Been offered a big contract - having doubts

At go for it, but charge sensibly, you might like to have others price this up for you, so you have a ballpark figure to pitch to them.

you are up to this task..



mr cat, management job just means eating different shit to that which you are used to.

 

I agree...I only took it because my company's offloading most of out server support to places like india etc...thought a slight change in career is good for me...

 

Unsure ? carry on, perhaps just have another head free to fall on just in case it goes pear shaped .

good luck

 

Well this is a weekends work at £30 an hour. Assuming I spend 9 hours per day on the saturday and sunday that is £540. I would then need to work out a contract with regard to who pays for the niggles.

The reality would probably be working a 25 hour weekend for £500 but its still £500.

I am going to download a 6 month trial of Win 2003 server to play with, I already have books on it. Then I guess I just need a Win XP Pro client.

I know I can do it, it would be just nicer if this was a brand new system I was designing rather than having to change a peer to peer network to a client server. On the plus side the switches and CAT 5 are already wired up.

 

Why not do an honest week ends work for an honest week ends
pay .Grab a grand and vanish .Happens all the time Modern
business principals. Noel W.

 

AT - I assume you got some kind of detail of what's required..?

single domain model?
20+ user accounts to create?
file, app server?
dns, dhcp etc?

get a copy of - http://www.virtualbox.org/
and you can install it on a pc and play until you hearts content...

 

Thanks never thought of trying it on a virtual machine which is odd since I have one setup already for playing about with.

I have no idea of the details yet, I have nothing as yet.

I don't even know what backup system they currently use, but I am assuming they have at least got some sort of RAID system setup as well as offsite.

However from what I have seen it seems like the 'server' e.g the where the files are all stored on the peer to peer network is just a standad desktop PC which one of the members of staff use, so there may even no backup system currently in place :eek.

It will be a single domain controller setup but I need to speak to this guy about licencing issues, I assume this already all been done but if I get some hand written product key with some copied CD I shall just walk away.

 

Amazingtrade.

Just do it it. It will be good experience and you are such a nervous bugger that you will check and triple check until it is ok.

If you make a good job, you will gain experience and get the money. The worst that can happen is that you make a complete and utter hash of it and if that is the case, just apologise and waive the bill.

We expect you to come back here telling us how successful you were.

Just bloody do it.

Regards

Mick

 

He's probably right.

Try top do some home work if you can, take your time. Be sensible with your charging, you might get another job then.

 

Mr AT.

I am a self employed consultant and have been so for the last five years.

One thing I quickly learnt was if you quote a cheap rate, customers will think you are crap. If you quote high you are presumed to be good.

£30ph is far to low for short term work. Double it and you will get taken seriously.

I have been interviewed in bloody expensive restaurants and the client paid the bill when I quoted my top rates. They also sent crates of wine to my address totally free of charge, just for the honour of being me letting them interview me. If you are expensive you get taken seriously and also £30ph is not going to make you rich is it.

So charge £60ph min and make sure you charge for incidentals such as mileage.

If you carry on charging £30ph, you will die skint.

Regards

Mick

 

There perhaps is something in what Mick says but I wouldn't take the p**s.

You know what is sensible rate.

Take no notice of any one else.

 

There's a lot in what he says. £30 an hour is too low if you want to make a success of your business. Charge top dollar and put the proceeds towards buying yourself a decent car.

 

I really do like dealing with the domestic side though as I get to speak to a lot of very different people and very oddly enough if there is problems I find people are very understanding. With businesses I have to work a lot more strictly and I can't turn a blind eye to anything, this usualy results in me refusing ti work with them due to the £1000's worth of pirated software they are using.

I have not heared back from the company in question but I have just recieved an £80 cheque from them just for setting up two new laptops on their peer to peer network (a piece of cake).

I have fixed on old system I had in the shed with a Windows XP Pro COA and I also have just installed Win2003 trial on a virtual machinbe so I plan to do a lot of learning in the next week .

As for a new car, as much as I am bloody bored of my Corsa it is now running too well and too reliable to consider getting rid of it.

 

Bloody bored?

Why?

Yoiu've only had it a month or so!!!!

Just keep away from the blinking brake pipes and drive the thing!!!

In all seriousness, I think your motor is the last place to spend dosh (for now).

In fairness, when I was gardening my dad incorporated a depreciation factor in my capital assets when he did the accounts and maybe this is the line to go down?

Pricing was a source of dabate for me when I was self employed and I probably never charged enough.

I guess you have to base your charges on what is being charged around your area?

Your charges are par of the all important customer/contractor relationship so its worth getting right I think....and not worth hacking people off if you want them to come back. Then again yoiu have to charge enough (and they will respect that).

 

I've had it six months by the end of September I plan to get rid of it this time next year providing it lasts that long and I don't crash it.

 

Last time I got rid of a car because I was bored with it, I seriously regretted it (the subsequent car was a lemon). If it works and fills your needs, being bored with it is a bad reason to get rid when there should be higher priority things to spend money on (like getting your own place, expanding your business, etc).

 

Indeed, my heart does want a new car but the reality is despite its high miles (83k) it runs perfectly no miss fires, dosn't use any fluids but I also want to sell it while it still has some value. I don't want to end up with a banger again and in the next couple of years this will be just that.

 

83k isn't high. I sold my first car at 115k, and regretted it because it was more reliable than my next (which I bought at 75 and sold at 86).

What value? No matter what you do, it will depreciate less than any newer car you might possibly buy. There is no financial argument to make for chopping it in for a newer car while it remains reliable.

 

I purchased my car with 140k on it. 83 is not high millage, unless the car is 2 years old.

 

At, In this day and age of modern oils, engines etc 83K is no poblem at all.

You say it doesn't use oil or water and in the pics it loks rust free, so I don't see the problem?

It should serve you at least for the next year or two, after which you don't know what's going to happen.




Edit; I woild guess it has a value of about 400/600 pounds or there abouts? Not much more......

So it ain't going to devalue much more now.