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Stop Freelancing

robertnealan.com

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Re: Stop Freelancing

#71

Post by thomaslangston »

lsc wrote: post #54
snapoutofit wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have been through more or less the same process as you stated. Its really tough to define what value as you pointed out at the end. Faking the full-time bit is completely true, does not make sense ... but then seems to be a necessity.

>Faking the full-time bit is completely true, does not make sense ... but then seems to be a necessity. It's weird, 'cause I do think I'm unusually good as a temporary worker; I'm willing to tailor the time when I leave to something comfortable for the employer (whereas someone wanting a full-time job is going to jump at the request of a company that is willing to hire them full-time) And because I'm looking at it as…

Offer a Contract-to-Recruit service?

Re: Stop Freelancing

#72

Post by krmmalik »

Hmm. I have mixed feelings about this. I do agree with the sentiment but my experience has been different. I think it depends on your target audience. I've found when working with Start-Ups they prefer the personal touch and want to deal with me as an individual. I can email from my gmail account, conduct consultation over skype and even put smileys in my email.

I've found it very easy to attract and nurture leads.

When dealing with a conventional business however, everything changes. I need a corporate email address, a limited company name, VAT reg and everything has to be done in person. Even just getting a reply to my email is hard work.

Not to mention, even if I do get my foot in the door with an initial consultation, convering that into paid work is seriously hard work because i have to deal with things like being on an approved supplier list etc.

So yes, if your target audience is B2B (traditional) I'd agree, but if it's consumer or start-up - not so much.

Re: Stop Freelancing

#73

Post by robertnealan »

leknarf wrote: post #70

In general, presenting yourself as a professional is essential, but it’d be disadvantageous to act like a dev shop if you’re an individual. In technology, there's a general distrust of "general contractor" style operations. No one wants to hire a developer for $200/hr, only to have him turn around and send the work to an off-shore developer for $20/hr. In fact, most freelance contracts have "no sub-contractor" clause…

I'm not so much suggesting to act like a full dev shop as I openly disclose to my clients that I'm the only current full time employee, but instead to present yourself as a company to whom they can hire and get professional results in return. Unfortunately this does admittedly get abused by people who sub-contract work offshore, but unless your the new guy on the block your portfolio generally starts to speak for itself.

Took a look at Lambda (good design work) - how do you differ from a good recruiter connecting freelance contractors with 6-12 month gigs?

Re: Stop Freelancing

#74

Post by tobinharris »

Love this story.

Robert has just re-marketed himself by simply switching his workspace and by using a legal entity to represent himself.

These tweaks have had a positive impact on how he's perceived by clients, and how he perceives himself. And now we can sell more confidently, earn more money and have more fun. Win.

Re: Stop Freelancing

#75

Post by leknarf »

robertnealan wrote: post #73
leknarf wrote: post #70

In general, presenting yourself as a professional is essential, but it’d be disadvantageous to act like a dev shop if you’re an individual. In technology, there's a general distrust of "general contractor" style operations. No one wants to hire a developer for $200/hr, only to have him turn around and send the work to an off-shore developer for $20/hr. In fact, most freelance contracts have "no sub-contractor" clause…

I'm not so much suggesting to act like a full dev shop as I openly disclose to my clients that I'm the only current full time employee, but instead to present yourself as a company to whom they can hire and get professional results in return. Unfortunately this does admittedly get abused by people who sub-contract work offshore, but unless your the new guy on the block your portfolio generally starts to speak for its…

I expect you're striking the right balance, but I've also seen cases where new freelancers get too excited to be a "real company" that they start emulating all the worst parts of large organizations and lose the benefits of individuality. Startups are guilty of this too. There's a reason our website has my email address on the home page instead of just a contact form. Anyone who wants to contact us can reach out to me directly. We won't be able to continue that as we grow, but it's a great advantage right now.

Regarding Lambda vs recruiters: we're complementary. A recruiter is usually hired and paid by a company to fill a given role. We're hired and paid by a developer to fill his freelance calendar. We screen clients to ensure they're actually the types you want to work with, we negotiate on your behalf to get you higher rates, and help you brand/position yourself to get you more work in the future.

Re: Stop Freelancing

#76

Post by lsc »

joshyeager wrote: post #65
lsc wrote: post #36

huh. Interesting. The thing is? I have no trouble at all getting freelancing or "contract" work where I'm paid by the hour, and where I'm expected to pretend like I want to be a full time employee. I mean, other than the pretending, I have no objections; usually the work is easy and the pay is good. The thing is, I like mercenary work, and I'm good at it (Most of the gigs I've gotten, well, they seem to be looking fo…

First, let me say that I don't mean this to be offensive, and I'm trying to be helpful to you. As someone who occasionally hires consultants to solve urgent problems for me, I would be nervous about hiring a company whose point of contact had a communication style like yours. When I need a problem solved, I want someone who understands exactly what I need and who makes me confident that they will follow through and m…

>I have no idea if that is accurate. But if one of your competitors was easier to understand, I would probably pick them because I don't have the extra time required to understand you and make sure you understand me over the course of our whole relationship.

That makes sense. The thing is, I always thought that my writing was an advantage, not a disadvantage. I mean, it's not perfect, or even very good by English-major standards, but compared to your average salesperson, well, I think highly of myself. You know how some people enjoy the sound of their own voice? I enjoy my own writing.

The problem is that I'm writing for myself, not for the audience. Which is bad communication, even when it is good prose.

>In contrast, your comment is verbose and uses a lot of non-standard punctuation. That makes it hard to understand you. So my first thought is "wow, I'm going to have to do a lot of extra work to make sure lsc understands what I need."

Huh. I have always thought of most sales and management folks as not very good at written communication. Even when trying to convey complex ideas, usually their emails are all of two sentences, and often grammar errors make those sentences nonsense without context.

This lines up with what you have said, though. If they are communicating in two-sentence messages, maybe my three-page essays are not appreciated. No matter what the reason, they /do/ communicate in soundbytes, and my insistence on essays is... counterproductive.

If you are writing to communicate, and not just to read your own prose, the whole point is being understood.

More to the point, it's irrational arrogance on my part to say that folks who are better than I am at sales, which is essentially communication, are worse communicators than I am.

You have... significantly changed my opinion of the consulting situation and the direction in which I need to move in order to improve my business communication. Thanks.

Re: Stop Freelancing

#77

Post by robertnealan »

jonnathanson wrote: post #44

It really depends on what types of clients and gigs you want to take on, and what sort of ambitions you have for yourself as a one-man shop. Do you want to remain a one-man shop? If so, biting off more than you chew can be hazardous to your health (literally). You don't want to land the Pepsi account if you're not ready to handle Pepsi volume. By presenting yourself as an agency, you might signal a higher degree of p…

All great points. Personally, I am looking to grow my business to be more than just me and it was one of my main motives to start presenting myself as a business, it just happened to carry with it the beneficial side effect of being seen in a more professional light (most if not all my clients are aware I'm still the only full time employee).

Regarding taking on too large of a project should you wish to remain a one-man shop - all I can say is that the projects you turn down are equally as important as those you accept. You have to know both your abilities and the limits of what you can do as one person.

Also, I'm more of a Coke person.

Re: Stop Freelancing

#78

Post by thibaut_barrere »

Funnily, around me the opposite is true: clients I know are actively avoiding consultancies/companies in favor of freelancers, because some of those consultancies have the bad reputation of selling gradually more low profiles for expensive prices.

Re: Stop Freelancing

#79

Post by jonnathanson »

robertnealan wrote: post #77
jonnathanson wrote: post #44

It really depends on what types of clients and gigs you want to take on, and what sort of ambitions you have for yourself as a one-man shop. Do you want to remain a one-man shop? If so, biting off more than you chew can be hazardous to your health (literally). You don't want to land the Pepsi account if you're not ready to handle Pepsi volume. By presenting yourself as an agency, you might signal a higher degree of p…

All great points. Personally, I am looking to grow my business to be more than just me and it was one of my main motives to start presenting myself as a business, it just happened to carry with it the beneficial side effect of being seen in a more professional light (most if not all my clients are aware I'm still the only full time employee). Regarding taking on too large of a project should you wish to remain a one-…

I'm more of a Coke person myself. Funnily enough, my comment originally referenced Coke. Then I realized I'd overused Coke as an example of "Generic Big Company/Brand/Advertiser" too many times in my commenting history for personal comfort. So I consciously switched to Pepsi this time around. :)

Re: Stop Freelancing

#80

Post by robertnealan »

kristofferR wrote: post #42

I'm struggling with this, since it feels slightly like lying to call just myself "we". What should I answer when the clients ask who "we" are?

Just be honest. In my case I tell them I'm currently the only full time employee but expect to grow over the next 12 months, but that doesn't have to be the case. I admit I sometimes feel like Smeagol when I use the term "we", but ultimately it helps preserve the delineation between the company entity and myself as its employee.
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