I’m going to do this more of a live blogging style… We’ll see how this format helps.
Should provide to be an interesting talk… featuring Joe O’Brien, Nathaniel Talbott, Justin Gehtland, Geoffrey Grosenbach, Robby Russell, and Andre Lewis…
It’s a panel discussion starting off with the question about how and why they chose to go into business on their own… just simple concepts, not wanting to work for the man… wanting to try the “work half time on your own” kinda thing…
It seems as though they are going to just talk about their experiences… I’ll try to pull out the juicy nuggets of information…
Robby just brought up a good point. Don’t start a business and try to write a book at the same time.
Fixed price bids? 2 to 3 month project… they can give them a rough estimate… but for larger projects, there should be a time and materials. There’s always comparison to cheaper, fixed bid scenarios… let them learn on their own time and not deal with them.
Blow them away with one iteration at the rate… tools and processes…
You can rewrite Gmail for $20,000 at $6 an hour =)
Tips for starting out on your own:
- Marketing *
User groups, speaking, Geoffrey Grosenbach does it well, more than just getting your company’s name out, and get back to the community.
- Contracts *
First one was 20 pages (don’t do that)… 1 to 2 pages is key. Email Andre Lewis (Earthcode) for a template. IP is the tough spot…
- Employees *
Big decision… should you add employees? Not a huge fan of remote employees… stay away from contractors at first…
- Incorporating *
DO IT NOW! Don’t risk your personal assets. Separate credit… separate taxes… definition of ownership.
- Accounting and Finance *
Separate bank accounts… don’t cross those lines ever. American Express business card… buy something on it every month. Local banks rule and take your business seriously. Get to know the people at the bank. Have business insurance. $3,000 for $2,000,000 in coverage.
Finding a designer? Educating a freelancer? Taking on one as a designer… Don’t do it yourself. Start talking to designer user group.
Going independent will take a while to get a reasonable schedule… Find an office space to rent.
Overall a very good panel, since I’ve started my own business before (though it was not something I wanted to continue), it was good to hear more on the other side rather than just the pure government focused business aspects.
And there’s a marching band outside…