...and that's exactly what prompted me to do it. I would hang out on hardware sites, offering free help, fixing people's firmware, doing simple hardware design and writing short programs for the fun of it.
Then I realized I could do the same thing and get paid. It's just a matter of shifting the context. You've no doubt seen any number of sites where people post sample code to help someone, but disappear if it doesn't work, or there's a minor detail left off, etc.
The only change I made is that by paying me, I guarantee you it will work and I'll be around for future changes, extension, etc. A surprising number of people are willing to pay for the assurance over just getting free help.
Then I realized I could do the same thing and get paid. It's just a matter of shifting the context. You've no doubt seen any number of sites where people post sample code to help someone, but disappear if it doesn't work, or there's a minor detail left off, etc.
The only change I made is that by paying me, I guarantee you it will work and I'll be around for future changes, extension, etc. A surprising number of people are willing to pay for the assurance over just getting free help.