

What I Learned In My First Year Of iOS Consulting - brandontreb
http://brandontreb.com/learned-first-year-ios-consulting

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acconrad
One of my common hangups with these kind of posts is the lack of history as to
what lead people to these consulting gigs. Where were you before, and how long
were you there? How long have you been in the game and what do you offer that
is unique / special? I feel like I've wanted to jump into the consulting game
for the past few years but haven't because I don't feel like I'm an expert in
a particular field that would warrant consulting/contracting expertise, and I
feel like you need to have a certain skill set / years of experience under
your belt if you want to maximize your chances of being successful as a
freelancer.

Happy for the OP, but it's just as important to provide how you got there (not
to mention I'm really interested to know what led you to this level of
expertise to be so in demand) so a greenhorn dev doesn't quit his job thinking
anybody can do this.

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brandontreb
That's a great point. I couldn't agree more. I should have given some more
intro, however if you follow the link at the top of the post, it provides much
more context.

[http://brandontreb.com/what-i-learned-in-my-first-month-
bein...](http://brandontreb.com/what-i-learned-in-my-first-month-being-a-
contract-ios-developer)

On my iphone right now, but if I get a chance I'm happy to post more backstory
here in the comments later today.

Thanks for the feedback!

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caspian9
Very inspiring post. Almost thou persuadest me to go indie :).

I am glad you covered all the angles, including family, which is very
important to me too. Good luck with 2014!

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melling
Are you required to give project time estimates to clients before you start?
What's the best way to set expectations? Things always seem to take longer
than planned. One could add a bit of padding for tasks but sometimes you don't
need it.

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brandontreb
It depends on the project. I seldom do fixed bid projects as I'm a big fan of
agile. I'll give a rough estimate but bill on time and materials.

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brandontreb
Weird this article fell like a stone from #2 to 20 in seconds. Crazy

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marze
Don't see any reason it should be flagged, it seems informative and
worthwhile.

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sledmonkey
Thanks for sharing. I've just embarked on this path recently so these are some
timely tips.

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brandontreb
Congrats and good luck!

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HowardJ
How many days a week do you work? How many hours a day?

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brandontreb
Depends. Early on i was putting in 50s. During the summer it was closer to 20
;) now I'm between 30-40. Family time is super important to me so I make sure
to be off by 5 (I'll still take calls and address issues at any hour when/if
needed)

