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Part Two: Technical Self-Employment For All
MoNickels writes "I've posted
part two of the article series encouraging the unemployed to take up freelance technical support, including advice on knowing if this work is right for you, marketing yourself, learning on the job, handling and educating clients, managing the business, the temperament required, and the negative aspects of the work." See part one if you missed it.
deserve's got nothing to do with it...
The personality checklist fits the bill of both a technician and an entrepenuer very well.
I'd also say it is a pretty decent description of the typical slashdot reader, IMHO
You mean I can charge people for the work i do?!
Warning: This sig contains a small bug. ==> *
2. Never admit that you don't know something - act like you know everything that has to do with computing
2a. Never get caught in a lie. Admitting you don't know something might be a negative, but it's better than proving yourself to be deceitful.
I once knew somebody in that position. He went to a company and offered to work free. They took him up on the offer, and after 3 months, he said, 'hire me or I'm going,' so they hired him. Not the easiest way to break in, but it showed real initiative.
Damn, tech support sucks.
Tech support sucks because people don't want you touching their Porn Station 9000, aka company laptop. Thats sound like a good idea from a sanitary standpoint. Note to users: I will not sit on your lap to work on your computer. MOVE.
Employee: You guys gonna help me?
Nick Burns: Show me what you're doing..
Employee: Well, I'm trying to save it.. so I downloaded it..
Nick Burns: Uh-huh.
Employee:
Nick Burns: Yeah.
Employee:
Nick Burns: Uh-huh. Yeah. MOVE! God, do you run the Internet on this thing? It looks like it's got a 28.8, or something! [ techies laugh ]
Jingle: "'Cause he's Nick Burns, your Company Computer Guy!"
Fact is, however, insurance is a much better deal when you get it through an organization than if you get it as an individual. That's because health insurance is a numbers game. If they can sign up an entire company, it's a pretty safe bet that not everyone in that company is going to be hospitalized at once. If it's just you they're signing up -- who knows what your problem is?
So it isn't just a matter of whether you're employer is paying for it or if you're paying for it yourself. As an individual, you're typically going to pay a higher monthly rate and still get a higher deductible or fewer benefits. Coverage for your children or spouse is going to be still more.
So maybe the question shouldn't have been, "what do you do for insurance," but "how do you get good, quality, comprehensive healthcare in the United States as a self-employed person"?
Breakfast served all day!
-- I almost always solve my own computer problems on my own, or as the result of my own research.
Sure. Google is an amazing resource.
-- My friends, coworkers and family often turn to me for help with their computers and peripherals.
-- My own computer probably would work very well if I didn't keep installing alpha, beta, development and trial software on it all the time.
I love fdisk.
-- I can usually quickly find what I'm looking for on the Internet.
Oh god... no comment.
-- I read constantly, and just about everything.
Right now it's Slashdot.
-- I rarely have a problem explaining myself.
Well, you see, officer...
-- I am somewhat sociable, but I can work for long periods on my own, too.
Sociable? ME?? Hahahaha!
-- Although I hate the term "self-starter," that's what I am.
No, I'm not! Procrastination is the root of all goofing off.
-- I believe all computer peripherals and devices are hot-swappable unless someone else is around.
What, is this Schrodinger's Computer? Once, I closed my eyes and with no one else watching, I jammed an old PCI Voodoo card into the AGP slot with the machine still running. The damn thing worked until I opened my eyes and its wave function collapsed...
-- I only keep my AOL account so I can more easily get my email from any web browser anywhere.
What geek would pay money to AOL when it's cheaper to just sign up with a host that provides webmail?
-- I get a lot of spam, but I block or filter most of it, so it's not an issue for me anymore.
I don't give out my email address to everyone and their grandmother, so spam isn't a big problem to begin with.
-- Unix is like a lover to me: I don't understand it very well, and it makes me angry sometimes, but I am still in love with it.
This one is just too sad. Sure, unix has some kinky command names, but nothing like actually engaging in their real-life namesakes.
-- I have some computer books on the shelf, but I only use them as references, not as literature.
This should be just the opposite, I think. I bet a lot of computer geeks read computer literature, not just "manuals".
-- I see nothing wrong with strapping a wireless PDA with GPS to the dog so that we can log his roaming patterns through the neighborhood.
The gadgetry (and possibly the dog) would get stolen in my neighborhood!
So, do I qualify to be an entrepreneur?
bytesmythe
Hypocrisy is the resin that holds the plywood of society together.
-- Scott Meyer
If you are leaving an existing job, look at a COBRA plan to extend your existing insurance for 18 months. You will pay slightly more than the group rate, but it will guarantee you coverage. Do NOT let your coverage lapse!!!
The following is my personal experience and should not be taken as complete truth since I am still working through the process. Since my father-in-law is an accountant, I have been getting good advice to guide me through this process.
Until recently, I was able to keep insurance for my family through my wife's insurance. Since my wife no longer works we are looking for insurance for the four of us.
Surprise! my son's bout with pneumonia (sp?) more than 1 year ago has caused all sorts of problems with acquiring individual insurance. Not only will they not cover my 4 year old son, they want to increase the rates on the rest of us by 50%. This amounts to quite a sum of money.
We stopped the process of trying to get insurance online and contacted an agent. We still couldn't get reasonable insurance and no company wanted to cover my son. However, we have been informed that we cannot be refused insurance if we sign up as a group. This will also keep our rates lower than the quotes we had been getting.
How do you qualify as a group?
You need to have two people involved in your company. I formed a single member Limited Liability Company (LLC) in California about two years ago. I have since added my wife as a member of the LLC and we suddenly qualify as a group and can apply for group medical insurance. We are doing this now, so I don't have estimates on costs. However, I would like to mention some other steps I have taken because of this.
Normally, an LLC does not require you to be a W-2 employee of the LLC since the money passes through the LLC to you as an individual. This means that you don't have to file a corporate tax return or employer tax statements. I did not want the burden of managing all of the paperwork that comes with hiring employees and printing paychecks. Surprisingly, the payroll companies (ADP in this case) are very cheap and handle the paperwork for you. I will pay a total of $50/month for all of my payroll and tax reporting requirements.
Why would I spend $50/month on this?
When you have employees, you can set up an employee medical reimbursement plan on a pre-tax basis. Without an employee medical reimbursement plans, you can only deduct medical expenses in excess of 7% of your income (I think this number is changing). With a medical reimbursement plan, you can deduct 100% of your employees medical expenses (vision, dental, prescriptions, copays). However, you need to have employees for this. Since my wife is already doing the books and my billing, I hired her and gave her a salary (less than my salary of course).
What does all of this mean?
It means that you should consult an accountant. There are a number of ways to reduce your tax burden and get better insurance. Some of the things that seem expensive and a pain in the ass might not be. Learning the ins and outs of business practice can be time consuming and may not seem that important when deadlines loom. This is why you pay an accountant and follow their advice. If you are earning $100k/year and wasting $10k on insurance,taxes or other business expenses, you can afford to take some time to fix your expense structure or pay someone to fix it for you.
Good Luck,
--Keith
The client I mentioned earlier who is very sweet but not very bright was one of those clients who refused to learn, and a client I had to let go. She's very young, too, in her early twenties. I believe she was perfectly capable of learning what she needed to know, with a little bit of effort, but she constantly called on the same issues. And I constantly had to recite the same solutions over and over. She refused to be educated (see below for more about client- and self-education). She's one of those people who are used to relying too much on others, and are happy with being told there are no stupid questions.
;)
Hmm. Sweet young lady calling every day about the same stupid issues. hmmmm. I'd like to venture a guess here that maybe she's turned on by your intellect and wanted to screw you eight ways from tuesday. Now that, my friend, is the kind of client you pass on to another reasonably intelligent tech, unless you're willing to take it yourself.
Reinvent the wheel only at either a lower cost, greater effectiveness, or your own personal enrichment and satisfaction.
Snag a local non-profit & help them, get them going with all the latest :))
slickest stuff from novell and what opensource has to offer as a show of what you can do.
http://www.giftsinkind.org/ has a great Novell product donation policy, &
http://www.techsoup.org/ has some other good stuff too (i want that 24port
cisco switch, can i be a nonprofit too?
Also check out www.computerclub.org/nonprofit.htm, that has some good links
on it also, & had good luck with members of www.cristina.org too like reboot
from Atlanta.
Plunk a couple of these very satisfied not-for-profit companies up as testimonials to your work & you may very well be off & running with your own consulting biz. Just dont forget about the nonprofits once you actually have paying clients.