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

[luke saunders]

On Thu, Feb 16, 2012 at 12:42 PM, Sidu Ponnappa <ckponnappa at gmail.com> wrote:
>> At some point I would quite like to run a development company, which
>> might handle several projects at a time, employ other developers etc.
>
> I think my very first question would be "Why do you want to run a
> company instead of doing contract work?"
>
> What you wish to achieve through running a company will shape the kind
> of company it is, which in turn affects your other questions around
> lead generation etc.

I like doing a range of stuff, for example managing client
requirements to deliver a stable platform, on time, which does not
require much maintenance. And dealing with designers and UX people,
pushing back on things which have negative technical implications. I
am doing this for my current contract and I think I'm pretty good at
it. So I'd like to continue doing this for future projects and
starting a company which delivers whole projects seems like a good way
to achieve that.

My current client would be okay with a company dealing with ongoing
maintenance as long as they were dealing with me. But I would never
have got that job in the first place if I'd replied to them saying 'I
am the CEO of X' rather than just being an independent dev.

> On 16 February 2012 17:59, luke saunders <luke.saunders at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 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.
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