I recently put in my notice at work with nothing lined up. Do any of you operate full time as a consultant? I'd love to hear about how you got started and what resources, pitfalls, experiences you came across along the way.
Ask HN: Resources/Steps for Becoming a Consultant?
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Re: Ask HN: Resources/Steps for Becoming a Consultant?
#2This is something that I am interested in learning about.
Re: Ask HN: Resources/Steps for Becoming a Consultant?
#3I wrote a whole series of articles on this subject, maybe there is something that is useful to you there:
https://jacquesmattheij.com/categories/consulting/
best of luck!
Re: Ask HN: Resources/Steps for Becoming a Consultant?
#41) Don't quit work until you have a couple of clients lined up.
Seriously, treat it like a side-gig until you make more per hour than the day job.
Re: Ask HN: Resources/Steps for Becoming a Consultant?
#51) Don't quit work until you have a couple of clients lined up. Seriously, treat it like a side-gig until you make more per hour than the day job.
This. There is no magic to it really.
Re: Ask HN: Resources/Steps for Becoming a Consultant?
#6I operate as a full time consultant (more like as a full time studio) and although getting my first clients was easy, I'm not having a roadblock on how to get new business. My clients are all happy and I've asked for referrals, and I'm sure they'll do without issue once they meet someone looking, but until then I'm not sure what to do...
Re: Ask HN: Resources/Steps for Becoming a Consultant?
#71) Don't quit work until you have a couple of clients lined up. Seriously, treat it like a side-gig until you make more per hour than the day job.
Unless you are very lucky! I've felt really burned down at work and decided to quit without having anything lined up. I had savings that would allow me to keep going for 6 months and a partner who would support me if things went bad and I didn't find work.
I was lucky to get a long term project two weeks after handing my notice (the notice period in most European countries is 1 month) and from then on I had a steady stream of work.
Not feeling burned down I would never make a jump without any gigs lined up and thinking about it now makes me feel quite uneasy. Still, health is top priority so if you have savings or someone willing to support you then go for it.
Re: Ask HN: Resources/Steps for Becoming a Consultant?
#8I wrote a whole series of articles on this subject, maybe there is something that is useful to you there: https://jacquesmattheij.com/categories/consulting/ best of luck!
Wow, I always love your writing; can’t believe I had missed this. Thanks for sharing.
Re: Ask HN: Resources/Steps for Becoming a Consultant?
#9First figure out whether you’re an actual consultant or an external/freelancer.
If you’re a freelancer the bar is fairly low, if you’re a consultant you should really be bringing more to the table.
Read the secrets of consulting by Gerry Weinberg.
Network with other consultants, they’ll become a major source of new work for you.
Re: Ask HN: Resources/Steps for Becoming a Consultant?
#10I have been working as a consultant/contractor since May last year.
I found my first jobs on UpWork, where Robotics is quite niche field. Being a niche field there are not many jobs available (I'd estimate there are 2-3 a month that fit my skill set) but also there are not so many freelancers doing Robotics.
Starting on any freelancers platform you need to start building reputation, which can mean you will need to sell yourself well or do the first project for peanuts (my first one was converting some Python to C# that took me 8 days and I earned 10$). In the second project I earned about 2k$ and in further ones I was already earning more per hour then in my previous job.
My advice is anecdotal but if someone advertises "a simple project for ..." then they don't treat it very seriously and won't be willing to pay for quality. The clients willing to pay more for your services will also respect your time more and are usually much easier to communicate with.
Avoid fixed price contracts if you can unless you know exactly how to do the project and can predict any pitfalls. Charging by the hour/day/week/month is in my opinion least risky and if you encounter huge issues you are still paid to fix them.
Speaking of issues. Firstly make sure that you know the requirements clearly, before starting development make sure you understand all stakeholders. As you are developing the project communicate frequently with the client about any doubts to the client and make sure you are on the same page. If you see anything off - communicate this! The requirements will never be perfect and if you put yourself in the user's shoes you will be able to identify things your client missed and this way you will be bringing an extra value by solving problems before they even arise.
Sorry for the wall of text, hopefully you will find any of this useful. If you have any questions feel free to ask here or e-mail me (I hope my e-mail is in my profile).
Good luck!