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.
Build trust and deliver
|
I picked up this book about government contracting a long time ago. I've avoided reading it because it looked SO dry but it's actually pretty good! Becoming a GovCon Expert: How to Accelerate Your Success in Government Contracting What surprised me was the fact that in the first chapter, one of the co-authors makes the point that successful government contracting businesses are build on a trust in you, not successfully doing paperwork. "You have the skill, experience, training and most importantly…contacts. Those contacts are people who know, like, and trust you already and are willing to help you navigate the Government Contracting (GovCon) landscape. These are the people who want you to do the work because they know they can depend on you. Remember, people pay to have their problems solved and they don’t want to take chances. They want guarantees. They want peace of mind. They want security. If you create a company based on connections with people who know how good you are at what you do, you have a better chance of getting hired to fill the contract. But if you don’t have those relationships, then you have to prove in other ways that you can get the job done." The book is focused on building out a Govcon company, but the same idea applies to being a solo 1099. If you become a trusted professional, clients will want to work with you. Having clients that want to work with you give you leverage to set your terms with prime contractors, meaning you can negotiate a 1099 role with a higher billable rate. This is why in my book I say to not worry about the paperwork until after you get your first gig and instead to focus on making sure you are valuable to your current clients and future clients. Build trust and build a network. This is the way to 1099 success. 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.
Ahh non-diverse workplace friendships.... The Wall Street Journal published an article that made the claim that Gen-Z are negatively impacted by remote work because they don't get to make friends. What Gen Z Will Lose if They Don’t Have Friendships at Work -- "The rise of remote work has upended all that; the less time we are in the office, the less time we have to form and cement the bonds of friendship. That’s true for all remote or hybrid workers. But the impact is being felt most strongly...
From Art of Gig Volume 1: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Gig-1-Foundations/dp/1959228005 You can only prepare so much. You've done all the research. You have savings. You know you can get a back up job offer. You have great client relationships and technical skills. At some point you're going to have make your move. This might mean telling your boss you can only stay if they keep you on as a 1099. It could mean asking a potential client if they'd like to work with you, and if so, ask for an...
Sherlock Holmes was a 1099 I'm always surprised how few of my friends, who are all smart and educated, don't read on a regular basis. I'm not even a heavy reader, but I probably go through a book per month. This helps me with my writing and thinking and also gives me the fun party trick of being able to annoy others with miscellaneous facts that challenge their world view. Similarly, I'm always a bit surprised by how little research government employees and contractors put into solving work...