Hi Alex,

Thanks a lot for writing. Sorry for the big delay---fatherhood is still taking me a while to get situated.

I never followed through on the framework (CodeMine), as I've been wishy-washy, I guess. I'd like to use something that appears to be a popular choice. Further, I'm not sure CodeMine has enough of the features I'm looking for. What did you finally get?

Thanks for the tips on networking. I've had a couple visits with SCORE, and we covered my lack of networking skills. He asked "What are you doing right now?" That's when I realized it will just take practice. The guy at SCORE called a couple days ago, saying he mentioned me to one of his clients, and that the client was to meet with me about a possible project. So, the referrals are already happening!

Congratulations on having your article published in FoxPro Advisor! Barcoding may come in handy for me.

Thanks again for all your help, and let's stay in touch!
---Michael


>Hey Michael!!!!
>
>Haven't heard from you in a while! Congratulations on both, your baby and your decision to "come out" ;-)
>
>Last time we chatted you were using CodeMine. Your framework developer might be a good source of work, so I would contact them first.
>
>Temp agencies and brokers... I see most of them as socially accepted pimps, but if you go that way just put on your prostitute hat and circulate your resume around as much as you can (none of them will beat you up as it's common practice) ;-)
>
>Following that road, you must also know that once you get a job you most likely will be expected to work exclusively on that job until it's finished (3-6 months) and depending on market conditions you will need to announce to all your group of agents that you will be available with about a month's notice.
>
>Talking to people used to be VERY unnatural to me until my wife figured out that if I took it as a joke or a hobby, I wouldn't get nervous and the real me would shine through (well, not exactly, but you get the idea). If you are anything like me I suggest you rent Chris Farley's "Tommy Boy" and watch it CAREFULLY a couple of times. It's a comedy, dumb at times, but held a lot of truth for me.
>
>Networking... go to foxpro usergroup meetings and keep going so your face becomes a fixture. Help as much people as you can.
>
>Take an interest in your wife's business and meet others in that industry. I did that with our store and during the next couple of months I will be getting some work in the Stationery industry that way. In a way it might be more productive for you to network there than to network among geeks.
>
>I never read any of Ruhl's books, but Bob Burg's Endless Referrals has very good ideas and so do the guerrilla marketing series.
>
>Referrals... expect anywhere from 18 months to 3 years before they start comming TO YOU. In the meantime you have to take a very active stance. Do the temp work while you don't have work - it will keep cash comming in and another, often over-looked source of excellent referrals is your current employer. If you have a good relationship with him/her SPEAK UP!!!! REMEMBER THAT YOU *ALREADY* HAVE A FOOT IN THE DOOR THERE!!!!!! Take advantage of that.
>
>Things to read on: branding, targetting, packaging. Yes, it's not limited to pretty boxes - how you present yourself IS your packaging, and you have already done that without knowing: "I've been specializing in office automation and data analysis, lately."
>
>I did general consulting for the past 10 years without any clear specialization until now (sw development) and while I don't regret the way I did things, I probably would've achieved more have I stuck to ONE thing instead of saying "yes" to anything that came my way, so this is something you should think about.
>
>If your wife's business can keep your mortgage payments on time, I urge you to stick to one thing and not let anxiety make your decisions for you. This wasn't our case, hence those 10 years doing pretty much anything I was asked (you see, we _both_ thought we were marrying into money) ;-)
>
>Going back to networking, make a point of attending Whilfest in November and the devcons... you never know who you'll meet there - amazingly not EVERYONE is on the UT.
>
>And always ASK and talk to people. No one will know about you if you just sit in the back of the room or just lurk online.
>
>I wish you the best of luck Michael!!!!!
>
>Alex
>
>>I've been doing contract development a little over the years, while maintaining full-time employment. Now that my wife and I have had our first child (pictures at http://www.ReynoldsOffice.com/joshua/), I'd really like to be independent full time, for more opportunties to be flexible and available at home.
>>
>>My main obstacle is developing a client base. Up to now, my contracting has been done remotely (I've never met my clients, and I got connected with them through a referral), so it will be difficult to start from scratch here, locally.
>>
>>I've been studying Janet Ruhl's books, Whil Hentzen's Developer's Guide, and am looking forward Nancy's Folsom's upcoming chat. From what I've learned, it appears that direct mail and cold calls are out, and that referrals are the best.
>>
>>So, now I'm considering alternatives to being independent, and am investigating working with brokers, or as a temp, as I go about developing contacts.
>>
>>Here's what I would like to know:
>>
>>1) Working with a broker appears better than a temp agency (opinions?), however there does not appear to be any brokers in my area (Santa Barbara). Does anyone know of national brokers who work remotely?
>>
>>2) Can anyone offer tips, advice, insights, and/or warnings about getting my foot in the door on my own?
>>
>>3) I've done some sub-contracting, but it did not last long due to the needs of the project. If anyone happens to need help, please let me know. I've been specializing in office automation and data analysis, lately.
>>
>>4) Finally, I suppose my biggest drawback is people-skills. While I've got the introverted part of me very well developed, I find it very uncomfortable (make that frightening) to really start networking with people. How do you deal with getting both sides of your brain to work well together? I feel that this handicap can really make or break my dream to go out on my own.
>>
>>I would really appreciate any and all input.
>>--Michael Reynolds