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I Charged $18k for a Static HTML Page

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Re: I Charged $18k for a Static HTML Page

#331

Post by TecoAndJix »

misiti3780 wrote: post #300
TecoAndJix wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I worked for another large defense contractor auditing government IT systems. To do this, you needed a clearance and auditing certification designed by the gov. Well, they would just go ahead and hire people WHILE the clearance process went through (which can take months) and only schedule certain technology certification classes every few months. There were people sitting at home for 4-6 months getting paid in full…

i have a clearance for my job also, worked in a SCIFF all day ...

I left government work a while back for the private sector. The nice thing about SCIF work is the privacy and autonomy :)

Re: I Charged $18k for a Static HTML Page

#332

Post by ppiuser »

w23j wrote: post #127
umeshunni wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You have to spend X anyway, because the money is pre-tax or non-taxable, you can spend 1.5X-2X, so the extra money is 'free'.

I'm with peteradio, I also never understand this line of reasoning. Let's say the company has earned 1,000$ and the tax rate is 50%. Your expenses X are 100$. So 1,000$ - 100$ = 900$. Of which 50% (450$) are tax and 50% (450$) are profit. Now double X to 200$: Then 1,000$ - 200$ = 800$. Of which 50% (400$) are tax and 50% (400$) are profit. That means your profit is 50$ lower (400$ instead of 450$) then if you hadn't…

What matters in your example is where that extra money is spent, you might try to invest it in the company by purchasing new machinery rather than just wasting it on a new luxury company car (or an overseas 'business meeting'). That way if you are making a 10% return on your company/investment each year it continues to grow.

Re: I Charged $18k for a Static HTML Page

#333

Post by sundvor »

biztos wrote: post #269
crispyambulance wrote: post #178

My parents had been running their own tailor shop in the 80's, barely making ends meet, pulling in less than $20K a year. It wasn't for lack of business, father was a master tailor trained in Italy and capable of elite bespoke craftsmanship. They had as much business as they could handle. The problem was that they were charging what they thought the work was worth rather than what their customers were willing to pay.…

I'm not sure this is totally applicable to say a tailor shop, but I do wish more craftspeople would try charging more money for quality work. For example say I want some shelves built. If my shelf-builder charges $X that's fine, but what if I would happily pay $2X? On the one hand, I might be personally miffed to know I'm paying 2X instead of the X someone else is paying. On the other hand, I'd probably be the more s…

There must also be the satisfaction derived from keeping a quality craftsperson in business, in face of the cheap-shot mass manufacture that seems to happen everywhere.

Re: I Charged $18k for a Static HTML Page

#334

Post by chii »

osrec wrote: post #324
mprev wrote: post #318

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ugh, but who wants to do nothing all day? You get one life; why waste your days?

I agree with you, but a lot of people are happy to take the money for doing nothing. Sometimes this is driven by lack of capability - if you're not good at much, not very driven but still want a great income and lifestyle, this sorta hits the sweet spot. Also a lot of these people lie to themselves about their own importance, in order to have a (false) sense of self worth (but they're okay with it).

I'd assume you'd just double dip your time and work on something personal while doing nothing at work...

Re: I Charged $18k for a Static HTML Page

#335

Post by lazyasciiart »

lone_haxx0r wrote: post #203
lazyasciiart wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not how people choose which health insurance policy is offered by their employer, or which private company won the contract to deliver their electricity.

You're right, at least in the case of highly regulated markets and when the state creates artificial monopolies (e.g. electricity). I'll correct my original comment then: At least private companies that compete in a relatively free market are losing their own earned money when they're inefficient, not someone else's.

That claim assumes a free market with perfect information, which is more than even Adam Smith was willing to do.

Re: I Charged $18k for a Static HTML Page

#336

Post by blunte »

comradesmith wrote: post #305
JabavuAdams wrote: post #290

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are EY kids?

Earnest and Young placed contractors?

Yes, billed at $120/hr for a recent college grad programmer, with per-diems and weekend travel allowances to go back home (fly cross-country). I should note that this was pre dot-com bust... late 1990s, so $120/hr was pretty good then.

But the client company had more cash-flow than they could burn, so they didn't care. Unsurprisingly, they hit serious financial difficulties within a few years.

Re: I Charged $18k for a Static HTML Page

#339

Post by shawnz »

wallace_f wrote: post #278
aequitas wrote: post #231

A valuable lesson I learned at a young age from one of my first 'customers' when doing computer repair jobs for friends and neighbours was is that you don't get paid for what you can or do but for the value you add or time (money) you save someone. Most of the time the problems I had to solve where easy ones. Install printer, update software, remove toolbars, email settings, etc. All 5 minute work jobs, seldom totall…

That's lucky. When I sas 19, around the height of IE and 'every Windows box with malware,' I tried to start a similar business. Probably my most wealthy client, with an oversized SUV in the driveway, had a home computer rendered unusable by malware--something I had fixed before. But she ended up asking me to leave. She decided she wanted "real professionals" working on her computer. She told me I didn't know what I w…

Right, you should have charged her more. If you pick a rate that seems reasonable for the amount of work involved then she'll wonder why she couldn't just do it herself. You also need to price in all the learning and experience you needed up to that point, otherwise the client will think you're doing a cheap/half-assed job.

Re: I Charged $18k for a Static HTML Page

#340

Post by Wistar »

droithomme wrote: post #326
Wistar wrote: post #280

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The (probably apocryphal) Picasso napkin story: Picasso is sitting in a Paris cafe when a fan approaches the artist and asks that he make a quick sketch on a paper napkin. Picasso acquiesces, draws his dove and promptly hands it back to his admirer along with an ask for a rather large sum of money. The fan is flummoxed. “How can you ask for so much? It took you only a minute to draw this.” To which Picasso replies, "…

> “How can you ask for so much? It took you only a minute to draw this.” translation: I expected to pay $5 for this napkin drawing, and later sell it for $10,000. Then you asked me $1000 for the drawing. That means you just tried to steal $995 from me. Outrageous! You are a thief, Mr. Picasso!

When I first read the story many years ago, Picasso's ask was $10,000.
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