do it simply - Help and Advice

Ahhh… got you there. I didn’t say a developer in demand, but ON. Although they are not mutually exclusive. What I mean here is being available to a client pretty much at the drop of a hat.

Again, I realise I am going against popular belief that you must show your clients that you are already IN demand, and that they need to schedule time with you to get your expertise. But what about the clients, such as medium to large agencies, that have a surprise project come in that they want to do but just don’t have the resource? Can you fulfill that need?

I like to think that I can. I am picky about my personal projects and the clients that I work with. This means I potentially have available time to slot in a new client. I like my life being slower paced, and I’m not chasing job after to job to get bigger and bigger. I’m working how I want. Sometimes this leaves me going a few weeks or even a month without a real challenge to get my teeth into. For these situations I like to let my local agencies know that I can be their ´on call´ developer.

This of course can and will sometimes come at a premium. The more notice I’m given the better the rate I can offer. That doesn’t take away from the fact that having a local, reliable, good developer available on short notice is a great business asset.

There are many reasons why an agency might need me on short notice.

1. An existing client that has small side project
2. The need to create a prototype site or app in a short amount of time
3. A new client you just aren’t sure about yet

And all of these have in common that the agency is not prepared to take away their current resource from urgent projects to have a play with new ones.

For me there is the benefit of being exposed to many different types of websites and applications. It gives me a buzz to face a new challenge and develop a strategy that gets the project done in a short time frame exactly to the specification requested.   It provides a reliable resource to an agency without having to go through endless recruiter middlemen and taking a chance on an unknown.  Win, win.

I thrive in a situation where I am in control of how much I work and as I result I provide a better service and always go the extra mile.   That is why offering my developer skills ‘on demand’ will continue to be a large part of the service I provide.