From Serf to Surfer: Becoming a Network Consultant

The personal anecdotes are by far the best, since Strebe writes with a hilariously dry style, revealing the silliness that underlies every consultant's business worries. "A combination of sunlight and anxiety woke me up," Strebe writes in an account of a typical consulting day. But there's a lot more to this book than the author's excellent insights into life, taxes, and the customer's psyche. You'll find explicit advice on maximizing tax deductions on business vehicles (buy a dedicated business vehicle), keeping your cool in the face of idiotic clients ("call your mom and resolve all your outstanding childhood issues"), and getting set up with the equipment you'll need (there's a list, complete with makes and models). Read this one, particularly if you're already a successful consultant and think you know it all. --David Wall

Topics covered: Freelance consultancy in the computer networks field. In addition to loads of hilarious and salient stories from the primary author's career, this book contains a great deal of information on such business technicalities as project management, marketing, contract negotiation, client relations, accounting, taxes, and so on. The tax and legal stuff is U.S.-focused, but consultants everywhere will appreciate what Strebe has to say.

Product Description
You're experienced, you're skilled, you're certified -- and you're stuck flying a desk and babysitting servers for a company that doesn't understand your value. Why not break out of the 9-to-5 grind and become a network consultant, leveraging your skills and knowledge to let yourself work less and make more money? This book shows you how to transition from working in a traditional, regular-paycheck world to running your own business; how to put together business plans that make sense; how to build an image and market yourself; how to set pricing and write contracts; how to get clients--and how to keep them. Includes coverage of the legal issues you need to understand. Get ready to walk out on your boss!

The book is really pretty useful. For retainers, I use a version of his retainer agreement. However, there are some things that my experience has found are different than his experience.

For example, mailing DOES work. I bet he sent a letter. You don't send just a letter. You send a letter and YOUR BUSINESS CARD. Because out of 1000 businesses, almost nobody might need you right now, but if your card ends up in 20 rolodexes or 50 rolodexes from that mailing, over the course of a year you might get ten calls from that mailing. Calls are worth the $37.00, if that's the formula. Trust me. .... I don't do it every month or even every other month but it does work, and him dismissing it out of hand because he tried it once and didn't get any calls is a little irresponsible.

Another thing is, this book is I'm sure quite true for Matthew Strebe's experience, but if you're doing this in the post-Tech-bubble world, you're going to have to expect that it's going to be harder to find the relationships and big jobs than it was during the years Strebe was gaining his experience as an independent. I'm doing okay, my business is growing SLOWLY but steadily (which is what every entrepeneur I've met and talked to since I started doing this has told me is completely normal) and if you have solid skills like Strebe and I do, you'll prevail eventually and it is worth it.

One other thing I disagreed with is that while it is true you don't want to be buddy-buddy with your customers too much, to the point that you get exploited, the reality is that non-tech type people are a lot more touchy-feely and relationship-oriented and they need to like and trust you because you are carrying the keys to their kingdom and they know it. People can say anything they want about the sales process but the reality is I walk out of a business with a deal or a relationship 100% of the time if I connected as a person with the customer, so they saw me as someone who had the experience and character to be mucking around in their stuff, and about 0% if I didn't. You can't get that by putting up a 100% wall between yourself and your customers. Getting by in this business is less about making "big scores" and more about having successful, long-term relationships where they call you and don't resent your fee because they know you're the best they're going to find. In the 90's it was about "big scores." Not any more, and remember that when you're reading this book. I wouldn't be surprised if Strebe has changed his focus a bit since then, too.

....


An Absolute Work of Art!   June 30, 2002
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Wow! I wish I would have had this book 4 years ago. A must read for anyone thinking about taking on side-jobs or going out on their own. Not only is this book packed with invaluable information but Matt's sense of humor made reading this book an absolute pleasure. Two big thumbs up from this reader! :)


Thorough, easy reading, enjoyable, INFORMATIVE   January 27, 2002
ctownjak (Cleveland, OH USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Book covers the business, legal, technical ends of consulting. I feel greatly enlightened after reading it. It was recommended on the Cisco Newsgroup, and I thank the person that told us about it. After reading it, the book will now stand as a reference for me, especially the fine examples of contracts included. A real book written by a real professional, and not stuffy like technical books from experienced people can be. I have nothing bad to say about the book, but everything good. If you have any inkling to become a consultant, or need to know more to help you make the decision, read and absorb this informative how-to manual. It accomplishes what it is supposed to in a somewhat enjoyable/light touch manner, and there isn't any more to say!