Let's say you have what you initially consider a hot lead on a 1099 gig. You had a good conversation with the prime, you have a verbal agreement on the rate, and they promise to get your paperwork submitted in a few weeks. After a few weeks you don't hear anything, you politely follow up. The PM says things are moving a little slow but to be patient. Then after a few more weeks nothing else happens so you follow up again. Same excuse. You're beginning to get frustrated and have already been planning on how you're going to do with all that extra money and free time. What do you do next? I recommend giving up ... on this opportunity. After more than a few months, something probably happened that killed the opportunity. You're just torturing yourself by continuing to hope this deal will go through. What you should do instead, is to continue to pursue other leads. Don't get hung up one particular one, even if it seems like it's going through. It's not a done deal until you have a signed sub-contract and a start date so until that point, keep pursuing other opportunities. Giving up is sometimes, the smart thing to do. If you're interested in learning how to get your first solo 1099 federal sub-contract, check out my book: |
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...