New to contracting
Hi there,
I have 15 years of software dev experience, recently I've done work with auth0, AWS (CDK, step functions, lambda, api gateway, dynamodb, event bridge etc etc) using typescript. I'm also very comfortable with postgres, php and react. I'd like to focus on typescript/aws/integrations if possible.
I'd like to find clients that have a need for a contractor but I'm struggling to think of who would want someone with my skills? I'm not sure who to approach and how to find the target prospective clients.
Bonus question: what should someone with my level of experience be looking to charge?
Thank you for any help!
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Welcome to contracting — it’s a great way to own your time, but the first few contracts usually teach you more about clarity and boundaries than years of theory.
A few things that helped me early on:
• Explicit deliverables + out-of-scope items in the contract — this avoids “feature creep” later
• Milestones + staged payments (e.g., 30% upfront, 40% mid, 30% on delivery) — it aligns cash flow with actual work
• Revision limits (say 2–3 rounds) with pricing defined for extra changes
• A simple cancellation/exit clause so you’re not stuck half-done without pay
Curious — for others here, what’s one contract clause or team practice you add early that has saved you headaches down the road?