Very good book. Great information. All given in a very organized and easy to understand manner. Highly recommended!

This was a nice introduction to the idea of working in the gig economy as a freelancer and is aimed at people who are wanting to break into this area. I was a bit disappointed that some of the information seemed a little outdated but on the whole, it discusses the concept of the gig economy in quite a lot of detail and offers some tips for finding work/clients and building your brand as a freelancer. I did feel that these areas could be expanded more to make the book more useful to newcomers, rather than just being an overview of how to get started but it does set the scene and tell you what you can expect if you go down this road yourself.

_Working in the Gig Economy_ is geared towards those new to the flexible world of work. It is also useful for established freelancers who are reviewing their process and want to remain current. This is a well-organized book filled with many tips, samples, and advice. Oppong discusses everything needed for successful gig work. He begins with explaining why the gig economy has grown. The reader learns how to build a career in freelance. There are tips on everything from networking to contracts and client communication. All areas of freelance life are discussed including the fear. In addition, Oppong provides advice for getting started, landing clients, dealing with financial stress, and more. I wish this book existed 20 years ago when I first began my consulting career, it would have saved me many missteps.

A 2015 survey by Ernst & Young shows that 25 per cent of businesses are expected to use over 30 per cent of contingent workers for various tasks and business processes by 2020. The rise of flexible careers has been facilitated by increased globalisation, technological advancement and the desire for more work-life balance while boosting their income. Hence, Thomas Oppong provides this manual to help contract workers to ease more smoothly to unconventional careers in what he calls the gig economy. temporary income-earning tasks.

He advises on focusing on building a body of work a.k.a a portfolio rather than a resume because it clearly outlines your expertise, work experience, achievements and past clients. It is a more comprehensive view of a professional's abilities and their contributions and what sets him or her apart. This will involve acquiring both hard (expertise) and soft indispensable skills personal traits and attributes as well as knowing how to market your business.

This slim volume (that you could go through in a day) largely delivers on its promise to validate one's idea of independent work by providing concrete steps to building a personal brand and highlights what it takes to succeed as a gig worker.

This is a fine book to place into the hands of anyone trying to find their place as a working a side-hustle or as a full-time independent contractor. Though I received this as an advanced copy from the Kogan Page via NetGalley*, I would definitely pick this copy for my own personal reference.