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.
Get off sinking ships
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A friend of mine works for herself as a 1099 for her previous company (outside of government contracting). She tried negotiating an increase in her rate for the new contract period but was unsuccessful. Her client says she submitted the budget in June for the following year and this year she was asked to cut it down. This is not a good sign for my friend. It's not that my friend's work is not valuable to her client. She easily outperforms the other team members. BUT, the fact that there are budget cuts in that department is a serious issue. It likely means that segment of the business is in trouble, either financially or due to internal politics. I advised my friend to start looking for other gigs while she still has time on this contract. Similarly, if you are working on a project or for a government organization that seems to be underperforming or seems to be losing their influence on the parent organization, start looking for another project. There's nothing you can really do to save the client or their organization. You can do the best you can while you're there, but you have to look out for your own interests. Even if your position is safe for a while, the act of finding other projects may result in something more interesting and lucrative, and most importantly, reduce your personal risk. It's actually best practice to ALWAYS be looking for your next gig for this reason. Remember, you can't save a sinking ship. Get out while you can. 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...