Oh, man, yes, everything what Bonny said!
I'm supposed to deliver you to the Master now. There's this whole deal where I get to be immortal. Are you cool with that?
Xander ,'Lessons'
Buffista Business Talk: I wanted simple, I wanted in-and-out, I wanted easy money.
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amych - Jun 04, 2011 9:48:48 am PDT #48 of 1416
Now let us crush something soft and watch it fountain blood. That is a girlish thing to want to do, yes?
Liese S. - Jun 04, 2011 9:48:52 am PDT #49 of 1416
"Faded like the lilac, he thought."
Yeah, I agree with that feedback. Looking at that chart I wouldn`t know how much it was going to cost me to hire you. I wouldn`t know if my project was an overall rate or by page (how big a page?) or hourly and how many hours that would take, etc. Simpler is definitely better, so I could take a guess at how long and decide if it`s worth that amount of money to me.
The only peril I can see there is managing client expectations. We run into this a lot with recording clients. They are reticent to pay for extra time for preproduction, and don`t understand that the time they`re tracking in the studio is often a fraction of what they`ll need to pay overall (they`re welcome to come sit in on the mixing but usually hate it; it`s unimaginably tedious work). So a big part of our job is educating our clients up front as to what they can expect from the process. They are typically inexperienced clients, which I imagine your clientele will be as well. You`ll need to be able to educate them on what to expect working with you.
Ginger - Jun 04, 2011 9:57:09 am PDT #50 of 1416
"It didn't taste good. It tasted soooo horrible. It tasted like....a vodka martini." - Matilda
One problem with such a list is that it's a rare client who knows the difference between proofing and editing, particularly when the correct description is usually rewriting.
Strix - Jun 04, 2011 10:05:18 am PDT #51 of 1416
A dress should be tight enough to show you're a woman but loose enough to flee from zombies. — Ginger
Ok, that makes total sense, and yep, I've been Reading Books on Business. Clearly, I need to edit: clarify and explain. KISS, right?
All right, that is the task for tomorrow.
Thanks, all!
beekaytee - Jun 04, 2011 10:08:37 am PDT #52 of 1416
Compassionately intolerant
Reading Books on Business
Oh lord. Save me from the adjacent websites!
It's like a frickin' disease! I can't seem to just know that I know what I need to know and not every theory is going to fit me.
For me, it's 2 parts fear and 3 parts procrastination, over 1 part curiosity.
Erk.
Strix - Jun 04, 2011 10:20:09 am PDT #53 of 1416
A dress should be tight enough to show you're a woman but loose enough to flee from zombies. — Ginger
Oh my god, I am obsessed, bonny. It's like a sickness; my first instinct when I don't know something is to research the hell out of it.
I think I have 25 books checked out on Wordpress, business taxes, marketing, freelancing...it's crazy.
I've skimmed several, tossed a couple, and am working my way slowly through a few.
And of course, the internet. I've finally come to the point where I'm not READING everything, and I'm starting drafting stuff.
amych - Jun 04, 2011 10:25:45 am PDT #54 of 1416
Now let us crush something soft and watch it fountain blood. That is a girlish thing to want to do, yes?
Erin, insent
Ginger - Jun 04, 2011 10:38:05 am PDT #55 of 1416
"It didn't taste good. It tasted soooo horrible. It tasted like....a vodka martini." - Matilda
Yeah, the process of reading everything in order to have the perfect website can take four or five years.
Strix - Jun 05, 2011 6:16:05 am PDT #56 of 1416
A dress should be tight enough to show you're a woman but loose enough to flee from zombies. — Ginger
Hey, guys. A couple of questions...
Ok, I re-worked the services and rates section. Take a gander, if you would, and let me know if what I have now id better, too much, just right. [link]
(Note: website is still in beta; if you have any feedback about other parts of the website, I welcome them, too.)
Is it still too complicated? I tried to make it simple, information and friendly.
Question the 2nd -- How do people deal with payment issues? My Paypal account is through my personal email and goes into our general checking account; do I need to set up a merchant account, with a button and everything, or do I just give out PayPal info to clients when we have a contract? I think I need to start a separate business account, and sync that account to my wordslinger email addy.
Also, I know some people don't use PayPal. I don't want to get into the complicated world of credit cards, and I certainly don't want to be dealing with e-transfers; I don't want to give my account number out.
I'm thinking PayPal, check or money order. And I am going to require 1/2 of the payment down before I start a project.
Does this jibe with standard practices? Advice, warnings, good ideas?
Thanks!
Ginger - Jun 05, 2011 6:22:44 am PDT #57 of 1416
"It didn't taste good. It tasted soooo horrible. It tasted like....a vodka martini." - Matilda
I'm mainly paid in checks, and I have a business account with my dba name. (That reminds me. I need to change banks for that account, because it used to be free and now there's a $10 monthly fee.)
Half up front and half on completion is pretty standard, although a lot of people take a third down, a third at some stated midpoint and a third at the end for bigger projects.