>Don't start reading between the lines on me! Don't lay your European sensitivities on me:-) Now I feel bad for sounding like an obnoxious Yankee! I am, of course (obnoxious), but I don't like feeling bad about it:-)
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Sorry about it :( I have forgotten our cultural differences (I was in the US three years ago - so long time to forget that).

>Some of us in the states are independent contractors. Customers like that because they just have one bill to pay (no health insurance or social security or unemployment insurance).

Russian customers do not like that - they want to see programmer under they power - all day you have to be before (in front of) their eyes :) In another case - they will not trust you (because a big part of a Russian business include black market and it very important now to have special program for that). But you do not know how your customers will use your program :)

An independents job is to get fired. You deliver the project and then you're fired. Hopefully, some follow-up work and we get to work in a variety of industries. Very Risky work! It always helps to understand bookkeeping (and accounting) systems and rules. Automating bookkeeping tasks is a big part of custom projects I have the fortune to enjoy. It always helps to have flow charting skills. It's the only basis to determine a price and delivery schedule. This is how a prospective niche market might be isolated. If the developer is writing a system, it means that a useable system is not available. A market - maybe!
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As I said, we have monopoly of the one accountant system in Russia. But this system is a little big complicated, because it universal - for all type of business, so I can develop something a little bit easy, cheaper and easy using :) But to do it is getting complicated and complicated. Sometimes people give me order only because they know me personally or somebody gives me a recommendation :)

>Now, you tell me about Russia - do you have job boards where you can search for work? Do you have independent developers? Can you set up a company and get funding?
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We have job boards only in Moscow (our capital). But in Russia we have not democracy - I have to have a special permission to work in Moscow (to bribe to police, or by illegally that permission - you can't understand that, because in the US you do not need a special permission to live where you want).
We have some independent developers. For example, I am. One day I was working for ten companies at one time :) I was working for them by partial time and was their legal stuff :) I was running over my town all day and was developing FoxPro application at night :) Now I have only five and try to find new contracts.
Probably I can set up a company, but I am not sure that it will run smoothly :)

>Do you see yourself selling development services, or do you have an idea for a product? ARe there any success stories you can share about other engineers or startups?

I can sell products (I think you can do it perfectly too :). I have to have this ability, because in Russia we need money for life and here it is only one way - to sell something.
I have a lot of ideas for new products, but I can analyze and see that product do not give enough revenue (may be I am so smart or do not like a risk :)
About success stories - I don't know exactly what kind of stories I can tell and who will be interested in to listen them :)