DJ_AM_Juicebox
asked on
consulting?
Hi,
Over the past 4 years I've built up a lot of experience in a very specific software area. I'm wondering if there are any special precautions I need to take in setting up some kind of software development consulting 'company'? The company would just be myself, and I'd just like to charge an hourly rate for people. I've realized I have a lot of offers from people and don't want to necessarily move to another full time position at another company. It would be nice to give employing myself a shot (I know this is very risky).
Any thoughts on this? I am posting in the C++ forum because I assume some of you are doing something similar to this?
Thanks for any thoughts
Over the past 4 years I've built up a lot of experience in a very specific software area. I'm wondering if there are any special precautions I need to take in setting up some kind of software development consulting 'company'? The company would just be myself, and I'd just like to charge an hourly rate for people. I've realized I have a lot of offers from people and don't want to necessarily move to another full time position at another company. It would be nice to give employing myself a shot (I know this is very risky).
Any thoughts on this? I am posting in the C++ forum because I assume some of you are doing something similar to this?
Thanks for any thoughts
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
I'm guessing that DJ_AM_Juicebox is East Coast USA from the time zone in the question.
I do most of my consultancy out to that neck of the woods based from my poky office in London and I must say that the business footing is much easier over there than it is here in the UK. It may be because I primarily deal with small media / interactive companies in the UK, but I find that getting money from clients in the UK is like getting blood from a stone. The US is much more business-friendly, once you get over the shock of the scary wording in contracts.
I'm not on site, so I don't have to fall within office hours, but I'm a family man, which means that I try - and fail - to keep my hours sociable.
I do most of my consultancy out to that neck of the woods based from my poky office in London and I must say that the business footing is much easier over there than it is here in the UK. It may be because I primarily deal with small media / interactive companies in the UK, but I find that getting money from clients in the UK is like getting blood from a stone. The US is much more business-friendly, once you get over the shock of the scary wording in contracts.
I'm not on site, so I don't have to fall within office hours, but I'm a family man, which means that I try - and fail - to keep my hours sociable.
You should check whether these offers would give you enough work to earn your living. I made the experience that you hardly can do more than one job at a time. The day has only 24 hours and the week only 7 days, and if you have to go to the customer they rarely will let you in at Sunday evening but from Monday 8 AM to Friday 6 PM. A few times I achieved to go from Monday to Thursday to one client and Friday to a second one. But that was luck.
You may also consider that if working as a one-person company you may have no time to make aquisition for yourself. So, the time between new projects can be long. That's why I was using intermediate companies which make the aquisition for me ... and make that I get my money a few weeks after I bringing it to account . Of course they take their share but it is worth the money if you ever have experienced a customer not paying the bills for months.
Regards, Alex