How do you become an independent consultant and get contracts?

posted Wednesday, January 05, 2005 9:57 PM

I came across an interesting post about becoming an independent consultant and how to get contracts.  Lots of interesting things in the post most of which I've already heard.  I wonder how different the rates are for .NET Consultants these days.  The author mentions rates of $75-$200/hr for Java Developers in the Denver area.  Anyone in the Philly area open to sharing some information on what the going rate is for good .NET talent these days?

3 Comments

# re: How do you become an independent consultant and get contracts?

Thursday, January 06, 2005 6:08 AM by Dave Donaldson    
Networking, networking, networking. Constantly. And once you secure a contract, keep networking. It doesn't ever stop. I'm on a long term gig now (as a .NET architect) and network every chance I get, both online and offline. It will pay off in the end. Go to user's group meetings, blog (and blog some more), write an article... do anything to be visible. And be confident in your abilities. If you have that, "selling" yourself to prospective clients becomes much easier.

As far as rates go, it depends on the client, length of the project, and the role you'll be playing. A short-term .NET architect contract will command a higher rate than the long-term .NET developer just there for staff augmentation.

# re: How do you become an independent consultant and get contracts?

Sunday, January 09, 2005 9:09 AM by Richard Dudley    
Networking--yes! Join a networking group. Check with some local chambers of commerce to see if they sponsor any, or Google for some. You may need to attend a couple of meetings of each to gauge the personalities, seriousness of referrals, and possibilities for business. My wife is a member of one locally that is extremely serious about referring business to its members. Ask about the group's policies about referrals.

Secondly, if you're not a very graphically talented person, find someone who is. I'm fortunate to have two friends who are very talented web designers (one married to a .NET developer, so she speaks our language too). In many cases, a website is judged more on its looks than what it does. More than likely, you'll see the same thing, and you'll need someone with those skills for those projects. Even when the job is going to be measured on its functionality, a nice UI can be that little extra that sets you up for the next job.

Third, do something visible. Check out rentacoder.com and dice.com. Pro bono if you have to, just make sure what you do is tangible in some way to the people you want to sell your services to. Doing things serves two purposes. You'll be challenged on every job, and have the opportunity to expand your skills, and you'll be able to put more on your resume.

Finally, in all probability, not every job is going to be "The Big Score". I was working full time when I started taking the smaller jobs, and when I was laid off, I had a pretty good portfolio to show prospective clients. Good luck!

# re: How do you become an independent consultant and get contracts?

Monday, January 10, 2005 10:18 PM by Dave Burke    
Dave is correct and Richard nailed it, especially on the graphic design aspect! Of course, all you asked for was local Philly rates, not how to get started in independent consulting.

As for rates, I work out of Vermont but my rates have nothing to do with the local area. I bill based on how interested I am in doing the work more than anything. If its something I don't want to do, its a lot, or something I really want to do, I often reduce the rate a bit because I know I'll enjoy it and value what I'll learn in the process.

As for the exact rates, you can email me at daveburke@dbvt.com if you want actual numbers.

Be sure to blog about your consultant fun!

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