 The Good, The Bad, The Bunny Slippers
Last month we started this series by introducing you to the consultants who would be providing their insight for these articles.
And for those of you who asked me about those bunny slippers, as you can see from this photo...yes, I do have real looking bunny slippers. And yes, they do make my dogs crazy!<grin>
In the first article, we posed our initial questions to the group. We first asked them to tell us about how they got into the business. Then we asked them to describe the types of work they do for their clients.
As you read, in most cases, a somewhat sudden realization that the job market wasn't cooperating with their plans for success caused the consultants to see if they could give it a go on their own. Over the years they realized that their development skills were a much desired commodity, so they set off to see if they could make a living by charging for the specialized skills they'd acquired. And in most cases, those skills involve customized development of web sites or custom software applications.
I've heard people ask that famous question..."If I can get a whole software suite for $500, why should I have to pay a consultant $1,000 to have it customized to work the way I want!?!?!"
True, in a perfect world it wouldn't be this way. But it is and I've personally seen companies spend many, many man-hours trying to get software to bend to their will. They read all the manuals, ask all the questions, fuss and fiddle with the software to get it to work in the customized way that they need to match their company's workflow. All the while, they're paying some employee to learn, fuss and fight with the program. But more importantly, while all this fussing and fighting is going on, their productivity isn't getting any better!
I was working with a client last year who asked me about CRM (Customer Relationship Management) programs. The slick, big programs on the market were too expensive for them. The smaller ones within their price range didn't do what they wanted. I told them that I could build them a customized web, database solution to meet all their objectives. But, of course, the price tag for the application was a few thousand dollars. They didn't want to take the chance. It's been 13 months now and they are just now getting one of those cheap CRM apps online for their company. During those 13 months, they hired and paid a researcher/developer to study this cheap program to attempt to customize it. They're still fighting with the program because it's still not quite what they wanted and not completely compatible with their other workflow applications. So a year has gone by without a CRM program, they spent about $20,000 paying their employees over that year to fuss with the program and they still don't have a dependable CRM app. Good thing they didn't take the chance on a $4,000 custom solution from a professional consultant!<smirk>
As you can see, although a consultant will probably take a chunk out of your budget, the fact that you are hiring a professional and specialist means that you don't have to waste time waiting for someone to learn how to do it...they're already experts so you'll be up and running the way you want...in much less time than if you tried to do it yourself.
This month, we asked our consultants to tell us about the hardest issue to deal with when it comes to working as a consultant. Then we'll hear about what the cool advantages are to working for yourself. It truely is a double-edged sword. If you want the good stuff, you have to learn to endure the tough stuff.
1. What do you hate (or like least) about being a consultant?
Answer...
I don't really hate anything about being a consultant, but my least favorite thing is that my salary fluctuates from month to month--sometimes dramatically--so I can never rely on a steady stream of income. The benefits of being a consultant, though, means I get to create my own hours, know the job will be done well, on time, and within budget. I take great pride providing my clients with quality work without BS--something they frequently encounter with "regular people" in "regular jobs". Regular jobs require too many sacrifices in time, happiness, creativity, and ingenuity. Thanks, I'll keep my consulting job.
Answer...
Feast and Famine. While I can't say there's been that much famine lately, there had been not too long ago. As a result I wind up taking on more work than I actually need to do and work way too many hours. There's always in the back of my mind that I must keep reserves built up for the famine. Even now when I can probably go 2 years without any income, I wind up working 60 to 80 hour weeks.
Answer...
I don't hate anything about being a consultant. The machinery of business takes up more of my time than I would like, but I recognize the importance of bookkeeping, regulatory compliance, and insurance matters, so I can't really complain.
Answer...
Being a consultant in a specialized area means you have to be extremely good at what you do. That means you need to keep on the cutting edge. With the speed of technology, it means there's always so much to learn and read and practice and do. It's been a long time since I had the luxury of reading a novel for the sheer enjoyment of reading, because I feel that I should constantly be learning more and more. Sometimes I wish I had a regular job, so I could relax and forget about the work at 5pm.
Answer...
One thing that's kind of tough about being a consultant is that I have to wear so many hats -- not only am I the lead software engineer, but I'm also the chief sales manager, project manager, bookkeeper, and collection agent! Never did I think as a computer geek that I'd have to negotiate with clients about the cost of projects, the scope of projects, land new business, and follow up on payments -- it's not like I can just focus on developing the software. I have to be more interested in the clients I'm serving than in the technology. I have to be more of a people person than I ever expected I'd have to be, which is of course somewhat contrary to my natural tendencies that got me into computers in the first place. Of course, a steady paycheck would be nice also, but very hard to come by in this business. It's not for the faint of heart. The upside of all this is it forces me to be a more well-rounded person. :-)
Answer...
That's easy: unreasonable clients who don't appreciate what I do. When you're a consultant in almost any industry, you often have clients that technically *could* do what you do. They might not do the job as well or as quickly, but among some people there's an assumption that anyone who owns Front Page can create a web page or anyone who owns Adobe Illustrator can draw. So certain clients will try and nickel and dime you because they think what you do is "easy" or they can "just do it themselves." And to them, I say, "go for it" and "go away."
One of the most popular editorials I've ever written said that the client may always be right, but sometimes the client needs to be right somewhere else ;-)
Answer...
For me the toughest part of being a consultant, and my own boss, is that there is no one to pass the "tough" customers and assignments to. I don't mean the ones that are tough to do, but rather the ones that are tough to deal with. We've all had interactions with customers that we would simply rather not deal with but when you are running your own business, especially a small one, you need every customer. The highly demanding ones and the ones that simply don't understand can make the life a real pain sometimes.
Answer...
The level of responsibility. Working at a "regular" job, I would have fixed working hours. After eight hours I would be free. I could have normal holidays, because customers would have to call somebody else in the office during my holiday. With my own business, it is quite different. Once, while sailing on a big ship, I spoke with the captain about this type of responsibility. He told me that, while he was on the ship he was "on duty" 24 hours a day. The same is true with consulting. Of course, not as vital as the captain of a ship. But still, customers can call me at any time to ask for assistance.
Answer...
The one thing I hate most about being a consultant is that, unless you have some backup source of income (which I don't), it's like walking a tightrope without a net. You either have enough work to pay the bills or a deep bank account or you're in big trouble. To complicate matters, consulting tends to be a "feast or famine" business. Your phone is either ringing constantly with prospective leads or you have no inquiries at all for extended periods of time. There’s very little in between.
These characteristics of the business make me very paranoid about accumulating enough money when business is good so I can ride out the times when it isn't. I feel forced to accept many more projects than I should when they’re available. I rarely turn anything down, even if it means I go for long stretches of time working 8 to 12 hours a day, seven days a week. For much of any given year I simply have no significant life outside of work.
Answer...
There are a few downsides to being a sole proprietor. Independence is a double edged sword.
The past week, I've been a bit run down. In my previous job, I could go in, take it easy, hide in my cubical; if it were really bad, I could even call in sick, although I did that maybe twice in two and a half years. Now I don't have anyone to call. Sure, I can just tell myself to take a day off, but I'm too driven for that.
In any of my previous jobs, if something became overwhelming, I could commiserate with my colleagues, and maybe rely on them to help out. Now it's me, baby, and I'd better figure it out myself. Sure, I can commiserate with my new colleagues via email, and I get lots of assistance through email and online forums, but the human contact that is so important to commiseration is missing.
Answer...
I hate the uncertainty--not knowing when and if my next job will come, and what it will be. I have learned a variety of things by taking jobs that weren't
*exactly* in line with my expertise, but it's really difficult to worry about paying the bills.
Answer...
For me this is really a two part answer.
Part I: They say a company is made up of three key components: The entrepreneur, the manager, and the technician. The entrepreneur is the visionary that sees where the future of the company is going, the manager is overseeing the tasks of where a company is now, and the technician is the person that executes the managers tasks. Even a company of one, such as a consultant, must have these three parts for success. I add one more to the list, the salesman. This is the one that helps fund everyone else. This is the hardest part for me, selling, lunches when I need to be working, cold calling, following up, and what seems like endless time without completing a task. Unfortunately, they are a necessity and must be done.
Part II: The hours sometime can get to you. I have put in 80+ hour / weeks since my start. No such thing as weekends, holidays, or vacations as you know it.
2. What do you love (or enjoy most) about being a consultant?
Susan Daffron...
The best thing about being your own boss is making your own decisions and being in charge of your own time. If I decide that it's cost effective to buy a color laser printer, rather than paying a commercial printer for a short-run print job, I can go out, research color printers, and just buy one. I don't have to go through seven levels of bureaucracy to get a purchase approved. And if my dog gets sick, I don't have to beg my boss for time off to take the dog to the vet. I just do it. My work always gets done and I meet deadlines, but I can manage my own time the way I want.
Bill Coan...
I love being a specialist in office automation. I love the fact that I get to work in my area of specialty nearly 100% of the time. And I love the fact that clients depend on me to solve their problems.
David Horowitz...
I love the freedom and sense of accomplishment possible through being a consultant. I have the freedom to mostly work on my own schedule, as long as I get my projects done on time. (This can work against you, when you end up working all day long and into the night and on weekends too!) I can take vacation when I decide. And since what I do is primarily driven by customer needs, I learn new technologies all the time. There's an opportunity to get more savvy about all aspects of business by being a consultant. But I'd say the best part is the flexibility.
Sue Jenkins...
One thing I LOVE about being a consultant is the hours. I often felt like a slave to my 9-5 job, like I never had enough time to relax and forget about work. As a consultant, I can manage my time and work when I want to, without interruption from co-workers or a boss or having to attend a meaningless meeting. Working directly with my clients, I know exactly what needs to be done and when it's due. I work a few hours during the day and a few more at night when my family goes to sleep. I rarely have to work 40+ hours a week to complete my workload, which means I spend more time with my family and friends.
Chris Hanscom...
Nothing beats a happy client and knowing that you solved their problem and its your name that gets the credit. Its almost a ego trip for me, as I do everything possible to make my clients happy at all costs. It's 11:40pm and I just got an email from a client that's says she is so happy with what I have done for her company she could cry, how good of a feeling is that.
Alex Dybenko...
The ability to do what I want when I prefer. Except for critical situations, I can choose to do what I want, when I want. I can choose whether I want to work or not, and I can choose what time I will do it. I am free to choose what time I will start work and when I can rest. I don't have to ask anyone to approve my decisions. With a "regular" job, my boss can ask me to do some work that I don’t like to do. Of course, I would do it, but I would not be happy about it.
Susan Ramlet...
Accomplishing what people pay me for; that is, to help them use technology, whether it is in the form of design, training or automation. There's nothing more satisfying than having someone say, "Wow; great!!!".
Rob Bovey...
The best thing about being a consultant is that I have almost complete freedom to do things the way I want to do them. All of my work is done over the Internet; I don't do any on-site work. And as long as I get the job done on time and I'm available for the occasional phone call, it doesn't make any difference to my clients when or how I do the work.
I’m a night owl, so my most productive hours are between 10:00 PM and 4:00 AM. It’s a rare day when I crawl out of bed before 10:00 AM. If it's a particularly nice day, I’ll say to heck with work, take the dogs to the park and enjoy the weather. I can always work when it's dark. I would never have gotten away with this kind of thing in any of the salaried jobs I held in the past, and I love it!
Jon Peltier...
I like being able to choose the projects I'm interested in, and to choose the people I want to work with. This includes choosing to take half a day off, for example, if one of the kids has an activity I'd like to watch or take part in. This includes choosing to take some time to learn new techniques and technologies I'm interested in.
Curt Christianson...
For me the best part is being able to put your name on something that was done well. When you complete a project, say writing an application, and you are all done with it, you can step back and feel proud. You literally "made something". This isn't something that just anyone can do. Making something from nothing leaves you with a real feeling of accomplishment. That's not something just any old job can give you.
Dian Chapman...
I'm sure there's some scientific study that explains how our brain (or whatever) controls our moods and productivity. Think about it, do you always feel like cleaning the house on Saturday? Do you always feel like doing the yard work on the weekend? If the weekend is your only time to get those extra jobs done, then that's when you have to do it...whether you feel like doing it or not.
Being in charge of my own destiny means that I have more freedom to do what I want to do when I want to do it. This also means that I can take advantage of what the ol' brain says when it tells me "I think you should be doing this now because you'd be really good at it at the moment!" If that means coding away for 18 hrs, I can go for it when I'm on a roll. If it means my brain is useless and I'd be much more productive cleaning the house, so be it. And if my brain tells me it's feeling extremely creative right now...then this is probably the best time to sit down and get all those writing projects done, versus dealing with support issues. Working with my brain, rather than fighting against it means I can get the best results doing whatever it is I'm doing.
Arvin Meyer...
There are many more things than one to love about doing the work I do. If limited to one, I'd have to say that I love it when I hear a client mention my name favorably because I saved or made him/her a ton of money. I love it when they feel that all the money that they paid me was worth it because they made it back many times over. For most of my work, I measure my success in terms of how quickly I can achieve a positive ROI [return on investment].
|
