Jun 20 • Contracts
Landing a First Contract
I'll share my experience regarding how I landed my first contract. If you have a story to share as well, please do!
It was April 2020 when I started my first consulting business called Capricorn Project Management Services, LLC. I had no idea what I was doing, but was learning as I was taking steps, one by one through the process.
First step was to find out what it would take to establish a legal entity. In one of our upcoming live sessions, I'll walk you through a live demo with web links where to go to set yours up and what pitfalls to watch out for along the way.
After my legal entity was established, I struggled to narrow the scope of my offerings and since we were experiencing Covid lockdowns here in Michigan, I spent a lot of time meditating on the concept while floating around in my swimming pool. Having inner debates was, let's say, entertaining. Once I settled on Project Management operations (versus managing actual projects), an area I've been told I'm very good at, I started talking to people about what I was setting out to do. I wasn't in a rush because I had financial means to take my time and "do it right".
I had lunch with an ex-boss of mine that summer as we've been keeping in touch since we had worked together. He asked me what I was doing so I told him I had set up a Consulting business. He immediately told me he was talking with someone at work and they were looking for a person to create a Design Review Process. He wanted to know if that's something I'd be interested in and of course I said yes! Project Management Operations often led me to designing and developing processes for other functions which support Projects, including many processes for Engineering.
One thing led to another and within a very short time, I met and had landed my first contract! It wasn't huge but it took about 10-20 hours per week and was enough to get my feet wet with consulting.
While working with that client, another came along which resulted in a month-long consulting contract for more money than I could have ever imagined possible. I threw a large figure out because I didn't have anything to lose and the client didn't bother negotiating. They said yes.
Once that contract ended, another came along while I was perusing LinkedIn and reaching out to people I had worked with in the past. One of them is now CEO of his own company (which I didn't know at the time). I reached out and congratulated him on his career success. He almost immediately returned my message after reading my profile to see what I'd been up to and voila! I had an invitation to join him and his team at his business to listen to their challenges. I was asked to submit a proposal for a contract and with very little effort, I landed my 3rd contract. At that point, I was wrapping up the initial contract and had already finished my 2nd one. I capped my hours to no more than 20 hrs per week with the 3rd contract and was able to help the organization resolve their challenges.
I was quickly on track to replace my full time income, however, a tech company came along and made an offer I couldn't refuse, so I put my business on pause to get Engineering experience in Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS). I needed to check a few more boxes on my CV and boy am I glad I did. I'm able to work with another tech company in areas that share similar operational behaviors within an automobile and not only can I speak the lingo, I'm actually in the thick of developing their company's overall capabilities to do business in the Automotive Industry - Program Management, Engineering, and Quality operations including toolchains! (And consequently, I'm also one of their Engineering Tools Admins as well, and loving every minute of it.)
This is a second consulting business of mine and meant to help others have a game plan to generate income (large or small) and have fun while doing it.
If work isn't fun - you're in the wrong job!
I haven't had a single bad day yet, since I've been consulting. No "bad boss" syndrome. No office politics. No forced work on things I don't like doing. Everything I do, is the type of work I enjoy doing. Why not make a lifestyle out of consulting? And best thing about it - you don't have to be a Salesperson to do it. (I haven't sold anything. I've solved problems by offering solutions because my solutions align with my expertise.) It's that simple.
If you're still not sure this is what you want to do, or just want to talk about the possibilities, hit me up in DM or join me in a Q&A session and let's talk! I can't wait to hear your story!
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Landing a First Contract
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