Starting and Growing Your Career as a Freelancer/Consultant

You’ve worked with consultants and you have friends that consult or freelance on a full time basis. The thought of “going out on your own” looks very intriguing, so much so that you you continually think about it. The pay looks great and the freedom looks better but the only thing is … you don’t know how to start and it seems risky.

There are many unanswered questions to the likes of: “How much do I bill? Where do I find clients? How do I keep clients? Do I need a contract? Do I need a lawyer? OMG, I don’t want to die, WHAT ABOUT HEALTH INSURANCE?” (and many many more). In this session I’ll show you how I’ve calmed my fears, answered all those same questions as well as kept my client pipeline full of interesting and intriguing work for the last six years (yes, even through the recession).

I’ll discuss how you can stay on top of your industry as a leader to ensure you’re never in a famine scenario, but I’ll also discuss how to plan for a consulting famine as well. I’ll also talk about working on site vs working remote. We’ll wrap up with tips and tricks to stay effective in a remote work environment while consulting. Please bring your questions, this is a very interactive presentation and discussion. When you leave I hope this presentation will have provided you with the confidence needed to take the next step to achieving your dreams.

Transcript

1. STARTING AND GROWING YOUR CAREER AS A FREELANCER/CONSULTANT #phxmobi
2. DONN FELKER @DONNFELKER - DONNFELKER.COM FREELANCING AND CONSULTING: 15YRS #phxmobi
3. #phxmobi
4. AGENDA - HOW TO GET STARTED - SURVING AND THRIVING - HANDING YOUR BACKOFFICE - WORKING REMOTELY SUCCESSFULLY* * - IF WE HAVE TIME. #phxmobi
5. SO YOU WANT TO FREELANCE OR CONSULT #phxmobi
6. #phxmobi
7. BUT WHY? #phxmobi
8. LOTSA MOOOLA! #phxmobi
9. FREEDOM! #phxmobi
10. LEARN NEW THINGS! #phxmobi
11. ALL OF WHICH ARE POSSIBLE, BUT ... #phxmobi
12. SO IS FAMINE #phxmobi
13. CONSULTING - FEAST OR FAMINE #phxmobi
14. IN A FAMINE SITUATION, YOUR FULL TIME JOBS IS ... FINDING NEW WORK #phxmobi
15. #phxmobi
16. CONSULTING AND FREELANCING: A CALCULATED RISK #phxmobi
17. HEALTH INSURANCE Lets get this out of the way #phxmobi
18. YES ITS QUITE A BIT MORE EXPENSIVE BUT YOU SHOULD BE MAKING A LOT MORE TOO, SO IT EVENS OUT #phxmobi
19. OPTIONS HEALTHCARE.GOV HEALTH INSURANCE BROKER HOP ON SPOUSES PLAN #phxmobi
20. THE SMALL GROUP HIRE YOUR PARTNER, SISTER, BROTHER, COUSIN, AUNT, ETC SMALL GROUPS, USUALLY 2-50 EMPLOYEES, GET CHEAPER BENEFITS BECAUSE OF A 'GROUP' PLAN. YOU AND ANOTHER PERSON WOULD HAVE TO BE ON THE SAME PLAN. TALK TO THE BROKER ABOUT THIS. #phxmobi
21. THE BROKER CAN HELP FIND THE BEST RATES FOR YOUR GIVEN REQUIREMENTS. CAN ALSO HELP FIND DENTAL, VISION, LIFE, SHORT AND LONG TERM DISABILITY. THEY MAKE THEIR MONEY FROM THE INSURANCE COMPANIES, NOT YOU. #phxmobi
22. HEALTH INSURANCE EVALUATE AND EXECUTE THEN MOVE ON KEEP YOUR BROKERS NUMBER HANDY IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS. #phxmobi
23. BACK TO CONSULTING AND FREELANCING #phxmobi
24. SO, HOW DO I START? #phxmobi
25. YOU NEED CLIENTS #phxmobi
26. O Clients, Where Art Thou? #phxmobi
27. PIPELINE IS STOCKED? #phxmobi
28. RIGHT ON! #phxmobi
29. STARTING FROM A CLEAN SLATE? #phxmobi
30. WHERE TO FIND CLIENTS ODesk Recruiters StackOverflow Careers / Jobsites Craigslist Friends/Family #phxmobi
31. LANDED A CLIENT #phxmobi
32. How Much Are you Per Hour? #phxmobi
33. If I make about 90K a year, thats almost $44 an hour ... so... if I charge $50 or $55 I should be good. — Every Programmer Ever #phxmobi
34. NOPE #phxmobi
35. WHEN IN DOUBT, START FROM $75/HR AND MOVE UP. I PERSONALLY RECOMMEND STARTING AT $90 AS A MINIMUM BUT SOME ARE AFRAID OF LOSING CLIENTS. #phxmobi
36. PROBLEMS WITH UNDER VALUING YOUR WORTH #phxmobi
37. RESENTMENT & REGRET (RE: HIGHER PAYING CLIENTS) UNFORESEEN OVERHEAD COSTS, OOPS LOWER PAYING CLIENTS CAN BE A LOT OF TROUBLE #phxmobi
38. TIPS DONT EVER GIVE A NUMBER. GIVE A RANGE. E.G. - $90-$120 DEPENDING ON ROLE ALWAYS BE OK WITH THAT LOW NUMBER THIS IS WHAT WORKS BEST FOR ME. #phxmobi
39. EXAMPLE SCRIPT IF YOU'RE NOT SURE WHAT TO SAY REPEAT THIS AS IF YOU WERE SPEAKING TO A POTENTIAL CLIENT I charge anywhere from $90-$120 an hour, depending on the role. If you need basic staff augmentation, then its 90$, if I'm leading a team, training your team, or architecting/etc its $120/hr. BE HAPPY WITH THE LOW NUMBER AS THEY'LL TRY TO GET YOU THERE. #phxmobi
40. GETTING PAID NET30 IS STANDARD FROM THE POINT THE CLIENT GETS YOUR INVOICE THEY HAVE 30 DAYS TO PAY IT. #phxmobi
41. YOU WORK 9/1 - 9/30 INVOICE SENT OCT 1ST PAYMENT IS DUE ON OCT 30TH #phxmobi
42. IF YOU BILL MONTHLY, YOU WILL NOT GET PAID FOR POSSIBLY 60 DAYS #phxmobi
43. HAVE A NEST EGG HAVE OTHER SOURCES OF INCOME #phxmobi
44. SURVIVING AND THRIVING #phxmobi
45. HOW DO YOU SURVIVE? Lets Talk About it #phxmobi
46. REQUIREMENTS TO SURVIVE: GET AN ACCOUNTANT GET A LAWYER MORE ON THIS LATER #phxmobi
47. TWO THINGS 1. SURVIVE AND THRIVE 2. MANAGE YOUR BACK OFFICE #phxmobi
48. SURVIVING AND THRIVING #phxmobi
49. MARKETING IS KING #phxmobi
50. IF NO ONE KNOWS WHO YOU ARE ... HOW CAN YOU LAND A GIG? #phxmobi
51. BUT I SUCK AT MARKETING, HOW DO I DO IT? #phxmobi
52. METHODS OF SELF MARKETING BLOGGING SCREENCASTING PRESENTING GETTING PUBLISHED Always Do Great work #phxmobi
53. MINIMUM OF TWO OF THESE AND YOU'LL THRIVE AND SURVIVE #phxmobi
54. Always Do Great Work #phxmobi
55. BLOGGING YOUR OWN DOMAIN USE WORDPRESS JUST WRITE! DONNFELKER.COM/BLUEHOST #phxmobi
56. BLOGGING AIM FOR ONCE A WEEK TWICE A MONTH IF YOU CANT SWING ONCE A WEEK PUBLISH TO NEWS AGGREGATORS #phxmobi
57. BLOGGING EMAIL CAPTURE MAILCHIMP Rss To Email Campaign #phxmobi
58. THE RESULT OF BLOGGING Indsutry Notoriety Speaking Engagements More Gigs #phxmobi
59. REMEMBER! ITS ALL ABOUT MARKETING #phxmobi
60. SCREENCASTING Tools CAMTASIA SCREENFLOW CAMSTUDIO #phxmobi
61. SCREENCASTING #phxmobi
62. SCREENCASTING #phxmobi
63. PLACES TO PUBLISH SCREENCASTS YOUTUBE INDUSTRY VIDEO SITES TUTORIAL SITES #phxmobi
64. THE RESULT OF SCREENCASTING Indsutry Notoriety Speaking Engagements More Gigs #phxmobi
65. PRESENTING PUBLIC SPEAKING ISNT THAT BAD #phxmobi
66. What should I talk about? #phxmobi
67. When you're speaking front of a crowd, you're an expert to someone. — Someone Smart #phxmobi
68. You know something a lot of people don't. Look at your experiences and go from there. #phxmobi
69. PRESENTING WHERE TO GET STARTED CODE CAMPS USER GROUPS MEET UPS #phxmobi
70. Level Up by Speaking at LOCAL CONFERENCES REGIONAL EVENTS NATIONAL CONFERENCES INTL CONFERENCES #phxmobi
71. PRESENTING TIPS Practice Makes Perfect AIM FOR AT LEAST 4 A YEAR (ONE PER QUARTER) #phxmobi
72. THE RESULT OF PRESENTING Indsutry Notoriety Expert In Your Field More Speaking Engagements Publishing Opportunities More Gigs #phxmobi
73. GETTING PUBLISHED #phxmobi
74. THE FIRST PUBLISHED ARTICLE IS THE MOST DIFFICULT TO GET #phxmobi
75. WHY GET PUBLISHED? #phxmobi
76. PUBLISHING INCREASES CREDIBILITY WHICH IMPROVES OTHERS PERCEPTION OF YOU IN A POSITIVE SENSE #phxmobi
77. GETTING PUBLISHED ANCHORS YOU AS AN EXPERT. #phxmobi
78. WHERE TO GET STARTED WITH PUBLISHING? #phxmobi
79. Remember that Blog of yours? Sites like TutsPlus.com Small Industry Magazines Then go for book publishers (if you want to write a book) #phxmobi
80. IMPORTANT NOTE YOU PROBABLY WONT GET PAID FOR ANY OF THIS. Remember ... marketing ... marketing ... marketing #phxmobi
81. WHY DO ALL OF THESE THINGS? WHY DO I RECOMMEND IT? #phxmobi
82. IT MAKES YOU GROW. IT BUILDS YOUR NETWORK. IT TURNS YOU INTO AN INDSUTRY EXPERT. #phxmobi
83. CLIENTS LOVE TO HIRE EXPERTS. #phxmobi
84. CLIENTS LOVE TO KEEP EXPERTS. #phxmobi
85. BUILD YOUR NETWORK THROUGH MARKETING #phxmobi
86. WHO WOULD YOU RATHER HIRE? #phxmobi
87. THE INDUSTRY EXPERT #phxmobi
88. "THAT ONE GUY" #phxmobi
89. PROBABLY THE EXPERT #phxmobi
90. MARKETING IS KING #phxmobi
91. MARKETING EFFECTIVELY RESULTS IN EASILY ACQUIRING NEW CLIENTS, KEEPING EXISTING CLIENTS AND KEEPING YOUR PIPELINE FULL (STAYING AWAY FROM FAMINE). #phxmobi
92. MANAGING THE BACK OFFICE ACCOUNTING, PAYROLL & LEGAL #phxmobi
93. GET AN ACCOUNTANT #phxmobi
94. TOOLS I RECOMMEND QUICKBOOKS ONLINE FRESHBOOKS XERO ONLY CHOOSE CLOUD OPTIONS #phxmobi
95. DO BOOKKEEPING MONTHLY AT A MINIMUM #phxmobi
96. HATE BOOKKEEPING? ! THEN OUTSOURCE IT #phxmobi
97. PUT YOURSELF ON PAYROLL ZENPAYROLL.COM #phxmobi
98. GIVE YOUR ACCOUNTANT A LOG IN TO YOUR ONLINE ACCOUNTING. YOU WANT TO STAY OUT OF THEIR OFFICE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. #phxmobi
99. DO YOUR TAXES OR FACE THE WRATH OF THE IRS #phxmobi
100. GET A LAWYER GET ONE BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO AGREE AND SIGN ANYTHING. #phxmobi
101. THEY WILL ASK FOR A RETAINER USUALLY 1-2K Pay It. #phxmobi
102. "Why do I need a lawyer? I trust the guy I'm working with."" #phxmobi
103. THATS FUNNY. #phxmobi
104. Everything goes good, until it doesnt. — Unknown #phxmobi
105. LAWYERS ARE AN INSURANCE UNDERWRITER FOR YOUR REVENUE, CAREER AND FUTURE. #phxmobi
106. SO, YES .. YOU NEED A CONTRACT A CONTRACT IS THE INSURANCE POLICY FOR THAT CLIENT #phxmobi
107. A CONTRACT INCLUDES STATEMENT OF WORK COMPENSATION TERMS PAYMENT TERMS (NET15, NET30, ETC) LIABILITY CLAIMS AND MUCH MORE #phxmobi
108. WHEN THINGS GO BAD, YOUR CONTRACT IS THE SAFETY NET. #phxmobi
109. FIND A GOOD TECHNOLOGY LAWYER #phxmobi
110. There are two bills I enjoy paying every month. One is my accountant. The other is my lawyer. Because of these two I know I'm taken care of. — Mike Monteiro (paraphrased) FROM THE TALK "F*CK YOU, PAY ME" VIA CREATIVE MORNINGS #phxmobi
111. LAWYERS AND ACCOUNTANTS KEEP EVERYTHING IN BALANCE SO YOU CAN DO YOUR WORK. #phxmobi
112. THANK YOU FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER @DONNFELKER #phxmobi
113. PLANNING FOR THE FAMINE CONSERVATIVELY, PLAN FOR A FAMINE EVERY 6-9 MONTHS. #phxmobi
114. SAVE 3-6 MONTHS OF HOUSEHOLD COSTS #phxmobi
115. SHARPEN THE SAW KEEP YOUR SKILLS SHARP DON'T STAGNATE #phxmobi
116. REMOTE WORKING REMOTE ISN'T EASY #phxmobi
117. HOW TO WORK REMOTE BOOKS: REMOTE, ROWE, TEAM GEEK AND MANY MORE #phxmobi
118. BENEFITS OF WORKING REMOTE YOU PROBABLY GET MORE WORK DONE BETTER WORK/LIFE BALANCE (SOMETIMES) AVERAGE COMMUTE TIME IS 8 SECONDS #phxmobi
119. PITFALLS OF WORKING REMOTE DISCONNECTED FROM TEAM IT CAN GET QUITE LONELY CABIN FEVER IS REAL #phxmobi
120. GET OUT COFFEE SHOPS COWORKING LOCATIONS SHARED OFFICE SPACES #phxmobi
121. INTERACT WITH OTHERS USER GROUPS MEET UPS CONFERENCES #phxmobi
122. COMMUNICATION IS KEY HIP CHAT SLACK SQWIGGLE JIRA #phxmobi
123. #phxmobi