Is a life as an independent professional the ultimate freedom .. or not? Sabine de Milliano from Knalblauw presented the pros and cons of life as an independent professional at our Local WIA group lunch on Wednesday 2 December 2015. The lunch held at ESTEC was attended by a group of almost 20 young professionals working for ESA and a variety of space companies.

Technical communication specialist Sabine de Milliano has run her own business Knalblauw since 2010 and works mainly for clients in the geo and space domains. She shared her personal experiences on entrepreneurship and an independent working life. Sabine started her talk by explaining the differences between working as an employee and being self-employed. She stated that the main difference is not so much the freedom but the flexibility to spend your time and decide what kind of work you want to do. She explained the various keys to success, such as the concept of the blue ocean strategy, where are you unique. Also a strong focus will help you to keep up to date with what is essential to you and your work. Last but not least she stressed the importance of networking which is completely in line with the purpose of these networking lunches.