Full time employment is generally the goal of most people who start computer consulting companies.  Many of the one-on-one consulting sessions I do involve evaluating a business and telling the person how close he or she is to moving to full time employment with the consulting company.

A lot of moonlighting computer consultants are initially so enamored with the idea of getting some self-employed income that they forget to remember that eventually they need this income to be at least equivalent to their current full time employment. 

Sadly, a lot of them are never going to make it because of one simple shortcoming: they’re not planning ahead for how and when the transition is going to take place. They’re hoping to move the business to full time employment but they’re not planning for it.

There are two very common mistakes these people make.  Here is an explanation of each and how to avoid them:

  • First, you should not be messing around with anything but steady clients.  To get full time employment from your business you can’t afford to deal with the one-shot cherry pickers that you hear from once in a blue moon.  You need steady commitments in order to get yourself to full time employment as a consultant. 

Your ideal client as a moonlighter looking to make the transition to full time employment as a consultant, is the $1,000 a month business who needs you for one or two evenings a month, maybe one or two Saturdays or Sundays, and some light phone support in between visits.

  • The second common mistake we see that hampers people from getting to full time employment with their consulting is giving away their services. Do not under any circumstances price yourself below the market rate in order to get clients.

Many newbies charge ridiculously unsustainable rates for their services.  First, you can’t sustain those rates if you hope to transition to full time employment and second, you aren’t perceived as a professional when you charge ridiculously low rates.

Bottom Line on Full Time Employment
In order to transition to full time employment from your consulting you need to plan ahead.  It won’t just happen unless you make an effort to do so. Moving from a moonlighter to full time employment as a computer consultant requires a good client base and a good revenue base.  Don’t sell yourself short by keeping poor quality clients or by charging low end rates.

In this article, you’ve been introduced to Full Time Employment. To learn more about how you can improve your knowledge about Full Time Employment, just click here now to get access to a free one-hour audio training program on 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Computer Consulting Business.