Michalek recommends looking for services that are "pay as you go," so you do not need to pay up-front fees or retainers. What's more, she is always building a strong network of associates. "I look for partners who have skills that complement my service offerings," said Michalek. "The key here is to form the base of associates that you can call on a per-project basis."

She believes that most of the building blocks to form a new business already exist. "It's the creative entrepreneur, who can see the market opportunity and bring together the right tools and people that will get their business off the ground."

"Something small - but I find it helps is to talk about "working from my home office" rather than "working from home." It's subtle, but can help position yourself better. The other things that help establish you as a "real" company are: a professional e-mail address from your company's domain rather than through a free account or your home ISP; good quality business cards and marketing literature; and a separate phone number/voicemail."

Consultants with "niche skills with broad appeal" have the best chance of succeeding as an independents, according to Michalek, who makes her living hiring herself out as interim CTO to startup companies. "Generalists often have a more difficult time finding work because it is harder for hiring companies to justify the need for the contractor," she explained.

Discount incentives... Giving clients an incentive to pay invoices on time and the opportunity to see how they could save money can get a check signed and faster than normal.
A 1.5 percent discount on an invoice paid within 15 days is standard billing for Andrea Michalek, president of Topular consulting firm in Harleysville, Pennsylvania.
Michalek reasons that instead of a penalty, she'll give a bonus to clients that pay on time, which then keeps her from the most unpleasant part of her job.
"That way, I have the cash, I don't have the collection hassle, and then I have smooth relationships," said Michalek. "And I get to do what I like to do, which isn't collect money or create invoices or do any of that."

"When you deliver a product to a client, it's a gift: It's only a business when you get paid for it," Michalek said. "Your business is not just creating technology on behalf of your client, it's following that process all the way through."

"As the number of people working in non-traditional office settings continues to increase, e-networking becomes more valuable... Electronic networking serves as my water cooler now that I am no longer in a traditional office. I've been able to bounce ideas off others and receive input."

"With very early stage companies or companies that don't have their cash flow smooth yet, buying through non-traditional channels makes a lot of sense... If you're really looking at what meets your needs at the lowest cost, this type of channel supports that... I don't think it can be ignored."

"Definitely you come up against stereotypes, [for example,] the people who would naturally assume you weren't the technologist in the room, which, depending on how you approach it, can be an advantage. I think it's going to get much better in the future. The stereotypes first get bent and then they break."

"Andrea is a CTO that delivers more code than excuses. In an industry known more for hyperbole, Andrea is one of the technical leaders that gets it done on time and on budget."
-- Van Morris, CEO and President of Infonautics Corporation

"Those sites need to generate traffic for themselves... and often, are willing to pay for the traffic."

"Technology for aggregating highly granular news... like any search engine ... is constantly striving to improve relevancy... so far we've put a lot of engineering muscle into solving the most common problems that come up."

"Spiders are key... [Our] spiders return only to sites that are updated often and load quickly and well. [We] designed [our] spiders carefully to avoid site meltdowns... Poorly- or mischievously-designed spiders can bring a website to its knees."

"What they do with people, we do with technology"

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