Too many projects I need a wingman/wingwoman

#1

Post by devtrepeneur » Fri, Aug 24, 2018, 4:34 PM UTC

I have a problem. I am a solo, full-stack dev and I've done quite well over the past number of years, earning approx. €120K Per Year, building and delivering solutions for clients.

Recently, my business has started to really expand, and I would expect to double up on revenue this year.

The problem is, it's too much for me. With this in mind, I've looked into (1) Freelance sites like Upwork (2) Outsourcing to small agencies (3) Outsourcing to larger agencies.

I'm finding that they don't work for me for a number of reasons. (1) they don't show much initiative (2) they are only interested in the quick pay cheque (3) they look for the quickest way to build the app, which is not always the best way. I could go on.

I guess, I'm looking for someone who I can say "hey, I've a €50K project, want to split it? I'll do the API and Mobile App, and you do the Web App and DB stuff".

I'm really interested to hear some thoughts?

Re: Too many projects I need a wingman/wingwoman

#2

Post by ideatostartup » Fri, Aug 24, 2018, 7:09 PM UTC

Been there, done that. We can help. :)

Re: Too many projects I need a wingman/wingwoman

#3

Post by davsch77 » Fri, Aug 24, 2018, 7:12 PM UTC

Sounds like you need to build up a network of other freelancers who you can share/sub-contract work to. And ideally who can share their work with you, send work your way when they are too busy, or the work suits your skill-set more.

Re: Too many projects I need a wingman/wingwoman

#4

Post by andrewmcwatters » Fri, Aug 24, 2018, 7:16 PM UTC

Hi, it seems to me that you're not charging enough. That's just enough for yourself, and not really enough for a small dev shop. I'd like to hear other people's experiences from HN, but in my opinion, you should have some capital to pay for another engineer as a part of your small business.

I wouldn't "run and gun" with contracts, because as soon as you've got an employee and it's not just yourself (or at least a co-founding partner) you're not just responsible for delivering solutions to clients, you're responsible for supporting employees.

I'd continue to do what you're doing, raising prices until you've saved up capital, bring on an employee and start raising prices to make a small development firm economically feasible.

Re: Too many projects I need a wingman/wingwoman

#5

Post by superflit » Fri, Aug 24, 2018, 7:54 PM UTC

Well, I thought I was the only one with this problem...

I think it is doable, but you have to be very clear on your expectations and Honest about the invoice, etc.

Let's say you came to me and said:

Hello, superflit there is this project it is $xx xxx,00 Euros we split. I do zzz, and you do the web or backend.

Once we agreed we have to set the scope, tech, and deliverables. Because we are looking for the long-term partnership, I had to trust you, and you have to trust me. So we have to be clear what we are charging getting for every project and expectations.

My email is on my profile enter in touch if you want to.

Re: Too many projects I need a wingman/wingwoman

#6

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Aug 24, 2018, 8:32 PM UTC

andrewmcwatters wrote: post #4

Hi, it seems to me that you're not charging enough. That's just enough for yourself, and not really enough for a small dev shop. I'd like to hear other people's experiences from HN, but in my opinion, you should have some capital to pay for another engineer as a part of your small business. I wouldn't "run and gun" with contracts, because as soon as you've got an employee and it's not just yourself (or at least a co-…

[deleted]

Re: Too many projects I need a wingman/wingwoman

#7

Post by benvineyard » Fri, Aug 24, 2018, 8:32 PM UTC

Having too much work is definitely a nice problem to have. Feel free to reach out to me if you ever need help to fill a gap.

Re: Too many projects I need a wingman/wingwoman

#8

Post by atmosx » Fri, Aug 24, 2018, 9:59 PM UTC

The problem is that you don't scale.

If you want to make more you need to scale and scaling probably means starting an agency and turn from programmer to manager/director.

Another approach is to charge more. If you have many clients, it is possible that some of them are willing to pay more than others.

Finally, granted that I don't know anything about your situation, stop and think: do you really want to do this? I mean, 120k/year in most European cities is a very good income.

Re: Too many projects I need a wingman/wingwoman

#9

Post by felipebrnd » Fri, Aug 24, 2018, 10:07 PM UTC

Senior Engineer in Lisbon here. Feel free to reach me, my e-mail is available on my profile.

Re: Too many projects I need a wingman/wingwoman

#10

Post by bkovacev » Fri, Aug 24, 2018, 10:09 PM UTC

1) Freelance sites like upwork won't work for you because they're filled with people that either have long contracts or dont have any, with latter being the majority and they're in it for the quick buck.

2) Agencies won't work because agencies are in it for themselves. If their funnel is big, they could care less about your project and will only dedicate enough resources to get paid.

3) Larger agencies won't work because you're not a big client.

What you need to do is either get a partner or start your own consulting agencies.

Alternatively, other approach is to raise your rates to filter out clients. Also, unsure if you're doing maintenance work, but you can switch from that to new projects exclusively to eliminate 10-20 hours, however that might lose you a contract in the future.

Shameless plug - My long term (1,5+ years) contract is coming to an end and I'm actively looking for another or for an opportunity to partner up. I do full-stack, but I prefer backend and/or apis and have six years of experience.

Regardless of whether you're interested or not, feel free to reach out even for just a chat :) email is in the profile.