Old tools; New capabilities


On my current project, we had a problem where access requests to our dashboards were getting lost.

Basically, the owner of the dashboard would get the e-mail, and then it would get lost in his inbox.

This means that the customer would get delayed access.

So I set up a simple system for the data visualization team using Outlook rules that would forward all permissions requests to a shared inbox, and then another rule that would send it to a "permissions request" folder.

I then set up a "watch" schedule where each week, a team member is responsible for managing the permissions requests.

It's simple, but it works.

I used an old tool (Outlook rules) to get a new capability (effective permissions management).

--

In any organization, you are going to find lots of problems.

As a 1099, if you can solve them, you will be valuable to the client.

While I encourage you to incorporate new tools to solve some of these problems, it's also valuable to leverage existing tools to solve problems.

This has a few benefits:

  • The customer is already familiar with the tool
  • You don't have to get special IT permission or whatever to incorporate it
  • You can get results faster because you can just implement the process and not have to train everyone on something brand new

So go ahead and try it. See if you can't milk an existing tool set to get new benefits. Your clients will love you for it.


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 control of your working life, earn more money and unlock more free time

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.

Read more from I'm Dale, the author of Going 1099

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...