Why the Gig-Zine?

Because the gig economy is here.

Labor is changing and it is not returning to what it was before. The news media thinks that it is just young Uber drivers, but the gig economy is much bigger than that and everyone seems to be ignoring that fact.

This requires a fresh look at who gig workers are, how they are building businesses and how this is disrupting old understandings of gig work. It is time for a magazine that speaks to the larger audience that is the entire gig economy.

What is Different about the Gig-Zine?

It’s a community.

One of the most misunderstood aspects of gig-work is that it is seen as a solitary endeavor. Yet, working together and learning from each other is the single most important thing that gig workers can do to compete. It is another shift that is happening with labor, something that has been completely ignored by traditional media.

For gig workers competition is a destructive force that only benefits large corporations. Gig-workers have more opportunity for growing their businesses by collaborating and supporting each other.

So who is the Gig Economy?

Anyone who is not working 9-5 for someone else.

Yes, gig workers also drive for Uber & Doordash, but they are also artists & photographers, programmers & graphic designers, counselors & coaches, authors & bloggers, public speakers & musicians, adjuncts & instructors, and the millions who run eBay, Shopify & Etsy stores. Most importantly, they are entrepreneurs who run their own businesses.

Not every gig worker sees themselves as a business. Likewise, most business owners don’t think of themselves as gig workers. For some, the very idea of “gig” sounds temporary and unprofessional. Well, they are still part of the gig economy because they impact the entire economy by not working for someone else.

Who We Are

We are gig workers just like you. We struggle with the same issues that you do. But we decided to share our experiences so that you could learn from them and find success in your own business endeavor.

This project was originally started by Michael Koetsier (the handsome fella in the middle on the left side), a blogger, solopreneur, and website manager. After years working for a large organization and then stepping out on his own, he realized that success comes from working with others - and especially other gig workers. So he created The Gig-Zine.

If you also run your own business, however large or small, then you are part of the gig economy. The media doesn’t really understand what is happening with labor and therefore they don’t understand you. While they try and figure that out, here is something else they aren’t telling you:

The future for the gig economy is bright and getting brighter, and this is in large part because gig workers are learning to work together.