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I consulted for 15+ years, now I hire consultant for my startup on the regular. I billed for figuring it out, I expect those I hire to bill for figuring it out
by edoceo 10y ago
I consulted for 15+ years, now I hire consultant for my startup on the regular.
I billed for figuring it out, I expect those I hire to bill for figuring it out.
See, I hired you for a solution. This includes "unfuck"ing, figuring, learning and stuff. But, like everyone else is saying: the soft skill of communication is critical. A surprise bill of +5k is different than a "this might cost an extra $5k".
Also, perhaps unique but with 20+ years in tech many times when my the hired gun comes in with a sticking point I can point to both business case for trying a different path and a technical path forward too.
- cstejerean 10y agoThat's ok if you are fine with paying for it. To me the whole point of a hired gun is hiring someone that is profficient with the tools they are bringing to the table. And I bet outside of tech you would be really disappointed if your mechanic charged you for the time it took to figure out why their car lift wasn't working, or your contractor charged you for the time it took to troubleshoot their power tools, etc. So why is it so different when the tools involve software?
- aerovistae 10y agoNote that I'm not trouble-shooting my own tools: the client custom designed the pcb this microchip is soldered to.
- coupdejarnac 10y agoAre you using a dev kit to develop or using the client board? This is a pretty salient piece of information. If you don't have a dev kit, order one immediately. Microchip's kits are pretty cheap- make sure to get the in circuit debugger too if you don't already have one.