How long will it take to get your first 1099 gig?

by Dale Davidson

Here's how long it took to get my 1099 gigs:

  • Gig 1: 2.5 years of working as a W2 at a government contracting company then I converted my job.
  • Gig 2: 2-3 months after my first gig ended (due to clearance issues; agreement was made within the first few weeks of my previous gig ending).
  • Gig 3: 2 months after my second gig ended. A client introduced me to the PM at a prime maybe 6 months prior to that.
  • Gig 4s and 5: 2 years after my third gig. I took some time off, had security clearance issues, COVID happened, gigs fells through. A prime PM I had talked to a year prior had something for me, and then a different prime offered me a 1099 gig around the same time. They were both at the same agency so I took both.
  • Gig 6: I started 1 month after Gig 5 ended, but that was a year after my initial contact with a PM at a different company.

A few of my 1099 gigs were based on relationships I had established 6 - 12 months before I actually started.

A couple were based on new relationships and started within a few months.

So how long will it take you to get your first 1099 gig?

I don't know. It depends on your current relationships and the opportunities out there.

BUT, what is certain is if you don't take action now, you'll delay it even further.

Want the full playbook? Check out Going 1099.

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