“‘Really, sir,’ the arcanist said, appalled. ‘It is every man’s job to improve himself. A man without the benefits of education is hardly more than an animal.’”

— Patrick Rothfuss, The Wise Man's Fear

shilin typing...

things i learned about contracting

  1. Always sign a contract for any job
  2. Charge by project, not by hour
  3. Give a quote properly
  4. Charge 1/2 upfront
  5. Don’t start until the payment goes through or is wired and in transfer
  6. Do your work well. Go the extra mile.
  7. Underpromise but overdeliver
  8. Never complain to the people you work with unless you will be working with them for a long time
  9. If things don’t go as planned, learn lessons and apply them to the new contracts

Extra:

  1. If not a contract, have things in writing. Confirm the scope, the time, the budget, and the deposit, all in one message. Confirm that you start working when the deposit is wired. Have the client reply yes to your message.

do you work well

Your work is your reputation. People won’t remember you for great communication or the biggest smile, but they will remember you for the product of your efforts. You may have heard your friend or your client say about someone else, “He is a nightmare to deal with, but he's the best I’ve ever seen.” People will put up with you as long as you are great at what you do.

That being said, don’t be a jerk. Avoid conflict and drama at all costs. Be kind and patient. Listen carefully before you do anything, and don’t rush proposing solutions. You don't compete on who does the job the fastest. But you do compete on price and quality. Prioritize quality. Promise it and deliver no matter the actual cost.

Your work is also your portfolio. Your potential clients will see the results of your work. Word of mouth is your best marketing strategy. If clients don’t refer you to other clients, your quality is not high enough.

underpromise but overdeliver

Focus on the minimum work the customer needs. Ask for exactly what they want and quote just that; be specific. Don’t upsell because what you are upselling is never the client's priority, and any money you ask for it is always too much.

Do what the client wants first. Be quick and dirty — enough so your product does the job. Focus on details only if you have time left. But don’t neglect those details because that’s where you find an opportunity for quality and great results.

never complain

The person complaining is the person not working. Seek to do extra work as opposed to complaining about extra work. Requirements change and often — it’s not ideal but that’s real life — so embrace it and handle the changes professionally.

But don’t let your clients take advantage of you. That’s why you should charge upfront. Clients change their minds. They cancel work. They expand scope. So don’t let it be at your expense. Try to accommodate the changes. Get in the client’s shoes and see if you can have it done. Ask for more money if needed. Return money if the scope shrunk and you can afford it. And never hesitate to walk out if you can’t do what the client asks for. Don’t feel bad to keep the money already paid.

As far as the changes go, confirm everything in writing. Restate the original instructions, the proposed changes, your understanding of the reasons, the updated budget, and the new timeline. Ask the client to say yes.

more on charging upfront

There’s a lot of unpaid time in contracting. Meeting with the client. Formulating requirements. Negotiating the scope. Preparing the mockups / designs / contracts to sign. All this could be a missed opportunity with another prospect.

Imagine you are in the house renovation business. After two weeks of going back and forth with your client, you finally understand their needs. You shake hands and start working on a big project to rework the entire floor of one of their vacation houses in the area. Then three days later they find you on-site, sweaty and focused with a roller in your hand and paint splattered across your pants. They tell you they decided to upgrade another house instead, the one closer to the beach, because that area is rapidly gaining popularity. They want to rent out the place as soon as possible. The house is similar in size, but the hallways have arches and narrow spiral stairways and the rooms have uneven ceilings and other intricate details. It’s twice as much work, but the client insists on keeping the original budget and timeline because the floor is about the same size as in the first house, even smaller.

Charging upfront keeps your head cool because you can leave with no strings attached and not feel bad as if you are being tricked. Maybe you are, but that’s not your problem anymore. It also helps your client make up their mind before you start working. When real money is at stake, people behave with caution. They calculate risks. They assess and reassess. So charge upfront enough that the client won't change their mind. And prepare that they will.

things I didn’t mention

price

Charge whatever you think you are worth. There’s a market for every price. Don’t look at the average number unless you are only getting started. In that case, charge the average but add 20% more. The discomfort of the extra money will motivate you to finish the job and to do it well.

deadlines

They can be missed and they often are. Nobody dies from a missed deadline unless you are in a high-risk, high-responsibility industry. Apply your best judgment to how important the deadline is to the customer.

But always do your best to deliver on time. If you miss a deadline, learn from the mistake of your poor judgment and extend the delivery time of your next contract. Work done on time is the second most important metric after quality.

But quality comes first.

inspired by

P.S. I’m open for contracting software work. You can check my past projects here and email me at jobs@shilin.ca