I know the market is slow and not a lot are hiring but I would still like to get my name out there so when it does pick up I know exactly who to send my resume/portfolio to. I know the resellers have a list of clients but they have their own businesses to run and probably don't want to give out a list of names to people. (Which I don't blame them)
Just trying to figure out how to get my info to the right people.
Djordje wrote:Come on Djordje... Dwight needs some competition... It looks like he is starting to relax...
Well ... I hoped that someone besides Dwight will overtake me, but I have babbled too much in the years past😉
Djordje wrote:Well... Here in Portugal we have plenty of bandwidth...
The only doubt I have is the speed of the Internet connection. In some parts of the world one is more, and one is less fortunate, speed and price wise. Somehow I don't think that TW2 in WAN will be possible outside of EU, US, Korea, Japan and maybe Singapore and Hong Kong. Don't know the situation on the high speed Internet in Oz. Middle East? Definitely not, with all the proxies in place and prohibitive connection costs.
I guess I'll finally start using the AC team work feature...
Wow! This topic sure hits home!
All my work is 100% telecommuted... Actually, I haven't worked outside my home for at least 12 years. Here's the best tips I can think of:
1. You need a FAST internet connection so you can up/download big files. If that's not possible, it's a handicap and you'll have to plan your scheduling carefully. By the way... My clients and I do all the design development correspondence by telephone and/or scanned images. We've never had to "see each other's screens". Heck.. One guy I've worked for many years this way (him in Hawaii, me in California!) has trouble turning a computer on. He's full-on old-school (but a genius designer). We work easy-pease.
2. Build yourself a tight, well organized website with a plan room (which can be password protected if you like). This way, your clients can download the finished products through their web browser - no fuss, no muss. That means you need serious hosting with an outfit running fast servers. My guys rock. $50.00 / mo. www.nextmill.net
3. You need to make some calls and see who you can rely on for good references and get those folks posted on your website with contact information.
4. You need to offer AMAZING service(s). More than just 'drafting'. For the customer to get real value, you need to be capable of a 'Project Architect' or 'Job Captain' level of skill and performance. You need to be able to work with any consultant - no matter their competency level - and be able to produce files they can use, as well as process whatever pearls (or dreck) they send back to you. I'm a one-stop shop for production. I can do design development, visualization, coordination with / between multiple consultants, government agency interface tasks, even client contact, sometimes. I'm not blowing my horn, but rather emphasizing that to be successful as a 'consultant', you need to be ready for almost anything.
5. It's helpful to begin this path with people you already know. Two of the guys I work for today (out of five-or-so regulars) are guys I worked with shortly after leaving Arch School. I worked in their offices as a 'kid'. If you've been laid-off from a job, but are otherwise on good terms with him/her, tell them you're available to work remote if some stuff comes in... perhaps at a lower hourly rate. Never, ever burn a bridge if you can possibly help it. Your livelihood may depend on it.
6. You will become fully self-employed (though you may be already if you get 1099'd in the US). That means you have to deal with ALL the tax and insurance baloney AND save the money for it yourself. As the great philosopher Bon Scott said, "It's harder than it looks". Can you handle that?
7. Unless you've worked with somebody a long time, and know them well (and vice-versa), you need to be on your best behavior and chipper every time you pick up the phone. No exceptions.
8. You need to have the discipline to get up and WORK. And work on the stuff that's a drag, too. It's very easy to lavish time on the 'fun' jobs while neglecting the 'meat-and-potatoes' ones. I'm telling you... It's not easy, sometimes! This is where a lot of folks fall down - no matter how earnest their original intentions. Being a self-starter is a must.
9. Tell prospective clients to send you a hard or PDF copy of the best set of plans their office has ever produced, that uses the current office standard. With this, you immediately figure out how you're going to make your sets follow this standard. I've got special folders with custom crafted GDL, template files, schedule formats, etc. for each client. You need to know all your software packages backwards and forwards to be able to conform to the client's precise needs. It's a good idea to see such a sample set before you quote the job.
10. As Erika noted, it's crucial to have a clear understanding with the client what work you'll be responsible for right at the start. Discuss on the phone, create a list, e-mail it and get confirmation. That will serve as at least a pro-forma 'contract' or 'agreement'. It will be bent and twisted as you go. Be ready to negotiate. Some folks are pain-in-the-rear customers, some are super-easy. You need to be flexible and ready to make at least some sacrifices.
11. Be prepared to take on some risk. You'll get deadbeats once in a while... even with people you've worked with for quite a while. I've got one guy that owes me about 10% on a job from last year. I'll never get it (because he's broke). I'm thankful for the 90% I got. This is going to get more common as the depression drags on, too.
12. You'll probably need to take on some projects of your own. With that said, if you feel confident doing that, then you probably could do the telecommuting gig.
13. You need a dedicated home office where you can have privacy, quiet and minimal outside distractions. If you have a family, they need to understand that when you're working, you're not to be trifled with minutia. Our family handled this fine (still married after 22 years, boys are all grown up and still like me).
14. You need professional grade hardware and software. That means investment in solid, powerful machines and pro-grade software. In this work environment, all problems are YOURS... not the boss's.
15. Don't hook up your drafting machine to the internet. Get a separate machine for that.
Sorry to go on so long... But just had to chime in. Hopefully this stuff will be useful to folks considering this path. Consider it carefully... You need to have the right personality to work this way successfully.
All my work is 100% telecommuted... Actually, I haven't worked outside my home for at least 12 years. Here's the best tips I can think of:
1. You need a FAST internet connection so you can up/download big files. If that's not possible, it's a handicap and you'll have to plan your scheduling carefully. By the way... My clients and I do all the design development correspondence by telephone and/or scanned images. We've never had to "see each other's screens". Heck.. One guy I've worked for many years this way (him in Hawaii, me in California!) has trouble turning a computer on. He's full-on old-school (but a genius designer). We work easy-pease.
2. Build yourself a tight, well organized website with a plan room (which can be password protected if you like). This way, your clients can download the finished products through their web browser - no fuss, no muss. That means you need serious hosting with an outfit running fast servers. My guys rock. $50.00 / mo. www.nextmill.net
3. You need to make some calls and see who you can rely on for good references and get those folks posted on your website with contact information.
4. You need to offer AMAZING service(s). More than just 'drafting'. For the customer to get real value, you need to be capable of a 'Project Architect' or 'Job Captain' level of skill and performance. You need to be able to work with any consultant - no matter their competency level - and be able to produce files they can use, as well as process whatever pearls (or dreck) they send back to you. I'm a one-stop shop for production. I can do design development, visualization, coordination with / between multiple consultants, government agency interface tasks, even client contact, sometimes. I'm not blowing my horn, but rather emphasizing that to be successful as a 'consultant', you need to be ready for almost anything.
5. It's helpful to begin this path with people you already know. Two of the guys I work for today (out of five-or-so regulars) are guys I worked with shortly after leaving Arch School. I worked in their offices as a 'kid'. If you've been laid-off from a job, but are otherwise on good terms with him/her, tell them you're available to work remote if some stuff comes in... perhaps at a lower hourly rate. Never, ever burn a bridge if you can possibly help it. Your livelihood may depend on it.
6. You will become fully self-employed (though you may be already if you get 1099'd in the US). That means you have to deal with ALL the tax and insurance baloney AND save the money for it yourself. As the great philosopher Bon Scott said, "It's harder than it looks". Can you handle that?
7. Unless you've worked with somebody a long time, and know them well (and vice-versa), you need to be on your best behavior and chipper every time you pick up the phone. No exceptions.
8. You need to have the discipline to get up and WORK. And work on the stuff that's a drag, too. It's very easy to lavish time on the 'fun' jobs while neglecting the 'meat-and-potatoes' ones. I'm telling you... It's not easy, sometimes! This is where a lot of folks fall down - no matter how earnest their original intentions. Being a self-starter is a must.
9. Tell prospective clients to send you a hard or PDF copy of the best set of plans their office has ever produced, that uses the current office standard. With this, you immediately figure out how you're going to make your sets follow this standard. I've got special folders with custom crafted GDL, template files, schedule formats, etc. for each client. You need to know all your software packages backwards and forwards to be able to conform to the client's precise needs. It's a good idea to see such a sample set before you quote the job.
10. As Erika noted, it's crucial to have a clear understanding with the client what work you'll be responsible for right at the start. Discuss on the phone, create a list, e-mail it and get confirmation. That will serve as at least a pro-forma 'contract' or 'agreement'. It will be bent and twisted as you go. Be ready to negotiate. Some folks are pain-in-the-rear customers, some are super-easy. You need to be flexible and ready to make at least some sacrifices.
11. Be prepared to take on some risk. You'll get deadbeats once in a while... even with people you've worked with for quite a while. I've got one guy that owes me about 10% on a job from last year. I'll never get it (because he's broke). I'm thankful for the 90% I got. This is going to get more common as the depression drags on, too.
12. You'll probably need to take on some projects of your own. With that said, if you feel confident doing that, then you probably could do the telecommuting gig.
13. You need a dedicated home office where you can have privacy, quiet and minimal outside distractions. If you have a family, they need to understand that when you're working, you're not to be trifled with minutia. Our family handled this fine (still married after 22 years, boys are all grown up and still like me).
14. You need professional grade hardware and software. That means investment in solid, powerful machines and pro-grade software. In this work environment, all problems are YOURS... not the boss's.
15. Don't hook up your drafting machine to the internet. Get a separate machine for that.
Sorry to go on so long... But just had to chime in. Hopefully this stuff will be useful to folks considering this path. Consider it carefully... You need to have the right personality to work this way successfully.
Still looking?
