The Everyday Agile Podcast podkast

We Run a Consultancy Together: Contractors, Money & Business Lessons

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We're doing something different this episode, you're meeting the other half of Everyday Agile. Naomi Parry-Hughes is my co-director (and my wife).


In this episode we talk about:

- How Naomi went from secondary school RE teacher to co-director of an agile consultancy.

- The real story of day rate negotiations with agile/scrum contractors, and why they're always awkward.

- What actually determines your day rate as a contractor .(hint: it's not what other people tell you they earn)

- How to approach a renegotiation conversation pragmatically.

- The biggest mistakes we've made with our associate/contractor model

- Why invoicing on time matters more than contractors think

- The inside story of Not Another Agile Conference, and why we ran it at a loss.


If you're an agile coach, scrum master, product person, or contractor working in tech consultancy, or if you're thinking about going independent — this is the honest, unfiltered version of what running a small consultancy actually looks like.


▶︎Tickets for Not Another Agile Conference (22 April 2027, Chester Zoo) are on sale now: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/notanotheragileconference/2178867


▶︎Our Newsletter:

https://substack.com/@betweenthestandups


▶︎Chapters

00:00 — Running a Business With Your Wife

01:04 — Why We’re Sharing the Behind-the-Scenes of Everyday Agile

01:45 — How Naomi Became Co-Director of Everyday Agile

02:13 — From Teacher to Consultancy Co-Director

04:06 — Why Naomi Left Teaching

05:15 — The Reality of Leaving Teaching

09:59 — How Contracting Changed Our Financial Reality

13:49 — Contractors, Day Rates and Money

14:59 — How to Negotiate Contractor Day Rates

17:41 — What Consultants Actually Do Behind the Scenes

18:20 — How Consultancy Rates Are Set

19:24 — Should You Ask for a Day Rate Increase?

20:22 — Why Percentage Increases Matter

21:05 — How to Justify a Contractor Rate Increase

22:54 — Advice for Contractors Negotiating Rates

24:12 — When NOT to Ask for a Pay Rise

24:49 — Our Biggest Mistakes With Associates

26:05 — Why Contracts Matter in Consultancy

27:20 — When a Client Likes the Wrong Contractor

28:02 — Why Reliability Beats a Big LinkedIn Profile

28:58 — The Importance of Contractor Invoicing

30:30 — Contractors: Remember You’re Running a Business

32:51 — The Biggest Lesson for Contractors

33:41 — Why Culture Fit Matters

35:05 — Has Agile Content Become Too Polished?

37:08 — Behind the Scenes of Not Another Agile Conference

39:36 — An Introvert’s Experience at an Agile Conference

41:24 — Why Customer Experience Matters at Events

43:09 — Using Data and Budgets to Make Better Decisions

44:04 — Why We Don’t Make Money From the Conference

45:07 — Quick-Fire Business Questions

48:07 — What We Love About Working Together

49:37 — The Hardest Part of Having a Business Partner

50:20 — Final Thoughts

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