Anyone do any really short term contracts?

[D2]

Hello,

Few weeks ago i finished my long term perm job to concentrate on my Ltd Co which i've been running in my spare time for the past 12 months. I've been getting odds and sods of work in (asp 'n .net dev, web design, and a bit of network troubleshooting) but nothing sufficient to pay the mortgage and keep the missus in shoes. Basically i've found the grass aint greener on the other side. I'm confident it'll get better over time when i've got a few reliable clients under my belt but i've probably got a couple of months breathing space until the savings i'd put aside for startup are exhausted.

I'd planned to have nothing to do with agencies if i could at all help it and source my own clients through local advertising and getting in touch with old contacts, but basically i need another source of work to get the business properly off the ground - and using agencies is the only way that springs to mind.

Does anyone know if agencies ever offer very short term or part time contracts? I'm talking days and weeks rather than months, i have obligations to the few clients i already have and so could not take on a full time or long term contract (> 1 month). The few agencies i've spoke to only seem to offer 6-12 month full-timers or permanent vacancies. Do i need to be looking in a particular place for the type of job i'm after? or is anyone aware of any agencies that do this sort of thing?


Ta

[privateeye]

Anyone do any really short term contracts?

Any short term I get tend to come from who I know, and who I know in business circles are those I've met at Chamber of Commerce and network type meetings. Yellow pages is ok but very expensive and you have to wait up to a year to get in. I would suggest trying these routes as I have found them quite successful. These might be useful to get in the smaller companies that can't pay agency fees. A mail shot might be another way.

[D2]

I'd forgotten about the Chamber of Commerce things, before i left my perm job i was asked by a guy i know if i wanted to attend one of their networking meetings but passed it up at the time. I'll take another look at going down that route. Cheers.

Yellow pages - this was my first thought but the cost put me off and i instead put some cash into ads in the local papers - 0 response from that one. Wish i'd just stumped up the cash for Yell in the first place.

I'm in the process of getting a mailshot together at the moment, tried the hand delivery approach last week to see if I could get a chat with anyone at the company about their IT requirements but that was a totally grim experience that i wont be repeating! years of double glazing salesman have taken their toll and i was informed that 'salesman arent welcome' or met with big signs reading 'Absolutely no sales calls' at most of the firms. My lager stash took a battering after i got home that day.

[BlasterBates]

If you´re after real work I can´t see agencies being helpful.

You´re going to have to get on the blower. I´m afraid cold calling is the only way to get a real business going. The chamber of commerce can provide you with a list of telephone numbers and contacts.

Cold calling is quite different than turning up on the premises. That´s what tramps do looking for a warm meal and a cup of tea. So don´t be put off by that experience. I did cold calling and I was quite surprised how patient and even interested the IT managers were.

It´ll probably take a year or two to get off the ground.

[Not So Wise]

Short term/Temp contracts do exist in most areas but are pretty rare via agency's and if they do come up normally go straight to someone who has already worked for them and if they don't they get A LOT of apps for them, no matter how bad the rate.

The going "real ltd" or as i prefer to say "freelance" instead of contractor is hard going, just came to an end of doing it for 3 years in php/mysql web design field a few months ago.

If you have not got a decent network in place (by sounds of things you have not) then recommend finding groups like as mentioned above Chamber of Commerce groups and gov or private funded business organizations for new business/start up's, while the advise they give is generally useless (unless you have no clue what doing) they are great for networking and telling you where to find other organizations.

As you seem to be Internet focused also call around the smaller design agency's (though a lot are already members of various orgs already), quite a lot of them subcontract the work as they cannot afford to keep technical people on the payroll all the time.

Good luck with the company,you are going to need it, while it can be great it also can be hell on earth (hence reason i am getting out of it :rollin )

[DimPrawn]

Yes I've done the short, fixed price work ranging from a single day to several weeks. Compared with the cosy, bum on seat, surfin the web, slurping coffee normal contracts it is neither profitable or easy going. Hard work, stress and ag.

BUT it makes you feel a cut above the usual contractor dross and shows what it's like to be in business without a safety net.

Agencies are of no use in this field. Cold calling and mailshots are the order of the day. A good informative website so that you can call, explain what you are offering in 30 seconds and then direct them to the website, followed up by a mail shot.

As a one man band all you need is a 2 or 3 fairly big clients and the repeat business should get you going.


Good luck but I fear you'll be hankering after a nice juicy 12 monther bum on seat at some big corporate after a few months!