Going IT Alone: The Handbook for Freelance and Contract Software Developers

A detailed guide to self-employment for software and web developers – from identifying your target market, through to managing your time, finances, and client behavior About This Book Discover how to make money with software development skills. Learn how to develop a marketing and sales strategy and develop profitable pricing strategies for your software services and products Gain insights through real case studies and insights provided from industry experts Who This Book Is For Going the self employed route in software development offers many opportunities to develop awareness and skills to enhance your career. Whether you are a student currently studying software development or a veteran software developer already in the industry, Going IT Alone provides you with insights you need to avoid the pitfalls of self employment and to succeed with software projects that are profitable and sustainable. What You Will Learn Identify and understand your target market. Propose the value of what your service or product offers. Build a business model that identifies key entities required to make your software business work. Develop marketing a marketing strategy that targets the right customer segments and produces the sales you need to be profitable. Analyze information to make better decisions and understand your business performance. Understand people through observation and use this to your advantage in project management and negotiation. Improve accuracy of estimates for time and costs of your software projects. Understand the relationship between code and the business strategy. Identify software features from a business perspective, allowing you to prioritise must have features from those that are less important to your profitability. Avoid the trap of increasing software development time and costs from features that provide no benefit or sales increase. In Detail No matter whether you are a student or an industry

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introducing Freelancing
Chapter 2: Positioning Yourself in the Market
Chapter 3: Defining Your Business Model
Chapter 4: Creating a Brand
Chapter 5: Networking, Marketing, and Sales
Chapter 6: An Introduction to Client Types
Chapter 7: Managing Clients
Chapter 8: Negotiation
Chapter 9: Software Development Resources, Patterns and Strategies
Chapter 10: Software Development Methodology
Chapter 11: Creating Quotes and Estimates
Chapter 12: Project Management