Well, that about wraps it up for god.

It happened this morning, which is odd – but everything happens sometime. In this case, it was at precisely 08:05am – and I have the chat log to prove it! A client asked a completely straightforward question – one they have every right to ask and every reason to  expect an answer for. The question? “When will it be ready?”

Something clicked in my head and it became clear to me I’m done with freelance software development.

The problem

Now I am not going to get all woe is me here. My clients have been fantastic to work with. I am very picky about the and and every single person I deal with regularly is someone I have a relationship with stretching back years and years. They have been incredibly tolerant of my demands as well. What demands? That I work from home, don’t interface with their clients (I subcontract almost exclusively) and I choose my own technology and environments.

In short? I am a prima donna.

The options

I have made a big pile of money doing this for a living and I love software development. Developing software is not, essentially the problem. The problem is selling my hours, which is what freelancing is. The thing about selling hours is, I only have a max of 24 of them every day. In order to make more money then as a freelancer my options are…

1. Work More – Since I already work about 18 hours a day 6 days a week on average I am not willing to give up the last little bit.
2. Charge More – I could do it. Frankly I am only charging now about 60% of what I could get in NYC at one of the larger multimedia firms. In order to do that though I would need to take on even more project management and client interfacing, not to mention show up on-site and frankly I have no interest in it.
3. Stop doing it – Stop freelancing, stop charging per hour and stop building things on a “work for hire” basis that I don’t own when its done.

That about covers it 🙂

And you picked?

To be honest, option 3 has always been in the cards. I have been working hard planning a number of strategies that get me out of this freelancing thing. I have been planning that for more than 15 years or so… I just have always priorities my current client projects over the other projects because once you take someone’s money and make a promise you make it your top priority till you deliver. Anything else would be unethical. Except if your good at it, and I am, then there is always another project line up and you can go on from project to project thinking every time that after the next one you will take a break.

So far, it hasn’t happened.

Why now?

Let’s start a list…

1. Life is short. If the recent loss of Flagg has shown us anything, it is this.
2. I have a scheduled mid-life crisis coming up, and I can’t afford a toupee on what freelancing pays me.
3. There’s no reason for Hef to have all the fun.
4. I would like to spend more time with my girls, and take vacations and days off.
5. Hey, laser sharks don’t build themselves you know.
6. I have bigger fish to fry.
7. It’s starting to not be fun anymore.

Finally, in the words of the great (albeit fictional) William Stranix played by the awesome Tommy Lee Jones…

“I got tired of coming up with last-minute desperate solutions to impossible problems created by other fucking people.” – William Stranix in Under Siege

What kind of work will you still take on for clients?

As of now, I am no longer taking on any new freelancing contracts. I will be devoting all my energy, attention and talent into finishing up the projects that are in the pipeline until I have fulfilled all my contractual obligations. I expect to be done with all of it by February 1, 2010.

If you are a client with a current contract do not worry, your work will get done 🙂

After that date I will still be available to my existing clients for various services, I will simply not be taking on “large” software development. This leaves me with the ability to consult in other areas that interest me…

• Social networking / marketing
• Software architecture
• User Experience design and consultation
• Cloud computing integration into business processes
• Project management for out-sourced development

I intend to do those things as needed to help myself and my clients prosper – but to put less than 25% of my work energy into those areas.

And the rest of your time?

I have a number of projects in the works. We will discuss them when I am ready 🙂