Sharing the lessons of 20+ years in the software consulting business
I saw an old-but-always-interesting question on Quora a while back: How viable is it to make 100k a year as a freelancer developer in sites like Upwork? Here’s my take. It’s possible, but I’d hesitate to call it viable. I recommend a two-pronged approach. But first, let’s talk about why…
It’s the nightmare of consultants and project managers everywhere – you made a mistake of some kind and caused a big, fat emergency with your project. Oh no! Without an ounce of exaggeration, I tell you that moments like this can make or break business relationships, and sometimes entire careers!…
A bunch of you have asked me the same question over the past year: “when are you going to do another podcast?” The honest answer most of the time was “I’m not sure”. But today, that changes. Because today, I just launched a new show.
Between interviewing other freelancers and consultants for my new online show, and interacting with the freelancers I coach, a pattern has been emerging: By far, the #1 way that freelancers – even some very successful ones – get new client work is via their network, not via stranger-leads that come…
At the start of 2016, I had a very specific view of where I wanted to go professionally, and a huge sense of possibility. Standing here at the end of 2016, I have a very different view of where I want to go, and what I regard as possible. The…
As the year draws to a close, it’s only natural to reflect a bit on what has transpired, and what is yet to come; this is true both in our personal lives and in our businesses. Problem is, far too few freelancers start a new calendar year prepared to do…
Once upon a time, I spent many years building up a nice consulting business that was consistently putting 6 figures in my pocket every year. I was very proud of myself. I wasn’t working too many hours. The company wasn’t too big to manage. I didn’t have to book an…
Note: This interview is from early April. RJ from The Freelance Podcast was invited me on the show again, this time to talk a problem many of us freelancers share – conflict with clients! We talk about how freelancers get themselves into conflict with clients, how some clients are trouble…
I like you, client, you’re what makes it possible to do what I love for a living. But I also respect you; you either own a business or occupy a high-enough managerial position within a business to have the authority to hire my team and I, which means you’re all…
It’s a valid question – how good do your programming skills need to be (and how much does that matter) in the world of freelancing? The Question: Do you need to be a really good programmer to make a living freelancing? How advanced does a programmer need to be in…
