> So, you're saying that 'good developer' = 'crap at business' ? > I guess that depends on how one measures success (or 'crap') in business. My son told me that in a recent visit to see my parents in SoCal my father had told him he thinks he knows how much I make in a year (I never tell him about my income level, etc.). He guessed somewhere in the $400k/year before taxes range based on some assumptions he conjured up. I do not share my business info with my son either, but he knows neither my income nor revenues are anywhere near $400k/year <g>. When my father asked my son how close he was in his guess, my son said (as far as I recall this is accurate), "I don't know what he earns. I do know he is not stressed about having to chase the next dollar or compromise his values or ehtics. His clients love working with him, and he loves working with his clients. Nobody can give him shit, mess with his head, or control his choices in life. As far as I see it, he is free to do what he wants, and he is happy doing it." Good Boy, Joe! Well said!
Reportedly my father had nothing to say in stunned response, but my son did pretty well sum it up. I am probably amongst the worst person to choose to run a business. Just ask my CPA! I keep good records in the way of receipts, letters, cancelled checks, etc., but use QuickBooks horribly (mostly to cut POs, produce invoices, receipt income, track bank account info, manage what little inventory I have and other little things like that. But I mix personal funds, whether from my business or personal from my or Lynda, into the mix of what items get paid from what source. And, ashamedly, I do not enter all of my "not for resale" purchases into QB. At the end of a tax year I end up producing a little spreadsheet that shows by month various categories of expense. Those figures never match what QB shows. Yet somehow or another I manage to survive my tax filings without getting audited, even with the past 18 months having a seriously impaired ability to do the kind of physical work I used to do for additional fees. So I guess the point is that in at least my case: 'decent/lucky developer' = 'possibly crap at business' = 'happy with relatively pressure-free lifestyle' Gil > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Brian Abbott > Sent: Monday, July 21, 2008 12:24 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: [NF] Yearly maintenance fees/support versus maintenance > billingbythe hour > > > Dave Crozier wrote: > > Brian, > > I'm afraid Michael is of the same "ilk" as most good developers > (I include > > you as well!) in that they will drop most things to help out a client in > > distress regardless of the personal disruption it causes to > them personally. > > It's part of the baggage of being a good developer I'm afraid. > > > > So, in summary, your solution about Saturday is easy to say in > practice, but > > difficult to implement if the call for help ever arises. > > > > So, you're saying that 'good developer' = 'crap at business' ? > > <gd&r> > > More seriously, the end customer probably assumes you behave like they > do (ie commercially tough-minded). So, in a negotiation like this it's > a useful point to make. > > -- > Cheers > > ============ > Brian Abbott > ============ > > [excessive quoting removed by server] _______________________________________________ Post Messages to: [email protected] Subscription Maintenance: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox OT-free version of this list: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech Searchable Archive: http://leafe.com/archives/search/profox This message: http://leafe.com/archives/byMID/profox/[EMAIL PROTECTED] ** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.
