157 karma · joined March 3, 2010
My go-to tech stacks are .NET and Node, PHP. I'm fluent in PostgreSQL, MongoDB, and comfortable working with AWS and Azure infra.
I'm available for contracts and freelance assignments.
Email: tomas@tomaskohl.com
Website: https://tomaskohl.com
[ my public key: https://keybase.io/tomaskohl; my proof: https://keybase.io/tomaskohl/sigs/ZMRNmf7FtxBk_Nh7fka9VJgjEcfJJDpHVlwP97ST0jU ]
A three-person squad available to boost your team, or even better - deliver your project end-to-end!
Front-end capabilities include Vue, React, JAM Stack, and the good old HTML+CSS.
Back-end capabilities include .NET (web + desktop), Node.js with Typescript, PHP with Laravel. We love working on the Azure cloud! Other platforms we've deployed to include Heroku and AWS.
A designer stands ready to think through your mock-ups and create visuals your customers will love at first sight.
Find out how we work and reach out: https://colladeo.com
I've been thinking about how to leverage LinkedIn for my own little agency. Thinking but not doing anything, because as soon as I actually visit LinkedIn, I get turned off by all the humblebrag posts and have to fight an urge to close the tab immediately :)
Are you mostly doing cold outreach, using LinkedIn ads, or anything else?
There was no treatment then and there is no widely available treatment now. AFAIK the cause of it is poorly understood and there can hardly be an answer is we don't know what questions to ask.
Do I wish this study leads to one? Absolutely. I would pay an equivalent of a used car to get rid of my tinnitus. Probably not more than that since my case is thankfully rather mild.
I think getting used to it is unfortunately the only way out. For the first few years, I've had occasional panic attacks. Nowadays, I am aware of it in the morning when I wake up, and later only when I stop to check if it's still there (it is).
Circling back to treatments, I do wish that one eventually comes out. My tinnitus has not become worse over the years but I suspect it might once I exit the middle age.
Maybe this is what the OP meant.
The situation is a little more complicated if one wants to sell services to an end client that is not technical. Finding the right marketing mix to get in front of these clients is a challenge (ie, they are not on HN and many of them spend very little time online for work-related activities).
I keep hearing that going after a relatively narrow niche where you can offer relevant expertise is the way to go. Even then, I suppose some sort of direct outreach is the way to go.
A three-person squad available to boost your team, or even better - deliver your project end-to-end!
Front-end capabilities include Vue, React, JAM Stack, and the good old HTML+CSS.
Back-end capabilities include .NET (web + desktop), Node.js with Typescript, PHP with Laravel. Platform expertise includes Heroku, Azure, AWS, Docker and k8s.
A designer stands ready to think through your mock-ups and create visuals your customers will love at first sight.
Here is what we've been up to recently:
- integrations & performance boost for a large content website built for a US credit card company (PHP, Craft CMS deployed to Heroku)
- billing system development for a car-sharing operator in the EU (Azure functions with Node.JS and Typescript, Postgres, Service Bus)
- backend development & enterprise integration for an insurtech startup backed by Munich Re (Node.JS, Typescript, Mongo, AWS, k8s)
Find out how we work and reach out: https://colladeo.com
I think the E-2 is not talked about very much in our community, which is too bad, as I would love to learn from other founders who took this route. It's not a green card but one can renew it indefinitely for as long as the business is operational.
What's your business? If it's tech-related, did you have any trouble explaining it to the consulate? I read that the E-2 is geared more towards traditional "brick and mortar" type businesses like a gas station or a restaurant. I have lawyers who help me with the business plan etc. but I still wonder how I am going to explain SaaS / custom software to the consular officer.
A few years back, I landed a high-paying gig through Upwork. I think it was mostly luck and I wouldn't use the site to find clients anymore. I do use it to hire the occasional contractor though; I hired my accountant there, and have recently found a great front-end dev there as well. The issue with Upwork is that as a client, you get bombarded by dozens of generic bids and sifting through them to find a quality candidate is a chore.
Most of my work has come through recruiters, which is both a blessing (I didn't have to do any marketing) and a curse (I don't "own" the client relationships). These days I am focusing on building my online presence and finding ways to get in front of people who need my expertise.
Hi there! Need some help with complex backend topics, integrations, or your web app deployment and performance? I can plug into your team on a part-time basis (up to 20 hours/wk) and get the ball rolling.
Tech stack I use routinely:
- Node.js / Typescript
- C# - ASP.NET Core, WPF
- PHP - Laravel
- Docker, k8s, AWS, Azure, Heroku
Recent client highlights include:
- backend & integrations of a large content website for a US credit card company (PHP, Heroku)
- billing system for a car-sharing operator in the EU (Node.JS, Typescript, Postgres, Azure functions)
- backend dev & enterprise integration for an insurtech startup backed by Munich Re (Node.JS, Typescript, Mongo, AWS, k8s)
Drop me a line if you need someone who is a quick study, will grok your business and the big picture. Raw developer firepower included.
Personal website with links to Github etc.: https://tomaskohl.com
Hi there! Need some help with complex backend topics, integrations, or your web app deployment and performance? I can plug into your team on a part-time basis (up to 20 hours/wk) and get the ball rolling.
Tech stack I use routinely:
- Node.js / Typescript
- C# - ASP.NET Core, WPF
- PHP - Laravel
- Docker, k8s, AWS, Azure, Heroku
Recent client highlights include:
- backend & integrations of a large content website for a US credit card company (PHP, Heroku)
- billing system for a car-sharing operator in the EU (Node.JS, Typescript, Postgres, Azure functions)
- backend dev & enterprise integration for an insurtech startup backed by Munich Re (Node.JS, Typescript, Mongo, AWS, k8s)
Drop me a line if you need someone who is a quick study, will grok your business and the big picture. Raw developer firepower included.
Personal website with links to Github etc.: https://tomaskohl.com
Hi, my name is Tomas, and I run a boutique consultancy out of Prague, Czechia. Recent client highlights include:
- backend & integrations of a large content website for a US credit card company (PHP, Heroku)
- billing system for a car-sharing operator in the EU (Typescript, Postgres, Azure functions)
- backend dev & enterprise integration for an insurtech startup backed by Munich Re (Node.JS, Typescipt, Mongo, AWS, k8s)
Drop me a line if you need someone who is a quick study, will grok your business and the big picture. Raw developer firepower included.
Personal website with links to Github etc.: https://tomaskohl.com
I am not going back.
Most of the teams I have worked with that required on-site presence didn't have the culture I'd be comfortable with anymore: too many meetings, open plan office space with ridiculously cheap and uncomfortable chairs and no standing desks (or only for permanent employees and not us dirty contractors). Most importantly, once COVID hit, it turned out none of that office stuff mattered for productivity anyway.
Europe was lagging behind in terms of remote work but one of the few positives of 'ro was the evening out of the playing field. And, once offices open, whether or not the contracts still offer remote work will be a great filter for potential clients.
I am just not sure that being remote automatically solves the work-life balance problem. I know I am prone to spending the entire day at my computer and it's something I have to work on.
It's small yet capable. If you are familiar with MongoDB, you will feel right at home.
It's great for .NET developers as it's written in C# but since it's Netstandard 1.3 compatible, you can presumably run it under Ubuntu or Mac OS or wherever else the new .NET 5 runtime works. I've got a C# app running on ARM64 the other day - just saying.
I wrote about my experience playing with LiteDB here - https://tomaskohl.com/code/2020-04-07/trying-out-litedb/. It's not an in-depth look at all, just a few notes from the field, so to speak.
Hi there! I do web and desktop apps for clients in the US / EU. Drop me a line if you need someone who is a quick study, will grok your business and the big picture. Raw developer firepower included.
Sample references:
- full stack work on a legal-tech startup providing relief to the victims of the VW Diesel-Gate scandal (Laravel, Node.js, Docker...)
- backend dev & integration for a US financial service company developing a consumer incentive website
- backend dev & enterprise integration for an insurtech startup backed by Munich Re (Node.JS, Typescipt, Mongo, AWS, k8s)
- backend for an AI-powered chatbot startup (Node.js, Typescipt, Mongo)
- leads management platform for a contractor in TX (PHP / Laravel, Postgres)
- web app for distribution of insurance documents from the agent to the customer (.NET Core, Postgres)
- WPF app for social dancing DJs
Industry exposure: finance, telecoms, insurance.
Personal website with links to Github etc.: https://tomaskohl.com
Hi there! I do web and desktop apps for clients in the US / EU. Drop me a line if you need someone who is a quick study, will grok your business and the big picture. Raw developer firepower included.
Sample references:
- backend dev & enterprise integration for an insuretech startup backed by Munich Re (Node.JS, Typescipt, Mongo, AWS, k8s)
- backend for an AI-powered chatbot startup (Node.js, Typescipt, Mongo)
- leads management platform for a contractor in TX (PHP / Laravel, Postgres)
- web app for distribution of insurance documents from the agent to the customer (.NET Core, Postgres)
- WPF app for a robotics startup
- WPF app for social dancing DJs
Industry exposure: finance, telecoms, insurance.
Personal website with links to Github etc.: https://tomaskohl.com
Hi there! I do web and desktop apps for clients in the US / EU. Drop me a line if you need someone who is a quick study, will grok your business and the big picture. Raw developer firepower included.
Sample references:
- backend dev & enterprise integration for an insuretech startup backed by Munich Re (Node.JS, Typescipt, Mongo, AWS, k8s)
- backend for an AI-powered chatbot startup (Node.js, Typescipt, Mongo)
- leads management platform for a contractor in TX (PHP / Laravel, Postgres)
- web app for distribution of insurance documents from the agent to the customer (.NET Core, Postgres)
- WPF app for a robotics startup
- WPF app for social dancing DJs
Industry exposure: finance, telecoms, insurance.
Personal website with links to Github etc.: https://tomaskohl.com
Hi there! I do long-term consulting projects with clients primarily in Germany and the US. Drop me a line if you need someone who is a quick study, will grok your business and the big picture. Raw developer firepower included.
Sample references:
- multi-year backend dev & enterprise integration for an insuretech startup backed by Munich Re (Node.JS, Typescipt, Mongo, AWS, k8s)
- leads management platform for a contractor in TX (PHP, Laravel, HTML+CSS)
- web app for distribution of insurance documents from the agent to the customer (.NET Core, HTML+CSS)
- pan-European rollout of an eCommerce system for a cable company in EU (product management)
- Scrum Master for a Prague startup in the taxi app (kinda like Uber but with real taxis)
- my own failed SaaS startup in the requirements analysis space (something like Trello)
Industry exposure: finance, telecoms, insurance. Most of my engagements recently are centered around helping Fortune 500-sized companies navigate the new digital landscape.
Availability: part-time
Personal website with links to Github etc.: https://tomaskohl.com
Hi there! I do long-term consulting projects with clients primarily in Germany and the US. Drop me a line if you need someone who is a quick study, will grok your business and the big picture. Raw developer firepower included.
Sample references:
- multi-year backend dev & enterprise integration for an insuretech startup backed by Munich Re (Node.JS, Typescipt, Mongo, AWS, k8s)
- leads management platform for a contractor in TX (PHP, Laravel, HTML+CSS)
- web app for distribution of insurance documents from the agent to the customer (.NET Core, HTML+CSS)
- pan-European rollout of an eCommerce system for a cable company in EU (product management)
- Scrum Master for a Prague startup in the taxi app (kinda like Uber but with real taxis)
- my own failed SaaS startup in the requirements analysis space (something like Trello)
Industry exposure: finance, telecoms, insurance. Most of my engagements recently are centered around helping Fortune 500-sized companies navigate the new digital landscape.
Availability: part-time
Personal website with links to Github etc.: https://tomaskohl.com
Hi there! I do long-term consulting projects with clients primarily in Germany and the US. Drop me a line if you need someone who is a quick study, will grok your business and the big picture. Raw developer firepower included.
Sample references:
- multi-year backend dev & enterprise integration for an insuretech startup backed by Munich Re (Node.JS, Typescipt, Mongo, AWS, k8s)
- leads management platform for a contractor in TX (PHP, Laravel, HTML+CSS)
- web app for distribution of insurance documents from the agent to the customer (.NET Core, HTML+CSS)
- pan-European rollout of an eCommerce system for a cable company in EU (product management)
- Scrum Master for a Prague startup in the taxi app (kinda like Uber but with real taxis)
- my own failed SaaS startup in the requirements analysis space (something like Trello)
Industry exposure: finance, telecoms, insurance. Most of my engagements recently are centered around helping Fortune 500-sized companies navigate the new digital landscape.
Availability: prefer flat-price projects with fixed scope. You can be located anywhere but some timezone overlap is desirable.
Working mode: remote, happy to meet for the initial kick-off and planning when travel is possible again.
Personal website with links to Github etc.: https://tomaskohl.com
Hi there! I do long-term consulting projects with clients primarily in Germany and the US. Drop me a line if you need someone who is a quick study, will grok your business and the big picture. Raw developer firepower included.
Sample references:
- multi-year backend dev & enterprise integration for an insuretech startup backed by Munich Re (Node.JS, Typescipt, Mongo, AWS, k8s)
- leads management platform for a contractor in TX (PHP, Laravel, HTML+CSS)
- web app for distribution of insurance documents from the agent to the customer (.NET Core, HTML+CSS)
- pan-European rollout of an eCommerce system for a cable company in EU (product management)
- Scrum Master for a Prague startup in the taxi app (kinda like Uber but with real taxis)
- my own failed SaaS startup in the requirements analysis space (something like Trello)
Industry exposure: finance, telecoms, insurance. Most of my engagements recently are centered around helping Fortune 500-sized companies navigate the new digital landscape.
Availability: prefer flat-price projects with fixed scope. You can be located anywhere but some timezone overlap is desirable.
Working mode: remote, happy to meet for the initial kick-off and planning when travel is possible again.
Personal website with links to Github etc.: https://tomaskohl.com
Hi there! I do long-term consulting projects with clients primarily in Germany and the US. Drop me a line if you need someone who is a quick study, will grok your business and the big picture. Raw developer firepower included.
Sample references:
- multi-year backend dev & enterprise integration for an insuretech startup backed by Munich Re (Node.JS, Typescipt, Mongo, AWS, k8s)
- leads management platform for a contractor in TX (PHP, Laravel, HTML+CSS)
- web app for distribution of insurance documents from the agent to the customer (.NET Core, HTML+CSS)
- pan-European rollout of an eCommerce system for a cable company in EU (product management)
- Scrum Master for a Prague startup in the taxi app (kinda like Uber but with real taxis)
- my own failed SaaS startup in the requirements analysis space (something like Trello)
Industry exposure: finance, telecoms, insurance. Most of my engagements recently are centered around helping Fortune 500-sized companies navigate the new digital landscape.
Availability: prefer flat-price projects with fixed scope. You can be located anywhere but some timezone overlap is desirable.
Working mode: remote, happy to meet for the initial kick-off and planning when travel is possible again.
Personal website with links to Github etc.: https://tomaskohl.com
Jack of all trades, from desktop to web.
Hands-on product and project management experience give me an edge in getting the big picture fast. I will grok your idea quickly and be your reliable partner from inception to deployment and beyond.
Favorite stack: .NET. I bring WPF apps to the modern age (.NET Core 3, .Net 5 soon-ish).
On the web - Node.js (Typescript rules!), PHP (Laravel is pretty awesome). Often MongoDB but prefer SQL wherever possible.
Industry exposure: finance, telecoms, insurance. Most of my engagements recently are centered around helping Fortune 500-sized companies navigate the new digital landscape.
Availability: prefer flat-price projects with fixed scope. You can be located anywhere but some timezone overlap is desirable.
Working mode: remote, happy to meet for the initial kick-off and planning when travel is possible again.
My partner is an inspirational designer and a wonderful human being. If you need code AND design, you'll get a 2-in-1 deal.
Personal website with links to Github etc.: https://tomaskohl.com
Jack of all trades - full stack but happiest at the back-end. Hands-on product and project management experience give me an edge in getting the big picture fast. I will grok your idea quickly and be your reliable partner from inception to deployment and beyond.
Favorite stack: .NET, then Node.js (Typescript rules!), PHP (Laravel is pretty awesome). Often MongoDB but prefer SQL wherever possible.
Industry exposure: finance, telecoms, insurance. Most of my engagements recently are centered around helping Fortune 500-sized companies navigate the new digital landscape.
Availability: prefer flat-price projects with fixed scope. You can be located anywhere but some timezone overlap is desirable.
Working mode: remote, happy to meet for the initial kick-off and planning when that is possible again.
My partner is an inspirational designer and a wonderful human being. If you need code AND design, you'll get a 2-in-1 deal.
Personal website with links to Github etc.: https://tomaskohl.com
Eleventy is great for me because it's written in Javascript and I use Javascript every day for work. Very fast and capable. Can't say how it compares to other static site generators because it's the first one I've used.
My setup includes nginx and Letsencrypt, and that's pretty much it. The Ghost blog uses a SQLite database.
I wouldn't blog on any third-party service since they could kick me out anytime for any reason. My website is my digital garden. I don't monetize it, don't run ads there, don't sell anything. No reason to run it anywhere but on my own server.
Jack of all trades - full stack but happiest at the back-end. Hands-on product and project management experience give me an edge in getting the big picture fast. I will grok your idea quickly and be your reliable partner from inception to deployment and beyond.
Favorite stack: .NET, then Node.js (Typescript rules!), PHP (Laravel is pretty awesome). Often MongoDB but prefer SQL wherever possible.
Industry exposure: finance, telecoms, insurance. Most of my engagements recently are centered around helping Fortune 500-sized companies navigate the new digital landscape.
Availability: prefer flat-price projects with fixed scope. You can be located anywhere but some timezone overlap is desirable.
Working mode: remote, happy to meet for the initial kick-off and planning when that is possible again.
My partner is an inspirational designer and a wonderful human being. If you need code AND design, you'll get a 2-in-1 deal.
Personal website with links to Github etc.: https://tomaskohl.com
I recently build a Ryzen 3950X PC in Fractal Define 7. The case is huge and mostly empty space. No problem though - the case sits below my 2-meter wide standing desk, so it's not competing with anything.
I've got a Blu-ray burner, some PCI-e sound cards that I swap from time to time, and a large potential for future upgrades / add-ins.
That said, it is spectacular what amount of power you can fit in these small boxes these days - if you need to.
Jack of all trades - full stack but happiest at the back-end. Hands-on product and project management experience give me an edge in getting the big picture fast. I will grok your idea quickly and be your reliable partner from inception to deployment and beyond.
Favorite stack: .NET, then Node.js (Typescript rules!), PHP (Laravel is pretty awesome). Often MongoDB but prefer SQL wherever possible.
Industry exposure: finance, telecoms, insurance. Most of my engagements recently are centered around helping Fortune 500-sized companies navigate the new digital landscape.
Availability: prefer flat-price projects with fixed scope. You can be located anywhere but some timezone overlap is desirable.
Working mode: remote, happy to meet for the initial kick-off and planning.
My partner is an inspirational designer and a wonderful human being. If you need code AND design, you'll get a 2-in-1 deal.
Personal website with links to Github etc.: https://tomaskohl.com/about/
Remote: yes, only remote and only contract jobs
Willing to relocate: no but will travel to meet you once that's possible
Technologies: .NET, then Node.js (Typescript rules!), PHP (Laravel is pretty awesome). Often MongoDB but prefer SQL wherever possible.
Resume: https://tomaskohl.com/about/
Email: tomas@tomaskohl.com