The short version: going independent as a Salesforce consultant is a sales job with some Salesforce work attached. The technical part is the part you already know how to do. What determines whether it works is pipeline, pricing, cash buffer and the discipline to say no — and the first eighteen months are much harder than the people posting about it make them look.
The part nobody leads with
Employed, roughly all your working hours are billable to your employer in the sense that you are paid for them. Independent, a substantial share goes to finding work, writing proposals, invoicing, chasing payment, bookkeeping, and admin that generates no revenue.
Plan on a meaningful fraction of your time being unbillable, permanently. That single fact sets your rate, and people who price as though every hour is billable end up earning less than they did employed while working more.
Pricing, done properly
The naive calculation (take your salary, divide by working hours) produces a rate that will lose you money. What it omits:
- Unbillable time, which is the largest item.
- Holiday and sickness, which you now fund yourself.
- Pension or retirement contributions your employer was making.
- Insurance, accountancy, tooling, devices, training.
- Tax handled differently, and often less favourably in cash-flow terms.
- Gaps between engagements.
Work from the income you need, gross it up for those, and divide by the hours you will realistically bill. The number will be considerably higher than your employed hourly equivalent and that is correct, not greedy. Independents who price near their old salary rate are the ones who go back after a year.
On day rate versus fixed price: fixed price rewards you for being fast and punishes you for scope creep, which means it is only safe when the scope is genuinely fixed and you have done similar work before. Day rate is the safer default until you know your own estimating error.
Pipeline, which is the actual job
The first engagement usually comes from your existing network — former colleagues, a partner you worked alongside, a client who liked you. That is fine, and it is also the trap: your network is finite and it does not renew itself.
What generates work after the network is exhausted is consistent visibility. Writing, speaking, answering questions publicly, being useful in community spaces. None of it converts quickly and all of it compounds, which is why starting it after work dries up is too late.
The practical rule: do something that generates future pipeline every week, including the weeks you are fully booked. Especially those weeks, because that is when it feels unnecessary and when you have the money to be patient.
Cash, and the buffer that makes decisions possible
Clients pay late. Thirty-day terms mean sixty in practice, and larger organisations are worse than smaller ones. You will do the work in January and see the money in March.
Six months of personal expenses in cash before you start is the number I would defend. Not because you will need six months of no income, but because a buffer is what lets you decline bad work. Without it you take the underpriced project with the difficult client, and that project consumes the time you needed for pipeline, which produces the next cash crisis. That loop is how people end up back in employment describing independence as not working out.
Saying no
The engagements to decline, once you can afford to:
- Undefined scope with a fixed price. You will absorb the difference.
- A client who negotiates hard before any work has started. That is the easiest the relationship will ever be.
- Work you cannot do well. A bad outcome costs you the reference, which is worth more than the fee.
- Anything requiring you to be available continuously without paying for it. Retainers are fine. Unpaid availability is not.
The things that genuinely are better
Being balanced about this matters, because the difficulties above are real and so are the benefits.
You choose the work and the clients. You are paid for what you deliver rather than for attendance. Your income is not bounded by a band. You can take a month off without asking, if the cash position supports it. And the variety across several clients builds capability much faster than one org does.
People who suit it tend to be those who like the selling and the autonomy, not only the technical work. If the appeal is purely “I want to do the same job without the meetings”, the meetings are replaced by sales calls, and that may not be the trade you wanted.
A starting sequence
- Build the cash buffer while employed.
- Start publishing something useful, months before you leave.
- Line up the first engagement before resigning, if you can do it honestly.
- Get an accountant who knows contractors in your jurisdiction, before the first invoice.
- Set your rate from the calculation above and hold it for the first year.
- Reserve time weekly for pipeline, permanently.
Frequently asked
Do I need a company or can I be a sole trader?
It depends entirely on your jurisdiction, and the tax and liability implications are significant. This is the question to take to a local accountant rather than to the internet.
How do I find the first client?
Almost always someone who has worked with you. Tell your network specifically what you are doing and what you are looking for, rather than announcing availability in general.
Should I subcontract through partners?
It is a reasonable way to fill gaps — steadier pipeline, lower rate, and less control. Many independents use partner work as a floor and direct clients as the upside.
What insurance do I need?
Professional indemnity is commonly required by clients before they will contract with you, and requirements vary by jurisdiction and client. Check before you need it, because it can hold up a contract.
How long until it is stable?
Eighteen months to two years is a realistic expectation for consistent pipeline. Planning on six is the most common reason people give up just before it would have worked.
Reference: This article is drawn from general independent-consulting practice and contains no jurisdiction-specific tax, legal or insurance advice. Confirm company structure, tax treatment and insurance requirements with a qualified professional where you operate.
