“That means setting up an LLC or sole proprietorship, separating your personal and business finances, and using invoicing and tax tools that make it easier to stay compliant,” Shimy says. “For some people, it might feel like an overkill or unnecessary overhead at first. But that type of structure will help give your clients confidence and save you a few headaches down the road.”
Independent developers often underestimate the value of structure, says Sonu Kapoor, who has worked as an independent software engineer for more than two decades, architecting front ends for Citigroup’s global trading platform, leading RFID integration at American Apparel, and modernizing enterprise stacks for Sony Music Publishing and Cisco.
“For individual developers, the difference between staying small and landing enterprise-scale work often comes down to perception,” Kapoor says. “Early on, I treated my freelance work like a company, registering a limited entity, keeping separate finances, and using professional tools like QuickBooks and HubSpot. But what really moved the needle was building relationships with senior leaders inside companies like Citigroup and Sony Music Publishing. Enterprises rarely hire individuals directly; contracts usually flow through vendors.”
