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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.

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Featured Post

Don't worry about the prime's profit margin

This negotiation went very wrong... A bunch of people ask me what they think they should charge for a billable rate if they go 1099. Their thought process is usually "Well I make $100,000 and it probably costs my company 30% more in benefits so that's $130,000, and they're probably making 20% profit so that means they bill out $162,500/year which comes out to a billable rate of $87/hour if there are 1860 billable hours per year. This means I should charge them $80/hour so they make a small...

about 16 hours ago • 1 min read

Your client (left) is overwhelmed by new tech 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...

4 days ago • 1 min read

Don't get suckered into doing admin stuff too early I spoke with a company called BD Squared that a friend referred me too. BD Squared LLC One of the services they offer is helping GovCon companies get on different contract vehicles, includes the GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS). GSA MAS The MAS basically allows GSA to pre-screen government contracting businesses so that other government agencies can purchase products and services from those companies with less administrative headache. It's...

5 days ago • 1 min read

Bridge that trust gap I picked up this book about government contracting a long time ago. I've avoided reading it because it looked SO dry but it's actually pretty good! Becoming a GovCon Expert: How to Accelerate Your Success in Government Contracting What surprised me was the fact that in the first chapter, one of the co-authors makes the point that successful government contracting businesses are build on a trust in you, not successfully doing paperwork. "You have the skill, experience,...

6 days ago • 1 min read

I've spoken with a few government small business offices over the years. Unusually helpful bureaucrat They're a mixed bag. The office I talked to yesterday was pretty helpful. https://www.dcsa.mil/Contact-Us/Office-of-Small-Business-Programs/ I reached out to the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency's Office of Small Business Programs (DCSA OSBP) and set up a call with the POC there. She explained to me what the office does and offered to help in a few ways. Basically, she: Offered...

7 days ago • 1 min read

Good adviceSource: www.stan.com.au I have a co-worker who is an employee of the prime I sub-contract to (that's a mouthful). He basically created his own job because he had a previous relationship with the client, and persuaded the client to put work on the prime's contract. Here is how it went down: My co-worker builds a good reputation with the government client Co-worker's contract is ending, so he makes preparations to leave/find another job Client wants my friend to stay and keep working...

8 days ago • 1 min read

Trying to offload the money-losing fighter jet project. The WSJ published an article titled: Why Defense Contractors Are Saying No to Their Biggest Customer: The Pentagon Now, multi-billion dollar defense contracts are not something you really need to pay attention to as a 1099 (except maybe, to find a new gig), but the article had this gym that is useful piece of knowledge. "The Pentagon typically uses what are called cost-plus contracts to develop new weapons systems. Companies earn a fixed...

11 days ago • 1 min read

W2 on left, 1099 on right. In real life, my office is exactly the same: drab government work station. Nassim Taleb is one of my favorite authors/thinkers. In his book, Skin in the Game, has has a chapter called "How to Legally Own Another Person." Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life (Incerto) Here are some gems from the chapter: "In short, every organization wants a certain number of people associated with it to be deprived of a certain share of their freedom. How do you own...

12 days ago • 2 min read

Watering a networking tree; it can take a while for things to pay off I asked my neighbor how she got her current job (she is a lawyer). She was working elsewhere and was curious about hotel/hospitality law. She met an attorney at a law firm her employer did business with and who was in that field and asked to meet up with him for coffee. He told her he was too busy and to call him again in six months. So she did and they met for coffee. He said the economy is terrible and his firm wasn't...

13 days ago • 1 min read

Don't waste money on the wrong types of marketingSource: wildlingsval.tumblr.com/post/86723380717 Big companies spend a lot of money on marketing. This includes advertising, commercials, high end websites, in-person and online demos of their product, etc. So you may wonder if you need to spend time and money on marketing yourself to be a successful as a 1099. The answer is, YES. You absolutely do. But here's what marketing looks like for a solo 1099. Doing great work for your clients and...

14 days ago • 1 min read
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