I did something similar to what you're planning about four years ago. I'm still in the business, although there have been a couple of close calls in that time.
I've made a lot of business mistakes, and even now I'd still call myself a pretty poor businessman, but I've learned enough to be able to consider expanding the company and employing permanent staff.
The best advice I can give about getting work is to look at the fringes of industry - the areas where the big software houses are too inflexible to reach. Find an industry which is a good fit for other skills you may have, and learn the sofware they're using. A lot of these peripheral organisations are using ancient purpose-built programs which are in desperate need of customisation/upgrading.
You're not going to have much success if you try to write a better word processor or web browser, but if you can modify process control software, or laboratory management systems, there are a lot of SME's out there who'll pay you well.
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I did something similar to what you're planning about four years ago. I'm still in the business, although there have been a couple of close calls in that time.
I've made a lot of business mistakes, and even now I'd still call myself a pretty poor businessman, but I've learned enough to be able to consider expanding the company and employing permanent staff.
The best advice I can give about getting work is to look at the fringes of industry - the areas where the big software houses are too inflexible to reach. Find an industry which is a good fit for other skills you may have, and learn the sofware they're using. A lot of these peripheral organisations are using ancient purpose-built programs which are in desperate need of customisation/upgrading.
You're not going to have much success if you try to write a better word processor or web browser, but if you can modify process control software, or laboratory management systems, there are a lot of SME's out there who'll pay you well.
Good luck...