Many freelancers will tell you how much easier their lives would be if there was someone else finding jobs and negotiating details for them. A firm called 10X Management likens itself to a Hollywood agency in that regard, but instead of having actors as part of its roster of talents, it has coders and other tech professionals for hire.
According to Businessweek, the company was started by Altay Guvench and two of his friends after Guvench hired a couple of music industry managers as agents for his freelance programming career. Guvench, who plays in a band and has endeavors other than programming, found himself with more time – and more money – in his hands. When his friends started asking him how he did it, he realized there’s a market for an agency that caters to freelance tech professionals.
10X Management, which currently represents 30 freelancers that include ex-Google and Apple programmers, takes the standard 15 percent pay cut for gigs it finds its talents. It not only takes care of negotiating a talent’s salary and contract terms, but IT also tries to pair up each freelancer with a job that fits their skill set and interests. The idea of acting as an agent for freelancers isn’t new – there are many middlemen out there who offer similar services to 10X Management – but unlike most other firms, you must have your codes reviewed by 10X and then go in for an interview if you want the company to represent you. In addition to that, the firm claims to help its talents achieve their long-term goals and guide them through their careers.
With people like Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg becoming celebrities not only in the tech world, it’s no surprise that 10X Management is tapping into a this niche. It’ll surely be a goldmine.
