life as an consultant

The one the thing that looms over your head as an independent consultant is getting P-A-I-D. Because theres a reason whey theyre coming to you and not a boutique firm. If they had that kind of flow for consulting they would. You always have to be concious of when that payment comes late.

Another thing I hate is that when you have multiple projects on your plate, you have no time for yourself. I've been to the gym twice since I've started the 3 projects I'm on right now. The other problem is, you need to continue to prospect business even though you don't have time. It's a feast or famine world for independent consultants. You have to be on the search for that next project.

The other thing that really sucks is that you're all alone. There ain't no reinforcements comin, it's all on me.

The thing that makes me think I need to establish a firm, is that I HATE whoring myself for less than what I'm worth. I wish I didn't have to negotiate my price but to secure the business you have to. You can do it for the half the price and get double the headache because of the client. UGH

But there is some upside. When I get face to face with a prospective client, I CLOSE. I ALWAYS CLOSE. I close like government offices on holidays. I close like windows....

It's some fun and a lot of work but it's something to do. I haven't figured out if I'm good at it yet or I'm just really good at bullshitting. I think it's a mix but I don't know what the ratio is yet.