Survive, Thrive, and Stay Alive? Small business secrets.

Tired of the nine-to-five grind of working for someone else? Wish you could have a bit more freedom to take on clients whose values more closely aligned with your own? Whether you're a relatively new Drupal site builder, or an experienced Drupal developer, there are clients who would happily pay for your experience, and your level of expertise. From part time "moonlighting" to running your own agency, there are a lot of ways you can increase your independence through self-employment.

In this session, Donna "kattekrab" Benjamin will walk you through the questions you should ask yourself as you consider the size and scope of your new venture. She will draw on nearly two decades of experience and give you insight into how her consultancy has managed to survive, thrive, and stay alive.

• What skills do you need?

• When should you "outsource"?

• Should you employ more people?

• What legal and financial knowledge is required?

• What support can you access?

There's a lot involved. Small businesses don't usually have the resources to hire specialists in all these areas. Learning how to determine what you need to know personally, balanced against what you can afford to hire or buy is a key plank in building a sustainable practice.  Keeping it simple is important.

It's not always about growth, living within the resources available is one key to success.