A Freelancer’s Most Powerful Asset

This blog was originally shared on October 9, 2023. With the relaunch of our website (www.curateimpact.co), we are reposting our blogs on the new website and on LinkedIn.

Sometimes our lives have to be completely shaken up, changed, and rearranged to relocate us to the place we’re meant to be.  - Unknown

For years, I thought maybe one day I’ll have the guts to make the leap into consulting. I loved talking to my friends who already had the courage, conviction and vision to take on this entrepreneurial pathway. I would ask them tons of questions: What is it like? What kind of work are you doing? Are you enjoying it? Is it sustainable and fulfilling?  And what I heard back was lots of, I’m working less, making more, my stress level is way down, you definitely have to hustle, but so far I’m really enjoying it!  Wow, I would think, maybe this is where my career could go next…when I’m ready.  

Being “ready” is a funny thing. Change doesn’t wait for us to be ready. While I made plans to leap into the freelance space at a future date, the universe said, why not now?  

Spring 2023, I lost one of my best friends, closest confidants, mentor and boss. He and I worked closely together for 12 of the 14 years of my tenure. For 8 years, I served as his chief of staff and we literally shared a job and talked multiple times per day. We had plans to work together for life. He passed away April 25, 2023 and from that point on, I was never the same and knew my career would never be the same. 

I took the summer off. It took some work and intention, but I gave myself permission to slow down, to stop hustling, grieve, heal and just be. I am so grateful for the time I was able to spend with my family and how fully present I got to our life together. While I stopped working, I never stopped connecting with friends. 

I had people reaching out to check on me and I was reaching out to check on them. In hindsight, reconnecting with old colleagues and friends throughout this summer helped carry me through one of the most painful seasons of my life. I get emotional just thinking about how my network of true friends showed up for me, always willing to take the call, sending texts just to say hello, encouraging me to take the time I need and championing my vision for my career into the future. It’s incredible that even with so many in the freelance/consulting space, there is never a feeling of competition, always a feeling of collaboration and camaraderie. I heard multiple times, “just let me know how I can help and when you’re ready to take on work, I got you.” 

It’s my network that gave me the confidence to start Tegan York Carr, LLC. It’s seeing them doing it successfully. It’s hearing them talk through the lessons learned and advice they wish they would have been given when they were starting. It’s them sharing practical, tangible resources and help. It’s them offering profound feedback and cheerleading me toward my vision. It’s them being so generous with their time, resources and knowledge. It’s them showing me they believe in me, connecting me to business leads and my first clients. 

This is what excites me most about the potential and opportunity of this Curating Impact community. We can create and nurture a community of peers to learn from, partner with and inspire our leadership and work to new heights. As an entrepreneur, our network is our greatest asset and with it, I know I can get through anything and be successful. Each of us can have an impact, but together I truly believe we can change the world. 

Meet the Author: Tegan is a Chief of Staff and Growth Strategy Executive with over 20 years of experience advising and coaching social impact executives in both external affairs (fundraising, business development, communications and public affairs) and internal affairs (strategy, talent and operations).  She has extensive experience building teams, turning around teams and adding capacity for executives. Her passion is for supporting social impact executives in bringing their work, their teams, and their leadership to life. 

Connect with Tegan: Reach out on LinkedIn, or review her service offerings.