I have been self-employed since I was 12 (seriously), providing computer consulting services.
My oldest client, an ninety-one year old retired businessman, offered me the best advice I've ever received: "If you don't value yourself, no one else will." He also explained to me that money conveys value in this world. His point was that other people needed to realize that I was serious about my business, and that I was more than just some "kid" who liked computers. When he gave me this advice, I hadn't realized how hard it was for some people to believe that a teenager had a real, licensed business. Even now, I still sense some clients are skeptical. One miserably cold and rainy Saturday night, a customer called and wanted me to come immediately and resolve her printer problem. I sloshed through the rain to her house and corrected the glitch in just a few minutes. Since I charge by the hour, she decided to pay me for the exact fraction of the hour I was at her house, a whopping $7.50. I had been taken advantage of! Her perception of my worth was manifested in the mere $7.50 she paid me for the trouble I took to come out in the cold rain. Even worse, she lived in a three million dollar mansion. Swearing never to let that happen again, I instituted a new business policy: a minimum charge of one hour.
After I instituted a minimum charge policy, I had more business than ever before. Every time I have increased my rates over the years, I've received even more business. At least in my case, there is something to be said about following the market for price structures, as it showed my clients that I was serious about my business.
Even now at age 20 and having been in business for 8 years, some new clients are skeptical. But then they think: "if so and so recommended him, and a 20-year-old is able to charge $80 an hour just to fix computers, he must know what he is doing."
I was just recently looking for a 2-line cordless phone for my Vonage and landline phone service. What I found was that phone manufacturers claiming their phones are "computer" or "wireless network" friendly are selling 5.8ghz phones.
Interestingly, I found a Uniden 5.8ghz phone at Sam's earlier today that claimed that it was not only 802.11b and g friendly, but that it also would not interfere with 802.11a networks. I find that hard to believe.
I have found that our existing Panasonic KX-TG2730s 2.4ghz phone creates a lot of interference with other 2.4ghz devices. Annoyingly, the Panasonic phone base continues transmitting even when the phones are not in use. So my 2.4ghz Amphony wireless headphones won't work more than about 3 feet from their transmitter. The Panasonic phone generally doesn't interfere with my Bluetooth keyboard, mouse, Tungsten T3, or Logitech headset unless someone is talking on the handset in the same room as those devices. The Panasonic phone also dramatically reduces the speed and reliability of the 802.11g network in the house.
So what about a Wi-Fi phone, those are Wi-Fi friendly...
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Being a student currently taking MIT's 6.170: Lab in Software Engineering, I would point people to this page: http://www.mit.edu/~6.170/supplemental-info/docume ntation.html
And to http://web.mit.edu/6.170/ for the general class website.
My oldest client, an ninety-one year old retired businessman, offered me the best advice I've ever received: "If you don't value yourself, no one else will." He also explained to me that money conveys value in this world. His point was that other people needed to realize that I was serious about my business, and that I was more than just some "kid" who liked computers. When he gave me this advice, I hadn't realized how hard it was for some people to believe that a teenager had a real, licensed business. Even now, I still sense some clients are skeptical. One miserably cold and rainy Saturday night, a customer called and wanted me to come immediately and resolve her printer problem. I sloshed through the rain to her house and corrected the glitch in just a few minutes. Since I charge by the hour, she decided to pay me for the exact fraction of the hour I was at her house, a whopping $7.50. I had been taken advantage of! Her perception of my worth was manifested in the mere $7.50 she paid me for the trouble I took to come out in the cold rain. Even worse, she lived in a three million dollar mansion. Swearing never to let that happen again, I instituted a new business policy: a minimum charge of one hour.
After I instituted a minimum charge policy, I had more business than ever before. Every time I have increased my rates over the years, I've received even more business. At least in my case, there is something to be said about following the market for price structures, as it showed my clients that I was serious about my business.
Even now at age 20 and having been in business for 8 years, some new clients are skeptical. But then they think: "if so and so recommended him, and a 20-year-old is able to charge $80 an hour just to fix computers, he must know what he is doing."
I was just recently looking for a 2-line cordless phone for my Vonage and landline phone service. What I found was that phone manufacturers claiming their phones are "computer" or "wireless network" friendly are selling 5.8ghz phones.
Interestingly, I found a Uniden 5.8ghz phone at Sam's earlier today that claimed that it was not only 802.11b and g friendly, but that it also would not interfere with 802.11a networks. I find that hard to believe.
I have found that our existing Panasonic KX-TG2730s 2.4ghz phone creates a lot of interference with other 2.4ghz devices. Annoyingly, the Panasonic phone base continues transmitting even when the phones are not in use. So my 2.4ghz Amphony wireless headphones won't work more than about 3 feet from their transmitter. The Panasonic phone generally doesn't interfere with my Bluetooth keyboard, mouse, Tungsten T3, or Logitech headset unless someone is talking on the handset in the same room as those devices. The Panasonic phone also dramatically reduces the speed and reliability of the 802.11g network in the house.
So what about a Wi-Fi phone, those are Wi-Fi friendly...