Gefilte Fish Out of Water

Great news, Peeps.

Last week, I wrote about some fast changes that were  happening in my life.  Mainly around my career.  Well, last Sunday I met with my social media client, and we agreed to double my hours (up to 30/week now) and I would being implementing a PR campaign for them, while continuing my social media strategy and implementation duties.

What was especially great about this is that I got to contact my boss at my full-time nonprofit consulting gig and tell him I was scaling back my hours with him.  We spoke again later the same day, and he asked me if my plans included scaling back even further en route to departing the organization. I told him Yes.

There’s major history there that’s still embargoed for the time being, but do you think I liked it when he remarked that my departure would be “catastrophic” for the organization?  [answer: hellz yeah]

I’m also going to be moving in the middle of May, because there are several problems with this apartment.  Again, it’s not stuff I explore too deeply on G-Fish, but there is a connection b/t my employer and my apartment, too.  So, when I was recounting all these developments to my friend Juni, she said, So it sounds like the middle of May won’t be just Israel’s Independence Day, but yours as well!

Oh, and Juni’s becoming my client, also.  June is beyond remarkable.  She was appointed 2008’s Person of The Year by the Mayor of Tel Aviv (the real one, not some Foursquare shiz).  She runs an organization called Because We Care, which is all about educating Israelis to be accountable for taking care of our land and our society.  One of its most successful programs is called “Saki-Kaki,” which posts little doggy bags around Israel’s parks and streets and encourages people to curb their dogs.

I’m going to be doing a social media campaign for Saki-Kaki, and I’m so excited about it.  It’ll be great to work for a friend as dear as she, and I’m also glad to pick up another nonprofit client with a great mission.

I told you last week how I think I may be picking up a lot more work in May, when my other friend’s company relaunches with a much bigger social media component.  It’s a bit of a risk to tell my main client now that I’ll be leaving in May, b/c I don’t know for sure this work will be there.  It is a risk, but one I am willing to take.

Real quick, b/c I’m getting a little rambly at this point.  A shout-out to my Higher Power, who I feel (once again) did for me what I could not do for myself.  You see, I was always content to be the # 2 person, the wingman.

The real work – there was no question I could get that done, and do a great job on it.  If the boss was on vacation or unavailable, I could even step in and hold down the fort and make big decisions on the spot when called for.  But bringing in the new business?…paying rent for office space?…hanging my name on the shingle outside?  Not for me!  I’m a number two man, and I was cool with that.  Not everyone’s cut out to be the boss.  I didn’t want to work for myself, I needed a boss.

That was then.  As Yoda Jeremy pointed out a few weeks ago, I already contacted an accountant, filed for official freelancer status in Israel, got my own clients, etc.  And now with this PR campaign for my new client, I’m being given major latitude to run the program how I see fit.  It will succeed or fail 100% on my own efforts.  I’m not the number two man at all.  You see –