Why are so many people in the Microsoft Dynamics world going freelance?

Why are so many people in the Microsoft Dynamics world going freelance?

Have you noticed the following trends?

• Are many of your friends or colleagues leaving their stable jobs and deciding to go independent?
• Are Microsoft Partners asking if you know of any good Dynamics freelancers, as they need to scale up in order to deliver a new project?
• Are some of your clients saying, “We decided not to use a Partner, but to bring some contractors in-house to deliver our project”?

Yes, the Dynamics landscape is changing rapidly and freelancing is becoming increasingly popular and attractive for all parties. It is already an established model in the SAP and Oracle space and is a good solution for everyone involved.

What are the reasons for Freelancers being such an increasingly attractive source of Dynamics resource?

Freelancers can decide for whom and when they work, ultimately make more money, possibly work fewer days per week or take extended breaks, spend more time with the family or travelling.  Or they might prefer not taking any break and instead building up a small fortune!

Microsoft Partners benefit from having a safety valve when they struggle with uncertain capacity forecasts. A policy based on a reliable contractor pool means much lower risk of employed consultants sitting on the bench and so can saves a lot of money. The model also works well as they make good margin on the contractor day rate –  and often it is cheaper to pay a contractor on a day rate for just the days needed, than it is to pay a full time employee whether they are chargeable or not. There are no extra costs of hiring someone, training them, paying salary and benefits even when sitting on the bench. The best thing is when the project finishes, the freelancer moves on. If you have a good relationship with the freelancer, you can ask them to work for you again next time you have another opportunity. Sometimes, you’ll find companies test consultants this way before they offer them full time job as it saves a lot of money to find out if this person is the right fit for your team and customers. Having experienced the freedom and flexibility of contract work, not many freelancers are willing to move back to full-time employment but some are not too hard to convince.

Dynamics Clients and users are becoming more and more aware of how their solutions need to be delivered. The market is now mature, very competitive and the clients are always looking for the most cost effective way of deployment. This often involves hiring contractors to do some and in some cases all the work that traditionally the Microsoft partners have delivered. This saves a lot of money and gives the customer full control over the project. The downside is the potential liability if things go wrong, as there is no partner to resolve it, but many are happy to take the risk. In any case, if things go wrong with a partner model, any resolution usually is not free of charge, so there is little additional risk.

So the demand for freelancers is getting higher and higher, and there are plenty of consultants looking for their next project. Right now, the main challenge is linking the two together and this is what 365 Freelance (www.365freelance.com )will achieve in the most cost effective way for all parties. We will keep you posted about our launch. It won’t be long!