Yeah I already figured I'd need 4 more clients of the same size as by biggest one. My biggest client is 3-10 hrs/week during "non-server upgrade" months. It would take 4 more clients of that size for me to break even with %dayjob%, and I would need at least three of them lined up before I jumped. If I was single it would have been a no-brainer long ago...
Dave From: Michael B. Smith [mailto:mich...@smithcons.com] Sent: Monday, February 06, 2012 3:04 PM To: NT System Admin Issues Subject: RE: OT - ugh! I want it now. :) Three clients isn't enough. I have 5 HUGE clients and close to 80 minor (where major/minor is defined in terms of how much support they want from me) clients. Webster is a lot more willing to travel than I am. I prefer to work from my office at home (I've got a 13-y/o son that lives with me), and with video chat that works for most clients. Not all of them, though. So... I plan to travel 8-10 times a year; while Webster spends most of his time on the road. Regards, Michael B. Smith Consultant and Exchange MVP http://TheEssentialExchange.com From: Webster [mailto:webs...@carlwebster.com]<mailto:[mailto:webs...@carlwebster.com]> Sent: Monday, February 06, 2012 5:49 PM To: NT System Admin Issues Subject: Re: OT - ugh! I can only speak for me, and it has been feast since I went out on my own Feb 1st last year. So far this year, the feast is even better as there is very little agency work so I get 100% of the billables. :) Yes, I am complaining all the way to the bank. If it gets any better, MBS is going to want a referral fee or commission! Carl Webster Consultant and Citrix Technology Professional http://www.CarlWebster.com<http://www.carlwebster.com/> From: David Lum <david....@nwea.org<mailto:david....@nwea.org>> Reply-To: NT Issues <ntsysadmin@lyris.sunbelt-software.com<mailto:ntsysadmin@lyris.sunbelt-software.com>> Date: Mon, 6 Feb 2012 22:31:45 +0000 To: NT Issues <ntsysadmin@lyris.sunbelt-software.com<mailto:ntsysadmin@lyris.sunbelt-software.com>> Subject: RE: OT - ugh! That's part of my fear of dropping %dayjob% and going 100% on my own biz - feast or famine! With just three clients I have I'm always amazed at how often their feast/famine cycles coincide, and they even have different fiscal year cycles. I mean, in the span of two months I am doing an SBS 2003 - SBS2011 swing for two of them. One of these clients I can go months with nothing other than patching. From: Webster [mailto:webs...@carlwebster.com] Sent: Monday, February 06, 2012 9:31 AM To: NT System Admin Issues Subject: Re: OT - ugh! I find myself busier than a one-arm paper hanger in a wind storm. Don't know why it took me so long to convince MBS that I should go solo! LOL Now that my fellow CTPs know I can spell AD, I am finding myself doing a lot of AD assessments, assisting with AD migrations and putting in 2008 R2 AD infrastructures. I would say I am now 50% AD and 50% Citrix. I no longer do Exchange and refer all that to MBS. I can't believe how much Citrix work I turn down because I just don't have the time. Right now I am tentatively booked thru the end of July and already starting to worry because no one is calling about August or September yet! :) Carl Webster Consultant and Citrix Technology Professional http://www.CarlWebster.com<http://www.carlwebster.com/> From: James Rankin <kz2...@googlemail.com<mailto:kz2...@googlemail.com>> Reply-To: NT Issues <ntsysadmin@lyris.sunbelt-software.com<mailto:ntsysadmin@lyris.sunbelt-software.com>> Date: Mon, 6 Feb 2012 16:53:32 +0000 To: NT Issues <ntsysadmin@lyris.sunbelt-software.com<mailto:ntsysadmin@lyris.sunbelt-software.com>> Subject: Re: OT - ugh! I ran as a contractor through a managed services company for about six years before taking the plunge myself. Whereas now I find myself counting the amount of extra tax I spent the last six years paying in disgust. It may have been the aforementioned man-in-Alaska mentioning how he could work for 48 hours a day once he'd struck out on his own that possibly contributed to convincing me to do the same. On 6 February 2012 15:47, Michael B. Smith <mich...@smithcons.com<mailto:mich...@smithcons.com>> wrote: I put off starting my own business for YEARS because I was afraid of what I already knew. :-) Whereas, in retrospect, I wish I'd done it much earlier. I can think of someone else on this mailing list (who is in Alaska this week) who waited even longer than I did. :-) Regards, Michael B. Smith Consultant and Exchange MVP http://TheEssentialExchange.com ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ --- To manage subscriptions click here: http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ or send an email to listmana...@lyris.sunbeltsoftware.com<mailto:listmana...@lyris.sunbeltsoftware.com> with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ --- To manage subscriptions click here: http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ or send an email to listmana...@lyris.sunbeltsoftware.com<mailto:listmana...@lyris.sunbeltsoftware.com> with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ --- To manage subscriptions click here: http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ or send an email to listmana...@lyris.sunbeltsoftware.com with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin
