Worth mentioning: there is an attractive Plan B which is not "Sell house to avoid defaulting on debts." It is "do iOS development contracting work at market rates, which are somewhere between $1k and $2k per day." The failure of this business should not cause catastrophic financial consequences for your family.
I'd love to know where these $1-2k per day iOS contract jobs are that you speak of, though :)
I just can't comprehend why someone would take such huge risks with potentially such limited returns (eg. months where this guy was making $100), having to learn the bizarre vagaries of "App Store Optimisation" (which I'm not really convinced isn't much more than a lottery anyway, and is hardly a core competency for many developers), when the same strong technical skills you already possess can guarantee you a fantastic income.
I've been an independent consultant for many years, and it was never lucrative for me. Maybe I just had the wrong network of contacts. I don't know. I only relatively moved into the iOS space and I've had some decent work, but again, it has been sporadic. Hence my desire to be completely independent and not have to rely on finding contracts all the time.
I have some very specific mid-long term goals for my life, and having to constantly find new contracts will not get me there.
There were never months I only made $100. I've only been committed to this path full-time since July 1 this year. The rest of SongSheet's history I did have other work that kept me somewhat busy.
You have to realise that where I live (Sunshine Coast, Qld, Australia) there isn't a lot people wanting apps built, and there aren't a lot of companies around here to work for, either. I chose to live here, though (biggest reason - my parents and my wife's parents are here, so my kids get to know their grandparents), so I have to live with the limited work opportunities.
I appreciate your thoughts, though :)
You're absolutely right that contacts and location are important; I live out in the countryside and mostly work from my home office, but I think I can only do that right now because I spent most of the previous ten years in London building up the right sorts of connections to allow me to do that - and I still go to London regularly (usually weekly) and am willing to concede I may end up back there again.
With the right approach and attitude, building up connections isn't hard, but it takes a certain pushiness, persistence, and resilience (and an occasional willingness to work at less than a reasonable rate in order to secure future work - the so-called "loss leader" projects) - and in certain locations it may be much harder than others.
I guess I'm guilty of taking it for granted that everyone lives in London, SF, or NYC, where contract roles on eye-watering day-rates - the sort whereby you can work for some fraction of the year and do what you like for the rest, and still maintain an excellent lifestyle - are pretty easy to come by once you have a bit of experience under your belt.
You seem to have a good handle on the London freelancing situation. Do you mind if I shoot you a few questions via email (mine is in my profile)?