datapimp

The economy seems to be picking up. I am getting hit left and right with offers to do web development, whether they're from people who just want to hire me on an hourly basis, people who want to retain me for X number of hours a month, or people who are looking for a technical co-founder.

I also have a few of my own ideas I'd like to develop ( but not a lot of money to pay for the things I lack, i.e. good domain names, graphic designers, iphone developers. )

On top of this, I have a decent client base already and am steadily pulling in about 100k a year.

How many other developers are in the same situation? What would be a good model for partnering up with other freelance developers in similar situations?

My thinking is if we combine income, combine clients, and combine man power, we can work a lot more efficiently, and with more security and stability. Having partners with redundant skill sets would also free each other up to go on extended vacations comfortably.

Also we could set aside a few hours a day to work on projects which we own, and which over time turn into a portfolio of money making assets.

Are there any existing collectives like this? Any good models to base this type of organization off of? I'm thinking if successful, we'd want to hire additional people but not necessarily make them equal partners off the bat.