SQL Server DBA looking to start business

[KentPhilip]

Just looking for some feedback from you chaps and chapesses on my plan, which is as follows.

I've accepted voluntary redundancy from my permie job, so now have around £20K to play with.
I plan to go around business parks in London to canvass it managers to build up some contacts and then do a few SQL related jobs for them.
I then intend to hire some contractors for a short period (days, weeks) so I can put them into the client. Then after some time when I have regular work I'll hire a permie or two to do the work, and I'll live off the profits from the client fees minus the permie salary, and become a rich man!

Have any of you got any experience of doing this sort of thing? Did it work out well, or badly, and why?

+ve and -ve feedback equally welcomed. Thanks!

BTW where's the best place to advertise for contractors? Jobserve.com I guess?

[milanbenes]

Moderators - do your work !


should this post be in the light relief / humour section ?


Milan.

[wizard1974uk]

Moderators - do your work !


should this post be in the light relief / humour section ?


Milan.

Not a very constructive comment now is it?

[swamp]

20K will buy you two DBAs for a month, if you're lucky.

Wow.

Good luck finding permies to replace them.

Still, it's not the worst plan in the World. And I do mean that.

[MarillionFan]

Your first post was almost as funny as well

God you're older than me and more naive than David Cameron.

[bobhope]

Your first post was almost as funny as well

God you're older than me and more naive than David Cameron.

He's not a (spit) permie like you though is he :-)

[Troll]

I've accepted voluntary redundancy from my permie job, so now have around £20K to play with.

You now need to leverage that 20K
In your first post you alluded to being the oldest worker, and therefore most vulnerable because of your age, this is illegal

You should engage a barrister to pursue a constructive dismissal claim against your former employee - get the age profile of all those offered VR and compare against those not, and argue your claim.

It would help if you were also ethnic/female/pregnant

[KentPhilip]

Moderators - do your work !


should this post be in the light relief / humour section ?


Milan.

That's what I love about contractors - never take anything seriously if it is possible not to.

But thanks for all advice from my post 18 months ago - I was feeling slightly sorry for myself (cue violin)
But I survived another 18 months didn't I?

So no direct experience then of going it alone?

[DaveB]

Stick the 20k in the bank for emerganices. Update your CV. Hit the job boards and agencies and get some contracts under your belt. While your doing that you can build your contacts list and progress your plan whilst maintaining your income and minimising your risk.

[wendigo100]

I've got to agree with DaveB. I were you I'd first get some contracting experience (and money) under your belt.

A hundred people a day have the same idea - effectively setting up a new agency - and they all think they can do it better than the established guys.

The only successful agency start-ups I know of in recent years were by people already working in the resourcing business.

That's not to say there weren't any like you, but it's much harder and I don't know of any.

So, if you are still serious about starting your own resourcing company, get some work as an agent with an established agency and learn how that world works.