On Wed, Jun 23, 2010 at 9:23 AM, Christopher Mejo <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi all, > > I'd like to start promoting my web development business. I've had the name > CWFEU since I was 11, but my girlfriend doesn't think it flows and thinks I > should come up with a new name. (The acronym stands for "Complete Web for > Everyday Users" though I never spell it out for people). First question: any > opinion on that?
It says little about who you are and what you do. Consider something like "Christopher Mejo Software Consulting". Boring, but immediately informational. It's like how someone who builds houses will call themselves "Laura Smith General Contracting" and not "Houses You'll Love"; the latter is more colorful but it's not clear what, exactly, the service they offer is. I just worked under my name for a while until I reorganized as "Appleseed Software Consulting", which sounds cooler while remaining clear about what I sell. > Now that I am starting to turn down projects, I'd like to get my business > running. I was comparing DBA versus LLC. Anyone have a recommendation here > for web development consulting? Any recommendations on business card > companies that provide good services at good rates? (By "DBA" I assume you mean sole proprietorship, which is probably what you have now.) I organized my consulting business as an LLC two years ago on my accountant's advice, who likened it to purchasing really inexpensive liability insurance. It costs $500 per year to run an LLC in MA, but in exchange you get a nice abstraction layer plus a set of basic legal and financial protections. A good book on the subject: "How to Start a Business in Massachusetts" by O'Neill and Warda. (Google Books link: http://is.gd/d0Cjs) > Finally, and most importantly, can you offer any advice on getting into web > development 20-30 hours a week? I'm hoping to do this after I finish college, > if I don't go into a PhD program. I'd like to start on the right foot, so to > speak. I can tell you what I did, starting three years ago: Set yourself up on LinkedIn, make a tidy little professional-face website, and start cruising jobs.perl.org for work. (And maybe CraigsList and other software-gig sites.) After some months of taking on various jobs, find yourself working for one particularly awesome client with whom you have great rapport. Let them generate some quality, non-random leads for you, and watch your client pool grow from there. I realize I made it sound easier than it is. :) My situation is different from yours (I worked in post-graduate salaried jobs for ten years first) but going independent was the best personal business decision I ever made, and I still don't see myself returning to a salary any time soon. Good luck! -- Jason McIntosh http://jmac.org • [email protected] • @JmacDotOrg _______________________________________________ Boston-pm mailing list [email protected] http://mail.pm.org/mailman/listinfo/boston-pm
