I first discovered Michael's content a couple of years ago when I was learning everything I could about Kubernetes and this past year at the Microsoft Build 2022 conference we were both on a panel discussion about the new Azure Container Apps product.

Michael is the principal for his company Michael Levan Training and Consulting. He's a leader in Kubernetes and Containerization Training, consulting and content creation. For content he writes blogs, creates videos and now has a podcast on the Packet Pushers network

In this episode we talk about his background, how and why he prefers to not be an full time employee, his philosophy on how he's gotten career to where it is, some important thoughts on what it really takes and what is important - we even get into extrinsic vs. intrinsic happiness and end the episode with some final advice for you want-to-be content creators out there.

• Background
• • Infrastructure
  • Development
  • DevOps
  • Platform Engineer
  • Full time for a while
  • Independent now
• Reasons why he's not a full time employee
• Experience with doing stuff on the side while still a full-timer
• How he has grown his different content streams to where they are today
• • "Be so good they can't ignore you" - Steve Martin
  • Have to put in the hours and the work
• Writing, podcast and then video as a preference for content
• Thoughts on role models and mentors
• • Internal drive most important
  • "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" - Stephen Covey
• Extrinsic vs. Intrinsic happiness and being human
• In person, hybrid and virtual events
• • Networking vs. learning
• Final advice on content creation for want-to-be content creators

Website:

https://michaellevan.net/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/TheNJDevOpsGuy

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaellevan/

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/clouddevengineering

Podcast:

https://packetpushers.net/author/michael-levan/

I first met Gavin about 7 years ago when he was a Technical Evangelist for Microsoft in the Cambridge Massachusetts area. At that point in time, he was heavily involved in the tech community around Boston and often was presenting at user groups and Code Camps. He worked for Microsoft for around 8 years before recently leaving to be a lead software engineer at Stately.

The reason I asked him to be on the podcast is because he is also working as an independent consultant on a side project these days.

In our discussion, we get into topics like how his experience as an independent is going (in this first year of having a side project). What type of business entity he chose and why, he also introduces group legal plans (something I hadn't heard of) for how he has gotten some legal advice. We talk about invoicing and billing, then we move on to work life balance and his challenges. We finish up with advice for others out there thinking of starting with a side project while still a full-time employee and some recommendations.

This was a fun interview to do and really cool to hear him echo many of the same experiences I myself have had.

Episode Outline

• Background
• • Is still a full-time employee
  • Working as an independent on the side
  • In his first year as an independent
• How it started for him and his experience
• Business entity type and why
• • Single person LLC
  • Used Legal Zoom
• Group legal plan
• Agreement that keeps renewing with client
• His take on invoicing
• • Reason for hourly billing vs. project billing
• Accountant or not?
• • Taxes get complicated
• Work-life balance
• • Work hours not what he are thought they would be originally
• How he found client #1
• • Network-based source
• Advice for starting as an Independent
• How did he pick his company name
• Recommendations
• • Novo - https://www.novo.co/
  • Legal Zoom - https://www.legalzoom.com/
• More detail about his side project

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavinbauman/
Twitter:  @gavmanbauman

This is another My Experience podcast.

Today I talk about a rule I follow and refer to as the 2 + 1 rule. I describe the scenario of how I learned the hard way - that it is important to diversify your income streams, how this rule works and the lifecycle of the primary and secondary projects. Then I mention some ideas and types of work I've used for secondary project income. Then at the end I provide a recent addition to this rule - again something I've learned the hard way.

• Why it's important to diversify your income
  • How I discovered this the hard way
    • Hit $0 income per week for several weeks/months before finding new work
• What it is and how it works
  • Goal is to not hit $0 income for a week (unless you are on vacation)
  • Start with #1
  • Add as many #2 projects as you can (get at least 2)
• Life cycle of projects
  • #1 either goes away or turns to #2
  • #2 usually can increase some when no #1 is around
    • Or turn into a #1
  • #2 also go away so have to keep adding them
• Ideas for you in finding good #2 sources of income
  • Create a product
    • SaaS product on your own
  • Content Creation (also helps build your expertise in general)
    • Find ways to get paid for (or do for free for marketing)
      • Blogs
      • Articles
      • Whitepapers
      • Training
      • Video courses
      • Podcast
    • Small projects
      • Work for other independents
        • Find by networking with existing network (always need to be keeping up with and expanding)
        • Possibly begin a relationship via social network
      • Maintenance work (plan ahead like Avonelle does or ask previous clients) - keep good standing with clients
        • Technology upgrades
        • Tweaks or small feature additions to past projects
• (new addition to this rule) Stay on top of it
  • How I discovered this the hard way
    • Did not hit $0 per week, but put up with half normal income for months
      • Waiting on being onboarded as a vendor too long (didn't end up working out)
      • Income was paying the bill and I forgot the urgency I should have had to jump on finding #1 again
  • If #1 goes away and you move to using #2 projects more do not wait long before looking for another #1