An Australian Software Engineer's Handbook to
Contracting

This chapter covers how to set yourself up as a contractor or a consultant. It will cover the detailed comparison of operating as a sole trader or as a company, a practical guide to setting up your landing page website, professional email, LinkedIn to maximize your chance of discovery and successful brand building. It also covers how to set up and automate finances for your structure by using bank accounts and accounting software.

This chapter explains ways to find clients. Specifically, it contains hands-on experience about how to grow your clients organically by presenting and attending meetups and conferences, and publishing your open source work. Additionally, you will learn about how to work with recruiters, and how to leverage existing clients and coworkers. It also covers a strategy for negotiating your full-time position into a contracting position.

You will learn about how to negotiate your rate by looking at what to do and what not to do. The chapter contains best practices to set clear expectataions with your clients, and avoid burnouts or conflicts. It also shows you how to negotiate and work with individuals, startups, or corporate clients. You will learn about how to make sure to get paid from the clients while minimizing the risk. This chapter also covers how to pay yourself through your structure, and use the structure to plan your tax.

You will read about how to maintain your structure and the relationships with your clients. This chapter also offers a direction for the road ahead to scale yourself even bigger.