| I see a lot of good answers here already... but understand the reason you want your own firm... and the reason why it sucks to be a developer at most agencies... is the same as why it's really hard to be a developer out on your own. It's not talent that matters, it's the ability to sell. The sales guys have all the power because, without them, there is no viable firm. Now... you can say, "Oh without delivery talent there isn't a firm either..." and you're not wrong. But, a firm can always fake it until they make it -- many do. Then scramble to hire devs once they get a sale. It's not a discussion around what comes first -- the chicken or the egg... it's sales that comes first. If you're just looking to freelance, find a "cash cow" client or two. Bend over backwards to keep them happy. You'll make an OK living billing out at your hourly for them. If you have time, try and grow... but at some point you'll have to make the call if you want to do sales or delivery work -- and if it's the later you'll never have time to do the former correctly. So to keep a client happy... you have to talk to the project manager on their side, the VP on their side, the C-level folks on their side... all the lunches and emails and gifts and crap that you never see because the sales / accounts team handled it for you. And if you don't do it... rest assured someone else is, and you'll end up losing your contract to someone who is willing to waste a day playing golf and building multi-layer relationships. Having done my own business for a number of years... it's empowering to be your own boss, but even getting all my clients through reputation / word of mouth... it's a never-ending struggle to keep up with sales / accounts and it takes a lot more of my time than I ever thought it would. It takes a lot more than just doing the job right for them. Let's face it... most of the higher up folks making the decisions about budgets... they aren't perfectly in tune with delivery anyway, so when someone comes along who tells them they can do it cheaper, faster, better, whatever... and turns on the charm... your relationship with the client's project manager isn't going to mean all that much. It's exhausting having to be so aggressively inquisitive about my clients' businesses so I can get out ahead of them before they send out an RFP or invite another contractor in that could be trying to vie for my job. At the end of the day... is it worth it? Sure -- for me -- for the freedom. But I'd probably have more money, and a lot more free time, if I just worked for someone else. |