<p>I am a freelance writer. I am an also an epublisher who writes and markets my own digital products, and markets and publishes ebooks for other authors. I am founder of an online community for women, which is also a free article directory, and I am a licensed Realtor who practices in my local market, but also owns and operates a referral business between mainland buyers and real estate agents in Hawaii.</p> <p>If the above description sounds eerily familiar, you might be a multipreneur. &nbsp;Multipreneurs like me, particularly those with businesses that aren't even in the same stratosphere, usually develop separate identities and marketing plans for each business. They have different Web sites and carry different business cards, presenting the one that makes the most sense in any given situation. How would you ever put all of that onto a business card or an elevator pitch, or even a letter to your Aunt Dorothy? Without&nbsp;sounding like a schizophrenic, that is.</p> <p><strong>Be a Serial Networker</strong></p> <p>Multipreneurs often belong to more than one networking group. I am in two and am thinking of joining a third. In one I'm an epublisher, and founder of an online community for women. In the other I'm a writer. Some members in each group know about my other hats but it's not an issue, and I don't discuss it at our meetings. Wearing multiple hats can actually help you gain entry into a networking group that otherwise would exclude you because you'd compete head-to-head with one of its members. One group that had a strict non-compete rule already had a writer, but accepted me as an epublisher. This approach&nbsp;works as long as you don't try to market your competing business. If the competing member leaves, however, as the writer in my group did recently, you're Johnny or Jill on the spot.</p> <p><strong>Work It, Baby</strong></p> <p>Sometimes a multipreneur can also leverage one business on behalf of another. One freelance writing client I have is happy that I'm also a Realtor because a newsletter they publish covers real estate issues, and my license adds credibility to my byline.</p> <p><strong>Caught in the Net</strong></p> <p>Online networking can be problematic. It's possible to create separate accounts for each business personality: on LinkedIn you're a financial consultant, on Twitter you're a classic car dealer, but chances are, one or more of your contacts will find you, and your cloaked business will be outed. It's a small world; the Web makes it even smaller. If your "other self" is more a hobby than a business, this poses no problem. But if you have multiple businesses that do not directly relate, you will need to go the "separate" route, and be ready to explain your other hat(s) when the situation arises. Here are some options:</p> <p><strong>Subterfuge:</strong> "You gotta be kidding me! My identity was stolen <em>again</em>?"</p> <p><strong>Deflection: </strong>"Have you done something different with your hair?" &nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Offensive:</strong> "Of course I own multiple businesses. Doesn't everyone?"</p> <p>Obviously these responses won't work long-term, so you'll need to be ready to explain why you operate the other businesses, how you got into the other business, and how the businesses actually complement one another. And that's an elevator pitch I can't help you write, because my freelance writer identity is still working on mine. In the meantime, my Realtor identity would be happy to put you in touch with a great agent on Maui ...</p> 2009-09-02T16:38:25Z 2009-09-03T11:27:24Z -3.15991 232 6261 true 4 22466 the-multipreneurship-mambo-what-chameleons-do-when-theyre-outed 5 2009-09-03T05:26:39Z 2009-09-03T11:27:24Z

You wear multiple hats, you juggle multiple plates, and suddenly someone from Camp A finds you singing the Camp B theme song. What you do next can either make or break that business connnection.

1 2009-09-03T11:27:24Z