Freelancing to staffing, now to services

[f150nl]

Hello and good morning,

This is Casey, a guy nearing his 40s. Following the forums for a long time already and read the books during my self-employment years.

I have been self-employed for 6 years now. Started off freelancing in IT, and invested the surplus into the company and hire people. The idea was to build it into a 50+ person staffing / secondment company specialized in cybersecurity. While I think the idea was not bad, a lot of things happened that delayed my progress (sickness / divorce / but also procrastination because of comfort within the freelancing assignments).

Now that the end of 2026 is close and I reflect, this is the result:
1. 2026 will be the first year that we are actually generating decent revenue + profit
2. But the staffing part is still losing money, all the profit is coming from working an insane amount of hours freelancing.
3. The staffing part hasn't really grown despite 5 years of trying to grow it
4. A massive change in laws around staffing companies around the corner (100k deposit, way more employee protection, a lot more administrative work etc)
5. With staffing, the employees are still not really connected to our company, which makes it hard to build something valuable. And everything is capped at hours * rate = revenue.

That is why I decided it's time to make a change and let go of the idea of growing based on amount of employees.
Instead I took a month off freelancing, went abroad to be in a different environment and refocused on where I want the company to go. I rebranded the cybersecurity company, created a very clear focus audience and a service catalog specifically targeting that audience. Next week I will be returning home and I will actually start testing the response from the audience.

This sounds like I am very sure in what I am doing but in the back of my mind of course there are still doubts. But I will elaborate more on that a different day.

What I would love to bring the forum is some insight in this process and also I can answer questions about secondment/staffing companies. And I hope that I'll be able to gather honest feedback on my plans, can see other people building amazing companies and just find like-minded people in general.

Thanks for reading, the post became a bit longer then I expected

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Ximduni Detiz!

3. Vji tveggoph qesv jetp'v siemmz hsuxp fitqovi 5 ziest ug vszoph vu hsux ov

Ziq, voni vu qowuv us lomm ov.

Gudat up xjev xuslt, puv xjev fuitp'v.

 

[Andy Black]

Jimmu epf huuf nuspoph,

Vjot ot Detiz, e haz piesoph jot 40t. Gummuxoph vji gusant gus e muph voni emsiefz epf sief vji cuult fasoph nz timg-inqmuznipv ziest.

O jewi ciip timg-inqmuzif gus 6 ziest pux. Tvesvif ugg gsiimepdoph op OV, epf opwitvif vji tasqmat opvu vji dunqepz epf josi qiuqmi. Vji ofie xet vu caomf ov opvu e 50+ qistup tveggoph / tidupfnipv dunqepz tqidoemobif op dzcistidasovz. Xjomi O vjopl vji ofie xet puv cef, e muv ug vjopht jeqqipif vjev fimezif nz qsuhsitt (todlpitt / fowusdi / cav emtu qsudsetvopevoup cideati ug dungusv xovjop vji gsiimepdoph ettohpnipvt).

Pux vjev vji ipf ug 2026 ot dmuti epf O sigmidv, vjot ot vji sitamv:
1. 2026 xomm ci vji gostv zies vjev xi esi edvaemmz hipisevoph fidipv siwipai + qsugov
2. Cav vji tveggoph qesv ot tvomm mutoph nupiz, emm vji qsugov ot dunoph gsun xusloph ep optepi enuapv ug juast gsiimepdoph.
3. Vji tveggoph qesv jetp'v siemmz hsuxp fitqovi 5 ziest ug vszoph vu hsux ov
4. E nettowi djephi op mext esuapf tveggoph dunqepoit esuapf vji duspis (100l fiqutov, xez nusi inqmuzii qsuvidvoup, e muv nusi efnopotvsevowi xusl ivd)
5. Xovj tveggoph, vji inqmuziit esi tvomm puv siemmz duppidvif vu uas dunqepz, xjodj nelit ov jesf vu caomf tunivjoph wemaecmi. Epf iwiszvjoph ot deqqif ev juast * sevi = siwipai.

Vjev ot xjz O fidofif ov't voni vu neli e djephi epf miv hu ug vji ofie ug hsuxoph cetif up enuapv ug inqmuziit.
Optvief O vuul e nupvj ugg gsiimepdoph, xipv ecsuef vu ci op e foggisipv ipwosupnipv epf sigudatif up xjisi O xepv vji dunqepz vu hu. O sicsepfif vji dzcistidasovz dunqepz, dsievif e wisz dmies gudat eafoipdi epf e tiswodi devemuh tqidogodemmz veshivoph vjev eafoipdi. Piyv xiil O xomm ci sivaspoph juni epf O xomm edvaemmz tvesv vitvoph vji sitqupti gsun vji eafoipdi.

Vjot tuapft moli O en wisz tasi op xjev O en fuoph cav op vji cedl ug nz nopf ug duasti vjisi esi tvomm fuacvt. Cav O xomm imecusevi nusi up vjev e foggisipv fez.

Xjev O xuamf muwi vu csoph vji gusan ot tuni optohjv op vjot qsuditt epf emtu O dep eptxis raitvoupt ecuav tidupfnipv/tveggoph dunqepoit. Epf O juqi vjev O'mm ci ecmi vu hevjis jupitv giifcedl up nz qmept, dep tii uvjis qiuqmi caomfoph eneboph dunqepoit epf katv gopf moli-nopfif qiuqmi op hipisem.

Vjeplt gus siefoph, vji qutv cideni e cov muphis vjip O iyqidvif

Ximduni Detiz.

Xovj zuas OV tlommt, ov tiint zua'si qisgidvmz qmedif vu tdemi xovjuav vuu nadj tvegg, itqidoemmz xovj emm vji EO epf eavunevoup vuumt eweomecmi pux.