

Ask HN: Any tips on finding short term consulting gigs? - phpnode

Help! I'm a struggling single-founder, I've been working on my startup(s) and doing freelance web development (PHP/JS/HTML/CSS etc) since my former employer folded around a year ago. I've been able to find a steady stream of clients through friends, family and personal recommendations but I've pretty much exhausted this supply of customers and I'm starting to worry slightly. My main focus is my startup which I should be able to launch within a week or two, but there are of course no guarantees that it will succeed, or provide enough revenue to cover my living expenses, at least in the short term. So really my question is, how should I proceed from here? I have about enough money to cover my bills for the next 30 days, but that’s it and my partner is pregnant &#38; due in October!<p>I’ve considered freelancing sites such as e-lance etc, but these sites take a while to establish reputation, so the route to success seems to be – spend a month or two doing lots of cheap jobs to establish reputation, then start going for the bigger fish. The problem is I’ve left it too late to pursue this route, I’ll run out of money too quickly. 
Yesterday the problem really hit home, so I spent 6hrs cold calling local businesses, just asking about their current websites or lack thereof, and although I got a few leads and some moderate interest (which I’ll follow up later), I’m not entirely encouraged.<p>I’ve reduced my outgoings as much as possible, but after a series of property maintenance nightmares (roofs leaking, boilers breaking etc) I have to pay a substantial amount in bills each month.
I’ve considered getting a job, but senior web dev positions are few and far between in my area and I’d still struggle to cover my bills<p>So HN, what do you think I should do?
======
jacquesm
Repeat sales to the same customers are your mainstay as a consultant, how come
there are no repeat jobs?

~~~
phpnode
Because most of the people I've targeted have been small businesses who need a
website, but after the website is built there's not much opportunity to sell
more services. I do have a few customers that will give me more work in
future, but most have spent their budgets and are waiting for their next
financial year. I have some meetings this week that should drum up a bit more
work which will help but probably not enough to keep myself afloat.

~~~
jacquesm
That sucks. Ok, let me check my 'to do' list and see if there is anything on
there that could be farmed out without first digging in to a code base that is
a decade old.

What is your hourly rate ? Or do you do fixed price jobs?

~~~
phpnode
I've sent you an email, thanks.

