

Ask HN: Have you used a pass-through agency? - stretchwithme

I'm currently working through an agency that found me and charges their customer god know how much for my services.  Yes, they have the inside track on the available positions at this company and have its trust.  But is it really worth as much as they charge, which I assume is more than it should be or it wouldn't be a secret.<p>One is probably better off marketing to companies directly.  What's the best way to do this?<p>Do you have any insights on doing contract work w/ pass-through agency that handles all the taxes, insurance, etc?
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hga
For this reason
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misclassification_of_employees_...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misclassification_of_employees_as_independent_contractors)
due to this law
[http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/21/opinion/21shulman.html?_r=...](http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/21/opinion/21shulman.html?_r=1&emc=tnt&tntemail1=y)
(but it's not entirely honest, e.g. it doesn't tell you that Daniel Patrick
Moynihan was the Congresscritter who slipped it into the bill in the dead of
night at the behest of several pass-through agencies) it's going to be nearly
impossible to achieve what you want.

At best you might start up an independent consulting firm, but you'd have to
have multiple clients and spend a _lot_ of time on sales and marketing (of
yourself). Gerald Weinberg recommends you make your hourly rate 5-6 times what
you want to earn just to allow for all the overhead
([http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Consulting-Giving-Getting-
Succ...](http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Consulting-Giving-Getting-
Successfully/dp/0932633013/) or get it new from the publisher:
<http://www.dorsethouse.com/books/soc.html>).

