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By far the best way to operate is via in-network connections you already have. This could be former employers who were happy with your work as an employee, form

By far the best way to operate is via in-network connections you already have. This could be former employers who were happy with your work as an employee, former colleagues at those jobs, people you know from your local university or tech community, even niche Discords / Slacks / forums, and so on: places where you are a known quantity and not a commodity, places where you are not competing with a million anonymous consultants on the Internet. If you are on Upwork or some similar site, you are in a brutal Hunger Games deathmatch with many, many highly experienced people around the world, all racing to the bottom to be commodity service providers at the lowest possible cost. Avoid that if at all possible. Devote specific time towards keeping your old connections alive, revitalize that network periodically in accordance with your local business customs and norms (the exact things you have to do to do this vary significantly by region.) That network is highly valuable to you as a consultant. That is the one place in the world where you are not merely a commodity. Take time too to expand your network: attend conferences and technical meetups. Participate in them as a presenter as much as you can. Ask people in your network for introductions to others. You will find the networking aspect takes up a tremendous amount of time if done properly. Many don't like this, which is fine; these people tend to go back to being an employee. Finally, make sure you don't spend all of your income as you get it -- that is, save a significant amount of money to cover the low points in your sales cycle. Your income as a consultant is highly "lumpy," meaning you will receive a lot of money at some points, then no money at all for a long time. Make sure you've budgeted appropriately, and you have enough money in reserve to pay for the "no income" parts of the cycle. Hope this helps.

efields 3y ago
Should help OP an awful lot… you nailed it!
goatking 3y ago
I am in similar shoes as OP. I see "networking" a lot, but how exactly? Unfortunately, I am not in contact with any of my former colleagues of employers apart from being connected on LinkedIn. Starting conversations with them on LinkedIn would be awkward and weird. What else can you do? It doesn't help that I'm a introvert, not really a social person. Probably contracting is just not for me.
- pjlegato 3y ago
  Networking is a continuous, ongoing process. You must pre-plan networking. It must be executed well in advance of actually needing a favor from the network. It is the opposite of a "transactional" interaction, such as buying something from a store. You must make an effort to continue having a social relationship with people you meet (former employers and colleagues, etc.) from the moment you meet them. What exact activities must be done depends on your local culture. It is very possible that contracting -- which absolutely requires maintaining a social network of business contacts -- is not for you. That's fine, everyone is different and some people for various reasons don't want to or cannot do the social networking part. In that case, you might be happier as a well-paid employee. OTOH, if you want to learn to do the networking part, it is possible. There are courses, books, even clubs that teach this sort of thing and create opportunities to practice it. If you see it as an interesting challenge that is outside your comfort zone but doable, that might work. Don't do it as a chore because you feel you must, though; if it is forced or reluctant, it won't work well.
- amerkhalid 3y ago
  I think you can still reconnect with your former colleagues even if you haven't talked to them in a while. Starting a business or looking for a new job is a great excuse to do so. I have been on both sides of conversations and it never really bothered if someone messaged me out of blue or didn't respond to my message. And if you do message, keep it short and to the point, only time I get really annoyed is when someone starts a conversation, asking about work and family then after several messages, they would bring up their real motivation. Usually, it is MLM related and when I say hard NO, they disappear again. Something like "hey X, been a while, hope you are doing well. I am freelancing these days and looking for a new project. My main focus is tech a but can also do tech b and c. Please let me know if you have any leads. I would truly appreciate it." And if you really want to build better relationship, you could say something like, "And we should grab coffee one day and catch up. I miss working with you."

efields 3y ago

Should help OP an awful lot… you nailed it!

goatking 3y ago

I am in similar shoes as OP. I see "networking" a lot, but how exactly? Unfortunately, I am not in contact with any of my former colleagues of employers apart from being connected on LinkedIn. Starting conversations with them on LinkedIn would be awkward and weird. What else can you do? It doesn't help that I'm a introvert, not really a social person. Probably contracting is just not for me.

pjlegato 3y ago
Networking is a continuous, ongoing process. You must pre-plan networking. It must be executed well in advance of actually needing a favor from the network. It is the opposite of a "transactional" interaction, such as buying something from a store. You must make an effort to continue having a social relationship with people you meet (former employers and colleagues, etc.) from the moment you meet them. What exact activities must be done depends on your local culture. It is very possible that contracting -- which absolutely requires maintaining a social network of business contacts -- is not for you. That's fine, everyone is different and some people for various reasons don't want to or cannot do the social networking part. In that case, you might be happier as a well-paid employee. OTOH, if you want to learn to do the networking part, it is possible. There are courses, books, even clubs that teach this sort of thing and create opportunities to practice it. If you see it as an interesting challenge that is outside your comfort zone but doable, that might work. Don't do it as a chore because you feel you must, though; if it is forced or reluctant, it won't work well.
amerkhalid 3y ago
I think you can still reconnect with your former colleagues even if you haven't talked to them in a while. Starting a business or looking for a new job is a great excuse to do so. I have been on both sides of conversations and it never really bothered if someone messaged me out of blue or didn't respond to my message. And if you do message, keep it short and to the point, only time I get really annoyed is when someone starts a conversation, asking about work and family then after several messages, they would bring up their real motivation. Usually, it is MLM related and when I say hard NO, they disappear again. Something like "hey X, been a while, hope you are doing well. I am freelancing these days and looking for a new project. My main focus is tech a but can also do tech b and c. Please let me know if you have any leads. I would truly appreciate it." And if you really want to build better relationship, you could say something like, "And we should grab coffee one day and catch up. I miss working with you."