Another day, another rumor heard through the grapevine. One of the more interesting aspects of freelancing is being one of the first to hear the latest gossip almost as soon as it happens. When bouncing from shop to shop you can't help but pick up on information that is definitely not for public consumption. Some people say gossip and rumors should be reserved for the 7th grade girl's locker room. I say different. I say that these rumors highlight why there will always be a need for freelancers.
Sure it seems like most of what is being passed along is just trivial fluff. Things like "Did you hear that so-in-so is sleeping with what's-her-face?", or "Guess who's pregnant?". On the other hand, some of the rumors will clearly affect the entire industry. Things like "Did you hear that a giant conglomerate just bought our agency?" But over the years I have come to the conclusion that almost every rumor can become a potential opportunity for a freelancer. Especially when 90% of the "rumors" turn out to be factual.
Allow me to explain. I'll list out a bunch of fictitious rumors, and translate them into what I perceive as a potential freelance opportunity.
1) "So-in-so is cheating on her husband with What's-his-face." translates into "Someone's about to get fired, shot or castrated so stand by for a phone call after the shit hits the fan."
2) "Guess who's pregnant?" translates into "If there is a God then I'll be able to wrangle a sweet 6 to 10 week gig - maybe more if "Preggers" decides to become a stay-at-home mom!"
3) "Can you believe how much money What's-her-face is spending on her destination wedding?" translates into "Hey, that 2 week wedding cruise might turn into a 3 week gig for me if the caterer leaves the chipotle mayo dip in the sun too long! Bon voyage!"
4) "Man you should see how drunk What's-her-name gets at all the company parties!" translates into "If she keeps that up I'll be looking at covering 3 to 7 days for detox and then another 6 weeks for rehab! I'll drink to that!"
5) "Did you hear that What's-his-nuts got stung by a bee, and ended up in the hospital for a week and a half!" translates into "Google search: African Killer Bee hive sales and service".
6) "We just lost a big client to Agency X?" translates into "I've never heard of Agency X, but I'll bet the farm that they underbid you and oversold themselves. They'll be looking for cut-rate freelancers, but will have to pay the going rate in this market. In the end they'll end up losing money on the deal, but I'll just keep that little tidbit to myself for the time being."
7) "We might be having a big meeting with the client on Wednesday afternoon." translates into "Plan on staying late Tuesday night, but don't bother making lunch on Wednesday."
8) "Did you hear that the Creative Director who was famous for treating others with contempt and disrespect was just fired?" translates into "As soon as that asshat realizes no one will hire him he'll resort to competing for freelance work. Not that it will be much of a competition given his reputation."
So you see, the grapevine can be a useful tool for a freelancer just as long as you're not the one being talked about.
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