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From Serf to Surfer: Becoming a Network Consultant
Let's be frank: I didn't expect to like this book. The cover has a picture of a California surfer dude surfing (get it? surfing? get it? ha! ha!) with a laptop. At first glance, it seemed about two steps below a "for Dummies" book, and what I expected (or at least desired) from a book on this topic was serious advice, not some flippant idiot dispensing watered-down aphorisms. I wouldn't have bought this book in a store -- probably wouldn't have looked at it twice.
But hey, I thought, the publisher sent Slashdot a review copy, might as well read it. If nothing else, it might be bad enough to write a really funny review.
It wasn't as bad as I expected. The author is quite intelligible and coherent -- they just need to fire the cover artist.
The author starts with a humorous quiz designed to point out that you have to market yourself to succeed -- and that there may be quite a few non-obvious barriers to marketing yourself. If you have a foot-high purple mohawk, that may be an expression of your uniqueness to you, but it's likely to make it hard for you to get and maintain consulting jobs. He follows with "a day in the life," designed to show that though he makes good money, he works rather hard for it as well -- the job isn't to punch the clock or put in the time, but to solve particular problems, whatever it takes.
Chapter 3 is an overview of a single project from beginning to end. It's pretty informative, and gives you a good idea of what to expect. He then covers work habits and forming a personal network of contacts. His advice for getting work is to dispense business cards liberally and offer finder's fees to people who steer work to him, which is a stunningly good idea that probably isn't obvious to most people. He's also got good advice for bringing a project to a close -- when you're working on a fixed-fee basis (the approach he advocates), you need to come in, do the job, and depart without lingering around, since it only costs you time and money without any extra income.
The next chapter covers tools of the trades: computers and software. I didn't find this chapter of much use, and my guess is most of his target audience won't either. If you're competent enough to consult, you're competent enough to know what you want/need as far as computers and software go.
Chapter 7 covers setting up a business. It doesn't have enough detail to be your sole resource -- I would recommend one of the guides from Nolo Press as another good starting point.
He talks about contracts, which basically boils down to the very simple advice: write it down, all of it.
He has a few strategies for pricing services at whatever the customer is willing to pay. This is probably one of the harder tasks to master, and his advice here is good -- present a tiered proposal, with low, medium and high bids for different amounts of work. If you've estimated the customer properly, the medium bid should be on target, but if you haven't, the low or high bid may be more to their liking and may allow you to get the job anyway.
He covers project management briefly -- very briefly. If you really need to manage a large project, this book alone won't cut it. But for small jobs, sure.
Short sections on dealing with bad clients and other contractors are useful. He finishes with discussions of the law and taxes. These sections are just long enough to warn you of potential pitfalls; if you really want to deal with them, you'll need to hire an accountant or invest in some more Nolo Press books.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. There's enough humor in it to make it read quickly and painlessly, and enough good information that you don't feel like a Dummy when you're done. If you gain only a few pieces of good information from the book, you'll probably recoup the $20 price of the book in short order.
You can purchase this book at Fatbrain.
Fortunately, the same trend toward outsourcing that has placed many techies into a shotgun wedding with entrepreneurship has also created a web of resources they can use to cope. For starters, check out Janet Ruhl's Real Rates website. Also, those seeking a relatively painless (though pricey) back-office solution should check out Professional Association of Contract Employees (P.A.C.E.). And be sure to read the Contract Employees' Handbook by the same guy who runs P.A.C.E.
You've obviously never written a book about consulting. To date, this book has made me about $20,000 over the course of two years. The consulting firm I own makes well over $500,000 now. But, granted, I am audacious.
aka Matthew at SlashNOT/!
For all those that are currently doing custom programming or other computer consulting, how has your amount of business changed in the last year? Are independent consultants being hit as hard as dot-coms?
Am wondering because I'm trying to get into that field but haven't marketed myself much yet. I do have one customer but am waiting for him to get me some graphics before I can continue, and he's too busy to get them too me (which could probably be seen as a good thing!).
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The key to sucessful consulting is to find people with money who have jobs for you to do. For me, the biggest source of leads has been the Small Business Innovation Program (SBIR) and the Commerce Business Daily. If you don't know about these resources, you should.
If you are even thinking about $20 then going the contracting route probably won't work out.
This is a valid concern. Consultants routinely earn so much money that they can't stop to count it all without having their head explode. But that's a rookie mistake, after you've been consulting for a while you're far more likely to die from accidently inhaling a $1,000 bill or having the solid gold brakes on your car melt as you're taking a turn. The key is that it's important to understand what you're getting yourself into before you start down the consulting route, being mega-rich isn't easy.
It's probably the toughest part of being a freelancer or consultant.
... This book SHOULD tell the reader to take a long hard look at themselves and ask if they can do the sales job as well as the technical job (and the admin job, and the financial job,..). If they can't or won't, being "an independent" is likely not for them.
Face it, most "geeks" are as unfamiliar with marketing, selling, cold calling, and negotiating and closing a sale as they are skilled with installations, networking, administration, coding,
Look at many small consulting shops - several techs, usually with kick-ass skills, and a business manager/sales/marketing person to take care of the essential tasks the techs can't do well enough themselves.
I speak with some experience - I know my limitations and being effective as my own sales person is outside my core strengths. My wife has had her own marketing business for years and is very successful - she could sell snow in a blizzard (if I ever decided to go independent, I'd hire her to sell me). My brother is a freelance photographer and multimedia designer/producer, and while he is excellent technically (awards, kudos, the whole bit), he HATES doing the sales part and as a result, he struggles.
Of course, neophyte programmers would have to work their way through some years as apprentices and journeymen before they would qualify in a realistic licensing system.
is the sound of thousands of out-of-work, non-qualified dot-bombers clicking madly on the "Fatbrain" link to order this book.
What's your damage, Heather?
If you are even thinking about $20 then going the contracting route probably won't work out.
I'm not saying that the key to successful business is throwing money away, but just that if you remain focused on $20 then that's all your likely to see.
Specifically, taxes, incorporating, contract law and such should not be done on the basis of a book, even a good one. Spend a couple thousand a year on a good accountant/lawyer (and if you can find a lawyer who is a CPA like mine, then I highly recommend keeping all your business with him).
The other single salient suggestion I have is do as much as you can on barter. If you need a couple boxen for your new lab and your client is a PC shop that needs some wiring hung and a T1 installed then why bother with the cash and associated accounting.
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Poliglut
I leafed through this book in the bookstore and came away with a negative impression. The cover alone makes it a definite "on-line only" purchase. The writing seemed to be of that mix of "salesman-consultant-motivational speaker" that makes your skin crawl.
I must admit, in retrospect, that much of my opinion my have hinged on my negative reaction to the cover. I recall that I did spend quite a bit of time leafing though it, for reasons other than to laugh at it. And I recently just pulled that "high-middle-low" trick, and now I remember where I got it.
In sum, if the title interests you, leaf through this in some secluded corner of the bookstore where no one can see you and check it out. It is not as bereft of usefulness as it appears.
Kill, Tux, kill!
The msot profitable thing a consultant can do is write a book. Most write books about some aspect of the field in which they are consulting. Vary few have the audacity to write a book about how to be a successful consultant.
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