going independent, any tips?

[Armada Spain]

Hi,

I am thinking of becoming an independent consultant/engineer in
electronics. I have over ten years professional experience in electronics
development and engineering, mainly microcontroller and dsp applications
but I can do analog as well if it remains basic (not too many transistors
. Furthermore I have a lot of programming experience (C, C++,
assembler, embedded and DOS/Windows), pcb layout, industrialising and
repair. I was thinking of specialising in embedded/industrial internet
applications, but I have some other ideas as well.

The problem is that I've always worked for companies that do their own
development and I do not have a network of potential clients.

I would like your advice on how to find and approach potential customers.
At first I thought mainly of companies that do electronics but then I
realised that it would probably better to approach non-electronics
production companies (factories or something) that may have small needs
for electronics engineering.

How do you independent engineers get your jobs? Who are your clients? Do
you do any active acquisition or do people simply come straight to you
because they heard your name somewhere? Would it be worth the money to
make and send out brochures?

Also, do you have some products of your own to garantee some basic cash
flow?

Any ideas, hints and tips will be greatly appreciated.

Adam

 

[Ignoramus26409]

I used to be a computer consultant for a few years. There was no
shortage of willing intermediaries willing to hook me up for short and
long term contracts. If you are good and working in a hot industry,
you should not have a problem. Otherwise, lack of clients could be an
issue.

i

Hi,

I am thinking of becoming an independent consultant/engineer in
electronics. I have over ten years professional experience in electronics
development and engineering, mainly microcontroller and dsp applications
but I can do analog as well if it remains basic (not too many transistors
. Furthermore I have a lot of programming experience (C, C++,
assembler, embedded and DOS/Windows), pcb layout, industrialising and
repair. I was thinking of specialising in embedded/industrial internet
applications, but I have some other ideas as well.

The problem is that I've always worked for companies that do their own
development and I do not have a network of potential clients.

I would like your advice on how to find and approach potential customers.
At first I thought mainly of companies that do electronics but then I
realised that it would probably better to approach non-electronics
production companies (factories or something) that may have small needs
for electronics engineering.

How do you independent engineers get your jobs? Who are your clients? Do
you do any active acquisition or do people simply come straight to you
because they heard your name somewhere? Would it be worth the money to
make and send out brochures?

Also, do you have some products of your own to garantee some basic cash
flow?

Any ideas, hints and tips will be greatly appreciated.

Adam

--

 

[Jim Thompson]

Hi,

I am thinking of becoming an independent consultant/engineer in
electronics. I have over ten years professional experience in electronics
development and engineering, mainly microcontroller and dsp applications
but I can do analog as well if it remains basic (not too many transistors
. Furthermore I have a lot of programming experience (C, C++,
assembler, embedded and DOS/Windows), pcb layout, industrialising and
repair. I was thinking of specialising in embedded/industrial internet
applications, but I have some other ideas as well.

The problem is that I've always worked for companies that do their own
development and I do not have a network of potential clients.

I would like your advice on how to find and approach potential customers.
At first I thought mainly of companies that do electronics but then I
realised that it would probably better to approach non-electronics
production companies (factories or something) that may have small needs
for electronics engineering.

How do you independent engineers get your jobs?

I started out doing "side jobs", during evenings and weekends, while I
was still working for Motorola. I wasn't constrained by any
non-compete agreements since Motorola concocted those ideas after I
had been employed there for several years. When they did broach such
documents I refused to sign.

Beware, you may not be so lucky. Although many states have recently
negated the legality of non-compete agreements.

Who are your clients?

They're everywhere, worldwide, most all of them were referred by other
clients.

Do
you do any active acquisition
No.

or do people simply come straight to you
because they heard your name somewhere?
Yes.

Would it be worth the money to
make and send out brochures?

I tried that a few times... yield was about 0.1%, so I rely entirely
on word-of-mouth.

Also, do you have some products of your own to garantee some basic cash
flow?

Not at the moment, though, now at retirement age, I'm contemplating a
few standard products, perhaps aimed at the "audiophool" market ;-)

Any ideas, hints and tips will be greatly appreciated.

Adam

Plan on starving for a minimum of three years. And starving during
portions of the business cycles.

...Jim Thompson

 

[Tim Wescott]

Hi,

I am thinking of becoming an independent consultant/engineer in
electronics. I have over ten years professional experience in electronics
development and engineering, mainly microcontroller and dsp applications
but I can do analog as well if it remains basic (not too many transistors
. Furthermore I have a lot of programming experience (C, C++,
assembler, embedded and DOS/Windows), pcb layout, industrialising and
repair. I was thinking of specialising in embedded/industrial internet
applications, but I have some other ideas as well.

The problem is that I've always worked for companies that do their own
development and I do not have a network of potential clients.

I would like your advice on how to find and approach potential customers.
At first I thought mainly of companies that do electronics but then I
realised that it would probably better to approach non-electronics
production companies (factories or something) that may have small needs
for electronics engineering.

How do you independent engineers get your jobs? Who are your clients? Do
you do any active acquisition or do people simply come straight to you
because they heard your name somewhere? Would it be worth the money to
make and send out brochures?

Also, do you have some products of your own to garantee some basic cash
flow?

Any ideas, hints and tips will be greatly appreciated.

Adam

Going through a 3rd party has already been suggested -- that's not a bad
idea, but remember that they'll want to take a cut, and they'll put
contractual barriers in place to keep you from going direct with their
clients. Having said that if all you want to do is what you do now just
with a bunch of different people then that's a good way to go.

Unless you've burned your bridges with them you do already have a pool
of potential customers -- it's rare for a company to do _all_ of it's
own development, so anyone you've worked for is a potential client. I
have two former employers who are now customers from whom I get ongoing
work.

I have an easier hook than most to develop new customers, because I can
do embedded control systems and DSP to a degree that makes me uncommon.
Here's what I am doing to market myself, you can sort them out into
things that you can and can't do:

* I have a website, so folks know I'm serious and so they can
investigate me without feeling like I'm going to be calling them and
pestering. Some folks that I know have pretty pictures of projects
they've completed on their websites to help establish credibility. What
I do is pretty esoteric so it's hard to make a picture that's pretty,
understandable, and representative.

* I've told every professional contact I know what I'm doing and how to
contact me. This includes friends, colleagues, managers I've worked
for, applications engineers at distributors and semiconductor companies,
folks who's feet I've stepped on while finding a seat at the Symphony,
etc. I hand out business cards like candy -- and I get the occasional
call as a result.

* I give talks on my specialty. This is fun and gives me an excuse to
go to conferences. It doesn't seem to get me leads directly but I like
to think that it gives potential customers something to think about when
I tell them my rates.

* I write the occasional article. I have seven overall on my website,
two of which are published (in Embedded Systems Programming, because so
far it's the only magazine that seems to be directly applicable to what
I do). This activity _has_ generated leads, and I think it gives me
quite a bit of credence when someone wants to see if I'm solid or not.

* I'm writing a book. I'm hoping this'll generate leads once it's
published, but I'm hoping more that it'll let me raise my rates to an
absurd degree (how's that work for you, Win?).

* What seems to have generated the most business overall is to answer
questions here, in sci.engr.control, and in comp.dsp. People get to see
that I know what I'm talking about (or not, as the case may be) and that
I (usually) get respect from the other denizens of the groups. Most of
the really interesting business that I've gotten recently has come from
someone looking to solve a specific problem going to a newsgroup and
either seeing my related posts or having me contribute a solution to
some small problem that they see as similar to a larger problem.

Ultimately you'll find that you're getting most of your business from
return customers and people who've heard of you from old customers or
from people who've worked with you at an old customer then changed jobs.
I've been at this for just two years and I'm still waiting for it to
happen, but for now I'm having fun.

 

[Tim Wescott]

I started out doing "side jobs", during evenings and weekends, while I
was still working for Motorola. I wasn't constrained by any
non-compete agreements since Motorola concocted those ideas after I
had been employed there for several years. When they did broach such
documents I refused to sign.

Beware, you may not be so lucky. Although many states have recently
negated the legality of non-compete agreements.




They're everywhere, worldwide, most all of them were referred by other
clients.




I tried that a few times... yield was about 0.1%, so I rely entirely
on word-of-mouth.

This is where going through a 3rd party service would help, but read the
contracts carefully so you know how to dance if you're called directly
(most contracts that I've see limit you from working directly for 6
months to a year, unless you or the employer pays a fee).

Not at the moment, though, now at retirement age, I'm contemplating a
few standard products, perhaps aimed at the "audiophool" market ;-)




Plan on starving for a minimum of three years. And starving during
portions of the business cycles.

Whoa! I'm lucky then!

Not that my income is where I want it to be yet, but the bank hasn't
taken away the house yet...

 

[James Morrison]

Hi,

I am thinking of becoming an independent consultant/engineer in
electronics. I have over ten years professional experience in electronics
development and engineering, mainly microcontroller and dsp applications
but I can do analog as well if it remains basic (not too many transistors
. Furthermore I have a lot of programming experience (C, C++,
assembler, embedded and DOS/Windows), pcb layout, industrialising and
repair. I was thinking of specialising in embedded/industrial internet
applications, but I have some other ideas as well.

<snip>

By far the biggest marketing tool you have is word of mouth. That is
why it is important to network even from day 1 of your career. I've
been in the industry for about 10 years and just started up Stratford
Digital about one year ago. So far so good...

I started out, as some have already stated, doing work on the side.
This allowed me to learn the business side of things (invoicing,
accounting, ...) at a slower rate with less stress. It also helped me
build up a client base that could be used as references. It also helped
me figure out if it was really something I wanted to deal with full-time
or if I was just as happy to let someone else deal with the
non-engineering issues.

But I've had a blast and so far neither me nor my family has lacked
anything we need. With the tax laws and deductions I can now use my
after-tax income hasn't gone down that much (we're in Canada). We're
certainly not rolling in it (yet ) but I am really enjoying myself
much more than working for the man.

There are lots of other benefits. Since I work out of my home I can
have lunch with my two boys under 2, I can play fetch with the dog at
lunch with the boys and the dog, I can decide to take my break in the
hot tub, I don't have to commute in the winter, ...

So all in all I would call my venture a success. Even if I close up
shop and go to work for some one else at least I know that I tried it.
I won't have to wonder "what if" for the rest of my life.

Also, do you have some products of your own to garantee some basic cash
flow?

That is an ideal situation. I think everyone hopes that happens but it
is difficult to obtain.

Cheers,

James.

 

[Reg Edwards]

If you want a genuine, useful opinion on your personal abilities, just
ask a prospective employer immediately following a job interview.

All you have to do is apply for a job.

 

[Tim Wescott]

If you want a genuine, useful opinion on your personal abilities, just
ask a prospective employer immediately following a job interview.

Unless you're in the US, because prospective employees can sue for
discrimination in hiring if they can fit themselves into an identifiable
group by race, gender, age, sexual preference, etc. Telling someone
they look good then not hiring them would make for nice solid evidence
in a lawsuit.

Painful but true -- the last place I worked they tried to gut the usual
engineering interview question pool because they were open-ended. I
think they would have been most comfortable with 100 multiple-choice
questions with provable objectivity.

 

[Rich Grise]

Hi,

I am thinking of becoming an independent consultant/engineer in ....

Any ideas, hints and tips will be greatly appreciated.

Get your teeth cleaned, get a manicure, spend about a thousand dollars
on a suit, and learn to kiss a lot of ass.

Oh, and short hair is in vogue these days.

Go to PTA meetings, church functions, high-end singles events, AA
meetings, and so on, and give everybody a very cool and snazzy
business card. Flat printing, I'm told, is classier than thermography.
(or at least it was in 1987. )

I did a little project once for a guy who was an amateur magician,
and he had a business card with a hole in it. He did a little sleight
of hand and either moved the hole or made it go away - he only described
the trick to me - I couldn't get him to even perform it in front of me
for fear of me spotting it. But it got him a lot of attention!

They also tell me that if you title your resume' "curriculum vitae" it
hooks more high-end business. ;-)

Good Luck!
Rich