Is there such a thing as a professional color? This is something I have talked about with several people over the last few weeks. When shopping for a briefcase, luggage, or even computer products, should you select a color, or go with something neutral (read: black or silver)?

One colleague was questioning if they should purchase brightly colored luggage, namely so it sticks out from the sea of black suitcases and Pullmans coming down the conveyor belt at baggage claim. However, as she usually goes right to a client site from her flight, she didn’t want to stand out for her color choice over her professional qualifications.

Another colleague pondered if he should get a brightly colored case for his computer, namely orange, as shown in the accompanying photo. There are other options, but one reason for getting a standout color was in the unfortunate event it gets stolen, he may see the computer being taken away with its bright color. But similar to my other colleague, he didn’t want to be known as the “orange computer guy.”

What say you – is it ok to liven mundane things up with color, or not, or does it just depend?

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It’s always nice to be part of something larger. When it comes to being an entrepreneur or owning a small business, by working for yourself – or simply working by yourself – it may not seem that is the case. However if you are, you are part of what is becoming more of a movement, an increasing number of people forming a collective pf people, a nation some may say.

And a nation is what author Daniel Pink calls it, a Free Agent Nation, and this is the title of his book, with the subtitle “How America’s New Independent Workers Are Transforming the Way We Live.” It doesn’t matter what you do, it is more how you do it, whether you are a cabinet installer or Internet consultant or any other occupation.

The reasons are many for people striking out on their own. Some lose their jobs, others can’t take working for someone else anymore, and others simply want to do something different. These voluntary and involuntary catalysts are as a result changing how we define the words “job” and “work.” Pink’s book chronicles these stories. He starts with his own transformation and journals a year of travels across the US interviewing those who have followed in his footsteps.

Throughout the book he circles back to the “Organization Man,” a term coming from a book written in the 1950’s about the typical company employee. The Organizational Man is the antithesis of the resident of Free Agent Nation. It also represents how corporate culture hasn’t changed to keep up with different ways of working as well as the needs of those doing the work.

My greatest takeaway from Free Agent Nation is the concept of working for yourself is something that still needs to be taught to people. As I read the book I could hear the “a-ha’s” as the subtext of those Pink was interviewing, when they realized they could succeed on their own. I realized this myself only within the last half decade when I decided to strike out on my own and start Dunkirk Systems, LLC, a decision I am still proud of. Though some colleges teach entrepreneurship, how many such courses are taught in high school?

Another takeaway is one I experienced myself, is that much in the world is not set to accommodate entrepreneurs. Take the tax code in the US as a prime example, where individuals working on their own are taxed more than if they were working for a company. Many local governments have zoning laws geared towards large corporations in large buildings that don’t work well for a person working out of a room over the garage. And to this day I know people who have had to get a job in order to get a loan or mortgage, only to go back on their own once they sign on the dotted line.

A final takeaway is about how Free Agents gather and interact through FAN Clubs, or Free Agent Nation Clubs. These clubs can be anywhere from formal to informal, charging dues to simply showing up at a coffee shop. They may have been around for decades, or only had a short life. I have personally been involved in some in the past, and continuously seek out quality gatherings all the time, as it is the way I learn and participate in the conversation with my fellow FANs.

Free Agent Nation was published in 2001, but despite its age and a few dated references it is extremely relevant today. I recommend it to anyone considering going on their own or who has recently gone on their own and is contemplating going back to a job, going back to being an Organization Man or Woman. Daniel Pink has written several books on the working world, and is still a free agent today.

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If you are a regular reader of The Hot Iron, you may have picked up I am a fan of the New England Patriots, as I have mentioned it a few times. Ok, 18 times, but who’s counting?

Today I am launching a new blog to accompany the Patriots fan Web site I have been involved with for the past 12 years, GoPats.com. Out In The Loop will features thoughts and opinions from me, a Patriots and Boston sports fan in Chicago. It will also be the RSS feed for the Web site, with posts on updates to the site and information passed along from our readers, as well as a platform for conversation among fans and readers in the form of comments to posts.

This is my third blog, along with The Hot Iron and sourcegate, where I post technical tips and resources. Each have a different but unique purpose. It will take time to write for all of them, but as I am passionate on all of their topics, it will be a labor of love.

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Have you ever been faced with a business situation you couldn’t find an effective way of solving? If you are in business, I bet it has happened more often than not. It’s not the problems, though, it is how you solve them. In some cases, it takes a little bit of creativity to do so.

This sign was on the bathroom vanity of a Comfort Inn hotel I recently stayed at:

I thought this sign was brilliant, as it solves a business problem with the most positive spin to it.

What is the problem? People steal hotel towels. It probably happens more than anyone would want to admit. Rather than putting a sign in the hotel room stating all towels are accounted for and if you take them you will be charged, it solves the problem with a new opportunity – the towels are for sale. In doing so, it identifies the following:

• A service is being offered – towels are offered in the hotel room
• There are parameters of the service – the towels are to stay in the hotel room
• There is a value to this service – spelled out in the pricing of the towels

These rules came to me as I was staring at the sign while brushing my teeth – rules that could apply to a lot more situations that towel theft. Taking one measly towel may seem harmless, but it is a cost and loss of revenue to the business. The sign serves as a friendly reminder that you are not in business to give things away for free.

I have to be honest, these weren’t the best towels I have ever used, and I would never pay that much for them. Most likely the pricing is not for them to get into the towel business though and rather to thwart theft. But this was a Comfort Inn, not a Westin, and the room was priced accordingly. Needless to say, all towels were still int he room when I checked out.

The next time you are faced with a situation you’re trying to solve, think of what you need to put on a sign, and it may be all you need to get the point across and solve the problem.

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