Going 1099 is a book that teaches you how to become a solo federal sub-contractor and gain control of your working life, earn more money and unlock more free time. I wrote it because quite a few people have asked me how they can become a 1099. I figured it was best to write a single book that I can send them and that I can share with others who are interested. This newsletter goes out Monday - Friday and covers topics that will help you succeed in starting and maintaining successful 1099 career.
Be slightly aggressive
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If you're a decently skilled employee in the government contracting world, there is no reason you shouldn't be able to go 1099. The main differentiator I've seen between people who claim they want to go 1099 and the people that actually do it, are that the people who pull it off are just a little more aggressive (assuming they are equally skilled, in desirable fields, etc.). The successful ones "pester" their network a bit more, negotiate a bit harder, and push to go 1099 for longer. Being a little more aggressive doesn't come naturally to most people. That's okay. What matters is that you do it, now how you feel about it. It will become more natural over time. I'm not trying to push some motivational nonsense about forcing yourself to work harder. It's just a reality that the longer and more forceful you try to make something happen, the more likely it will happen. You won't be able to do it if you don't truly want it. But if you do want it, you might think you're doing something wrong when it doesn't happen immediately and then give up. That's not the case. It just takes more time and effort and something will give. So if you want to go 1099, give it a little more oomph and a little more time. If you do, the odds of you getting your first 1099 gig go way up. If you're interested in learning how to get your first solo 1099 federal sub-contract, check out my book: |
I'm Dale, the author of Going 1099
Going 1099 is a book that teaches you how to become a solo federal sub-contractor and gain control of your working life, earn more money and unlock more free time. I wrote it because quite a few people have asked me how they can become a 1099. I figured it was best to write a single book that I can send them and that I can share with others who are interested. This newsletter goes out Monday - Friday and covers topics that will help you succeed in starting and maintaining successful 1099 career.
A 1099 with too much timeSource One of the perks of going 1099 is you'll likely have opportunities to increase the amount of free time in your life. On my first project, I took Fridays off. It was great! No issues there. Three day weekends are very natural. But there were times when I intentionally or unintentionally took an extended time off (> 2 months). You would think that with all that free time I'd be ultra productive or doing something fun and interesting. Nope! I'm embarrassed to...
How to deal with a sucky clientSource If you have a troubled relationship with a client, the best thing you can do is find a new project where you don't work with that client. Trying to fix it is almost certainly not worth it because clients have the upper hand in the power dynamic (unless you changed all the passwords to key programs, in which case you might have leverage...). If you try to fix it, you're just going to be frustrated. Use that energy to find a gig that's a better fit. If...
Grandpa Simpson commands SME level ratesSource Here's a rough bill rate estimate based on your experience level. Obviously, depending on what you do and the particulars of your contract, this could change dramatically, but I just want to give you sense of what I've seen. Junior (0-4 years experience): $75 - $100/hour Experienced (4-8 years experience) : $100 - $140/hour Very Experienced/Expert (8-15 years experience): $140 - $180 / hour Subject Matter Expert (15+ years of specialized...