2. INTRODUCTIONS
Michael Kimsal
Web since 1995, PHP since 1996, ASP, Java, etc
Solo developer since 2007 (2nd time around)
Podcaster, publisher, author, blogger, developer
6. WHY ARE YOU
GOING
INDEPENDENT?
Extra part time income?
Be your own boss?
Enjoy new things?
Freedom / flexibility?
Recently laid off?
Bootstrapping other idea?
9. GETTING SET UP
• Organization / structure type
• Legal / financial issues
• Contracts
• What are you selling?
• Work environment
• Hardware, software, tools
Fanurio was cross-platform (java). freshbooks and quickbooks are online. billing mac-only - same for ichat, but skype and others are cross-platform. fogbugz/jira are commercial - bugzilla open source - explore and find what works best for your workstyle
If you’ve not tried these sorts of tools, investigate before you continue to not use them. They can and will generally save you loads of time. Test driven or test focused will help a lot as well.
If you’re considering a smartphone, determine what sorts of activities you need to use it for. Time tracking, mileage calculations, invoicing, note taking, presentation management - even making voice calls! While not a vital necessity, a modern smartphone has made keeping in touch with clients via email much much easier for me.
If you’re looking for work, be contactable. That means having a phone or at least email number. Yes, you’ll get some spam, and some unwanted calls. You’ll also get some wanted calls.
Keep site professional - keep wacky personal stuff for other networks or other sites.
Designers understand portfolio - developers not as much - have code samples ready. Open source projects even better - link to project contributions.
Depending on who’s hiring you, they may not be able to judge the code itself, but often just *having* some is indicative of being on the ball.