31–40 of 56 posts
I have done this for 30 years now, but with a twist; I get clients for consulting, learn their business and then build software to help them and sell it to them and their competitors. My first products from 30 years ago (in pascal/Delphi) still sell. I am currently consulting for 5 clients and building a new product; keeps me up to date and the work interesting.
It's not exactly what you have in mind, but my friend walked into local small businesses saying "Hey, can I make you a website?". Then he googled "how to make a website" and figured out how to drag and drop with WordPress. Literally no tech experience, just a few business cards, and it went uphill from there. He gradually moved into SEO and marketing as his customers wanted that. Right now he has about 40 customers t…
If you need to get paid you aren’t “working for yourself” or controlling the project. Whomever pays for your work decides most of the parameters. That’s called freelancing or consulting. You don’t “become” a freelancer or independent developer. That’s not an identity. You find customers who will pay you to deliver solutions to business problems. If you have a good reputation and track record and relationships with yo…
The first half of this advice seems like possibly-unnecessary semantic pedantism.
It marks the difference between working for a single employer, multiple customers, or yourself.
If someone pays you, you're working for them.
So working for yourself means you don't have to listen to anyone but yourself when delivering.
This is possibly more utopian than what the author wants, and pointing out the difference is not pedantic.
If you need to get paid you aren’t “working for yourself” or controlling the project. Whomever pays for your work decides most of the parameters. That’s called freelancing or consulting. You don’t “become” a freelancer or independent developer. That’s not an identity. You find customers who will pay you to deliver solutions to business problems. If you have a good reputation and track record and relationships with yo…
Dont do a consultancy, thats selling your time for money, and it scales poorly. Invent a product, tutorial, or SOMETHING that takes advantage of softwares mega-advantage over other industries: It's basically free to copy, and it's basically free to distribute globally. Neither of those magical properties get used if you're a consultant selling time for money (although will be used by your client, you are capuring nea…
This advice reminds me of an old Monty Python sketch, a TV show about how to be rich. “First you need to make a lot of money!” Then the “being rich” part falls into place.
Selling skills is not a “mug’s game.” Not every path to earning a good income with some freedom has to scale. I do solo freelancing, make a good living, live and travel wherever I want, choose the projects I work on. Mug? Or should I be selling another crap ebook or tutorial video online?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> "art studio" or "PR firm" or maybe a "legal practice" ? That sort of thing doesn't really exist yet. Dev shops are certainly a thing.
What comes to mind when I hear dev shops is outsourcing company that provides software coding. Is that what you meant? I see the engineers as simply employees at that point.
But these places also like eating, and so will not always be able to work just on projects that fit that mold. Often they need to do unglamorous work such as just being an outsourced entity for a bigger one.
This kind of work rarely gets bragged about on their landing pages.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> "art studio" or "PR firm" or maybe a "legal practice" ? That sort of thing doesn't really exist yet. Dev shops are certainly a thing.
What comes to mind when I hear dev shops is outsourcing company that provides software coding. Is that what you meant? I see the engineers as simply employees at that point.
This is also quite a common way to bootstrap a small gamedev studio.
It's not exactly what you have in mind, but my friend walked into local small businesses saying "Hey, can I make you a website?". Then he googled "how to make a website" and figured out how to drag and drop with WordPress. Literally no tech experience, just a few business cards, and it went uphill from there. He gradually moved into SEO and marketing as his customers wanted that. Right now he has about 40 customers t…
I am in the same boat. I have 12+ years of experience. I tired to launch a startup and it failed miserably. I am considering Amazon IQ. If you are into AWS and can get the professional level certificates, you can use Amazon IQ platform to freelance. I have used Amazon IQ to hire before and I had good results. Your really need multiple pro level certificates to compete though. I have tried Upwork, but it's been a not…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The first half of this advice seems like possibly-unnecessary semantic pedantism.
I think you mean pedantry . Read it however you like. I intend to give a realistic opinion based on my own experience and that of other freelancers I know. I've read or heard starry-eyed dreams of "just writing code the way I want to do it" as if that would somehow generate an income. Writing whatever code you want in your own way defines a hobbyist. Developing an idea into a product defines an entrepreneur. Coding w…
Yes, that is absolutely the correct word. On so many levels.
https://nishantjha.org/essays/squeeze
It’s early days for my writing and so I’d love feedback