21–30 of 116 posts
Good luck.
I 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...
are you solving a problem/challenge for them? you are not a consultant, you are a contractor, freelancer or agency.
are you telling them - and help implement the mindset and processes - on how they can solve a problem/challenge? you are a consultant.
or to paraphrase jerry weinberg: a consultant gives advise when asked.
if you are the second, read "secrets of consulting" by weinberg (and "are your lights on").
then, what is your product? what do you want to advise on? and find out why this would be so valuable to pay you 10k, 25k, 50k, ...
then, get a client, anyway you can and make sure you deliver 20x to 100x times the value than what you cost (note: make sure your client can and will execute what you advised, otherwise you did not deliver any value). make the client your reference case, market the reference case, go a month on a vacation, your next two clients will be waiting when you come back.
my consulting company: https://www.f19n.com/
I started by tagging along with a friend, who recommended me for a project he was already working for. It was easier to find the courage that way. The next time somebody hired my, I simply said I'd prefer to work on a freelance basis. They were OK with it, however, because of my lack of experience with freelancing, I accepted a rate that was much too low. So that may be an easy way into becoming a consultant: just sa…
Depending on skills you can earn a magnificent hourly rate in comparison to full-time employment and have more freedom in the types of projects you pick. Location matters a lot though. Be ready to jump on a plane / train to discuss with potential clients. It takes a lot of grit especially if you build your own client base and wish to avoid middle-men who broker to the larger companies. For larger firms though you won…
If that’s true for you then you’re either a freelancer, not a consultant, or you’re not charging enough/not in enough demand that they’re willing to work with you one on one.
Nick Disabato has one employee and charges $15,000 and up a quarter for Draft Revise. Do you think he goes through a preferred supplier list? By the same token, when patio11 was a one man consulting firm charging $10-30K for a week’s onsite consulting you think he went though a recruiter?
> Draft Revise engagements are serious, long-term, design-driven, and consultative. We are not a chop-shop contractor, and we do everything in our power to be worth your time and your business's money. Before you send this application, we ask that you be prepared to commit to upfront fees at or above USD $15,000 for our first quarter of work together. The final fee we quote for you will be based on the value we're capable of providing for your business.
Short version: become a "visible expert" in your field (blog posts, ebook, meetup talks), and then connect with people who might need your service.
Daedtech has an excellent article https://daedtech.com/software-consulting/ If you live in a major metropolitan area almost anywhere in the US, and your skillset is in tune with the market, you should be able to find some W2 or 1099 contract quite easily through local recruiters. Yeah they will take their cut, but you still should be able to negotiate close to market value. You will definitely get paid more than usin…
Read every single article on daedtech.com related to software consulting (and maybe some that aren't) -- the amount of insight contained inside those articles for free is insane. 99% of the people who think they are doing consulting (me included) are not doing consulting. If you're getting paid to write software, you're not a consultant, you're a freelancer/service provider. Let those words shake you then read all th…
That's by definition:
consult verb (used with object): to get information or advice from a person, book, etc. with special knowledge on a particular subject
1) 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.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Read every single article on daedtech.com related to software consulting (and maybe some that aren't) -- the amount of insight contained inside those articles for free is insane. 99% of the people who think they are doing consulting (me included) are not doing consulting. If you're getting paid to write software, you're not a consultant, you're a freelancer/service provider. Let those words shake you then read all th…
> If you're getting paid to write software, you're not a consultant, you're a freelancer/service provider. That's by definition: consult verb (used with object): to get information or advice from a person, book, etc. with special knowledge on a particular subject https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/consult