Ask HN: Beginning Consulting

#1

Post by stqbert » Tue, Jan 29, 2013, 9:16 PM UTC

I'm a Canadian iPhone developer who started learning early 2011 and got a job with a seeded startup in the Fall of 2012. I'm under NDA so I can't talk about the product at all. I want to start contracting on the side, how much of a portfolio do you think I'll need to build up before finding clients won't be a struggle?

Also, how much should I charge as a Canadian. I've heard numbers as low as $30 and as high as $100. I like to think I'm competent, but am not sure if Toronto's market has a much lower ceiling than NYC or SF.

Re: Ask HN: Beginning Consulting

#2

Post by josephby » Tue, Jan 29, 2013, 9:42 PM UTC

As a benchmark, I know that University of Waterloo Computer Science and Computer Engineering Co-ops are making $60/hour for similar work. That's a good starting point. If you have any kind of portfolio, you should be able to leverage that into a higher hourly rate. In finding clients, its important not only to build a portfolio, but also to build a network that can help you find new work with interesting clients. So if you have a portfolio of two or three apps, along with a few people who are willing to serve as a reference for you, then you should be on your way.

Re: Ask HN: Beginning Consulting

#3

Post by stqbert » Tue, Jan 29, 2013, 9:58 PM UTC

josephby wrote: post #2

As a benchmark, I know that University of Waterloo Computer Science and Computer Engineering Co-ops are making $60/hour for similar work. That's a good starting point. If you have any kind of portfolio, you should be able to leverage that into a higher hourly rate. In finding clients, its important not only to build a portfolio, but also to build a network that can help you find new work with interesting clients. So…

The issue I'm having with building a portfolio is I'm unsure how significant an app needs to be before its worth including. I don't have any ideas for apps that could be a commercial success (and I don't have much desire to be a developer for myself as opposed to being a freelancer). I could just rehash the same to-do list app that seems to be vogue but it seems too simple.

Am I overengineering or should I try to make a technically non-trivial app?