Karen Taylor, an ICU veteran, decided to open a full-time LNC practice right before the pandemic. She quickly recalibrated, shifting her marketing efforts to online platforms, and she learned to fully utilize LinkedIn’s networking features.

She landed some clients directly but found that she was receiving many more invitations to do subcontracting work. At that point, she realized that marketing wasn’t her niche, and she achieved a mindset that allowed her to shift from marketing directly to attorneys to focusing on subcontracting.

If one word would describe what this mindset is, it would be “receptivity.” Subcontracting has advantages and disadvantages, and someone considering this form of work needs to weigh both aspects. Once having chosen this career, she or he needs to make the most of the opportunities to have a valuable form of supervision and to learn from a more experienced practitioner.

It also means—and this applies to anyone—to saying “yes” to opportunities. Karen says that she may say “yes” to something she doesn’t know how to do. Though she advises caution about straying too far beyond your skillset, if the opportunity seems possible to realize, you can always ask others for advice.

Whether you’re considering becoming a subcontractor or have a busy practice and need to subcontract some of your work, you’ll benefit from learning how a thoroughly professional subcontractor looks at her work.

• How can you build an LNC practice even in the midst of a pandemic?
• What role can participating on the LinkedIn platform play in building a practice?
• Why does doing subcontracting work require a mind shift?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of doing subcontracting work?
• What kind of research should someone interested in becoming an LNC do?