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Consultant gigs aren't very fun, but they definitely can be a great way to pay the bills while you're planning for your next big thing. I've recently (in the l
by ddemchuk 16y ago
Consultant gigs aren't very fun, but they definitely can be a great way to pay the bills while you're planning for your next big thing.
I've recently (in the last week) started offering some specific services on a few forums that I'm actively participating in, and have already pulled in a few thousand bucks. Once I get the system down pat, I'll just crank out work, and eventually have my remaining debts paid off and be ready to do my startup I've been planning, with a few month's salary in the bank just in case.
If you can offer a specific service as your consultant income rather than just "hire me for whatever you need" type stuff, you can greatly reduce the amount of effort you need to use to make the same amount of money.
- donw 16y agoDisclosure: I'm the other half of the startup. :) Being specific sounds like great advice, but it still prompts the question as to how to advertise yourself -- should I just roll around and tell people how I can massively improve the performance of their Ruby (Rails or not) web stack, or are there some specific tactics that you've employed that work well?
- ddemchuk 16y agoWell, I was lucky enough to be an active participant at the forum I ended up announcing my service at, so I already had a reputation around my name. I make it a point to answer people's questions and really give good advice, something that a lot of people don't like to do sometimes, so when I announced my service, the trust was already there from all of the users who saw it. Now, it is a bit of a risk to my reputation, as I need to come through on the service to make sure I make people happy. But, it's nice to be able to say "this is the service I'm offering. It costs X dollars. Take it or leave it"