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.
From getting fired to going 1099
I have a colleague at work who I met last week at a team happy hour.
She works for the prime, but she mentioned that until the a year prior, she had been working for herself as a 1099 for 20 years.
Naturally, I wanted to know how she became a 1099.
A few interesting tidbits:
- She worked as a PeopleSoft developer at DoD for a sub-contractor (I think it was Booz)
- Booz wanted to "green" the contract and basically replace more expensive, older folks with younger, cheaper folks to boost profits
- She was on the chopping block and would have to find another project
- The prime was not happy with this and invited her to stay on as a 1099
- She ended up working for herself until this job because it had good benefits
- She'll likely go back to becoming 1099 soon
Because of her competence, good relationship with the prime, and her willingness to take a risk, she was able to have a long and successful 1099 career. She turned a challenge into an opportunity.
I'm not sure what the benefits story is, perhaps a project fell through and this W2 job was the best short term option to pay for benefits.
What's funny is she said couldn't stand having to accrue PTO and will go back to becoming a 1099.
I've seen a bunch of folks go 1099 by accident.
However, you can do it deliberately.
You don't need to wait until you're on the verge of getting fired.
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.
One of the reasons a company would bring on a 1099 or a sub-contractor is because bringing on a full time W2 employee would be too risky. If a contract has a limited amount of time left on it and there is a vacancy, companies may not want to hire someone because they're not sure if they'll have billable work for the employee after the contract ends. This is when hiring a 1099 would make sense, even if it reduces their margin. They're trading margin in exchange for a lower risky profile. In...
Hi all, Not returning to the newsletter just yet but thought I'd send out a link to an interview I did with Jonathan Stark on his podcast, Ditching Hourly. https://podcast.ditchinghourly.com/people/dale-davidson Jonathan advocates for getting away from hourly billing in your independent consulting practice. I agree, but I discuss why that's difficult in government contracting but why it might be okay anyway, particularly if you're jus getting started. He's a great follow for those of you who...
Hi all, I've enjoyed writing this newsletter for over a year now, but I've decided to take a hiatus for the time being. There is an extensive archive if you'd like to go back and read the previous ones. As always, if you have 1099 questions, feel free to ping me via e-mail at dale@1099fedhub.com. Good luck to you all! -Dale If you're interested in learning how to get your first solo 1099 federal sub-contract, check out my book: Going 1099: How to become a solo federal sub-contractor and gain...