Even with the IR35 magic roundabout, the volume of calls I'm having with people considering contracting / consulting is through the roof.
Why?
Balance? Control? Fed up of the corporate BS? Perceived increase in earnings? Knee jerk reaction after redundancy? Variation? Flexibility? Easing into retirement? A stop gap until the next big perm job?
Have I missed anything? Probably.
Whatever it is I always start by asking two questions to people that are considering the switch:
1. Does it work for your personal situation? (Family, travel, earnings, 'security') - Square this away and you are one step closer...
2. What services are you going to offer? (Can you clearly articulate yourself and your skills as a service provider and back it up with case studies so a company can confidently engage you and know what they're getting?)
I've always said Question 1 is the most important and I stand by that.
However, what I'm finding is more people are struggling to answer Question 2 properly because they haven't really worked out why they want to go contracting in the first place. It shouldn't be something you just do on a whim and expect to be successful.
In a competitive market it's so important to know your why. I always recommend writing a consulting profile (max 2 pages) outlining your skills, services, and relevant case studies. This is basically your marketing material (a first draft of a future website maybe).
If you are considering a move to contracting/consulting then take your time. Chat to some trusted people in your network as you might even find your first few projects that way. Chat to people like me to gauge market conditions and put yourself on their radar. Network, network, network!
If you dip your toe in you'll most likely fumble your way through it for a bit, full of anxiety, before eventually ending up back in a permanent job and back to square one.
It's not for everyone and I'm happy to challenge you on it if you're considering it.
#CAPU #contract #thedarkside
