Need advice on starting a new software consulting business.
I am considering starting a software consulting business because...
I have been hunting for a job in Austin since November, but haven't found much yet...
So I picked up a short (50 hour) consulting job from Craig's List. The job went well--I've even gotten paid for part of it.
Now the trick is to find new customers. I've started one business before, but it was a construction business in Southern California. Still some of the business principals apply.
So, what are the best venues for finding new customers here in Austin? I am new here, having moved here last June. I will be selling custom software services to small and medium businesses. I have determined that Craig's List is not much of a B2B service.
I am willing to spend some money on advertising, but don't have a large budget--I've been out of work for awhile. How do I get the most bang for the buck? What guerrilla marketing techniques work best?
Here is the website for my new consulting business: www.diligentsoftware.com
Also, I am not against taking on contracts through recruiting firms.
Thanks for any advice in advance.
Comments
Maybe we can help each
Maybe we can help each other...though if I can help you that's good enough for me.
I'm just gearing up a technical writing consultancy, because I haven't had much work since I got laid off in November.
I'm a big fan of the Business Success Center (bscusa.com) - next time they put on a free brown-bag seminar, GO. Jan Triplett and Dan Diener make a living by making other people's businesses work.
A handful of suggestions:
On your web site's home page it would be good to give a quick summary of your credentials. Also, under Specialties you might want to expand on each a little, as your potential customers may understand this stuff less well than you do. I would suggest removing the religious reference unless your target market is churches - your site needs to present only the information that's relevant to solving your customers' business problem.
Best of luck!
Form a business plan before
Form a business plan before you jump in. Analyze your SWOT: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. If you can't easily demonstrate more value to your potential clients than new grad's and the already-established contractors, at least in some niche, consider doing something else.
Software development can be particularly tricky because, thanks to new communication technologies, it can now be done from anywhere. So, you've got to demonstrate better value than those overseas who are able to undercut our local rates. Austin has a very competitive market, and its many colleges pump out tons of graduates every year, so a four-year CS degree is effectively a minimum requirement. (I have a CS degree and *six* others.)
I have been trying to support myself with freelance contracting here for the last 5.5 years and find that there just isn't much EE & CS work to be had in the Austin area. I take many out-of-state clients. I've seen good contractors leave the state just to find enough work to survive, and I've been seriously considering abandoning Austin for more than a year.
If you're still not discouraged, you might find the Central Texas Consultants Network a good resource. (This year, I'm its vice chair.)
Good luck!
- John
There are many rooms in that
There are many rooms in that space called a "software consulting business" ;~)
It appears from the web site you are basically attempting to become a freelance software developer. Correct?
One thing I can tell you for certain is that, when a business or organization is looking for "help," they probably don't see you as a solution from what's on your website. Nothing wrong with putting resumes online but that won't get you into freelance.
What is the business problem you are trying to solve? You need to be able to describe that quickly, and with extreme, immediate impact. As a potential customer I'm looking for solutions, not resumes. Otherwise I'd just turn it over to HR or the headhunters, sit back, and wait for the interviews to begin.
Is the business problem you are equipped to solve something that is in demand? How much demand? From what types of business? How much is the solution worth in that market? How many other people/contractors/businesses are in the same solution space?
If you are the solution, what is the value to a prospective customer? Quantifiable: Dollars, effort, time, as well as intangibles. You need to be able to make this statement (value proposition) also quickly with extreme, immediate impact.
The competition for "hired gun" developers is tremendous and the openings are few right now. Every recruiter, agency, and headhunter is your competition along with every other freelancer on the planet.
You need to be able to differentiate yourself and position yourself in some unique way. If you are just "one of the mob," you won't be working much. If you can offer something better, more efficient, quicker, faster... you have a chance. That will take some time and research and intense, thoughtful, self-evaluation.
How many other coders out there have experience in the same areas you do?
A lot.
You could be the best Win desktop or .NET developer on the planet but just saying you have experience in it isn't differentiating you from the pack. Right?
Tell me -- your prospective customer -- why I should hire you instead of someone/anyone else with similar background.
One thing I did when I was still coding around that helped a lot was develop some saleable programs. Put 'em out there and use your product and its customers as a reference.
What I did and what you do now are two entirely different things but, at the time / back in the day, shopping carts were becoming big items. I wrote an interface program that could connect from the most popular free cart program at the time -- mostly a front-end -- to any back-end SSL payment clearing system. I got a lot of traction from that one, simple program.
Most of the work you can get probably won't be advertised or posted. You need an extensive network. Extensive; work it hard.
Advertising is OK but get all your other ducks lined up first -- you need to advertise, when you do, in a way that defines your solution and your value in a unique way. "Name recognition" can come later.
OK: There's more... a lot more but I'm out of time.
Your "market" as a freelancer is probably small and medium-small organizations. Larger ones tend to rely almost entirely on recruiters and HR for candidates.
Luck,
---www
William W. (Woody) Williams
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Software Development, PMO, IT Governance
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