Setting up your own business, freelance engineer

Simulation Generality
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Hi all

It's all in the title, I'm not decided yet, but I'm asking myself more and more the question...

I have been a project engineer in industrial mechanics for almost 10 years, the reasons that push me to have his thoughts are multiple:

- First of all, to be able to get closer to my partner (we have been living for 4 years in different cities and apartments) to finally be able to project myself with personal projects.

- Focus on what I like and what I can do.

- Meet new people, new projects, new issues...

- Get out of my comfort zone and embark on an adventure.

- Manage my schedule

My skills apply to pre-project, research and proposal of conept, CdC writing, risk analysis, detailed study, modeling, sizing (Rdm, Finite Elements), drawing, assembly instructions, project follow-up, costing, mechanical expertise...  

I slowly start to inquire. Taking the plunge doesn't seem complicated, the procedures are quite simple. The difficulties come later, when you have to find clients and contracts!

I take advantage of this forum to get advice and feedback from people who have already taken the plunge, or if you have someone in your entourage who has become self-employed, what is your feeling about his situation?

Is it easy to find new customers? New contracts?

In the long run, isn't there a risk of isolation? To feel alone in the face of difficulties?

How do you absorb the blow of a Solidworks license and its annual maintenance? because it is the most important item of expenditure, close to indecency for a self-employed person!

 

For your information, I plan to get closer to Avignon, so with a radius of action between Nimes, Orange, Salon de Provence, Alès, Montpellier, Martigues, Fos, Aix, Marseille...

 

Thank you in advance for your answers which may allow me to get out of this period of questioning!

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Hello

We sometimes call on a person who was self-employed and this person came to work in our premises for well-defined missions. No hardware and software investment. On the other hand, I don't know how we recruited him. You may have to see if you can send emails or mail to the boxes in the region or you would like to install it to do a little survey about their subcontracting needs in this field.

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There was this question that can help you:

http://www.lynkoa.com/forum/import-export-formats-neutres/que-faut-il-faire-pour-%C3%AAtre-dessinateur-projeteur-ind%C3%A9pendant

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Or better, this one:

http://www.lynkoa.com/forum/solidworks/dessinateur-independant

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Thank you Alain, I had already read these different subjects.
But not enough to reassure me!

In fact, I've been reading several times on various forums that for a freelancer it is possible to work with a minimum of investment. Using CAD licenses and customer hardware...

But honestly I don't really believe in it! Let me explain:

  • If a big company calls on a freelancer, it's because it has a punctual overload of work, so everyone in the company is at full throttle, and all the licenses are used. I know how it goes, you can never have enough license when it's a rush! I've never seen a company with excess licenses yet!
  • If a small company calls on a freelancer it's because it has no CAD means, or even no design office at all...

In short, I have the impression that the purchase of a solidworks license is essential (maybe I'm wrong...). Knowing that one of my skills, which I would like to exploit, lies in sizing and calculations by infinite elements, I would therefore have to move towards a Premium license with Simulation option to which I must add annual maintenance.... glups... if I add a good workstation that holds up... re-glups! I'll let you do the math, you need a hell of a budget to get started!

Why not take out a loan, but I imagine that at the level of the banks it becomes complicated when you don't have a fixed salary every month...

in short, a lot of questions!

 

 

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Don't forget that if you are self-employed and you work with your equipment and license

The version of the licenses must be in line with the version of your client

so you need X version to satisfy your customer base

since the version only works via +1

example you have a 2016 premium license great

your client has a 2014 version you can work on it but he won't be able to have a creation tree of your part

The same goes for libraries

@+

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And yes! The eternal problem of versioning!

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The versions are not really a problem since SW (unlike others) is managed via a serial number common to all versions.
It's possible (and almost easy) to install all the versions you need as the need arises.

The problem that can arise is possibly finding the install files for a version older than the n-2 (n being the latest commercial version) but it can be arranged with the client.

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Company of 160 people we have 23 standard SW license and 1 pro license for 13 or 14 permanent draughtsman and some other second-hand ones.

When a subcontractor works for us, we require him to work in our premises with our way of drawing, numbering the parts, etc.

On the other hand, we provide him with the position. In our office there are 2 or 3 positions available for subcontractors at all times.

So much for my personal experience.

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Hello.

Very nice professional project. 

But before talking about material investments, I think you should focus on more essential points such as the target market (niche or volume sector), the sustainability of your business, try to have customer contacts interested in a collaboration...  

Also think that you will compete with service companies that will be more reactive, more aggressive and more autonomous than you...

All these points should be taken into consideration well in advance that cash flow problems for investment should not be possible.

 

 

 

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@ sbadenis

24 licenses for 13 cartoonists? :o How do you explain this organization? Is it better to use subcontractors? Temporary work rather than hiring? (interesting feedback)

 

@ cbreban

We agree that these are not my only questions! Far from it! It's just that as we are on the Lynkoa forum, I asked my questions related to this environment;)

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@ sbadenis : it makes us dream what you tell us... We're on the other side (the service providers), it rarely happens that we use the customer's machines. So it's the customer's IT guy who installs the paths, the domain... on our machine (this is a source of long-term problems, there are always leftovers from one customer to another). So, we have to plan a clean HDD with an image/clone system but it's just a little management to plan (SW license to transfer, windows update...).

For the rest (drawing method, numbering) it is the basis in subcontracting in principle.

 

To come back to the basic question: finding customers is always difficult. Your problem will be  time and schedule management.
Time management: I have a lot of work > I don't have time to look for clients
Scheduling management: I have a client who feeds me, I am offered another contract, there is a rush on deadlines

And I'm not talking about family problems related to fatigue or stress.

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There is also the method department which draws a little, the managers of the 2 BE who open the assemblies for validation, and some people in the costing department who regularly draw 3D layouts. As a result, there are only 3-4 free licenses left for subcontractors, interns and apprentices in work-study programs.

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You can also turn to freelance agencies or freelance platforms to help you get started as a freelancer and to help you find an assignment more easily. 

Here is a blog that may interest you: https://yalink.fr/blog/guides/ingenieur-freelance-et-micro-entreprise/

 

Have a nice day

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This digging up!!  

I think he won't hesitate to thank you for answering his question 6 years after his post... Well if it is still on the forum.

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