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.
Offer first
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There is a popular YouTube entrepreneur named Alex Hormozi who ran and sold a successful gym business, gym software business, and now owns a sort-of private equity company. He is a cheesy influencer type (which helps him cultivate deal flow for his company) but his book, $100M Offers has some gems in it. $100M Offers: How to Make Offers So Good People Feel Stupid Saying No The core idea is that in business, instead of starting with what you're good at or your skills, you start with the offer. You figure out what a potential customer wants and would definitely want to buy, and then figure out how you if/how you can deliver. -- “The pain is the pitch.” If you can articulate the pain a prospect is feeling accurately, they will almost always buy what you are offering. A prospect must have a painful problem for us to solve and charge money for our solution.” -- As an aspiring 1099, a logical way of finding a gig is to talk about your skills and what you are capable of doing. This often works because many gigs are plug and play and the "problem" that the customer is solving is "hire a person with X skills." BUT, if you want to differentiate yourself from everyone else with the same skill, you need to figure out the core problem the customer or program manager is trying to solve. Let's say the customer is trying to hire a data analyst with SQL skills. Okay, lots of those exist. But does the client care about SQL skills? Not really. They care that their boss is complaining that reports aren't getting done fast enough. Or the analysis is wrong or inconsistent which is embarassing. If you get to a conversation with a PM, you can differentiate yourself by saying something like "If you bring me on I'll implement my SQL quality assurance and automation process, which makes analysis accurate AND faster." If that's truly the PM's problem, they'll be dying to hire you and then you'll have more leverage as a 1099. So in your field, first, think about what problems the customer has and what a dream offer would look like to them. Then, see if that's something you can deliver and pitch it in your conversations with PMs, include it in your resume, and ask your network to introduce you to people who have that problem. 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.
Rocky was a 1099 If you're a decently skilled employee in the government contracting world, there is no reason you shouldn't be able to go 1099. The main differentiator I've seen between people who claim they want to go 1099 and the people that actually do it, are that the people who pull it off are just a little more aggressive (assuming they are equally skilled, in desirable fields, etc.). The successful ones "pester" their network a bit more, negotiate a bit harder, and push to go 1099 for...
Offering half a muffin can often be helpfulvia X When you're trying to go 1099, you're largely focused on what you want. Imagining getting what you want is highly energizing and motivating, so it's easy to focus our energies there. But it's important to focus on what you can do to help others. For example, when you network with people, see if there are ways you can assist them. Maybe they have a friend looking for a job in your field, and you can meet them for coffee and make an introduction...
Treat Yo Self ... to non-billable funvia Reddit One of the fun parts about going 1099 is find opportunities to increase your billable rate. My own billable rate progress sent from something like $85 -> $100 -> $110 -> $115 -> $160 ->$180 per hour over an eight year period. Those early rate increases made a big differences. Actually all of them made a big financial difference. But the thrill of bumping up your rate wears off quickly, and then you're left with figuring out how to make your work...