The Rise of the Independent Class

The Independent Class are those who prioritize freedom, flexibility and purpose over traditional career paths and materialism.

We find the Independent Class (IC) in every area of the working world today, and they are growing rapidly. Often the IC are creatives, freelancers, entrepreneurs and the self-employed who, by choice or circumstance, have left the ranks of those reliant on one employer for their livelihood.

At IN|DE we’re going long on the Independent Class. We’ve started by using them as Domain Experts that help our clients recognize and hire the best candidates for their startups. Eventually we visualize a world where people work with not for employers, minimizing dependency on one company and maximizing personal freedom and purpose. We believe that the Independent Class will be the majority in the future — by 2020 alone more than 43% of the U.S. workforce will be working at least part-time as a freelancer.

What will 2030 or 2050 look like?

There is both excitement and concern with this growth. As a society, we’ll need to rethink retirement savings, healthcare and where to get that sense of community many enjoy in the workplace, among other things. Individuals will need to take on more personal responsibility to stay up-to-date in their field, to hone specific skills that will be marketable and when automation replaces human jobs, to learn new skills and adapt.

The good news is — this is part of our DNA. Human beings have been hunter-gatherers for most of our species history. The rise of industrialization only began 200 years ago and the idea of one company providing you with life-long employment started to crumble after the Korean War.

So what does a hunter-gatherer look like now? It’s an entrepreneur. Which is essentially what each member of the Independent Class is. They are micro-entrepreneurs, each in charge of the business-of-themselves. This isn’t limited to freelance design or development anymore, you can be an independent therapist through Talkspace, make and sell products on Etsy, coach musicians through the website you built on SquareSpace or sell your legal skills to startups on Upcounsel. The possibilities are virtually limitless.

Whether that’s freelance design, making and selling products on Etsy, a professional coach, or an independent accountant.

Our modern day hunter-gatherers source new gigs (hunt), nurture business relationships (gather) and bring what they’ve foraged back to their family and community (tribe) to share in the spoils.

The move away from reliance on corporations, to reliance on ourselves is natural and healthy. It just takes a step away from “the world owes me something” to the self-reliant view of “I will eat what I kill”. Personally, once we deprogram ourselves from reliance on a company or government and think more in terms of creating our own opportunities and collaborating with our tribe — I believe we’ll find a lot more happiness as human beings.

Human beings crave independence, purpose and the ability to master new skills — all of which being part of the Independent Class allows and requires. There is one more thing that we need as well: a sense of belonging. This is something that IN|DE hopes to provide in the long-term for the IC globally — a place where independent workers can come together, help each other and connect through purposeful work. We’re just starting out… but the future looks very bright when viewed from a place of self-reliance.

Are you part of the Independent Class? Please comment on your journey, struggles or successes below!