Hacker News Reader

Comment by justherefortart | Hacker News Reader

Work for yourself. That's the answer.

One job means you get fired and you're looking for a new boss.

10 clients means if one fires you, you still have 9 you're hopefully keeping happy.

I try to follow what I read about Gates starting Microsoft in some Biography. He tried to keep 2x the salary of all the employees as cash on hand, so if something went bad, they could try to weather the storm as long as possible.

So before hiring anyone as an employee (including myself), I do this with my startups. (I work 1099 in the beginning as well and I fire myself [work without pay] first).

Getting laid off lets you know where your loyalties should lie. The circle of you, is what I call it.

Each circle goes out from there. For me that's the circle of my wife. Then my immediate family. Etc.

View on HN

If I knew how to find consulting/contract clients for non-third-world-peasantry rates, I would quit my FT job today. My employer bills me out at ~$150-200/hr, so I know it's possible, I just have no idea how to get started.

The reason your employer can bill you for ~$150-200/hr is that they're also selling a peace of mind that the project is going to be on track, even if you get hit by a bus one morning. Getting that rate individually is certainly possible, but you'll have to justify it harder.

> I just have no idea how to get started.

Have a whole team of eager engineers ready to go for the next big project. That's 90% of the reason your company gets the contracts they do; they (claim they) can get 5-10 qualified engineers in the building by next Thursday. Which is something you obviously can't do.

It's hard to find good work as an indie dev unless you have a skill-set that works well in that setting. Either you're an industry specialist in a field, or you're awesome at stuff that small companies need. And the market for the latter is getting tighter every day.

Everyone I know that makes a good living as a indie contractor has themselves as an employee, working on apps or niche websites to pay the bills during the lean months. The outstanding ones I know can learn a new technology by creating a marketable product from it. As in, their very first iPhone app / website made them money.

I own my own business, which is kinda the same thing as working for yourself.

Two bits of advice:

1. The first check you don't write is usually the one to yourself. You're the only worker that will show up for free.

2. The problem with being your own boss is that your boss is always around.

I've never known stress and uncertainty like being a business owner. But I feel like I've learned a lot and am better for it. And if I ever work for anyone else again, I'll be a much better employee as a result.

Why wouldn't your first check be to yourself?

I guess I'm well rounded so that doesn't really apply to me. I hire for roles that consume my time but still provide value (the necessary busy work).

I'm a much worse employee as the proud failure of 7 startups (on #8 at the moment). So much bullshit, waste, politics, needless meetings, etc., that working for a company again is one of the most painful things I've ever had to do besides death of a family member or divorcing my first wife (that was #1 BTW).

I will agree with your #2, work life balance can be hard. But if you find yourself not wanting to work on a Wednesday, you can just not work that day. If you're particularly inspired on a Saturday, you can go all in.

My biggest issue was around this (startup #3, first fully self funded). I felt if I was not working every waking moment, I was failing. I learned my way out of that one eventually.

Discipline is the key in working for yourself. I'm lucky that my parents were both entrepreneurs. I saw them fail and succeed (and fail and succeed again...).

Your employees will rarely show up if they don't get paid and if they do they won't stick around for long. If you run a business and face a cash flow dilemma the easiest thing to not pay is yourself.

Or you can actually provide a service/product people will pay for. It's like this is confusing for you.

Why would you ever hire employees when you can't pay them? I love the internet sometimes.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com