on the forefront of the independent economy and consistently advance the next way of working. For more information, visit​ mbopartners.com. Episode hosted by Aassia Haq; produced, edited, and engineered by Leslie Jennings Rowley. With music by Brian BurrowsMBO Partners © 2021

Balaji Bondili is head of Deloitte Pixel, a business within the global consulting firm that helps clients tap into the power of external crowds to deliver improved outcomes. In this episode, MBO Partners talks with Balaji about his ideas for the future of crowdsourcing, his views on the open talent economy, and his ideas for how to help companies be more open to using independent professionals and gig workers to meet business needs. Balaji talks about how, after years as an international consultant he realized he wanted to make his own product. Instead of becoming a carpenter—which had been an option—he stayed within Deloitte as an intrapreneur to help build a new way of contributing to client outcomes through the power of the global crowd. He speaks about using independent workers as not only a source of great ideas but as a risk mitigation strategy and about how the supply side and the demand side of the open talent market can and must do better to improve opportunity for billions of people on the planet. About This Episode's GuestBalaji Bondili is head of Deloitte Pixel, a business within a global consulting firm that helps clients tap into the power of external crowds to deliver improved outcomes in market research, prototype design, and data analytics. He has decades of experience helping global companies entering emerging markets, particularly working within the global healthcare sector. To learn more about his success developing and launching Pixel into an incubation hub within Deloitte, see the Harvard Business Review case study, “Deloitte's Pixel (A): Consulting with Open Talent.” About MBO Partners®MBO Partners is a deep jobs platform that connects and enables independent professionals and microbusiness owners to do business safely and effectively with enterprise organizations. Its unmatched experience and industry leadership enable it to operate on the forefront of the independent economy and consistently advance the next way of working. For more information, visit​ mbopartners.com. Episode hosted by Aassia Haq; produced, edited, and engineered by Leslie Jennings Rowley. With music by Brian BurrowsMBO Partners © 2021

Frida Polli is CEO & Co-founder of pymetrics, the talent matching platform based on behavioral science and ethical AI. In this episode, MBO Partners talks with Frida about her experiences as a female founder to her application of years in neuroscience research for an AI-driven future of work platform that increases organizational diversity. Frida talks about how, after ten years in academic neuroscience at Harvard and MIT, she was yearning to apply all the advances in what has been uncovered about human behavior to make headway on actual human decision-making challenges. She founded pymetrics to apply these cognitive science insights to hiring, mobility, and reskilling. She also speaks about the need for algorithmic tools in this space to be designed ethically, specifically in terms of being designed to eliminate disparate impact, or yielding outcomes with gender or ethnic bias. She talks about the impact of algorithms in assessing hard and soft skills and matching jobs to people, particularly independent professionals. About This Episode's GuestFrida Polli is CEO & Co-founder of pymetrics, the talent matching platform based on behavioral science and ethical AI. Prior to becoming a tech entrepreneur, she was a neuroscience researcher who pursued pre-doctoral training at Harvard Medical School and a post-doctoral fellowship at MIT. With global clients including BCG, Kraft Heinz and McDonald's, pymetrics has matched hundreds of thousands of people with their ideal jobs, while removing bias from the process. Frida is a thought leader on the future of ethical AI and HR technology. She regularly speaks at events such as the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, CogX, MAKERS, Collision Conference, Dreamforce, TechCrunch Disrupt, WebSummit, SXSW, and MIT EmTech Digital. Her publications include two dozen scientific articles in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Brain, and Journal of Neuroscience, and popular press articles in HBR and FastCompany. She has appeared on lists including Inc's Female Founders 100, Entrepreneur's 100 Powerful Women, Fortune's Most Powerful Women NextGen, and HRE's Top 100 HR Tech Influencers.About MBO Partners®MBO Partners is a deep jobs platform that connects and enables independent professionals and microbusiness owners to do business safely and effectively with enterprise organizations. Its unmatched experience and industry leadership enable it to operate on the forefront of the independent economy and consistently advance the next way of working. For more information, visit​ mbopartners.com.Episode hosted by Aassia Haq; produced, edited, and engineered by Leslie Jennings Rowley. With music by Brian BurrowsMBO Partners © 2021

Soraya Darabi is Founder & General Partner of TMV, an early-stage venture firm that invests in “purposeful startups reimagining the future,” including design-driven technologies and companies thinking about the future of work. In this episode, MBO Partners talks to Soraya about her life as an investor in this space but also about her own journey as a female founder, a number of times over, and what she sees as the trends worth watching in independent work and beyond.Soraya talks about her experience being a female founder (her first company Foodspotting was sold to Open Table and later Priceline) and how she saw a need for a playbook to level the playing field for “non-obvious entrepreneurs” like herself and why she founded TMV to help fill that gap. She also talks about her prescient 2007 comment that “social media founder and their platforms will be more powerful than the President of the United States” and how that insight sprang from her early experience partnering with social media companies on behalf of traditional media industries. She goes on to talk about how corporate players and startups can partner to disrupt the status quo and closes by discussing the critical role and power of platforms, content, and community in creating transformative change for the 1099 workforce and how to design an inclusive, hopeful future of work in a world increasingly impacted by AI. About This Episode's GuestSoraya Darabi is Founder & General Partner of TMV, an early-stage venture firm that invests in “purposeful startups reimagining the future.” Soraya began her career as the first manager of digital partnerships and social media at The New York Times, where she positioned the global news leader on social networks such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, partnered with startups large and small, and established award-winning campaigns. She went on to co-found the application Foodspotting, named by Apple and Wired Magazine as an “App of the Year,” later acquired by OpenTable, then Priceline. She is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and is the host of Business Schooled - a Podcast by Synchrony, for which she travels the United States interviewing persevering founders who have made it past their startup days. About MBO Partners®MBO Partners is a deep jobs platform that connects and enables independent professionals and microbusiness owners to do business safely and effectively with enterprise organizations. Its unmatched experience and industry leadership enable it to operate on the forefront of the independent economy and consistently advance the next way of working. For more information, visit​ mbopartners.com.Episode hosted by Aassia Haq; produced, edited, and engineered by Leslie Jennings Rowley. With music by Brian BurrowsMBO Partners © 2021

The “Voices of Independents” series highlights the experiences and insights from a variety of independent professionals who have founded businesses of one. In this episode, Jennifer Lemmert, Employer Branding and Communications Strategist speaks about the impetus for her launching her own strategy consulting firm and the need she sees for us to support female business owners. She also discusses the article she has written for the inaugural issue of MBO's new Advantage Consulting Quarterly magazine. Read Jennifer's Advantage Consulting Quarterly article: Confronting the Great She-Cession: Four Strategies for Keeping Women in the WorkforceAbout This Episode's GuestJennifer Lemmert, Employer Branding and Communications Strategist, is a member of the MBO Advantage program, MBO Partners' exclusive membership program that that helps successful independent practice owners scale their business success and build a powerful network. You can find more about Jennifer by viewing his profile on the MBO Advantage “meet the members” page. About MBO Partners®MBO Partners is a deep jobs platform that connects and enables independent professionals and microbusiness owners to do business safely and effectively with enterprise organizations. Its unmatched experience and industry leadership enable it to operate on the forefront of the independent economy and consistently advance the next way of working. For more information, visit​ mbopartners.com. Episode hosted by Aassia Haq; produced, edited, and engineered by Leslie Jennings Rowley. With music by Brian Burrows MBO Partners © 2021

The “Voices of Independents” series highlights the experiences and insights from a variety of independent professionals who have founded businesses of one. In this episode, Wade Forbes, corporate artist and founder of RedTale Communications, LLC, speaks about his path from a career in cybersecurity and consulting for the Department of Defense to creating a business around his skills and passion for connecting with people through a more visual medium. He also talks about his contribution to the inaugural issue of MBO's Advantage Consultant Quarterlymagazine.Read Wade's Advantage Consulting Quarterly article: Lockdown Lessons from a Career Consultant: How A Lot of Little Things Can Add Up to Something GreatAbout This Episode's GuestWade Forbes, corporate artist and founder of RedTale Communications, LLC, is a member of the MBO Advantage program, MBO Partners' exclusive membership program that that helps successful independent practice owners scale their business success and build a powerful network. You can find more about Wade by viewing his profile on the MBO Advantage “meet the members” page. About MBO Partners®MBO Partners is a deep jobs platform that connects and enables independent professionals and microbusiness owners to do business safely and effectively with enterprise organizations. Its unmatched experience and industry leadership enable it to operate on the forefront of the independent economy and consistently advance the next way of working. For more information, visit​ mbopartners.com. Episode hosted by Aassia Haq; produced, edited, and engineered by Leslie Jennings Rowley. With music by Brian Burrows.MBO Partners © 2021

The “Voices of Independents” series highlights the experiences and insights from a variety of independent professionals who have founded businesses of one. In this episode, Beth Hughes, change architect and founder of Bay Redwood Consulting speaks about her ideas for building resiliency into a business, whether in a corporate or not-for-profit setting. She also discusses the article she has written for the inaugural issue of MBO's new Advantage Consulting Quarterly magazine. Read Beth's Advantage Consulting Quarterly article: Business Inspiration from Stories of Nonprofit ResilienceAbout This Episode's GuestBeth Hughes, change architect and founder of Bay Redwood Consulting, is a member of the MBO Advantage program, MBO Partners' exclusive membership program that that helps successful independent practice owners scale their business success and build a powerful network. You can find more about Beth by viewing her profile on the MBO Advantage “meet the members” page. About MBO Partners®MBO Partners is a deep jobs platform that connects and enables independent professionals and microbusiness owners to do business safely and effectively with enterprise organizations. Its unmatched experience and industry leadership enable it to operate on the forefront of the independent economy and consistently advance the next way of working. For more information, visit​ mbopartners.com. Episode hosted by Aassia Haq; produced, edited, and engineered by Leslie Jennings Rowley. With music by Brian Burrows.MBO Partners © 2021

The “Voices of Independents” series highlights the experiences and insights from a variety of independent professionals who have founded businesses of one. In this episode, Rodney Mann, independent management consultant and founder of Steeplechase Advisory Group speaks about how Rodney parlayed his deep industry experience into a successful independent consulting career and why he has chosen this path. He also discusses the article he has written for the inaugural issue of MBO's new Advantage Consulting Quarterly magazine. Read Rodney's Advantage Consulting Quarterly article: On Strategic Planning Post Pandemic: How Do You Plan for an Unknown Future?About This Episode's GuestRodney Mann, Management Consultant and founder of Steeplechase Advisory Group, is a member of the MBO Advantage program, MBO Partners' exclusive membership program that that helps successful independent practice owners scale their business success and build a powerful network. You can find more about Rodney by viewing his profile on the MBO Advantage “meet the members” page.About MBO Partners®MBO Partners is a deep jobs platform that connects and enables independent professionals and microbusiness owners to do business safely and effectively with enterprise organizations. Its unmatched experience and industry leadership enable it to operate on the forefront of the independent economy and consistently advance the next way of working. For more information, visit​ mbopartners.com.Episode hosted by Aassia Haq; produced, edited, and engineered by Leslie Jennings Rowley. With music by Brian Burrows.MBO Partners © 2021

The “Voices of Independents” series highlights the experiences and insights from a variety of independent professionals who have founded businesses of one. In this episode, Peter Walzer, management consultant, project turnaround specialist, and founder of Blue Globe Group, Inc. talks about his ideas about adapting to change, embracing uncertainty, and the need for what he calls “resurrection leadership.” He also discusses the article he has written on this topic for the inaugural issue of MBO's new Advantage Consulting Quarterly magazine. Read Peter's Advantage Consulting Quarterly article: Resurrection Leadership: A Different Kind of Leadership Skill-SetAbout This Episode's GuestPeter Walzer, management consultant, project turnaround specialist, and founder of Blue Globe Group, Inc., is a member of the MBO Advantage program, MBO Partners' exclusive membership program that that helps successful independent practice owners scale their business success and build a powerful network. You can find more about Rodney by viewing his profile on the MBO Advantage “meet the members” page. About MBO Partners® MBO Partners is a deep jobs platform that connects and enables independent professionals and microbusiness owners to do business safely and effectively with enterprise organizations. Its unmatched experience and industry leadership enable it to operate on the forefront of the independent economy and consistently advance the next way of working. For more information, visit​ mbopartners.com. Episode hosted by Aassia Haq; produced, edited, and engineered by Leslie Jennings Rowley. With music by Brian Burrows.MBO Partners © 2021

Arun Sundararajan, New York University professor and author of The Sharing Economy, studies the future of capitalism, and is an expert on how platform business models are transforming society. In this episode, MBO Partners talks to Arun about how the leaders in digital work-related platforms will definite templates for how economic activity will be conducted in the 21st century.Arun speaks about how the byproduct of the platformization of the world and the emergence of the sharing economy has been the growing fraction of people who have an attractive alternative to taking a full time job with a company and how this allows millions of small business owners and independent workers to get access to opportunity that they otherwise wouldn't have had. He talks about the emergence of a more border-fluid landscape for capital creation and what that means for individual workers and how platforms and government in tandem need to make sure that checks remain in place to stave further income inequality. He also speaks about the necessary shift in focusing workforce development education on mid-career education and how we need to equip workers to react opportunistically to the inevitable shifts in opportunities in the work force. He ends by discussing how the administration needs to think about supporting workforce change without reliance on traditional employment models as the only solution and the need for an individual, government and platform partnership.The conversation highlights some of the insights in the 2020 State of Independence in America report. Now in its tenth year of publication, the report takes a data-driven approach to understanding the growth of opportunities for both the independent professional and the enterprise organizations looking to hire them. Future episodes of this podcast will provide further insights on the report's findings. About This Episode's GuestArun Sundararajan is the Harold Price Professor of Entrepreneurship and Professor of Technology, Operations and Statistics at NYU Stern School of Business. A future of work expert, he is the author of the book The Sharing Economy: The End of Employment and the Rise of Crowd-Based Capitalism. His current research focus is on the future of capitalism, artificial intelligence and platform-enabled change, antitrust policy in tech, and the digital future of work. He has been a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Councils on Technology, Values and Policy and the New Economic Agenda. He works with tech companies on issues of strategy, litigation and regulation, and with non-tech companies trying to understand how to forecast and address changes induced by digital technologies. About MBO Partners®MBO Partners is a deep jobs platform that connects and enables independent professionals and microbusiness owners to do business safely and effectively with enterprise organizations. Its unmatched experience and industry leadership enable it to operate on the forefront of the independent economy and consistently advance the next way of working. For more information, visit​ mbopartners.com.Episode hosted by Aassia Haq; produced, edited, and engineered by Leslie Jennings Rowley. With music by Brian Burrows.MBO Partners © 2021

Jeff Wald, founder of WorkMarket and author of The End of Jobs: The Rise of On-Demand Workers and Agile Corporations provides a data-driven approach to the future of work, namely through building enterprise software to provide organization to the chaos of HR details. He is now putting his mind toward the building of a skills taxonomy that could both drive organizational strategy and open up opportunity for the independent workforce. MBO Partners talks to Jeff about this need for a robust skills taxonomy within and across companies, the flux of supply and demand today, and what we still need to talk about collectively to realize our desired future of work.Jeff speaks about how technology not only helps to bring organization to HR chaos and de-risk human talent management, but also provides opportunities to independent workers. He also talks about the decline in government and company safety nets and how regulatory measures are still needed to improve the future of work. As he sees that slow to happen, he talks about how informal worker collective efforts and the development of a robust skills taxonomy may be what's needed to move the needle.The conversation highlights some of the insights in the 2020 State of Independence in America report. Now in its tenth year of publication, the report takes a data-driven approach to understanding the growth of opportunities for both the independent professional and the enterprise organizations looking to hire them. Future episodes of this podcast will provide further insights on the report's findings.About This Episode's Guest Jeff Wald is the founder of WorkMarket, an enterprise software platform that enables companies to efficiently and compliantly, organize, manage and pay freelancers (purchased by ADP). Jeff has founded several other technology companies, including Spinback, a social sharing platform (eventually purchased by salesforce.com). Jeff began his career in finance, serving as a Managing Director at activist hedge fund Barington Capital Group, a Vice President at Israeli venture firm GlenRock and various roles in the M&A Group at JP Morgan. He is an active angel investor and startup advisor, as well as serving on numerous public and private Boards of Directors. Jeff holds an MBA from Harvard University and an MS and BS from Cornell University. Jeff is the author of The End of Jobs: The Rise of On-Demand Workers and Agile Corporations.About MBO Partners® MBO Partners is a deep jobs platform that connects and enables independent professionals and microbusiness owners to do business safely and effectively with enterprise organizations. Its unmatched experience and industry leadership enable it to operate on the forefront of the independent economy and consistently advance the next way of working. For more information, visit​ mbopartners.com. Episode hosted by Aassia Haq; produced, edited, and engineered by Leslie Jennings Rowley. With music by Brian Burrows.MBO Partners © 2021

In this episode, MBO Partners Chief Executive Officer Miles Everson speaks about how a more flexible, open-source view of human capital is key idea in the new economy, the need for enterprise organizations to develop a strategy for utilizing independent workers, how the pandemic has shifted the playing field, and how today's worker—perhaps looking to become a solo entrepreneur—can ready themselves to start and finish the work at hand. Miles talks about his pre-MBO days as a consultant and how that informs his views of today's independent economy. Miles also speaks about the “four forces” that are at play in today's economy—the accelerating rate of change, deflationary progress, knowledge flows, and the fractionalization of everything. He goes in-depth about how leaders should take note of converging advances in technology to change their businesses. He also discusses how reducing friction in the relationships between independent professionals and the organizations that want to work with them is key to the success of both sides and how platform organizations are driving this.The conversation highlights some of the insights in the 2020 State of Independence in America report. Now in its tenth year of publication, the report takes a data-driven approach to understanding the growth of opportunities for both the independent professional and the enterprise organizations looking to hire them. Future episodes of this podcast will provide further insights on the report's findings. About This Episode's Guest Miles Everson is MBO Partners' Chief Executive Officer. As a practicing consultant for decades, Miles has worked with many of the world's largest and most prominent organizations, specializing in executive management. He helps companies balance growth, reduce risk, maximize return, and excel in strategic business priorities. Before joining MBO, Everson had a rich career with PwC, beginning in the firm's Assurance practice, moving to leadership roles within Advisory/Consulting in both Canada and the U.S., eventually becoming the U.S. Advisory/Consulting Vice Chairman and finally stepping into the role of Asia Pacific Americas Advisory and Consulting Leader to help globalize the Advisory/Consulting practice. He is a sought-after public speaker and contributor and has been a case study for success from Harvard Business School.Mentioned in this episodeAndreessen Horowitz's ‘Deep' Job Platforms and How to Build Them by D'Arcy Coolican and Jeff JordanBessemer Venture Partners' Roadmap: Enabling Entrepreneurship by Talia Goldberg, Sakib Dadi, and Lindsey Li About MBO Partners®MBO Partners is a deep jobs platform that connects and enables independent professionals and microbusiness owners to do business safely and effectively with enterprise organizations. Its unmatched experience and industry leadership enable it to operate on the forefront of the independent economy and consistently advance the next way of working. For more information, visit​ mbopartners.com.Episode hosted by Aassia Haq; produced, edited, and engineered by Leslie Jennings Rowley. With music by Brian Burrows.MBO Partners © 2021

In this episode, MBO Partners' Founder and Executive Chairman Gene Zaino shares MBO's origin story, what impact the landmark State of Independence report had on the future of work, and what he sees as the challenges and benefits of this important sector of the economy going forward. Gene walks through the choices in early adulthood that led to his entrepreneurial career and how he buttressed those experiences with education and a stint in an enterprise consulting firm that taught him what the client side of the industry needed.Gene also shares his insights about the what the future of independent economy looks like—how the knowledge worker will productize their intellectual property in the “maker economy” and how all future workers will need to be set up as an independent entity with an “Iron Man” suit providing the tools to adapt to changing landscapes.He also discusses how reducing friction in the relationships between independent professionals and the organizations that want to work with them will require not only regulation but also a deeper understanding of the rewards that each side of the industry stand to gain in terms of agility and flexibility. The conversation highlights some of the insights in the 2020 State of Independence in America report. Now in its tenth year of publication, the report takes a data-driven approach to understanding the growth of opportunities for both the independent professional and the enterprise organizations looking to hire them. Future episodes of this podcast will provide further insights on the report's findings. About This Episode's GuestGene Zaino is MBO Partners' Founder and Executive Chairman. An avid entrepreneur and nationally recognized expert in the next way of working, Gene launched MBO Partners to reinvent the way independent consultants and organizations work together. He's a passionate advocate for the independent workforce movement, and is committed to developing the best practices and engagement tools that support workplace independence. In addition to being a member of the Staffing Industry Analyst's "Hall of Fame,” Gene has been on all five Staffing Industry 100 lists, is an in-demand speaker, and has appeared on CNN and CNBC, as well as in Forbes, Harvard Business Review, and The Wall Street Journal. Mentioned in this episode: The End of Jobs: The Rise of On-Demand Workers and Agile Corporations by Jeff Wald. About MBO Partners®MBO Partners is a deep jobs platform that connects and enables independent professionals and microbusiness owners to do business safely and effectively with enterprise organizations. Its unmatched experience and industry leadership enable it to operate on the forefront of the independent economy and consistently advance the next way of working. For more information, visit​ mbopartners.com.Episode hosted by Aassia Haq; produced, edited, and engineered by Leslie Jennings Rowley. With music by Brian Burrows.MBO Partners © 2020

On the first episode of MBO Partners' new podcast, future of work expert Steve King, of Emergent Research, speaks about the genesis of the State of Independence in America report and the highlights in the tenth anniversary edition in 2020. The pair talk about the growing independent sector and the generational shifts over the decade, particularly how Millennial and Gen Z workers are flocking to independent work. They talk about trends related to remote workers, Digital Nomads, and solopreneurs and discuss the various motivations for workers to be drawn to the independent work sector and both the challenges and the health and wellbeing benefits that they find there.They discuss, also, how organizations stand to benefit from a more strategic use of independent workers in an era when flexibility and agility will be key to business success. They examine platform economies and the need for both individual workers and organizations will need to think carefully about strategic partnerships and collaboration. In speaking about policy-related issues, such as the bifurcated economy we are seeing in which middle-wage jobs are getting squeezed out, they suggest ways that both low-wage workers and high-wage, highly skilled workers stand to benefit from the growing opportunities of independent work.This is the first conversation in a podcast series that will highlight the insights in the 2020 State of Independence in America report. Now in its tenth year of publication, the report takes a data-driven approach to understanding the growth of opportunities for both the independent professional and the enterprise organizations looking to hire them. Future episodes of this podcast will provide further insights on many of the key themes surrounding the growth of the sector and share implications for the future of work and overall workforce transformation.About This Episode's GuestSteve King is a partner at Emergent Research, a research and consulting firm focused on the most dynamic sector of the global economy—small businesses. Steve's current research and consulting is focused on the future of work, the rise of the independent workforce and the impact of Big Data on small businesses. Steve has extensive consulting, marketing and general management experience with both large companies and startups. He has served as vice president of Corporate Marketing for Macromedia, vice president and general manager of Asia Pacific for Lotus Development Corporation and vice president of marketing for Isys Corporation. Find Steve at emergentresearch.com. About MBO Partners®MBO Partners is a deep jobs platform that connects and enables independent professionals and microbusiness owners to do business safely and effectively with enterprise organizations. Its unmatched experience and industry leadership enable it to operate on the forefront of the independent economy and consistently advance the next way of working. For more information, visit mbopartners.com.Episode hosted by Aassia Haq; produced and edited by Leslie Jennings Rowley; sound engineered by Bethany Sands. With music by Brian BurrowsMBO Partners © 2020

It is no secret that the independent workforce plays a critical role in today's economy. It's transformed how people think about their career. It's transformed how organizations engage with workers to get projects done. But what do you need to know to be able to take advantage of this opportunity? For more than a decade, experts from MBO Partners have studied the trends shaping the way we work and have helped empower both independent professionals and the enterprise organizations that gain to benefit from their talents. Now, in State of Independence, MBO experts share their insights on how both sides of the independent economy can prosper —highlighting the growth, motivations, and desires of this increasingly in-demand segment of the American workforce.Each episode will feature leading voices in the independent economy as they share today's need-to-know insights. Guests will not only explore the latest independent workforce trends, but also provide nuts-and-bolts tips for both the independent professional and the enterprise organizations looking to engage them. Whether focusing on marketing, growing, and managing a small business or on sourcing and workforce management best practices, these tips will help both sides of the economy work smarter and better…together.We are excited to bring you: State of Independence, starting December 2020 to launch with the publication of the 10th annual State of Independence Report.Subscribe now wherever you access your podcasts or find out more at mbopartners.com.About MBO Partners® MBO Partners is a deep jobs platform that connects and enables independent professionals and microbusiness owners to do business safely and effectively with enterprise organizations. Its unmatched experience and industry leadership enable it to operate on the forefront of the independent economy and consistently advance the next way of working.