I have to thank you guys for this thread. I've been doing consulting for about 15 years, for some small businesses and a couple years of full time work for one business in particular. I've recently stopped working full time for my "big" client (skills were stagnating because of too many other responsibilities there) and decided to grow my business. This thread has given me some good ideas. I wish I could get back all of the referrals I turned down over the years while working for that big client. Thanks!
From: Michael B. Smith [mailto:mich...@smithcons.com] Sent: Monday, February 06, 2012 11:01 PM To: NT System Admin Issues Subject: RE: OT - ugh! I hate to sound corny or mystical, but I'll write it anyway: if you believe, the Universe will provide. You just have to be willing to open the damn door when opportunity knocks. Regards, Michael B. Smith Consultant and Exchange MVP http://TheEssentialExchange.com From: David Lum [mailto:david....@nwea.org] Sent: Monday, February 06, 2012 10:45 PM To: NT System Admin Issues Subject: RE: OT - ugh! 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]<mailto:[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<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
