>I'm looking at the independent idea a lot lately. This is for independent consultants who have been on their own for two or more years. Just a couple of questions:
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>1) What's the population of your metro area?

SF Bay Area - 2 M ++ But not so important per se...

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>2) What's your primary method of developing new business: word of mouth, ads, luck?

When I did work independent for almost 6 years, it was primarily word-of-mouth, with an initial string of jobs thru head-hunters/contract placements.

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>3) Do you find yourself working for a lot of the companies you used to work for as an employee?

Never did that. Even when I left a job, they all had too much pride (or too cheap) to call me back in -- and I generally left on what I thought were good terms...

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>4) How do you deal with things like insurance, etc?

Insurance has been my main reason for going back to being a FTE (full-time employee), although I still do a limited amount of outside work, on a strictly non-interference basis. Like one of the other responders, I wasn't too worried even into my late 30s, as I had always been very healthy. Now, however, I'm about to turn 50 and have mild diabetes, high cholesterol, past blood clots in one leg -- and medical insurance is effectively priced out of availability, even though all past conditions are under control or done with... My full-time employer insurance rate is low enough that I even support my wife's benefits at the small business we own that she runs... And of course, you need to consider setting up something for your own retirement... Consider very carefully!

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>I'm going to thank everybody in advance so I won't waste bandwidth.
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>Thanks!!!!!