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.
How do you plan for sick days?
|
Everyone will get sick and miss work. It's a fact of life. As a 1099, you likely get paid hourly, which means you don't get paid when you stay home and stop working. Then your check is smaller than you expected, which is never fun. So what should you do? Simple: bake it into your billable hours projection. If you worked every business day, you'd bill something like 2000 hours per year. If you know you'll take vacation, subtract that estimated amount. Say 160 hours (4 weeks). You're down to 1840 billable hours. Now, say you expect to miss at least two weeks of work due to various sicknesses, doctors' appointments etc, subtract 80 hours. Now you're down to 1760 hours per year. Plan your income and personal finances around only billing 1760 hours. If you happen to work more, save that extra money as a sick day fund. If you find that that's not enough money, you need to work more hours (i.e. reduce vacation time) or get a higher billable rate. By planning on an annual cycle, you won't worry when your paycheck varies by $3,000 - $5,000 on a monthly basis. You'll know on average, it will be fairly predictable. 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.
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...
Your client when you tell them no "That won't work" is the worst thing you can say to the client when they suggest an approach or solution to something. No one likes being told no, especially clients, and especially by their contractors. Instead of saying "that won't work," you should 1) Acknowledge their approach as one way to do that, 2) Suggest two or three alternate approaches along with your reasoning, and 3) Recommend one of them and say why This feels less "hostile" and gives the...