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Put the existing 25K in the bank. Bid on a fixed-bid web project for 25K and get it done in a month.

Where do you find fixed-bid web projects you can bid on for 25K? Do you have a go-to website, or connections with people who will solicit your bids?

I actually don't prefer fixed-bid projects and I wouldn't attempt to do such a large one in such a short amount of time. But I live in Boston which has a nice startup scene and people approach me to build web applications for their startups.

I've been meaning to build a go-to website for about half a year now, but I've been too busy with client work--they find me without the website, often through the Boston Ruby Group.

If a solid month of work for $25k seems like "a big project" then maybe you're not billing enough.

If you're making $25k * 12 = $300k just by working you probably have some kind of specialized skill. If everyone could do it, the price wouldn't be so high.

alternatively, bid on a fixed-bid project for 50k, and spend the 25k on help to ensure that it gets done.

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