A 21st-century ‘Fire Fighter’
by Alyson Preston
Name: Jeff Loyd
Title: Director of Information Technology
Location: Denver, Colorado
Years as an Independent Contractor: about four years
Monster.com: What kind of independent contractor are you?
Jeff Loyd: I'm a fire fighter. That 's what I really enjoy doing and what I'm really good at, since I am skilled in lots of different technologies and computer languages. Mostly I like to stick with Web back end, or even Web front end. I really enjoy working with the Internet and on the Internet, so I like to stick with applications that deal with it.
Mc: Can you give example of what you mean by "fire fighter?"
JL: I came in to Tabor Interactive because one of their clients wanted a fully functioning, database-driven Web site in three months. It's a really huge project. Right now [at the time of the interview, November 1999] they’re getting about 100,000 hits a week on their current Web site. So I brought in a new technology to accommodate the three-month turnaround. At the same time, this new technology can be resold by Tabor to other clients, and we're developing it all in-house.
We're creating plug-and-play components to build an entire Web site, using ASP, JAVA, C++, PHP and ColdFusion. I just love this component architecture. We're in the process of building a site generator, where you plug in your information and it will create a database, create the code behind it, and you'll have your site in 15 minutes. The components we're creating are stand-alone, but they all work together. For instance, more features will click on when you have more pieces connected.
Mc: How was the MTM experience? How well did it work?
JL: It was great. I got an email from Monster, so I went to the site to check it out. I didn't know what a talent auction was and had never experienced one before, so I put myself up. I included just the basic information -- nothing detailed or in depth. I was doing a "beta test" on it.
At that time I had two jobs, so I wasn't in dire need of work. Within five days I got a call from Tabor Interactive asking me in for an interview. They wanted me to start working the day I had the interview.
Mc: How else have you been getting work?
JL: I don’t really look for work, it just happens on me. Usually I get work through friends or I stumble on something when I'm out looking for something on the Web or in the newspaper. The Talent Market allows you to just sit back and wait for someone to call you.
Mc: What pushed you to go solo? At what point did you realize that you could actually make a living on your own?
JL: I quit Honeywell, where I was the lead Web developer for Space and Aviation Control. I was sitting around and my friend said to me, "I need to buy a computer." So I built him one, and then I started an independent computer building company. It was great fun. I had a lot of clients and built a total of about 200 machines for different people.
At one point I built machines for a start-up, and their venture capital firm had just purchased a jewelry manufacturer based in Canada. They asked me to go to Canada to build their network and write their software. It was a four-month job to move them into a paperless manufacturing process.
Mc: What has going solo meant for you personally?
JL: Being a freelancer for the past four years, I've managed to bring people in that are willing to work under me as team. So now when we get contract work, we come in as a team. I brought the whole team in here to Tabor Interactive…to develop the technology. The people who work with me are contractors and get paid by Tabor.
When I come in, I explain that this is how it works. If they want something I can't do on my own, I tell them that these are the people I need. My team has a pact, if you will, that when one of us gets a job, they bring the rest of us in if it entails more work. There are five of us right now.
Mc: Any advice for your fellow soloists?
JL: The main thing is you can't go out on your own if you're not fluent in marketing yourself. When you go out and try to find a job, you've got to sell yourself completely. There's no way you'll get a job if you don't.
