Zero-risk consulting

  
It's hard to figure out whether someone is well-suited to a given project. As a result, committing to an employee, contractor, or consultant is often an expensive and risky venture. This is
why I'm trying a new kind of consulting. The idea is to make it easy for you to hire me without assuming most of the usual risks.

  

    
How it works

    
  You email me with a problem you'd like me to solve. (Be sure to put "zero" in the subject so that my email filter catches it.) This could be
  anything: a debugging project, advice about something, a library you need, end-user code, etc. Anything you send me is confidential. I'll then follow up with you with any additional
  information I need and any initial impressions I have.

    
  I will then try to implement a solution and will never send you a bill. I may or may not be able to implement something, depending on a variety of factors including my skill
  set. If I'm successful, I'll send you what I come up with. You may, at your option, pay me whatever you think my solution is worth. It's fine if this is nothing at all; that's useful
  information for me (I won't nag you about it, for instance).

  

  

    
Too good/strange to be true?

    
  Give it a try! I'm interested to see how this works out. Worst case, I won't have a clue about what you're talking about and will be no help at all. But it doesn't cost you anything apart
  from the time required to send me an email.

  

  

    
Why?

    
  My goal in doing things this way is to find out what I'm best at. I want to discover which problems people are trying to solve and broaden my horizons, as well as build contacts and possibly
  long-term involvement with certain projects.

  

  

    
Caveats

    
  Because of the nature of this consulting service, this isn't something you'd want to use for projects with tight deadlines. I also may decline to solve a problem that for some reason doesn't
  fit well with my skill set or interests, or if I'm too busy to accept new projects. (I apologize in advance if this happens; as I learn more I'll put up information about which projects I'm
  most likely to succeed at.)

    
  I do my best to keep your information strictly confidential, but sometimes machines get hacked or stolen. It's probably best if you don't send me any trade secrets or other sensitive
  information, just in case.