[LRUG] Switching from solo contractor to being a development company

[luke saunders]

Hi all,

For several years now I've been a contract developer, usually working
for a single client at any one time and often for a couple of years at
a time. Sometimes I get projects which are short term to fill some
specific requirement, like now I'm redeveloping a site, which will be
done by May. I think I'm a pretty typical contract developer.

At some point I would quite like to run a development company, which
might handle several projects at a time, employ other developers etc.
But it's not clear how to best approach making the leap, when I am
employed by clients they usually want to employ me and only me, if
they need other developers or a designer they'll find them themselves.
So probably the companies I have relations with now would not be my
target market then.

Has anyone made the jump from solo contractor to development company?
And if so do you have any advice on how to achieve this? How do
clients find you and do you have a lead gen / sales process?

Thanks,
Luke.