There's a great quote by Amos Tversky, a famous research psychologist who explored human decision-making: “The secret to doing good research is always to be a little underemployed. You waste years by not being able to waste hours.” Americans love the idea of being busy. It's a badge of honor to respond with "oh man I am swamped" when someone asks you how you're doing. But I've never been attracted to the busy state. I like having long blocks of time with nothing to do. As a 1099, you're in a better position than most to set that up for yourself. You can be a little underemployed, in both shorter timeframes (leave work at 3 PM or early on a Friday) and on longer ones (take 1-2 months off in between projects). You give up some money, but in exchange, here is what you can get out of your underemployment if you do it right:
Wasting some time in the short term may actually have greater benefits in the long term. So if you go 1099, make sure to send a calendar invite to yourself to "waste time." 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...