The Independent Software Developer

... or how I learned to stop worrying and started my own

business.

My Goal is to Do Things I Really Care About

The Problems

I need more time.

I need full ownership.

I need to pay the bills.

The Solution

Freelancing.

More Time

Would You Rather ...A) Convince your boss to pay you to do personal

projects for 25% of your time at work?

B) Spend your evenings and weekends working on personal projects, in addition to your work day?

C) Spend October, November, and December working on personal projects, without having to worry about going broke?

... maybe in a Mexican villa?

... on the beach?

Would You Rather ...A) Convince your boss to pay you to do personal

projects for 25% of your time at work?

B) Spend your evenings and weekends working on personal projects, in addition to your work day?

C) Spend October, November, and December working on personal projects, without having to worry about going broke?

... maybe in a Mexican villa?

... on the beach?

Freelancing = Flexible Schedule

Ownership

Don’t Cross the Streams

It would be bad.

Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule of your

body exploding at the speed of light.

(personal work and client work)

Don’t Cross the Streams

It would be bad.

If you are getting paid to write code, you most likely don’t have the copyright to that code.

If you don’t have the copyright, you can’t (legally) contribute it to an open source

project.

(personal work and client work)

Freelancing = Flexible Ownership

Payin’ the Bills

Your Base Rate

• Expenses

• Tax Rate

• Working Hours

• Billing Ratio

Expenses x (1 + Tax Rate) / Working Hours / Billing Ratio

Your Base Rate

• Expenses

• Tax Rate

• Working Hours

• Billing Ratio

$50,000 x (1 + 0.3) / 1500 / 0.7 = $61.90 per hour

Your Base Rate

• Expenses

• Tax Rate

• Working Hours

• Billing Ratio

$50,000 x (1 + 0.3) / 1500 / 0.7 = $61.90 per hour

Your Base Rate

• Expenses

• Tax Rate

• Working Hours

• Billing Ratio

$50,000 x (1 + 0.3) / 1500 / 0.7 = $61.90 per hour

Your Base Rate

• Expenses

• Tax Rate

• Working Hours

• Billing Ratio

$50,000 x (1 + 0.3) / 1500 / 0.7 = $61.90 per hour

Your Base Rate

• Expenses

• Tax Rate

• Working Hours

• Billing Ratio

$50,000 x (1 + 0.3) / 1500 / 0.7 = $61.90 per hour

Your Base Rate

• Expenses

• Tax Rate

• Working Hours

• Billing Ratio

$50,000 x (1 + 0.3) / 1500 / 0.7 = $61.90 per hour

Focus on Your Expertise

Do not write your own contracts.

Do not prepare your own taxes.

Do not run your own payroll.

Prepare to spend about $3,000

$2.19 increase in your base rate.

Freelancing = Flexible Finances

My Goal is to Do Things I Really Care About

Get In Touch

Peat Bakke

peat@i26r.com

@peat

i26r.com