10 Steps to Become a Solo Technology Consultant

Published: June 26, 2024, 8:22 p.m.

Want to quit working for companies as an employee, make more money, and choose the clients you work with? It might be time to go solo - as a technology consultant. To be successful, you need to be smart about how you start.

In this episode, I share the exact steps I took to become a solo technology consultant offering software architecture and a variety of other professional services. Whether you're a programmer, in QA, DevOps, do Product Management, Data Science, or any other software development technology role - a technology consultant is not a contractor. You are actually starting a business, and so you need to think like one!

I hope this episode helps you avoid some of the pitfalls that software engineers and other tech professionals can fall into when they try to work for themselves.

Learn about SoloDev, a coaching package to bootstrap your solo consulting business https://thrivingtechnologist.com/services/software-development-coaching/solodev-coaching-package/

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Chapter markers / timelinks:

(0:00) Introduction
(2:55) 10 Steps to Become a Solo Technology Consultant
(3:00) 1. Design Your Services
(6:38) 2. Discover The Client
(8:51) 3. Price Your Services
(11:16) 4. Build Client Awareness
(13:37) 5. Incorporate
(16:33) 6. Acquire Clients
(19:01) 7. Negotiate Contracts
(23:34) 8. Manage the Engagement
(26:16) 9. Keep Financial Records
(30:27) 10. Finish Strong and Get a Reference
(34:15) Episode Groove

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