Now that we’ve given you some food for thought, let’s talk a walk down
memory lane and review some of those all important people you need to know
and take a look ahead those who can build your career in various ways!

Now seems like a fine time to sit back and have a good think about what
we’ve discussed so far. Over the past few weeks, we’ve shared some advice
and mentioned a few allies that you’ll need to make as your start your
contracting career. Let’s review!

Accountant: This is your go-to man from the get-go. Your accountant
is pretty much where it all begins. We prefer a CPA - yeah, it’s more
money, but you want a master of their craft, just like your clients do.
Your CPA will help you learn to crawl, help you take your first baby steps
and keep your financial health and viability in order.

An accountant is especially indispensable if you end up incorporating. Lots
of people assume that we say an accountant is vital in order to lessen your
tax burden. While your accountant can help you with beneficial tax
deductions, he also makes sure your books are in order so that you don’t
have to. Yes, you should always be on top of your finances, but you’ve also
got a business to run, so why not let another professional handle your tax
obligations while you develop clients? Your CPA will also be a big asset if
you have trouble keeping track of your finances and need a little extra
discipline.

Attorney: Your attorney is almost as important as your accountant,
though, most of his role is more “cosmetic” than that of the accountant.
For potential clients, your attorney is a mark of what separates the men
from the boys.

An “enforcer”, if you will, your attorney makes sure that your clients do
not slip any clauses that might come back to bite you later on; as well as
make sure that your contract is indeed legally binding. For your clients,
it sends the message that you are legitimate business man or woman, like
them, and take your business seriously. From personal experience, I found
that I was treated much differently by clients who were aware of my legal
counsel than those who didn’t. Odd. That.

Banker: We very briefly touched on the importance of finding a good
bank. Just like with personal finances, it’s important to find a bank or
banker who is interested in helping you grow your business.

A good banker, with whom you’ve built a comfortable level of trust, can
open doors for you those other financial institutions may not. Obviously,
you are not a Fortune 500 company putting massive deposits into your
account on a daily basis, so it’s important to find a bank who is willing
to work with small businesses.

It’s also a good idea to find a national bank if possible; you never know
where you may need to relocate for work, so it’s easier for you to have a
bank that can follow you around.

Now that we’ve had a brief chat about those who can help you start off your
business, how about those who can help you develop business?

Former colleagues and bosses: The old adage of never burning bridges
is oh so true. It’s always a very good idea to take names, numbers and
e-mails from former colleagues and bosses - even when you were/are working
a full-time gig. You never know when they may come back into the picture.

I can think of one particular case where a contractor unexpectedly ran into
a former co-worker with whom he worked several years ago in another
country. Nepotism reared its beautiful head and the contractor got in
without any of the official verifications usually required and at a good
rate as well.

Open source community: When I meet new contractors who do not have
much experience or are not satisfied with their past experience and want to
move into new technologies, I often suggest getting involved with open
source communities such as OpenOffice.org, sourceforge.net, etc.

I’ll be the first to admit that the pay is not great, but the
opportunities, potential contacts, skill development and portfolio building
material is a powder keg of damn good stuff. The “former colleague and
boss” spiel applies here as well. Most of the people involved in these
ventures also have day jobs, and your skills may impress enough for them to
hire you or pass work off to you.

Technical societies and groups: When I first started out, I dropped
a fair amount of coin to join one of the largest (if not the largest)
professional group in my line of work. I wasn’t really sure what to expect
or know what value I’d recoup, but it has single-handedly been the biggest
source of both client development and professional growth.

These groups give you the opportunity to meet your peers, see what’s hot
and where your field is heading. Regional and national conferences allow
you to learn new technologies, meet people who have been doing your job for
many years and are also willing to share experiences.

Building alliances and professional relationships with both service
providers (accountants, attorneys, and bankers) and colleagues, indeed,
competitors, is a crucial part of getting your business off the ground.
It’s as important, from a business point of view, to exhaust all resources
made available to you as it is for you to stay on top of your game tech
wise.