True individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence.
- Franklin Roosevelt
So long as the people do not care to exercise their freedom, those who wish to tyrannize will do so; for tyrants are active and ardent, and will devote themselves in the name of any number of gods, religious and otherwise, to put shackles upon sleeping men.
- Voltaire
- Franklin Roosevelt
So long as the people do not care to exercise their freedom, those who wish to tyrannize will do so; for tyrants are active and ardent, and will devote themselves in the name of any number of gods, religious and otherwise, to put shackles upon sleeping men.
- Voltaire
"We're all getting laid off!"
"We're all getting laid off!" she said with an air of nervous desperation. Perhaps you are familiar with that grim office where everyone knows they will soon be losing their job.
I recalled the experience of my first contract when they dismantled the entire company. The air with thick with depression. People were worrying in quiet corners about mortgages, car payments and work permits. Nerves were on edge and conversations were a dim murmur. It was the worst thing that had happened at work since that time I found a discarded pair of soiled knickers outside our door.
Of course as an IT contractor the threat of losing my source of income was nothing new to me. Yet it was a fascinating circus seeing how the lives of my coworkers were unravelled. I was still green behind the ears then, but I had already began to formulate some of the strategies I write about today. Although I didn't know it, I was already using the fundamental five step process of IT contracting. I started to understand the secrets of what makes us different from the people unable to break free from the perceived security of permanent employment.
The company brought in counsellors and sometimes people could be heard shouting or weeping behind closed doors. Of course for our little exclusive club of contractors there were no special measures. So what did we do?
Well there was nothing to be done except ride it out. We already had to live with uncertainty on a daily basis and those of us who couldn't hack it would soon return to the obscure depths of employment. For the rest of us, we were too bitten by the taste of freedom to give it up so easily.
That was the first time I realised that no one really cares about contractors. At the time, the government were busy making our lives miserable with the IR35 legislation. I remember feeling a great deal of anger over how we were punished for trying to find our freedom as small independent players. We were easy targets; we had no form of organised union and no voice. We were and still are the underdog.
Yet over the years, I have weathered many of these obstacles and developed powerful techniques to stay ahead in this business. My anger has turned into a sense of pride as I have learned that contractors are some of the most resourceful, honest and hard working people I have ever met. We may be small and insignificant in the great scheme of things, but we are durable and we punch well above our weight.
Yet our network is frail. We exchange much of our knowlege in hushed conversations by the coffee machine or down the pub. So it is my hope in this website to provide a new place to share our ideas. It seems few people understand what we do or the challenges we face. It is a testimony to the quality of our community that we are so anonymous and so few in number.
Like many contractors, I am just a no name figure that you will never have heard of, who has been quietly propping up various companies over the years. I decided to start writing about the ideas and the questions I've been answering in tea rooms or boozers for more years than I would like to admit. My idea was to document some of this unique insider information and share it with my peers. This is the the very stuff that they don't want you to know.
I'm often asked by my friends in permanent employment about the intricacies of contracting. It is interesting how often they are focussed on the simple, but practical challenges of setting up a company or managing their tax. They always ask the wrong questions as they do not yet have the experience to know what it is they really need to know. The real challenges begin when they start work on their first contract and they make the same mistake that most struggling contractors make. I hope they find this website so they can save themselves a lot of time and money.
I also hope it will help people like my friend Paul, who once paid me for some one to one consultation on how to get more success as a contractor. After a few days with me, Paul was soon able to find a contract on a much higher rate in Los Angeles and spent a wonderful 6 months there with his family.
I am very excited by the idea of sharing this special knowledge with you my fellow contractors and prospective contractors. This has never really been done before and I hoping that it will make your lives better, more profitable and less painful. I sincerely hope you find as much success with this material as I have!
Dan Delacey
I recalled the experience of my first contract when they dismantled the entire company. The air with thick with depression. People were worrying in quiet corners about mortgages, car payments and work permits. Nerves were on edge and conversations were a dim murmur. It was the worst thing that had happened at work since that time I found a discarded pair of soiled knickers outside our door.
Of course as an IT contractor the threat of losing my source of income was nothing new to me. Yet it was a fascinating circus seeing how the lives of my coworkers were unravelled. I was still green behind the ears then, but I had already began to formulate some of the strategies I write about today. Although I didn't know it, I was already using the fundamental five step process of IT contracting. I started to understand the secrets of what makes us different from the people unable to break free from the perceived security of permanent employment.
The company brought in counsellors and sometimes people could be heard shouting or weeping behind closed doors. Of course for our little exclusive club of contractors there were no special measures. So what did we do?
Well there was nothing to be done except ride it out. We already had to live with uncertainty on a daily basis and those of us who couldn't hack it would soon return to the obscure depths of employment. For the rest of us, we were too bitten by the taste of freedom to give it up so easily.
That was the first time I realised that no one really cares about contractors. At the time, the government were busy making our lives miserable with the IR35 legislation. I remember feeling a great deal of anger over how we were punished for trying to find our freedom as small independent players. We were easy targets; we had no form of organised union and no voice. We were and still are the underdog.
Yet over the years, I have weathered many of these obstacles and developed powerful techniques to stay ahead in this business. My anger has turned into a sense of pride as I have learned that contractors are some of the most resourceful, honest and hard working people I have ever met. We may be small and insignificant in the great scheme of things, but we are durable and we punch well above our weight.
Yet our network is frail. We exchange much of our knowlege in hushed conversations by the coffee machine or down the pub. So it is my hope in this website to provide a new place to share our ideas. It seems few people understand what we do or the challenges we face. It is a testimony to the quality of our community that we are so anonymous and so few in number.
Like many contractors, I am just a no name figure that you will never have heard of, who has been quietly propping up various companies over the years. I decided to start writing about the ideas and the questions I've been answering in tea rooms or boozers for more years than I would like to admit. My idea was to document some of this unique insider information and share it with my peers. This is the the very stuff that they don't want you to know.
I'm often asked by my friends in permanent employment about the intricacies of contracting. It is interesting how often they are focussed on the simple, but practical challenges of setting up a company or managing their tax. They always ask the wrong questions as they do not yet have the experience to know what it is they really need to know. The real challenges begin when they start work on their first contract and they make the same mistake that most struggling contractors make. I hope they find this website so they can save themselves a lot of time and money.
I also hope it will help people like my friend Paul, who once paid me for some one to one consultation on how to get more success as a contractor. After a few days with me, Paul was soon able to find a contract on a much higher rate in Los Angeles and spent a wonderful 6 months there with his family.
I am very excited by the idea of sharing this special knowledge with you my fellow contractors and prospective contractors. This has never really been done before and I hoping that it will make your lives better, more profitable and less painful. I sincerely hope you find as much success with this material as I have!
Dan Delacey