Tomorrow’s Loot Today!
Do your customers pay it forward?
I wasn’t going to do a tax post, but something unprecedented and rather special happened this week.
One of my newest clients asked if she could pay me a chunk of change now for work I’ll do next year.
After deliberating for several nanoseconds, I agreed.
I like this deal very [...]
Facing the Music
I had it, but lost it.
Early adopters are where it’s at.
While fairly hip to the groove, I got a very nasty shock on dipping my toe in the iTunes pool.
The following lesson may save you from losing your entire music collection.
It also teaches the value of taking extra special care of customers new to what [...]
200 Grams of Resume Thanks!
Must I weigh my words?
In The Agony of Price, we saw that charging for what we sell can be a tricky affair.
I’d now like to explore the conflict between discrete and continuous goods (or services).
Half a Kitten
Discrete goods come in whole units – like cars, kittens, football tickets and DVDs.
Continuous goods come in measured [...]
Cheque, Mate?
Are cheques dumb?
A cheque (check) arrived in my letterbox last week.
It triggered good and bad thoughts.
And you know what that means.
Yes! It’s time to play …
Fortunately Unfortunately!
Fortunately
I’d been waiting on this payment for over two months. I was happy to get the money in any form.
I may even have accepted flour, sugar or [...]
I Just Bought a Printer
Change = Opportunity.
I just bought a printer.
Usually, this fact would excite only if you needed a printer too.
What should excite everyone is how I bought it.
My method got me a 90%+ user-rated product for 66% of recommended retail price (RRP).
I believe you can replicate this pleasing outcome on other business equipment purchases.
Problem
My HP d145 [...]
Calling for Back-Up
Safe and sound.
FINALLY!
For years I’ve lived in fear of losing the Empire Über Komputer to fire, theft, lightning, coffee or head crash.
The loss of my data and documents would be commercially (and emotionally) cataclysmic.
Despite this, my back-up efforts have been patchy.
Until now.
Chequered Past
In the Pre-Feistian Period, I backed up treasured [...]
Is Time Money?
Here’s an old chestnut I hope we can crack:
Can you charge clients for travelling time?
I’ve had bags of trouble with this issue.
My hairdresser has an elegant answer. I’d like to see if you’ve a better one.
Fly Buys
When I started freelancing, I had a weekly two-day gig at a client’s site.
I figured driving to this was [...]
Coming to Terms
When I founded the Empire, payment terms gave me more grief than my quest for clients.
It was only my mentors’ patient advice that helped me resolve this angst and realise the world of business isn’t always fair.
In these present interesting times, however, one client has pierced my cocoon of tranquillity. Should I lower [...]
How to Get Upset
Pythagoras said, ‘In anger we should refrain both from speech and action’.
Someone else said, ‘Never send a message in anger’.
But they never had to struggle from sleep, stumble down the hall and switch their printer to fax mode – just to receive an unsolicited 10% OFF!!! toner cartridge offer.
Buddha said, ‘Holding on to anger [...]
The Black Art of Bookkeeping
It may surprise (and even reassure) you to know I don’t use MYOB. I have other software, having seized a one-year-free deal without knowing what it meant.
I now pay for updates each year that cost more than the original program. Worse, I chose a version to handle five staff, who all had to go when [...]
