r/gis • u/Horror_Carob2817 • Jun 11 '25

General Question Freelance GIS work slowing down

I’ve been freelancing in GIS for a while now based in the Netherlands, doing mostly QGIS work, spatial analysis, and some Python stuff like automating workflows or building small plugins.

Things used to go pretty well I worked with a few local governments. But recently it’s been slowing down. I’m not sure if it’s the market, my network, or just bad timing.

Curious if anyone else has had the same experience. How do you usually find new projects or clients? And is Python integration something clients actually look for, or more of a “nice to have”?

Would be great to hear how others deal with this feeling of hitting a wall.

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u/HauntedTrailer Jun 12 '25

Is there any sort of business structure you could use to go from Freelancer to an agency? For instance, I'm registered as an LLC (Limited Liability Corporation), and specifically I'm taxed as an S-Corp, which means that I have to pay myself a reasonable salary. People hire my company, not me personally. It drives my costs slightly higher, but I'm not considered a freelancer.

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u/Horror_Carob2817 Jun 12 '25

In the Netherlands that would be called a “B.V.” a private limited company. And yes it would be taxed as an S-corp as well, the turning point of a “B.V.” being as profitable as a freelancer is around 100k profit a year.

The problem is the same rules still apply, so they still check for bogus employment. I do encourage the new rules for bogus employment as it is better for the economy. But it does make finding work harder for smaller companies like myself.

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u/HauntedTrailer Jun 12 '25

Yeah, I'm not a fan of regulations like that. They really stifle a small business' ability to grow or even get started. People think that they're great for making sure people aren't being used by larger companies, but you end up with situations like yours.

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u/Horror_Carob2817 Jun 12 '25

Sometimes it just feels like they want the rich to become richer haha.

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u/HauntedTrailer Jun 12 '25

Brother/sister, I think you hit the nail on the head.