It's time to officially announce a major change: I’m going back to my roots… I’m quitting freelance!
Of course, there are several definitions of the word "freelance." Here, I’m using the one popularized by platforms like Malt or LeHibou: a freelancer is an external resource, self-employed, working for one or more companies, without going through an IT services company (SSII — sorry, ESN now).
The main advantage of this model is that you often work on a time-and-materials basis. Well, “technical assistance,” according to the latest ESN lexicon. This means selling your time without necessarily relying on a formal specification, often integrating agile teams.
But there are drawbacks: you're still an external resource, you have to adapt to client schedules, juggle multiple contacts, follow their pace. And with the (too) rapid growth in the number of freelancers, competition has intensified, rates are dropping, and the time available for tech watch is shrinking drastically.
Outside large corporations, most opportunities now come from ESNs or companies with in-house IT departments. In short: I no longer thrive in this model.
Finding the right clients has become complicated. Finding projects that align with family life too (yes, I still take on too many projects at once!). In short, I’m no longer thriving… except with one company: .
Teknoo
I had already introduced Teknoo, its PHP components, but above all, Space, our automated deployment or PaaS solution. Initially, I wanted to clearly separate my freelance work from software publishing. Today, Teknoo is becoming fully operational commercially.
It took longer than expected, but Teknoo is truly launching… with a few new features!
Custom Development
What’s the difference with my freelance activity? As I said: I’m no longer a freelancer. Teknoo operates like an agency, using a fixed-price model: a specification, a quote, a commitment to deliverables. No more daily rates, no more rough estimates. The goal is to work with all types of companies, not just ESNs or software publishers.
A return to my first loves. Some may remember Uni Alteri or FrenchComp. Back then, fixed pricing was the norm in my previous ventures. But I kept some (sometimes painful) memories of endless presales, lengthy quotes, and constantly slipping deadlines. I admit, that’s partly what drove me to switch to time-and-materials.
Today, I’ve rethought this approach: a system based on work units, with three levels of quality. A unit reflects a project’s complexity. This method, I hope, is more understandable for newcomers and enables fast delivery of prototypes or MVPs (within a few weeks to a month), while allowing the construction of complex and resilient projects (over a longer time frame but with milestones every few weeks).
It’s also an opportunity to enrich Teknoo’s offering with additional services like hosting, and to integrate AI where it is relevant and useful.
Deployment as a Service
But Teknoo is also a software development studio, with real solutions already available.
Space, our PaaS launched at the end of 2024, had its version 1.1 released in March. An Enterprise version will arrive at the end of the year for on-premise use.
But Teknoo is launching Deployment as a Service, based on a managed version of Space Enterprise: Space will deploy on your infrastructure — on-site or with a hosting provider. Teknoo does not (yet) offer hosting.
🎯 You build, we deploy.
Pricing starts at €3/month (up to 5 projects, 3 environments), and goes up to €200/month for the unlimited plan. The two largest plans also include assistance with project configuration.
This offer targets web agencies, software publishers, and digital service providers.
An application maintenance option is also being finalized, with continuous updates for your projects and components.
The subscription site isn’t ready yet: for now, it’ll be handled the old-fashioned way, via a form. I like to keep the saying alive: “the cobbler’s children go barefoot.” I’m aiming for a European provider, so Stripe is out. Launch expected by the end of 2025.
What’s next?
The Teknoo website has been updated. The goal, as you’ve understood, is to address both end clients and internal IT teams. A hosting offer is also planned before the end of the year.
Another reason for my delay: the renovation of the new offices. It took time, but I took the opportunity to create my own private micro-datacenter. In fact, the Teknoo and Space websites already run on it. It will allow me to offer more services in the short and medium term.
What’s next?
Already in the pipeline:
- The public version of Space Enterprise.
- The next major release of States.
- And some experiments with LLMs and AI models, for local (non-cloud), responsible and relevant use cases.
I want to reassure my current clients: all commitments will be honored. I’ve already sorted out my ongoing missions and thank you again for your continued trust.