going independent, any tips?

Going through a 3rd party has already been suggested -- that's not a bad idea, but remember that they'll want to take a cut, and they'll put contractual barriers in place to keep you from going direct with their clients. Having said that if all you want to do is what you do now just with a bunch of different people then that's a good way to go.

Unless you've burned your bridges with them you do already have a pool of potential customers -- it's rare for a company to do _all_ of it's own development, so anyone you've worked for is a potential client. I have two former employers who are now customers from whom I get ongoing work.

I have an easier hook than most to develop new customers, because I can do embedded control systems and DSP to a degree that makes me uncommon. Here's what I am doing to market myself, you can sort them out into things that you can and can't do:

• I have a website, so folks know I'm serious and so they can investigate me without feeling like I'm going to be calling them and pestering. Some folks that I know have pretty pictures of projects they've completed on their websites to help establish credibility. What I do is pretty esoteric so it's hard to make a picture that's pretty, understandable, and representative.

• I've told every professional contact I know what I'm doing and how to contact me. This includes friends, colleagues, managers I've worked for, applications engineers at distributors and semiconductor companies, folks who's feet I've stepped on while finding a seat at the Symphony, etc. I hand out business cards like candy -- and I get the occasional call as a result.

• I give talks on my specialty. This is fun and gives me an excuse to go to conferences. It doesn't seem to get me leads directly but I like to think that it gives potential customers something to think about when I tell them my rates.

• I write the occasional article. I have seven overall on my website, two of which are published (in Embedded Systems Programming, because so far it's the only magazine that seems to be directly applicable to what I do). This activity _has_ generated leads, and I think it gives me quite a bit of credence when someone wants to see if I'm solid or not.

• I'm writing a book. I'm hoping this'll generate leads once it's published, but I'm hoping more that it'll let me raise my rates to an absurd degree (how's that work for you, Win?).

• What seems to have generated the most business overall is to answer questions here, in sci.engr.control, and in comp.dsp. People get to see that I know what I'm talking about (or not, as the case may be) and that I (usually) get respect from the other denizens of the groups. Most of the really interesting business that I've gotten recently has come from someone looking to solve a specific problem going to a newsgroup and either seeing my related posts or having me contribute a solution to some small problem that they see as similar to a larger problem.

Ultimately you'll find that you're getting most of your business from return customers and people who've heard of you from old customers or from people who've worked with you at an old customer then changed jobs. I've been at this for just two years and I'm still waiting for it to happen, but for now I'm having fun.

This is where going through a 3rd party service would help, but read the contracts carefully so you know how to dance if you're called directly (most contracts that I've see limit you from working directly for 6 months to a year, unless you or the employer pays a fee).

Whoa! I'm lucky then!

Not that my income is where I want it to be yet, but the bank hasn't taken away the house yet...

Unless you're in the US, because prospective employees can sue for discrimination in hiring if they can fit themselves into an identifiable group by race, gender, age, sexual preference, etc. Telling someone they look good then not hiring them would make for nice solid evidence in a lawsuit.

Painful but true -- the last place I worked they tried to gut the usual engineering interview question pool because they were open-ended. I think they would have been most comfortable with 100 multiple-choice questions with provable objectivity.

By far the biggest marketing tool you have is word of mouth. That is why it is important to network even from day 1 of your career. I've been in the industry for about 10 years and just started up Stratford Digital about one year ago. So far so good...

I started out, as some have already stated, doing work on the side. This allowed me to learn the business side of things (invoicing, accounting, ...) at a slower rate with less stress. It also helped me build up a client base that could be used as references. It also helped me figure out if it was really something I wanted to deal with full-time or if I was just as happy to let someone else deal with the non-engineering issues.

But I've had a blast and so far neither me nor my family has lacked anything we need. With the tax laws and deductions I can now use my after-tax income hasn't gone down that much (we're in Canada). We're certainly not rolling in it (yet :) ) but I am really enjoying myself much more than working for the man.

There are lots of other benefits. Since I work out of my home I can have lunch with my two boys under 2, I can play fetch with the dog at lunch with the boys and the dog, I can decide to take my break in the hot tub, I don't have to commute in the winter, ...

So all in all I would call my venture a success. Even if I close up shop and go to work for some one else at least I know that I tried it. I won't have to wonder "what if" for the rest of my life.

That is an ideal situation. I think everyone hopes that happens but it is difficult to obtain.

Cheers,

James.

Hi,

I am thinking of becoming an independent consultant/engineer in electronics. I have over ten years professional experience in electronics development and engineering, mainly microcontroller and dsp applications but I can do analog as well if it remains basic (not too many transistors ;). Furthermore I have a lot of programming experience (C, C++, assembler, embedded and DOS/Windows), pcb layout, industrialising and repair. I was thinking of specialising in embedded/industrial internet applications, but I have some other ideas as well.

The problem is that I've always worked for companies that do their own development and I do not have a network of potential clients.

I would like your advice on how to find and approach potential customers. At first I thought mainly of companies that do electronics but then I realised that it would probably better to approach non-electronics production companies (factories or something) that may have small needs for electronics engineering.

How do you independent engineers get your jobs? Who are your clients? Do you do any active acquisition or do people simply come straight to you because they heard your name somewhere? Would it be worth the money to make and send out brochures?

Also, do you have some products of your own to garantee some basic cash flow?

Any ideas, hints and tips will be greatly appreciated.

Adam

I used to be a computer consultant for a few years. There was no shortage of willing intermediaries willing to hook me up for short and long term contracts. If you are good and working in a hot industry, you should not have a problem. Otherwise, lack of clients could be an issue.

If you want a genuine, useful opinion on your personal abilities, just ask a prospective employer immediately following a job interview.

All you have to do is apply for a job.

...

Get your teeth cleaned, get a manicure, spend about a thousand dollars on a suit, and learn to kiss a lot of ass.

Oh, and short hair is in vogue these days.

Go to PTA meetings, church functions, high-end singles events, AA meetings, and so on, and give everybody a very cool and snazzy business card. Flat printing, I'm told, is classier than thermography. (or at least it was in 1987. :-) )

I did a little project once for a guy who was an amateur magician, and he had a business card with a hole in it. He did a little sleight of hand and either moved the hole or made it go away - he only described the trick to me - I couldn't get him to even perform it in front of me for fear of me spotting it. But it got him a lot of attention!

They also tell me that if you title your resume' "curriculum vitae" it hooks more high-end business. ;-)

Good Luck! Rich