5 ms·

Ask HN: Opened a LLC in USA, where should I look for clients?

• cranberryturkey 3y ago
  i don't know. c2c contracts are hard to find these days, there's dice.com but from my expierence its mostly spam these days.
  • bidandanswer 3y ago
    Traditional recruiters have really good leads. Just say you're looking to structure the "job" through an LLC instead of W-2. Pick a niche and demand easily outstrips supply. You can set your own hours and command very high rates.
• andrewmcwatters 3y ago
  Why would other contractors tell you where to get their business?
  • tptacek 3y ago
    Because they have too much business to actually deliver, and would get a cut if you did some of the work for them; it's called subcontracting, and it's very common.
    • MuffinFlavored 3y ago
      What's funny is think of the "value charged but not added here". By all means I'm sure the parent contractor might do some light management to make sure delivery goes as expected but what do they take, a 15-30% cut compared to the subcontractor? All because they found + negotiated the original lead
      • HeyLaughingBoy 3y ago
        If I'm going to be on the hook for the work, you bet I'm taking 30% minimum!
      • derstander 3y ago
        Alternatively you could think of the value added as the general contractor is you loaning the subcontractor your reputation. Certainly that reputation should be on the line if the sub (and by extension the general) fails to deliver. Though from what I hear this isn’t necessarily the case in construction / home improvement. But in any case, if you can’t close the deal yourself, 70-85% of something sounds better than 100% of nothing. My reputation is worth a fair amount to me, but I’ve never been a general or sub contractor though so my opinion is probably pretty naïve.
• bidandanswer 3y ago
  Stripe takes a hefty cut. Use USDC. Costs a fraction of a penny and settles in less than a second.
  • bidandanswer 3y ago
    No explanation, just downvotes? Standard Stripe fees on $250k revenue: - 2.9% + 30¢ per charge - Assume net-30 invoices - Total fees: 2.9% * $250k + 30¢ * 12 = $7,253.60 - Stripe can freeze your money arbitrarily and indefinitely Standard USDC fees on Solana: - Less than 1 cent per transaction - Total fees: < 12¢
    • vertis 3y ago
      Whining about downvotes is not likely to help. I replied to your original comment.
    • deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
    • Zetobal 3y ago
      Finding a client who wants to pay in crypto... priceless.
      • bidandanswer 3y ago
        See my other comment. Not hard. And it will only get easier as time goes on.
        • Zetobal 3y ago
          It's neither easy nor will it get easier.
          • bidandanswer 3y ago
            All of the facts contradict you. Two years ago I had to fend off contracts that paid in USDC. It's easier to find someone to pay in USDC today than it was then. Market share and volume will continue to grow. What do you have against a genuinely useful technology with tangible benefits? - Cheaper - Faster - No arbiter risk - Built-in escape hatch for political dissidents and enemies of the state If you want a trusted arbiter for all your financial transactions, you can continue to use the legacy financial system and pay the costs for doing so. I'm not arguing crypto will replace it. Both have their use case.
• karanmg 3y ago
  You might be able to find some here, or on LinkedIn. What are some projects u have done in the past? Where r u located? What US time zones will u overlap with? What do you charge?
  • HeyLaughingBoy 3y ago
    @OP: Don't refer to anything in your communications as "u" or "ur" or the like. It will result in an instant discard from most reputable clients. I mentioned above that there are other (better) competitive axes than price. Clear English communication is definitely one of them.
    • mnky9800n 3y ago
      mAyB3 itz FUNNZ0rZ to type ur txt liek dis!
    • deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
• javajosh 3y ago
  Maybe start with your current employer? Then expand out via LinkedIn. You could also try fiverr but that will generally be pretty cut-rate "doing it for the exposure" type deal - but might be useful if you want to get your feet wet, and get some genuine client recommendations. Disclaimer: I've only been a fiverr client, not a provider, and not for devops. I would also note that anyone looking to hire you will want you to be an expert on AWS, not a generalist on "Cloud". Similar to how they will want you to know Oracle, not "relational databases". Of course, milage varies as consultancies like Anderson and Deloitte charge big money to hire out generalists.
• candiddevmike 3y ago
  Sorry to tell you this, but you picked a terrible time to start contracting. I'd start on Upwork and see if you can get any bites on there. Also, I personally wouldn't use the US LLC if you don't live in the US--that would be a huge red flag for me as a potential client. Contracting is all about trust, and you want your business to appear as solid as possible.
  • MuffinFlavored 3y ago
    > I'd start on Upwork and see if you can get any bites on there. Upwork is international and you're competing with millions of people willing to work for $5/day, are you not?
    • candiddevmike 3y ago
      Gotta start somewhere and establish a list of references and a portfolio of past projects. The alternative is LinkedIn and wait for a recruiter to offer you a contract while they take 50% of the hourly rate. It's a really bad time for contracting.
    • HeyLaughingBoy 3y ago
      Yes, but most good clients aren't focused on price-above-everything. There are other axes that you can compete on.
    • vertis 3y ago
      Upwork and Freelancer are cesspits. Filled with people that don't bother reading your job and just spam your job listings. I'd sooner cold email startups asking if they need help (as annoying as that is).
  • anonu 3y ago
    I disagree with both you statements: Why is it a terrible time? What's wrong with setting up a US entity? Actually from a US employer perspective you have a bit more recourse if you need to use the legal system than someone operating entirely out of a foreign country.
• 23B1 3y ago
  You should find out who the biggest cloud integrators are in your area and get in touch with whoever runs their frontline, e.g. who makes the deals. Typically this is a "managing director" or similar young executive who is responsible for the P&L of their own region, vertical, or segment. One of the thing these guys will spend a lot of time on is staffing, e.g. if/when they win a deal, will they be able to service it. Freelancers who can be relied upon are extremely valuable for this individual because they can trust you to do you job well but they don't have to carry your full expenses, just your billable rate.
• gist 3y ago
  I never understand (ok I understand but take issue with) these types of questions. Sure nice to read ideas people give on HN but really isn't this a classic case of RTFM. Where that means 'do some reading spend some time do some research and FIGURE IT OUT ON YOUR OWN'. What changed (old timer here btw) in culture where everyone wants the answer from someone else. There is a wealth of free information on the internet that can be had. Do some work yourself then come back with specific questions (on another forum probably) and tie up the loose ends. Part of being an entrepreneur is figuring things out on your own with nominal help from others. In the old day btw when you 'started a business' (was not called a 'startup') you not only didn't have money to buy expensive help you were lucky to even get any help. You wore most if not all hats.
• fakedang 3y ago
  From your network of friends, former colleagues and family.
• pxue 3y ago
  Go to places where your potential customers are looking for help.
• brudgers 3y ago
  People you know is the only worthwhile client pipeline. So start with people you already know. And work on getting to know more people. To a first approximation, every potential client who wants a contractor has one. There are only two likely categories of potential clients who will cold call you: 1. Potential clients with no track record. 2. Potential clients with a track record of bad relationships with previous contractors. Potential clients with no track record might become good clients. Or they might become clients with a bad track record. Potential clients with bad track records are best avoided. Potential clients with good track records are highly unlikely to work with a new contractor because ongoing relationships with contractors are part of what makes them good clients. Experienced contractors move heaven and earth to hold on to good clients. Basically modulo people who know you, the potential clients for new contractors is a lemons market. Good clients are already in long term relationships...again, long term relationships are what makes clients good clients. The LLC, Stripe, etc. are pretend work. Without clients your liability is zero, and there is no need for a payments mechanism. Finding clients is all that matters. It matters more than doing the work well. Good luck.
• gregjor 3y ago
  An old joke about new product development at Apple went “First design the icon, then make the t-shirts.” Setting up an LLC and the other superficial trappings of a real business amounts to making the t-shirts. You have no customers, no idea how to get customers, no insight into the market from a contracting perspective. You can find plenty of freelancing & contracting advice online, useful and not so useful, if you do the work. Mostly it distills down to contacts and reputation. Posting the equivalent of “I’ve set the table, how do I cook the meal?” seems like a big ask.
• 4b11b4 3y ago
  I'm 2/2 on getting hired as general labor in small/medium biz and then approaching the owner to help them "automate that repetitive stuff that they know how to do by heart". Now I have a contract with them. The reason this works in contrast to the owner going out and hiring a "software contractor" is because now I know their entire business and they don't need to explain to me what they need, I already know and can then just build it. That's a huge barrier for any owner/founder - they don't even know where to start with trying to explain to someone what kind of software they need and are weary of getting taken advantage of. But if you've been inside their business, then this is eliminated. I jokingly call my consultancy "HAI" (hesitation automation information, also "yes" in Japanese). Find a small business you actually like the product or service of personally, get in at the bottom, perform all of the different roles, and quickly evaluate the owner to see if there's potential. Work your way out of the initial responsibilities if you get a contract.