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Stop complaining. Figuring out how to artfully discuss price is why you're qualified to run an agency (including the world's smallest agency) in the first plac

by CPLX 10y ago

Stop complaining. Figuring out how to artfully discuss price is why you're qualified to run an agency (including the world's smallest agency) in the first place. If you can't do it without getting annoyed at the client go work hourly or for a salary. That's an option too. I'm always amused by people who think running a service based business would be easy, if it wasn't for all the damm paperwork, dealing with taxes, employees/partners who flake out or need babysitting, clients who are hard to please, and collections issues. It's not that I don't feel their pain. But that's what running a business means. His main insight here is insisting on a paid estimate. Sure, that's an option if your reputation is strong enough to be able to stay busy in spite of it, but it's hardly a novel idea. Ask any auto diagnostics mechanic. Who, by the way, will still be able to give you some kind of best/worst case scenario and ballpark range verbally. It's not actually that hard.

aeorgnoieang 10y ago
> Ask any auto diagnostics mechanic. Who, by the way, will still be able to give you some kind of best/worst case scenario and ballpark range verbally. It's not actually that hard. One of the author's points, and one with which I agree, is that it's significantly harder to estimate software projects than, e.g. repairing an automobile.
TaylorGood 10y ago
Your third line of "I'm always amused.." has me questioning whether I truly want to relaunch my side consulting just because design is a skill set. Where I'd land instead is incubating CPG/D2C ideas. Although, that basically replaces "clients hard to please" with "consumers who don't always know what they want" -- isn't that why we do any of this? Business is a sport that requires higher risk capacity than most who just exist and we have obvious rewards of doing so. That said, are there entrepreneurial fields you know of which mitigate the cycle described above resulting in less headache?

by CPLX 10y ago

aeorgnoieang 10y ago

> Ask any auto diagnostics mechanic. Who, by the way, will still be able to give you some kind of best/worst case scenario and ballpark range verbally. It's not actually that hard. One of the author's points, and one with which I agree, is that it's significantly harder to estimate software projects than, e.g. repairing an automobile.

TaylorGood 10y ago

Your third line of "I'm always amused.." has me questioning whether I truly want to relaunch my side consulting just because design is a skill set. Where I'd land instead is incubating CPG/D2C ideas. Although, that basically replaces "clients hard to please" with "consumers who don't always know what they want" -- isn't that why we do any of this? Business is a sport that requires higher risk capacity than most who just exist and we have obvious rewards of doing so. That said, are there entrepreneurial fields you know of which mitigate the cycle described above resulting in less headache?