Moneypenny is blogging. If anyone had warned me ten years, no, ten days ago that I’d spend my spare time blogging, I’d laughed at them. Very politely, mind you. But still, laughed. And now, here I am, writing in the interweb that rules today’s world.
Gosh! There I was, years ago, making phone calls, organizing and typing like crazy for decades – unbelievable how much the world has changed since then. But one has to keep up with the times. In fact, once I immersed myself into it, I became deeply fascinating by this new world and its possibilities. But please forgive me: I’m digressing. Inexcusably unprofessional. So.
Hello and welcome to my blog!
Wherever that is. Somewhere in the deep wide interweb – wherever THAT is. Isn’t it strange how geography has become obsolete nowadays? You never know where you are on the interweb. **Although I’m very content with my current geographical environment: Switzerland. **Beautiful mountains, fresh air – and the chocolate, simply delicious. But I can tell you: When my consultant first told me where to set up my new company, I thought he was nuts. No way, I told him. I will never leave my dear London; and just think about what the Queen will say – Miss Moneypenny leaving for Switzerland?
The Queen said nothing, as it turned out.
So I took the expensive advice of my consultant and set up shop in Switzerland. And now that I’m here, I have to admit: Switzerland is wonderful. So clean, so neat and first and foremost: so secure! Fun fact: Did you know that you can drink the water of every fountain in Switzerland? Yes, you heard right: Swiss fountains dispense drinking water. Pure drinking water. That’s how clean and secure Switzerland is. Its people are a bit withdrawn, though. Even more so than the Brits. But maybe they have to, what with all the financial secrecy and all their other secrets – have you ever heard about the formula for their chocolate? No? The Swiss are mystery-mongers. At a very high level. I’m used to quite a bit of secrecy from my last job – but shhh, that’s top secret. The adventures I could tell you, just the two of us, in private!
But there is no privacy anymore nowadays.
You sneeze and a second later you can read about it on Twitter: Miss Monepenny sneezed! In Switzerland! Probably accompanied by an image that someone stole from my account. That’s not going to happen, my IT guy assured me. Our systems are state-of-the-art secure, he told me. With encryptions and encodings that make my former employer go green with envy. Might seem a little over the top, but no: That’s exactly what we need – there are so many gruesome stories out there. Identities are being stolen, recently an shady dating-site has been hacked. Just think about it: Marriages being ruined just because someone did not care enough about security on the interweb. Well – those marriages might have been doomed anyway, but… apologies. I’m digressing again. Back to the topic.
Security in the cloud
That’s how they call it nowadays, when you don’t know where you are anymore in the interweb: A cloud. Not very secure, you might think, a transparent matter in the sky. But security in the cloud has been one of our main concerns – discreetness and trust are the basis of my work. That’s why I’m working in Switzerland, the most secure country on earth. They might be a bit humorless, the Swiss, but what is the value of humor compared to not having to be afraid of anything? Exactly.
Especially us self-employed entrepreneurial folks yearn for security
Same with me. Yes, you heard right: Moneypenny is self-employed. I left my job to become an entrepreneuse, being my own boss. I was fed up with doing the work of others, day in, day out. Fed up with being at the office from 9 to 5 (and usually much later), with riding home in a train full of fellow sufferers and falling into bed too tired to do anything else. Just to start the whole ordeal all over again the next day. You can do better than that, Moneypenny, I told myself: It’s time to use your experience and your potential. That’s why I created my own start-up. And I have to say: I’m very proud of it. My boss wasn’t happy, of course. But sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do, as they say. Just as you did.
You are doing what you do best
Writing, drawing, designing or programming in the interweb – no matter what: Numbers and accounts usually are not part of your job. I don’t really get that, I love them. But then again I’m not the creative type. We’re all different, and that’s why we need each other. I do the things I do best. I do all the tiresome tasks you don’t really love, but are indispensable to make your business successful. I’m here so you can concentrate on doing your thing, your core business.
I do your invoices and financial reporting
I manage your projects and budgets. I do your top level business management – from tracking time spent on different projects to automated invoicing as well as recording of bills and receipts. Because this is my core business. **I do all the things that suck up your time and energy – and I do them efficiently and immediately.**Just as you do, working for all of your clients. And (in contrast to them) I am really easy to communicate with: No matter where or when, I am there for you. And I am sworn to secrecy – Swiss word of honor.
I want to grant you some security
Security in the uncertain life of being your own employer. Because once you lose sight of your finances, you feel very lost, very quickly. Trust me: I know. That’s why I’m here. And I know, too, that self-employed and entrepreneurs tend to work much too much for their money: Everything takes longer than planned. Especially nowadays, thanks to the interweb… Ten minutes of e-mailing here, a skype-conference there; an update on Twitter or even, in my case, a blog post: All for free – but it all takes time. And time is money, especially for us self-employed.
That’s why I can track the time you’re spending on your clients
Even if it is only ten minutes. Because, as the Swiss say, take care of the Centime and the Francs will take care of themselves. Put together, those ten minutes here and there amount to a respectable chunk of time that you should be paid for. And I will make sure of that, too. Because, strictly speaking, you are my new boss. And I am a very loyal employee. Although my credentials are top secret, I can assure you: They are more than excellent.
But now, please excuse me – my own core-business is calling. I hope you had fun with my blog - and I now do know where we are: on a Swiss cloud.
On this note: Grüezi and good-bye. I hope to see you again next time!
Moneypenny
