Introduction
I pondered writing this at all. And then I pondered where to publish it. I decided to publish this here as it relates to other things I’ve published here. And I decided to mark it OT (off-topic).
As mentioned in this post, starting Andy Leonard Training grew out of a couple training engagements delivered in late 2010. I started fulltime work 17 Jan 2011 with an engagement in the deep South.
Gig One
The first gig went well. A lot of the credit for that goes to the team with which I interfaced; stellar technologists, every one.
The most important thing I did right was this: I delivered before the end of the engagement. There’s only so much a consultant / mentor can bring to any enterprise in a week, but I believe I brought all that was possible. That’s extra important for an initial engagement.
Opportunity
Two opportunities came out of the engagement:
- The potential for more work from the company.
- A request for a quote (RFQ) from another company in the area after a presentation at the local SQL Server UG.
Conclusion
It doesn’t matter who you are, there is always risk involved in leaving the cube behind to start your own business. Week One is in the book. On to Week 2!
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I watched the big players in our respective industries and thought I could do things not neccesairly better but different. 1.5 years later I think we are just now beginning to see some results of those early ideas.
The idea of ‘never trying’ haunted me more than the risk. I think for most it’s the inverse. Enjoying watching someone else take the plunge too!
Congrats
Derek
Hi Andy,
Good luck with it. I’m decided to *never* go back to a cube, no matter what happens. There are too many other opportunities out there.
Regards,
Greg
Andy,
Don’t be afraid to post more of these kinds of blog posts. I am sure I am not the only one who is interesting in seeing how the startup phase goes for a SQL consulting company.
I am also glad to see that presenting at a UG is a good marketing strategy.
-John