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  <row Id="1" PostId="27" Score="0" Text="In case it's not obvious, this question can easily be adapted to different states in the USA and also to different countries with very little changes, yet the answers are quite likely to be very different from the answers to this question." CreationDate="2013-05-21T22:29:11.970" UserId="47" />
  <row Id="2" PostId="17" Score="0" Text="Yes yes, lesson learned there. Contracting up has been new for me. I do have the deposit down and that's good. I'll just finish up the project with a bit of a loss if they won't budge. Thanks!" CreationDate="2013-05-21T23:58:55.883" UserId="11" />
  <row Id="3" PostId="5" Score="3" Text="I think you've highlighted a possible cause there. Very few freelancers - in my experience being one, and working with others - HAVE contracts with their clients. We should... but many don't." CreationDate="2013-05-22T00:31:33.727" UserId="37" />
  <row Id="5" PostId="41" Score="0" Text="+1. This is great advice! I am going to keep this one open for now to hopefully hear some more opinions." CreationDate="2013-05-22T01:07:13.563" UserId="59" />
  <row Id="7" PostId="27" Score="0" Text="Your question should really be reworded to read more like a solid, concrete question, showing research you've done into this. At current, it reads as an open-ended advice question with a plethora of answers (not to say it is or isn't, but it reads that way)" CreationDate="2013-05-22T01:15:16.843" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="8" PostId="23" Score="0" Text="And to elaborate: I get emails through LinkedIn just about every day for various contract positions. It is definitely an easy place to connect with recruiters." CreationDate="2013-05-22T01:15:19.930" UserId="59" />
  <row Id="9" PostId="19" Score="0" Text="This question is good, although very limited to certain regions of the world." CreationDate="2013-05-22T01:15:30.607" UserId="63" />
  <row Id="10" PostId="34" Score="0" Text="This is UK-specific?" CreationDate="2013-05-22T01:20:00.520" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="11" PostId="55" Score="0" Text="Great answer (+1)! I am going to keep this open for now to get some more responses." CreationDate="2013-05-22T01:40:53.920" UserId="59" />
  <row Id="12" PostId="27" Score="0" Text="Thanks for your feedback @Hiroto. Does this edit make it seem less open-ended and more concrete to you?" CreationDate="2013-05-22T01:42:11.520" UserId="47" />
  <row Id="13" PostId="57" Score="1" Text="It depends on several thing like level of experience , country , level of work( higher level work cost more )" CreationDate="2013-05-22T01:59:01.453" UserId="66" />
  <row Id="14" PostId="57" Score="0" Text="Hi AlmostFlan, I left a suggested edit which I hope will make the question more interesting for others to read and that also helps define your problem. If I missed anything, please feel free to make further edits. Hope this helps!" CreationDate="2013-05-22T02:12:07.063" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="15" PostId="61" Score="0" Text="Certainly nothing's signed yet.  I would never pull that :)" CreationDate="2013-05-22T02:20:39.307" UserId="67" />
  <row Id="16" PostId="60" Score="5" Text="Hi CopyrightX, would you be able to summarize the most important points from the lecture here in the body of your post? Listing that information here would ensure that this post is still helpful a year from now, once that professor has removed those lectures, breaking the link, and therefore leaving future visitors with no recourse. I also made an edit to help your post appear more concise and focused on the problem. Hope this helps! :)" CreationDate="2013-05-22T02:21:27.500" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="17" PostId="60" Score="0" Text="Your edit of my answer removes the specific answer to your question in your comment (which is why I haven't approved the edit for now): &quot;...time is precious for me at the moment so alas, that's all I can do for now to answer your question.&quot;" CreationDate="2013-05-22T02:25:13.830" UserId="47" />
  <row Id="18" PostId="60" Score="2" Text="I removed the last paragraph because I was hoping to take the focus off the fact that you haven't really answered the question, and I was hoping maybe you could summarize the slide with more details. Consider that, if we all posted a promise of more details later, this new site may not be all that useful. I don't think you need to write a thesis, but a summary of the main ideas and takeaways would make this a really great answer. Hope this helps." CreationDate="2013-05-22T02:28:55.900" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="19" PostId="65" Score="2" Text="+1 nice answer .... you are always better" CreationDate="2013-05-22T02:30:00.420" UserId="66" />
  <row Id="20" PostId="60" Score="1" Text="The reason it's impossible to summarize details like these are the same reasons that the [US Register of Copyrights Maria Pallante testified before Congress two months ago that](http://www.copyright.gov/regstat/2013/regstat03202013.html), &quot;...my point is, if one needs an army of lawyers to understand the basic precepts of the law, then it is time for a new law.&quot; I think your edit made my answer worse, and I think your edit and comments reflect a &quot;throw out the baby with the bathwater&quot; cliché. It's not a slide. It's about 90 minutes of lecture to watch and listen to. No, I can't summarize that." CreationDate="2013-05-22T02:34:10.127" UserId="47" />
  <row Id="21" PostId="66" Score="1" Text="I'm not sure where that quote comes from? I didn't write it..." CreationDate="2013-05-22T02:38:42.210" UserId="67" />
  <row Id="22" PostId="66" Score="0" Text="@MarkMayo its in context of  _I've got two offers on at present_ :)" CreationDate="2013-05-22T02:40:34.283" UserId="66" />
  <row Id="23" PostId="62" Score="2" Text="+1. It helps not only building client relations, but it also may help creating your own *team* of professionals which may eventually turn to become a company." CreationDate="2013-05-22T02:43:43.453" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="24" PostId="60" Score="2" Text="Feel free to revert the edit if you prefer. You can use this [edit] link and then look for the &quot;rollback&quot; link, which restores your original revision. Good luck!" CreationDate="2013-05-22T02:48:11.827" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="25" PostId="56" Score="1" Text="-1: To make the question more constructive, consider adding details on your business area, location, and research you have already done on this matter. What have you tried so far? Asked friends? Asked your employer for a side project? Looked on freelancer sites?" CreationDate="2013-05-22T02:49:47.453" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="26" PostId="32" Score="1" Text="Hi CopyrightX, I suggest focusing the question on just one aspect, perhaps focusing on what you would consider ideal since that may differ from scenario to scenario. Additionally, you could [edit] to define how this relates to freelancing and what you hope to gain from incorporating as a freelancer." CreationDate="2013-05-22T02:54:10.220" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="27" PostId="57" Score="0" Text="Thanks @jmort253, that's a good point.  I was trying to be concise, but maybe it was not interesting enough." CreationDate="2013-05-22T03:00:15.863" UserId="3" />
  <row Id="28" PostId="32" Score="0" Text="Dear @jmort253. Sorry, I had the impression that this site was not a redux of the old, now-closed **Freelance Workers: For freelance workers, contractors, and consultants** community. I thought that this community was a Q&amp;A site for _self-employed_ **and** freelance workers. If this comment seems sarcastic, then I apologize for that's not the intent: you're an old hand here on SE, I know, so I'll defer to your judgment, and my apology is sincere." CreationDate="2013-05-22T03:03:05.113" UserId="47" />
  <row Id="29" PostId="56" Score="0" Text="@bytebuster Good points.  I won't edit this one and just let it close if it gets voted down.  I'll be sure to be more specific in the future." CreationDate="2013-05-22T03:04:54.617" UserId="3" />
  <row Id="30" PostId="56" Score="1" Text="Low quality questions may harm your reputation if they harvests too many downvotes (as well as deleted ones). Especially while we all have initially low points. I suggest improving this one. Even if it gets closed before, it may be re-opened later." CreationDate="2013-05-22T03:09:49.540" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="32" PostId="56" Score="0" Text="The problem here is that I haven't done enough research and haven't started looking so it's hard to get more specific.  This question might be more useful/appropriate as a web search." CreationDate="2013-05-22T03:31:40.040" UserId="3" />
  <row Id="33" PostId="82" Score="1" Text="agreement which is helpful in point of legal view should be use .. in case verbal agreement makes no use here ..." CreationDate="2013-05-22T03:47:12.353" UserId="66" />
  <row Id="34" PostId="32" Score="0" Text="I guess I didn't think of that group of workers as being people who would incorporate, but there are apparently some benefits to doing so that I didn't think about. There's obviously some overlap here with OnStartups, but questions about incorporating as a freelancer/self-employed do appear to fit the scope. Thanks for clarifying." CreationDate="2013-05-22T03:54:27.707" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="35" PostId="19" Score="0" Text="@ashes999: Good point; there should probably be a Meta discussion about what areas of the world legal questions can/should cover." CreationDate="2013-05-22T03:57:02.060" UserId="34" />
  <row Id="36" PostId="82" Score="1" Text="I may be misinformed, but verbal agreements are considered legal and binding (at least in US)." CreationDate="2013-05-22T04:00:21.977" UserId="70" />
  <row Id="37" PostId="56" Score="0" Text="Fair enough. I hope a fair own research will help answering the question. Answers on own questions are encouraged here as well." CreationDate="2013-05-22T04:23:42.317" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="38" PostId="32" Score="1" Text="It's an excellent question, but IMHO asked at a wrong site. http://answers.onstartups.com/ seems to be a better place for it." CreationDate="2013-05-22T04:27:36.447" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="39" PostId="15" Score="0" Text="...provided that (1) you are working alone on your tasks; (2) each task has a fully-defined list of deliverables. For many developers, it almost inevitably leads to the lowest-level (and lowest-budget) clients, with no way to grow up to larger projects. Not that I argue, it may be fine for many of us. But your answer certainly requires some warning." CreationDate="2013-05-22T04:43:54.623" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="40" PostId="75" Score="0" Text="I'm struggling to see how this question could be answered definitively. It would seem to invite debate, though I'm also interested in seeing some of that debate, so I can't see fit to do anything other than make this comment at the moment." CreationDate="2013-05-22T04:52:48.980" UserId="47" />
  <row Id="41" PostId="58" Score="1" Text="I'm struggling to see how this question could be answered definitively. It would seem to invite debate, though I'm also interested in seeing some of that debate, so I can't see fit to do anything other than make this comment at the moment." CreationDate="2013-05-22T04:54:41.100" UserId="47" />
  <row Id="42" PostId="50" Score="0" Text="I'm struggling to see how this question could be answered definitively. It would seem to invite debate, though I'm also interested in seeing some of that debate, so I can't see fit to do anything other than make this comment at the moment." CreationDate="2013-05-22T05:10:17.730" UserId="47" />
  <row Id="43" PostId="13" Score="1" Text="I have found being honest with clients on deadlines is best things to do. But I'd say you should have communication process in such a way that if that were to happen the client would know of it before it happens. I have two meetings with clients weekly for status update and next steps. With more tech-savy clients I do daily standups." CreationDate="2013-05-22T05:15:28.727" UserId="82" />
  <row Id="44" PostId="38" Score="0" Text="I'm struggling to see how this question could be answered definitively. It would seem to invite debate, though I'm also interested in seeing some of that debate, so I can't see fit to do anything other than make this comment at the moment." CreationDate="2013-05-22T05:26:10.087" UserId="47" />
  <row Id="45" PostId="22" Score="1" Text="I'm struggling to see how this question could be answered definitively. It would seem to invite debate, though I'm also interested in seeing some of that debate, so I can't see fit to do anything other than make this comment at the moment." CreationDate="2013-05-22T05:28:02.860" UserId="47" />
  <row Id="46" PostId="40" Score="2" Text="Good thought process, but I also think this answer could be improved with a reference to something definitive (though I wouldn't know where to begin to look for it myself)." CreationDate="2013-05-22T05:31:21.753" UserId="47" />
  <row Id="47" PostId="35" Score="1" Text="I think the amount is more like $400 in RI, and there is an annual fee of some sort too, maybe somewhere between $250 and $400. So the answer to the question depends a great deal on location, I think." CreationDate="2013-05-22T05:35:21.257" UserId="47" />
  <row Id="48" PostId="19" Score="0" Text="Maybe just tag your question with a country and state tag? As @ashes999 mentioned, I think the definitive answer depends a great deal on location." CreationDate="2013-05-22T05:36:52.203" UserId="47" />
  <row Id="50" PostId="6" Score="1" Text="I'm struggling to see how this question could be answered definitively. It would seem to invite debate, though I'm also interested in seeing some of that debate, so I can't see fit to do anything other than make this comment at the moment." CreationDate="2013-05-22T05:44:35.007" UserId="47" />
  <row Id="51" PostId="96" Score="0" Text="I think this is a near-duplicate of another question, but not sure how to mark your question as such. And I'm struggling to see how this question could be answered definitively. It would seem to invite debate, and such questions are generally considered a poor fit for SE communities." CreationDate="2013-05-22T05:46:45.737" UserId="47" />
  <row Id="52" PostId="96" Score="0" Text="possible duplicate of [Finding the first client](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/56/finding-the-first-client). As well, this feels as though it is not constructive, in that it would invite debate and lists" CreationDate="2013-05-22T05:52:02.417" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="53" PostId="85" Score="0" Text="That's interesting!  As silly as it sounds, I like the idea of looking for problems and trying to solve them.  Sometimes I feel as though I have a solution and I'm looking for a problem..." CreationDate="2013-05-22T06:01:52.280" UserId="3" />
  <row Id="54" PostId="95" Score="0" Text="Good call.  I'll be sure to look over my terms." CreationDate="2013-05-22T06:02:49.190" UserId="3" />
  <row Id="55" PostId="63" Score="0" Text="I've prepared portfolios for applying to jobs in the past, but I suspect a portfolio for a prospective client will have to be a bit more polished." CreationDate="2013-05-22T06:04:48.760" UserId="3" />
  <row Id="56" PostId="101" Score="6" Text="Have you ever done freelancing work that wasn't on one of those sites?" CreationDate="2013-05-22T06:06:13.037" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="57" PostId="101" Score="2" Text="I have some experience in the industry but no freelancing experience." CreationDate="2013-05-22T06:09:12.340" UserId="80" />
  <row Id="58" PostId="59" Score="0" Text="Do you have any suggestions on websites that are friendly and effective for these types of ads?" CreationDate="2013-05-22T06:09:25.030" UserId="3" />
  <row Id="59" PostId="101" Score="0" Text="which freelancing site?" CreationDate="2013-05-22T06:11:04.593" UserId="86" />
  <row Id="60" PostId="101" Score="0" Text="Any freelancing site is ok.I have tried on almost all Freelancer,odesk,guru etc" CreationDate="2013-05-22T06:11:47.083" UserId="80" />
  <row Id="61" PostId="101" Score="3" Text="There are some alternate suggestions [here](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/56/finding-the-first-client)." CreationDate="2013-05-22T06:12:00.277" UserId="3" />
  <row Id="62" PostId="98" Score="0" Text="Well, but as a rule, you can't get a contract/job in Germany if you don't speak German (except special cases). So my question was specially if Danish is required." CreationDate="2013-05-22T06:20:19.937" UserId="78" />
  <row Id="63" PostId="96" Score="0" Text="Hi Sidharth, the way your question is worded currently invites open-ended discussion rather than answers backed by facts, references and specific expertise. I made a suggested edit that focuses on the question you put in the title. This should help make it more clear what you're looking for. Also, you should check out the duplicate Luke linked to. If it doesn't answer your question, I suggest editing further to clarify the differences. Good luck! :)" CreationDate="2013-05-22T06:23:00.560" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="64" PostId="103" Score="0" Text="Are you on fixed price or time-based? If time-based, what's the problem? :) If fixed cost, have you asked them to make such changes billable?" CreationDate="2013-05-22T06:40:45.197" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="65" PostId="103" Score="0" Text="its a fixed price. time is also fixed which is a huge problem in this case. I asked them to change the billable but they said it a very minor change so there is no need. But minor change also required changing the entire structure of the project which lead to lot of time wasting" CreationDate="2013-05-22T06:41:40.670" UserId="87" />
  <row Id="66" PostId="103" Score="1" Text="Formally, you are bound to what's stated in your contract. We don't know its terms, and also we can't know if the changes are **indeed** minor. What you can do is (1) split a change into free and billable parts like I suggested [here](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/a/64/61); (2) split your entire project into smaller deliverables, each of which would be fixed in scope, **be accepted by a client**, and any future changes (except bugfixing) would be billable separately." CreationDate="2013-05-22T06:49:08.177" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="67" PostId="32" Score="0" Text="@bytebuster - I'm not 100% sure it's off-topic anymore. Freelancers/self-employed share a lot in common with startups, and many freelancers consider themselves to be small businesses. We have an overlap here with OnStartups that we may want to discuss in meta to figure out how to address these. If we close every question just because it can also be asked on OnStartups, then we might unintentionally leave out a significant number of problems that could be well-served by *this* community.  Is there a way we could edit this to make it clear CopyrightX isn't talking about a &quot;Startup&quot;?" CreationDate="2013-05-22T06:53:30.057" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="68" PostId="32" Score="0" Text="@jmort253 I don't particularly disagree. Just IMHO, I'm concerned about the word of &quot;incorporate&quot;. I'm quite aware that &quot;incorporate&quot; may be understood as an independent contractor, e.g. &quot;John Smith the Private Entrepreneur&quot; company (which is the case for Ukraine), but I guess it does not apply for U.S." CreationDate="2013-05-22T07:01:08.410" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="69" PostId="32" Score="2" Text="@bytebuster and others - This is a great question that will help define the site scope. I started a meta discussion on this post here: http://meta.freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/18/how-do-we-deal-with-questions-that-might-be-on-topic-on-other-sites-like-onstart" CreationDate="2013-05-22T07:11:05.223" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="70" PostId="113" Score="1" Text="Are you on a fixed cost or time-based contract? If time-based, just spend your billable time for adding ratings. If fixed cost, then make a separate agreement on change request." CreationDate="2013-05-22T07:24:26.480" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="71" PostId="113" Score="0" Text="@bytebuster: This is a fixed cost project. I've edited the question." CreationDate="2013-05-22T07:32:22.270" UserId="88" />
  <row Id="72" PostId="106" Score="0" Text="So it seems then that having one contract a short walk from the mainline rail station and another some time after (but within the 2 year period) that was a tube ride away would differentiate them enough to break that continuous period." CreationDate="2013-05-22T08:06:06.910" UserId="43" />
  <row Id="73" PostId="106" Score="0" Text="To be honest, it is impossible to know how far apart is far enough - one stop, two stops.  And two different inspectors may have different opinions." CreationDate="2013-05-22T08:16:57.013" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="74" PostId="106" Score="1" Text="I suppose it's part of the overall approach you take to your self-employed, in-business-of-your-own-account status: consider the issue from the perspective of being self-employed and don't simply ignore it in the hope you won't get investigated." CreationDate="2013-05-22T08:31:38.447" UserId="43" />
  <row Id="76" PostId="121" Score="0" Text="Agreed. The tools I have mentioned are useful to back up your reputation and can potentially swing a client in your favour if they can verify the quality of your work." CreationDate="2013-05-22T08:46:34.970" UserId="43" />
  <row Id="77" PostId="120" Score="0" Text="+1 for &quot;you should be using all of them&quot;" CreationDate="2013-05-22T08:55:14.893" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="78" PostId="64" Score="7" Text="I disagree about bugs being your responsibility to fix. As you said, there will inevitably be bugs, and if you commit to fixing them for free there's no end to it. The client should test and approve the code, and any modifications to it later (including bug fixes) are billable work." CreationDate="2013-05-22T09:01:31.440" UserId="97" />
  <row Id="79" PostId="114" Score="3" Text="This is absolutely right, I will just add one observation - this happens very often when client thinks in terms of solutions instead of requirements. He might want the app to have certain feel - and instead of describing that &quot;feel&quot; as requirement, he is trying to describe the app GUI that has that feel. Talk to him, find out what is behind those changes and you might find out that it is only one requirement - and maybe you can solve it easily and stop that madness." CreationDate="2013-05-22T09:13:52.313" UserId="102" />
  <row Id="80" PostId="114" Score="0" Text="@Erchi, agreed.  Also not a bad idea in these cases to ask for sketches.  One case where it can legitimately happen is when the customer is thinking in terms of requirements and the programmer doesn't understand the requirements.  I have occasionally had to step in and sort things out regarding projects where other consultants were involved, so I won't always say it is the customer, but not so infrequently is." CreationDate="2013-05-22T09:32:12.883" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="81" PostId="114" Score="0" Text="you are right of course. From the simple question I assumed simple situation but that doesnt have to be the case here and it can be the other way around (for me client thinking in terms of solutions is 80% of cases, but that is the nature of my work, for big projects it might be even the other way around)." CreationDate="2013-05-22T09:39:30.353" UserId="102" />
  <row Id="82" PostId="119" Score="1" Text="First, I like this question and I vote up for it. To the crew: is this a question that fits the Q&amp;A rules? Isn't it a open question? I've difficulties to understand..." CreationDate="2013-05-22T09:48:52.863" UserId="95" />
  <row Id="83" PostId="130" Score="0" Text="+1 nice answer ... :)" CreationDate="2013-05-22T09:58:52.243" UserId="66" />
  <row Id="84" PostId="64" Score="0" Text="@Juhana (sarcasm mode on) You buy a car in my shop. You, the client, should test and approve the product prior to purchase. If you commit with a purchase, and the car falls apart just behind the doors of my shop, it's no longer my problem. Is that correct? :-)" CreationDate="2013-05-22T10:17:17.863" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="86" PostId="129" Score="0" Text="Very open question... See FAQs" CreationDate="2013-05-22T10:19:28.887" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="87" PostId="129" Score="1" Text="I submitted an edit I hope will fix this question, changing &quot;your&quot; (implying discussion) for &quot;the&quot; (objective) and summarizing what the key, answerable question is." CreationDate="2013-05-22T10:20:57.073" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="88" PostId="129" Score="4" Text="-1: All answers to this question will be equally valid. In general, list-style questions are always a red flag. Not 100% chance to be bad, but most times it is. See the article [Good Subjective, Bad Subjective](http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/09/good-subjective-bad-subjective/)." CreationDate="2013-05-22T10:21:54.873" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="89" PostId="129" Score="0" Text="If you require clarification on whether your question is a good fit for the format of the site, consider asking about it on the meta site (link in the header)" CreationDate="2013-05-22T10:22:20.243" UserId="43" />
  <row Id="90" PostId="129" Score="0" Text="Yes, asked. Thanks you all for clarification (and for edit)." CreationDate="2013-05-22T10:23:03.130" UserId="95" />
  <row Id="91" PostId="64" Score="0" Text="You're comparing apples to oranges here. You don't pay to the car manufacturer by the hour based on how long it took to build the car, do you? (Or perhaps we're just talking about different things; if you're paid a lump sum to build X, there should be a limited guarantee.)" CreationDate="2013-05-22T10:23:34.873" UserId="97" />
  <row Id="92" PostId="129" Score="3" Text="I think its a legit question" CreationDate="2013-05-22T10:24:57.043" UserId="82" />
  <row Id="93" PostId="121" Score="2" Text="I think doing a small AdWords campaign wouldn't hurt either." CreationDate="2013-05-22T10:27:17.567" UserId="82" />
  <row Id="94" PostId="64" Score="0" Text="@Juhana The definition of a bug: *an inconsistency between documented and actual behaviors*. Even for Time-and-Materials projects, I have been paid not for &quot;spending time&quot;, but for specific tasks to make a software that behaves in a certain manner. That manner is defined in a task specs, and the docs are based on specs, **not on actual behavior**. Hence, if my software does not behave like described (and initially required), and I have been **already** paid for it, who should fix it?" CreationDate="2013-05-22T10:30:45.230" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="95" PostId="64" Score="0" Text="The client should be made aware that any software requires maintenance and part of it is bug fixes. In the end it's even cheaper to the client because you don't have to raise your hourly fee to cover for the &quot;free&quot; work. At the very least there should be a limit to how long the &quot;free bug fixes&quot; offer stands--even the car manufacturer isn't responsible if the car falls apart 10 years after purchase. It's also sometimes very hard to draw a line to what is a bug fix and what is a new feature (if a new browser version comes out after the project and breaks the web site, is it still your fault?)" CreationDate="2013-05-22T10:39:08.923" UserId="97" />
  <row Id="96" PostId="129" Score="3" Text="@bytebuster: I don't think all answers are equally valid.  The fact is that there are significant warning signs of potentially bad clients or bad projects.  Do you think it would be less subjective if the &quot;top 3&quot; was eliminated and the question was reduced to &quot;How can I screen potential clients to remove those most likely to give me more trouble than they are worth?&quot;" CreationDate="2013-05-22T10:42:37.983" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="97" PostId="129" Score="0" Text="Yes, I try with a new question as suggested. Thanks" CreationDate="2013-05-22T10:46:26.263" UserId="95" />
  <row Id="98" PostId="139" Score="0" Text="It would help greatly if you would specify your area of expertise and nature of your potential clients. This way you will get only vague answers as you did in your first question about this topic." CreationDate="2013-05-22T10:54:38.927" UserId="102" />
  <row Id="99" PostId="139" Score="1" Text="In your 20 years of experience, what *troubles* have you encountered?" CreationDate="2013-05-22T10:57:45.190" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="101" PostId="139" Score="2" Text="Please, do not mark as duplicate. Other question has been downvoted because it's a &quot;open question&quot;. So I refine the question here." CreationDate="2013-05-22T11:00:00.127" UserId="95" />
  <row Id="102" PostId="40" Score="0" Text="I don't know where to begin looking for UK tax law, but if a US reference is any help, search within IRS publication 535, [Business Expenses](http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p535.pdf) for the phrase &quot;own labor&quot;, which appears in two different sections." CreationDate="2013-05-22T11:04:01.837" UserId="52" />
  <row Id="103" PostId="140" Score="0" Text="I definitely disagree with 1) and 3) - some clients think in waves, so they use mail in a chat-like way. It is not pleasant, but that doesnt mean the client is not worth the while. And regarding personal meeting - intuition is big part of running a business and meeting people in person can give your unsconscius mind some fuel. I would be much more suspicious with clients who do not want to meet in person from time to time, because that means they dont care who does the work. And regarding time - that depends on profession. For example in my field personal meeting has to take at least 2 hours." CreationDate="2013-05-22T11:09:55.087" UserId="102" />
  <row Id="104" PostId="64" Score="0" Text="@Juhana It's, indeed, hard to draw a line between bugs and features if external factors are in place -- a car worn over 10 years, a new browser, etc. Quality flaws at the &quot;factory&quot; have different nature. [Some companies](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentium_FDIV_bug) may have saved $500 million if they said, &quot;it's not our problem, you should have tested prior to purchase&quot;." CreationDate="2013-05-22T11:13:48.570" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="105" PostId="136" Score="0" Text="I think sometime is hard to know if &quot;they have a chance to succeed&quot;. As an example: someone asked me to develope a mobile application for the photovoltaic business. I feel a little uncomfortable to evaluate if it will be a success or not." CreationDate="2013-05-22T11:23:37.950" UserId="95" />
  <row Id="106" PostId="136" Score="1" Text="You don't have to know for sure they'll fail, you just have to feel sure that you're in a position to help them succeed. If you believe they're going to fail no matter what, you're not going to be motivated, you're not going to be able to deliver your best work, and in the end you *are* going to have a fight with them, and it *will* harm your reputation. Honesty lasts." CreationDate="2013-05-22T11:30:05.830" UserId="105" />
  <row Id="107" PostId="129" Score="4" Text="While I think the question is still open ended by asking specifically for lists of 3, I don't think it should be closed since the core is important. I'll suggest an edit." CreationDate="2013-05-22T11:31:21.053" UserId="105" />
  <row Id="108" PostId="136" Score="0" Text="I appreciate what you say &quot;because you know this kind of stuff&quot;. Too many times I heard these words: yes, I think it would be the first point to me." CreationDate="2013-05-22T11:48:55.187" UserId="95" />
  <row Id="109" PostId="20" Score="1" Text="slightly off topic, is this closed source? I'd rather not reinvent the wheel." CreationDate="2013-05-22T11:52:56.987" UserId="116" />
  <row Id="110" PostId="132" Score="0" Text="For the first point, is &quot;respect v.s. money&quot; always a simple choiche?" CreationDate="2013-05-22T11:56:46.210" UserId="95" />
  <row Id="111" PostId="122" Score="0" Text="One more hint - i your work contains gui, make gui sketch or gui prototype part of scope definition. This is usually more convenient for the client to understand. If there werent any star ratings in prototype, it is clearly CR and client will be more likely to accept it as CR." CreationDate="2013-05-22T12:03:01.457" UserId="102" />
  <row Id="112" PostId="29" Score="1" Text="@MDMoore313, thanks for your suggested edit, but replacing the word, &quot;co-op&quot; with the word, &quot;business&quot; is a rewording of my question that changes its scope fundamentally. I'm trying to learn more about state law regarding one specific type of business entity, a co-op. So although I appreciate the suggestion, I did not accept the edit. I think you and/or others may be able to override that of course. No hard feelings if you do so." CreationDate="2013-05-22T12:26:05.560" UserId="47" />
  <row Id="113" PostId="147" Score="0" Text="Yes I realize that, but a co-op may be (I think) a rather unusual business entity in that every person working with the co-op is considered a co-owner in some degree or another. I'm very curious to work out the details of this twist (if indeed there really is one). I suspect that the only answer I'd be willing to accept is one that points to some specific federal or state law with details." CreationDate="2013-05-22T12:28:55.043" UserId="47" />
  <row Id="115" PostId="132" Score="0" Text="To the extent it is a choice, you can take both, or walk away from both.  It isn't one or the other.  The problem is that if they don't respect you, you will work too hard and never please them.   I think it's what Niels was getting at with &quot;people without technical knowledge.&quot;  It's not people without technical knowlege.  It's people who want to hire you as an expert and then think they know your job better than you do." CreationDate="2013-05-22T13:10:25.707" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="116" PostId="137" Score="0" Text="Really? you don't accept negotiation on price? Always? (this question is closed, but we should be able to continue to see it unless someone vote for re-open)" CreationDate="2013-05-22T13:21:45.060" UserId="95" />
  <row Id="117" PostId="143" Score="4" Text="Re the fill-in-the-blanks approach, I turned down a customer once because they asked me to sign their work contract and they sent me a building contractor contract.  Not a good sign...." CreationDate="2013-05-22T13:26:10.297" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="118" PostId="107" Score="0" Text="+1. This is great advice! I am going to keep this one open for now to hopefully hear some more opinions." CreationDate="2013-05-22T13:33:20.400" UserId="59" />
  <row Id="119" PostId="101" Score="13" Text="My advice honestly is to start through family, friends, and the like.  I haven't found freelancing sites worth my time.  Not posting this as an answer because it doesn't answer the question." CreationDate="2013-05-22T13:51:34.090" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="120" PostId="137" Score="1" Text="@Seraphim thanks for pointing it out. I should proof read stuff before submitting. What I meant was good clients I have worked with (both in terms of tenure of contract and money earned) have always negotiated. Those client that didn't negotiate ended up abandoning project mid way or started to ask for more features in same budget." CreationDate="2013-05-22T14:02:11.007" UserId="82" />
  <row Id="121" PostId="88" Score="0" Text="if possible can you share a template so to speak. It will help." CreationDate="2013-05-22T14:04:47.053" UserId="82" />
  <row Id="122" PostId="137" Score="0" Text="So are you sayng that, sometime, a reasonable and **quick** negotiation can be a &quot;good flag&quot;?" CreationDate="2013-05-22T14:05:32.463" UserId="95" />
  <row Id="123" PostId="141" Score="0" Text="Thank you for examining my question; I've gotten very good answers so far! I'll take some time in a few hours to better review the answers before marking a &quot;correct&quot; answer." CreationDate="2013-05-22T14:16:03.393" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="124" PostId="92" Score="0" Text="I believe you should consult an accountant in each of the countries you plan on conducting business in." CreationDate="2013-05-22T14:19:22.477" UserId="121" />
  <row Id="125" PostId="122" Score="0" Text="In addition to the 3rd point in the answer, try to deal with the current situation as quickly as possible, because these &quot;small change requests&quot; may continue indefinitely and in the end you may still end up with bad reputation (just because you didn't want to complete the last change the client requested to be done for free)." CreationDate="2013-05-22T14:22:50.443" UserId="121" />
  <row Id="126" PostId="94" Score="0" Text="Your question is too localized. See this: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/faq#close" CreationDate="2013-05-22T14:24:43.527" UserId="121" />
  <row Id="127" PostId="94" Score="0" Text="What is too localized in my question? Do you think that only questions valid for the whole world are on-topic here? That would be too localized..." CreationDate="2013-05-22T14:29:51.480" UserId="78" />
  <row Id="128" PostId="20" Score="4" Text="I keep the source on Github (https://github.com/jhfrench/Workstream). It's written in CFML with a PostgreSQL backend. I run it with Railo on an EC2 instance, you could pretty easily do the same. In fact...I could create an AMI with the whole thing ready to &quot;go&quot;. Would be a fun exercise for me." CreationDate="2013-05-22T14:33:16.080" UserId="39" />
  <row Id="129" PostId="93" Score="0" Text="This question is unlikely to help any future visitors; it is only relevant to a small geographic area, a specific moment in time, or an extraordinarily narrow situation that is not generally applicable to the worldwide audience of the internet." CreationDate="2013-05-22T14:34:59.140" UserId="121" />
  <row Id="130" PostId="122" Score="0" Text="When it's fixed bid and you get change requests, it's imperative that a) you defined what is covered under the current contract and b) and what types of changes fall out of scope. I usually make small changes for things like layout, styling or copy on the original spec, but changes to functionality require a change request. It needs to be defined upfront and then reinforced when the change is requested." CreationDate="2013-05-22T14:44:28.590" UserId="40" />
  <row Id="131" PostId="39" Score="3" Text="Oooh...dividends. I *like* that." CreationDate="2013-05-22T14:46:13.053" UserId="39" />
  <row Id="132" PostId="88" Score="0" Text="I work a day job now, but once I get back home and find one, I certainly can" CreationDate="2013-05-22T14:55:53.967" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="133" PostId="39" Score="0" Text="Note that the affordable care act imposes payroll taxes on sub-S corporate dividends.  I assume the same goes for LLC's too." CreationDate="2013-05-22T15:01:00.980" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="134" PostId="93" Score="1" Text="@ColorWP.com you want to close all questions targeting specific country? I think you're going to kill this proposal" CreationDate="2013-05-22T15:01:24.193" UserId="78" />
  <row Id="135" PostId="149" Score="0" Text="&quot;How much do you charge to fix this computer?&quot; is a too undefined and the &quot;$60/h&quot; puts the danger on the client to have to pay that fee while a virus scan runs." CreationDate="2013-05-22T15:07:01.057" UserId="17" />
  <row Id="136" PostId="93" Score="1" Text="I absolutely agree it's on-topic. Many sample Q's on [Area51 proposal](http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/37227?phase=definition) are country-specific." CreationDate="2013-05-22T15:15:19.967" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="137" PostId="166" Score="0" Text="the point is not about contract. the contract was made carefully. What they asked was indeed a minor change in a huge app. Doing minor change caused lot of changes to the structure of the app which took lot of time. This used to happen frequently. There is no miscommunication. But the problem was dealing with changes frequently as the client insisted." CreationDate="2013-05-22T15:39:48.327" UserId="87" />
  <row Id="139" PostId="166" Score="0" Text="@Raghunandan - if it took major effort to change, then it wasn't a minor change.  I'm not just talking about the contract.  I'm talking about the project plan.  It should be far more detailed than a contract and should cover all the functionality and make sure that it will operate according to the customer's needs.  It should also make changes like this unnecessary and if they do come up, it should require adjusting the project plan and re-approval (and cost adjustment) based on the additional work required." CreationDate="2013-05-22T15:42:28.343" UserId="77" />
  <row Id="140" PostId="166" Score="0" Text="One other thought, if the change is truly minor and going to take under an hour or two to do, then it might not be worth pursuing the full procedure if it isn't common, but for frequent changes or anything that goes beyond that.  A more formal change is really necessary." CreationDate="2013-05-22T15:44:00.883" UserId="77" />
  <row Id="141" PostId="19" Score="1" Text="Tagging by region is not really a good practice. We should have a meta about this. Questions are often closed as &quot;too localized,&quot; but this probably isn't a good one to close as localized." CreationDate="2013-05-22T16:27:09.023" UserId="63" />
  <row Id="142" PostId="52" Score="0" Text="It's generally impossible to answer that question without knowing the localization of your company and your client's company." CreationDate="2013-05-22T16:31:27.530" UserId="78" />
  <row Id="144" PostId="93" Score="6" Text="No, please, **this is not at all what is meant by &quot;too localized.&quot;** There's nothing about the practice of an entire country/state/city/community that would be considered &quot;too localized.&quot; This close reason is being severely reworked because of these misunderstandings (more on that soon) — but it almost never makes sense to close a question because it pertains to a specific country — http://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/42408/change-the-text-of-too-localized-in-the-meta-close-reasons/87416#87416" CreationDate="2013-05-22T18:15:59.533" UserId="69" />
  <row Id="145" PostId="184" Score="0" Text="I'm not desperate for work as I only do contract work on the side and the project isn't very interesting.  Good idea on the introductory rate idea.  I don't think this will lead to more work with them though so it's maybe not the best idea for this case." CreationDate="2013-05-22T20:34:48.597" UserId="48" />
  <row Id="146" PostId="183" Score="2" Text="The difference is, when you are working as contractor, your domicile is on the territory of that country. And usually each country requires that their residents pay taxes by them." CreationDate="2013-05-22T20:36:00.600" UserId="78" />
  <row Id="147" PostId="185" Score="1" Text="My rates are more than reasonable for the work I do (Android/general mobile development) and I've never had a problem justifying them in the past. Since I don't really need the work, I think I'll stick to my guns on this one." CreationDate="2013-05-22T20:36:07.177" UserId="48" />
  <row Id="148" PostId="185" Score="1" Text="I think this answer could be improved with references to case studies of the sort @MCeley asked for. Otherwise, it seems like mere speculation to me which I understood to be discouraged on SE sites." CreationDate="2013-05-23T00:26:22.317" UserId="47" />
  <row Id="149" PostId="184" Score="1" Text="I think this answer could be improved with references to case studies of the sort @MCeley asked for. Otherwise, it seems like mere speculation to me which I understood to be discouraged on SE sites." CreationDate="2013-05-23T00:27:09.587" UserId="47" />
  <row Id="150" PostId="149" Score="0" Text="I will charge for the time the virus scan runs if I have to stay at the customer's site for it.  If the computer is at my place of business, I can explain that I don't charge for time I am not actively working on it.  Again, these are very short-term jobs where context is everything.  Any questions can get sorted out quickly." CreationDate="2013-05-23T00:28:06.350" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="151" PostId="9" Score="0" Text="+1 for &quot;we think we have a solid grip on what they want built and end up being off target.&quot;  I have had this happen.  Also though, very occasionally, the customer thinks they have everything spec'd out and they are off target.  I did a fixed asset system once and had to change the depreciation calculations last minute because we got it into testing and the client was using different conventions than they thought (I implemented actual days, and their current software was using 30/360)." CreationDate="2013-05-23T02:48:25.093" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="152" PostId="9" Score="0" Text="(I ultimately changed it free of charge for the customer, because they were generally a pleasure to work with and I wanted to keep them happy, but had they not been generally one of the good customers, I would have billed them extra.)" CreationDate="2013-05-23T02:52:50.220" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="153" PostId="15" Score="1" Text="Not sure I understand what you mean? I'm not sure how billing fixed price (assuming you have a very defined scope) drives developers to work on smaller projects. I bid on very big projects and still flat-fee just fine. Often times involving several other freelancers on the development or design. Granted you do need to have a baseline to build from, so keep an hourly in mind just dont advertise it." CreationDate="2013-05-23T04:44:09.873" UserId="14" />
  <row Id="154" PostId="130" Score="0" Text="Awesome answer. Hopefully everyone takes a step back and thinks about what Chris has said. He essentially became an authority on a topic, now work comes to him. Probably too much. Which is a very good problem to have." CreationDate="2013-05-23T04:55:34.280" UserId="14" />
  <row Id="155" PostId="139" Score="0" Text="Hi @Seraphim, if your post is downvoted or closed, use the feedback from other users to edit and improve it. Reposting questions just creates noise and makes it harder for others to find all of the answers that may help them, since those answers are fragmented across different questions. Hope this helps!" CreationDate="2013-05-23T05:20:29.683" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="156" PostId="15" Score="0" Text="I mean that fixed price usually implies deliverables are ready-made products or components. So if you are a developer, it becomes hard to collaborate with other client's resources like QA, Art designers, etc." CreationDate="2013-05-23T06:52:21.433" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="157" PostId="192" Score="13" Text="+1 for &quot;agree scope&quot; - this is a point that needs to be rammed into everyone's brains if going &quot;fixed price&quot;... agree the scope and what it costs; and how much anything else will cost." CreationDate="2013-05-23T07:44:05.273" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="158" PostId="190" Score="2" Text="Any UK based freelancer should give serious consideration to joining PCG (see profile for disclaimer). The cost is small beer for the benefits received." CreationDate="2013-05-23T07:45:42.077" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="159" PostId="195" Score="0" Text="Have you considered paying for a service to take calls for you during the day?" CreationDate="2013-05-23T10:10:08.873" UserId="43" />
  <row Id="160" PostId="199" Score="2" Text="How safe is safe enough? By way of analogy, my bread maker manual said I should unplug it between baking loaves, even though that meant resetting the clock for each scheduled cycle. I ignored the (lawyer-inserted) warning and managed to live to tell about it. For home plumbing repairs, it's not too hard to size up whether its a DIY job or if you need a professional. It would be helpful to know where to draw the line for contracts. For example, does a clause that keeps the remainder in force if part of a contract is invalid provide enough protection against regional law differences?" CreationDate="2013-05-23T12:25:24.827" UserId="52" />
  <row Id="161" PostId="153" Score="9" Text="I think this approach can bite you in the ass if you do it blindly - since you will attract customers that are willing to accept lesser quality for lesser price (that is the risk of choosing someone with no reputation), they might force you to do cheap solutions - thus you will have to do low quality work to remain cheap. So if you have couple of clients like this, you will end up being cheap with weak reputation as you have nothing high-quality on your &quot;display case&quot;. It wont be your fault, but you will fail to build the reputation and it will be harder and harder to reverse that direction." CreationDate="2013-05-23T14:16:05.407" UserId="102" />
  <row Id="162" PostId="200" Score="1" Text="Could you share some example of what shall be bartered and what exactly you want to protect?" CreationDate="2013-05-23T14:28:06.403" UserId="102" />
  <row Id="163" PostId="200" Score="0" Text="@Erchi edited to make clearer" CreationDate="2013-05-23T14:36:02.327" UserId="72" />
  <row Id="164" PostId="189" Score="0" Text="Thanks for providing a past/current experience to back up your answer. Makes me feel more comfortable about sticking with my rate." CreationDate="2013-05-23T15:33:58.210" UserId="48" />
  <row Id="165" PostId="195" Score="0" Text="@ColorWP.com: I’m not sure if [your edit](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/revisions/195/3) makes sense, as clients typically know that you live in a different time zone, but they usually don’t know that you have a different sleep-wake rhythm, especially not when we met before face-to-face. How to handle different time zones could be a separate question, I guess. Maybe we could rephrase the title for this question to make clear that the focus is about telling vs. not telling about the sleep-wake rhythm." CreationDate="2013-05-23T16:30:26.200" UserId="100" />
  <row Id="166" PostId="195" Score="0" Text="@ColorWP.com: I changed the title so that it includes both reasons for having different work hours resp. sleep-wake rhythms." CreationDate="2013-05-23T16:43:55.517" UserId="100" />
  <row Id="167" PostId="88" Score="0" Text="Thanks for your insight Luke. All of the answers are very similar, and since you were the first to answer, and have the highest score, I will select this one." CreationDate="2013-05-23T16:56:51.000" UserId="70" />
  <row Id="168" PostId="185" Score="0" Text="@CopyrightX - I'm not really sure that a case study can answer this particular question as ultimately, the bigger factor is going to be the impact on the person doing the work.  Being content with what you are being paid is more important than getting or not getting the job unless the job is really needed.  I could go in to detail about how to tell if the rate is fair or not, but that becomes extremely localized and would also veer away from the original question.)  Selling yourself for what you are worth is just simple service business." CreationDate="2013-05-23T17:03:21.457" UserId="77" />
  <row Id="169" PostId="15" Score="1" Text="I don't think it implies ready-made at all. You essentially bill a guesstimated amount of hours it will take you to do all those things. It's very much personal choice though. Hourly is a pain and I tend to make more money billing fixed." CreationDate="2013-05-23T21:33:49.310" UserId="14" />
  <row Id="173" PostId="207" Score="0" Text="This is region-specific questions and should be tagged so. For example, for Eastern Europe the answer would be that the checks are practically not used for about 100 years." CreationDate="2013-05-24T04:59:27.073" UserId="78" />
  <row Id="174" PostId="2" Score="1" Text="Although I think this is a great question, I feel it needs to be reworded slightly to avoid being a list question, which could be closed as Not Constructive. I hope others don't feel the same, as I would love to see more answers, but it feels dangerously close to that point to me" CreationDate="2013-05-24T05:33:44.287" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="175" PostId="153" Score="0" Text="@ColorWP.com I try as much as possible to fall into the second category.However,the problem is there are many bidders with 5 star ratings that offer the lowest rates." CreationDate="2013-05-24T05:35:40.777" UserId="80" />
  <row Id="180" PostId="206" Score="0" Text="+1 for the point about walking away. It can be a difficult conversation but some projects just aren't worth the pain later" CreationDate="2013-05-24T06:50:29.077" UserId="43" />
  <row Id="182" PostId="222" Score="0" Text="Registering yourself with local services like _justdial_ won't hurt either." CreationDate="2013-05-24T12:49:17.167" UserId="88" />
  <row Id="183" PostId="206" Score="0" Text="@Levelnis - yeah, not as difficult as the fun that results if you don't though.  It took one project where the company we were working with ripped itself apart from the inside out, another where they put a stop payment on their deposit because they thought we were negligent for not building a feature they never gave us the details for (even after the stop payment) and a project where we ended up making about 1/5 of what we should have to figure that out." CreationDate="2013-05-24T15:27:56.883" UserId="77" />
  <row Id="184" PostId="207" Score="0" Text="@ŁukaszLech it could be tagged, but **should also be in the question**. Tags are not an alternative to including something in a question; they are supplementary. See [here](http://meta.freelancing.stackexchange.com/a/51/58)" CreationDate="2013-05-24T17:03:48.200" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="185" PostId="19" Score="0" Text="@ashes999 however, that is not the correct use of &quot;Too Localized&quot;. Mentioning a region doesn't make it too localized. saying &quot;why is there a big purple giraffe outside my house&quot; does." CreationDate="2013-05-24T17:06:10.490" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="186" PostId="153" Score="0" Text="You should consider lowering your rate even more then. It's the only way to be competitive in the IT sector, just as with any market. That's probably the way these 5 star rating bidders you refer to did it." CreationDate="2013-05-24T19:54:27.643" UserId="121" />
  <row Id="187" PostId="188" Score="0" Text="I disagree. Although there is high competition on the freelance job marketplaces, they are quite profitable once you reach a certain level of credibility (e.g. enough 5 star ratings or positive reviews from previous clients). I believe they are not that much different from working with clients outside these sites - the only difference here is that your credibility is measured up in real metrics (numbers, stars, etc)." CreationDate="2013-05-24T19:58:53.507" UserId="121" />
  <row Id="188" PostId="40" Score="0" Text="You're likely to find anything to do with UK tax on the website http://www.gov.uk which I find very useful (but I haven't looked on this topic). Try a search on it." CreationDate="2013-05-24T20:53:12.837" UserId="148" />
  <row Id="189" PostId="133" Score="3" Text="I can't agree at all that this is &quot;firmly the client's problem&quot;. I mean, from a purely physical perspective, it is (you're either incapacitated or dead so you can't do anything about it) but from an ethical point of view, yes it is your &quot;problem&quot;. As a contractor, I will not start any work without factoring in the &quot;bus factor&quot;. Conversely, I would not hire anyone who didn't have some kind of plan and arrangement with me to mitigate it. Perhaps it's my software engineering professional background &amp; training - ethics are front and centre &amp; built into the very processes we work with." CreationDate="2013-05-24T21:04:22.977" UserId="148" />
  <row Id="190" PostId="62" Score="0" Text="Helping the client find another person to do the job will put you in good standing with them (though  you may lose the client for future work - it's a risk but they'll find someone anyway so you may as well get some kudos). On a related side note: If you regularly refer work to others it may be worth negotiating a formal and mutually beneficial arrangement whereby you pay each other finder's fees for referring work. In this way, it lessens the impact of losing clients permanently to your &quot;competition&quot;." CreationDate="2013-05-24T21:28:16.870" UserId="148" />
  <row Id="191" PostId="188" Score="8" Text="I just don't see the type of clients that are willing to pay $100+/hr coming from these sites. Perhaps I'm wrong? Quite curious now." CreationDate="2013-05-24T22:33:37.653" UserId="14" />
  <row Id="192" PostId="232" Score="4" Text="Sam you have some experience on several other SE sites, so I think you probably should know that your question above really ought to have a good deal more thoughtfulness and detail to fit well here. Especially during a site's private beta, spending serious time and thought on composing a well-researched, detailed, definitively answerable question is super-important, for such questions set the tone of the community for a long time to come. You could start with details like how long you've been a developer and what kinds of things you've written and what you've already read about your question." CreationDate="2013-05-25T03:28:23.670" UserId="47" />
  <row Id="193" PostId="231" Score="1" Text="During the private beta, try to have longer, more thought out answers. This will help set the mood for the site when it opens up" CreationDate="2013-05-25T03:43:35.953" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="194" PostId="232" Score="1" Text="You're right. I've been up writing FDWKit all night now. Edited." CreationDate="2013-05-25T04:19:24.150" UserId="151" />
  <row Id="195" PostId="231" Score="0" Text="I'm not sure this is correct. I've never had to file quarterly. According to the 1040 instructions, you only need to file quarterly if you owed taxes the previous year. Otherwise, you won't get penalized. Could you expand this answer out to clarify?" CreationDate="2013-05-25T04:37:17.493" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="196" PostId="234" Score="0" Text="+1 Good question :) Got me thinking really :)" CreationDate="2013-05-25T05:49:45.447" UserId="155" />
  <row Id="198" PostId="192" Score="0" Text="Nicely summarized!" CreationDate="2013-05-25T08:14:57.223" UserId="155" />
  <row Id="201" PostId="235" Score="0" Text="As I added in my edit, I'm only 18. Im starting college in September. I certainly have aspirations but I don't really have any sort of `business plan` yet." CreationDate="2013-05-25T13:33:25.323" UserId="151" />
  <row Id="203" PostId="245" Score="0" Text="DO u have a website of your own?" CreationDate="2013-05-25T16:12:22.870" UserId="155" />
  <row Id="204" PostId="245" Score="0" Text="possible duplicate of [Best approach to finding clients in your own city?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/221/best-approach-to-finding-clients-in-your-own-city)" CreationDate="2013-05-25T16:13:12.117" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="205" PostId="245" Score="0" Text="@Luke: I don’t think it’s a duplicate. I already found the clients, so to speak. I just don’t know *how* to contact them. Also, this question here is focussed on shops for walk-in customers." CreationDate="2013-05-25T16:18:10.683" UserId="100" />
  <row Id="207" PostId="249" Score="1" Text="Hey Flem, can you take a look at the answers to [When is it ok to ask a client for more money?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/44/when-is-it-ok-to-ask-a-client-for-more-money) It may already answer this question, making it a duplicate. If those answers don't answer your question, would you mind editing this one to help differentiate it from the other and clarify how that one doesn't give you what you're looking for?" CreationDate="2013-05-25T20:50:22.127" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="208" PostId="245" Score="0" Text="I'm not sure this is a duplicate. This question focuses on more specifics and actually identifies an important consideration that the op is overlooking: Building a website business isn't limited to only local clients! It scales globally." CreationDate="2013-05-25T20:54:03.513" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="209" PostId="245" Score="0" Text="Understood. That's why the comment is possible duplicate. Sorry though, regardless." CreationDate="2013-05-25T21:08:26.717" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="210" PostId="249" Score="0" Text="@jmort253 You provided a very good answer to this question but it is focused mostly on the worker. I'm looking for the full picture from both sides. What should the service provider expect? What should the client expect?" CreationDate="2013-05-25T21:13:10.090" UserId="178" />
  <row Id="211" PostId="249" Score="1" Text="Thanks for responding so fast! Can you edit your post to make that more clear so others don't miss this information. Also, I'm not sure what you're looking for from the other side, so I'd suggest making that clear in the post body, where you have more room to expand. This is a good question, but differentiating it from the other will help avoid people thinking it's a dup. Hope this helps! :)" CreationDate="2013-05-25T21:19:42.917" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="212" PostId="230" Score="2" Text="Hi Drew, we're currently discussing whether or not this site needs the [Back It Up Rule](http://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/181597/question-about-installing-a-compiler-interpreter-for-a-programming-language-of). It's still early, but the better our answers are today, the better the chances will be that this site succeeds! :)" CreationDate="2013-05-26T01:41:06.203" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="213" PostId="254" Score="0" Text="+ 1 for &quot;up to x hours&quot; bid. I follow the same principle. And then bill under estimate to keep customers happy." CreationDate="2013-05-26T04:15:51.327" UserId="155" />
  <row Id="214" PostId="235" Score="0" Text="If you haven't created a business plan yet, that's really where to start.  The point of a business plan is not really to do what you plan to, but to sit down and think through all the major issues that will affect you as an indie developer.  My recommendation is write a plan (target: 30 pages), then put it aside, build your business, and then come back, read it again in a year and see what you think needs adjusting." CreationDate="2013-05-26T04:28:41.840" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="215" PostId="251" Score="1" Text="+1 for blogging about what you write.  This goes *regardless* of whether it is open source or not." CreationDate="2013-05-26T04:31:28.523" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="216" PostId="235" Score="0" Text="I think it was Eisenhower who said, &quot;Plans are nothing; planning is everything.&quot;" CreationDate="2013-05-26T06:20:16.843" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="217" PostId="27" Score="0" Text="I still think the whole question of picking a legal business entity is way too open ended.  Books can and have been written on this and summary is just not possible.  I am voting to close it.  I think a good related question would be specific to a particular question regarding a comparison between two business entity types in a specific area, like between sub-S and non-Sub-S corps when it comes to medical insurance and taxes." CreationDate="2013-05-26T06:41:48.637" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="218" PostId="254" Score="0" Text="@chris. Thanks for the answer. I don't have as much success when overestimating. I tend to build in buffer of 10-20% (my estimates tend to be pretty good though), but the client is always wanting it for less. I'll often remove the buffer and accept the if my estimate was wrong, it's at my expense. I guess this is about the same as reducing my hourly rate to keep costs within reason for the client." CreationDate="2013-05-26T19:44:53.023" UserId="178" />
  <row Id="219" PostId="96" Score="0" Text="I have some insight on the answer to the question because I could have asked a similar question when I look at how I have also been working the last 16 years. This is a very valid question as it stands. The answers will be around marketing one's self or setting up the business from sole-propriter to limited liability company. I will also propose an edit. So I can share my experience with those who need it. I doubt there can be debating when there are very specific things you have to do to be successful outside the scope of these online sites." CreationDate="2013-05-26T19:45:04.367" UserId="42" />
  <row Id="220" PostId="27" Score="0" Text="In answering the question, I saw the motivation behind the question as the true question. Thus, it may be wise to edit this question so that others see this clearly and provide you with enough experiences of their own to help you make up your best opportunity." CreationDate="2013-05-26T23:05:14.097" UserId="42" />
  <row Id="221" PostId="251" Score="0" Text="I usually dont mention my age, but it does limit my experience (and also is indicative of my lack of a college degree, for now, which i thought was germane to my question)" CreationDate="2013-05-27T01:42:02.810" UserId="151" />
  <row Id="222" PostId="251" Score="0" Text="@segiddins, in many cases, that doesn't matter. As a contractor, you're not an employee, so your credentials could simply be work you've done, not certifications, hoops you've jumped through, or how many candles will be on your next birthday cake. :)" CreationDate="2013-05-27T01:47:10.483" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="223" PostId="251" Score="0" Text="You'd be surprised how many people care about every but my abilities" CreationDate="2013-05-27T01:56:05.777" UserId="151" />
  <row Id="224" PostId="254" Score="0" Text="@flem, in those cases I am happy to do an up to x hours bid with a minimum deliverables.  Also my situation may be different in that I have become relatively specialized and there aren't a lot of others in my space." CreationDate="2013-05-27T03:57:39.860" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="225" PostId="256" Score="2" Text="as a comment since it reinforces what others have said but: don't do this.  If you ignore me on this, If you are going to do this, make sure it is negotiated up-front in the contract.  Do not do it behind your customer's back." CreationDate="2013-05-27T04:10:56.423" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="226" PostId="263" Score="1" Text="Interesting, representing the two different types of billing as who assumes the risk of cost overruns helps me see this much clearer. It sounds like fixed cost is better for tasks that you've done before, where you have a solid idea of the exact time involved yet also have the specialized knowledge to get the job done. It's that knowledge the client is paying for, not the time in that scenario." CreationDate="2013-05-27T05:19:52.317" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="228" PostId="266" Score="0" Text="Great answer... I need to read it a again in the evening, then I may have some doubts for you! Thanks!" CreationDate="2013-05-27T14:08:15.140" UserId="153" />
  <row Id="230" PostId="114" Score="0" Text="Yes, it's a freelance classic. C: I'd like to have feature X. Everyone should have it. F: Of course, it will cost Y$. C: Who would need X? It's no use for me ;)" CreationDate="2013-05-27T20:33:35.357" UserId="78" />
  <row Id="231" PostId="260" Score="0" Text="Hmm I think you mean the small companies, because in big ones you won't get access to owner (stakeholders?) and CEO." CreationDate="2013-05-27T20:37:17.417" UserId="78" />
  <row Id="232" PostId="15" Score="0" Text="I agree with Drew, I usually agree with clients on an initial price based on their brief, as well as a price for modifications (for example if halfway through they decide they want to add animations to the website, this will cost more)" CreationDate="2013-05-21T22:12:47.560" UserId="44" />
  <row Id="233" PostId="268" Score="0" Text="Would a limited time license also work for websites/CMS? Even if they are installed on the client’s server?" CreationDate="2013-05-28T15:59:56.443" UserId="100" />
  <row Id="235" PostId="268" Score="0" Text="Hmmm in every case client may try to subvert the licence, but it would be much easier in PHP project (or project in any non-compiled language) because you give the source code. But usually clients are not hackers :)" CreationDate="2013-05-28T17:54:00.840" UserId="78" />
  <row Id="236" PostId="57" Score="1" Text="Related question at the Startups SE: [How can I determine a good rate for freelancing?](http://answers.onstartups.com/questions/1758/how-can-i-determine-a-good-rate-for-freelancing)" CreationDate="2013-05-28T20:33:29.887" UserId="120" />
  <row Id="237" PostId="237" Score="1" Text="how can I contact you? You have skype?" CreationDate="2013-05-29T05:32:13.593" UserId="80" />
  <row Id="239" PostId="280" Score="0" Text="The accountant though isn't doing the bookkeeping, though.  My larger concern is in the actual day to day bookkeeping, and that's where you have the real potential for mischief, since the bookkeeper is almost certainly handling your money.  Mentioning it because a lot of accounting is typically done by a bookkeeper, so it might be a useful edit or clarification." CreationDate="2013-05-29T09:23:44.770" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="240" PostId="280" Score="1" Text="@ChrisTravers - In my opinion, a freelancer doesn't need to know much about bookkeeping (do they really need to understand double-entry, for example?). As for cooking the books - my point about due diligence when hiring is really the crux of it - word of mouth, recommendations, talking to existing and previous clients of the bookkeeper are all part of that." CreationDate="2013-05-29T09:26:49.007" UserId="184" />
  <row Id="241" PostId="237" Score="0" Text="Check the link in my profile :)" CreationDate="2013-05-29T09:57:32.940" UserId="155" />
  <row Id="242" PostId="262" Score="0" Text="Thanks jmort253, Your thoughts are so fruitful. I never thought of these angles. You have given me an insight on how could I play it smart." CreationDate="2013-05-29T13:56:19.233" UserId="175" />
  <row Id="243" PostId="264" Score="0" Text="Chris, thanks for sharing that discipline. You two guys have given me a very tactful approach i could use on my career. Thank you." CreationDate="2013-05-29T13:58:08.817" UserId="175" />
  <row Id="251" PostId="287" Score="0" Text="Can you tell me what a `CV` is?" CreationDate="2013-05-30T20:08:22.750" UserId="45" />
  <row Id="252" PostId="287" Score="0" Text="Curriculum Vitae - resume in other words" CreationDate="2013-05-30T20:13:24.053" UserId="43" />
  <row Id="253" PostId="287" Score="0" Text="Can you elaborate what effects you are worried about and how it would hurt you." CreationDate="2013-05-30T20:29:56.417" UserId="17" />
  <row Id="254" PostId="290" Score="1" Text="Sure, when I’m able to I’ll help. I just don’t want to be liable/bound to it in the same sense I am when getting paid for my work. A web shop owner might probably sue when the shop stops working and I then need to finance a lawyer. You could say that when getting paid for your work, a part of it is for those cases, mitigating the risk. I don’t want to hang for doing someone a favor, so to say." CreationDate="2013-05-30T20:53:44.253" UserId="100" />
  <row Id="255" PostId="265" Score="0" Text="But you want to recover your expenses, correct?  Otherwise you could just volunteer." CreationDate="2013-05-30T20:57:21.200" UserId="17" />
  <row Id="256" PostId="287" Score="0" Text="It could harm my chances of being put forward for interview if the fake resume has already been put forward for the same assignment. A long shot I know, but it isn't going to help me having this fake CV floating around. Will it hurt me? That's the question really..." CreationDate="2013-05-30T21:53:40.770" UserId="43" />
  <row Id="258" PostId="287" Score="0" Text="Do the fake CVs have your real references/referees on them? Is the email on it different from yours? if so what is it? as this can help track people down and maybe kill the email address" CreationDate="2013-05-30T22:27:36.877" UserId="193" />
  <row Id="259" PostId="287" Score="1" Text="I never put references on my CV anyway so there's no issue there. As for the email address, I'm not sure that this is the right place to be posting that kind of info. If you have some advice for how I could go about killing the email address that would be useful. Although the user could simply create another one as soon as that one was shut down so I'm not sure of the value of that approach" CreationDate="2013-05-30T22:39:01.137" UserId="43" />
  <row Id="262" PostId="296" Score="0" Text="I'll rewrite my question, the point is that they want your tax ID before they will make any payments. I've done a number of remote jobs without encountering this specific situation and like you, it hasn't been an issue, but that's not the question. Your suggestion about using an EIN is appropriate and would be useful to someone who is looking for an answer in the future. Perhaps you could look at my updated question when I finish and edit your answer to address the circumstances described rather than situations where it's not an issue?" CreationDate="2013-05-31T04:24:23.343" UserId="159" />
  <row Id="263" PostId="293" Score="0" Text="+1 for not following the plan too closely. As you say, the future is never certain and one could easily miss opportunities if one sticks too rigidly to a plan. I think it could be a beneficial thing to write to provide some clarity on potential marketing and/or revenue channels that I hadn't previously considered" CreationDate="2013-05-31T06:52:17.047" UserId="43" />
  <row Id="264" PostId="293" Score="1" Text="When I write a business plan for myself I generally follow the following approach:  1) survey of the market, 2) What people need, 3)  What I am offering, 4)  How to promote, and 5) the nitty gritty (financials, etc).  I find this gives me the best value.  If I am writing for someone else though this may be different.  If you want to bounce ideas back and forth, happy to chat about it." CreationDate="2013-05-31T07:00:30.747" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="265" PostId="296" Score="0" Text="As a note, applying for an FEIN takes about 5 min or did last time I applied for one.  It is fully automated and at least when I got mine, there was no need to wait for paperwork.  You get one from the web site when you fill out the form..." CreationDate="2013-05-31T07:08:13.137" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="266" PostId="297" Score="2" Text="Actually, I was approached about working under these conditions in the past and flat out refused. The question doesn't ask whether you would work under these conditions or what approach you take to showing clients the amount of time you spend on a project. I'm trying to think of questions that people might have and ask them. Please do everyone the courtesy of answering the question asked rather than giving an off topic answer." CreationDate="2013-05-31T07:57:36.810" UserId="159" />
  <row Id="267" PostId="297" Score="0" Text="I don't mean to be a jerk, but this is getting annoying, of the two questions I've posted, you are the second person to answer with a bunch of opinion that didn't answer the question. Is this going to be a question and answer site or was a decision made to turn it into a forum where people reply to questions with their opinions about the questions asked rather than an answer to the actual question?" CreationDate="2013-05-31T07:58:20.580" UserId="159" />
  <row Id="277" PostId="300" Score="1" Text="Drat... don't have &quot;Tag Create&quot; privileges.  IBOYOA = In Business on Your Own Account. &quot;Bum on Seat&quot; = self-deprecating term for jobbing contractor akin to temp." CreationDate="2013-05-31T09:05:29.583" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="278" PostId="296" Score="0" Text="Good info, I had the same experience when I got mine last year." CreationDate="2013-05-31T09:09:37.950" UserId="159" />
  <row Id="279" PostId="297" Score="3" Text="-1 - This doesn't answer the question. You are also describing a tool that your can use to record time after the work has been done, which is not what the OP is looking for." CreationDate="2013-05-31T09:39:55.093" UserId="184" />
  <row Id="280" PostId="265" Score="0" Text="@Claus - Yes, that's the problem. In the UK, you pay a set National Insurance, irrespective (AFAIK) of your income. This is where, if I donate my services for a 100% discount, I am now paying the NI out of my own pocket, as I do not have any other income source under this business." CreationDate="2013-05-31T09:40:09.823" UserId="153" />
  <row Id="281" PostId="297" Score="0" Text="I agree with you that you don't want micromanagers, but -1 for not giving an answer." CreationDate="2013-05-31T10:26:33.460" UserDisplayName="user19" />
  <row Id="282" PostId="231" Score="1" Text="As mentioned in other comments, could you back this statement up somehow, maybe with a link to a source that discusses it (if providing a link, please also summarise the article content here in case the link gets removed in the future)" CreationDate="2013-05-31T10:56:37.357" UserId="43" />
  <row Id="283" PostId="289" Score="0" Text="Generally, I agree to the answer above. However @Obed it seems you are missing that fact that this is specifically in question to the HMRC's test to determine if one is *in business for services* or if one is *in the business of service*. [See this article from HMRC] (http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/esmmanual/esm1011.htm) and this from [Contractors UK](http://www.contractoruk.com/news/00it_contractor_genuinely_business_beats_ir35_claim.html)" CreationDate="2013-05-31T11:38:10.193" UserId="42" />
  <row Id="284" PostId="296" Score="0" Text="@codewaggle - I addressed that issue in the last two paragraphs. *Just do your research.* If no one has anything nice to say about the company or its officers, then find other work and move on. You can tell relatively quickly whether or not you can trust someone just by looking at their past behavior -- this includes corporations as well.  Also, Chris is right. It took me minutes to get my EIN. When one of my clients asked, I sent my EIN the next day.  With that said, I'll take a look at your updated question later when I get time." CreationDate="2013-05-31T13:59:57.173" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="285" PostId="303" Score="0" Text="I believe this is open to discussion. &#xA;How should I approach writing one? - No definite answer! &#xA;What should it include? - No definite answer! &#xA;What shouldn't it include? - No definite answer! &#xA;What scope/size should it be? - No definite answer!" CreationDate="2013-05-31T14:04:22.847" UserId="153" />
  <row Id="286" PostId="303" Score="3" Text="By all means. Trying to figure out good questions for this beta is hard!" CreationDate="2013-05-31T14:05:31.800" UserId="184" />
  <row Id="287" PostId="303" Score="0" Text="I know!!!!!! :)" CreationDate="2013-05-31T14:07:18.793" UserId="153" />
  <row Id="288" PostId="304" Score="1" Text="`As a stranger` as in you don't know your target market formally, or you don't know who your target market *is*?" CreationDate="2013-05-31T14:07:40.440" UserId="116" />
  <row Id="289" PostId="303" Score="1" Text="@bPratik - which kinda brings one to the conclusion that the topic may not be a good SE topic :(" CreationDate="2013-05-31T14:07:54.527" UserId="184" />
  <row Id="290" PostId="303" Score="0" Text="I already expressed that sentiment here: http://meta.freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/69/is-this-going-to-be-a-qanda-site-or-a-forum?cb=1" CreationDate="2013-05-31T14:08:32.503" UserId="153" />
  <row Id="291" PostId="303" Score="0" Text="I would like it to work, but have a feeling this is more Quora, than SE!" CreationDate="2013-05-31T14:08:54.707" UserId="153" />
  <row Id="292" PostId="303" Score="0" Text="Hope not, I thought I had lots to contribute here, but not if it will not work out." CreationDate="2013-05-31T14:10:10.830" UserId="184" />
  <row Id="293" PostId="303" Score="0" Text="I think that there are definitive answers to this question. If someone has experience of writing a business plan that has been effective for them, they can and should share those experiences. Having a number of answers like that should give someone good grounds for making decisions about how to go about writing one for themselves. Much of freelancing is subjective, but if answers are backed up by real experience they are valuable and shouldn't be discounted" CreationDate="2013-05-31T14:58:25.107" UserId="43" />
  <row Id="294" PostId="303" Score="0" Text="@levelnis - The question is whether multiple answers is something that we are OK with as part of the site definition." CreationDate="2013-05-31T15:03:36.000" UserId="184" />
  <row Id="295" PostId="303" Score="0" Text="Well, Area51 advocates that as a general approach - &quot;In a healthy site, questions receive multiple answers and the best answer is voted to the top.&quot;" CreationDate="2013-05-31T15:08:57.980" UserId="43" />
  <row Id="296" PostId="292" Score="1" Text="You should tag your question &quot;USA&quot; since it is very specific to USA. In Europe, for example, your tax id is always public if you run a company (even as self/employed)" CreationDate="2013-05-31T16:44:09.963" UserId="78" />
  <row Id="297" PostId="295" Score="1" Text="Are you sure that you have understood the requirement well? Maybe the client just wants to have a report how many hours you have worked what day, and not the proof of it. AFAIK screenshots aren't hard to fake." CreationDate="2013-05-31T16:48:07.057" UserId="78" />
  <row Id="298" PostId="265" Score="0" Text="&quot;I currently operate as a sole-trader with books showing zero profit.&quot; well at least on continent it would be (UK regulations may be however very different). In Poland, for example, every activity that is not aimed on profit is literally opted-out as company activity, so you would have to register as charity (as a company with costs but without profits you would become immediately a subject of tax authorities' prosecution which could have fatal consequences for you)" CreationDate="2013-05-31T16:52:20.727" UserId="78" />
  <row Id="299" PostId="289" Score="2" Text="@LeslieatAcmeConsultancyLtd - You seem to miss the &quot;Legalities aside&quot; focus of the question." CreationDate="2013-05-31T16:53:10.727" UserId="184" />
  <row Id="301" PostId="265" Score="0" Text="@ŁukaszLech - Interesting! See unknowns like these is something that I am worried about! Especially when they come out of something you were doing selflessly! :-/" CreationDate="2013-05-31T17:03:54.160" UserId="153" />
  <row Id="302" PostId="295" Score="0" Text="@ŁukaszLech The requirement is pretty explicit, that they want proof, because of what they've seen at oDesk." CreationDate="2013-05-31T17:04:34.413" UserId="159" />
  <row Id="303" PostId="266" Score="0" Text="What's your take on the comments below the question since you answered? :)" CreationDate="2013-05-31T17:04:38.883" UserId="153" />
  <row Id="305" PostId="266" Score="0" Text="@bPratik yes, volunteering for the charities themselves is a good way to provide services to a charity with the least amount of hassle; you'd avoid the company part, but you'd be liable for your actions and you might have less coverage." CreationDate="2013-06-01T01:48:38.900" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="306" PostId="297" Score="3" Text="This question is being discussed in meta: http://meta.freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/69/is-this-going-to-be-a-qanda-site-or-a-forum. Actually, the op asked for apps, and Chris T responded with an app, but he also went a bit deeper with an alternative suggestion, which according to [answer] is acceptable:  &quot;*The answer can be “don’t do that”, but it should also include “try this instead”.*" CreationDate="2013-06-01T02:27:59.617" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="307" PostId="297" Score="2" Text="@CamilStaps, I added an additional alternative which is closer to the original question, more discussion of specific risks.  I don't want to go into too much detail as to my specific experience and employer, but I will say this sort of thing **never** ends well." CreationDate="2013-06-01T02:59:57.330" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="308" PostId="297" Score="0" Text="@codewaggle, I added more discussion of risks so it is more backed up,  If you would like to see specifics of what I have seen happen in these cases, I would be happy to provide more information.  However, discussion of risks really needs to be a part of such an answer as this goes into very risky territory IME." CreationDate="2013-06-01T03:01:14.007" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="309" PostId="303" Score="0" Text="I think there are definite answers to this question.  However, I would recommend splitting this into several questions.  &quot;How to write a good business plan&quot; is something books can and have been written on.  The question is overly broad.  I will give a very general summary below but space is too limited to go into much detail." CreationDate="2013-06-01T03:29:11.637" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="310" PostId="297" Score="1" Text="@Oded, edited to include solutions if you absolutely must but also a lot more in terms of the actual risks involved.  I stand by my assessment that this should never be done unless you are so desperate for work that you are willing to accept the risk that any of your business data might be sent to the customer as well." CreationDate="2013-06-01T05:45:46.960" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="311" PostId="295" Score="2" Text="I just want to add (fleshed out in my answer below), this is a **really really bad idea.**  You have to figure that if you do this, **anything you do at your computer at any time** may be accidently relayed to the customer and that could include financial info, confidential info of other customers, trade secrets, etc.  **If you have any choice do not do this!**" CreationDate="2013-06-01T05:54:13.503" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="312" PostId="303" Score="0" Text="@ChrisTravers - fair enough. How would you suggest I split this up, so each part stands up by itself and is not too long?" CreationDate="2013-06-01T08:58:32.743" UserId="184" />
  <row Id="313" PostId="303" Score="0" Text="Trying to avoid questions resolvable with simple links to sites like http://www.nfib.com/business-resources/business-resources-item?cmsid=49946, here are some suggestions (will put one per comment for space reasons)" CreationDate="2013-06-01T10:15:02.233" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="314" PostId="303" Score="0" Text="1:  I am trying to write a business plan but I have never done this before.  How should I approach writing it, particularly when I am just getting started?" CreationDate="2013-06-01T10:15:56.160" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="315" PostId="303" Score="0" Text="2:  I am writing a business plan for myself (to clarify strategy, or insert other goal here).  What should the scope of the plan be?  Is there a target length I should shoot for?" CreationDate="2013-06-01T10:18:37.513" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="316" PostId="303" Score="0" Text="3.  I am writing a business plan for my self to clarify strategy.  I am into the operations plan.  How do I know how much detail to go into?" CreationDate="2013-06-01T10:21:09.867" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="317" PostId="317" Score="0" Text="(real question I had when getting started.  Going to share my answer below.  other answers welcome.)" CreationDate="2013-06-01T10:29:42.507" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="318" PostId="315" Score="3" Text="From what I know of tax law in some jurisdictions I concur.  I would add that the rules in some places are not at all straight-forward so a tax specialist may be able to tell you how to do this safely." CreationDate="2013-06-01T15:24:36.943" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="319" PostId="323" Score="0" Text="I usually see some translation projects posted by employers at different freelancing sites. not so popular though." CreationDate="2013-06-01T23:06:16.707" UserId="174" />
  <row Id="320" PostId="304" Score="0" Text="What I mean - You know your client very well from your research, and you are the one who is stranger to them." CreationDate="2013-06-02T06:46:21.463" UserId="175" />
  <row Id="321" PostId="303" Score="1" Text="Are you testing us Oded?" CreationDate="2013-06-02T11:18:52.627" UserDisplayName="user19" />
  <row Id="322" PostId="328" Score="0" Text="What sector? What types of product? What are your requirements? We're missing sufficient information here, I'm afraid." CreationDate="2013-06-02T15:07:33.687" UserDisplayName="user19" />
  <row Id="323" PostId="328" Score="0" Text="@CamilStaps did it" CreationDate="2013-06-02T15:12:10.113" UserId="194" />
  <row Id="324" PostId="328" Score="1" Text="why the close vote? can someone explain?" CreationDate="2013-06-02T15:37:59.320" UserId="194" />
  <row Id="325" PostId="316" Score="1" Text="Could someone explain why he thinks it is too localized? I would sooner expect it to be too vague and generic." CreationDate="2013-06-02T17:39:19.310" UserId="78" />
  <row Id="326" PostId="328" Score="0" Text="Hi Ali, as Camil mentioned, you should add more details to this, as the answers may very well depend on what it is that you're doing. Also, could you expand more on the &quot;freelancers group&quot;. What do you mean by this? An online forum? A professional organization? Something else?  Hope this helps!" CreationDate="2013-06-02T18:56:23.300" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="327" PostId="328" Score="0" Text="I believe people are close-voting as NARQ because &quot;good idea&quot; sounds too vague. I would suggest re-formulating your question like this: &quot;My domain is X. I have tried Y, but apparently it made problem of Z. What are key points in order to make my Y activity bring me money/reputation/contacts in a timely manner?&quot; Otherwise, the answers &quot;yes, team up&quot; and &quot;no, work alone&quot; would be equally valid." CreationDate="2013-06-02T18:59:45.533" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="328" PostId="328" Score="1" Text="Good question, but needs a little more to it, right now an answer of 'yes' should be enough. -- I think the question could be &quot;what are the benefits of ....?&quot;" CreationDate="2013-06-02T19:25:25.257" UserId="174" />
  <row Id="329" PostId="328" Score="0" Text="How about &quot;How should I decide whether to...?&quot;" CreationDate="2013-06-03T01:27:28.060" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="330" PostId="325" Score="0" Text="If you're asking a legal question, it matters *where* you do business, since laws vary by jurisdiction.  The financial aspect will also vary based on tax laws." CreationDate="2013-06-03T13:35:46.720" UserId="120" />
  <row Id="331" PostId="349" Score="4" Text="Depends on your country and the country of your client. Could you add that information?" CreationDate="2013-06-03T16:40:53.583" UserDisplayName="user19" />
  <row Id="332" PostId="349" Score="0" Text="Let's assume that I'm in Ireland and the client is in the US. But I'm really looking for more general information. Of course, any pointers to resources that mention specific requirements for specific countries would be great, too!" CreationDate="2013-06-03T16:42:51.290" UserId="157" />
  <row Id="333" PostId="349" Score="2" Text="There is no general answer to your question." CreationDate="2013-06-03T16:50:06.097" UserId="78" />
  <row Id="335" PostId="296" Score="0" Text="Hi codewaggle, I just added more information here. Hope this helps! :)" CreationDate="2013-06-04T05:48:04.883" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="336" PostId="349" Score="0" Text="I actually think there is good information possible and that this is not a bad question.  While there are some regional variations (and at times really odd ones) the basic information on an invoice follows pretty obviously from its function." CreationDate="2013-06-04T12:00:59.123" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="337" PostId="360" Score="0" Text="I disagree with the assessment *&quot;you're doomed&quot;*.  This isn't the end of the world.  Stuff happens, and tax authorities will be happy to see more revenue declared.  If it were a missing receipt for a major *expense*, they would be more likely to challenge a deduction." CreationDate="2013-06-04T14:46:54.963" UserId="120" />
  <row Id="338" PostId="360" Score="0" Text="@ChrisW.Rea yes, that was too hard expressed." CreationDate="2013-06-04T14:48:01.467" UserDisplayName="user19" />
  <row Id="340" PostId="349" Score="0" Text="-1.  I think these kinds of questions *should* include a location.  For instance, in Canada, if you are registered for GST/HST and providing services subject to it, then you **must** put your GST/HST number on your invoice and you must add GST/HST to the amount invoiced.  I would expect something similar in any country with VAT. etc.  Some jurisdictions may require information about your license to practice, etc. This kind of question *certainly* varies with respect to country." CreationDate="2013-06-04T14:51:38.907" UserId="120" />
  <row Id="341" PostId="349" Score="2" Text="@ChrisTravers Without the region-specific information, the answer is at best incomplete, at worse wrong for anybody in a jurisdiction requiring additional information beyond the lowest common denominator. We should encourage questions that have correct specific answers." CreationDate="2013-06-04T14:55:03.220" UserId="120" />
  <row Id="342" PostId="345" Score="1" Text="For what it's worth, I guarantee this question is on-topic at the [Personal Finance &amp; Money Stack Exchange](http://money.stackexchange.com)." CreationDate="2013-06-04T14:57:12.467" UserId="120" />
  <row Id="343" PostId="344" Score="2" Text="It's good that you're planning! You might want to take a look at this question: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/126/how-can-we-prepare-for-getting-hit-by-a-bus" CreationDate="2013-06-04T15:37:57.030" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="344" PostId="347" Score="0" Text="thanks for this ... although it is not the customers I was concerened about! ;) I was thinking more along the lines of having to appoint &quot;powers of attorney&quot; or nominating an accountant ... and should this be part of my personal will .. or something company focussed? I'll clarify the question." CreationDate="2013-06-04T15:54:29.460" UserId="104" />
  <row Id="345" PostId="344" Score="1" Text="@Chris, thanks for the link. I was thinking more of the non-Customer focussed items, so I'll update the question." CreationDate="2013-06-04T15:57:58.320" UserId="104" />
  <row Id="346" PostId="345" Score="0" Text="@Chris, thanks ... and I'll look to improve the question here, and post my initial findings about Personal/SIPP/Stakeholder pensions too!" CreationDate="2013-06-04T16:12:25.167" UserId="104" />
  <row Id="347" PostId="259" Score="0" Text="Related: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/q/191/19" CreationDate="2013-06-04T17:46:32.427" UserDisplayName="user19" />
  <row Id="349" PostId="349" Score="1" Text="Still I think there is room to say &quot;this info needs to be on.  Here are general other kinds of info that needs to be on.  Additionally check with a specialist in your area for local rules&quot; which is more or less what I did with my answer.  BTW, if you were invoicing a customer in the US, I would NOT expect you would have to put your GST/HST number on the invoice since it would be irrelevant to that context (i.e. what am I supposed to do with it?  Tax is your problem, not mine), but you probably would want to just to keep things consistent." CreationDate="2013-06-05T02:42:37.677" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="350" PostId="349" Score="0" Text="@ChrisW.Rea, on the other hand, if we assume the answer for the UK is very different than it is for the US then there is no room for a general baseline answer about commonality, and even the UK answer would be incomplete because the requirements for invoices for exports to the US would be different from those to say, France (VAT is irrelevant to the US but not to France).  That approaches the idea where any any question ends up being too localized if it is perfectly complete.  Yes, there is some local variation but the basics are all in common." CreationDate="2013-06-05T02:49:28.937" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="351" PostId="349" Score="0" Text="(For example, questions like, &quot;Should I have my phone number or address on the invoice&quot; don't really depend on local rules.  The answer is yes to both.)" CreationDate="2013-06-05T02:58:52.517" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="352" PostId="361" Score="0" Text="I disagree that this is rarely a problem.  The problem with the missing invoice may be an issue for a VAT or sales tax audit." CreationDate="2013-06-05T03:06:52.513" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="353" PostId="360" Score="0" Text="Indeed, you are doomed so much you might end up in the [Domesdaeg Book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domesday_Book).  Interesting how the nexus between &quot;doom&quot; in the sense of final judgement and taxes seems to be so long-standing ;-)" CreationDate="2013-06-05T07:33:19.420" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="354" PostId="314" Score="1" Text="Which country are you in? and your customers?" CreationDate="2013-06-05T07:57:34.917" UserId="208" />
  <row Id="355" PostId="269" Score="0" Text="Of course it depends on the tax jurisdiction. Someone please create the tag 'Germany' and apply it and 'taxes'." CreationDate="2013-06-05T08:00:13.600" UserId="208" />
  <row Id="356" PostId="349" Score="0" Text="I have started up a discussion on meta on this issue: http://meta.freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/82/how-do-we-handle-questions-with-general-commonality-but-some-locally-specific-de" CreationDate="2013-06-05T08:00:38.787" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="357" PostId="269" Score="0" Text="'without being liable' for what precisely? You mean 'without creating tax liability'? (not legal liability). If so, please fix the title." CreationDate="2013-06-05T08:01:45.370" UserId="208" />
  <row Id="359" PostId="287" Score="0" Text="Which country are you in? and the clients? need to know this" CreationDate="2013-06-05T08:25:51.847" UserId="208" />
  <row Id="360" PostId="287" Score="0" Text="I'm in the UK and I can't tell you about any clients, which is part of the problem. I don't yet know whether this behaviour is impacting me negatively with potential clients or not" CreationDate="2013-06-05T08:33:14.963" UserId="43" />
  <row Id="361" PostId="188" Score="6" Text="If by '5.00/hr' you mean $5/hr, not €/£/etc. you should say so. Not everyone is based in the US." CreationDate="2013-06-05T08:34:43.517" UserId="208" />
  <row Id="362" PostId="314" Score="0" Text="@smci both in the Netherlands, but looking at the answer I don't think it's very localized." CreationDate="2013-06-05T08:35:58.897" UserDisplayName="user19" />
  <row Id="363" PostId="314" Score="0" Text="Can't understand 'more distinguishable clients =&gt; more chance on getting a better certificate from the state'. Tax certificate? or something else? How is it 'better'? What specific aim do you have in mind?" CreationDate="2013-06-05T08:39:37.787" UserId="208" />
  <row Id="364" PostId="314" Score="0" Text="@smci I didn't explain it in detail because it is of no relevance to the question, but with more different clients you get a better certificate, which makes it easier to attract clients. These certificates are things like 'profit from own company', 'employee', 'profit from other activities', ..." CreationDate="2013-06-05T09:47:43.457" UserDisplayName="user19" />
  <row Id="365" PostId="368" Score="0" Text="Whoa! That's an awesome answer!" CreationDate="2013-06-05T11:50:11.860" UserId="50" />
  <row Id="366" PostId="361" Score="1" Text="Yes, I understand, and in which case you tell the auditor: *&quot;I lost the invoice, but you'll see here I noted the approximate date, the client, and the amount, which is confirmed by my bank records.&quot;* It's **no big deal.**  Tax auditors are looking to discover **undeclared** revenue and **unpaid** taxes. As long as you include the amount in your tax calculations and pay what tax you owe, you ought to be in the clear.  Like I said, they would be more concerned and likely to disallow a tax *deduction* if you'd lost a receipt for an *expense!*" CreationDate="2013-06-05T12:48:32.610" UserId="120" />
  <row Id="367" PostId="361" Score="0" Text="It really depends on country though.  In Greece last time I checked if the auditor wanted to know, you had to track *which piece of tax-office-issued paper* a given invoice was printed on, and audits often take months.  It's not *income* that gets you in trouble but *sales which might be subject to sales tax* (and at what rate, etc).  Income implies sales, and thats the problem." CreationDate="2013-06-05T12:54:30.833" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="368" PostId="361" Score="0" Text="I certainly understand income implies sales taxes. If the OP knows the amount received, and that amount included the GST/HST, then in reverse-engineering the invoice as I suggested, he'd calculate the amount of GST/HST included in the total and account for it when remitting his GST/HST filing. FWIW, Canada (I and the OP are located here) isn't as high on ceremony. (Yet, one tracked &amp; numbered form I've come across here that is issued by our government for use by business is the Record of Employment (ROE) -- the special treatment is because it can be used to claim unemployment benefits.)" CreationDate="2013-06-05T13:16:42.813" UserId="120" />
  <row Id="370" PostId="359" Score="0" Text="I've suggested an edit that adds the country to the question and tags.  It really should have it, since taxes are a concern and taxes and regulations vary by jurisdiction." CreationDate="2013-06-05T13:23:14.580" UserId="120" />
  <row Id="371" PostId="15" Score="1" Text="This is similar to what I do, but I mainly work on smaller projects, so I can get a good idea of what is required. &quot;3 days work&quot; so I'll charge X. You can also tweak it according to how busy you are and your experience with the client :-)" CreationDate="2013-06-05T13:39:03.693" UserId="20" />
  <row Id="372" PostId="314" Score="0" Text="Camil it is entirely of relevance to the question because unless there was a serious tangible benefit to this, I wouldn't do it and risk incurring tax liability. You can reference your contributions (e.g. 'implemented X on site Y') without giving an itemized hourly billing." CreationDate="2013-06-05T15:21:04.817" UserId="208" />
  <row Id="373" PostId="314" Score="0" Text="@smci I think it's relevant to the question that it is an advantage and that I will make the judgment whether to take the risk or not. I don't ask you to make the decision, I ask you if there are any risks." CreationDate="2013-06-05T16:16:52.817" UserDisplayName="user19" />
  <row Id="374" PostId="372" Score="1" Text="How do you think to get a contract without agreeing on the price?" CreationDate="2013-06-05T19:34:18.273" UserDisplayName="user19" />
  <row Id="375" PostId="358" Score="0" Text="Could you clarify when you say &quot;charity work&quot; if you mean that you know that the consultants are doing work pro bono or if you simply mean they are doing work for charitable organizations? Some charitable organizations are very well funded and good at marketing and will pay &quot;normal&quot; rates for such work. So, it would be helpful to clarify if your question is specifically about donating your time." CreationDate="2013-06-06T02:02:07.847" UserId="225" />
  <row Id="376" PostId="364" Score="0" Text="Part of having more freedom with smaller non-profits is that they typically are not very technically savvy and do not have on-staff technical people, so they rely much more on the expertise of the consultant. If you have such expertise that can be immensely rewarding compared to working for organizations and individuals who are more technically savvy (or think they are) and tend to micromanage consultants." CreationDate="2013-06-06T02:10:11.233" UserId="225" />
  <row Id="377" PostId="358" Score="0" Text="Either donating time or offering steep discounts.  Clarifying to include that." CreationDate="2013-06-06T02:16:34.977" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="378" PostId="366" Score="0" Text="Can you note whether you charge per-hour or per-project? That could have some bearing on your approach." CreationDate="2013-06-06T02:17:26.727" UserId="225" />
  <row Id="379" PostId="314" Score="0" Text="Camil, you haven't *explained* that it is of any advantage. We're not going to just take your word for it. Why isn't a direct client reference from those clients just as good as (if not better than) a tax certificate for fictitiously-invoiced amounts? Are you claiming banks consider it better? Prospective clients (govt? private?)? Grantmakers? As to risk, obviously there's a clear risk that the tax authority may penalize you. So: why incur a clear risk for a questionable benefit which could be obtained by other more orthodox means, without the risk?" CreationDate="2013-06-06T02:18:08.570" UserId="208" />
  <row Id="380" PostId="269" Score="2" Text="From his [comment](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/269/donating-my-work-to-charitable-organizations-without-being-liable/270#comment254_290) it is clear that unor is worried about legal liability." CreationDate="2013-06-06T02:21:36.743" UserId="17" />
  <row Id="381" PostId="374" Score="2" Text="I'll note that this is an online magazine, so there won't be any copies, complimentary or otherwise, and there may not be a masthead where he's listed as editor." CreationDate="2013-06-06T03:33:56.977" UserId="35" />
  <row Id="382" PostId="366" Score="0" Text="@DavidRavetti sorry, I'm charging per-project." CreationDate="2013-06-06T05:12:49.103" UserDisplayName="user19" />
  <row Id="383" PostId="314" Score="0" Text="@smci I want to achieve something, and I ask how to and what the risks are. Now you're questioning if I should want to achieve it at all. I didn't ask that, I'll make the decision myself." CreationDate="2013-06-06T05:16:16.540" UserDisplayName="user19" />
  <row Id="384" PostId="64" Score="0" Text="You wrote *&quot;they will inevitably find bugs.&quot;* Doesn't that mean they have paid for the work *with the bugs* and not *without*? Therefore fixing bugs *after* the work has been done is new work? Isn't the professional approach to explain a customer that all software contains bugs and therefore they should *care* about maintenance?" CreationDate="2013-06-06T06:44:03.030" UserId="227" />
  <row Id="385" PostId="314" Score="0" Text="No, I questioned whether doing this would achieve the result you claim it would. In what way 'getting a better certificate from the state'? What certificate, and how is it better? Better for banks? Clients? etc." CreationDate="2013-06-06T07:16:19.733" UserId="208" />
  <row Id="386" PostId="64" Score="0" Text="@hakre This point is very good and maybe it worth asking a separate question expecting a detailed answer. In two words (it's my personal opinion), *each* software has bugs, but the client pays for *bugless* product. The problem is not in having the bugs, but in **way how/when you solve them once they are found**." CreationDate="2013-06-06T08:12:45.090" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="387" PostId="64" Score="1" Text="that is like a snake biting in it's tail: As all software has bugs, the customer can *never* order bug-free software. Or if it orders bug-free it can not expect to get it unless there *is* a maintenance plan." CreationDate="2013-06-06T08:37:41.847" UserId="227" />
  <row Id="388" PostId="382" Score="0" Text="+1 &amp; accepted for the first paragraph and the advice on managing possible changes. Thanks" CreationDate="2013-06-06T14:51:16.087" UserId="188" />
  <row Id="389" PostId="383" Score="0" Text="should migrate to productivity.SE" CreationDate="2013-06-06T16:53:25.300" UserId="194" />
  <row Id="390" PostId="383" Score="0" Text="@Ali Are you sure? I thought I asked a concise question about freelancing, related to billing, on the last line." CreationDate="2013-06-06T17:12:05.560" UserId="188" />
  <row Id="391" PostId="386" Score="0" Text="Thank you for the advice, I appreciate it.For more involved projects, I work with an agreement that retains me for the duration of a design phase (research, design, development, etc.). It allows me to charge upfront and dedicate my attention to their project.&#xA;&#xA;If they are slow to sign or pay for the next phase I just don't work on it until they are ready. But I wonder if I should send them a courtesy email that I am going to take other gigs because I cannot reserve that block of time anymore." CreationDate="2013-06-06T20:15:33.033" UserId="231" />
  <row Id="392" PostId="383" Score="1" Text="@laconbass Hmm... I'm not sure. If the crux of your question is &quot;can I bill in 25-minutes increments?&quot;, all that stuff about Pomodoro seems largely parenthetical. It's only a mildly interesting footnote to the question." CreationDate="2013-06-06T21:40:16.467" UserId="69" />
  <row Id="393" PostId="386" Score="0" Text="The way I do mine is I do a 30% up front payment for the entire project. In my proposal I break everything down into individual takes that are part of three Phases. Phase 1: Research/Design  Phase 2: Development (custom shopping carts, shirt builders etc) aka the heavy lifting  Phase 3: Details (getting all the fine details done, privacy policies, payment gateways, shipping, etc). After each phase the customer pays the amount that we agreed upon. I do of course charge more if the client made major changes during any of the phases, but I discuss that when they are making the suggestion." CreationDate="2013-06-06T23:06:21.967" UserId="232" />
  <row Id="394" PostId="383" Score="0" Text="@RobertCartaino maybe you are right and I extended too much the background situation rather than going directly to the question. I'm going to edit it, thanks for the feedback." CreationDate="2013-06-06T23:34:13.030" UserId="188" />
  <row Id="395" PostId="383" Score="1" Text="Aren't you mixing your own time arrangement and billable time? They are essentially different. As a comment, 25-minute pomodoro intervals nicely fit into 30-minute billable chunks." CreationDate="2013-06-07T02:29:09.800" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="396" PostId="386" Score="1" Text="You should always let them know you may have less availability if they don't renew.  However, it is also *a really good idea* if you can to budget your time so you can serve at least two customers at any point.  If you can promise two customers 20 hrs/wk you are in much better shape when a project finishes than you are if you have one 40 hr/wk project (if nothing else you can offer some additional hours to the other customer temporarily until you find somethin else)." CreationDate="2013-06-07T02:49:24.977" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="397" PostId="383" Score="0" Text="well, just consider 30 minute chunks as they are a * pomodoro*. Really a pomodoro has 5 minutes of not-working time. Could the key be, as i am not familiarized with the concepts, that i am mixing the time arrangement and billable time? I don't really know the difference as i am a newcomer." CreationDate="2013-06-07T02:56:57.673" UserId="188" />
  <row Id="398" PostId="392" Score="1" Text="On the plus side, they feed me well." CreationDate="2013-06-07T07:01:11.513" UserId="234" />
  <row Id="399" PostId="372" Score="0" Text="Please edit this question (title and body) to make it a single, specific question. If multiple, separate questions are needed, that's fine, too." CreationDate="2013-06-07T12:41:19.033" UserId="52" />
  <row Id="400" PostId="400" Score="0" Text="Apart from the fluctuating income, you mean?" CreationDate="2013-06-07T13:16:13.877" UserDisplayName="user19" />
  <row Id="401" PostId="400" Score="0" Text="even fluctuating income can become a problem" CreationDate="2013-06-07T13:17:46.980" UserId="194" />
  <row Id="403" PostId="334" Score="1" Text="I believe the statement &quot;the liability is limited only to the shareholders&quot; is incorrect. The liability is limited to the corporations. The shareholders are specifically protected unless there is an exceptional circumstance." CreationDate="2013-06-07T13:52:02.540" UserId="52" />
  <row Id="405" PostId="391" Score="1" Text="Nice idea! Just for note, this technique includes a 5 mins break on each time increment (the indivisible time unit called *pomodoro*). Your proposal makes sense for me, those &quot;pay back&quot; can be the compensation for the breaks that I was worrying about." CreationDate="2013-06-07T17:58:00.233" UserId="188" />
  <row Id="406" PostId="401" Score="0" Text="For major loans though, that is why banks require owners or officers to co-sign right?  Thats what really sparked the question in my mind." CreationDate="2013-06-08T08:34:15.153" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="407" PostId="401" Score="0" Text="A bank doesn't necessarily care if it's an owner or officer who co-signs. It could just be someone with enough collateral that the bank can recoup most of its losses if the business goes bankrupt. However, when a business decision maker co-signs, it makes the loan more attractive to the bank since it knows he has &quot;skin in the game&quot; and is likely to work harder to make the business succeed. Either way, the bank needs a co-signer since it knows the LLC protects personal assets if the loan is taken out in the business's name only." CreationDate="2013-06-08T11:46:04.943" UserId="52" />
  <row Id="408" PostId="401" Score="0" Text="I am just saying that when I was looking into it in the US, all banks I talked to required all officers of new LLC's to co-sign, which more or less meant limited liability wasn't much of a limitation." CreationDate="2013-06-08T12:44:22.673" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="409" PostId="392" Score="0" Text="*&quot;they keep limiting my hours even though there is plenty of work to do&quot;* --- who does the work, then? If they do it themselves or their fulltime employee does it, they get 100% markup (compared to if they'd use an outside contractor). If another contractor does it, maybe they do it for the same or even lower price? If *no-one* does it, there might be other reasons (e.g. they don't think your style fits the project etc)." CreationDate="2013-06-08T14:09:47.940" UserId="97" />
  <row Id="410" PostId="401" Score="4" Text="Co-signing means you are personally liable to pay back what the bank loaned you, but you still are protected against claims from other parties." CreationDate="2013-06-08T14:29:09.490" UserId="52" />
  <row Id="412" PostId="419" Score="1" Text="Thank you. I appreciate the thoughtfulness in your answer. You are very eloquent." CreationDate="2013-06-09T00:55:50.780" UserId="254" />
  <row Id="413" PostId="319" Score="2" Text="That you're a beginner in freelancing doesn't mean you're a beginner in webdevelopment. Perhaps you have some things you made for your education you can show? Also, if you have your own website, that's the first portfolio item :)" CreationDate="2013-06-09T12:56:57.807" UserDisplayName="user19" />
  <row Id="414" PostId="426" Score="0" Text="Thank you for the excellent, comprehensive, well-written advice!  I posted this question after I had tried to find the relevant legal texts in CafePress some time ago, and I failed to find a clear answer.  However, after reading your response, I checked again, and found this: http://www.cafepress.com/cp/info/help/index.aspx?page=tos.aspx#43" CreationDate="2013-06-09T16:58:34.510" UserId="261" />
  <row Id="415" PostId="426" Score="0" Text="These words have me scratching my head (b/c of the “retain ownership” and “hereby grant…” clauses): *“You will retain ownership of the Content that you upload to the Website. You hereby grant to CafePress a royalty-free, worldwide, transferable, nonexclusive, right and license to use such Content, in all media existing now or created in the future, as CafePress deems necessary to enable you to use the Create &amp; Buy Service to create, produce and purchase Products.”*  Part of thinks those are necessary in order for them to sell my art on paraphernalia; part of me worries it could be abused." CreationDate="2013-06-09T17:01:47.620" UserId="261" />
  <row Id="416" PostId="426" Score="0" Text="Could you help me sort out the reasonable from the unreasonable in this, @Camil?" CreationDate="2013-06-09T17:03:00.233" UserId="261" />
  <row Id="417" PostId="426" Score="1" Text="@Zearin what they say there is that you give them the right to use your content in order for them to give you the services you need (i.e. the Create &amp; Buy Service). If you must be sure, I think the best thing is to contact a lawyer." CreationDate="2013-06-09T17:11:43.070" UserDisplayName="user19" />
  <row Id="419" PostId="426" Score="0" Text="Sorry I can't be of more assistance :(" CreationDate="2013-06-09T19:47:09.347" UserDisplayName="user19" />
  <row Id="420" PostId="421" Score="0" Text="This is a great answer, but one that does not completely fit my situation. In my scenario, I am the silent developer - as far as the end-client is concerned, I don't even exist. My &quot;client&quot; is the design company. What are your thoughts there?" CreationDate="2013-06-10T02:06:52.207" UserId="254" />
  <row Id="421" PostId="421" Score="2" Text="Ah, definitely tell them you have some usability thoughts about the site, and you'd like to discuss them with them.  Usability *is* in your project scope if you are doing the back-end.  But again be respectful.  Same rules apply generally.  You don't want to tell your customer that they are incompetent ;-)" CreationDate="2013-06-10T04:40:14.733" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="422" PostId="397" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the answer, this was one of the first projects (big projects) without real deadlines and with no contract. It is all based on the trust of a handshake and we know each other good enough to trust each other. I will send him a mail with an explanation,the bill and make an appointment to make sure that he wont cancel the whole project for some reason. And with a pay date of 2 weeks. I really hope that it wont get nasty with the payment." CreationDate="2013-06-10T06:54:52.287" UserId="213" />
  <row Id="423" PostId="394" Score="0" Text="True, the first fault was from me, not to make a contract. The 4 points are very use full for me in the future to use. because this was one of my first big projects i trusted the person on a hand shake. Now i need to contact him again and send him a invoice. Not the whole price, but a part. Thanks for the advise." CreationDate="2013-06-10T06:57:49.970" UserId="213" />
  <row Id="424" PostId="3" Score="3" Text="Although I too don't follow the principle very strictly myself sometimes, I would really recomment you check out the following article on [The Magic of Doing One Thing at a Time](http://blogs.hbr.org/schwartz/2012/03/the-magic-of-doing-one-thing-a.html). Skipping from task to task is a huge time-waster due to the time needed to regain focus every time you switch tasks." CreationDate="2013-06-11T13:53:13.780" UserId="121" />
  <row Id="425" PostId="373" Score="1" Text="I don't know how things are in your country, but accountants usually don't charge much for consulting, so I suggest you hire one and save yourself the headache. Accounting and taxes are just too much of a pain and the potential consequences of not making a mistake are quite high. You should focus on your core business (freelancing) instead." CreationDate="2013-06-11T14:00:50.273" UserId="121" />
  <row Id="426" PostId="393" Score="0" Text="Usually, delivering a product is not always applicable - e.g. for consulting. In any case, discuss it with the client as others suggested." CreationDate="2013-06-11T14:42:59.017" UserId="121" />
  <row Id="427" PostId="358" Score="0" Text="In the past I have found that charity work was very useful for networking and further building professional relationships." CreationDate="2013-06-08T22:03:07.573" UserId="255" />
  <row Id="428" PostId="437" Score="0" Text="Great example regarding [liability](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/q/269/100), thank you. But I wonder: How could a contract have helped in this case? When you wrote this script, you already accepted the work, so a contract would have been already signed. Would you have set up another contract to confirm that they really want to run the script untested? Wouldn’t it have been sufficient to send them this warning per email?" CreationDate="2013-06-12T00:41:05.197" UserId="100" />
  <row Id="429" PostId="269" Score="0" Text="@smci: I mean legal liability. [Mene gives a nice example](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/a/437/100)." CreationDate="2013-06-12T00:42:27.720" UserId="100" />
  <row Id="430" PostId="437" Score="1" Text="In my recent contracts is a clause that I cannot be hold liable at all unless I act negligent (I hope the word is correct, I mean very careless). This would also be the default for an employee in Germany. And yes in this case I would have requested a document signed off by the management clearly stating that I don't agree with having this barley tested script running on a production server nor agree to have it run on the same machine as the webserver and database." CreationDate="2013-06-12T11:07:34.337" UserId="281" />
  <row Id="431" PostId="437" Score="0" Text="Regarding emails: They don't count as proof in court. It may be regarded as evidence at best because emails are very easy to fake. That's the situation in Germany at least. Things change when they are digitally signed, but even then courts may require you to use a professional certificate for that. Depends on the case. But I'm no lawyer and paper is currently the most reliable form of document." CreationDate="2013-06-12T11:11:48.477" UserId="281" />
  <row Id="432" PostId="443" Score="0" Text="To avoid the complexities you describe (excellently) in point 2, I was assuming that the quality was just as good or better than my own quality and that no checking was needed (as the case would be for a therapist (i.e. psychologist), who hired another therapist to treat a some clients in 1-on-1 sessions)." CreationDate="2013-06-12T11:44:22.233" UserId="164" />
  <row Id="433" PostId="443" Score="1" Text="I understand - you can call me paranoid, but I would include some &quot;testing&quot; even in such situation. I just dont like nasty surprises because I expected something and didnt make sure..." CreationDate="2013-06-12T11:51:24.837" UserId="102" />
  <row Id="435" PostId="448" Score="0" Text="As it happens, my first client is the law firm that's helping me with the LLC paperwork lol.  Thanks for the response.  I guess I'm not surprised, as much wishful thinking as anything else :)" CreationDate="2013-06-12T18:35:39.023" UserId="295" />
  <row Id="436" PostId="450" Score="0" Text="Thanks for responding. I spent some time on the phone with a recruiter yesterday asking about the &quot;corp-to-corp&quot; arrangement and what that looks like. It sounds interesting, especially if I have developers working under me that I can staff up and provide to the recruiting agency, with me as the &quot;one wringable neck.&quot; That seems like it might be the way to go with recruiters.&#xA;&#xA;When you say that the email from the headhunter will most likely contain a phone number, do you mean the headhunter's phone number or their clients?" CreationDate="2013-06-13T14:14:35.433" UserDisplayName="user10" />
  <row Id="437" PostId="450" Score="0" Text="I definitely meant theirs (headhunters). I dont believe someone would give you the opportunity to cut out the middleman on a silver plate (not mentioning it is not ethical)..." CreationDate="2013-06-13T14:45:39.240" UserId="102" />
  <row Id="438" PostId="450" Score="0" Text="Right, right. Just making sure." CreationDate="2013-06-13T16:31:11.607" UserDisplayName="user10" />
  <row Id="439" PostId="410" Score="0" Text="I think I factored in their costs when I said it takes 15% of their time. They have some apparently high fixed business costs which would exist whether or not I am doing work for them. I use their equipment but I could use my own, again they would have that equipment (a computer and Wacom tablet and accoutrements) whether or not I come in to work. There work comes in by referral. I think the only thing it really costs them, for the design aspect of their work, which I focus on, is the time it takes to deal with me and the clients. Maybe I am limiting my view too much..." CreationDate="2013-06-14T22:49:28.327" UserId="234" />
  <row Id="440" PostId="410" Score="0" Text="But I am just wondering if this situation is normal or if they are inefficient with their business or if they are &quot;exploiting&quot; me. But then if they were making tons of money off me I don't know why they would limit my hours." CreationDate="2013-06-14T22:51:10.443" UserId="234" />
  <row Id="441" PostId="435" Score="0" Text="Thanks, it makes sense what you are saying about their brand and reliability. I'm just wondering why their markup is apparently so high. From my research I would think that 100% markup should be plenty and a graphic designer of my experience should get paid more. I really just want to get a feel for what is normal." CreationDate="2013-06-14T22:57:25.833" UserId="234" />
  <row Id="442" PostId="410" Score="1" Text="This is normal... for example it is not unusual for Big Consultancy to charge out contractors at many-multiples of the contractor's rate" CreationDate="2013-06-15T05:32:40.867" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="443" PostId="445" Score="0" Text="I think we are talking about the same thing, whether we are talking about how much my time is worth or how much it costs. You have a few good factors to consider, but what I am really after is a way to figure out what my time is worth. You take a short-cut in that thought process by writing &quot;It really comes down to how much you think your time is worth...&quot;. How do I get to the 80$ per hour. Why shouldn't it be 120$ or just 40$?" CreationDate="2013-06-15T12:53:49.730" UserId="164" />
  <row Id="444" PostId="445" Score="2" Text="@David - I've always based in on my success rate.  If I'm charging $80 an hour and getting more clients than I can handle (and still keep the business running) then I up my rates.  If I'm not getting enough, I lower them.  Market forces will tell you best." CreationDate="2013-06-15T14:16:48.650" UserId="77" />
  <row Id="445" PostId="383" Score="0" Text="@laconbass Sorry, missed your comment. You, I really think you are mixing them. The idea is that during those 5 minutes of break you are **not** doing nothing. Even during a coffee break, you are inevitably thinking on what you've been doing recently ans what you're planning to do on next pomodoro. Hence, due to a more thoughtful way of working, during a 25-minute chunk you are actually producing a *greater result* than an average person who has no 5-minute breaks." CreationDate="2013-06-17T04:28:15.050" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="447" PostId="457" Score="4" Text="You aren't his sysadmin, though, so I'd not really say you're at all responsible for any of the cleanup for a defacement/hack." CreationDate="2013-06-17T23:10:39.763" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="448" PostId="461" Score="3" Text="It seems to me that you are talking about states within USA, but you should clarify that out. The rules will be quite different for US &quot;states&quot; and &quot;states&quot; within European Union for example." CreationDate="2013-06-19T07:53:05.447" UserId="102" />
  <row Id="449" PostId="461" Score="1" Text="What is it that you're asking, exactly?" CreationDate="2013-06-19T11:05:05.853" UserId="97" />
  <row Id="450" PostId="461" Score="0" Text="Good point. States within the US." CreationDate="2013-06-19T12:00:34.183" UserId="358" />
  <row Id="453" PostId="462" Score="0" Text="@robert - I understand your concern, thanks, but I do not agree with the edit. I have perfectly good reasons to cross-post and promote another question for the widest choice of answers. Is there a guideline that prohibits me from doing so? If not, I wish to roll back the edit please." CreationDate="2013-06-19T14:06:26.050" UserId="153" />
  <row Id="454" PostId="462" Score="0" Text="this might help RE cross-posting: http://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/64068/is-cross-posting-a-question-on-multiple-stack-exchange-sites-permitted-if-the-qu" CreationDate="2013-06-19T14:12:35.140" UserId="43" />
  <row Id="455" PostId="462" Score="0" Text="@levelnis - tl;dr - I'll read it after work though. Thanks! But the cross post in my question was to a post on Quora, which was open to forum'esque answers, which are not welcome on StackOverflow. Does your link specifically target this situation?" CreationDate="2013-06-19T14:14:30.703" UserId="153" />
  <row Id="456" PostId="462" Score="0" Text="No, it's specifically regarding cross-posting on Stack Exchange sites but I think that the premise would still stand, which is why the mod removed the cross-posting part of your question. I think it would be OK to post that question on the forum as well, just not to advertise that fact within your question here, because it isn't relevant to getting an answer." CreationDate="2013-06-19T14:18:41.833" UserId="43" />
  <row Id="457" PostId="462" Score="0" Text="@levelnis - Your comment helps better than an edit with none! I can however have it as a comment, no? :) I just feel, given time, that will be a good resource for someone new, which still staying within SO guidelines!" CreationDate="2013-06-19T14:23:23.670" UserId="153" />
  <row Id="458" PostId="462" Score="0" Text="Promoting questions posted elsewhere is not the purpose of this site and it was edited out (along with the request to fix the comments) because it was largely irrelevant to the crux of your question. These questions exist to help those who come after, and splitting the conversation across multiple services doesn't make sense. The fact that your link leads to content not publicly available without an account only exasperates the issue." CreationDate="2013-06-19T14:23:25.760" UserId="69" />
  <row Id="459" PostId="462" Score="0" Text="@RobertCartaino - &quot;content not publicly available without an account&quot;? The content is freely available. It only prompts you to sign in, but can be ignored." CreationDate="2013-06-19T14:25:18.067" UserId="153" />
  <row Id="460" PostId="462" Score="0" Text="@RobertCartaino - I agree with the tags request, that was wrong. I am also happy to remove the cross post from the question and add it as a comment, since I think it IS very relevant. I however feel Levelnis has done a better job at explaining than you. No offence." CreationDate="2013-06-19T14:27:31.420" UserId="153" />
  <row Id="461" PostId="462" Score="0" Text="No it can't. Quora now requires you to sign in to see the answers. But that's largely irrelevant and only an interesting footnote to the larger issue of cross-posting as a function of getting the best possible answer. Please don't do it." CreationDate="2013-06-19T14:28:01.467" UserId="69" />
  <row Id="462" PostId="462" Score="0" Text="@RobertCartaino - Quora Login - I tried it before I challenged your assertion. I am still free enough to add it in as a comment. Or is that expressly forbidden as well?" CreationDate="2013-06-19T14:31:10.353" UserId="153" />
  <row Id="463" PostId="463" Score="0" Text="Ah, I like your answer :)" CreationDate="2013-06-19T14:32:48.783" UserId="153" />
  <row Id="464" PostId="462" Score="0" Text="Not sure if `pimp` is the best word choice here." CreationDate="2013-06-19T14:33:53.567" UserId="139" />
  <row Id="465" PostId="463" Score="0" Text="Thank you :) Hopefully it isnt too broad, I wanted to provide answer that will be as close to  &quot;universaly applicable&quot; as possible while still having concrete steps that can be taken..." CreationDate="2013-06-19T14:35:57.050" UserId="102" />
  <row Id="466" PostId="462" Score="0" Text="@Garreh - `to pimp` can also be stretched to `to advertise` :)" CreationDate="2013-06-19T14:36:20.827" UserId="153" />
  <row Id="467" PostId="462" Score="1" Text="That's not the purpose of comments either, but go for it. I'll let the community decide what to do with it (if anything) from here." CreationDate="2013-06-19T14:46:51.890" UserId="69" />
  <row Id="473" PostId="466" Score="3" Text="Don't forget the risk of potentially being accused for hacking the site just so you can 'charge a maintenance fee'. Whether you decline or not, with some customers, you can't win." CreationDate="2013-06-20T18:58:03.553" UserId="116" />
  <row Id="474" PostId="466" Score="5" Text="@MDMoore313 - If it comes to that, the client was probably not worth it!" CreationDate="2013-06-20T23:52:33.067" UserId="153" />
  <row Id="475" PostId="461" Score="0" Text="No vote yet, but I'm struggling to see how this will not be flagged as &quot;Too Localised&quot;... surely the question will depend on which US State you are in, and the local laws, and probably Federal law too?" CreationDate="2013-06-24T15:41:09.660" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="476" PostId="461" Score="0" Text="I wouldn't say it's too localized, since it's U.S. federal law we're talking about, not state law. But my question wasn't about how the law is written, but rather how well it's enforced." CreationDate="2013-06-24T18:10:36.297" UserId="358" />
  <row Id="477" PostId="461" Score="0" Text="Actually it is like federal law but not really.  Instead it is about state court jurisdiction.  It *might* be off-topic.  It *is probably* worth talking with a lawyer." CreationDate="2013-06-25T02:13:56.897" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="478" PostId="472" Score="0" Text="Thank you for your answer. And some good general info (so +1). But it doesn't apply in my case too much. I'm using small claims, so no lawyer. I do have a contract and my case is pretty solid (though not a slam dunk). I don't have money to pay rent, but they owe my over $5K. My biggest question is if a judge will allow me to sue in my state. That part is iffy. Black &amp; white it meets the criteria to do so, but I'm not sure if the judge will see things the same as I do." CreationDate="2013-06-25T04:17:00.733" UserId="358" />
  <row Id="479" PostId="461" Score="0" Text="A lawyer would be great to talk to, but I just don't have the money. At all. So I'm stuck doing my own research. Was hoping I would find someone that's done it before." CreationDate="2013-06-25T06:12:26.747" UserId="358" />
  <row Id="480" PostId="461" Score="1" Text="While I feel your pain, Tom.  In the UK the Small Claims Court is quite helpful, so maybe the first approach is talk to the Court office?" CreationDate="2013-06-25T08:10:30.807" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="481" PostId="461" Score="0" Text="I was actually there yesterday, and got 4 different answers from 4 different people. :-( None of them saying I can't do it, but varying opinions on if it will hold up. At this point, I think I will go ahead and file it and try to defend against them trying to dismiss it because of venue (as I'm sure they will). Hopefully someone else has some more info on it before then. +1 for a good suggestion though." CreationDate="2013-06-25T17:39:47.527" UserId="358" />
  <row Id="482" PostId="472" Score="0" Text="Does your contract specify choice of laws/venue?  Additionally if it is small claims, you want to make sure small claims has jurisdiction over the defendant.  I don't know if you can sue a corporation in small claims court since a corporation cannot represent itself." CreationDate="2013-06-26T02:14:20.320" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="483" PostId="472" Score="2" Text="(Even if you are representing yourself, it is a *good idea* to discuss these issues with a lawyer before you get surprised in court.)" CreationDate="2013-06-26T02:14:53.307" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="484" PostId="472" Score="0" Text="Yes, you can sue a corporation. They have a choice to send a lawyer and/or one of their officers. And I agree it's a very good idea to talk to a lawyer. I just don't have the money. But I do remember a non-profit called Legal Aid that would give advice. I'll check that out. (+1 on the comment for bugging me about a lawyer, and making me remember about Legal Aid)." CreationDate="2013-06-26T06:03:47.323" UserId="358" />
  <row Id="485" PostId="474" Score="3" Text="However, the very definition of a contract is a formal, written agreement between parties, so of course it makes you formal." CreationDate="2013-06-26T09:32:52.210" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="486" PostId="478" Score="1" Text="What you say is very true @jmort253 - client behaviour during the bidding phase is a good indication of things to come. On the other hand, from a client perspective, they do not care what your other commitments are - when you are working for them, they want you working for them 100%" CreationDate="2013-06-27T05:57:27.690" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="487" PostId="478" Score="1" Text="Good point, @Andrew, so essentially this process helps weed out incompatible business relationships on both ends, whether it be the client or freelancer perceiving it as not being a good fit. It's definitely good to set expectations early on both ends." CreationDate="2013-06-27T05:59:10.783" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="488" PostId="478" Score="1" Text="Agreed... it is better to not &quot;win&quot; an unmanageable client, than have to deal with impossible expectations. Bad clients are as bad as (or maybe even worse than) bad suppliers ;-)" CreationDate="2013-06-27T06:02:16.990" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="489" PostId="358" Score="0" Text="This answer has info about where to find non-profits that are looking for website help: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/a/471/159" CreationDate="2013-06-27T17:01:35.157" UserId="159" />
  <row Id="490" PostId="323" Score="0" Text="This question appears to be off-topic because it is about how to find translation services. Just because a question might mention freelancing or be asked by a freelancer doesn't necessarily make it a question *about* freelancing. Hope this helps! :)" CreationDate="2013-06-28T03:23:24.100" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="491" PostId="479" Score="4" Text="Do you have a written contractual agreement with your client that outlines how disputes are resolved, how payments should be sent, and how payment disputes should be handled?" CreationDate="2013-06-29T21:22:59.480" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="494" PostId="479" Score="0" Text="Nope! And I would like some advice on how to make something of the sort at this point when there is already a dispute." CreationDate="2013-06-30T02:46:51.800" UserId="426" />
  <row Id="496" PostId="349" Score="0" Text="I'll let the community decide on this one. As it stands right now, I feel it is very open and opinion based, but I feel the OP can improve it, asking for something a little more specific, maybe adding what country(ies) s/he is doing business in" CreationDate="2013-07-06T03:31:29.913" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="497" PostId="400" Score="0" Text="This is a very open question, and could have pages and pages of answers. Can you try to make it more specific so this can be answered more easily?" CreationDate="2013-07-06T03:34:06.530" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="499" PostId="488" Score="0" Text="Hi Tom, welcome to the new Freelancing SE Beta. Thanks for taking the time to write a great first post! :)" CreationDate="2013-07-09T02:55:03.970" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="500" PostId="489" Score="0" Text="Hi Peter, I edited this to make it sound less like a poll. It's okay to ask for solutions, but try to avoid asking in a way that makes it sound like you want people to just simply list their favorite app. Hope this helps! :)" CreationDate="2013-07-09T22:55:34.467" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="503" PostId="490" Score="0" Text="You should consider changing this from a bunch of service comparisons to a list of what works best in these services and what the OP (and other readers) should be looking for. I do like Trello, though; it's free, and the CEO of the company is [Joel Spolsky](https://twitter.com/spolsky)" CreationDate="2013-07-10T16:55:29.027" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="504" PostId="491" Score="1" Text="Sorry for that; bit rough around the edges. Your answer is perilously close to a link-only answer, however, so could you [edit] it and explain how it addresses the question more? Also, note that the question itself has been edited slightly." CreationDate="2013-07-10T23:38:48.773" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="505" PostId="489" Score="0" Text="I added a post notice to this that has a link to the Stack Exchange blog post, Good Subjective, Bad Subjective. It lists 6 guidelines that make a good subjective question. I encourage those answering to think about these points when composing their answer, as it's those guidelines that will help our site succeed in quality. Hope this helps! :)" CreationDate="2013-07-11T04:08:52.043" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="506" PostId="489" Score="0" Text="We were also discussing this post in [our Freelancing chat room](http://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/8874/freelancing)." CreationDate="2013-07-11T04:18:29.290" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="507" PostId="491" Score="0" Text="I've expanded on the answer a fair bit now. Apologies." CreationDate="2013-07-11T09:43:51.243" UserId="477" />
  <row Id="508" PostId="491" Score="0" Text="@user319940 - Nice edits! BTW, we discuss questions and answers for our new site in our [Freelancing chat room](http://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/8874/freelancing). You're more than welcome to join in. :)" CreationDate="2013-07-11T13:59:52.430" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="509" PostId="496" Score="2" Text="Do you charge for the 10-20 hour engagement, if so, how did the negotiation process work?" CreationDate="2013-07-13T21:28:30.863" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="510" PostId="496" Score="3" Text="I do. We either define a project fee for the engagement for which a deliverable is defined, or define an hourly rate to create the deliverable. Once the document has been delivered, it is then referenced when creating an overall project bid/quote." CreationDate="2013-07-13T21:34:57.107" UserId="70" />
  <row Id="511" PostId="500" Score="0" Text="Working on-site isn't really an option for me, but it's a good suggestion for those who can." CreationDate="2013-07-14T20:32:52.393" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="513" PostId="505" Score="3" Text="Hey Evan, thanks for sharing your experience. To make this sound slightly less discussion-oriented, I edited your post and made it more clear in the first paragraph what your answer to the problem was. Hope this helps! :)" CreationDate="2013-07-16T02:09:25.683" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="514" PostId="496" Score="1" Text="Yes always charge if the result will be a document which can be used by some else. It is called &quot;project specs file&quot; and you should be paid for it." CreationDate="2013-07-16T08:38:59.733" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="515" PostId="254" Score="1" Text="@ChrisTravers Isn't 50-100% too much? I am not saying that you are wrong, but how do you make them understand this? How do you make yourself competitive? If I put the buffer of 50%, then I would not be competitive any more." CreationDate="2013-07-16T08:59:34.373" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="516" PostId="53" Score="9" Text="an upvote for &quot;put the additional hours on the invoice and mark them as discounted 100%&quot;. I never thought of this." CreationDate="2013-07-16T09:02:05.150" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="517" PostId="79" Score="2" Text="Great tips. But it seems to me you are spending too much time estimating the project. Do you do such low-level estimation in each project or just into those you are sure you will win? Most days I get at least 5 requests for estimation, and working your way, I would spend 3 hours at least estimating projects. And we all know that not all clients are serious :)." CreationDate="2013-07-16T09:05:30.760" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="518" PostId="512" Score="0" Text="This sentence sounds cool &quot;The key here is that the extra work is because of functionality requested by the client and not because you underestimated the original scope.&quot; Can you explain it a bit more?" CreationDate="2013-07-16T09:44:44.110" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="519" PostId="512" Score="1" Text="Sure - it's simply that it's because the client has thrown something extra in that they'd forgotten about or asked you to make extra changes that are quite time consuming and would change the original scope a lot, rather than the fact that you didn't spot that something was going to be very time consuming (because you are unfamiliar with delivering functionality like that, it's actually quite complex and not as simple as it looked or whatever) and thus you gave a low estimate instead of a realistic one. It's much harder to justify asking for more money because you got your estimate wrong." CreationDate="2013-07-16T10:25:51.203" UserId="43" />
  <row Id="521" PostId="512" Score="0" Text="Yes. But there are very few cases when the client oversaw something :). Most of times we, contractors, were unable to predict the real costs of some feature. Thanks" CreationDate="2013-07-16T11:01:56.477" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="522" PostId="516" Score="0" Text="Hey man, have a heart :). R&amp;D? T&amp;E?" CreationDate="2013-07-16T16:19:41.890" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="523" PostId="516" Score="0" Text="Yes, onsite is much easier. But very few of us have clients so close that we can travel onsite." CreationDate="2013-07-16T16:20:09.017" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="524" PostId="518" Score="2" Text="Welcome Rafael.  This answer is a bit brief... coudl you expand in each point?" CreationDate="2013-07-16T18:33:35.257" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="525" PostId="516" Score="0" Text="My experience is in embedded systems, where there may be two but probably only one prototype in exisistence, and I and the staff engineers will be sharing it. That's probably peculiar to my industry; Otherwise, I see no reason why those interviews, question/answer sessions, hand-holding the client, bouncing ideas around, etc., couldn't be done just as well electronically." CreationDate="2013-07-16T18:34:59.517" UserId="514" />
  <row Id="526" PostId="79" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV These are generally projects I am 99.9% sure I will take. If one spends only 3 to 5 hours estimating, I suggest overestimating instead of trying to be exact." CreationDate="2013-07-16T19:30:45.330" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="527" PostId="517" Score="2" Text="Many of the clients I've seen have used a phone non-stop for the last 10 years, so that could be part of the reason they insist." CreationDate="2013-07-16T19:31:46.743" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="528" PostId="504" Score="0" Text="As above... where?" CreationDate="2013-07-16T19:38:57.820" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="529" PostId="504" Score="1" Text="Woops, edited :)." CreationDate="2013-07-16T22:53:55.810" UserId="477" />
  <row Id="530" PostId="521" Score="1" Text="The funny thing is that I am so good and persuasive in writing and somehow too &quot;lazy&quot; when talking via phone. I guess I have to change that." CreationDate="2013-07-17T07:47:21.373" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="531" PostId="518" Score="1" Text="@Andrew I updated my answer." CreationDate="2013-07-17T08:25:18.683" UserDisplayName="user521" />
  <row Id="534" PostId="506" Score="1" Text="This is a beautiful answer" CreationDate="2013-07-17T14:59:25.683" UserId="525" />
  <row Id="535" PostId="528" Score="8" Text="That is a question for a lawyer - you need to examine your contract to see if it claims all your time _exclusively_ or not." CreationDate="2013-07-18T08:32:38.860" UserId="184" />
  <row Id="537" PostId="533" Score="0" Text="Do you happen to know where I could ask the permission ?" CreationDate="2013-07-18T14:23:51.667" UserId="533" />
  <row Id="542" PostId="529" Score="1" Text="Now company wants password of my personal &amp; freelancing  account &amp; they wants to change my mail-id to their mail-id &amp; they want to observe it for 2-3 months. even also they are not providing me termination letter .only verbly they terminated me." CreationDate="2013-07-19T04:07:51.543" UserId="530" />
  <row Id="543" PostId="529" Score="0" Text="i want termination letter but they are asking me for password otherwise they dont wants to give me termination letter &amp; also dont wants to continue me" CreationDate="2013-07-19T04:14:30.137" UserId="530" />
  <row Id="544" PostId="533" Score="0" Text="I found this link: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/legal/intellectualproperty/Permissions/default.aspx - I dont know if everything you need is there, but it could help you. There is a ton of information on conditions for using their copyrighted material" CreationDate="2013-07-19T09:43:54.613" UserId="102" />
  <row Id="545" PostId="533" Score="0" Text="I have seen that, the answer seems to be yes for both logos and screens !" CreationDate="2013-07-19T09:46:38.057" UserId="533" />
  <row Id="550" PostId="454" Score="1" Text="You might like to check out [Local Guiding](http://www.localguiding.com/)." CreationDate="2013-07-19T15:07:01.503" UserDisplayName="user510" />
  <row Id="551" PostId="529" Score="6" Text="Asking passwords is DEFINITELY not legal!!! You can do 2 things: contact your lawyer asap (today) or give them login credentials. If you haven't done any work indeed then it will reassure them. But WHATEVER you do, do it in written. Be ready to have traces. If your boss is asking you this orally, then send it to him via email. But do not do anything without traces. Since they asked you passwords, I guess they don't mean to fire you seriously." CreationDate="2013-07-19T16:08:56.567" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="552" PostId="537" Score="0" Text="Andrew, you mentioned &quot;Restraint of Trade&quot; in the UK. I am not in the UK, but doesn't this or similar rule allows employers to forbid you working in the same field for X number of months?" CreationDate="2013-07-19T16:10:30.547" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="553" PostId="537" Score="0" Text="Yes, it is also important where you are. I would say some 3rd world country since your boss behaves like this." CreationDate="2013-07-19T16:19:36.050" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="554" PostId="539" Score="0" Text="The same is here. Do you have long-term clients? If yes, did you eventually have to talk to them?" CreationDate="2013-07-19T16:31:56.300" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="555" PostId="537" Score="1" Text="PeterMV - there is plenty of Case Law that throws out such restrictions... employers keep including them in contracts, but in most cases they are unenforceable" CreationDate="2013-07-19T20:13:02.500" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="556" PostId="506" Score="1" Text="+1 for smart thinking" CreationDate="2013-07-19T23:52:06.213" UserId="541" />
  <row Id="557" PostId="539" Score="0" Text="While this is true, don't forget you are providing a service to the client - if they do feel you are not, or are not capable of, providing that service, you will not get the gig." CreationDate="2013-07-20T07:06:38.957" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="558" PostId="539" Score="1" Text="@PeterMV Varies hugely, some long term clients I've never spoken to at all, others usually want to chat to me at the start of each project (even just to see if I'm available or interested). In all honesty I don't think there's a single rule for how to do this - it's very much down to your own personality, the client's and generally whether you get on with each other." CreationDate="2013-07-20T09:02:17.900" UserId="485" />
  <row Id="560" PostId="535" Score="0" Text="Hi netsetter, welcome to Freelancing SE, the Q&amp;A site for Freelancing problems. I'm not 100% sure this addresses the problem the asker is facing. Can anyone working for a company open a freelancing account and can one be terminated for this?  Taxes isn't really part of the question, so I encourage you to [edit] and clarify on the points in the question. Hope this helps, and welcome to our community! :)" CreationDate="2013-07-20T17:55:07.937" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="561" PostId="535" Score="0" Text="@jmort253: Well, even taxes are not part of the question, I noted it as second step since the question was also about &quot;if it is legal&quot;, so even the boss will allow this, depending on the country you work in and the amount of money you will receive, there might be this second step which people often forget and could result in unwanted trouble. That's the reason I answered more than asked in this case." CreationDate="2013-07-20T19:34:12.967" UserDisplayName="user503" />
  <row Id="562" PostId="535" Score="1" Text="Hey @netsetter, that's not really the part that concerns me. Many users often add extra stuff they think is important, and that's awesome. The concern is that the answer doesn't appear to address the question being asked, which first and foremost is the goal of our site. Your post isn't terrible; it's definitely helpful, but I encourage you to think about the main problem: *Can anyone working for a company open a freelancing account and can someone be terminated for this?* My suggestion is to maybe expand and explain how one might avoid termination for freelancing. Hope this helps clarify. :)" CreationDate="2013-07-20T22:40:53.603" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="563" PostId="540" Score="1" Text="Those are the rates by medium-time contract (few months to few years) or by freelancing?" CreationDate="2013-07-21T06:00:20.657" UserId="78" />
  <row Id="564" PostId="540" Score="0" Text="@ŁukaszLech - in the US you would get paid rates like that for 6 to 18 month projects.  There are some days you might work an 8 hour day, but more likely is around 5 hours - things other people do for you in big companies you have to do yourself.  Some of this is marketing, some billing, some tax work, some running around getting cars fixed, but it comes out of your working day." CreationDate="2013-07-21T13:10:26.617" UserId="543" />
  <row Id="565" PostId="535" Score="0" Text="@jmort253: Understood ;-)" CreationDate="2013-07-21T23:44:02.510" UserDisplayName="user503" />
  <row Id="566" PostId="544" Score="2" Text="If you are simply after a list of sites where 'you can get started', this is the wrong place to do so. If you have a specific doubt about how you can check the credibility of a particular site that is offering you freelance work, then it might be more on topic, but again depending on what your actual doubt is. Please either rephrase your question, or sadly don't expect to get a lot of response from the community ;)" CreationDate="2013-07-22T11:42:44.897" UserId="153" />
  <row Id="567" PostId="544" Score="0" Text="@bPratik thank you I have made the required edits !" CreationDate="2013-07-22T11:58:38.237" UserId="546" />
  <row Id="574" PostId="544" Score="0" Text="Non-opinion based metrics are 'time to pay', frequency of non-payment (i.e., 2 out of 10), number of cancellations, etc. If this information isn't offered by the review websites, then see if you fish it out by leaving comments.  If I knew I might not get paid for 2 jobs out of 10, that's different from not getting paid from 7 out of 10.  This may also reflect particular clients as opposed to the website overall." CreationDate="2013-07-22T17:02:33.737" UserId="543" />
  <row Id="575" PostId="532" Score="1" Text="There are lots of third party companies that offer training for various company's products, and in general as far as they're concerned 'the more the merrier'.  In short, they will bend over backwards to help.  Generally they want to review your course content to make sure you're 'covering all the bases'.  The best thing to do is get hold of a live body inside the company and get their advice directly." CreationDate="2013-07-22T17:08:09.997" UserId="543" />
  <row Id="576" PostId="544" Score="0" Text="You probably go to freelance sites because those workers are cheaper. Going cheaper means increased risk. If you are so scared, you can always stay with the US company how will charge you more, but you will be sure since you can sue them if something goes wrong. On the other hand, there are many, many freelancers who earn their living via freelance sites. They feed their families and they will never trick their clients. I suggest you try with small-budget jobs and increase it slightly until you find good contractors." CreationDate="2013-07-23T15:45:29.317" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="577" PostId="544" Score="1" Text="I edited this post to focus more on the *how* than the *what*. I think there's a good question here, but we have to be careful to focus on teaching to fish and not giving fish. As it's worded, I think we can answer with facts, references, specific expertise, and techniques to evaluate *any* Freelancing website. Could you explain more about why you're confused about the validity of those sites? It may help get you better answers. Hope my edits help! :)" CreationDate="2013-07-24T02:42:39.720" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="580" PostId="563" Score="0" Text="Good suggestions. But you said little about the share ratio? And you were absolutely right about supervision. No matter how good they are, I always have to be a supervisor and QA." CreationDate="2013-07-24T19:56:38.323" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="581" PostId="563" Score="0" Text="The Share Ratio is going to vary, so I didn't include any information about it. After I get some free time, I can try to update my answer" CreationDate="2013-07-24T21:07:59.297" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="582" PostId="563" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV Updated" CreationDate="2013-07-25T00:09:41.617" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="583" PostId="563" Score="0" Text="Thanks. So you're saying that I should leave percentage idea aside and rather go for hourly type of work?" CreationDate="2013-07-25T09:59:26.443" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="584" PostId="563" Score="0" Text="In my experience, yes. Your mileage may vary though" CreationDate="2013-07-25T14:19:15.770" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="585" PostId="231" Score="0" Text="&quot;you only need to file quarterly if you owed taxes the previous year&quot; Oh **!*#^$#**." CreationDate="2013-07-26T18:52:25.160" UserId="39" />
  <row Id="587" PostId="567" Score="1" Text="Great answer! But to the OP: Be aware of what it means to be on call!" CreationDate="2013-07-27T23:33:35.283" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="589" PostId="567" Score="2" Text="Agree, CL - response times should include the hours **in which** you respond, as well as the time **by which** you respond - unless you are truely offering a 24/7 service!  Answer updated to include this observation." CreationDate="2013-07-28T12:42:03.097" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="592" PostId="573" Score="0" Text="+1 for a reasoned answer.  But a word of caution about &quot;standard contracts&quot; - people can be attracted to them, and either use them *as is* or try to amend them without legal advice... yet the contract is only truly there for when things go wrong..." CreationDate="2013-07-29T08:09:40.970" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="593" PostId="573" Score="0" Text="Agreed on the word of caution. I mentioned LegalZoom because they offer reasonably priced document review services by attorneys. Good at least in the U.S. Answer edited. Thanks." CreationDate="2013-07-29T08:31:29.830" UserId="592" />
  <row Id="594" PostId="570" Score="0" Text="Thank you for the excellent answer! Although it seems very relative, I'm not sure if I could accept it as the answer as it is not specific to Canada... I'll let you know what I discover though." CreationDate="2013-07-29T15:21:42.853" UserId="575" />
  <row Id="595" PostId="349" Score="0" Text="As it stands, this is too general IMHO." CreationDate="2013-07-29T16:47:10.597" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="597" PostId="578" Score="1" Text="Yep. Probation periods are more than just about experience. They are also about cultural fit, work ethics and teamwork." CreationDate="2013-07-30T13:07:28.793" UserId="184" />
  <row Id="598" PostId="578" Score="2" Text="Hey Andrew, I edited the question to focus on a solution as well as an explanation of the problem. I think that makes it a better question and may give you more to include so it more directly answers the question. What do you think?" CreationDate="2013-07-30T14:03:41.157" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="599" PostId="578" Score="1" Text="Longer answer now added." CreationDate="2013-07-30T20:34:55.037" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="600" PostId="577" Score="0" Text="This question is being discussed here. Please join us in Freelance Meta: http://meta.freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/126/is-this-question-about-freelancing-experience-applying-to-work-experience-for-a" CreationDate="2013-07-30T21:28:02.067" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="601" PostId="580" Score="1" Text="$30 USD? What about them being a company and you paying their invoices? Would that be a viable option?" CreationDate="2013-07-31T04:53:21.767" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="602" PostId="580" Score="0" Text="I think it will help if you say if you are paying someone as a company or as a individual (your savings money)!" CreationDate="2013-07-31T07:12:50.000" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="603" PostId="580" Score="1" Text="Difficult to answer generically - and depends very much on the tax laws of each country. Also depends on whether you are employing (as an employee) or engaging (as a freelancer/supplier)" CreationDate="2013-07-31T07:28:31.853" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="605" PostId="344" Score="1" Text="thanks to [@Andrew](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/users/85/andrew) for helping indirectly via another [question]http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/568/contractor-going-full-time-what-do-i-do-with-my-incorporation" CreationDate="2013-07-31T10:44:33.060" UserId="104" />
  <row Id="606" PostId="153" Score="0" Text="@Erchi: I agree with you, but it is one of the best strategies to overcome competition (in real life as well, not only freelancing). In general, to avoid getting &quot;bitten in the ass&quot; by this approach, you need to set clear goals or milestones for exactly when you will increase your rates (e.g. &quot;when I reach 10x5 star ratings I will increase my rate by 30%&quot;). Don't just stick to offering low rates, which yield higher hire rate, but throw some higher offers as well from time to time. Try to mix your raputation with high-end (for increased quality) and lower-end (for increased quantity) projects." CreationDate="2013-07-31T11:30:31.113" UserId="121" />
  <row Id="608" PostId="344" Score="2" Text="I disagree that this is a duplicate of the Bus question - that one focussed on business continuity from a client perspective, whereas this one is asking about the remains of the business and how to handle it (and the legal nicities that follow)... and the EDIT shows that emphasis - Vote to Reopen" CreationDate="2013-07-31T12:32:29.157" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="611" PostId="153" Score="0" Text="@WordPressDeveloper: It is a viable plan. My concern is, that I know many people who never ever get there, who stick to low rates and less satisfying work for various reasons (usually because they fear they will loose customers). Whatever plan you start with, it will strongly influence your mindset, so I would be careful to recomend this approach to fresh freelancer, who doesnt see immediately himself/herself, that it is a must to set timeframes - how long this tactics should be used and what is the measurable goal that will tell them to raise salary and leave this tactics behind." CreationDate="2013-08-01T07:43:48.713" UserId="102" />
  <row Id="612" PostId="586" Score="0" Text="Whatever you do, please take Professional Legal Advice relating to any form of contract.  The contract is only there for when things go wrong... everyone knows what they meant ;-)" CreationDate="2013-08-01T09:34:29.787" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="613" PostId="580" Score="2" Text="While this is difficult to answer, that could be exactly what we want (a difficult question); I'm planning to do work outside of the UK in a bit, and I have no clue what to do for taxes." CreationDate="2013-08-01T17:53:28.137" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="614" PostId="578" Score="0" Text="Thank you so much for sharing your experience. It will help me and hopefully other freelancers to take appropriate decision if they face similar situation." CreationDate="2013-08-02T18:51:13.713" UserId="596" />
  <row Id="615" PostId="580" Score="1" Text="Jeremy, what about subcontracting? Is that an option? That's different than hiring actual workers and has advantages and disadvantages." CreationDate="2013-08-03T23:21:26.170" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="618" PostId="592" Score="2" Text="+1 - I really like how you not only quoted the relevant portions of the official government source but that you also referenced the source here so folks can check it for the most up to date info." CreationDate="2013-08-08T05:01:39.670" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="619" PostId="597" Score="0" Text="+1 thanks, I agree with you on `The more you can modularize your projects and reuse code, the less time you spend building, and the more you know it works properly with all your clients.` This has saved countless hours of work on several projects I have done." CreationDate="2013-08-08T18:27:51.783" UserId="647" />
  <row Id="620" PostId="597" Score="0" Text="Remember, if this answers your question as well, mark it as the answer" CreationDate="2013-08-08T18:48:35.720" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="621" PostId="598" Score="2" Text="Hi Tyler, welcome to Freelancing SE. We can't really tell you what the market rate is as it just depends, so I edited your question to focus on *how* to determine rates, which will be more useful now as well as in the future when trends change. Hope this helps! :)" CreationDate="2013-08-09T04:57:52.207" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="622" PostId="603" Score="1" Text="possible duplicate of [Whilst working for a company, can I open a freelancing website account?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/528/whilst-working-for-a-company-can-i-open-a-freelancing-website-account)" CreationDate="2013-08-11T07:14:33.657" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="623" PostId="603" Score="2" Text="No.  It's not the same at all.  I already have permission and would like to know how to start." CreationDate="2013-08-11T16:50:42.510" UserId="666" />
  <row Id="624" PostId="608" Score="2" Text="Peter, where did I ever ask about legal implications?  I clearly state that I already have permission.  This is NOT a legal issue." CreationDate="2013-08-11T16:51:25.717" UserId="666" />
  <row Id="625" PostId="603" Score="1" Text="@Andrew - The assumption here is that this is _legal_. OP is asking for other advice that is mostly missing from the answers on the other post (which focus on the legalities of the situation)." CreationDate="2013-08-11T17:01:44.627" UserId="184" />
  <row Id="626" PostId="603" Score="0" Text="Hello user666, take a look at http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/555/what-is-good-share-ratio-when-you-outsource-projects-due-to-lack-of-time. It might be a dup, I'm not sure, but it's worth you taking a look at and maybe editing your post with more information if the answers there don't help you. Good luck! :)" CreationDate="2013-08-11T20:39:52.667" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="627" PostId="608" Score="0" Text="Hey Peter, for the purposes of this question, let's assume the op has already done legal due diligence and just wants to know how to go about building a network of subcontractors. I'd suggest editing your post to address that part of the question. Hope this helps!" CreationDate="2013-08-11T20:41:39.080" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="628" PostId="603" Score="0" Text="@jmort253 again, totally and obviously off-topic, though polite.  Let me explain with an analogy:  I didn't ask how to change a tire, I asked how to start selling cars." CreationDate="2013-08-11T21:30:05.773" UserId="666" />
  <row Id="629" PostId="603" Score="0" Text="Maybe this will help: http://ell.stackexchange.com/?as=1" CreationDate="2013-08-11T21:30:53.340" UserId="666" />
  <row Id="630" PostId="603" Score="0" Text="@user666 - I'll assume you're trying to be funny and not passive aggressive -- it's hard to tell on the Internet...  But yes, I wasn't suggesting it was a duplicate, just that your post might be more clear to others with some more clarification. I'm going to make an edit on your behalf that I think gets at the heart of what you're asking, as it seems like subcontracting is an important component of your question. BTW welcome to Freelancing SE! We're a collaboratively edited Q&amp;A site, which helps us get folks the best possible questions and answers. Hope this helps! ;)" CreationDate="2013-08-11T21:34:38.440" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="631" PostId="603" Score="1" Text="@jmort253 yeah that was me throwing up my arms.  It's all good, thanks for the help :)" CreationDate="2013-08-11T22:03:55.813" UserId="666" />
  <row Id="632" PostId="603" Score="0" Text="Apologies @user666, I forgot my usual welcome to first-time posters... so welcome.  We will try to help you - the problem with your question as it stands 'what's the best...' is that this is subjective and open-ended (http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/help/dont-ask)." CreationDate="2013-08-12T07:50:13.170" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="633" PostId="603" Score="0" Text="Also, please do not be blinded by the apparent riches on offer... if it was that simple, then everyone would be doing it :)" CreationDate="2013-08-12T07:51:09.550" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="634" PostId="604" Score="0" Text="Welcome to F.SE Jahmic... a bit brief, but I guess that captures the essence of the question." CreationDate="2013-08-12T12:35:55.177" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="635" PostId="606" Score="1" Text="Can you expand on how you come up with 160, for those users who won't understand?" CreationDate="2013-08-12T16:42:44.193" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="636" PostId="608" Score="0" Text="@user666 Hey did not realize that. Let me edit a reply. You may edit downvote as well :)." CreationDate="2013-08-13T09:29:53.000" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="637" PostId="608" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV Thank you very much.  I didn't downvote (can't vote yet)... but this is what I was looking for.  Thanks :)" CreationDate="2013-08-13T12:52:22.453" UserId="666" />
  <row Id="638" PostId="603" Score="1" Text="Not a dupe, but some related aspects: [Staying in contact with clients when I have a different sleep-wake rhythm (being a night owl or living in a different time zone)](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/q/195/100)" CreationDate="2013-08-13T15:19:46.773" UserId="100" />
  <row Id="639" PostId="608" Score="0" Text="@user666 not a problem. I'm glad I was able to help." CreationDate="2013-08-13T17:09:57.757" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="640" PostId="611" Score="1" Text="Welcome to Freelancing.SE! This answer could use some improving, as we are geared towards professionals. Some tips to improve your post included linking to the video (instead of asking us to find it), and including some more information. That will definitely help get some reputation!" CreationDate="2013-08-13T20:21:06.687" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="641" PostId="608" Score="4" Text="Holy crap, what a great edit!" CreationDate="2013-08-13T20:22:14.113" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="649" PostId="619" Score="1" Text="While I appreciate your answer, I'm afraid you are answering another question, what should be there in the contract, and how to manage change requests. This has been covered in several questions here. I already do have a contract, and its terms are repeatedly violated. My major concern is highlighted with bold text: key steps to make a decision whether or not to fire the client in the situation above, and key steps doing that once I made my decision." CreationDate="2013-08-14T22:06:51.320" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="650" PostId="621" Score="0" Text="I think this is a great answer. I think it would be useful if you could share some resources on writing a contract or SoW. Do you know of any sites with good samples and instructive guides?" CreationDate="2013-08-15T02:00:43.143" UserId="684" />
  <row Id="652" PostId="621" Score="0" Text="@Thomas To tell you the truth, I just wrote out the general steps I was taking for the SoW, and put it into a Word document. For the contract, there are websites online that have them available; I used a lawyer personally" CreationDate="2013-08-15T06:18:26.847" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="653" PostId="611" Score="0" Text="Really not sure this answer is constructive..." CreationDate="2013-08-15T10:04:59.077" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="654" PostId="621" Score="0" Text="There are many industries where &quot;premade&quot; contracts are common. Such as housing, where you can often pick up a stack of generic lease agreements at the courthouse. As for something similar for freelancer contracts etc. I know DocStoc has a number of good resources, but it can be painful sorting through the site to find them, and it is a pay site (though many of their resources are free). I think it would be helpful for future readers if we could point them to some good online resources. I don't know of much myself, my freelance work is on such a small scale I don't usually mess with contracts." CreationDate="2013-08-15T10:25:33.000" UserId="684" />
  <row Id="655" PostId="606" Score="0" Text="There are 160 work hours in a regular work month (5 days per week X 8 hours X 4 weeks per month)." CreationDate="2013-08-15T10:30:31.410" UserId="121" />
  <row Id="656" PostId="621" Score="1" Text="Well we should have information on where to go in some answers or comments, but the sites need to pay for a real advertisement" CreationDate="2013-08-15T14:00:44.570" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="657" PostId="619" Score="0" Text="Your question (in part) asked: &quot;what are the key steps the freelancer should take in order to: Decide for myself whether I should attempt to salvage the client?&quot; If you feel my answer is off topic, it would suggest you've already decided to fire the client, but your question did not reflect that. If we assume you meant the question as asked, it would follow that you'd like to salvage the relationship if possible. I suggested how I would go about doing that before worrying about how to bail." CreationDate="2013-08-15T16:26:46.933" UserId="514" />
  <row Id="658" PostId="604" Score="0" Text="@Andrew It's not a great answer, but it's an answer nonetheless (I'm withholding action since I've answered this)." CreationDate="2013-08-15T23:54:04.107" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="659" PostId="615" Score="1" Text="I put my projects section directly after my contact info, just below the header. My resume is rather short, and pretty much says (in a nutshell) &quot;Here's a few links, some contact info and a portfolio. Visit these if you want to hire me&quot;. It's great for getting job offers/clients that are actually serious and not just shopping around." CreationDate="2013-08-15T23:56:19.350" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="660" PostId="606" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke WordpressDeveloper said it right. It is true that there are 22 work days in a month as average so you can count 22x8 to get more accurate work hours. But somehow 160 hours per month is used by many people and it's much easier to count against half-month and weekly limit. In the similar manner, the annual number of work hours is 2000 - again the value not completely accurate for every year, but it's easy to count against it." CreationDate="2013-08-16T07:24:40.217" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="661" PostId="619" Score="0" Text="Not an offtopic at all, but I think this answer can be improved to better address the thing. I wrote a small addendum to my question to better reflect my reasoning. Please also check self-answer as it has an (incomplete) answer that I'm expecting for. Sorry if it did not look very specific from the first try." CreationDate="2013-08-16T09:27:16.127" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="663" PostId="624" Score="0" Text="Thanks for a great reply. One question thou: How do you keep up with your own tasks if you have to spend a couple of hours each day communicating about outsourced project? Let's say you have to code your own project and do detailed monitoring of 3 outsourced projects." CreationDate="2013-08-16T13:57:04.610" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="664" PostId="624" Score="1" Text="I have just updated the answer to address this. It was too large to fit in a comment." CreationDate="2013-08-16T14:19:50.997" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="666" PostId="616" Score="2" Text="How difficult is client acquisition for you? That would very quickly determine my course of action." CreationDate="2013-08-17T11:35:22.883" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="667" PostId="631" Score="1" Text="Great post! You said many good things. To comment some things. In-person meeting is not possible if you're client is too far away from you, it only works when he's close to you. You mentioned phone calls. This is also expensive if it's long-distance call. You were referring to Skype, right?!" CreationDate="2013-08-17T14:14:33.917" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="668" PostId="631" Score="0" Text="Another things, how do you keep track of things you decide in phone call? What is the purpose of phone calls for you? I guess, when you are just starting the project, you will have a phone call with the client, but later he will have to send all specs in written via email?" CreationDate="2013-08-17T14:16:07.750" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="669" PostId="624" Score="1" Text="Good reply. I wish I can oursource the project and just leave communication between the client and my contractor :)" CreationDate="2013-08-17T14:18:20.227" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="671" PostId="631" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV As I posted, I don't use Skype. :) I mean phone calls, long-distance or otherwise. Any costs is the cost of doing business. For me, long-distance is free. International may cost, but again... just the cost of doing business. All businesses have overhead. As for keeping track during calls, notes. I take notes. Then I write down my notes in a proposal or email and send it back to the client for verification and/or clarity. No work is started until **written** approval is recieved - either email or in person." CreationDate="2013-08-17T14:54:01.647" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="672" PostId="631" Score="0" Text="And, just for the record, 95% of my clients are too far away for in-person meetings so most things are done via email or phone." CreationDate="2013-08-17T14:54:32.337" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="674" PostId="623" Score="10" Text="If you have too many projects and too many clients, have you considered raising your rates? In general, I've found that that's a good way to handle being overloaded with work." CreationDate="2013-08-16T20:06:38.177" UserId="705" />
  <row Id="675" PostId="631" Score="0" Text="I am surprised that you do international calls. Are we talking about calling your clients from your office phone to his office phone? Not cheap things like satellite calls, skype number, etc.? If you really call from your own phone, how do you keep up with costs? If not a secret, what is the average cost of your project?" CreationDate="2013-08-17T15:09:56.377" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="676" PostId="631" Score="0" Text="Now I got it, when you call the client you charge them hourly so calling them to talk about the project is charged as well? This is how you cover your costs?" CreationDate="2013-08-17T15:10:48.380" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="677" PostId="631" Score="0" Text="Honestly, if you're worried about phone call costs, you are worried about the wrong thing. You should be worried **why** you are concerned about call costs. It should be a no-brainer to spend $50 on a phone call if you will make a few thousand out of any project resulting from the call. I don't bill my clients for phone calls, hourly or otherwise. Communication costs are factored into my overhead and thus my rates. I do write off phone expenses on my taxes because it's, as I posted, the cost of doing business." CreationDate="2013-08-17T16:33:53.990" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="678" PostId="631" Score="0" Text="let us [continue this discussion in chat](http://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/10175/discussion-between-scott-and-petermv)" CreationDate="2013-08-17T16:38:29.540" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="680" PostId="641" Score="2" Text="&quot;verifiable&quot; would greatly be determined by the **kind of work** being done." CreationDate="2013-08-18T19:40:28.753" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="681" PostId="641" Score="0" Text="Let's assume information work (design, writing, programming)" CreationDate="2013-08-18T19:42:40.037" UserId="97" />
  <row Id="683" PostId="641" Score="0" Text="@Scott Any work can be verified if you record your work process. Such record is what clients seek for." CreationDate="2013-08-19T14:05:03.497" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="684" PostId="643" Score="3" Text="Would you mind explaining a bit more your question? I think I am not the only one who do not understand what you are asking." CreationDate="2013-08-19T14:13:02.540" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="685" PostId="635" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV Way to bump the post..." CreationDate="2013-08-19T15:27:51.133" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="686" PostId="641" Score="0" Text="Not sure about that Peter. For example a photo search can take quite a while and I don't know how you would record anything as verification you spent XXX hours *looking* for an appropriate photo." CreationDate="2013-08-19T18:58:26.763" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="687" PostId="650" Score="0" Text="I do have some programming experience and was looking to get into this niche specifically.  Thank you for your answer.  Very informative. +1" CreationDate="2013-08-20T17:05:29.577" UserId="724" />
  <row Id="688" PostId="651" Score="0" Text="You don't bill VAT because you are doing export. What exactly do you mean by the last question?" CreationDate="2013-08-21T08:26:32.577" UserId="78" />
  <row Id="689" PostId="651" Score="0" Text="@ŁukaszLech Concerning the last question, see [my answer](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/a/653/735): My customer has to pay VAT on my invoices in Brazil. This is unfortunate since it indirectly also affects my rate. By the way, inside of the EU no VAT has to be paid on international business to business transactions. And inside of Germany, VAT has to be paid, but business customers do get it back." CreationDate="2013-08-21T11:43:21.047" UserId="735" />
  <row Id="691" PostId="653" Score="0" Text="You need to determine whether this was VAT or some form of import duty.&#xA;&#xA;Also, Switzerland (and also Jersey and Guernsey) are outside the EU, the VAT (etc) was due because it was a supply INTO the EU - there used to be a concession for small amounts, which was why there was a plethora of CD and book distributors in the Channel islands" CreationDate="2013-08-21T18:44:26.270" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="692" PostId="655" Score="0" Text="That's good information, and with sources, but it doesn't answer my question about VAT when importing into Brazil. Note that even when I as a German freelancer don't have to charge for VAT, if my customer has to pay VAT when importing, then this indirectly still affects my rate." CreationDate="2013-08-21T18:49:26.733" UserId="735" />
  <row Id="693" PostId="655" Score="0" Text="Added to my answer.." CreationDate="2013-08-21T20:00:07.420" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="694" PostId="655" Score="0" Text="Thanks. On page 7 of the document you [linked](http://www.kpmg.com/Global/en/services/Tax/GlobalIndirectTax/Documents/vat-gst-essentials-2012/brazil-2011-vat-gst-essentials.pdf) to, it says: *&quot;On importing of services, ISS, PIS and COFINS are paid&quot;, where ISS is the *Tax on Services*, PIS is the *Social Integration Tax*, and COFINS is the *Social Contribution Tax*." CreationDate="2013-08-21T20:14:03.853" UserId="735" />
  <row Id="695" PostId="657" Score="1" Text="In pure freelancing maybe yes, but in contracting you often work with 10-years old technologies, therefore you also get out-of-touch with new technologies." CreationDate="2013-08-22T05:27:37.087" UserId="78" />
  <row Id="696" PostId="657" Score="0" Text="Yes off course you are correct @ŁukaszLech, but it is better working on old technologies than not working at all." CreationDate="2013-08-22T08:06:23.623" UserId="740" />
  <row Id="698" PostId="641" Score="1" Text="A new client will have to make that decision on faith, and previous feedback until you prove it - one way or the other. An old client will know already..." CreationDate="2013-08-22T19:17:07.150" UserId="738" />
  <row Id="703" PostId="662" Score="4" Text="Something tells me this question isn't exactly the greatest. You are asking why people are refusing you work, without all that much in the way of detail. Your could try and [edit] your question and improve on this, but in its current form your question is too broad/opinion-based to be properly answerable." CreationDate="2013-08-23T05:37:47.210" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="704" PostId="661" Score="1" Text="Soliciting freelancers is quite definitely against the scope of this site (regardless of the fact it's not even written down fully yet). I suggest you [edit] your question and try not to make it sound like you're trying to do this." CreationDate="2013-08-23T05:42:18.217" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="705" PostId="661" Score="2" Text="I'm a freelancer and have a genuine question about sourcing partners..." CreationDate="2013-08-23T08:27:04.900" UserId="743" />
  <row Id="706" PostId="661" Score="2" Text="I got that, but I've deleted a bunch of comments that seem to think otherwise." CreationDate="2013-08-23T08:29:42.093" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="707" PostId="661" Score="0" Text="Let me point you in the direction of the Professional Contractors Group [link](http://www.pcg.org.uk) who have a forum for this sort of solicitation." CreationDate="2013-08-23T09:34:17.890" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="708" PostId="662" Score="0" Text="On the whole, I've found American companies very Patriotic (some may say Nationalistic) in that they tend to use American suppliers unless there isn't anything suitable.  I suggest the UK could learn a thing or two and support its own industry." CreationDate="2013-08-23T09:38:45.190" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="709" PostId="661" Score="0" Text="Read my post about finding the right contractor for your overload is not as easy as it sounds. Best of luck anyway." CreationDate="2013-08-23T12:41:22.607" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="710" PostId="662" Score="0" Text="Are you looking to freelance or are you looking to become a regular employee with one company that happens to work remotely? You mention freelancing but the rest of your post seems to hint at the latter." CreationDate="2013-08-23T14:53:53.077" UserId="631" />
  <row Id="711" PostId="662" Score="0" Text="There are regular jobs in NY or San Francisco and there are jobs, which allows remote ( at Careers 2.0 for eg) and there are freelance sites too. Not sure why, but USA clients, possible employee don't want to work outside of USA. If I wouls live in USA than they would contract me for remote work. I put this question to see a possible reason, what are the concept there. Thanks for all who has answered" CreationDate="2013-08-23T15:04:20.417" UserId="744" />
  <row Id="712" PostId="665" Score="0" Text="Good points. So maybe I can use my experience only in the concrete case?! Like the next time I need to implement Google Maps, I show him the concrete sample and set higher hourly price." CreationDate="2013-08-24T14:01:41.193" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="713" PostId="319" Score="1" Text="A starter portfolio can contain *&quot;project sites&quot;* (AKA dummies, AKA they-never-launched) that show your abilities in web design. That way you can show potential clients a portfolio instead of standing there empty-handed." CreationDate="2013-08-25T08:36:51.097" UserId="626" />
  <row Id="714" PostId="437" Score="1" Text="@Mene First up: you are absolutely correct in saying that email messages themselves have no base in German courts. But I think the hosting provider would have simply forwarded the logs of the mailserver and webserver upon formal request by the court. At least, that's what I've seen happening in front of a German court last year. In the end, the case was won based on those logs, not due to showing the emails themselves. Which proves you're right. Yet, server logs can and will ruin the party instead. ;)" CreationDate="2013-08-25T09:20:15.293" UserId="626" />
  <row Id="715" PostId="687" Score="1" Text="Sharing your research helps everyone. Tell us what you've tried and why it didn’t meet your needs. This demonstrates that you’ve taken the time to try to help yourself, it saves us from reiterating obvious answers, and most of all it helps you get a more specific and relevant answer. Also see [ask]" CreationDate="2013-08-25T23:10:36.650" UserDisplayName="gnat" />
  <row Id="719" PostId="664" Score="1" Text="+1 for highlighting the legal protection aspect. Also fiscal headaches might ensue for companies that have never contracted overseas. And currency: given the current change rate, companies might be biased into thinking EU citizens are simply too expensive as workers." CreationDate="2013-08-26T01:59:45.123" UserId="760" />
  <row Id="720" PostId="664" Score="1" Text="Also timezones: a company might be already contracting overseas to China, and that requires a certain timezone juggling to brief, debrief and schedule meetings. Adding Europe into the mix might  spike the management overhead, requiring too much energy and resources to keep things working." CreationDate="2013-08-26T02:10:43.027" UserId="760" />
  <row Id="721" PostId="664" Score="0" Text="And last but not least: **language barriers**. EU is not only UK, and I have friends, I grew up with, that expatriated to work overseas, and are pretty proficient at programming, but remain still damn... **lacking, in English pronunciation**. I have serious troubles understanding them while talking, and also in writing... I prefer them using Italian. Many, well-educated, Europeans still sound too much like poorly trained call-center operators, to US ears. *It's a problem that's going to disappear, but right now, it's there.*" CreationDate="2013-08-26T02:24:14.750" UserId="760" />
  <row Id="722" PostId="656" Score="0" Text="I'm thinking this question is a little out of the scope of this site. OnStartups might be a possible candidate for migration here." CreationDate="2013-08-26T13:43:35.410" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="723" PostId="656" Score="0" Text="She will be self-employed and the only employee of her company.  Questions about self-employment are on topic on this site as per the help page &quot;Freelancing Stack Exchange is for questions relating to self-employed and freelance workers.&quot;  Many of the topics on this site clash with OnStartups though which is why we have problems bringing in traffic and new questions." CreationDate="2013-08-26T16:29:50.390" UserId="48" />
  <row Id="724" PostId="691" Score="0" Text="I've looked around sunbiz.org and the Orange County small business site and haven't seen anything stating it's required. It never occurred to me that this might be a state or county specific requirement though.  As for the points you made about having it, you're completely right.  Without insurance, the business would have to pay all of those expenses and that's money we don't have starting out." CreationDate="2013-08-26T16:38:26.590" UserId="48" />
  <row Id="725" PostId="664" Score="0" Text="@ZJR Currency, I forgot about that. Will edit the reply. Upvote for that. The same for timezones." CreationDate="2013-08-26T16:52:05.307" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="726" PostId="664" Score="0" Text="@ZJR Most contractors I worked with knew technical English so well that we did not have any issues in communication. I guess if you're hiring a person with experience and not being the cheapest coder, then it's logical that his English skills are at high level." CreationDate="2013-08-26T16:57:11.563" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="727" PostId="666" Score="0" Text="I think he was not talking about work on projects. He talked about US companies hiring a remote team member. Full-time working the same hours as they. Outsourcing project by US companies is not in question at all." CreationDate="2013-08-26T16:58:21.567" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="728" PostId="666" Score="0" Text="He mentions both &quot;I would like to work as freelancer for USA clients&quot; and &quot;several jobs (which allow remote work)&quot; in the question, and his reply to my comment in the question also (as far as I understand it) indicates he's open to both options." CreationDate="2013-08-26T18:52:04.840" UserId="631" />
  <row Id="729" PostId="656" Score="0" Text="Good point. I seem to remember going through this with the other mods at some point, come to think of it." CreationDate="2013-08-26T19:47:53.790" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="730" PostId="437" Score="0" Text="It makes sense, but I didn't know it would be accepted. Good to know!" CreationDate="2013-08-26T20:49:12.017" UserId="281" />
  <row Id="731" PostId="666" Score="0" Text="I read the question again and I do not understand it as a question directed towards single-project jobs. I still think that he seeks full-time long-term jobs. But let's not argue about this any more. Both may be right." CreationDate="2013-08-27T14:27:29.710" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="732" PostId="694" Score="1" Text="I will add that a good way to work is to have a initial payment and start working after that payment is paid in full and then possible milestone payments along the way and then a completion payment. And never turn over the finished product until the complete payment is paid in full. Worst case scenario from now on would be to put restrictions within your code until payment has been met and then lift those restrictions. This is what major software companies do." CreationDate="2013-08-27T21:48:44.323" UserId="647" />
  <row Id="736" PostId="710" Score="2" Text="Seems to me this would be a **legal question** in your country which is not directly related to freelancing." CreationDate="2013-08-29T15:43:14.490" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="739" PostId="710" Score="0" Text="There is a [meta discussion](http://meta.freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/135/legal-questions-on-topic-or-not) about this question; please read and post your opinion on this type of question for the future" CreationDate="2013-08-29T16:37:24.857" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="740" PostId="710" Score="1" Text="Hey Lisbeth, are you a freelancer in the freelancing company? Could you add in why you can't just take a check or use something like Paypal? This will help folks better understand your problem. Hope this helps! :)" CreationDate="2013-08-29T16:45:36.783" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="742" PostId="661" Score="0" Text="why Hiroto delete comments and edit questions, changing content as he want?! -please take a break!" CreationDate="2013-08-29T20:22:01.737" UserId="744" />
  <row Id="743" PostId="661" Score="0" Text="@matheszabi - Comments are intended to suggest improvements to a post or seek clarification, not try to land a job, and part of the community's role is to help keep the site on-topic so it thrives. Also, Stack Exchange sites are wiki-like Q&amp;A sites, and editing to improve content is what makes Stack Exchange stand out from forums and such. See the [list of privileges](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/help/privileges) for more details on how you can help as a community member. Hope this helps!" CreationDate="2013-08-30T04:50:25.183" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="744" PostId="710" Score="0" Text="possible duplicate of [Freelance Consulting while Employed](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/603/freelance-consulting-while-employed)" CreationDate="2013-08-30T08:26:44.457" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="745" PostId="708" Score="0" Text="Thanks Peter for good advice!&#xA;&#xA;Can you tell me some freelancer websites to get jobs ?" CreationDate="2013-08-30T09:03:10.047" UserId="787" />
  <row Id="746" PostId="708" Score="3" Text="It's hard to say. In my previous replies to someone I said that it's best you search on Google and apply to all top 5 websites. If you are hardworking, you will get the job. Especially if you further train yourself to become more competitive. At this moment you are like a dentist. You may be good, but I have my own dentist. But if you offer me painless laser cure for good price, then I may consider you. ;)" CreationDate="2013-08-30T17:18:39.800" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="747" PostId="710" Score="0" Text="Isn't easier that you simply tell them that you do not have company registered in your own country and ask them to pay you to some e-wallet or to your own bank account?" CreationDate="2013-08-30T18:12:45.570" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="748" PostId="717" Score="1" Text="Peter, after &quot;in my country&quot; could you add your country in brackets?" CreationDate="2013-08-31T05:43:17.780" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="749" PostId="710" Score="0" Text="Peter - companies do not like paying self-employed (or non-employee) people direct, as they do not wish to he designated as a direct employer." CreationDate="2013-08-31T05:44:58.037" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="750" PostId="719" Score="0" Text="So I actually realized the question is *actually* asking a question after I closed it, and I've edited it to be a little more obvious, so the reason I closed it for is now invalid. You could also [edit] your question and expand it a little~" CreationDate="2013-08-31T08:36:34.113" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="751" PostId="719" Score="0" Text="The question is pretty vague. At the very least define what you mean by web developing if you're ruling out programming (which I assume what &quot;PHP, [R]uby, [R]ails, and other stuff&quot; means)." CreationDate="2013-08-31T12:30:05.000" UserId="97" />
  <row Id="752" PostId="719" Score="0" Text="better now is it" CreationDate="2013-08-31T15:39:46.677" UserId="805" />
  <row Id="753" PostId="720" Score="0" Text="ok i see, i think i know pretty good amount of server side stuff. I mean i made server in nodejs. &#xA;I know about stuff like ssl, cryptography, caching, dns, NAT, database, io performance, stream, cookies, websockets, ports, templating... but most sites don't use nodejs. So i am wondering is there a place where maybe people get together build teams and then work. So they provide whole package and divide up the earnings fairly." CreationDate="2013-08-31T17:07:30.007" UserId="805" />
  <row Id="754" PostId="720" Score="1" Text="The Internet is full of all kinds of groups for different purposes. Start networking in your city and going to meetup events and hackathons. You'll gain more contacts and possibly meet people willing to work with you. Good luck!" CreationDate="2013-08-31T17:14:19.177" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="755" PostId="719" Score="1" Text="It's a shame that you think like that. You'd like to take money from someone and don't even have will to earn technologies they will pay you for. What will you offer him? A smiley on front end? Do you know what front-end is?" CreationDate="2013-08-31T19:15:15.353" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="756" PostId="719" Score="0" Text="i am sorry what are you saying." CreationDate="2013-08-31T19:16:30.793" UserId="805" />
  <row Id="757" PostId="723" Score="1" Text="If someone wants something cheap, he wants something with very bad quality, and usually gets what he have paid for. I don't consider such projects valuable experience. Better to do something for free and choose the tools and technologies yourself :)" CreationDate="2013-08-31T19:26:17.070" UserId="78" />
  <row Id="758" PostId="719" Score="1" Text="Developer does not equal designer. The word &quot;developer&quot; in your question is doing you more harm than good. Clearly, you want to be a designer, not a developer." CreationDate="2013-09-01T01:05:28.113" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="759" PostId="724" Score="2" Text="Hi Muhammad, sorry, but questions like this don't really fit the Q&amp;A format very well. They tend to attract mostly spam, and answers that are posted are difficult to vote to the top since every answer is equally valid. Try a google search for &quot;Freelancing groups/meetups&quot; in your area. Good luck! :)" CreationDate="2013-09-01T05:54:00.733" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="760" PostId="719" Score="0" Text="This may be helpful/related:  http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/707/issues-with-starting-freelancing" CreationDate="2013-09-01T05:54:59.080" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="761" PostId="726" Score="0" Text="Agreed no comment on NHS. The reference was purely an illustration for those unfamiliar with the term. Medical locums are/were also part of the scene in Australia, South Africa. A little elaboration on the closing mention of the business model would be welcome." CreationDate="2013-09-01T17:43:40.623" UserId="738" />
  <row Id="764" PostId="728" Score="3" Text="I'm pretty sure the best advice is to talk to a lawyer and have them draft up a contract specifically for this. As for which EULA model to stick to, I am not good enough to know the differences between most; hopefully, another user can chime in" CreationDate="2013-09-02T04:19:48.647" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="765" PostId="727" Score="0" Text="Welcome Jerry... whilst this answers the question &quot;How do you raise an invoice&quot; it doesn't really answer the question being asked." CreationDate="2013-09-02T08:39:10.957" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="766" PostId="729" Score="1" Text="Sorry, I was a little unclear. I meant that I'll be using an open source application framework and under WFH the language is such that hypothetically if during the course of the project I fixed a bug or wrote a useful module (that was generic, and contained no trade secrets) that I'd need to ask my clients permission to contribute it back, since my client is the copyright holder of the work. Just seems like a clunky model for software." CreationDate="2013-09-02T15:22:26.430" UserId="726" />
  <row Id="768" PostId="733" Score="0" Text="That is a good distinction: risk of being sued. Also, I am aware that it's not simply the words but the associated legal precedents which effect the import of certain bits of legalese… I probably shouldn't trust my online researching but there is a surprising amount of good info out there." CreationDate="2013-09-02T18:29:31.747" UserId="726" />
  <row Id="770" PostId="647" Score="0" Text="Not sure it's the wrong question - seems like it's about how to *establish* the trust that is needed. Not sure you *have* to default to trust - there are ways to at least validate that trust early on (instead of just passive observation of the other party)." CreationDate="2013-09-03T15:34:04.030" UserId="820" />
  <row Id="771" PostId="727" Score="0" Text="PS: Not my down-vote" CreationDate="2013-09-03T20:38:13.947" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="772" PostId="728" Score="1" Text="If the particular open source licence forces you to publish modifications, and the clause in your contract forbids you to do so, it means that you are not allowed to modify open source licence for the needs of that project... You should make the client aware of that fact." CreationDate="2013-09-04T07:52:00.827" UserId="78" />
  <row Id="773" PostId="708" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV +1 for &quot;At this moment you are like a dentist. You may be good, but I have my own dentist. But if you offer me painless laser cure for good price, then I may consider you. ;)&quot;" CreationDate="2013-09-04T11:43:14.530" UserId="80" />
  <row Id="778" PostId="742" Score="0" Text="SAP is used practically exclusively by very large corporations, and SAPing is actually more configuring existing infrastructure and consulting, at least this is expected from SAP developer in cases I've met. Remote working doesn't pass well to that model. The larger corpo is, the more remote-shy it seems to be." CreationDate="2013-09-06T05:16:34.937" UserId="78" />
  <row Id="779" PostId="742" Score="0" Text="@ŁukaszLech A colleague of mine started working database thing with a client, who later told him that he's some executive in large company. Now he's working for such company remotely database things which are normally not outsourced or appear on freelancing sites. And he did this via odesk or elance (not sure now)." CreationDate="2013-09-06T17:47:50.410" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="780" PostId="742" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV yes, if you have luck and you get personal contacts, you can get the conditions that are unavailable for common grasshoppers" CreationDate="2013-09-06T17:54:32.843" UserId="78" />
  <row Id="781" PostId="742" Score="0" Text="@ŁukaszLech No, he did not know this person. He did a couple of jobs for him and then he was offered a good deal. That is why I suggested him how to try. You never know what will happen if you don't knock on the door." CreationDate="2013-09-06T17:56:14.113" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="782" PostId="741" Score="0" Text="Do you have a reference for this law - I'm genuinely interested as to the rationale! Thanks" CreationDate="2013-09-06T19:46:56.653" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="783" PostId="741" Score="0" Text="My bad, my current search results only fetch that &quot;it's not illegal&quot;. But I remember researching this a few years back, and i found that it was Illegal. However here are the labour laws for India - http://www.caaa.in/Image/19ulabourlawshb.pdf" CreationDate="2013-09-06T19:57:43.243" UserId="827" />
  <row Id="785" PostId="529" Score="0" Text="I really feel that the answer to this should simply be 'talk to the lawyer'. Suggesting that the asker give in and give the company his/her passwords could open this person up for some other issues if the company pretends to be the employee." CreationDate="2013-09-07T00:52:06.317" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="787" PostId="529" Score="0" Text="Asking for password is slavery ultimatum. But since he does not want to consult a lawyer nor he wants to lose his job, what else he can do?" CreationDate="2013-09-07T18:41:27.807" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="788" PostId="748" Score="3" Text="Hi, welcome to Freelancing SE! Why not just take your rate multiplied by the amount of time it takes you to design a layout? I'm assuming you normally do design, but it's not clear in your question. If it's really more complicated than that, I encourage you to [edit] your post to clarify so you get the best possible answers. Good luck! :)" CreationDate="2013-09-10T04:02:44.383" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="789" PostId="753" Score="0" Text="The difference is, you'd have to hire German, not Polish bookkeeping company, and the prices would be other" CreationDate="2013-09-10T11:36:35.013" UserId="78" />
  <row Id="790" PostId="753" Score="0" Text="@ŁukaszLech I don't understand. If I had a freelance job in France, for example, then I wouldn't have to hire any bookkeeping company. I would just continue doing bookkeeping as required by the German department of finance. In that case it would mean keeping track of payments that I receive from my French client. A bookkeeping company could not help me with that, and so I have never used one. Only once I have used a tax attorney, but that was because of some exceptionally complex issues related to past employment. Perhaps in Poland things are different?" CreationDate="2013-09-10T11:43:27.610" UserId="735" />
  <row Id="791" PostId="753" Score="0" Text="It isn't about the problems with Poland but problems with German, I was warned that being in Germany more than 6 monts in year, I'd have to register firma in Germany. I think it's violation of EU laws, but anyway... The question was about costs of bookkeeping in Germany, not about costs of bookkeeping in Poland for contractors working abroad." CreationDate="2013-09-10T11:50:21.590" UserId="78" />
  <row Id="792" PostId="753" Score="0" Text="@ŁukaszLech As said before, I don't have to pay any book keeping company. As a freelancer in Germany, I only have to pay taxes. There are no additional mandatory costs. If you want to found a company here, then things are different, but that's not freelancing anymore. Freelancers (&quot;Freiberufler&quot;) have a special status in Germany." CreationDate="2013-09-10T11:54:11.927" UserId="735" />
  <row Id="793" PostId="753" Score="0" Text="@feeklee OK, so if I've understood correctly, you can be contractor in Germany, without registering company, and therefore you don't have to fill extra declarations monthly etc., and things are easy enough to cope with to manage that without bookkeeper? Please note German is not my native language, so going through laws is difficult for me..." CreationDate="2013-09-10T12:11:52.070" UserId="78" />
  <row Id="794" PostId="753" Score="0" Text="@ŁukaszLech That's correct, as a freelancer you enjoy a lot of freedom here. You don't need to pay for social security, and you can freely chose between public and private health insurance. Note that if you stay longer than some months (six, three?) in another EU country, then you have to change residency. By the way, some months ago I was in Spain, and there things are different, indeed mandating the use of a bookkeeper or so I was told." CreationDate="2013-09-10T12:27:41.660" UserId="735" />
  <row Id="795" PostId="753" Score="0" Text="Could you merge your comment about Freiberufler into your answer?" CreationDate="2013-09-10T20:18:36.603" UserId="78" />
  <row Id="796" PostId="761" Score="0" Text="Fiverr doesn't really fit, as it's not on-demand from the contractors perspective. Potential buyers (I wouldn't call the relationship on Fiverr a client) would expect the deliverable in some reasonable timeframe, and if you're only putting up a Fiverr job for a day or so, I doubt you'll get much (if any) interest." CreationDate="2013-09-10T20:57:27.207" UserId="820" />
  <row Id="799" PostId="769" Score="2" Text="Landscaping, for example, would indeed be a fun thing to do, broadening my horizon and positively affecting my general skills. The problem is that in Germany I would then have to work as an employee, or I would have to found my own one-person business. This makes things complex with social security, health insurance, etc. In Germany, freelancing is [allowed only in certain fields](http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freiberufler), such as architecture, engineering, law, medicine, or arts. Already programming is a border case, but courts have decided that it is in general accepted as a freelance job." CreationDate="2013-09-11T15:22:29.357" UserId="735" />
  <row Id="800" PostId="769" Score="1" Text="@feklee thanks for the insight, I should have clarified: perhaps picking up a hobby such as gardening in your own yard, swimming, painting, etc. Something to do that takes your mind off of the computer, and has some sort of zen effect." CreationDate="2013-09-11T15:32:03.023" UserId="116" />
  <row Id="801" PostId="761" Score="0" Text="@TimLytle As far as I see it (thou never used it), Fiverr may be excellent if you have limited time. Why? You simply make a skeleton for the service you offer and then finish it in 15 min. I've seen many task there which I could finish in 5 min. And I think he has 15min when someone contacts him." CreationDate="2013-09-11T18:10:34.427" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="802" PostId="768" Score="0" Text="Upvote for mentioning remote session to clients (virtual) machine. This could be a great thing if the client is reluctant into sharing his licence." CreationDate="2013-09-11T18:16:00.230" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="804" PostId="763" Score="1" Text="Trello is very good for non-techies. It doesn't do *too much* which keeps it simple." CreationDate="2013-09-11T20:12:26.617" UserId="609" />
  <row Id="805" PostId="772" Score="1" Text="Welcome to Freelancing, Amr... could you expand your answer, to explain WHY you can recommend Freshbooks?" CreationDate="2013-09-12T05:41:43.933" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="806" PostId="768" Score="0" Text="If you end up using the client's equipment, couldn't this put you in danger of being considered an employee instead of a freelancer?" CreationDate="2013-09-12T05:45:36.307" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="807" PostId="768" Score="1" Text="@jmort253 I guess remote shouldn't be a problem. Many freelancers even work on-site, which I have done for many months at a big company in Germany. Colleagues have worked for years in such a scenario. Nothing happened, although in Germany it is not permitted to contract as a freelancer if work relationship is like that of an employee ([Scheinselbständigkeit](http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scheinselbst%C3%A4ndigkeit)). In fact it wasn't: I realized, they could not tell me when I have to be on-site and when not. It's probably a border case, risk was with the client, and they have good lawyers." CreationDate="2013-09-12T08:44:35.283" UserId="735" />
  <row Id="808" PostId="133" Score="1" Text="I disagree. Let's assume there is contract in place with severe penalties. You leave hospital and then face liability... Lesson here: have clauses for unexpected &quot;bus&quot; events." CreationDate="2013-09-12T13:14:03.217" UserId="876" />
  <row Id="809" PostId="768" Score="0" Text="Makes sense. Thanks for clarifying! Should that information be included in the answer?" CreationDate="2013-09-12T14:04:46.933" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="810" PostId="772" Score="0" Text="Just did @Andrew :)" CreationDate="2013-09-12T15:10:53.023" UserId="871" />
  <row Id="811" PostId="515" Score="0" Text="Upvote for a door thing. I haven't tried this but it sounds nice. The only issue may arise if it's summer and you don't have air-conditioning in your room :)." CreationDate="2013-09-12T18:03:35.647" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="816" PostId="776" Score="0" Text="Employers?  Keep in mind this site is about Freelancing and self employment. Consider updating your answer to focus on those points. Perhaps the term &quot;clients&quot; would be better. Good luck, and welcome to Freelancing SE! :)" CreationDate="2013-09-14T18:56:06.857" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="817" PostId="776" Score="1" Text="Ha, sorry. Retermed it to 'clients'. In my situation, many former employers took me on for freelancing. Which I suppose strengthens the idea that you can turn down a contract or quit and still stay in very good terms." CreationDate="2013-09-15T01:20:27.477" UserId="890" />
  <row Id="818" PostId="776" Score="0" Text="Absolutely! Your personal experiences are more validated by this happening to you as a Freelancer. Thanks for making the edit and helping to create a great Stack Exchange site! :)" CreationDate="2013-09-15T01:50:04.890" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="819" PostId="779" Score="1" Text="What about paying for things you can't do? Are you happy to pay £n for those? You get payed for stuff your client _can't_ do (for whatever reason)." CreationDate="2013-09-15T16:56:46.193" UserId="184" />
  <row Id="820" PostId="700" Score="1" Text="Many large companies employing remote workers will buy such test which you have to pass during the interview process. I am doing the same when hiring juniors remotely." CreationDate="2013-09-16T09:49:17.087" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="821" PostId="781" Score="1" Text="Great answer! Only thing I would add is at the end, to make sure to refer a ***competent*** junior developer to do the rest. You don't need to refer experts, but you do want to refer someone whose careful and who pays attention to detail. :) +1" CreationDate="2013-09-16T14:33:47.430" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="822" PostId="781" Score="0" Text="@jmort253 Yup, that's a great point. It's a problem when you don't know of someone, but it's something that shouldn't be done by yourself." CreationDate="2013-09-16T14:50:23.863" UserId="820" />
  <row Id="823" PostId="20" Score="3" Text="Despite being over a decade old, the blog post at http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000022.html is more fuel for the &quot;nothing ever takes just a minute&quot; fire." CreationDate="2013-09-16T20:01:45.607" UserId="39" />
  <row Id="824" PostId="724" Score="2" Text="Hi Muhammad, [Tim Lytle](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/users/820/tim-lytle) and I edited your post to focus on the why and how, things that could help other freelancers too. As such, I've reopened this post and hope you get good answers. I also tweeted it to my followers using the `share` link below the post, so we'll see how it goes. Sorry it took so long to reopen this and hope this helps!" CreationDate="2013-09-17T04:05:14.593" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="825" PostId="773" Score="0" Text="Hey drabsv, I edited this a bit to make it fit our site guidelines a little better and reopened it. Feel free to make further edits to clarify. Hope this gets you some good answers! :)" CreationDate="2013-09-17T04:23:42.423" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="826" PostId="789" Score="0" Text="Wasn't aware of TFS Express. I'll have to check it out. Do you know is it cloud based or will I need to come up with a server?" CreationDate="2013-09-17T17:29:28.103" UserId="916" />
  <row Id="827" PostId="788" Score="1" Text="Hi John, welcome to Freelancing SE! Questions tend to work out better when they're worded in a way that isn't just polling for a list. I edited to try and get the ball rolling in the direction of the actual problem you're hoping to solve. I'm going to ask in our [chat] room whether or not folks think these edits make the question fit our scope. Hope this helps." CreationDate="2013-09-17T19:45:41.853" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="829" PostId="788" Score="0" Text="Hi John, after these edits, we're going to give this question a shot. For folks answering, please be sure to provide more than just a sentence or two. Good Stack Exchange answers ideally should be supported by facts, references, explanations, which generally takes about a paragraph." CreationDate="2013-09-18T04:36:25.830" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="830" PostId="301" Score="0" Text="Does Toggl track 'activity' levels (based on keystrokes) or screen shots. Those were the two things needed to match what oDesk provides." CreationDate="2013-09-18T04:51:31.520" UserId="820" />
  <row Id="831" PostId="295" Score="0" Text="I'd put this in as an answer, but the question is closed. Why not just use oDesk's tools? If it's that you don't want them taking the 10%, I'm pretty sure you don't actually have to bill the time through the platform to use their tools." CreationDate="2013-09-18T04:53:43.750" UserId="820" />
  <row Id="832" PostId="789" Score="0" Text="I've just started looking at it - it is indeed cloud based, so you simply sign up and everything is hosted for you by MS" CreationDate="2013-09-18T12:28:27.550" UserId="43" />
  <row Id="833" PostId="788" Score="0" Text="You can use visualstudio.com as resource for project management and source control. They support Git aswell." CreationDate="2013-09-18T18:31:56.753" UserId="835" />
  <row Id="834" PostId="793" Score="1" Text="Did you build the iOS 6 app? This is important to my answer because if you did, you would learn the lesson of setting up a maintenance agreement." CreationDate="2013-09-18T19:10:06.463" UserId="116" />
  <row Id="835" PostId="793" Score="0" Text="yes i did made the iOS 6 version...!!&#xA;i dont hv any maintenance agreement with the client.&#xA;Should i charge a fee in this case?" CreationDate="2013-09-18T19:36:28.223" UserId="613" />
  <row Id="836" PostId="793" Score="2" Text="When you built the iOS 6 app, was iOS 7 around, or close to release (that is, how reasonable would be the expectation that it would work on both)? Also, what does the contract say? Is it iOS 6 exclusive? Are upgrades mentioned?" CreationDate="2013-09-19T07:14:10.767" UserId="184" />
  <row Id="837" PostId="799" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the swift response I wasn't considering annual support but my app is available for free on the app market. He not bothered about the code, he just wants the app adapted along with his website needs. I think he wants the app free to download not too sure at the moment." CreationDate="2013-09-21T16:09:11.530" UserId="943" />
  <row Id="838" PostId="799" Score="0" Text="You first need to know 100% for sure what he wants from you. If my reply helped you, you can mark it as answer." CreationDate="2013-09-21T17:18:49.267" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="839" PostId="799" Score="0" Text="Just found out he is not interested in having the code and to fully answer the question how do I calculate a price figure from my free app?" CreationDate="2013-09-21T17:36:27.073" UserId="943" />
  <row Id="840" PostId="799" Score="0" Text="Please edit your question and explain what exactly he wants and if you're looking to put price on your free app or you're looking how to calculate the fee for usage by one person." CreationDate="2013-09-21T17:39:56.360" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="841" PostId="799" Score="0" Text="It's a company that is interested in my app. He doesn't want the code, the company want my app under his company or made for his company using my methods. Initially the app wasn't aimed for making money since it was just a quick fun project. I want to know how much should I sell the whole application for? how do I calculate a figure for the company to purchase the app for the company's use?" CreationDate="2013-09-21T17:58:55.697" UserId="943" />
  <row Id="843" PostId="799" Score="0" Text="See  my  edit! :)" CreationDate="2013-09-21T18:11:21.397" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="844" PostId="794" Score="0" Text="Your way of thinking &quot;I am contractor who always wants to charge for more money&quot; is totally wrong. Test this: go to groceries and take 2 apples, return later and take another apple - will you be charged? You as a contractor are selling your skills, you can sell them in a package or per hour. But anyhow you must charge your time or you will eventually fail. The only time when you should not charge your client is when you told him &quot;I will do it ALL for $$$&quot;. all extra is to be charged. If you want to do free work, then do charity work, but do not ruin your business." CreationDate="2013-09-22T09:02:05.093" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="848" PostId="794" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV that's the thing: Not only am I a contractor, I'm also a consultant: That is, I explain to people (mostly non-technical) a complete solution to take care of what they need, and a good estimate of the cost associated. What makes me good at it is that I think of the $ questions beforehand, because that's the bottomline. They don't know 0s &amp; 1s but they know value added or time saved. A couple benefits of this are 1)*Retaining* a client by being frank about the cost upfront and 2)Possibly saving the client money and earning residual income for myself by selling maintenance subscriptions." CreationDate="2013-09-23T12:49:09.007" UserId="116" />
  <row Id="849" PostId="802" Score="1" Text="Who and where are your clients? Narrowing down your market will likely get your more useful answers." CreationDate="2013-09-23T21:02:36.333" UserId="514" />
  <row Id="850" PostId="803" Score="0" Text="Hi d.free, and welcome to Freelancing.SE! I like that your question is more then a paragraph, but it is essentially asking for a website recommendation, which would be off topic (product recommendations), as there could be many answers, and answers can become obsolete quickly. Try to reword your question to ask how to find a place to post jobs, as opposed to asking what sites to use. You can always [edit] your question to get it reopenned" CreationDate="2013-09-24T01:00:51.627" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="852" PostId="803" Score="1" Text="That's a better question! On the SE network, we like teaching people to fish, not just giving them their fish, so to speak. A Meta conversation is also discussing these type of questions, and you are free to weigh in with your opinion on the matter [here](http://meta.freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/141/what-should-we-do-with-all-of-the-questions-asking-for-software?cb=1)" CreationDate="2013-09-24T01:20:04.837" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="853" PostId="808" Score="0" Text="While it is true there are many ways to calculate the price per hour, we also have other questions relating to how to calculate that price that may be of interest" CreationDate="2013-09-24T14:37:09.223" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="854" PostId="792" Score="1" Text="I am also currently counting my hours. Mostly I list directly work related tasks and I group that together (to avoid too many details).  &#xA;But I stumbled upon a nice book recently that also basically suggested looking at the value that you bring to the customer. The book is here: http://breakingthetimebarrier.freshbooks.com/" CreationDate="2013-09-24T14:44:04.317" UserId="956" />
  <row Id="855" PostId="808" Score="0" Text="You are right. I thought of recommending him to read other questions but since he's new here, I thought I could give him a summed answer." CreationDate="2013-09-24T17:58:02.043" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="856" PostId="811" Score="0" Text="Most clients would not accept retainer contractor for site maintenance. Most of them prefer fixed prices as they somehow think the maintenance price should be fixed one. That is why I suggested him to calculate time spent on most usual tasks, and propose a fixed price." CreationDate="2013-09-24T17:59:38.520" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="857" PostId="808" Score="0" Text="I know, but gotta advertise them, right? :o)" CreationDate="2013-09-24T18:18:07.610" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="858" PostId="811" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV *Most* doesn't mean **all** - and the benefit of being a freelancer is I get to try and attract the clients that *do* understand the value I provide. Most clients wouldn't pay my rate either - but I don't want to work for most clients, I want to work for the clients that value my product.&#xA;&#xA;And the retainer (with included hours as I explained) is essentially fixed, just with protection when there's *significant* maintenance. Or - to look at it differently - makes it easy to let the client have you do *more* than just maintenance." CreationDate="2013-09-24T18:40:10.027" UserId="820" />
  <row Id="859" PostId="811" Score="0" Text="You're absolutely right but not many people can afford to work only with those who can afford them. Especially if you start working. Also being retained for X number of work hours is not same as telling the client &quot;I will do it for $$$&quot;. IMHO." CreationDate="2013-09-24T19:23:42.453" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="860" PostId="808" Score="0" Text="Your answer makes sense but hourly isn't really a good way to measure the value for part of what I'm offering. I'm essentially offering 2 things (updates and backups). I could use your hourly advice for updates, but for the monthly backups of the site/database its a cron job (scheduled server task) which, other than the time I spent writing the script, doesn't take me any time. I still believe it has value though and I'm not sure how to charge for it." CreationDate="2013-09-25T18:43:06.037" UserId="955" />
  <row Id="861" PostId="811" Score="0" Text="Consider something like a scheduled server task for backing up data. That doesn't take any of my hours to complete but has significant value. How would you charge for that using your retainer?" CreationDate="2013-09-25T18:46:30.977" UserId="955" />
  <row Id="862" PostId="808" Score="0" Text="@JoeFitzsimmons Once you make a cron file, I see no way how you can still charge it. Unless you make modifications to it. If cron and backup tasks are all, then I am afraid hourly won't help indeed. If you have no one to ask who already does such things, then maybe you can publish job like this on freelancing sites and see how much would other contractors charge you. You may even end up hiring someone to help you (this way I found a couple of my team mates)." CreationDate="2013-09-25T19:01:44.967" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="863" PostId="808" Score="1" Text="I would ask how much value does your service provide? Just because you wrote the cron job once doesn't mean there is no value offered to the client. Your script saves you and your client time by performing tasks that may have required manual intervention previously. So, determine your value and then have that talk with the client. You will find out if they think there is value when they agree to pay (or don't) for your maintenance package." CreationDate="2013-09-25T20:24:54.523" UserId="70" />
  <row Id="864" PostId="792" Score="0" Text="Great book. Also related and more in depth is Million Dollar Consulting by Alan Weiss." CreationDate="2013-09-25T21:59:15.517" UserId="609" />
  <row Id="865" PostId="811" Score="0" Text="@JoeFitzsimmons If it's the kind of retainer I describe (basically a monthly minimum of hours, then hourly billing starts in the *rare* case it exceeds that), it only matters if the time included is exceeded (if it's automated, it won't)." CreationDate="2013-09-26T01:58:15.663" UserId="820" />
  <row Id="866" PostId="808" Score="0" Text="@BradUllery I've made many scripts in the past, cron ones as well as crawler ones. I was paid only once by a client to make the script. There is no way I can persuade the client to pay me monthly amount just because it saves him a lot of time. It's like you buy a van and start your own business. Can car manufacturer ask you extra money just because you earn $50k a months using his van?" CreationDate="2013-09-26T08:18:45.953" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="867" PostId="808" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV If you are renting the van he can." CreationDate="2013-09-26T18:56:16.033" UserId="70" />
  <row Id="868" PostId="810" Score="0" Text="Contest sites are the worst possible thing any designer can participate in. There's no feedback to help a designer improve. And any &quot;prize&quot; generally amounts to working for pennies. Contest sites are riddled with 12 year olds using pirated versions of software. No self-respecting designer would ever take part in such scams." CreationDate="2013-09-28T02:10:37.070" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="869" PostId="810" Score="1" Text="@Scott I didn't recommend them, just gave an idea what's out there. I even said that **most freelancers strongly dislike them**. And based on the way the question was phrased ('submit results') it's probably the closest to what he was looking for. But thanks for the downvote just for educating someone on their options." CreationDate="2013-09-28T03:14:06.173" UserId="820" />
  <row Id="870" PostId="695" Score="0" Text="You can also try sites like odesk, elance....but, these sites doesn't have many good paying jobs." CreationDate="2013-09-28T08:39:54.210" UserDisplayName="user702" />
  <row Id="871" PostId="813" Score="1" Text="To be clear, in my answer I didn't recommend contests - but as they were closest to what was *actually asked* explained what they were, and that they shouldn't be considered a viable method actual freelancing." CreationDate="2013-09-28T12:40:04.033" UserId="820" />
  <row Id="872" PostId="817" Score="0" Text="+1. I got feedback &quot;1&quot; (lowest at odesk). I requested client access to code prior of starting work so that I can determine if I am able to do task or not. But, client refused for that. So, I feel client is equal responsible for failed job. Now even after refunding, client is demanding more free work calling I sabotage his site. Bad experience with client. Anyway, thanks for answer." CreationDate="2013-09-28T14:54:03.990" UserDisplayName="user702" />
  <row Id="873" PostId="817" Score="1" Text="@VarunAgw You can always contact oDesk support about that. Provide the email thread / message thread were you asked for access prior. If the client threatened to leave bad feedback (or promised to change it) if you don't work for free - that's a policy violation, and oDesk may just remove their negative feedback. That said, if you refunded it all, it shouldn't effect your overall rating." CreationDate="2013-09-28T16:04:36.493" UserId="820" />
  <row Id="874" PostId="816" Score="2" Text="If clients didn't plan out things well enough to leave more than a 1 week buffer, I stay away from those folks like the plague. We choose our clients just as much as they choose us, and I just don't do rush jobs." CreationDate="2013-09-28T16:29:54.883" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="875" PostId="817" Score="1" Text="If you were doing development on the client's live website, then that's a big problem and very risky. First thing I do when doing any type of work is setup my own development environment with a copy of whatever it is I'm working on so that if I completely break it, I'm breaking code on my test server, not on the client's actual live website." CreationDate="2013-09-28T16:33:40.710" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="876" PostId="816" Score="1" Text="Same here. I prefer jobs that take longer than 1 month and I never accept rushed jobs because I'm not 100% sure I can do what is asked of me and I also don't like working under stress." CreationDate="2013-09-28T17:44:02.913" UserId="888" />
  <row Id="877" PostId="817" Score="0" Text="@VarunAgw Hm that is very odd. Did you change anything and produced some error? As Tim said, absolutely contact customer service thou I never heard they forced anyone to change negative feedback. Maybe you can convince them to nullify the post and delete it from their database?!" CreationDate="2013-09-28T18:27:27.660" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="878" PostId="817" Score="1" Text="@VarunAgw Also, no matter how much you need a job, NEVER accept the job without being 110% you can finish it. I missed zillions of projects in the beginning simply because I was unable/afraid to finish them. That way you will avoid 1 feedback mark." CreationDate="2013-09-28T18:31:45.837" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="879" PostId="814" Score="0" Text="It's NOT a career, just a way to make a bit of money." CreationDate="2013-09-28T21:07:40.380" UserDisplayName="user958" />
  <row Id="880" PostId="814" Score="0" Text="Then stay local as I suggest. You'll never compete with all the professionals on the web." CreationDate="2013-09-28T21:11:38.350" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="881" PostId="817" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV They've removed corecursive / threatened feedback in the past I believe." CreationDate="2013-09-28T22:03:04.783" UserId="820" />
  <row Id="884" PostId="821" Score="0" Text="Welcome to Freelancing.SE! Unfortunately, this question is going to pull more opinions then facts, and will be put on hold; I would suggest asking for a process, such as just 'How does one know they are ready for...'." CreationDate="2013-10-01T02:34:27.173" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="886" PostId="821" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke Why not opening this and turn it into wiki? This the question we all asked ourselves and any future freelancer will ask himself the same question as well." CreationDate="2013-10-01T07:52:47.680" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="889" PostId="821" Score="2" Text="@PeterMV This type of on-going exchange of stories is better conducted in traditional forum or chat room. It's not really what we do here — http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/about. But Community Wiki should *not* be used to allow questions that otherwise would not be a good fit (see [Future of Community Wiki](http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2011/08/the-future-of-community-wiki/)). Thanks." CreationDate="2013-10-01T13:59:41.877" UserId="69" />
  <row Id="890" PostId="821" Score="1" Text="@PeterMV Robert has the exact reason. Yes, it is useful to know, but because of how varying it is, it would be difficult to find one professional answer that would trump all others. It would be perfect for [chat] though" CreationDate="2013-10-01T16:03:14.810" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="891" PostId="823" Score="0" Text="+1 Good answer, I purposely didn't read it until I posted mine. Agree, the bottom line is you're ready when people will hire you." CreationDate="2013-10-01T18:01:44.917" UserId="820" />
  <row Id="892" PostId="826" Score="0" Text="I should note that the community organisation was never given my credit card but rather my pro-bono work required me pay third-party services and invoice the organisation. Once I broke association with the organisation, I should be able sever without restraint any third-party service that they didn't take financial ownership. Or so I assume. I'm ok with the work itself being owned by the organisation (it isn't actually), but if for example this was a cloud-service app I shouldn't have to pay for the cloud costs." CreationDate="2013-10-01T22:50:46.140" UserId="1007" />
  <row Id="893" PostId="826" Score="0" Text="I understood you never actually handed over a CC number. But leaving an auto-bill to your CC in place when handing over assets was a mistake." CreationDate="2013-10-01T22:52:01.950" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="894" PostId="826" Score="0" Text="Yes. I'm kicking myself now; why did I assume that charities are inherently reliable? Thankfully I probably do own the assets insofar as the assets were simply a fusion of online services of which I now solely own the passwords for. Since the charity explicitly dropped the old president's initiatives in meeting minutes where I pointed out I would delete discarded &amp; unused web assets, I doubt they could re-claim ownership. I had just assumed (as did the 3rd party it seems) that part of the &quot;deletion&quot; process would be done by them, instead of forgotten until 3rd-party auto-renewal occurred." CreationDate="2013-10-01T23:33:06.143" UserId="1007" />
  <row Id="895" PostId="822" Score="1" Text="Welcome to Freelancing, Cristiana.  Answers that amount to &quot;Google is your friend&quot; are not overly helpful... perhaps you could summarise some that you found useful AND WHY?" CreationDate="2013-10-02T07:43:14.133" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="896" PostId="827" Score="1" Text="I believe you are correct. The country in question derives from English common law." CreationDate="2013-10-02T07:48:21.467" UserId="1007" />
  <row Id="897" PostId="828" Score="1" Text="IANAL, but what does Freelancer.com say about it? I'd be passing it off to them, and probably brush this off as a learning experience. It's very hard to sue someone internationally, unless they have corporate presence there" CreationDate="2013-10-02T15:29:10.530" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="899" PostId="822" Score="2" Text="Thank you, Andrew. Indeed, I find interesting the freelance world and I intend to explore it more. Now, back on subject. I know that an answer like: &quot;go son, do a google search and you'll find your nirvana&quot; may sound ironical and shallow, but, in my case, this recipe did work. In a way. And that's why I advice him and every newbie to do the same. I own my actual job to an app that I have installed on my android tablet - this way I could find out a job opportunity on a national announcement site. Now I work from home remotely for a business based in other city. One never know..." CreationDate="2013-10-02T20:58:58.653" UserId="999" />
  <row Id="901" PostId="836" Score="0" Text="Very similar (but not quite a duplicate) here: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/719/where-can-a-front-end-web-developer-start-freelancing/722#722" CreationDate="2013-10-06T15:23:48.823" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="902" PostId="839" Score="0" Text="&quot;If it takes more than a couple of hours that give him first a very rough costs idea and after that proceed to the Specs phase where you will make a good specs for him. after that you will be able to tell him your final price.&quot;&#xA;&#xA;I'm not sure I understand this part. Could you please elaborate more? Also, you make a very good point regarding the fixed milestones. Perhaps I should avoid charging per stage and instead charge at fixed time intervals for a better flow of income but I'll have to plan it well so as to not put my clients in an annoying situation." CreationDate="2013-10-06T20:13:37.820" UserId="1021" />
  <row Id="903" PostId="836" Score="1" Text="Good question - if I understand correctly, you're facing the problem many developers face: *portfolios don't really work for code*." CreationDate="2013-10-07T00:22:29.160" UserId="820" />
  <row Id="904" PostId="836" Score="0" Text="@Tim - Thank you! Indeed it's a topic not often discussed in a general manner. In my case, I'm lucky because I have interfaces to show for it but if my work was only programming, that would've made it much more difficult, in which case I would probably resort to Github or something similar to show off my source code in some way. Not to mention that showing screenshots of interfaces made by someone else would give the inexperienced clients a false impression that I also do design for example." CreationDate="2013-10-07T00:55:20.883" UserId="1021" />
  <row Id="905" PostId="836" Score="0" Text="@MahmoudTahan Exactly. When I get a chance I'll try to add an answer from my perspective (I don't do *any* design)." CreationDate="2013-10-07T00:57:31.760" UserId="820" />
  <row Id="906" PostId="836" Score="0" Text="@Tim - Yes yes! Please do! I'm excited to know how you would go about it so we can have a better idea of what to do in case we have programming-only projects. Thank you!" CreationDate="2013-10-07T01:02:02.757" UserId="1021" />
  <row Id="912" PostId="841" Score="0" Text="Sorry for the late response. Could you please explain the first part (&quot;unless it's very project-specific&quot;) of your answer? You have some really good points in there like allowing for more flexibility to change the specs, and the smaller deliverables when possible. I checked out oDesk and I understood its basics. It's a good service indeed but I don't think it would benefit me much at this point because I live and work in Kuwait and most of my clients are locals so I feel that it's a bit impersonal and I want to establish good relations. I think I'll keep it for international clients." CreationDate="2013-10-07T03:57:27.467" UserId="1021" />
  <row Id="913" PostId="851" Score="0" Text="what is your site? I want to see your competitors, as I think that is a very smart idea. This is currently not configured: http://www.108ium.com/" CreationDate="2013-10-07T14:01:01.507" UserId="772" />
  <row Id="914" PostId="845" Score="0" Text="You answered your own question? Or is this research you have done since posting?" CreationDate="2013-10-07T14:02:37.590" UserId="772" />
  <row Id="916" PostId="839" Score="1" Text="@MahmoudTahan Yes, you may have a milestones set as Work week where you set the price at the end of each week. Now, I said the above sentence that you will always have to work some hours for free during the estimation phase. For example, a clients approaches to you and you have to estimate the costs of the project. It takes you a couple of hours and you then tell him the approximate price (you may also say that this price may change after you make specs and you better understand the project). Then as milestone 1, you make specs, charge him for making specs and then tell him your final price." CreationDate="2013-10-07T18:26:36.720" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="917" PostId="833" Score="1" Text="I love that first line and as a part-time landlord, I've used that statement before. I've never had one but its funny how people think if you're the first to mention the word &quot;lawsuit&quot;, you automatically win the debate!" CreationDate="2013-10-07T18:59:45.113" UserId="1032" />
  <row Id="918" PostId="855" Score="0" Text="Hi Gustavo - I like this question but I've edited the title to make it a little more search friendly" CreationDate="2013-10-07T19:37:15.097" UserId="43" />
  <row Id="919" PostId="839" Score="0" Text="You're right. Spending time to collect information in order to reply with an estimate is unavoidable so I'll have to deal with it. Additionally, I like your idea of charging at regular time intervals instead of major project milestones as that will keep my income flowing at a steady rate and furthermore, reduce the amount required for each payment which I feel will be much more manageable for the client. However, that leaves me wondering how I can justify that with smaller deliverables in order to assure the client that the project is moving." CreationDate="2013-10-07T19:41:47.027" UserId="1021" />
  <row Id="920" PostId="839" Score="1" Text="@MahmoudTahan There are many proves you can give to a client. I personally give the access to SVN server with source code. So each Friday I upload the sources and he can see commit differences, etc. At later stages, you can provide build each Fri. At the beginning you simply describe him which tasks you did. A client must know that you cannot always provide visual proof in the first stages but only source code. He can investigate it if he's worried. you cannot do much more." CreationDate="2013-10-07T20:28:09.510" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="921" PostId="841" Score="0" Text="@MahmoudTahan Just contrasting the shorter time needed to determine *if* a contractor can accomplish a project, with the longer time than *may* be needed on certain projects to actually investigate if some technique / feature / etc is even possible. For example, you should be able to determine quickly if you can build a Twitter client - and that shouldn't be billed to the client. It may take longer (and be billable) to determine if you can use Twitter's user streams." CreationDate="2013-10-07T20:56:22.177" UserId="820" />
  <row Id="922" PostId="845" Score="0" Text="Hi @lharby, self-answering is a feature of Stack Exchange and is completely acceptable, so long as the question is on-topic and answerable. Ideally, a question should be about a real, actual problem you're facing so folks can relate to it and so it won't just be a repetition of what's already available in blogs and forums. Ideally, we'd want questions to have some more substance to them than this so as to not be too broad, but this seems to be getting good answers. Hope this helps!" CreationDate="2013-10-08T02:03:16.850" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="923" PostId="845" Score="0" Text="Yeah I have no problem with it at all, I was just wondering about how the OP came to find the information, was it gathered after researching etc." CreationDate="2013-10-08T09:05:09.580" UserId="772" />
  <row Id="926" PostId="860" Score="0" Text="Apparently, after withdrawing a few I got the same number back to apply for others." CreationDate="2013-10-09T15:03:38.683" UserId="940" />
  <row Id="927" PostId="862" Score="0" Text="Actually, no offense was taken. Since I'm new to oDesk I have a limited number of jobs I can apply to. So I don't want to waste them. See my comment with Tim Lytle." CreationDate="2013-10-09T15:06:04.900" UserId="940" />
  <row Id="928" PostId="862" Score="1" Text="@JamieKrasnoo You never mentioned oDesk thou I suspected you are referring to it. I would look at the part of the post referring to &quot;interviewing&quot;. That is the number of people the client messages. If this number grows every day, then wait - the client is still not sure whom to choose. Once the number of interviewing stops for a couple of days (excluding weekends) and you are not contacted, then it's probably safe to withdraw. The client will be notified and he can re-contact you if he wants to." CreationDate="2013-10-09T16:45:53.977" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="931" PostId="316" Score="0" Text="You can have an idea on how much to charge hourly if you enter a freelancing website and look for developers with similar skills and knowledge to you. In case you need to translate US dollars to Euros, just google any currency converter." CreationDate="2013-10-08T22:34:44.043" UserId="595" />
  <row Id="932" PostId="866" Score="1" Text="Hello, welcome to Freelancing SE! I edited your post a bit to focus on the problem you're hoping to solve. On Freelancing Stack Exchange, our goal is to focus on Q&amp;A. Hope this helps, and welcome to our site! :)" CreationDate="2013-10-10T03:37:42.697" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="935" PostId="871" Score="1" Text="Similar (not a duplicate though): http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/101/how-do-i-get-my-first-job-at-a-freelancing-site" CreationDate="2013-10-11T15:47:43.320" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="936" PostId="874" Score="0" Text="Starring, since I'm also in BC... But I haven't had any foreign customers yet" CreationDate="2013-10-11T18:23:08.367" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="937" PostId="874" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke Reddit is saying [no tax](http://www.reddit.com/r/freelance/comments/1o8bvz/what_taxes_does_a_canadian_freelancer_charge_to/)" CreationDate="2013-10-11T19:49:33.880" UserId="1058" />
  <row Id="938" PostId="873" Score="0" Text="yes i have a portfolio of previous projects." CreationDate="2013-10-12T12:57:04.717" UserId="1042" />
  <row Id="939" PostId="874" Score="0" Text="@Sinetheta, is it no tax at all? Or just no special tax?" CreationDate="2013-10-12T23:16:31.310" UserId="534" />
  <row Id="940" PostId="874" Score="0" Text="I'm still waiting to visit an accountant, but it sounds like no tax. Anything on their end is not your problem." CreationDate="2013-10-13T01:11:48.707" UserId="1058" />
  <row Id="942" PostId="874" Score="0" Text="Ask and accountant or tax attorney." CreationDate="2013-10-17T09:21:24.103" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="943" PostId="882" Score="0" Text="Interesting story, thanks! However, the situation in Brazil most likely is very different from Peru. My customer said: *&quot;In the best case, we **could** recover around 15% of those taxes, but only in the conjunction of specific circumstances, that we don´t fit in.&quot;* He also pointed me to an [article in The Economist](http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21586678-why-brazil-offers-appalling-value-money-price-wrong)." CreationDate="2013-10-17T13:53:47.267" UserId="735" />
  <row Id="944" PostId="882" Score="0" Text="Well if this client is very important to you then you should read their Tax law. I am confident that English version exists (if not, google translate will translate it from Portuguese for you) and you should see it for yourself. There is always a chance that the client is mistaken by accident or on purpose ;). In the end, search for Brasilian forums and ask the questions there. Also, you can find good lawyers on odesk and elance and hire them for this reply. I think they will charge you small money for this." CreationDate="2013-10-17T16:13:26.513" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="948" PostId="874" Score="0" Text="Please don't bicker in the comments. If you disagree with a view, provide constructive feedback; otherwise, use the [chat]" CreationDate="2013-10-17T19:47:08.360" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="952" PostId="892" Score="3" Text="Hey Peter, in regards to tag wiki excerpts, remember that the goal is to describe ***when to use the tag on a question***. Instead, I'd use the tag wiki *body* as the area to define specific terms, highlight good example questions, and elaborate further on the subject in question. Hope this helps! :)" CreationDate="2013-10-19T20:57:39.850" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="953" PostId="892" Score="0" Text="@jmort253 Thanks, did not know that!" CreationDate="2013-10-20T18:09:12.110" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="955" PostId="883" Score="2" Text="We certainly do believe you are using the correct approach! Spending countless hours communicating with a potential client and preparing his/her proposal can be a waste of your (valuable) time if you were not aware of the budget up front." CreationDate="2013-10-21T06:50:36.387" UserId="1097" />
  <row Id="958" PostId="901" Score="1" Text="Can you define `in the pram`? Is this an idiom? I've never heard that term. Other then that, I would totally agree with everything you said. +1" CreationDate="2013-10-21T21:33:40.560" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="959" PostId="901" Score="0" Text="I mean literally a baby in a pram." CreationDate="2013-10-21T21:36:13.110" UserId="1104" />
  <row Id="960" PostId="901" Score="0" Text="I feel like an idiot, as I've never heard that term... I'll check out Google though" CreationDate="2013-10-21T21:39:26.243" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="961" PostId="901" Score="1" Text="Ahhhh. We call that a stroller or baby carriage in Canada, which explains why I haven't heard that term before" CreationDate="2013-10-21T21:39:53.887" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="962" PostId="901" Score="1" Text="Kind of like this: http://www.mandab.co.uk/images/Joe_pram_20020519.jpg Seriously, it's a great way to get them talking. If you haven't got your own baby, you may be able to borrow your nephew/niece or maybe a friend's baby" CreationDate="2013-10-21T21:41:51.120" UserId="1104" />
  <row Id="963" PostId="901" Score="0" Text="I always thought that was standard English, didn't realise it's different in Canada. Well, you learn something every day :-)" CreationDate="2013-10-21T21:43:12.347" UserId="1104" />
  <row Id="965" PostId="101" Score="2" Text="this whole page gives me a lot to think about :D" CreationDate="2013-10-23T16:54:56.140" UserId="805" />
  <row Id="969" PostId="641" Score="0" Text="@Juhana, has any of the seven people who took some time to answer your question done so to your satisfaction? The stack exchange sites run on reputation - points awarded by our peers for the quality (or otherwise) of our questions and answers. this is not only for personal satisfaction but it helps others evaluate our contributions. If none of these answers is satisfactory, would you explain why not and give someone another opportunity to help?" CreationDate="2013-10-25T00:35:20.387" UserId="514" />
  <row Id="982" PostId="907" Score="0" Text="I'd consider charging if my time involved an opportunity cost. If it took away time I could have invested in some other revenue-generating activity, I'd consider charging." CreationDate="2013-10-26T04:37:42.657" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="986" PostId="913" Score="5" Text="I'm not sure these folks are hired based on good looks. Contractors making 6 figures most likely bring something really valuable to the table. Most likely, they either keep up with the cutting edge in their specialty or specialize in something that isn't cool anymore but is still in demand.  At any rate, this is a good question, and I've tweeted it to my followers using the share links to get it more attention. Hope this helps! :)" CreationDate="2013-10-28T03:18:52.670" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="987" PostId="914" Score="5" Text="You mentioned 2-3 months safe period which is not a completely correct. All experts suggest 12 months of safe period. And I think this would be more realistic for a freelancer to develop his business and starts getting good incomes." CreationDate="2013-10-28T10:01:56.537" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="988" PostId="914" Score="2" Text="That's not very practical though. If I had decided to wait until I had saved an entire year's salary before going contracting, I never would have done it. Obviously, the more money you can put aside, the longer you can afford to hold out for a contract before having to take a permanent role again. It did, however, take about 12 months before I was able to rebalance the books and replenish those savings to the same level." CreationDate="2013-10-28T10:28:40.287" UserId="43" />
  <row Id="990" PostId="914" Score="0" Text="Say that I make $60k right now.  If I was going to jump to contracting, how much should I ask for?  When you say &quot;significant more&quot;, is that like 50% more, 100% or 20% more?" CreationDate="2013-10-28T15:50:19.747" UserId="1152" />
  <row Id="991" PostId="914" Score="1" Text="I only know the UK market and don't know how it works in the US, but in the UK it varies by industry and skills. For C# developers in banking you could reasonably expect a day rate of £500. Within media that is more likely to be £350-£400, but it depends very much on the client's budget." CreationDate="2013-10-28T16:34:55.720" UserId="43" />
  <row Id="992" PostId="914" Score="0" Text="See, this is what I mean, how do I get a job like that?  I know how to develop in C#.  But I get maybe 25% of the pay rate.  It's ridiculous!!  How do I make that jump into the Banking sector?  As far as I can tell, you have to be already IN the industry to get hired by the industry." CreationDate="2013-10-28T19:17:10.207" UserId="1152" />
  <row Id="993" PostId="914" Score="0" Text="Do you not have recruitment agencies or job boards in the US that advertise or deal with contract positions?" CreationDate="2013-10-29T08:42:03.893" UserId="43" />
  <row Id="994" PostId="914" Score="0" Text="@levelnis Sorry I was not clear. I was not talking about full salaries, but money to cover your life in 12 months. Then the sum is much smaller than salary x 12. Like rainy days fund. Since I believe we can all agree that within 1 year you will have months with a lot of money and month with very little money. And 1 year of time is enough time to find good long-term partners or good retainer agreements." CreationDate="2013-10-29T09:13:46.440" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="995" PostId="914" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV - You beat me to it. :) But I'll add that having a 12 month emergency fund is important for *everyone* not just contractors. If you follow Dave Ramsey, I'm almost to Baby Step 3, building the emergency fund! :D" CreationDate="2013-10-30T01:09:13.883" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="996" PostId="915" Score="1" Text="Great answer. I'd also add that leadership is an important skill. Contractors are the experts, so oftentimes it's the company that's looking for direction from the contractor. Asking questions about the problem, as you mentioned, is a huge part of that leadership. :D" CreationDate="2013-10-30T01:11:22.097" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="997" PostId="914" Score="1" Text="@jmort253 Yes, that's what I said on the first place that I saw it on the TV and read on the net. It's really for everyone and a freelancer should wisely stick to it. Since once you start freelancing is as same as got fired - you keep looking for job(s) but still have to feed yourself and your family." CreationDate="2013-10-30T07:35:33.397" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="998" PostId="914" Score="0" Text="In terms of initially making the switch to contracting, it's a question of risk and self belief. The quicker you believe that you will find your first contracting gig, the more risk you're prepared to take, and the less money you need to set aside before making the jump. Once you have that gig, you should definitely strive to keep adding to that emergency fund. I was only focussing on what you would need to make the jump in the first place." CreationDate="2013-10-30T08:15:16.460" UserId="43" />
  <row Id="999" PostId="907" Score="0" Text="Some clients are great, some clients are arseholes - but as long as they pay their bills the only thing that matters is that they are **your** clients - politely explain the situation to him and let it slide." CreationDate="2013-10-30T18:47:03.233" UserId="1170" />
  <row Id="1001" PostId="926" Score="3" Text="For customers like this, a monthly retainer is probably the answer... a standing fee for a designated amount of work." CreationDate="2013-11-02T03:16:10.397" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="1002" PostId="924" Score="2" Text="Hi Johny, I really like your answer because it actually answer the question.  Skill of course can always be improved, but you answer the important question of &quot;HOW&quot; to make the jump.  I just want to ask you to add one more piece of info.  How much should someone of my skill level ask for?  Now I currently live near the Mississauga/Ontario region in Canada.  Not sure where you live.  But in your experience, what is the hourly rate that would be acceptable?" CreationDate="2013-11-02T04:19:38.743" UserId="1152" />
  <row Id="1003" PostId="927" Score="9" Text="And, if it's been awhile since you've been in the filesystem, you may need to review notes to re-familiarize yourself with file structure, database structure, or other aspects of the project that you've forgotten about." CreationDate="2013-11-02T06:59:50.673" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1004" PostId="926" Score="1" Text="This question is similar to this one:  http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/3/tracking-hours-you-are-working-for-clients. Is it just me or is this a duplicate?" CreationDate="2013-11-02T07:04:04.797" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1006" PostId="892" Score="2" Text="Maybe replace &quot;Skype&quot; with videoconferencing (or video telecommunication, video telephony, …)? Skype is a proprietary product, and there are many other ways how to have a video interview. Your question would apply to all of them." CreationDate="2013-11-02T11:37:46.387" UserId="100" />
  <row Id="1007" PostId="924" Score="0" Text="I found that I did reduce my rate from what I was making at my full time job but definitely don't go too low. Here are some links to salary ranges:&#xA;&#xA;http://www.livingin-canada.com/salaries-for-software-engineer-canada.html&#xA;&#xA;http://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/toronto-software-engineer-salary-SRCH_IL.0,7_IM976_KO8,25.htm&#xA;&#xA;http://www.payscale.com/research/CA/Job=Software_Developer/Salary&#xA;&#xA;Try and put yourself between the middle and the high end. If you try and go too low, you're just selling yourself short and you won't be motivated and excited to work." CreationDate="2013-11-02T17:22:58.237" UserId="1183" />
  <row Id="1008" PostId="927" Score="0" Text="@Scott See my reply. If you ever thought you may sound like &quot;being cheap (hungry for money)&quot;, then my reply may help you as well." CreationDate="2013-11-02T20:21:40.860" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1009" PostId="926" Score="2" Text="@jmort253 yes, it similar thou Django asked a single question more directly. The reference link is much broader." CreationDate="2013-11-02T20:22:57.570" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1010" PostId="926" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV - Yes, if I closed one, it would definitely be the other one." CreationDate="2013-11-02T20:24:12.583" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1011" PostId="927" Score="0" Text="@Peter. your answer is essentially the same as my answer.. but ... okay." CreationDate="2013-11-02T20:50:17.193" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1012" PostId="929" Score="1" Text="Hi Peter, the client doesn't have a problem with paying for lots of small tasks in a month, the question is more about how much to charge them. Good advice on the retainer system, though. I think most freelancers miss it." CreationDate="2013-11-02T21:32:21.947" UserId="1185" />
  <row Id="1013" PostId="930" Score="0" Text="Hey kalamar. Welcome to Freelancing SE. To help you, I edited to make a more concrete question. What is your business model? What type of business problems are you trying to solve?" CreationDate="2013-11-03T05:04:47.270" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1014" PostId="902" Score="0" Text="This is a brilliant way to find customers who need your services." CreationDate="2013-11-03T05:18:20.573" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1015" PostId="901" Score="0" Text="Maybe this is just a cultural thing, but taking your child with you to try and land a professional contract just seems unprofessional. I'm curious, how do you get around this particular issue? Is it because you're walking into a shop where things are more casual vs. walking into an office?" CreationDate="2013-11-03T05:27:11.383" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1016" PostId="930" Score="3" Text="At the very least you should have the product you are trying to sell visible and available as a demo. Otherwise, you're spinning your wheels. Few companies will hire some random person to do ANYTHING on pure speculation. Would you buy a car/home/anything if you couldn't even see it?" CreationDate="2013-11-03T06:20:48.277" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1018" PostId="901" Score="1" Text="@jmort253 - never been an issue here; it just helps to break the ice. I'm in the UK; maybe it is a cultural thing. I wouldn't normally take a baby to an appointment; it's just for first contact. Anyway, feel free to ignore my advice as you wish :-)" CreationDate="2013-11-03T21:06:24.920" UserId="1104" />
  <row Id="1021" PostId="932" Score="0" Text="Guys, thank you very much for your responses. They are very helpfull! Although I share the doubt with you, that's really not my buisness model to have a finished, ready to use software and try to sell it. As mentioned, right now, I'm just a employee. My daily concern is to write *custom* software *based on the customers requirements* (which have to be worked out together). The idea to find my own clients is new. I know, there are guys (and companys) out there, who do exactly the same. I'm kind of an &quot;start-up entrepreneur&quot; with no (public) portfolio. I also cannot just work on an example..." CreationDate="2013-11-04T15:10:18.410" UserId="1187" />
  <row Id="1022" PostId="932" Score="0" Text="... because the software (scope) I'm willing to write is work for ~ 6 Months and might be a waste of time if the outcome is just the same as &quot;the cold approach&quot;. I have a &quot;scope&quot; of potential clients, thus I'm able to state the clients benefits. Maybe this is a potentially good approach?" CreationDate="2013-11-04T15:14:53.840" UserId="1187" />
  <row Id="1023" PostId="924" Score="0" Text="Well that's kind of interesting.  I totally thought the rate would increase, not decrease.  And the salary range are all different on those websites.  Seem like mid-range software developer command about $60k ~ $70k per year in the Toronto area." CreationDate="2013-11-04T15:19:22.707" UserId="1152" />
  <row Id="1024" PostId="930" Score="0" Text="@jmort253 Thank you. In short, my business model is to write database based software for clients, dealing with a big amount of custom data, therefor I'd like to write customized software for each client, which supports the internal business procesess and workflows." CreationDate="2013-11-04T15:30:39.177" UserId="1187" />
  <row Id="1025" PostId="930" Score="1" Text="@Scott Thank you for your anwser. Although I see your point, my buisness model is to sell &quot;a service&quot; not a &quot;product&quot;. I'm not willing to write a demo, because it's work for about 6 months. It's also not really possible to write such software, which can be easilly customized for an individual customer (ok, SAP or Oracle can do that). So, the client will say no, because the software doesn't match the requirements. In my case, it's just a waste of time. I'd like to provide a service! I'd like to present myself (as someone who can do it) in a way which is interesting for a potential client." CreationDate="2013-11-04T15:37:27.133" UserId="1187" />
  <row Id="1026" PostId="930" Score="0" Text="Sorry, it's not a &quot;service&quot; if you must construct custom software. That's a product." CreationDate="2013-11-04T15:41:11.957" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1027" PostId="930" Score="0" Text="Scott, ok... it's probably a definition thing. I've used the legal term for my country (neither US nor UK), where one distinguish a product (something wich has been made with no concreate, individual customer in mind), a contract for work labor (this is my case) or contract for service. The difference between the last two contract types, is how you charge it: for the work, or based on a hourly rate." CreationDate="2013-11-04T15:49:40.797" UserId="1187" />
  <row Id="1028" PostId="933" Score="0" Text="Hmm... good suggestions. I'd like to upvote, but I don't have enough reputation points." CreationDate="2013-11-04T15:58:22.117" UserId="1187" />
  <row Id="1030" PostId="936" Score="3" Text="Thanks for your input. Thankfully, we did sign a contract and terms of service with an exit clause(the 50% payment). I have a pretty solid idea of the logistics, it's just the wording of the letter/email that's troubling me.. I don't really know how much detail to provide, if any." CreationDate="2013-11-05T03:21:09.110" UserId="1202" />
  <row Id="1031" PostId="936" Score="1" Text="Glad to hear it! Good luck, feel free to let us know in [chat] how it went" CreationDate="2013-11-05T05:54:23.487" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1032" PostId="939" Score="1" Text="Welcome to Freelancing.SE. We need to clean up your question a bit to make it more readable, but need your help. What country is your client in, and what country are you in? What online site are you going through? Did you sign any contracts with the client? With more information, we'd be better able to help you solve your issue" CreationDate="2013-11-06T01:16:29.133" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1033" PostId="939" Score="1" Text="The only contract we have is the Hourly contract for Elance-a freelance site." CreationDate="2013-11-06T03:51:24.310" UserId="1206" />
  <row Id="1036" PostId="873" Score="2" Text="It's much easier to get work from people that know you or from a personal recommendation so start with family and friends and their friends. Also, try carving out a market niche for yourself. You may have specialist skills that smaller design and development shops need. Attending meetings relevant to your skills via meetup.com and similar can be useful for finding the right people." CreationDate="2013-11-06T07:16:44.613" UserId="1018" />
  <row Id="1037" PostId="939" Score="4" Text="Hi, take a look at the similar question: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/828/can-they-sue-me-in-this-situation/833#833 . Bottom line is &quot;he can sue you but it does not mean he will or that he will win&quot;. Also the sum is sooo low that I am positive he won't do it. But take care of his feedback since he may leave a bad feedback to you (revenge feedback). Elance is very careful on this matter and inform them if he leaves a revenge feedback." CreationDate="2013-11-06T07:27:15.740" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1038" PostId="940" Score="1" Text="Hello Okei, this information seems helpful, but can you expand a bit more on how we know this client cannot sue the asker? On Freelancing SE, we're looking to build a resource of knowledge based on facts, references, and specific expertise." CreationDate="2013-11-07T05:22:10.877" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1039" PostId="939" Score="2" Text="Update: Elance has already resolved the dispute. Again, the client (from UK) has filed another dispute to refund the total amount paid to me. What will the I do? What will be the best reply for that client to stop emailing me? Or will I just ignore him? Thanks for any advice you can give me." CreationDate="2013-11-07T08:42:45.430" UserId="1206" />
  <row Id="1040" PostId="940" Score="0" Text="Update: Elance has already resolved the dispute. Again, the client (from UK) has filed another dispute to refund the total amount paid to me. What will the I do? What will be the best reply for that client to stop emailing me? Or will I just ignore him? Thanks for any advice you can give me." CreationDate="2013-11-07T10:02:50.203" UserId="1206" />
  <row Id="1041" PostId="786" Score="0" Text="Hi @user319940. This answer is very low quality, as it cannot stand on its own too easily. Can you try to [edit] it and expand a bit? As stated above &quot;We're looking for long answers that provide some explanation and context. Don't just give a one-line answer; explain why your answer is right, ideally with citations. Answers that don't include explanations may be removed.&quot;" CreationDate="2013-11-07T17:09:57.000" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1043" PostId="947" Score="0" Text="Hello! What do you mean by remote job?  How are the terms different than when freelancing?" CreationDate="2013-11-08T05:30:11.567" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1044" PostId="947" Score="1" Text="I mean full time work for client from home. As per my discussion with client, he want me employee of his company and I will work from home for him." CreationDate="2013-11-08T05:39:56.147" UserId="939" />
  <row Id="1045" PostId="933" Score="1" Text="I'll upvote for me and @kalamar, and I'll add that I had the same experience. While having the skill to build my own website (freelance IT Consultant and Software Solutionist), I would have rather outsourced it. I put a request for bid out on a freelance site, and *very specifically* mentioned wanting a Drupal template. 99% of the replies were people offering me Wordpress. Did they even read my request?" CreationDate="2013-11-08T16:17:14.477" UserId="116" />
  <row Id="1046" PostId="949" Score="0" Text="&quot;should it really take two days to send out?&quot; Not for the very reply, but most times I think I can make it, then night comes, then I think I will do it in the morning, then I don't make it, then another days is gone. You know?! It's not like I intentionally wait 2 days or so. It's just that I realize I should send some reply when 2nd days comes." CreationDate="2013-11-08T17:06:33.807" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1047" PostId="949" Score="0" Text="PS. You made some very good observations. Upvoted" CreationDate="2013-11-08T17:07:47.430" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1048" PostId="949" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV, trust me, I know! I tell a client I'll have a quote ready by &lt;day&gt;, then I don't work on it until &lt;day&gt; comes, and by that time I realize more thought is needed, heaven forbid I need more information from the client lol. I don't want to seem unprofessional, perhaps the productivity SE site can help us in that area." CreationDate="2013-11-08T17:45:37.740" UserId="116" />
  <row Id="1049" PostId="949" Score="0" Text="I am afraid I did not fully understand you last comment. Can you rephrase it please? English is not my native language :)." CreationDate="2013-11-08T18:45:41.173" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1050" PostId="949" Score="1" Text="@PeterMV it translates to +1 for your question :-)" CreationDate="2013-11-08T20:15:02.777" UserId="116" />
  <row Id="1051" PostId="947" Score="1" Text="Hi @JayendraKainthola, and welcome to Freelancing.SE! I have put your question on hold, as you are asking about being an employee for a company; this would mean that you are not freelancing, and therefore, is not on topic for us. If you disagree, feel free to meet us in [chat], or make a post on [meta] and let the community decide" CreationDate="2013-11-08T21:36:57.340" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1052" PostId="949" Score="0" Text="Hahaha Ok then. I'm glad I asked since I totally understood it the wrong way." CreationDate="2013-11-08T22:15:21.943" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1053" PostId="947" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke, Thanks for your comment. Job will be contract basis not permanent employee of the company. Please let me know if contract job in list of q/a of this site." CreationDate="2013-11-08T23:56:26.143" UserId="939" />
  <row Id="1054" PostId="940" Score="0" Text="@maybelline: If your query is not resolved then I would like to answer your question." CreationDate="2013-11-09T21:54:33.220" UserId="155" />
  <row Id="1055" PostId="953" Score="3" Text="Hi Alex, welcome to Freelancing SE, the Q&amp;A site for questions about problems faced in Freelancing. In general, the best answers on our site are those that provide explanations of *why* and *how*. Consider an [edit] to your post to expand on this. Good luck! :)" CreationDate="2013-11-10T21:16:33.587" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1056" PostId="917" Score="1" Text="[**comments removed**] Please don't use comments to answer the questions. Comments are intended to seek clarification or help improve a post. See [What are Comments?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/help/privileges/comment) for more details." CreationDate="2013-11-10T23:24:17.063" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1060" PostId="940" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the follow up, @Okei. We should add this into your answer via an [edit]." CreationDate="2013-11-11T04:47:57.000" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1061" PostId="954" Score="0" Text="possible duplicate of [How much payment should be required up front?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/468/how-much-payment-should-be-required-up-front)" CreationDate="2013-11-11T12:53:43.440" UserId="116" />
  <row Id="1062" PostId="954" Score="3" Text="It's sooo close, @MDMoore313. If not for Avonelle covering the benefits vs drawbacks, I'd probably mark it as a duplicate. :D" CreationDate="2013-11-12T03:05:45.407" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1063" PostId="255" Score="3" Text="This post was mentioned in [our Freelancing Chat room](http://chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/message/12128949#12128949)" CreationDate="2013-11-12T04:59:32.570" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1064" PostId="955" Score="0" Text="+1, great answer, but especially for `What happens if the freelancer dies or disappears..` I learned recently in software development that's called the [bus factor](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bus_factor)" CreationDate="2013-11-12T13:37:23.633" UserId="116" />
  <row Id="1065" PostId="956" Score="0" Text="Hi @Med7at, welcome to Freelancing.SE! I edited your question to make it a little more clear. If you don't like it, or want to improve it, feel free to [edit] it further to suit your needs" CreationDate="2013-11-12T19:43:23.397" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1066" PostId="957" Score="2" Text="Yes, I think the key point is that you need to itemise the essential and optional features with costs so the client can choose what is appropriate and what is in their budget. You can also include a &quot;Not in Scope&quot; section to make it clear what's not included e.g. SEO, logo design etc." CreationDate="2013-11-12T22:53:44.167" UserId="1018" />
  <row Id="1067" PostId="955" Score="0" Text="I don't like to be paid fully in advance as well. You then simply lack motivation. It does not have to strictly bound to the money itself, but maybe to the lack of a reward. This may be only good if you have someone else working the project for you. Then you are sure you have the money for the contractor." CreationDate="2013-11-13T06:27:10.877" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1069" PostId="963" Score="0" Text="WOW, such a great reply. Especially the one about covering all US timezones. Haven't thought about that ever! Thank you for that. Anyway, I did not completely understand point 2. Do you say that a person will introduce him/herself as our team's representative or it should introduce him/herself as Peter or as my other colleagues? Since we're not a company, just a bunch of freelancers working together." CreationDate="2013-11-13T19:21:33.580" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1070" PostId="963" Score="0" Text="Basically .. I'm XXXXX working with XXXX. If it's a company then &quot;Hi, I'm GLORG, working with Web Dev Inc....&quot; Or &quot;Hi I'm Glorg. I work with Peter...&quot;" CreationDate="2013-11-13T19:50:15.240" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1073" PostId="956" Score="0" Text="@Med7at If I replied to your question, kindly accept it as an answer. It will help other readers of this question." CreationDate="2013-11-14T08:08:16.757" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1074" PostId="955" Score="0" Text="yeah personally for me also it is better for both parties if we paid atleast half the amount in advance. Keeps me on the toes to deliver in time. At the same time client is also tied so he would also want the project completed in  time. So both parties eventually benifit." CreationDate="2013-11-14T16:32:35.973" UserId="87" />
  <row Id="1075" PostId="965" Score="2" Text="Hey Peter, as it stands, this sounds like a community poll, which doesn't fit the SE format very well as opinions are hard to vet as answers. I was going to try to edit it, but I'm not sure I can do that on my own without your help. Is there a problem you faced or have seen someone face that you could possibly elaborate on to give this some context? Since we don't have a community of close voters yet, I've put this on hold temporarily to give us time to make some edits. If you edit, please let us know and we'll take a look at opening it up for answers. Hope the tips help! :)" CreationDate="2013-11-15T01:16:18.283" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1076" PostId="968" Score="0" Text="Hi Tim, welcome to Freelancing.SE. We are currently in our beta period, and need long, detailed answers to survive here. Please [edit] your answer to add more details, and possibly some more explanation. Thank you" CreationDate="2013-11-15T16:37:04.037" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1077" PostId="967" Score="1" Text="Hi johney, welcome to Freelancing.SE. We are currently in our beta period, and need long, detailed answers to survive here. Please [edit] your answer to add more details, and possibly some more explanation. Thank you" CreationDate="2013-11-15T16:37:32.603" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1079" PostId="960" Score="1" Text="I would seriously suggest that if this person is selling your service they need to know about your business, and if your business is design, they need to know some design." CreationDate="2013-11-16T13:08:51.447" UserId="124" />
  <row Id="1080" PostId="960" Score="0" Text="@tim.baker I totally agree with you." CreationDate="2013-11-16T14:48:50.670" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1081" PostId="965" Score="0" Text="@jmort253 Hm to be frank, I am not sure how can I make this question with more data since I haven't used virtual office ever. I just heard some guys are using it (read on the Internet) and wanted to see if there is anyone here with first-person experience." CreationDate="2013-11-16T14:50:14.033" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1082" PostId="960" Score="0" Text="Sorry I should have said that was relating to number 1, just sounds rude reading it back" CreationDate="2013-11-16T18:23:10.280" UserId="124" />
  <row Id="1084" PostId="969" Score="0" Text="Hey tt, can you [edit] in what your *specific* question is? Our site works really well for Q&amp;A, but it doesn't do too well as a discussion forum. As it stands, this seems like it might be too broad for our format without some editing. Good luck! :)" CreationDate="2013-11-17T02:50:23.560" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1085" PostId="969" Score="2" Text="@jmort253 ... does the edit help?" CreationDate="2013-11-17T02:55:23.003" UserId="1258" />
  <row Id="1088" PostId="970" Score="1" Text="I'd also add that most people needing work done aren't tied to a specific person. There are plenty of people out there willing to do the work if you're not willing to, so they'll just go that route and probably won't give it a second thought." CreationDate="2013-11-17T06:31:49.553" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1089" PostId="970" Score="1" Text="Please don't assume I'm doing a very poor job researching the company. The place that lists the leads tells me nothing about the company. It only lists the tasks. Maybe I'm at wrong website looking for leads?" CreationDate="2013-11-17T08:14:55.520" UserId="1258" />
  <row Id="1090" PostId="970" Score="1" Text="If only the task is described, and you object to working on the project as a whole. Simply turn down the work politely when you discover the offending fact. &quot;Sorry, I'm very capable of completing [task] but I would rather not work on a project dedicated to [whatever].&quot; I don't understand why you assume you need to coddle the clients. If you don't want the work, simply state that." CreationDate="2013-11-17T20:07:32.390" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1091" PostId="959" Score="0" Text="Just curious as to what services you provide? I ask b/c as a freelancer I find myself working during my clients' business hours, and will *definitely* answer a call b/c if their business is down they're losing $, and if they're waiting on me then I'm costing them a whole lot more than they'll probably be willing to pay in the future. That's for my line of work though, IT services." CreationDate="2013-11-18T16:40:29.387" UserId="116" />
  <row Id="1092" PostId="959" Score="0" Text="Unless you advertise 24/7 on call services you'd do yourself a favor by not offering them. Chances are you're NOT costing them &quot;a whole lot of money.&quot; In the end it depends on whether you want to live to work, or work to live." CreationDate="2013-11-18T18:07:21.463" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1098" PostId="976" Score="1" Text="Firstly: what agreements did you have with your client over payment terms? Also, what reasons did the client give?" CreationDate="2013-11-20T15:47:59.263" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="1099" PostId="976" Score="2" Text="Also, from personal experience in web dev in the UK, since you paid 1/8th the usual price of a site from a professional company and yet they *still* have not paid, they probably had no intention of paying in the first place and are probably terrible clients..." CreationDate="2013-11-20T15:54:06.827" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="1100" PostId="978" Score="0" Text="The thing is that I already take a share of any our contractors spend on this project. Still thinking the same?" CreationDate="2013-11-20T19:04:10.830" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1101" PostId="978" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV short answer: Yes. long answer: I edited the answer above to explain my reasoning in more detail." CreationDate="2013-11-20T19:32:35.483" UserId="1278" />
  <row Id="1102" PostId="980" Score="0" Text="This is a pretty fickle thing amongst designers/developers in particular who want to have their name on things they have created to get a bigger reach for potential clients. The last agency I worked for had their logo in the footer of every site." CreationDate="2013-11-21T06:42:09.973" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="1104" PostId="978" Score="1" Text="Hi GSto, the expanded form of your answer is exactly what we're looking for in terms of answer quality. Without detailed explanations such as what you provided, we're just random people on the Internet making broad claims. +1 :D and welcome to Freelancing SE!" CreationDate="2013-11-21T15:12:32.150" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1105" PostId="978" Score="0" Text="@jmort253 you're right, I should have wrote that to begin with. You'd think I'd know better as long as I've been on SE sites :)" CreationDate="2013-11-21T15:59:45.160" UserId="1278" />
  <row Id="1106" PostId="981" Score="0" Text="I agree with you but it seemed out of line on his part because he is basically doing the html and the css of my idea. I even researched the light-boxes I would want him to use and he is tying the code. The reason I ask is because I did not want to commit an injustice but at the same time it felt like he was being opportunistic beyond his right. It's all good now and I thank the community for helping me with the etiquette." CreationDate="2013-11-21T17:54:14.763" UserId="1287" />
  <row Id="1107" PostId="981" Score="0" Text="Didn't get you here &quot;If you think that author's name should not be visible, then it's must be. And your contractor has to accept that.&quot;" CreationDate="2013-11-21T17:58:06.017" UserId="1287" />
  <row Id="1108" PostId="981" Score="0" Text="I understood that you are reluctant for his name to appear on the front page and I simply said that he (contractor) should accept and respect that. Since you are the client and it's contractors duty to either respect client wishes or decline working at all (like famous companies or individuals)." CreationDate="2013-11-21T18:55:07.213" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1109" PostId="981" Score="0" Text="Also &quot;commit injustice&quot; is a very broad thing. Things which myself or 10 other freelancers find appropriate, may also hurt feelings of another 10 or 100 freelancers. So this is a gray area and the only way is to talk to your freelancer to see if it's OK with him. If he's a beginner in this work, he may ask to put his name on the front page. You can either respect his wishes or let him know that it's equally valid if he puts this project into his portfolio and your name as his reference. The later is even more important with clients of expensive projects." CreationDate="2013-11-21T18:58:12.773" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1110" PostId="984" Score="0" Text="These are all very useful points and it sounds like you have a great way of interacting with clients. You are correct that sometimes terms will just need to be taught, clients will either learn it or not. You are also correct that behavior, something I learned the hard way very early in my career, makes a huge difference. Can you give an example of an experience that went poor and what you learned from it?" CreationDate="2013-11-21T20:07:32.547" UserId="1292" />
  <row Id="1111" PostId="984" Score="1" Text="I can't remember of poor experiences, but I can say that I learned that I should combine explanation (it takes time) if I do not receive feedback from the client. Like &quot;thanks you now it's more clear&quot; or something what tells me that he actually read my explanation. In such cases, if I am talking technical of less-important stuff, I do not write explanations. If I talk about something crucial or justifying my overtime, then I explain each technical word which I find that the client may not understand. Sorry for not being able to be more concrete." CreationDate="2013-11-21T22:26:59.020" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1112" PostId="984" Score="0" Text="You were very descriptive. It helps to see how your thought process is when facing this type of scenario. I certainly know the feeling of not remembering my poor experiences, or at least I try not to ;)." CreationDate="2013-11-21T23:09:09.650" UserId="1292" />
  <row Id="1113" PostId="989" Score="1" Text="The point was not legal actions because of the work, but because of the defamation. Whether there is a legal basis for persecution depends on where you are. Don't believe general statements about law that don't even consider your location, ask a lawyer." CreationDate="2013-11-22T09:55:31.287" UserId="1301" />
  <row Id="1114" PostId="976" Score="3" Text="I am a web developer in the UK and that is very cheap. You have definately not over charged them (provided your work is of decent quality). I also host most of my clients, if they don't pay in the contract they have a 2 month period after which time their project/site is taken offline." CreationDate="2013-11-22T10:15:02.387" UserId="124" />
  <row Id="1115" PostId="986" Score="1" Text="Not as far as I can see. He is using it purely as a threat, to be honest he sounds like a awful client, send him another, polite well structured email that because you do not have an contractual obligations with him you feel you are &quot;no longer able to meet his demands&quot; and that &quot;you are immediately stopping all development&quot;" CreationDate="2013-11-22T10:19:54.183" UserId="124" />
  <row Id="1117" PostId="986" Score="0" Text="I have replied and apologized for &quot;wasting his time&quot; and didnt want to write anything more. Thought was better to get off the scene... He was willing to pay me a small gift for the time I spent with the understanding that I also wasted his time, and I didn't accept the money because of all that happened. So he replied a thank you and best wishes. So I guess everything is ok now?" CreationDate="2013-11-22T13:17:26.033" UserDisplayName="anon" />
  <row Id="1118" PostId="989" Score="0" Text="Definitely sounds like it's cool.  And you didn't take the money either.  I guess it's a &quot;lesson learned&quot; and move on :)" CreationDate="2013-11-22T13:40:43.363" UserId="1300" />
  <row Id="1119" PostId="986" Score="0" Text="As much as you can be yes! Always a relief when things sort themselves out" CreationDate="2013-11-23T11:07:01.020" UserId="124" />
  <row Id="1120" PostId="986" Score="0" Text="@tim.baker so nothing heard from him yet since 3 days so you sure everything is settled right? Just so confused right now lol" CreationDate="2013-11-23T14:26:33.127" UserDisplayName="anon" />
  <row Id="1121" PostId="986" Score="0" Text="I wouldn't ever expect to hear from him again.. I'm not a lawyer but it to me it doesn't sound like anything to worry about" CreationDate="2013-11-23T16:31:50.757" UserId="124" />
  <row Id="1122" PostId="993" Score="0" Text="Hey Jacob, welcome to Freelancing SE! On our site, when a post is put on-hold, it puts it into a process where an [edit] can be made to improve it. Questions that poll the community don't fit our Q&amp;A format, so if you can describe the problem you're facing and then reword as a more definitive question, we can look at reopening." CreationDate="2013-11-23T23:28:58.727" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1123" PostId="993" Score="0" Text="I edited out the polling language and have reopened. To answerers, we're looking for answers that explain *why* and *how*. Answers that don't do so may be removed. Good luck! :)" CreationDate="2013-11-23T23:34:14.363" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1124" PostId="989" Score="2" Text="Good answer. To address the comment, person-to-person email is not defamation because it's considered a one-on-one conversation (unless you CC'd a bunch of people). I can call anyone any name I choose if I'm speaking to *them*. I can't go around telling everyone I know &quot;John Doe&quot; is an &quot;xxxxxxxx&quot;. And defamation is spoken, it's liable if it's written, such as email. But I agree, doesn't sound like there's any basis for any legal action (although I'm not a lawyer)." CreationDate="2013-11-24T18:09:45.400" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1125" PostId="988" Score="0" Text="+1 Once uploaded, most things have a pretty long life span in Internet" CreationDate="2013-11-25T19:12:00.663" UserId="927" />
  <row Id="1126" PostId="874" Score="0" Text="one thing to watch if you do a lot of overseas contracting is the break-even point of the &quot;quick method&quot; of gst accounting. The more work YOU do for non-gst clients, the less advantageous the quick method, and at a certain point it will cost you money. Conversely, the more you subcontract to overseas contractors the more you make from the quick method." CreationDate="2013-11-25T21:48:44.500" UserId="1283" />
  <row Id="1127" PostId="993" Score="0" Text="copy/pasting is most times inevitable. Like I make a usual textual list of features accross multiple emails, and then the client asks for official estimation. Then I have to copy all that info 1 doc, format it and send it to him. Hate it every time doing, but what else we can do. It's like brushing your teeth - hate doing it every night and morning, but you do it anyway :)." CreationDate="2013-11-26T08:17:01.543" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1128" PostId="1004" Score="0" Text="The most common place I've actually had meetings is over coffee in a nice area of my town center. Miles better than bringing them into an office filled with more tech than I care to admit." CreationDate="2013-11-26T16:19:20.153" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="1129" PostId="874" Score="0" Text="@MichaelJohnston what &quot;quick method&quot; is that? For me it seems very quick, everything I do is for a client oversees, 0 sales tax, /winning." CreationDate="2013-11-27T00:21:39.097" UserId="1058" />
  <row Id="1130" PostId="874" Score="0" Text="@Sinetheta, good luck with not remitting any GST. The [quick method is described here](http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pub/gp/rc4058/rc4058-e.html#P225_18783). Long story short, if your cost of doing business on which you pay GST is less than 28% -- very likely if you are a freelance developer -- you come out ahead using the quick method. If you do a lot of overseas subcontracting that you bill to clients who pay gst, the quick method can represent 1.4% extra profit on your subcontracted work." CreationDate="2013-11-27T00:26:21.003" UserId="1283" />
  <row Id="1131" PostId="874" Score="0" Text="and in case &quot;1.4% extra profit&quot; seems trivial, keep in mind that on large subcontracts you'll probably only get away with 20-25% markup with savvy clients. So 1.4%  extra profit means 6-7% extra income on those subcontracts." CreationDate="2013-11-27T00:34:12.807" UserId="1283" />
  <row Id="1133" PostId="1014" Score="1" Text="Very nice writeup, Scott, and you raise a few good points that I now realize I have been doing for a while, subconsciously, with other companies. +1!" CreationDate="2013-11-27T21:22:33.863" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1134" PostId="1022" Score="0" Text="Is there any written proof, or was it all word of mouth?" CreationDate="2013-11-28T15:11:01.783" UserId="124" />
  <row Id="1135" PostId="1022" Score="0" Text="Also where abouts in the world are you?" CreationDate="2013-11-28T15:11:40.207" UserId="124" />
  <row Id="1136" PostId="1022" Score="0" Text="Only email correspondence that includes instruction. His words: The rate is fine - please go ahead. Naturally this is subject to successful completion of the items requested. I stay in South Africa." CreationDate="2013-11-28T15:38:05.570" UserId="1348" />
  <row Id="1137" PostId="126" Score="0" Text="Similar question on Webmasters SE: [What are the steps to ensure that if you die, your hosting &amp; domain will live on?](http://webmasters.stackexchange.com/q/55554/17633)" CreationDate="2013-11-28T18:07:51.247" UserId="100" />
  <row Id="1138" PostId="1022" Score="0" Text="Email **is a written agreement**. However, I'd suspect unless you discussed a cancellation fee in the emails, you are out of luck. You could try sending him an invoice and explain the time you put in. Couldn't hurt." CreationDate="2013-11-28T18:27:41.803" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1139" PostId="1014" Score="2" Text="Thanks Scott for the great answer. It really got me thinking. I believe that my ideas come very close to yours - for now my conclusion was to get a company branding with a personal touch ('Bobs Software studio' for example), such that I still can grow if I want (it's a company branding), I can take larger project but I still give some kind of a personal touch. Is that something you did as well? Thanks again!" CreationDate="2013-11-29T01:14:47.067" UserId="1335" />
  <row Id="1140" PostId="1022" Score="0" Text="Then yes you may well have a case. You need to speak to someone in the know, depending where you are located there maybe free resources. I bank with Barclays and as part of that I get an hour's of solicitor's time per year that they pay for." CreationDate="2013-11-30T11:37:30.637" UserId="124" />
  <row Id="1141" PostId="930" Score="0" Text="Nothing is better than personal contact. Go to networking events, offer to work for that friends dads charity for free - get something under your belt." CreationDate="2013-11-30T12:03:42.617" UserId="124" />
  <row Id="1143" PostId="1022" Score="1" Text="I edited this post so that, instead of a plea for general advice, we're asking a definitive question with a clear goal (i.e How can I make sure I get paid). The best questions that will help promote Freelancing SE are clear and contain words/phrasing that others may be searching for on Google." CreationDate="2013-11-30T18:50:10.227" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1144" PostId="1030" Score="0" Text="Hey Emad, welcome to Freelancing SE. Can you clarify this a bit more. Are you wanting the client to do the testing or are you asking the client for data so you can do the testing? That's not quite clear. As an aside, developers should do verification testing on their own, without production data, but that's another issue altogether..." CreationDate="2013-11-30T22:24:33.267" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1145" PostId="1021" Score="0" Text="Great point about going on too long.  I have seen the deer in the headlights look often." CreationDate="2013-12-01T16:38:20.663" UserId="1292" />
  <row Id="1146" PostId="1015" Score="0" Text="I like the idea of thinking of English as a second language. So many times I am told by my family I speak a different language when I talk code." CreationDate="2013-12-01T16:39:23.967" UserId="1292" />
  <row Id="1147" PostId="1031" Score="0" Text="Are you asking for the full process, start to finish?" CreationDate="2013-12-01T17:05:32.663" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1148" PostId="1031" Score="0" Text="yes please, if it's very long you can give me points or a book to read." CreationDate="2013-12-01T19:10:43.727" UserId="1241" />
  <row Id="1150" PostId="1030" Score="0" Text="Thanks for clarifying. I went ahead and opened this back up. Sounds like the problem is you want to convey to the customer that the time you're now spending is billable time? Sounds like you got paid for the development but now want to bill for the support?" CreationDate="2013-12-01T19:41:43.983" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1151" PostId="1022" Score="0" Text="You can always sue them. Since without the contract or official freelancing site, you can do very little to get hold of your money." CreationDate="2013-12-01T21:01:49.657" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1152" PostId="1032" Score="0" Text="What about the official documents? you're stages are perfect but can you add document like Terms Of Agreement, SOW, Quote, and Invoice in which stage?" CreationDate="2013-12-02T07:22:18.253" UserId="1241" />
  <row Id="1153" PostId="1031" Score="2" Text="Hey Emad, while this type of question is a bit too broad for our Q&amp;A format, we definitely want you to come back and see us once you gain a bit more experience and have some more targeted questions. Check out [Freelance Switch - Getting Started as a Freelancer](http://freelanceswitch.com/blog/explore/getting-started-as-a-freelancer/), which should cover everything you'd need to know to get started. Hope this helps and good luck! :)" CreationDate="2013-12-02T08:52:40.260" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1154" PostId="886" Score="0" Text="Hey Sinetheta, this question is part of our [self-evaluation review queue](http://meta.freelancing.stackexchange.com/q/153/64). To improve this post and make sure it helps future visitors, can you or someone else please edit in the relevant parts from the link you reference? If the link were to break, this wouldn't be very helpful to future visitors who may be searching the same question." CreationDate="2013-12-02T09:12:28.157" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1155" PostId="1032" Score="0" Text="Will edit the reply." CreationDate="2013-12-02T10:13:25.517" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1157" PostId="1038" Score="1" Text="related: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/842/clients-who-dont-pay-their-invoices-what-are-your-options/848 and http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/843/are-there-measures-one-can-do-to-ensure-clients-paying-on-time/863" CreationDate="2013-12-03T20:39:12.820" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1158" PostId="1038" Score="1" Text="Hey Tim, great question. I edited slightly just to make sure all the background information comes *before* the question. If I unintentionally mis-worded something, please feel free to correct." CreationDate="2013-12-03T20:42:11.240" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1159" PostId="1036" Score="0" Text="Related: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/976/am-i-charging-them-right" CreationDate="2013-12-03T21:31:41.980" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1162" PostId="927" Score="0" Text="I do the same. I round to 15mins.  You need to stop what you're doing, communicate you're starting the task (sometimes you can skip this step) do the task, verify/test? and then communicate the task is done, that's usually 15+mins.  If the client is asking you to split hairs, I think you should drop the client. Also nitpicking your time tracking is a waste of time. Maybe hire someone else to do your invoicing if you feel like you're getting hung up on small details like this." CreationDate="2013-12-03T22:15:01.500" UserId="773" />
  <row Id="1163" PostId="1041" Score="2" Text="I work in the UK, but my current remote employer is in Japan. I file my taxes in the UK and don't actually do anything for the Japanese side of it; I just let my employer handle anything he has to." CreationDate="2013-12-04T02:45:17.997" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="1164" PostId="1042" Score="1" Text="Hey HoneyBear, welcome to Freelancing SE! As it stands, this is a bit too broad for our Q&amp;A format. There's too many questions in here. My suggestion is to edit this to focus on a single question about something you've looked into that you're unsure about, that way we can more easily rank answers through voting. Please see [ask] for more details and tips. Also, check out  [this search](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/search?q=blogging) on our site, which may be helpful. Good luck!" CreationDate="2013-12-04T05:20:35.750" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1165" PostId="1042" Score="0" Text="Thank you for answers and helping me out!  I will remember that next time I post a question on here." CreationDate="2013-12-04T05:23:24.623" UserId="1368" />
  <row Id="1166" PostId="1042" Score="1" Text="I edited this a bit to try and help make it fit our format a little better. I focused it on just one of your questions so it's more answerable and less likely to get put on hold. Hoping this helps! Also, see this post too: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/234/freelance-authors-building-a-reputation-generalize-or-specialize/238" CreationDate="2013-12-04T05:28:04.773" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1168" PostId="1023" Score="3" Text="If possible I would also try to determine if they used your copy anyway and just didn't pay you.  This could help a lot in supporting your case." CreationDate="2013-12-04T16:22:16.840" UserId="1371" />
  <row Id="1169" PostId="1003" Score="0" Text="Do you know why they want to meet you at your home?  It may be possible to satisfy them some other way if you know the specific reasons they are being insistent.  Maybe they are afraid you are just brokering the work to someone else for example." CreationDate="2013-12-04T16:26:16.860" UserId="1371" />
  <row Id="1170" PostId="1041" Score="0" Text="I believe this may be a duplicate of http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/580 except, perhaps, that one is from the employer's perspective, the other from the employee's." CreationDate="2013-12-04T16:58:28.487" UserId="684" />
  <row Id="1171" PostId="1041" Score="1" Text="@Thomas Related, but not the same. Let's see how this question goes" CreationDate="2013-12-04T17:06:52.490" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1172" PostId="1041" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke I agree, related questions, but not the same. However, I think the answer will be much the same: that is that tax codes between countries will differ significantly depending on the two countries involved. Taxation will also vary depending on the type of employee and the products/services being outsourced." CreationDate="2013-12-04T17:30:41.283" UserId="684" />
  <row Id="1173" PostId="1003" Score="0" Text="That is a fair point about the brokering... I shall have to dig deeper!" CreationDate="2013-12-04T18:06:50.827" UserId="124" />
  <row Id="1174" PostId="1041" Score="0" Text="I did some homework :) Having the US&lt;-&gt;India example makes it easier to be specific" CreationDate="2013-12-04T19:11:52.173" UserId="684" />
  <row Id="1175" PostId="1039" Score="0" Text="To add: I allow only 1 unpaid invoice, which is usually weekly work in my case. If at the moment of writing the 2nd invoice I see that the 1st one is unpaid, I inform the client that I will not continue work until the first one is paid. If the same happens the next time in the project, then I inform the client that &quot;due to his slowness&quot; as of now I ask to be immediately paid for the past week (e.g. he has 2 days to initiate transaction). The I keep informing him on Sat and on Sun that the invoice is unpaid, and they usually pay." CreationDate="2013-12-04T19:30:05.103" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1176" PostId="1023" Score="2" Text="FYI, verbal contracts are legally binding in most jurisdictions. It'll be a battle describing the terms of that contract to a judge, but it's still a binding and enforceable contract." CreationDate="2013-12-04T23:00:04.240" UserId="684" />
  <row Id="1177" PostId="1023" Score="0" Text="@Thomas I agree, and it is here; the issue is with proof. Unless they admit it to the judge, it's doubtful anything will be done in a positive manner" CreationDate="2013-12-04T23:25:10.713" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1179" PostId="1046" Score="0" Text="Thanks. I am hoping that someone who has has experience in this space- working for EU-based companies etc. will also chime in." CreationDate="2013-12-05T00:44:36.197" UserId="535" />
  <row Id="1180" PostId="808" Score="0" Text="I probably wouldn't charge clients a monthly fee for writing a one off script. On the other hand, you can charge a monthly fee if you are taking responsibility for client backups and this is one less thing clients have to worry about. If the script fails (due to lack of space for example), then who does the error message get directed to? It's reasonable for you to charge a fee if you are that person and for ensuring the backups are working as designed each month." CreationDate="2013-12-05T01:17:31.677" UserId="1018" />
  <row Id="1181" PostId="1046" Score="0" Text="@moonstar2001 So far the best you have is Santa's comment on your original question. From the research I did, it seems that bulk of the paperwork is handled by the employer, so sign and submit what they tell you to sign or submit. If you can talk Santa into elaborating his or her (internet gender is so confusing &gt;.&lt; ) comment into an answer..." CreationDate="2013-12-05T04:35:30.237" UserId="684" />
  <row Id="1182" PostId="1047" Score="0" Text="Good question!!! Other freelancers, please show us your work organizational scheme!" CreationDate="2013-12-05T08:47:44.860" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1184" PostId="1052" Score="0" Text="Well, that turned into a much longer reply than I intended." CreationDate="2013-12-05T12:16:21.963" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1185" PostId="1050" Score="0" Text="Thanks Peter, sticking to a fixed routine and minimising email interruptions certainly helps." CreationDate="2013-12-05T12:48:57.030" UserId="1018" />
  <row Id="1186" PostId="1053" Score="0" Text="Thanks, this is useful. I think I may be spending too much time in the wrong quadrant! We are also home schooling here and that's why I usually work away from home but I can also be quite productive after my daughter is asleep and the house is quiet again later in the evening." CreationDate="2013-12-05T12:55:15.633" UserId="1018" />
  <row Id="1187" PostId="1052" Score="0" Text="Thanks Scott. I haven't worried too much about this either up to now but need to convince a financial institution I earn enough to pay back a home loan. Our cost of living is low as I don't have to commute to work every day etc but this doesn't necessarily tick the all right boxes on finance applications. Being a bit more ambitious with the amount of work I take on would certainly help me to be more productive to meet client deadlines and this is a good tip, thanks." CreationDate="2013-12-05T13:15:59.033" UserId="1018" />
  <row Id="1188" PostId="1056" Score="0" Text="I should also second Scott's comment - this is way longer than I intended at the start!" CreationDate="2013-12-05T15:56:21.913" UserId="684" />
  <row Id="1189" PostId="1052" Score="0" Text="Like your reply! However it seems that your hourly rate is pretty high when you can afford such a comfortable life. I can hardly have 1 project which will bring my monthly salary." CreationDate="2013-12-05T18:12:06.970" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1191" PostId="1052" Score="0" Text="@NeilRobertson I hear you. I have a credit card **only** so I have some sort of ongoing credit history.  I'm surprised that tax records aren't enough to show income. Most don't care how many hours you work if the tax records show you can afford things." CreationDate="2013-12-05T18:32:37.743" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1192" PostId="1052" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV while a base hourly rate is used to calculate pricing in general, 80% of my work is invoiced on a per-project bases rather than &quot;hours worked&quot;. For me, working strictly on hourly rates is not as viable as value-based pricing." CreationDate="2013-12-05T18:57:25.920" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1193" PostId="1017" Score="0" Text="While this will answer the question, could you potentially add some more content, such as *why* it is considered good experience?" CreationDate="2013-12-05T19:14:44.670" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1194" PostId="992" Score="0" Text="It's hard to agree, just because of the other answer here, explaining that multiple accounts are a no-no. I actually don't know of many websites that allow extra accounts for the same person, or that will keep the accounts if they find out." CreationDate="2013-12-05T19:17:15.890" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1195" PostId="1052" Score="0" Text="@Scott Are you in software development industry or other? Since in SD industry, it's all about work hours spent on some project. The more complex it is, the higher hourly rate you set." CreationDate="2013-12-05T19:56:19.390" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1196" PostId="1052" Score="0" Text="That sounds more like contract work than freelance to me, Peter. An independent contractor is different than a freelancer to me. While an independent contractor *could* be considered a freelancer in the broad meaning of the word, freelancing, to me, means I'm not bound to any one client for a length of time. I don't do contract work, at least I haven't up to this point in my career." CreationDate="2013-12-05T20:57:43.693" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1198" PostId="1056" Score="0" Text="Hi Thomas, I have sufficient records to show my income but as you perceptively realise, the question I am really asking is indeed about increasing my net income and given a fixed amount of hours per week, the most obvious way (but probably not the only way) to do this seems to be to increase billable hours." CreationDate="2013-12-06T00:22:47.220" UserId="1018" />
  <row Id="1199" PostId="1056" Score="1" Text="@NeilRobertson What you need, then, is a way to bill for the time you spend distracted and over-developing. You can over-sell in the beginning of a project so that your &quot;unbillable hours&quot; are factored into your price. You can also divide the project and separate the &quot;over-delivery&quot; into a second project - an &quot;upgrade&quot; you can sell the client later. And I heartily recommend isolating a *few* tasks to scheduled periods - &quot;staying current&quot; and marketing (social media etc) for sure. And do your absolute best to limit how much free advice you give; free advice should only be a marketing tactic." CreationDate="2013-12-06T04:21:54.320" UserId="684" />
  <row Id="1200" PostId="1047" Score="2" Text="While this is a great question, it's turned into a *slight* community poll. I've edited this to put the focus more on the *asker's problem* and not on simply collecting experiences from the community. The answers here are thoughtful, but they're worded more like ***here's what I do*** instead of ***here's what will work best for you***, and ***here's why***. As a community who can edit, this is something we should be aware of and try to catch earlier in edits, as the way a question is worded does influence how answers are worded. With edits, we can make questions like this work really well." CreationDate="2013-12-06T07:15:17.490" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1201" PostId="994" Score="0" Text="Hello Ballu, we're looking for answers that explain why and how. Can you possibly [edit] and expand on this?" CreationDate="2013-12-06T08:12:32.277" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1203" PostId="1060" Score="2" Text="I edited to put the focus more solidly on the question. In general, answers tend to be more applicable when avoiding phrases like &quot;what did *YOU* do&quot;. Ideally, answers should solve *your* unique problem. Hope this helps." CreationDate="2013-12-08T23:39:15.787" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1204" PostId="1066" Score="1" Text="I know that emails can be forged, but so can signatures. An email has proof of sender such as email address (forgeable) and IP address (also forgeable) but surely these two provide more proof than a signature on paper (also forgeable)." CreationDate="2013-12-09T13:00:53.330" UserId="148" />
  <row Id="1205" PostId="1059" Score="0" Text="Thanks for your comprehensive and very sensible answer! I have clarified the question to make it clear I am a full-time freelancer. The reference to email in the question is to do with being easily distracted by email. For example, when I am working on a complex project with a deadline, I might check emails two or three times a day and send some quick responses but otherwise leave my email client closed. If I keep my email open, I spend too long replying to not urgent emails that don't earn me any money." CreationDate="2013-12-09T13:02:49.673" UserId="1018" />
  <row Id="1206" PostId="1047" Score="0" Text="As @jmort253 mentioned, this is definitely a great question :) In reference to your latest edit, my answer remains unchanged. Regarding how can you stay motivated?... umm, trust me... don't believe what the world says... No one can tell you how to stay motivated. You need to find what rocks your boat. Suggestions from other people might give you a push but can never keep you motivated and focused. Follow the 10 commandments and you will do good :) Saying it from a personal experience..." CreationDate="2013-12-09T13:22:05.750" UserId="155" />
  <row Id="1208" PostId="1068" Score="2" Text="I can fake anything in a PDF and jpg as well. That's not really a deterrent to someone who wants to be malicious. In fact, it's actually **much easier** to fake a PDF or jpg than an email." CreationDate="2013-12-09T18:20:47.660" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1209" PostId="1069" Score="0" Text="Do remember though, that for it to work *as well as Adobe advertises*, they recommend you have a digital certificate as well; although I've signed many PDFs without one, and they've been fine" CreationDate="2013-12-09T19:12:13.943" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1210" PostId="1065" Score="2" Text="Very similar: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/221/best-approach-to-finding-clients-in-your-own-city/223#223" CreationDate="2013-12-09T19:14:05.847" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1211" PostId="1069" Score="0" Text="Yeah, Adobe wants you to pay of course. It's not iron-clad, but it's more than nothing and harder to fake than a real signature in a PDF." CreationDate="2013-12-09T19:14:59.893" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1212" PostId="1067" Score="0" Text="I normally do the same. But those clients pay me regular hourly rate. This one pays me hire and I was wondering is it stupid decision to get rid of the client or to just to play numb and get all that money." CreationDate="2013-12-09T19:21:39.650" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1213" PostId="1068" Score="1" Text="What @Scott says. Most email providers provide encrypted emails, and digitally sign outgoing mail to verify it is from you." CreationDate="2013-12-09T20:44:53.883" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="1214" PostId="1008" Score="0" Text="thank you! I opted to dissolve the corporation to simplify" CreationDate="2013-12-09T21:46:38.137" UserId="575" />
  <row Id="1215" PostId="1066" Score="0" Text="Does it matter what country you're in as to whether these answers are true or false?" CreationDate="2013-12-10T00:52:07.127" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1216" PostId="1071" Score="1" Text="I would have considered cryptographic digital signatures (I use them in other situations) but for the slim-to-none chance of getting any client to do it or even understand it (and it's _their_ signature that is most important to me) . :)" CreationDate="2013-12-10T14:59:35.353" UserId="148" />
  <row Id="1217" PostId="1069" Score="1" Text="The best solution, I believe, would be to do the above _and_ post the contract by snail mail for a signature. The agreement by email reply will give me enough confidence to start the work and as I've divided the work and payments into phases, I can still demand the signed paper contract before moving on to the next phase." CreationDate="2013-12-10T15:03:11.057" UserId="148" />
  <row Id="1218" PostId="1066" Score="0" Text="@jmort253 I suspect that most western countries have similar laws though I am not sure. I am in the UK so I have a general and vague understanding of what the law requires here which seems to be quite open-minded (if that's an appropriate term) and flexible as to what is a contract. My understanding is that it boils down to being able to prove that someone did agree to do something - the form of the agreement being secondary. Hopefully, that helps to define potential answers..." CreationDate="2013-12-10T15:13:45.273" UserId="148" />
  <row Id="1220" PostId="1071" Score="1" Text="@authentictech if it's  on the client's end, save the entire email. You can then ask a court (if things come to that) to subpoena their email provider's records and see if they match, but that's about it." CreationDate="2013-12-10T17:59:14.363" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="1221" PostId="1077" Score="0" Text="What about income filed under T4A?" CreationDate="2013-12-11T04:11:57.393" UserId="1152" />
  <row Id="1222" PostId="1077" Score="0" Text="I'll have to check tomorrow at a computer" CreationDate="2013-12-11T04:38:08.113" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1223" PostId="1078" Score="0" Text="I just saw this link http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/169/where-can-i-find-good-contract-templates?rq=1 which I missed before. If this one does not help, I will get back here. For now, this topic can serve as a reference." CreationDate="2013-12-11T09:07:09.077" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1224" PostId="1078" Score="1" Text="Just an FYI I've added a new answer to that older question. Hope it helps :)" CreationDate="2013-12-11T15:10:50.847" UserId="684" />
  <row Id="1225" PostId="199" Score="0" Text="@EdwardBrey I've frequently seen such clauses in contracts, such as software EULAs, that acknowledge that certain portions of the contract may not be valid in certain jurisdictions. As far as knowing when it's a DIY contract, my biased DIYer opinion is that almost everything is a DIY project as long as you have the time to do it. Simple verbal contracts are enforceable in most jurisdictions. Written contracts are meant to protect you and your client, so keep that in mind and it should be sufficient and is most likely enforceable. Knowing specific jurisdictional requirements means homework." CreationDate="2013-12-11T15:19:10.327" UserId="684" />
  <row Id="1229" PostId="1077" Score="0" Text="@YongkeBillYu I would check [this page](http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/bsnss/tpcs/pyrll/rtrns/t4a/xcptns-eng.html) on the CRA's website. I don't know the answer to your question though" CreationDate="2013-12-12T20:11:48.437" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1230" PostId="1074" Score="1" Text="IR35 has nothing to do with the length of the contract and it's misleading to say so. You can easily fall foul of it on a very short contract." CreationDate="2013-12-13T10:27:12.663" UserId="1467" />
  <row Id="1234" PostId="188" Score="0" Text="@DrewPoland My thoughts exactly.  I'm in the US and was trying to book a fair (for the US) rate on Elance or oDesk on a UX project last year.  The client decided to hire 2 freelancers at $3/hour (USD) who were offshore and didn't have the skills between them to do the job - let alone my skill set (I was at least qualified to do the work, possibly overqualified).  I went the local business route after that for a while before settling into one target industry where I could build deeper expertise and charge more." CreationDate="2013-12-15T15:57:48.257" UserId="1323" />
  <row Id="1235" PostId="1098" Score="0" Text="This question appears to be off-topic because it is **[about]** how to decide the price for an iOS app." CreationDate="2013-12-16T07:43:29.050" UserDisplayName="gnat" />
  <row Id="1236" PostId="1087" Score="6" Text="Design contests are inherently BAD for freelancers and the industry as a whole. They provide no feedback, very minimal returns **if** you happen to win, and essentially take advantage of those who don't know any better. One should **avoid** contests if they are serious about making a living freelancing." CreationDate="2013-12-16T08:31:47.167" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1237" PostId="1096" Score="1" Text="As a freelancer you are only one person. It is unrealistic to say &quot;try them all&quot; - who has that kind of time? Instead, better to think about the kind of customers you want, and pursue the most likely avenues for finding those clients." CreationDate="2013-12-16T13:45:15.120" UserId="127" />
  <row Id="1239" PostId="1098" Score="0" Text="Please don't post the same question multiple times." CreationDate="2013-12-16T17:57:37.030" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1240" PostId="1097" Score="0" Text="actually i posted this question on http://programmers.stackexchange.com they moved here, that's why the duplicate" CreationDate="2013-12-16T18:18:09.873" UserId="1492" />
  <row Id="1241" PostId="1098" Score="0" Text="ahh okay. My apologies :)" CreationDate="2013-12-16T18:19:17.363" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1245" PostId="1106" Score="0" Text="That looks much better! +1 for the extra, in-depth info" CreationDate="2013-12-16T23:12:42.773" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1248" PostId="1107" Score="1" Text="Hi Chandu, and welcome to Freelancing! I understand you have a problem with how to start doing payroll, etc., but asking polling questions or product recommendations don't make for good questions on the SE network. Try to reword it to *just* be about the problem, not asking for a product. Thanks!" CreationDate="2013-12-18T00:52:20.933" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1249" PostId="1107" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke Thanks for the inputs. I agree that seeking product recommendations is not inline with the SE guidelines. But I am pretty much in look of a recommendation. Would you know which forum would be apt for these questions? I will remove the question shortly." CreationDate="2013-12-18T00:56:31.900" UserId="1288" />
  <row Id="1250" PostId="1107" Score="0" Text="Not sure about Canada but in the UK you don't have to payroll your self in that way if you are the only person involved in the business. You are the owner not an employee here!" CreationDate="2013-12-18T00:57:21.193" UserId="124" />
  <row Id="1251" PostId="1107" Score="0" Text="@Chandu The edit looks good now, and this question is very much on topic. I wouldn't recommend asking in another place on the SE network." CreationDate="2013-12-18T01:25:14.917" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1252" PostId="1107" Score="0" Text="@tim.baker There are certain reasons why some Canadians are single-employee companies, and want to pay themselves a low wage. While the reasons aren't important, they are there, at least for Canadians" CreationDate="2013-12-18T01:26:08.767" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1254" PostId="1086" Score="0" Text="Sadly, Odesk combined with elance, so ...  Anyone want to build a freelance site that **WON'T** merge with elance?" CreationDate="2013-12-19T20:58:31.843" UserId="1534" />
  <row Id="1256" PostId="1086" Score="0" Text="@Question3CPO they're still separate entities, they just share common owners now. Which means hopefully they wont share userbases or that will end up going *horribly* wrong." CreationDate="2013-12-19T23:02:57.010" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="1258" PostId="1072" Score="0" Text="It's nice UK laws allow you to do that. I recently read an article where an American guy did that same thing and got burned by a court telling him he couldn't interfere with the client's business and the money he cost them greatly overshadowed the money they owed the developer. So in the end he had to pay them, let them have all the code and move to another host even though he stated in his terms he could do that if they were late." CreationDate="2013-12-20T21:44:39.127" UserId="1547" />
  <row Id="1259" PostId="985" Score="0" Text="Can you do that in the UK? Submit a debt to a credit agency and they will accept it? I know a lot of collection agencies require bulk submissions, leaving a lot of smaller businesses to sue if they can. That's pretty good if you can submit single accounts to agencies if you can AND also be out of the country as well." CreationDate="2013-12-20T21:47:59.440" UserId="1547" />
  <row Id="1260" PostId="997" Score="0" Text="+1 I don't understand how anyone here can say $400 is &quot;fair.&quot;" CreationDate="2013-12-20T21:48:25.427" UserId="1547" />
  <row Id="1263" PostId="739" Score="1" Text="+1 I never use the freelance sites but I have been there and even posted some sample jobs just to see. I never thought of posting the &quot;secret&quot; but I think that would be excellent advise as most posting are nothing more than a copy/paste generic response they add to EVERY post. That would certainly help you stand out I would think." CreationDate="2013-12-20T22:00:20.817" UserId="1547" />
  <row Id="1264" PostId="1109" Score="0" Text="What sort of field were you looking at going in to? In my experience facilitating is very difficult - but then you do have training so maybe just me!" CreationDate="2013-12-20T23:21:22.283" UserId="124" />
  <row Id="1265" PostId="1095" Score="0" Text="Just out of interest are they able to reading HTML/PHP or whatever it maybe? How do they know your name is in the code - not encouraging anything just curious" CreationDate="2013-12-20T23:23:46.433" UserId="124" />
  <row Id="1266" PostId="1100" Score="2" Text="&quot;Calculate how much time each feature will take you to build.&quot; -- and then at least double it.  All programmers underestimate the time required to do a task." CreationDate="2013-12-21T00:01:48.210" UserId="245" />
  <row Id="1274" PostId="1115" Score="1" Text="possible duplicate of [Client Wants To Pay a Percentage For Revenue Generated by Website](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/917/client-wants-to-pay-a-percentage-for-revenue-generated-by-website)" CreationDate="2013-12-21T07:51:48.310" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1276" PostId="1115" Score="0" Text="I don't think this question is asking the same thing. The OP here is asking about being offered a stake in the business in the event that it is ever worth anything rather than taking a cut of each individual sale." CreationDate="2013-12-21T09:33:53.507" UserId="43" />
  <row Id="1287" PostId="1112" Score="0" Text="Hey RKS, I removed the portions attacking Scott directly.  It's okay to disagree, but allowing personal attacks towards users on our site is unprofessional and goes against the rule on our site to [be nice](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/help/behavior)." CreationDate="2013-12-21T17:34:11.200" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1288" PostId="1099" Score="0" Text="@RKS - I removed the comments on this post. Our site isn't intended for discussion or debate, and comments are intended to help improve a post or seek clarification. If you can't be constructive in your feedback to Scott, please just refrain from commenting. Thank you." CreationDate="2013-12-21T17:38:31.063" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1289" PostId="1112" Score="0" Text="That edit is a little better, but I would still like to either close or ask Scott to back up his comments that the onus is on the client. That was the important aspect of the answer I feel reflects from where this disagreement stems." CreationDate="2013-12-21T18:00:42.333" UserId="1547" />
  <row Id="1290" PostId="1120" Score="0" Text="+1 For the screen capture idea. Going to do that now... And also your point of developing side by side it is absolutely true" CreationDate="2013-12-22T13:36:21.713" UserId="124" />
  <row Id="1291" PostId="1116" Score="0" Text="Out of interest as someone who has just started have you had any success yet? I haven't ever gone for it but have considered it." CreationDate="2013-12-22T13:37:27.060" UserId="124" />
  <row Id="1292" PostId="1011" Score="2" Text="Location? Country (etc) rules may affect the answer" CreationDate="2013-12-22T21:07:01.903" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="1293" PostId="1066" Score="0" Text="Contracts can be verbal only... contracts can be deemed to have been accepted (etc) The only &quot;proof&quot; required is that terms were agreed." CreationDate="2013-12-22T21:09:54.557" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="1295" PostId="1123" Score="2" Text="This sounds very opinion based, but I would say no, it's not worth your time to do so. If you aren't expecting most of your business off of Google, then I wouldn't put all my work into it." CreationDate="2013-12-23T17:19:27.807" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1296" PostId="1126" Score="0" Text="Awesome answer! More information makes the sites more usable, so that's what we work towards. +1" CreationDate="2013-12-23T22:51:32.190" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1297" PostId="1124" Score="2" Text="Hey Michael, welcome to Freelancing SE. Here's a suggestion: I'd consider adding more details when asking questions. As you can see, the answers so far contain questions that should ideally be clarifying comments to gather more details so the answers are more targeted and less discussion-oriented. I'll leave this question open for now, but we do oftentimes close questions as &quot;too broad&quot; or &quot;unclear what you're asking&quot; when they lack significant details to give a solid answer. Hope this helps." CreationDate="2013-12-24T01:56:15.623" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1299" PostId="1124" Score="0" Text="@jmort253: I've added more details." CreationDate="2013-12-24T08:07:17.300" UserId="534" />
  <row Id="1300" PostId="1116" Score="2" Text="No not yet because first you need to get a few positive ratings (pretty much like a seller on eBay), otherwise most employers will skip you. Hence the first weeks/months require a bit of determination." CreationDate="2013-12-24T08:30:11.927" UserId="504" />
  <row Id="1302" PostId="1124" Score="0" Text="I have to say I do use hosting to provide hosting, which has actually give me a fair amount of success. When I started I used a expensive reseller hosting plan, but now I simply use a good VPS with Cpanel and I make a decent return which pays the bills without an hours taken in to account. A free 6 months free on Twitter when you retweet is a great way to go about it, after the 6 months every single one has renewed." CreationDate="2013-12-25T14:58:15.203" UserId="124" />
  <row Id="1303" PostId="1125" Score="0" Text="+1 for both of those suggestions. A product for me and all clients on my hosting gives a very nice passive income" CreationDate="2013-12-25T14:59:34.957" UserId="124" />
  <row Id="1304" PostId="1124" Score="0" Text="Also if you add your industry we should be able to help a bit more" CreationDate="2013-12-25T15:00:00.663" UserId="124" />
  <row Id="1305" PostId="1124" Score="0" Text="@tim.baker: Thanks for sharing your experience. I don't work in a specific industry. I develop all kinds of software. It can be a static website for a shop, a Trivia mobile app, enterprise app etc." CreationDate="2013-12-25T17:23:30.287" UserId="534" />
  <row Id="1309" PostId="1139" Score="0" Text="The size of the client isn't the point in this case as much as the size of the project. You might consider editing your question to reflect this." CreationDate="2013-12-27T14:18:26.657" UserId="127" />
  <row Id="1310" PostId="191" Score="0" Text="I just wanted to add that there are more options available besides these two. You could meet in the middle, and charge by the day or the by the week." CreationDate="2013-12-27T14:18:58.553" UserId="1278" />
  <row Id="1311" PostId="1138" Score="1" Text="Hi Adam, and welcome to Freelancing.SE! Unfortunately, this answer seems more like a comment then an actual answer, based on Avonelle's answer above. It would be encouraged for you to [edit] it to try to expand a bit, and explain a more reasonable solution (other then sleep less, cram everything in and let your work quality suck)?" CreationDate="2013-12-27T17:43:04.433" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1312" PostId="1139" Score="0" Text="@AvonelleLovhaug good point. Question updated." CreationDate="2013-12-27T22:00:02.647" UserId="1278" />
  <row Id="1316" PostId="1116" Score="2" Text="My clients pay me through oDesk, but I usually contact the client outside of oDesk (or in my most recent case, I was contacted by a client personally). The side-effect is that if I want to go ahead and use oDesk for finding work, I already have ratings" CreationDate="2013-12-29T00:49:07.247" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="1318" PostId="1125" Score="0" Text="Great answer, especially on support. Several of my customers pay for flat rate monthly support from me, which is 25%-33% of my annual income. Customers like it because it means I prioritize their work when it comes in. Also, I will look at it after normal business hours. And I include answer questions and sometimes research in my support contract, which for some clients is a benefit as well." CreationDate="2013-12-29T22:02:47.413" UserId="127" />
  <row Id="1319" PostId="1153" Score="0" Text="First hit on Google: http://www.techrepublic.com/article/the-difference-between-contracting-and-consulting-and-why-it-matters/" CreationDate="2013-12-30T20:28:59.677" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1320" PostId="1154" Score="2" Text="I've noticed most clients use the terms interchangeably, and contact me for &quot;consulting&quot; work, when in essence they are looking for a &quot;contractor&quot;." CreationDate="2013-12-30T21:29:58.880" UserId="1630" />
  <row Id="1321" PostId="528" Score="0" Text="If you used the company's computer or equipment to connect to the freelancing site *at any time* you were being unethical at the very least." CreationDate="2013-12-30T22:52:41.680" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1323" PostId="1159" Score="5" Text="possible duplicate of [How do I calculate the cost (to me) of one hour of work?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/442/how-do-i-calculate-the-cost-to-me-of-one-hour-of-work)  http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/1036/how-to-determine-what-to-charge-for-building-custom-android-applications?rq=1 -- Take a look at the right side of this page, under the **Related** headline. There are several existing questions about pricing." CreationDate="2014-01-01T18:20:03.780" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1324" PostId="1129" Score="0" Text="Thanks. I definitely wouldn't be paying anyone else for it. I'm leaning towards what @CanadianLuke says in his comment on the question, but I'll make sure to follow general good practices." CreationDate="2014-01-01T21:33:40.640" UserId="1558" />
  <row Id="1325" PostId="1129" Score="0" Text="@velvetkevorkian As a startup or a freelancer, its always better to be a &quot;jack of all trades&quot;  :)" CreationDate="2014-01-02T06:51:56.277" UserId="1563" />
  <row Id="1326" PostId="1159" Score="0" Text="It all depends on your skill set. Remember, people usually outsource development because they want it to be cheaper. Please be more specific about your skills and someone may be able to help." CreationDate="2014-01-02T09:49:13.437" UserId="477" />
  <row Id="1327" PostId="1164" Score="0" Text="Hi Vineet, welcome to Freelancing.SE. I'm having a hard time understanding your answer the way it's currently written; could you [edit] it to include more information (i.e. the full workflow you suggest the user does for accessing the program, what the encryption logic is, etc)?" CreationDate="2014-01-02T16:53:33.043" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1328" PostId="1166" Score="0" Text="I agree with here. Don't get stuck with a longer support." CreationDate="2014-01-02T20:37:34.347" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1329" PostId="1155" Score="1" Text="How is this bound to freelancing???" CreationDate="2014-01-02T20:38:15.210" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1330" PostId="1095" Score="0" Text="If they opened up any of the PHP files they could see the copyright.  It is not my name, but another developer who built this engine." CreationDate="2014-01-03T02:42:26.937" UserId="1490" />
  <row Id="1331" PostId="1170" Score="2" Text="I generally just set my price at a minimum (~$25/hour) and raise it if I'll be working for a long time on a single project, but yes; try to set a price for your work and stick to it." CreationDate="2014-01-03T07:04:08.987" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="1332" PostId="1166" Score="0" Text="The projects I've done come with 2 months of free support where I'm basically on call during work hours to fix any issues that pop up with the site (such as errors, last-minute fixes, internationalization strings being displayed instead of text), but I never change certain things after they have been signed off without a fee (the design, for example, is signed off under contract before release)" CreationDate="2014-01-03T07:06:58.593" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="1333" PostId="1170" Score="0" Text="@Santa I agree with you. That is a good strategy as well. But, I encounter many technical clients who are developers themselves so they tend to differentiate rates for different platforms." CreationDate="2014-01-03T08:09:23.577" UserId="1563" />
  <row Id="1334" PostId="1170" Score="0" Text="For a beginner does i seems a good pricing.?" CreationDate="2014-01-03T09:06:37.413" UserId="1650" />
  <row Id="1335" PostId="1170" Score="0" Text="To be frank, it depends on you. If you have a client who is willing to give you $50 an hour, it is a bonus for you. But, the rates I wrote are a standard rate for an Indian developer." CreationDate="2014-01-03T09:44:10.110" UserId="1563" />
  <row Id="1336" PostId="1173" Score="1" Text="What is your area of expertise?  The advice you get back from the group will probably be a lot more helpful if it can be tailored to better fit your situation." CreationDate="2014-01-03T16:49:10.640" UserId="972" />
  <row Id="1337" PostId="1176" Score="1" Text="Thanks for the answer! The prize is - as you put it - long way off but definitely worth it if the partners believe in it (which they did at the beginning) Their responsibility - unlike mine - is clear. it is simply technical tasks + using their contacts. My responsibility on the other hand is marketing, research, legal, financial, and technical tasks." CreationDate="2014-01-03T17:11:13.613" UserId="1674" />
  <row Id="1338" PostId="1176" Score="0" Text="That's a good start - but I'd like to suggest that putting it in writing, and making sure the rewards are clear from the beginning may be helpful to keep everyone on task and enthusiastic.  Good luck!" CreationDate="2014-01-03T17:12:38.600" UserId="972" />
  <row Id="1340" PostId="1173" Score="1" Text="@TeresaMcgH I've updated the question to include the services I'm offering. It basically covers everything I have knowledge and experience in" CreationDate="2014-01-03T18:28:00.023" UserId="1672" />
  <row Id="1341" PostId="1176" Score="2" Text="A wrote a similar answer here about my experience of working within a startup: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/a/1152/43. My role was the technical one, which sounds like the role you're having trouble getting someone to stay in" CreationDate="2014-01-03T18:29:21.593" UserId="43" />
  <row Id="1343" PostId="1166" Score="0" Text="Thanks for your input!&#xA;Do you agree to some predefined response time when you negotiate the price? What about work hours? Or if the client is in different time-zone and his/her day is your hight?" CreationDate="2014-01-04T13:17:46.300" UserId="1661" />
  <row Id="1344" PostId="1169" Score="0" Text="The two last points are especially tricky. Thanks for pointing that out!" CreationDate="2014-01-04T13:19:24.793" UserId="1661" />
  <row Id="1345" PostId="1167" Score="1" Text="Thank you very much for your answer!&#xA;How did you determine that 90 days of support is &quot;standard&quot; in your country? Is is somehow regulated or just enough companies/developers decide that 90 days is enough?" CreationDate="2014-01-04T13:26:02.010" UserId="1661" />
  <row Id="1346" PostId="1166" Score="0" Text="Some of my clients pay for 24x7 support, while others pay less for support during normal business hours. All my clients are in my time-zone, but I would spell that out clearly in the contract if they weren't. Also: I guarantee a &quot;response&quot; in the time period, not &quot;resolution&quot; because sometimes I can't control how long it will take to fix a problem." CreationDate="2014-01-04T16:06:17.593" UserId="127" />
  <row Id="1347" PostId="1184" Score="1" Text="thanks. What you are saying makes sense, I just wasn't sure about opportunity cost because I wasn't sure if I should use that if the opportunity wasn't there. And good call on including lost sales. I planned on calculating CPA = All Time &amp; Money spent / number of clients" CreationDate="2014-01-04T22:02:13.370" UserId="1278" />
  <row Id="1348" PostId="1171" Score="4" Text="This is a legal question. Are you sure you want to ask the community about this? Acting on the wrong advise may impose legal penalties to yourself in your country. Regarding the reply, I think that India, as well as any country, has such legislation that every penny earned by its citizens requires to be reported for the tax reasons." CreationDate="2014-01-06T07:33:24.963" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1349" PostId="1175" Score="1" Text="Off topic. Like I wrote this. I wonder if there is another me in the world :). Would be overly interested to see replies." CreationDate="2014-01-06T07:36:32.120" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1350" PostId="1173" Score="2" Text="Have you tried using freelancing sites like odesk? They are good for startup and you may be able to find clients in your vicinity. Having a website among other similar zillions websites is useless. You have to take action either on FL sites or opening a phonebook of your area and start calling potential clients arranging meetings and offering your services." CreationDate="2014-01-06T07:41:34.713" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1351" PostId="1059" Score="1" Text="I am a full-time freelancer and only survive off my freelance earnings. Being a freelancer does *not* mean you must be a slave to a time clock." CreationDate="2014-01-06T15:24:48.600" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1352" PostId="1059" Score="1" Text="@Scott: True and hence my point under `Time Management` :)" CreationDate="2014-01-06T15:34:49.537" UserId="155" />
  <row Id="1354" PostId="1192" Score="0" Text="As for Companies House, I'm still not clear what happens, e.g. it might be [complicated (personal representatives need to get Court Order)](http://www.lawskills.co.uk/articles/2013/11/what-happens-when-a-sole-shareholder-director-dies/), or [not (article 17-2 ... provides for the personal representative ... to appoint a new director)](http://www.informdirect.co.uk/blog/2013/4/23/what-to-do-if-a-company-director-or-secretary-dies/)" CreationDate="2014-01-07T18:44:17.833" UserId="104" />
  <row Id="1355" PostId="1199" Score="0" Text="What an amazing collection of advice, thank you so much!!" CreationDate="2014-01-08T19:09:49.973" UserId="1711" />
  <row Id="1356" PostId="1199" Score="1" Text="You're welcome!  Been doing web app dev since the mid-90s, much of that time as a freelancer or contract worker, so I've seen a few things along the way." CreationDate="2014-01-08T19:37:58.753" UserId="972" />
  <row Id="1357" PostId="1195" Score="2" Text="Agreed - bookkeeping is overhead and is either spelled out at the beginning, or added into your hourly rate.  Usually the latter.  It is part of YOUR cost of doing business, and is NOT a service you provide to your customer, therefore it doesn't belong as a line item on the invoice." CreationDate="2014-01-08T19:49:11.353" UserId="972" />
  <row Id="1358" PostId="1201" Score="0" Text="Amazing advice Neil, thank you so very much, your answer is invaluable!" CreationDate="2014-01-09T13:19:25.373" UserId="1711" />
  <row Id="1359" PostId="1200" Score="0" Text="Thank you very much for your great advice and for taking the time to share!" CreationDate="2014-01-09T13:20:18.533" UserId="1711" />
  <row Id="1360" PostId="1200" Score="1" Text="Agreed, agreed, absolutely AGREED. Btw, as Codenoire has said, the accounting stuff is one of the more important &quot;hats&quot; you are going to be wearing as a freelancer.  So, if you haven't taken a basic accounting class somewhere along the way, you may want to do that, or pick up a good &quot;Accounting for Dummies&quot; type book.  It is very helpful to know how to set up and maintain your books, and knowing a bit about accounting practice allows you to &quot;speak the language&quot; with your clients when discussing terms." CreationDate="2014-01-09T15:39:19.433" UserId="972" />
  <row Id="1363" PostId="1167" Score="0" Text="It just seems to be the standard (sorry for the late reply, on vacation)" CreationDate="2014-01-09T19:34:04.970" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1364" PostId="1206" Score="1" Text="How does this relate to freelancing?" CreationDate="2014-01-10T10:58:13.007" UserId="43" />
  <row Id="1366" PostId="1205" Score="0" Text="fantastic! I wish I had more than one upvote to give. This is very helpful &amp; actionable" CreationDate="2014-01-10T15:28:46.223" UserId="1278" />
  <row Id="1367" PostId="1208" Score="0" Text="Disagree.  The contract is for **time**, it's already stated." CreationDate="2014-01-10T16:40:22.513" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="1368" PostId="1205" Score="0" Text="Yay! Glad I could help." CreationDate="2014-01-10T16:52:45.657" UserId="127" />
  <row Id="1369" PostId="1208" Score="0" Text="@codenoire I agree he *should* pay for the time and I was careless to write that it would be &quot;legally difficult to extract the payment&quot; without qualification as I don't know if it was a written agreement or just verbal. I did misread the question so I have changed my wording to reflect that. I intended mainly to say that it is worth making these things crystal clear. They should understand, but not everyone does, that time paid for includes a no show even though it's obvious to most of us. And get agreements about payments in writing otherwise it does make things more difficult." CreationDate="2014-01-10T16:56:05.070" UserId="148" />
  <row Id="1370" PostId="1212" Score="3" Text="Agree 100%. He's given his game away several times to my mind. I am kind of hoping the question and answers will be helpful to others though. I was more curious how it would pan out than expecting any custom from it. Thanks." CreationDate="2014-01-10T17:07:11.883" UserId="148" />
  <row Id="1371" PostId="1212" Score="2" Text="Every once in a while, I am surprised again by the fact that this is how some people get by in life.  But i was outdone by recent news about a career jewel thief - an 81 year old woman - getting arrested AGAIN just last october, a few days after the release of a movie about her illustrious &quot;career&quot;!" CreationDate="2014-01-10T17:14:01.397" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="1372" PostId="1206" Score="0" Text="Only because I'm a freelancer and obtaining your own health insurance is a common task for freelancers. If you can think of a StackExchange site that would be better suited for this question, then by all means, transfer it over. This was the most relevant one that I could find." CreationDate="2014-01-10T17:58:14.643" UserId="1725" />
  <row Id="1373" PostId="1213" Score="0" Text="Thanks, particularly for the advice about credit checking. I hadn't thought of that and some way of genuinely confirming his credibility is something I was looking for in the answer. There's always the chance he is legit but very naive. I would need a home address for credit checking, I am presuming, which I doubt I'm going to get but actually that is a good way to see, if he is legit and gives the address, if it's worth taking him on as a client." CreationDate="2014-01-10T18:50:24.347" UserId="148" />
  <row Id="1374" PostId="1207" Score="0" Text="Possibly the last web designer took on the job and never got paid? Possibly, the client just took the graphics and text from another website as a way to try and confer legitimacy." CreationDate="2014-01-10T18:52:54.327" UserId="148" />
  <row Id="1375" PostId="1214" Score="2" Text="Hey, I didn't think of the &quot;moron&quot; angle but I've run across that kind of person.  Like this one -- I'm not joking:  I met a guy who wanted a web site so he could sell A BLACK T-SHIRT WITH AN UGLY, GLITTERED-GLUED &quot;G&quot; ON THE POCKET, AND ADVERTISE ON THE SITE THAT THE GLITTER WAS 14 KARAT GOLD.  They come in all forms!" CreationDate="2014-01-10T19:58:34.923" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="1376" PostId="1213" Score="0" Text="From what you have said I would say he is naive. Spammers wouldn't pester you for so long." CreationDate="2014-01-10T23:17:27.127" UserId="124" />
  <row Id="1377" PostId="1213" Score="3" Text="I would hesitate to just chalk this up to naivete.  He's going through a lot of contortions to hide where he lives and where his business is actually operating from. This is quite deliberate and consistent, and I can't think of any legitimate reason a genuine business would need to be so deceptive about giving out basic business information.  That, and the wild stories he's giving for why he needs you to lend him money don't add up to someone who is genuinely ignorant. It does add up to someone who is trying to pull a con job on you." CreationDate="2014-01-11T01:05:10.053" UserId="972" />
  <row Id="1378" PostId="1207" Score="0" Text="Wait! Have I just read you borrowed money to your client?! Really? To a person you've met a while ago? A step 5 was alarming enough so I am not sure how you came up to point 14. ;)" CreationDate="2014-01-11T08:49:33.353" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1379" PostId="1206" Score="1" Text="This could work here as a question if you could rework it slightly to add the freelance angle in. It's not clear that this relates to freelancing from the question" CreationDate="2014-01-11T14:04:52.060" UserId="43" />
  <row Id="1380" PostId="1207" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV Now I haven't lent him any money (yes that would be crazy!). He has just asked for it in the past. These interactions happened in 3 brief periods (4 if you include the time he sent an email out of the blue asking for money which I ignored) over a period of about 3 years. It has never gone further than initial discussions but has always ended after he asks for money, I refuse and he disappears again. As I said, I am curious to see how it pans out and, to be honest, if he shows evidence of a scam I am hoping to find a way to shut him down." CreationDate="2014-01-11T14:04:54.323" UserId="148" />
  <row Id="1381" PostId="1207" Score="0" Text="There's a small part of me that thinks he just very naive and would like also to see some evidence of being genuine. Maybe I am foolish for that... ;-) I have put in place a protection for me that he must give me an address which I will check for being genuine and then I will be asking for some payment early on and at regular intervals to make sure he is willing and able to part with his money. :)" CreationDate="2014-01-11T14:10:57.613" UserId="148" />
  <row Id="1382" PostId="1207" Score="0" Text="However, it is very much looking like he will not provide an address as I have not heard back from him about it since I insisted on it. Perhaps he will come back when he has thought of another excuse or obtained a false address. :) In any case, I am satisfied enough in concluding that I will not be doing any business with him." CreationDate="2014-01-11T14:18:30.470" UserId="148" />
  <row Id="1383" PostId="1217" Score="0" Text="I edited slightly the phrase quoted in your answer but it hasn't drastically changed the meaning." CreationDate="2014-01-11T14:36:15.623" UserId="148" />
  <row Id="1386" PostId="1226" Score="0" Text="Silverlight offer was a bit easier since you never worked with it. But when they bring a new project in the same field you're expert, then it's almost impossible to say no. I've done dozens of such boring project and still could not find a way to decline them." CreationDate="2014-01-11T17:19:56.447" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1387" PostId="1222" Score="0" Text="Guys, is this off topic here? Let me know if I should move this topic somewhere else." CreationDate="2014-01-11T17:20:36.920" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1388" PostId="1226" Score="0" Text="True. How about saying &quot;Thanks, but I'm trying to take my business in a different direction, and I'm no longer taking on that type of work.&quot;" CreationDate="2014-01-11T17:35:18.833" UserId="127" />
  <row Id="1389" PostId="1213" Score="0" Text="Since I have heard nothing for 3 days after I asked for his home address in place of a registered trading address, I am now 100% certain he is a scammer who has made a degree of effort to appear legit." CreationDate="2014-01-12T15:22:37.310" UserId="148" />
  <row Id="1390" PostId="1222" Score="1" Text="I think this is on topic, but a difficult (very worthwhile) question. I've often wondered it to" CreationDate="2014-01-12T16:43:52.203" UserId="124" />
  <row Id="1392" PostId="1206" Score="0" Text="Perhaps delete the &quot;immorality&quot; angle -- keeping focus on alternatives to group insurance." CreationDate="2014-01-12T20:58:50.820" UserId="1734" />
  <row Id="1393" PostId="1155" Score="0" Text="Unless it is specifically off-topic in the (very sparsely worded) Help Center, selling licenses to own software is very similar to selling own services." CreationDate="2014-01-12T21:42:16.737" UserId="1734" />
  <row Id="1394" PostId="1132" Score="0" Text="Don't the feedback mechanisms on those work-bid sites expose the absolute messes, @ovid ?" CreationDate="2014-01-12T21:56:25.607" UserId="1734" />
  <row Id="1395" PostId="1153" Score="0" Text="Theory: the answer is as stated by 3 folks below (and as you suggest).  Reality: contractor = consultant = freelancer." CreationDate="2014-01-12T22:08:00.423" UserId="1734" />
  <row Id="1396" PostId="1152" Score="1" Text="+1 Can you add: &quot;7. It's a project that I find very interesting and can learn from participating in.&quot; That happened to me and was a stronger point than all the others." CreationDate="2014-01-12T22:20:21.717" UserId="1734" />
  <row Id="1397" PostId="1152" Score="0" Text="Good shout Martin, answer updated" CreationDate="2014-01-12T23:38:43.933" UserId="43" />
  <row Id="1398" PostId="1206" Score="0" Text="This question is really more about personal finance, but I didn't think there was a StackExchange site for that, but I just found http://money.stackexchange.com/ I think this question is better suited there." CreationDate="2014-01-13T01:48:13.723" UserId="1725" />
  <row Id="1399" PostId="1222" Score="0" Text="Something to note is that everyone in the group I work for can see each other's wages. The fact that people in some places are unable to even mention wages to other employees is kinda offputting; in my group we're all friends and we're all well aware of who does what work. It's just another incentive to not slack :p" CreationDate="2014-01-13T02:03:22.407" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="1400" PostId="968" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke -- length of answer = k / age of site ?" CreationDate="2014-01-13T02:56:37.233" UserId="1734" />
  <row Id="1401" PostId="967" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke -- Please explain. Yes, details help add value. Are answer lengths measured by the SE masters?" CreationDate="2014-01-13T02:59:32.357" UserId="1734" />
  <row Id="1402" PostId="1028" Score="3" Text="He's not _travelling_ to Australia, he's working _for_ australians while _remaining_ in Germany." CreationDate="2014-01-13T03:10:46.090" UserId="1734" />
  <row Id="1403" PostId="662" Score="0" Text="Can we please clarify if this is about US employers and non-US employees (which i believe is off-topic) or US companies and non-US freelancers, which _is_ on-topic (and of interest to me)?" CreationDate="2014-01-13T03:26:31.843" UserId="1734" />
  <row Id="1404" PostId="528" Score="1" Text="Hope you are still Alive, keep us updated man. Last seen	Jul 21 '13 at 10:44." CreationDate="2014-01-13T04:23:04.793" UserId="1644" />
  <row Id="1405" PostId="1226" Score="0" Text="Yes, but what about the next project. If I decline once, there are high chances the client will not return to me next time. He may find it I am too busy or lost interest working for him. That's what I was talking about." CreationDate="2014-01-13T07:20:40.133" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1406" PostId="1232" Score="0" Text="So you're saying that those company's members I saw are just sales persons? They are not the programmers who will actually do the project and later talk with the client?" CreationDate="2014-01-13T07:25:40.037" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1407" PostId="1232" Score="1" Text="i tend to hear the term &quot;Account Manager&quot; for the type of person we're describing." CreationDate="2014-01-13T15:08:26.883" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="1408" PostId="1226" Score="0" Text="It is a possibility, although I'm not convinced it is high risk. The options are: the client never returns which means you have to replace him (just like short-term clients), he returns w/ work you don't want (which you can always decline), or he returns w/ work you do want (optimum). My customers respect me more when I decline work I'm not interested in, and still find plenty of other work for me. YMMV" CreationDate="2014-01-13T15:22:25.743" UserId="127" />
  <row Id="1409" PostId="1132" Score="0" Text="Martin: in theory, yes, but in reality, if you're a business person and someone hands you a steaming pile of ones and zeros that, nonetheless, appears to do what you want, how would you know? By definition, many people who try to hire programmers at those sites have no idea how technology works." CreationDate="2014-01-13T21:16:53.403" UserId="1581" />
  <row Id="1410" PostId="1222" Score="0" Text="Seems off topic to me and more related to managing employees and business operations rather than freelancing." CreationDate="2014-01-14T08:12:02.280" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1411" PostId="1222" Score="0" Text="@Santa Do you get regular promotions? If not, then in time you will be sad/angry/disappointed and leave the team. I think the rule of the large companies about hiding earnings is better. They existed for years and I'd say their way of doing the business is something to look up at." CreationDate="2014-01-14T08:16:39.857" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1412" PostId="1232" Score="0" Text="So what the role of account manager? And how do they achieve a communication between a client and person working on client's project? I don't think they all communication goes thru &quot;account managers&quot; as it would be slow communication." CreationDate="2014-01-14T08:17:52.647" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1413" PostId="1232" Score="1" Text="The account manager is just as described.  They get the job (or the 'gig', as we say) and are responsible for getting the numbers right so everyone gets paid.  They also serve to smooth ruffled feathers as problems come along (and, they do!)  But they don't usually do much technical work, if any at all." CreationDate="2014-01-14T15:18:30.300" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="1416" PostId="1222" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV I dunno, I prefer transparency over everything. I look down on hiding pretty much anything (there's a reason I'm an EFF supporter, etc). I see big companies censoring employees as a jerk move :v (Also yes, we get promotions)" CreationDate="2014-01-14T16:20:36.090" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="1421" PostId="1239" Score="1" Text="really detailed answer.Even though i am sending and applying new jobs. Not getting any replies, which really worries me.I use to get a lot of invite.Now its like they are dead. Can you suggest [anything](https://www.odesk.com/users/~01e96a9471b01d213f)?" CreationDate="2014-01-14T19:02:41.343" UserId="1754" />
  <row Id="1422" PostId="1238" Score="0" Text="you might be right, i had same though too, that it might be as it is new year and xmas passed. Then again, there won't be more posting if there wasn't any work. [My](https://www.odesk.com/users/~01e96a9471b01d213f) rate 15$ per hour, which i think is &quot;ok&quot;. What you think of my profile. as you say that &quot;maybe you make bad offer&quot;" CreationDate="2014-01-14T19:05:56.527" UserId="1754" />
  <row Id="1423" PostId="1239" Score="0" Text="Let me update the answer." CreationDate="2014-01-14T19:06:28.853" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="1424" PostId="1238" Score="0" Text="The profile looks OK. You have so many jobs done and I am confident clients will not even see 4.81 score. Since you have so many jobs, I don't think you write bad bids. I guess it's just time of holidays. Wait till Fed and see." CreationDate="2014-01-14T19:10:44.240" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1425" PostId="1238" Score="0" Text="How do i make it more than &quot;OK&quot;, i see some [people](https://www.odesk.com/users/Software-Engineer-iPhone-Analyst-Architect-Developer-Proj-Manager_~011eebdcb72ceb016a) and they are doing amazing. So i would like to do amazing too, also people have nearly 100$ per hour." CreationDate="2014-01-14T19:17:15.977" UserId="1754" />
  <row Id="1426" PostId="1238" Score="0" Text="First price is regulated by location. It's not the same $100 in Spain and $100 in Pakistan. Don't be offended, but no one will hire Pakistani for $100/h (I also live in a small country outside USA and UK). If USA or UK customers have to pay $100 per hour, they will hire someone locally. So if $15 per hour is OK and you can make a good living, keep it and be happy as many, many guys don't reach your position." CreationDate="2014-01-14T19:30:43.950" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1427" PostId="1239" Score="0" Text="I tried 'Enabling them to change feedback' but that was what they did, so now i am out of that option. I am more worried about future prospects, as told i earn via freelance and i am clueless on why the sudden silent or jobs and no one replying to my jobs application.I already have top 10, 20 and 30 on my test skill. I wonder what do i lack in comparsion to people such [some](https://www.odesk.com/users/Software-Engineer-iPhone-Analyst-Architect-Developer-Proj-Manager_~011eebdcb72ceb016a) amazing guys, who have high rate and yet full of work" CreationDate="2014-01-14T19:35:01.623" UserId="1754" />
  <row Id="1428" PostId="1239" Score="0" Text="I may be wrong, but I think it's just a coincidence. The amount of responses may decrease, but not totally cancel out." CreationDate="2014-01-14T20:13:16.253" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="1429" PostId="1244" Score="1" Text="http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/101/how-do-i-get-my-first-job-at-a-freelancing-site" CreationDate="2014-01-15T10:30:29.667" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1430" PostId="1241" Score="0" Text="Forgot to say that Basecamp does not have free account ;)" CreationDate="2014-01-15T10:31:02.110" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1431" PostId="1241" Score="0" Text="oh, yeah, Peter. Cheers! It slipped." CreationDate="2014-01-15T13:16:03.587" UserId="1761" />
  <row Id="1433" PostId="1244" Score="0" Text="Hi Blaze, welcome to Freelancing SE. Take a look at the link Peter shared. If that doesn't help, you may want to consider an [edit] to make this a more specific question. Good luck! :)" CreationDate="2014-01-16T08:15:18.130" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1434" PostId="1244" Score="0" Text="@jmort253 I have edited my question. I am sorry but can i know why everyone down vote my question ?" CreationDate="2014-01-16T10:50:59.983" UserId="1390" />
  <row Id="1435" PostId="1109" Score="0" Text="Ooh - I am not very good at keeping up with forums! I have mostly done work with community groups, charities etc but I am quite interested in branching out more. I don't actually mind which field although obviously it helps to build on previous experience. I have mainly worked on project reviews/evaluations, goal setting, feedback and discussion groups." CreationDate="2014-01-16T15:24:11.260" UserId="1531" />
  <row Id="1436" PostId="1244" Score="0" Text="Hi Blaze, the question *was* too broad for our format, but don't take it personally. The voting mechanism is intended to push the best content to the top of the page. Take a look at [help - topic](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/help/on-topic) and [ask] for some more info on what our site is about. Our  goal is to become a resource of knowledge for freelancing. With that said, your edits significantly improved the question, so I'll take it off hold. Good luck! :)" CreationDate="2014-01-16T18:17:39.100" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1437" PostId="1249" Score="1" Text="+1: The only thing here I wouldn't advise is having deadlines, unless they are deadlines you are setting on the client to give you things you need to do the work.  If I did another free project, I'd never want to be in a position where I had to disregard paying work (and maybe more than that) to meet a deadline on a project I am not being paid to do." CreationDate="2014-01-16T18:28:56.987" UserId="1323" />
  <row Id="1438" PostId="1253" Score="0" Text="More advice in my answer to this question: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/314/why-should-i-not-provide-free-services-to-friends-when-freelancing/1254#1254." CreationDate="2014-01-16T18:34:35.823" UserId="1323" />
  <row Id="1439" PostId="967" Score="0" Text="@martinf It's because we need answers that clearly explain a solution to the problem. As it stands right now, this is a very vague answer, and could use some cleaning up. When I posted the comment, it was shortly after the post was made, hoping that johney would have a chance to clean it up themselves, hopefully realizing that's what we want in this place and improving the overall quality." CreationDate="2014-01-17T01:08:06.237" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1441" PostId="1244" Score="1" Text="@Blaze-Core Have you read that link? It will help you. At least you will understand that the lowest bid will not work with serious clients. Just rate your work, make an EXCELLENT+++ profile and give such offer that you will be satisfied with such money. This way, you will be rejected 10 times, but 11th client will like you. Anyone of us here, who tried working lowest bid, got burnt in the end." CreationDate="2014-01-18T08:13:23.007" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1442" PostId="315" Score="1" Text="didn't know there is a law stating something like this, so giving anything for free gives you higher risk? geez." CreationDate="2014-01-18T09:18:58.070" UserId="1792" />
  <row Id="1443" PostId="1259" Score="0" Text="I agree! If a client is paying me for my expertise but constantly chooses to ignore it and do something else, then it's probably time for them to find someone else." CreationDate="2014-01-18T10:38:04.237" UserId="1018" />
  <row Id="1444" PostId="1261" Score="3" Text="This is a similar question to &quot;How to build passive income instead of just selling work hours?&quot; http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/q/1124" CreationDate="2014-01-18T10:41:01.933" UserId="1018" />
  <row Id="1445" PostId="1262" Score="0" Text="Also read popular topics from http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions?sort=frequent" CreationDate="2014-01-18T15:32:43.183" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1446" PostId="1262" Score="0" Text="Hi Peter, I think the OP is asking about creating a passive income rather than finding freelancing work if I understand correctly." CreationDate="2014-01-19T04:53:04.097" UserId="1018" />
  <row Id="1447" PostId="1262" Score="0" Text="@NeilRobertson Passive income is for existing freelancers. I think she wants to become a freelancer, at least based on here sentence `if I will be a freelancer, how can I earn money for myself and my family`" CreationDate="2014-01-19T12:35:12.657" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1449" PostId="1265" Score="0" Text="Thanks for taking your time and replying to my question. Can you be kind and tell me then how I or my tester is going to check the quality of the code, make sure it is written the right way, that it is secure, robust. I read this in the forms and article to check these things before taking delivery. I once again thanks for taking time.    Note: it's a web application developed using PHP, MySQL" CreationDate="2014-01-19T21:31:12.987" UserId="1798" />
  <row Id="1450" PostId="1265" Score="4" Text="Tester going to check code quality??? It's not testers duty to do that. Tester is supposed to extensively test, test and test app until he discovers a bug or slowdown or bad implementation. And that is where tester's role ends. If you wanted to have someone examining the code, you should have told that to your contractors that there will be code scrutiny in several phases of the project. Did you do that? If not, you know for the future. Set milestones, then when the milestone is reached, pay it and get a code for inspection. No contractor will refuse this and should not refuse it." CreationDate="2014-01-20T07:40:37.707" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1451" PostId="1265" Score="0" Text="Also you can set hourly work which many Freelancer websites support. Working that way the contractor is obliged (not by rule, but my professional behaviour) to give you code at any time since you are paying him hour by hour. Again, if in such case a contractor refuses, then it's  bad contractor and break the contract immediately. All this is valid if you two agreed on code 24/7 availability prior to project commenced." CreationDate="2014-01-20T07:42:38.533" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1452" PostId="1257" Score="1" Text="+1 for A/B test!" CreationDate="2014-01-20T19:04:36.663" UserId="1810" />
  <row Id="1453" PostId="1270" Score="0" Text="I am in programming business" CreationDate="2014-01-20T19:49:06.820" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1454" PostId="1270" Score="0" Text="Well, so am I. My stance is that I no longer write my price somewhere and only give prices directly to the customer. I did it different earlier in my career and it only caused avoidable trouble. But if I were in the plumbing business that would most likely be different." CreationDate="2014-01-20T20:10:08.563" UserId="1810" />
  <row Id="1455" PostId="1261" Score="0" Text="I can't do that, I am really bad at making a content on a page, but I've seen so many people earning through blogspot or wordpress." CreationDate="2014-01-21T01:18:50.097" UserId="1792" />
  <row Id="1456" PostId="1262" Score="0" Text="In step 2 : I have created something like a timer system for computer cafe's.. Where clients' PCs are managed by one server and controls their renting time instead of writing it on a log book. My question is, how do I know how much my app can be sold?" CreationDate="2014-01-21T01:21:50.263" UserId="1792" />
  <row Id="1457" PostId="1261" Score="0" Text="Hi AdorableVB, and welcome to Freelancing.SE! Unfortunately, this question is quite broad to give the type of answers we expect. We need to find a real, clear, defined question that can be answered; as it stands right now, it's very open and vague. Feel free to [edit] it to make it a little more specific and definable. Thanks" CreationDate="2014-01-21T04:24:35.737" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1459" PostId="1266" Score="0" Text="Your contractor's confused. Have you started work already? Sounds like you're dealing with a noob. The employer provides it." CreationDate="2014-01-20T20:41:50.330" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="1460" PostId="1262" Score="0" Text="@AdorableVB Either by multiply work hours spent on the app with your hourly rate (http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/3/tracking-hours-you-are-working-for-clients) or setting some market price of lower segment and then increase it over time." CreationDate="2014-01-21T08:06:10.707" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1461" PostId="1262" Score="0" Text="In first approach you will get pretty large amount. Then decide if you want to return that money in 1 year for example. Divide to 12. The amount will become smaller. Then see how many new customer per month you can attract. Then divide the amount to this number, and you will get your final price. For example: $10.000 / 12 / 10 = $83 meaning I must get 10 new customers in the fist year to return my time invested in the app. After that, it's all profit excluding time you spent upgrading app." CreationDate="2014-01-21T08:08:47.173" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1462" PostId="1277" Score="1" Text="Is definitio of minimal wage really `...The minimum wage means minimal (or zero) profit margin,...`? I thought that minimal wage is `cover costs + earn some small money to sustain life/business`. For example, to cover all office costs + earn enough just to have for your preset salary." CreationDate="2014-01-21T08:11:10.220" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1463" PostId="1277" Score="1" Text="Now to comment. I read some good suggestions. never thought of them so detailed. For me, lowest rate if for old customer or for project over X work hours (for new customers). But never thought about money buffer, which may be reason why sometimes I get out of it for a week or two." CreationDate="2014-01-21T08:14:23.550" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1464" PostId="1262" Score="0" Text="Its not that polished and its created from VB6. But in time, I think I want to upgrade it since its the first major app that I made myself. I was thinking of selling it for like $5. But didn't know there was a computation like this. Also, english is not my native, so I don't really get what you said, can you give it in simpler terms?" CreationDate="2014-01-21T08:44:45.680" UserId="1792" />
  <row Id="1465" PostId="1262" Score="0" Text="@AdorableVB English is not mine native as well :). If you're satisfied with $5, it's OK. Try to find a top topic here where all of this is explained better. Summed up, calculate `workHoursSpentInProject x yourHourlyPrice` to get how much money you invested in the project. Then divide `totalMoneyInvested / 12 / howManyClientsPerMonthYouCanAttractToBuyYourApp` and you will get the app price. If you sell your app at that price to the number of customers you planned, you will return invested money in 1 year." CreationDate="2014-01-21T08:55:47.823" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1466" PostId="1262" Score="0" Text="You may change 12 to any number. It's a number of months. Basically you try to calculate how soon can you return your time (time is money) invested in the project." CreationDate="2014-01-21T08:56:34.267" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1467" PostId="1274" Score="0" Text="True! I have seen many good apps fails because people were not ready to invest in marketing" CreationDate="2014-01-21T08:57:11.723" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1468" PostId="1262" Score="0" Text="then its for me to decide how much is `myHourlyPrice`?" CreationDate="2014-01-21T08:58:41.807" UserId="1792" />
  <row Id="1469" PostId="1262" Score="0" Text="@AdorableVB True. there are many topics on hourly price here. Just browser a bit." CreationDate="2014-01-21T11:04:17.087" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1470" PostId="1263" Score="1" Text="These payment details should all have been spelled out in the contract with the freelancer before any work was started.  You *did* have a contract, I presume?" CreationDate="2014-01-21T13:46:59.307" UserId="245" />
  <row Id="1472" PostId="1265" Score="0" Text="I paid the rest of the money to the developer and he still put ioncube encryption.  I paid the money to him using PayPal because he would not take money using elance milestones saying that he does not do work with elance business model. This is very bad because I have spend lots of my time and effort and money trying to get this project. I took your advice and Paid him bit I had no idea that he could do something like this." CreationDate="2014-01-21T16:48:36.893" UserId="1798" />
  <row Id="1473" PostId="1265" Score="0" Text="Is there anything I can do now or have I just lost my money and one year of hard work? I thank you guys for taking your time to help me here." CreationDate="2014-01-21T16:50:44.103" UserId="1798" />
  <row Id="1474" PostId="1272" Score="0" Text="I think your home construction analogy actually favors the OP's concerns.  Where I live in the US (New Jersey), state law says that you may not make the final payment until the work is complete and approved by Municipal building inspectors.  Deposits and interim payments can be made but no the final payment.  Contract software development can be tough to navigate for exactly these reasons.  Both sides have risk and it really should be clearly spelled out in the contract." CreationDate="2014-01-21T17:32:19.217" UserId="1818" />
  <row Id="1475" PostId="1272" Score="0" Text="cdkMoose, that NJ example actually makes sense.  It keeps the contractor from &quot;disappearing&quot; when shoddy work has been performed!  But in that same example, the contractor can attach a lien to the home, because **it's not going to move**, if payment isn't made.  It's not the same case with this kind of work, where the buyer could tell you they're in another country but actually live next door, or vice versa.  All I know in the end is that I can't feed my family with an IOU." CreationDate="2014-01-21T17:37:07.280" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="1476" PostId="1272" Score="0" Text="Agreed, but by the same token, OP can not place a lien or any other legal recourse on this freelancer to make sure the work is good after the money is paid.  This is why the contract is so critical.  I tend to be cynical sometimes, but I assume that after I make the final payment, I can not count on anything from the contractor." CreationDate="2014-01-21T17:41:04.200" UserId="1818" />
  <row Id="1477" PostId="1272" Score="0" Text="A contract doesn't translate to much in the global marketplace.  It's really more a guideline to be hopeful about than a strict agreement.  I'm in CA.  Even with a contract, if I need to sue a customer in NY, I have to fly to NY to do it, or hire an attorney there.  Those costs alone sometimes aren't worth it -- and if I'm in NY, I probably can't be billing very much time for my other customers!" CreationDate="2014-01-21T17:46:08.020" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="1478" PostId="1272" Score="1" Text="Under stood, but in the absence of a contract or some formal mutual agreement, this is an unsolvable problem.  How does the buyer make sure he is getting what is promised before handing over his money and how does the seller make sure he gets paid  for what is delivered.  Neither side has any leverage after the fact and neither has a higher priority over the other.  The contract is more about setting expectations than any future lawsuit which I will agree will be hard to pursue." CreationDate="2014-01-21T18:04:30.027" UserId="1818" />
  <row Id="1479" PostId="1265" Score="0" Text="Wait, who told you to give him (pay) the rest? I said that you must test on his server. Paying him the rest may be a mistake since I don't know how honest this company is. They may stop working on your project. What do they say once you paid them all? Why do you say you lost your money?" CreationDate="2014-01-21T20:39:12.923" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1481" PostId="1265" Score="0" Text="Well they put this this called ioncube which is encoder to encrypt the code. So another words i cant see the code. I called him this morning to ask him why he did that, his answer was that &quot;dont worry we are here for you&quot; that he did that so no one will steal the code." CreationDate="2014-01-21T22:45:33.177" UserId="1798" />
  <row Id="1482" PostId="1265" Score="0" Text="I think you are not reading the post properly and going at it like I am a threaf who is trying to steal from the developer. I had Paidhim $700 in first week for little work done on his part and another $300 soon after. Yesterday I paid him rest of the money after reading these posts thinking that maybe I am wrong and should not worry about it too much. Well he put a ioncube encryption to restrict it. This was not part of the deal. Now advice do you have for me?" CreationDate="2014-01-21T22:49:54.910" UserId="1798" />
  <row Id="1483" PostId="1265" Score="0" Text="I paid him using PayPal because he would not take a milestone for it saying that his company does not work with elance business model any more." CreationDate="2014-01-21T22:51:43.543" UserId="1798" />
  <row Id="1484" PostId="1265" Score="0" Text="Do I have any choice now or have I lost my money and my hard work for this project for past 1 year? Thanks for your help here guys, even through you are overly thinking about developers security in all this. Clients loose lots of money in these dealing but no one wants to talk about that because the assumption is that the are cleaver people with lots money who are always trying to cheat freelances.which is not always true. Anyways what is done is done. Is there any way forward to this? I been doing research on this ioncube and heard that there is way to decode it. Is that true, does it work ?" CreationDate="2014-01-21T22:52:05.387" UserId="1798" />
  <row Id="1485" PostId="1263" Score="1" Text="Yes, there was a contact but it was long run over by the developer, after taking my first $700 he would takes weeks to make small changes, would not respond to my requests. As the time was passing i felt as i am being draged into this whole thing. He already had my money, now the only thing i can do was try to get the project finished for past 4 months i worker even harder trying to communicate with the mulitple programmers, designers. I found out that this guy have a academy ( a school in India teaching students IT) He was using students to do work. Now he used a ioncube encoder to limit it." CreationDate="2014-01-21T23:24:21.670" UserId="1798" />
  <row Id="1486" PostId="1244" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV yes, I have read, I will try my best thanks for your supports." CreationDate="2014-01-22T04:26:52.613" UserId="1390" />
  <row Id="1487" PostId="1265" Score="0" Text="No, we're not on the side of this particular developer since we don't know him. He may be a bad developer. And no one accused you of wanting to steal the code since, again, we don't know you. I see no reason why he's using ioncube encryption. If you paid him all, then request the source code. If he does not want to do that, complain to Elance. If you made any transaction via Elance, the contractor must receive the rest of the money via Elance or is breaching their regulations and his account may be locked. So try to communicate the issue and insist on your code." CreationDate="2014-01-22T07:46:15.313" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1489" PostId="1288" Score="0" Text="my rate is not much.Its 15$. It might be that clients are starting to recover from vacations and costs, yet it doesn't satisfy me of being rejected. Complex app, i can think that." CreationDate="2014-01-22T09:02:50.780" UserId="1754" />
  <row Id="1490" PostId="1286" Score="0" Text="Yes, my question is about how to measure the price of mobile apps when you have to code for both, Android/iOs." CreationDate="2014-01-22T12:58:36.413" UserId="1815" />
  <row Id="1491" PostId="1286" Score="0" Text="See edit. Does it help now?" CreationDate="2014-01-22T17:22:36.777" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1492" PostId="1290" Score="0" Text="I have seen individuals with horrible grammar skills being top contractors on odesk. I personally interviewed a few of them. I don't know how, but they are top contractor in spite of bad English. And they are not even cheap." CreationDate="2014-01-22T17:24:40.070" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1494" PostId="1292" Score="1" Text="No offense taken, appreciate your input. How would you describe a genuine effort. Perhaps a example will do? If you can edit the answer and provide a efficient, also i don't do cut and paste." CreationDate="2014-01-22T18:50:00.200" UserId="1754" />
  <row Id="1495" PostId="1290" Score="0" Text="@TeresaMcgH English is not my native language, I do want to learn go use grammar properly, and sentences structure.But from where?" CreationDate="2014-01-22T18:53:35.110" UserId="1754" />
  <row Id="1496" PostId="1292" Score="1" Text="If you are using a template like the one above, you ARE doing cut and paste.  When I describe a genuine effort, I mean ***writing in paragraphs*** and demonstrating within the paragraphs that you've actually read the potential customer's requirement; and also then, interpreting back to the potential client as to how your skills directly can help their needs.  Paragraphs, no lists!!!" CreationDate="2014-01-22T19:05:55.877" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="1497" PostId="1292" Score="1" Text="To add to that - part of your ability to work remotely is the ability to communicate well in writing.  Demonstrate that ability as early as possible in your exchange with a potential client." CreationDate="2014-01-22T19:09:12.350" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="1498" PostId="1290" Score="0" Text="Nofel - there are quite a few business communication tutorials online.  Those might help - it might also help to look for examples of the kind of letter you want to write, online, and use those as a guide.  There are also folks on many of the freelancer sites that will do proofing and editing for you, and for such a small task probably won't charge you much. Oh, and if you can order or borrow a book that might be a useful resource for brushing up on your English grammar.  Your main issues (from the example above) seem  to be word choice and using incomplete sentences." CreationDate="2014-01-22T19:20:32.463" UserId="972" />
  <row Id="1499" PostId="1265" Score="0" Text="Thanks, I will talk to him. If he does not agree then I will contact elance and make complaint." CreationDate="2014-01-22T22:03:29.643" UserId="1798" />
  <row Id="1500" PostId="1292" Score="1" Text="And to add more to this, I'd say including how your skills will provide value would be important. Most clients, assuming they aren't technical, won't care what skills you have. Instead, they'll want to know ***how you can apply those skills to further their business.***" CreationDate="2014-01-23T02:16:23.090" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1501" PostId="1290" Score="0" Text="I think a good way to phrase Teresa's point is this: Most clients don't care if you have good/bad grammar but they do care if you know the difference. Having a third party review your initial communications shows you care about details, even if you aren't an expert in those details." CreationDate="2014-01-23T02:20:27.040" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1502" PostId="1292" Score="0" Text="@codenoire Perhaps a example would be great of a effective cover letter?" CreationDate="2014-01-23T03:25:26.367" UserId="1754" />
  <row Id="1503" PostId="1292" Score="0" Text="@jmort253 A example would be great." CreationDate="2014-01-23T03:25:50.887" UserId="1754" />
  <row Id="1504" PostId="1289" Score="0" Text="Do you have any citations to back that later statement up? I've found that the fact I have 8 years of experience in server administration (and 6 in development) kinda helps way more than saying &quot;Yeah, I can do anything. No need to see proof; just give me money&quot;." CreationDate="2014-01-23T04:57:31.053" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="1505" PostId="1289" Score="0" Text="@Santa i don't see how your comment is related to my question." CreationDate="2014-01-23T09:05:25.770" UserId="1826" />
  <row Id="1506" PostId="1289" Score="0" Text="All i am saying is,just show the guy &quot;similar&quot; projects,nothing else ......" CreationDate="2014-01-23T09:06:03.977" UserId="1826" />
  <row Id="1507" PostId="1188" Score="0" Text="+1 for such a great question, and... after my upvote you can now post comments!" CreationDate="2014-01-23T10:38:48.360" UserId="1835" />
  <row Id="1508" PostId="1290" Score="1" Text="I don't know that most clients don't care about grammar - I do know that many of the folks I have talked to about their selection process for jobs use that as a first step in paring down their list of people to contact.  So, yeah, it definitely can make a difference as to which &quot;pile&quot; your letter ends up in." CreationDate="2014-01-23T15:17:25.760" UserId="972" />
  <row Id="1509" PostId="1296" Score="0" Text="Thanks for reply, That was the agreement in the first place to pay the developer $700 which is about 35% and pay rest when project is completed, however i did not mention that he has to upload the code on my server for testing purpose. Is that reasonable to ask the developer. I think it is since i as client am willing to pay 35% to 50% upfront, the developer should not mind getting the other half after completion which testing done on my server. What do you think?" CreationDate="2014-01-23T18:22:15.117" UserId="1798" />
  <row Id="1510" PostId="1299" Score="0" Text="Hmm thanks for posting an answer.  I don't make money from maintenance lol. It's just some way to cover my cost, other companies charge for application update services. My maintenance fee will only be 2k a year. thats not much. That will cover labour costs for updating the app meanwhile the client is getting essentially a new free biometric solution for every single new business he opens up because of the dynamic feature he will have in my app which will allow expansion instead of having another project with me. Surely its wise to have an unlimited licence price?" CreationDate="2014-01-23T18:46:11.810" UserId="1836" />
  <row Id="1511" PostId="1299" Score="0" Text="Say a university purchases an application, the software distributor can't make more money mean while the customer is installing this software in all the university labs benefiting thousands of students. That's why the company charges a licensing fee to make some money for all these installations that the university will end up carrying out but at the benefit of NOT having to buy at the same price of the original price for subsequent installations. I need to know whether my 2.3 multiplier price is right or if I should be charging more for an unlimited license." CreationDate="2014-01-23T18:51:02.970" UserId="1836" />
  <row Id="1512" PostId="1299" Score="0" Text="If you're going to have to design a system that scales to the degree you're describing, it's absolutely worth your while to make sure that if your customer succeeds, you succeed.  It's known as residual income.  Don't feel guilty.    Whether you get it in maintenance, or licensing (i'd do blocks rather than 1 by 1) it's the best approach if you can swing it." CreationDate="2014-01-23T21:38:00.943" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="1513" PostId="1299" Score="1" Text="He owns a lot of businesses that transact credit cards, right?  The card processors get a piece of the $ for each swipe.  They're not feeling guilty about it, why should you?" CreationDate="2014-01-23T21:40:19.420" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="1514" PostId="1299" Score="0" Text="Ok, could you elaborate on what you mean by you'd do blocks rather than 1 by 1? And how is that the best approach? Sorry im just trying to make sure I benefit too. Hence why I add the yearly maintenance cost for each app produced. So whether or not the company comes back to me for an update thats required or not, they still will have to pay me for maintenance. In this case, he gets the benefit of having a dynamic app where he can add biometric machines to all of his business and extend the application so that it will handle the staff clocks ins and outs from all his other businesses." CreationDate="2014-01-23T23:16:02.740" UserId="1836" />
  <row Id="1515" PostId="1299" Score="0" Text="And I need to make sure I either charge him something like 2.3x the main price 23k (cost of one app). Please do update your post and explain what youre suggesting pls. Thank you" CreationDate="2014-01-23T23:19:15.897" UserId="1836" />
  <row Id="1516" PostId="1299" Score="0" Text="&quot;Blocks&quot; = lots, groups.  Instead of transacting with him each time he wants to add one of the biometric station, make him buy groups of 10, 20, 25, 50, so forth.  Far less of a headache." CreationDate="2014-01-23T23:45:23.097" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="1517" PostId="1296" Score="0" Text="The reason behind the coder do not upload code to your server is they are feeling insecurity of remaining payment. to solve this you should divide the task in milestone and ask them to upload code upto the milestone on your server and you should pay payment for that milestone. this is how we are working. we take 35% as upfron then according to milestone and last 10% is required by client to pay after completion of the work." CreationDate="2014-01-24T04:43:34.940" UserId="1390" />
  <row Id="1518" PostId="1300" Score="0" Text="Thats a lovely answer you've written up. Here's some extra information, the service will be running on my background server, the application is written so that all money owed to staff members will be sent to the CEO on his application so that he can then write up the cheque with the amount displayed on the app (on his iPad) and then give the cheque to the admin to then go to the bank transfer the money, take the money out so the admin can pay all staff members. Something along the line of that anyway/" CreationDate="2014-01-24T16:44:31.220" UserId="1836" />
  <row Id="1519" PostId="1300" Score="0" Text="so for him to then setup a consultancy business where he then can use my app for other people's businesses is not possible as then my client would get all accounting information from the other companies which is not what the CEO's of those companies would want :D My software cannot be pirated at all, because it requires a backend which is my server, and without any programming code on my back end the application ceases to fail" CreationDate="2014-01-24T16:46:33.743" UserId="1836" />
  <row Id="1521" PostId="1300" Score="2" Text="Just to let you know that I do own all the code not my client, he owns my service and that is all. I liked what you said here and will heed your advice to compensate myself: ` By the way, I hope you are thinking of possibly making this app a commercial product that you could sell to more than just this one guy. Negotiating a contract where you retain ownership of the code base and can market it to other businesses may be another way for you to keep generating revenue from it and make up for allowing this guy to use it multiple times for his business needs.`" CreationDate="2014-01-24T16:55:00.610" UserId="1836" />
  <row Id="1522" PostId="1300" Score="0" Text="Please do have a look at the update post so that you can get some more information in relation to your question Teresa" CreationDate="2014-01-24T16:58:56.360" UserId="1836" />
  <row Id="1523" PostId="1300" Score="0" Text="Ok, so it's a cloud app.  I should have realized that, sorry!  And I see now how this would limit his ability to resell it. Thanks for the update." CreationDate="2014-01-24T18:24:10.403" UserId="972" />
  <row Id="1524" PostId="1300" Score="0" Text="So, anything you want to add on after that update? Does what I said change anything in terms of your answer for me? Thanks for your input so far @teresa" CreationDate="2014-01-25T05:09:50.933" UserId="1836" />
  <row Id="1525" PostId="1272" Score="0" Text="If the site works on the developer's servers, then it works. This client should accept his offer to test on his servers. Hopefully the client has some knowledge of how to get it up and running correctly on the service provider they choose when the project is done, though several things in this question lead me to seriously doubt it." CreationDate="2014-01-26T07:40:53.540" UserId="1780" />
  <row Id="1526" PostId="1306" Score="1" Text="Hi codenoire, it's important that we make sure that answers posted fully answer the question. Our goal is to become a strong resource for knowledge, backed with facts, references, and specific expertise. I'll leave this here for a bit in case you want to expand with an [edit]. Good luck." CreationDate="2014-01-29T05:51:41.993" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1527" PostId="1309" Score="0" Text="Suppose a case: A client invited me for a job, explain me job description and asked me for a budget. I then asked him how much he is willing to pay. He then reply I have explained you the job and now tell me how much is your budget. And what should I do in such cases. Insist for a budget from his side or give some budget from my side? What others do in such cases?" CreationDate="2014-01-29T17:49:51.160" UserDisplayName="user702" />
  <row Id="1528" PostId="1309" Score="0" Text="Actually, I am asking this because from my experience fixed price jobs pays much higher than hourly rates. So, I generally try to make more profitable bid based on client budget" CreationDate="2014-01-29T17:51:31.307" UserDisplayName="user702" />
  <row Id="1529" PostId="1309" Score="0" Text="@VarunAgw You misunderstood me. Give him hourly price. But calculate hourly price `yourHourlyPrice x workHoursNeededToFinihsTheProject`" CreationDate="2014-01-29T17:53:51.850" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1530" PostId="1309" Score="0" Text="I mainly do fixed price job. So, giving hourly rate on fixed price job doesn't make sense. &#xA;&#xA;Still, let suppose my hourly rate is $1000 and job will take 5 hours. So, for hourly job budget will $5000.&#xA;&#xA;But from my experience, I found that some client have a fixed of budget of $5000 while some may have even high as $8000. So, I want to get $5000 from first guy and $8000 from second guy.&#xA;&#xA;But, if I gave a budget from my mind without idea of how much they are willing to pay, I will end up earning $500 from both for same job. i.e. a loss of $3000 from second guy." CreationDate="2014-01-29T18:04:42.627" UserDisplayName="user702" />
  <row Id="1531" PostId="1309" Score="0" Text="That's why I want to know what's in his mind." CreationDate="2014-01-29T18:05:09.613" UserDisplayName="user702" />
  <row Id="1532" PostId="1309" Score="0" Text="@VarunAgw I am afraid I cannot help you in there. We're not mind readers. I know that there are some guys who hit max price always, but I was never able to get such jobs. Maybe someone else may reply to this." CreationDate="2014-01-29T18:12:22.383" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1533" PostId="1309" Score="0" Text="Thanks for trying to help me so far. I understand no one can read mind. I am just asking whose responsibility to come forward and give a budget if both parties are insisting other to give a budget?" CreationDate="2014-01-29T18:16:20.160" UserDisplayName="user702" />
  <row Id="1534" PostId="1305" Score="0" Text="The TL;DR; answer is that *I was only following orders* was ruled as an invalid defence at Nuremberg, and I wouldn't rely on it today.  Equally ignorance of the law is no defence wither." CreationDate="2014-01-29T19:11:54.613" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="1535" PostId="1309" Score="0" Text="@VarunAgw It's open market. Some clients are well aware of costs and will come to you with an offer if you can do it for $XY. Others are not aware of the prices and will try to get as best as possible product for as little money as possible. There is not formula there. That's why the concept of hourly price is the best. You may not earn $10k on $5k project, but you can be sure you're never in loss." CreationDate="2014-01-29T20:28:47.560" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1536" PostId="1309" Score="0" Text="&quot;But, if I gave a budget from my mind without idea of how much they are willing to pay, I will end up earning $500 from both for same job. i.e. a loss of $3000 from second guy.&quot;  And, I believe this is exactly why he is asking you to come up with the budget. He is hoping you will come in cheaper than if he gave you the actual figure he's willing to pay, just as Peter said in his reply." CreationDate="2014-01-29T20:44:14.217" UserId="972" />
  <row Id="1537" PostId="1305" Score="1" Text="Related about doing iffy things: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/1095/client-asked-me-to-remove-copyright-and-name-from-licensed-code/1112#1112" CreationDate="2014-01-30T00:00:47.647" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1542" PostId="1317" Score="0" Text="Hmm. Great answer at a time where all answers were not answering my question properly and I was planning to delete the question. It was not what I wanted to hear. but you are right. I got my answer. I will definitely follow your advice in future." CreationDate="2014-02-01T15:43:46.593" UserDisplayName="user702" />
  <row Id="1543" PostId="1317" Score="1" Text="99% of the time if you are searching for services and go around telling people you have $1000 to spend on X. Guess how much X costs most places? Yup $1000 or close to it. Which place do you end up buying from? The place that told you X only costs $350 and that's what they would charge. Honesty goes a LONG way with clients. Glad I could help!" CreationDate="2014-02-01T15:49:28.903" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1544" PostId="1317" Score="1" Text="That's real truth. But in mostly cases you won't end up find people with $350 as budget." CreationDate="2014-02-01T15:54:04.300" UserDisplayName="user702" />
  <row Id="1545" PostId="1317" Score="0" Text="Yeah, that's just an example. I used to try and chase budgets and I found it not only stressful and exhausting, but I get **way more work** when I determine what I want to earn and simply provide that pricing rather than asking for budgets. I know my rates are higher than many in my direct field (sometimes considerably higher), but I still get work." CreationDate="2014-02-01T15:55:17.487" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1546" PostId="1317" Score="0" Text="One more question for you if like answering. Suppose I set my hourly rate slightly more than market rate for same position and I am able to get clients happy with my work, then if it still be considered unethical?" CreationDate="2014-02-01T16:00:19.013" UserDisplayName="user702" />
  <row Id="1547" PostId="1317" Score="2" Text="Nope. Your rate is your rate. You are free to set that rate wherever you want. If you feel you are worth more, then it's perfectly fine to charge a higher rate. In fact, if you have too much work to handle, it's often wise to raise your rates to deter some of the smaller clients. If you find, at a higher rate, you aren't getting enough work, then you may be priced too high." CreationDate="2014-02-01T16:02:37.923" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1548" PostId="1319" Score="0" Text="Making an iOS app natively, and then porting it to Android takes roughly the same amount of time as making the android one from scratch." CreationDate="2014-02-01T23:37:34.420" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="1549" PostId="1323" Score="2" Text="+1 Show him what you will get for what amount" CreationDate="2014-02-02T11:13:29.823" UserDisplayName="user702" />
  <row Id="1550" PostId="1217" Score="2" Text="+1 Always ask for money up-front, and ask for a sum which is significant enough to guarantee the involvement of the client." CreationDate="2014-02-02T17:56:25.777" UserId="1909" />
  <row Id="1551" PostId="1328" Score="0" Text="That is definitely going to help me out. Thanx." CreationDate="2014-02-02T21:12:39.003" UserId="1906" />
  <row Id="1552" PostId="1325" Score="1" Text="An invoice IS asking for payment." CreationDate="2014-02-03T06:50:27.257" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1553" PostId="1235" Score="0" Text="You maybe the victim of oDesk application hiding algorithm. https://www.odesk.com/community/node/32333 It is really half baked horrible algorithm" CreationDate="2014-02-03T12:33:55.293" UserDisplayName="user702" />
  <row Id="1554" PostId="1325" Score="1" Text="I think this is a great question from somebody getting their feet wet." CreationDate="2014-02-03T17:53:25.257" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="1555" PostId="1326" Score="1" Text="It gives you credibility as well, which can contribute to getting more/better work in the future." CreationDate="2014-02-03T21:01:44.190" UserId="1923" />
  <row Id="1562" PostId="1325" Score="0" Text="What does the Law in your country say? If your earn below &quot;reportable limit&quot;, then invoices are not necessary. Otherwise, you need them to prove your income." CreationDate="2014-02-04T18:13:48.723" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1563" PostId="1331" Score="0" Text="I've seen individuals where the profit is shared 70/30 but that may not be fair for someone." CreationDate="2014-02-04T18:19:26.760" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1564" PostId="1343" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the reply Peter. There is always going to be a someone that has a lower rate, you know? ... I am not that guy, I am not cheap because the work I produce is not cheap, having a hard time explaining this to clients." CreationDate="2014-02-04T19:38:38.857" UserId="1861" />
  <row Id="1565" PostId="1341" Score="0" Text="+1.  Estimation is certainly easier to do for some types of work than it is for others.  Software project estimations are notoriously hard, but here are a bunch of questions that may help with that: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/estimation?sort=votes&amp;pageSize=50." CreationDate="2014-02-04T23:01:52.847" UserId="1323" />
  <row Id="1566" PostId="1312" Score="0" Text="+1, particularly for your technique for estimating the job in parts." CreationDate="2014-02-04T23:37:39.450" UserId="1323" />
  <row Id="1567" PostId="1344" Score="0" Text="This part drew my attention &quot;What are your constraints - time, money, or quality&quot;. Why do you ask a client such question? What answer do you expect to get?" CreationDate="2014-02-05T09:37:43.113" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1568" PostId="1345" Score="0" Text="Check topics from here as well http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions?sort=votes. In short, you have to know how many work hours it will take x your hourly rate" CreationDate="2014-02-05T09:40:06.763" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1569" PostId="1344" Score="5" Text="It's not something I'd ask directly.  I learned from one of my IT mentors: &quot;Good, fast, or cheap??? Pick any TWO&quot;.  If a client wants the result to be good, and wants it fast, it won't be cheap.  If the client wants the result fast, and wants it cheap, it won't be good.  And so forth.  It's important to weed out those who want the Ferrari experience on a Yugo budget." CreationDate="2014-02-05T17:06:06.460" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="1570" PostId="399" Score="1" Text="For maintaining an LLC, my state (Maryland) requires a personal property return to be filed every year.  This costs $300 to file each time." CreationDate="2014-02-05T17:51:36.343" UserId="1323" />
  <row Id="1571" PostId="399" Score="1" Text="Ouch. @David, I wonder what the rules are for incorporating in a different state. Wisconsin, where I live, charges $25/year. Or launch a campaign to fire your governor the next time the opportunity comes around. :-)" CreationDate="2014-02-05T18:06:52.817" UserId="52" />
  <row Id="1572" PostId="1347" Score="3" Text="Finalize the new name." CreationDate="2014-02-05T18:15:13.093" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1573" PostId="1347" Score="2" Text="I'd have to agree with Scott.  While you're in this chicken-or-the-egg-first scenario over a name and its effectiveness, it's going to distract you from what your real goal should be.  The name is a perk.  What you really need to get across to your prospects is why they should spend money with you.  Your business could be named Mr. Mytzlplk Inc or Rumplestiltzkin Company for all they care... what do you have to *sell* that they want to *buy*???  Focus on that." CreationDate="2014-02-05T18:32:02.827" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="1574" PostId="1347" Score="0" Text="@Scott Finalizing the new name will take at least weeks, possibly months.  I presently have no clients (and insignificant income from side work) as all of my last batch of projects are now completed." CreationDate="2014-02-06T01:25:53.353" UserId="1323" />
  <row Id="1575" PostId="1347" Score="0" Text="@codenoire +1.  What should I do in the interim while I don't have enough income from side work?" CreationDate="2014-02-06T01:27:47.673" UserId="1323" />
  <row Id="1576" PostId="399" Score="0" Text="+1.  I looked into Delaware and other states when I first incorporated.  In short, I would still need to do the personal property return in Maryland for however long I live here.  If I recall correctly, there may also be a separate fee for running a &quot;foreign&quot; (different state or country) company in MD - possibly a penalty for incorporating somewhere with a lower state income tax.  I'm considering relocating (and reincorporating in a new state) soon!" CreationDate="2014-02-06T01:31:55.253" UserId="1323" />
  <row Id="1577" PostId="1347" Score="1" Text="How can finalizing a name take weeks or months? Trademark searches? To do things properly you should have a solid business name before contacting anyone. Clients tend to stay away from transitional companies or companies who don't seem &quot;together&quot;. Not having a business name would certainly fall into the latter. The personal income issue is another matter." CreationDate="2014-02-06T02:13:13.367" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1578" PostId="1347" Score="1" Text="Geez! I'll have to agree with Scott's additional comment.  In short - this name issue, DON'T get stuck on it.  You are experiencing 'paralysis by analysis'.  If you're that driven to feel out the perfect name over time, USE YOUR OWN NAME until you figure it out.  But by goodness, don't sit around and leave money on the table.  If it has to be David (Smith, Washington, Johnson, Adams, Lincoln) Consulting for now, then that's it.  You can always redirect the internet traffic later; that's part of why the domain name system was created in the first place." CreationDate="2014-02-06T02:36:40.473" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="1579" PostId="1348" Score="0" Text="I could be wrong, but I think in most places sales tax applies to tangible items." CreationDate="2014-02-06T02:38:12.217" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="1580" PostId="1347" Score="0" Text="@Scott I'm planning a Google AdWords test to see which name converts best.  (I was advised to do this by a startup advisor on another site.)  Trying to make it part of a proper rebranding effort because simply seeing which name wasn't taken was not good enough the first time around.  I want to do it right." CreationDate="2014-02-06T03:01:13.270" UserId="1323" />
  <row Id="1581" PostId="1347" Score="0" Text="@codenoire Thanks for the suggestion to use my own name.  I suppose I'll include the link to my Behance portfolio rather than the 2 company site links in my email signature." CreationDate="2014-02-06T03:03:45.700" UserId="1323" />
  <row Id="1582" PostId="1348" Score="1" Text="Also, suppose your clients are just as confused as you are? How unprofessional would it make you sound if they asked you how much they owed and you didn't know. The best answer here might be to talk to an accountant, and this question might be beyond the scope of what Freelancing SE is about. Have you spoken with an accountant?" CreationDate="2014-02-06T04:45:29.117" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1583" PostId="1342" Score="0" Text="`And if you simply don't want to work, you can always be &quot;politically (or freelancingly) correct&quot; and say that you are overloaded with other project and you cannot accept his project.` I want to work or not is decided only after going in details and once we get that far in details it get tough to say no.. because they ask why are you saying no.. you seem to be interested and we were talking about this just now.. and I have No better answer or way to deny in that case (it seems).." CreationDate="2014-02-06T05:16:14.067" UserId="1921" />
  <row Id="1584" PostId="1231" Score="2" Text="Also - dice.com :)" CreationDate="2014-02-06T16:24:14.687" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="1585" PostId="1353" Score="0" Text="Hi Tech Geek, welcome to Freelancing.SE! This question is extremely low in quality, and will likely solicit nothing but opinion, which doesn't work well for Q&amp;A sites. Please [edit] your question to add more details, such as what you are looking for specifically, what ones you have tried, expectations, etc." CreationDate="2014-02-06T18:33:16.080" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1588" PostId="1350" Score="0" Text="Have you not got access via an FTP or access to the named servers?" CreationDate="2014-02-06T20:12:43.423" UserId="1952" />
  <row Id="1589" PostId="1342" Score="1" Text="Yes, it happens as well. Once you cross price obstacle and you realize they can pay your rates, let them know that you are still evaluating the project. Keep them on distance until you are sure which way you want to proceed. the very moment you realize you do not want to pursue this project, tell them about them. It will have more sense then waiting until negotiations end." CreationDate="2014-02-06T22:08:11.733" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1590" PostId="1353" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke Thank you sir for your advice.I just edited my question.I tried my good to explain what is my question." CreationDate="2014-02-07T01:09:54.117" UserId="1788" />
  <row Id="1591" PostId="1347" Score="1" Text="David, it's always much easier to market things later **&quot;Check out our new web site!&quot;** Or **&quot;David XXXXX is now part of Company X!&quot;** Than it is to try and practice business as some unnamed entity. Perfect opportunity for sales." CreationDate="2014-02-07T01:28:57.110" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1592" PostId="1355" Score="0" Text="so what I did was tell them I need at least the 50% for the work completed to date and that I will not continue until it is received, I froze it. Then I told them the next set of changes will be done for the remainder amount. For the new set of changes, I told them it's going to cost X hours. It was a fixed project but I did clearly mention a time hour estimate. I simply gave them another time estimate and the cost. The final cost is now 2x the original budget, but I figured with all these changes I'm going to insane working for free. I've decided to do or die with this client. Lesson learned." CreationDate="2014-02-07T03:11:09.723" UserId="1953" />
  <row Id="1593" PostId="1357" Score="0" Text="do you mean to charge 50% for the originally agreed upon specification and also charge extra for &quot;future changes&quot;?" CreationDate="2014-02-07T03:12:39.730" UserId="1953" />
  <row Id="1594" PostId="1009" Score="0" Text="Do you mind telling me where I can find such enterprise space in BC? I think coffee shops is a great idea." CreationDate="2014-02-07T03:29:55.207" UserId="1953" />
  <row Id="1595" PostId="1307" Score="0" Text="Keep in mind that for a lot of things, the standard is &quot;knew or should have known.&quot;  There's a difference between &quot;was willfully ignorant of&quot; and &quot;had no way of knowing that&quot; and that is a meaningful distinction." CreationDate="2014-02-07T03:45:39.067" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="1596" PostId="1357" Score="0" Text="What I mean is that when the customer asks for changes, charge them the 50% (for the additional work) right away rather than waiting until the end." CreationDate="2014-02-07T04:56:09.830" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="1597" PostId="1357" Score="0" Text="yes. it seems my mistake was holding off on asking for the 50% immediately when they began scope creeping. Now it really feels like they are holding the money hostage." CreationDate="2014-02-07T05:43:25.563" UserId="1953" />
  <row Id="1598" PostId="1355" Score="0" Text="You must have an upfront in fixed priced projects. This shows how serious a client is. Unless you're dealing with old client or some reputable clients (many reputable odesk clients will not give you up front money). all other clients should show you as well how serious they are." CreationDate="2014-02-07T07:19:51.427" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1601" PostId="1319" Score="0" Text="I understand that... my only concern was &quot;doubling&quot; the billable hours by stating: HTML Hours: 5 Java Hours: 5.... when the reality is HTML: 5 and Port through app: 1... so the true billable was 6, but they stated 10..... that was my impression by the question, and if not the intent my answer is irrelevant, but if it was the intent, i do not believe in billing for hours not worked. &#xA;&#xA;Sorry about the last comment cut short... work. =)" CreationDate="2014-02-07T16:56:07.577" UserId="1904" />
  <row Id="1602" PostId="1353" Score="0" Text="Yes, there are many. Just type &quot;freelancing&quot; into google and pick top 5 results." CreationDate="2014-02-07T18:44:30.040" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1603" PostId="1365" Score="0" Text="As with any sort of contract, talk to a lawyer about it before you have customers sign it. Ask for one that will basically act as a fill-in-the-blanks contract, so you just have blanks for what really matters" CreationDate="2014-02-07T22:56:34.217" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1604" PostId="1353" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV Yes, I already tried that.I found out freelancer.com from the Google.Here on this site many experts are here,so I thought they help me with this." CreationDate="2014-02-07T23:45:20.570" UserId="1788" />
  <row Id="1605" PostId="1361" Score="4" Text="When they informed you of the change, you should have said &quot;okay, I'll revise the quote and send it over to you&quot;" CreationDate="2014-02-08T03:26:33.937" UserId="1452" />
  <row Id="1606" PostId="1335" Score="0" Text="Wouldn't just asking for `stock` solve the control issue??" CreationDate="2014-02-08T03:39:19.457" UserId="1452" />
  <row Id="1607" PostId="1322" Score="0" Text="See: [How to convince the client that you'll report hours truthfully?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/q/641/100)" CreationDate="2014-02-08T03:40:33.180" UserId="100" />
  <row Id="1608" PostId="3" Score="0" Text="I agree with WPD; moreover give your clients separate email address (check out [plus addressing](http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Plus-Addressing-in-Gmail)) so that sorting your email is easy." CreationDate="2014-02-08T03:47:36.253" UserId="1452" />
  <row Id="1609" PostId="459" Score="1" Text="+1 for using the monthly fee as part of the justification of giant fee the client is going to be slapped with" CreationDate="2014-02-08T04:09:16.743" UserId="1452" />
  <row Id="1610" PostId="492" Score="1" Text="+1 it answers the question in the subject well" CreationDate="2014-02-08T04:11:56.970" UserId="1452" />
  <row Id="1611" PostId="714" Score="8" Text="Great answer, but instead of `&quot;How can I implement this for other clients?&quot;` I usually ask my self `&quot;Would I want to learn this if I weren't working for this particular client?&quot;`  Just because it's applicable in the future does not mean I want to ever do it in the future." CreationDate="2014-02-08T04:26:04.730" UserId="1452" />
  <row Id="1615" PostId="715" Score="1" Text="+1 for giving the answer of cost in terms of hours; makes charging for scope changes easier." CreationDate="2014-02-08T04:38:11.010" UserId="1452" />
  <row Id="1616" PostId="514" Score="0" Text="Also related: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/44/when-is-it-ok-to-ask-a-client-for-more-money" CreationDate="2014-02-08T05:01:53.883" UserId="1452" />
  <row Id="1617" PostId="44" Score="1" Text="also related: [do-you-fix-hourly-estimation-or-accept-your-mistake-and-do-for-free](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/514/do-you-fix-hourly-estimation-or-accept-your-mistake-and-do-for-free)  and [how-to-deal-with-scope-creep](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/113/how-to-deal-with-scope-creep) and [hourly-billing-is-it-appropriate-to-include-time-to-research-if-you-dont-know](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/713/hourly-billing-is-it-appropriate-to-include-time-to-research-if-you-dont-know)" CreationDate="2014-02-08T05:02:42.603" UserId="1452" />
  <row Id="1618" PostId="1353" Score="0" Text="related: [how can i measure the credibility of a freelancing website](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/544/how-can-i-measure-the-credibility-of-a-freelancing-website)" CreationDate="2014-02-08T06:13:49.537" UserId="1452" />
  <row Id="1620" PostId="1350" Score="0" Text="Named servers? Sorry I am not following you..." CreationDate="2014-02-08T10:07:12.740" UserId="1945" />
  <row Id="1621" PostId="1351" Score="0" Text="Thanks.  But I am not referring to &quot;only&quot; web. I meant any freelance project work that has to be given as a whole. +1" CreationDate="2014-02-08T10:09:50.343" UserId="1945" />
  <row Id="1622" PostId="1350" Score="0" Text="And those who downvoted, please leave a comment to why my question is invalid.." CreationDate="2014-02-08T10:11:26.070" UserId="1945" />
  <row Id="1623" PostId="1356" Score="0" Text="Well once we tried collection by parts. It just somehow last portion is not getting paid. Or one client even scam the other guys too. +1 I wish if there's a way to upload all the work password protected. And only front end is shown. For back end money should be paid, so we disclose the password. But there was a client who still didn't pay. Why? He has taken a video of front end created and he got a cheap-skate to do the back end based on our design." CreationDate="2014-02-08T10:13:26.423" UserId="1945" />
  <row Id="1624" PostId="1366" Score="0" Text="On time-keeping, I can recommend the use of Kimai as a tool - online time tracking viewable by the client so they can see what's on the clock at any point, and invoicing is a simple click. See http://www.kimai.org/en/ . It requires PHP and MySQL (or MariaDB)." CreationDate="2014-02-08T15:52:38.257" UserId="864" />
  <row Id="1625" PostId="1353" Score="0" Text="When you say &quot;I want to work online&quot;, do you mean you want to &quot;find work online&quot;? These do not mean the same things." CreationDate="2014-02-08T16:40:01.083" UserId="127" />
  <row Id="1626" PostId="1353" Score="1" Text="@TechGeek Check this out http://gyantastic.com/best-freelance-websites/. I'd skip Freelancer.com and stick to odesk or elance. As I remember they both offer work by hour + escrow." CreationDate="2014-02-08T16:59:54.513" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1627" PostId="1356" Score="0" Text="@bonCodigo The last milestone is intended to be received when the work is done and the client happy. He pays the last part and you then send source code. For web projects, keep all the work on your servers until everything is paid. Working this way I have never been scammed into not being paid last milestone." CreationDate="2014-02-08T17:01:53.863" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1628" PostId="1365" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke Lawyers may do this part in Canada, but in my country they've never heard of such contracts :). So the only way I do not make mistake is by getting advice from the community here." CreationDate="2014-02-08T17:03:36.467" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1630" PostId="1366" Score="0" Text="&quot;I don't have a set number of hours&quot; - How did you count the retainer price then? I figured out the easiest thing is to count it by multiplying my hourly price with X number of work hours, then sell packages of work hours (50,100,150,etc.). The only solution I see, following your advice, is to count monthly retainer by taking a certain percentage of max monthly work. Ex. if I can work 160 hours in a month, then count retainer `50% of max work hours`." CreationDate="2014-02-08T17:11:08.823" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1631" PostId="1365" Score="0" Text="I have a commerical lawyer who writes up the contract, taking my normal-person speak into legal-speak, and puts it on paper. He then writes in blanks, where I can offer a price, date of completion, who the client is, number of hours, warranty period, etc." CreationDate="2014-02-08T17:22:44.057" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1632" PostId="1365" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke Oh, so you make Retainer as well?! Do you work the same way like Avonelle or you do like I do? I'd like to hear your experience as well." CreationDate="2014-02-08T17:38:38.363" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1633" PostId="1365" Score="1" Text="I don't do retainers, but I would offer them if I thought it would benefit the client and myself. I do hourly billing, and project billing. For projects, that's where I get sticky about the contract. I'll write up a full answer once I'm done some other work I'm doing right now" CreationDate="2014-02-08T17:40:54.877" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1634" PostId="1366" Score="0" Text="Regarding opt-out: My customers only pay me in advance for each month, not in advance for the entire year (But the agreement is for the whole year). But I know someone who takes the whole thing in advance and still allows opt-out. The agreement allows for some pay back, but imposes a stiff financial penalty on the client." CreationDate="2014-02-08T17:48:19.467" UserId="127" />
  <row Id="1635" PostId="1366" Score="0" Text="On # of hours: I may estimate hours for purposes of determining price, but I don't track hours or draw them down. In 11 years of freelancing, I've only had 1 or 2 months where my retainer hours went over what I budgeted. BUT: My retainer agreements are strictly for answering questions, troubleshooting problems, and bug fixes, not new development. YMMV" CreationDate="2014-02-08T17:51:44.983" UserId="127" />
  <row Id="1636" PostId="1366" Score="0" Text="@AvonelleLovhaug Thanks, it made it more clear. But how do you determine monthly price for retainer then? You know you need for example 10 hours a month to do all your stuff and charge him `10 hours x yourhourlyprice`?" CreationDate="2014-02-08T20:48:54.177" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1637" PostId="1366" Score="1" Text="@PeterMV - I only do retainer agreements w/ well known clients. This helps me estimate the time required fairly well, but that is only part of my pricing. I also base that pricing on response time (some clients require 24 hr response, others 2 business days, etc.) And I price based on how much I like the work. I have 1 client who rarely uses their retainer, but when they do have a problem it SUCKS so I charge them more. (And to your previous example: I'd probably go closer to 80%-90% of max estimated hours.)" CreationDate="2014-02-08T21:53:02.770" UserId="127" />
  <row Id="1638" PostId="1371" Score="0" Text="Great answer. Especially appreciated you drawing out the fact that you have to limit the # of clients you take on with this kind of relationship. And agreed on roll-over hours - customers should expect to pay for keeping people on call. My customers do not even blink at this." CreationDate="2014-02-08T21:56:44.710" UserId="127" />
  <row Id="1639" PostId="1353" Score="0" Text="The answer is simple. Avoid working with clients who don't have lots of good feedbacks" CreationDate="2014-02-08T23:08:46.830" UserDisplayName="user702" />
  <row Id="1641" PostId="1350" Score="0" Text="Well the nameserver points to the domain, change this to down their site" CreationDate="2014-02-09T10:31:27.167" UserId="1952" />
  <row Id="1642" PostId="1350" Score="0" Text="Not exact duplicates, but related: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/842/clients-who-dont-pay-their-invoices-what-are-your-options and http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/1022/is-there-any-way-i-can-attempt-to-recover-16k-from-a-client-who-doesnt-feel-it" CreationDate="2014-02-09T19:42:36.530" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1643" PostId="1350" Score="0" Text="Hi bonCodigo, I edited to clean the grammar up a bit. What would really make this an outstanding post is if you could describe more details about your situation. That will help get you more targeted answers, since the folks answering will have a better picture of what happened. Hope this helps." CreationDate="2014-02-09T19:44:59.913" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1644" PostId="1374" Score="0" Text="+ 1 I agree with most part but not about factoring into rate. Or did I misinterpret you?" CreationDate="2014-02-10T07:34:11.923" UserId="155" />
  <row Id="1645" PostId="1373" Score="4" Text="+ 1 Very good question." CreationDate="2014-02-10T07:35:46.493" UserId="155" />
  <row Id="1646" PostId="1376" Score="9" Text="+ 1 `Okay, now let me switch my toggl back to the project and continue working! ;-)` That says it all!!!" CreationDate="2014-02-10T07:48:52.047" UserId="155" />
  <row Id="1647" PostId="1375" Score="1" Text="+1 `Pleaaaaaaseeeee hire me next time :p`" CreationDate="2014-02-10T18:19:14.300" UserDisplayName="user702" />
  <row Id="1648" PostId="1376" Score="1" Text="I would also suggest grouping your time billed into 15 minute blocks. If you go to the bathroom and it took you 2 minutes, 87% of that block still went to the client so you can bill them. However, if something takes 8+ minutes away from the client, you don't get to bill them. You should also let the client know this is what you intend to do for billing and time keeping." CreationDate="2014-02-10T21:14:56.237" UserId="1964" />
  <row Id="1649" PostId="1247" Score="1" Text="Jessica Hische [made a great flowchart](http://shouldiworkforfree.com/) for figuring that out. There are some times that it can be beneficial, but you have to take a unbiased look at your life and the project to determine that." CreationDate="2014-02-10T21:18:22.517" UserId="1964" />
  <row Id="1650" PostId="1247" Score="0" Text="@Brian Very humourous and useful, but not really an answer. Converting to comment" CreationDate="2014-02-11T02:00:54.597" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1651" PostId="1350" Score="0" Text="@jmort253 apology for getting back late." CreationDate="2014-02-11T12:01:50.263" UserId="1945" />
  <row Id="1652" PostId="1384" Score="1" Text="I once did the second part about drawing line between acceptance testing and charged bug fixes.  For the next phase the client dragged out acceptance testing for months after completion, wanting to ensure no issues existed anywhere.  A short period is expected, but how do you limit that and not let it drag on indefinitely?" CreationDate="2014-02-11T16:26:22.983" UserId="1975" />
  <row Id="1653" PostId="1071" Score="1" Text="See http://security.stackexchange.com/questions/1786/how-to-achieve-non-repudiation/6108#6108 regarding digital signatures weaknesses..." CreationDate="2014-02-11T16:28:16.170" UserId="1998" />
  <row Id="1654" PostId="1009" Score="0" Text="I don't live in Canada but I am interested about insurance you talk here. What would client coming to your house breach your home insurance? Is this anti-burglary insurance and people coming to your house increase risk of a house being robbed?" CreationDate="2014-02-11T17:12:43.957" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1655" PostId="1384" Score="1" Text="You just need to agree it up front - acceptance testing will run for 30 days. Any issues found after that are fixed on a chargeable basis" CreationDate="2014-02-11T19:41:48.130" UserId="43" />
  <row Id="1656" PostId="1384" Score="0" Text="_(Word of warning: I am not a freelancer; I only play one on TV)_ A short time period is certainly expected, since (assumably) the client is motivated to release the app/site/etc. I agree with @levelnis though; have a time period that spans multiple weeks (in case the client is busy), but that has a definite stopping point." CreationDate="2014-02-11T19:49:21.697" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="1657" PostId="1009" Score="0" Text="@KJW the one my colleague uses is www.enterprisecentre.ca" CreationDate="2014-02-11T21:53:56.013" UserId="1283" />
  <row Id="1658" PostId="1009" Score="2" Text="@PeterMV I believe the primary issue is liability. For some industries, insurance is available because industry organizations have set up groups. However at the time I was getting my insurance this was not available for software consulting / web application development. Some companies were willing to insure, but with huge premiums -- thousands/year. Since some enterprise clients will require you to be insured, this is a bit of a hassle." CreationDate="2014-02-11T21:57:42.810" UserId="1283" />
  <row Id="1661" PostId="1028" Score="0" Text="Thanks, @martinf! This is exactly it. From what I have read so far I do not necessarily need to register myself as a business in Australia. &#xA;However I don't have an Australian Business Number (ABN) as I am not working there.&#xA;I am still wondering if the taxation office takes 46,5% off when my business partner pays my invoice into my German account. &#xA;The taxation office would definitely take the 46.5%, if I was in Australia and didn't have an ABN." CreationDate="2014-02-12T20:40:18.627" UserId="1350" />
  <row Id="1663" PostId="1300" Score="1" Text="Everything worked out well. I figured out a licensing scheme, and made sure that if the company could not afford it that they would only be able to adopt the application to select branches only, and would need to cough up if they wish to expand the service." CreationDate="2014-02-13T01:34:33.770" UserId="1836" />
  <row Id="1665" PostId="1396" Score="0" Text="Just a note: I dont provide 24/7 services for smaller projects, and only for the big projects.&#xA;This is a fantastic answer, thank you so much miro, especially on the last point, and some of the points you mentioned in the fixed task section! I just about managed to convince the client today with the SLA agreement I wrote and finalsed shortly after I posted this question last night. To make selling easier, and to make justifying the cost much easier, I will update the project SLA agreement based on the details you've mentioned for this project and all future projects." CreationDate="2014-02-13T21:25:06.417" UserId="1836" />
  <row Id="1666" PostId="1396" Score="0" Text="I also realise that I will have to employ someone to help me with the programming especially if I were to provide a timeline of when issue requests will be resolved, I don't want multiple issues stacking up on me! Thanks again miro. This is in it self brings other questions how to pay part time customers, but I guess it will be easier to employ them full time and send them a tonne of work! after all, they're getting paid a decent amount for it :D" CreationDate="2014-02-13T21:26:47.597" UserId="1836" />
  <row Id="1668" PostId="1393" Score="0" Text="Thanks for answer, but when i sent the design he said he is good with design, and in the first buld he messaged that this is the missing, at that time I specified to him that the work is in progress, and then no feedback. and from escro company can i get my money if he do not respond ?" CreationDate="2014-02-14T10:39:47.403" UserId="1390" />
  <row Id="1669" PostId="1393" Score="0" Text="OK, so he didn't give you any message after the first one. Well, in any case, the escro company should give you the money after some time with no response. At least that is how most companies work. And if you have the work to show them then you should be fine." CreationDate="2014-02-14T14:07:22.300" UserId="888" />
  <row Id="1670" PostId="1393" Score="0" Text="And just in case, you should ask them or review their policy for such situations." CreationDate="2014-02-14T14:07:48.317" UserId="888" />
  <row Id="1671" PostId="1207" Score="4" Text="Any client asking to &quot;borrow&quot; money from me doesn't know how to run their business and I won't work with them ever again. And certainly wouldn't entertain any business after the first request to &quot;borrow&quot; money. Scam or not... it's just a bad business relationship for anyone." CreationDate="2014-02-14T17:25:14.680" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1672" PostId="1382" Score="0" Text="Hey Peter, I'm looking at your other [question here](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/1381/how-prompt-should-we-fix-bugs-after-app-release) and it really looks very *very* similar. I was thinking of merging them, but before I do I thought I'd ask what you're looking for in posting these two questions. [This answer](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/a/1385/64) and [this answer on the other question](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/a/1383/64) are very similar, so it seems more advantageous to keep everything together." CreationDate="2014-02-15T02:29:59.677" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1677" PostId="1404" Score="3" Text="Perhaps if you offered to sign a non-disclosure agreement?" CreationDate="2014-02-16T12:50:12.787" UserId="1978" />
  <row Id="1678" PostId="1378" Score="0" Text="Sorry Simon, that downvote is a mistake. Just checked and I must have hit it on my mobile by accident. Because it's been over 12 hours it's not removable unless you edit the post..." CreationDate="2014-02-16T23:41:06.530" UserId="43" />
  <row Id="1679" PostId="1409" Score="1" Text="I agree! Be firm, and let him know that trust is a major issue, especially if he's going away lots" CreationDate="2014-02-17T02:13:58.710" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1680" PostId="1411" Score="0" Text="Are they asking for a quote on the milestones and specifications?" CreationDate="2014-02-17T02:23:01.933" UserId="1963" />
  <row Id="1681" PostId="1411" Score="0" Text="no mention of quote, hours or price just provide milestone dates based on teh list of specifications" CreationDate="2014-02-17T02:26:36.827" UserId="1953" />
  <row Id="1682" PostId="1411" Score="3" Text="Don't provide them milestone dates. You're essentially providing them project management and planning for free at this point." CreationDate="2014-02-17T02:33:11.143" UserId="1963" />
  <row Id="1683" PostId="1404" Score="1" Text="Wait, you WON'T steal the idea of the next Facebook? /end sarcasm :-P" CreationDate="2014-02-17T03:35:16.863" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1684" PostId="1414" Score="2" Text="Good point, although it isn't the only reason a customer might ask. Sometimes managers like to create busy work for themselves by &quot;reviewing&quot; lots of paperwork. They think this is management." CreationDate="2014-02-17T04:37:48.387" UserId="127" />
  <row Id="1685" PostId="1411" Score="0" Text="Have they officially said they want you to do the project? I've run into the case where we have multiple discussion meetings, mainly around the feasibility/timing of it and getting to know the key players, but no commitment.  Once they ended up with going with someone else (cheaper I think).  In some ways this is business development time, but you need to get a commitment from them at some point soon." CreationDate="2014-02-17T15:56:38.620" UserId="1975" />
  <row Id="1686" PostId="1410" Score="3" Text="Not sure I agree an NDA means there's no trust. Contracts are designed to prevent problems by having a clearly outlined role of who is responsible for what, and that can include who owns intellectual property. I see contracts as a way to avoid misunderstandings. Other than that, great answer!" CreationDate="2014-02-17T18:38:07.317" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1687" PostId="1421" Score="0" Text="Thank you Mihai for your answer. I need to do something though, i am thinking both of me and the other people that will or were working for this client. He used the images i made on his websites and they are now uploaded on the web, publicly. Can't i report somewere that he is using intellectual property without permission? At least if he is not paying he should not have the wright to use my work." CreationDate="2014-02-18T16:07:27.663" UserId="2058" />
  <row Id="1688" PostId="1421" Score="0" Text="I'm not really sure because I never had this kind of problem before. I guess you should Google for relevant topics on this matter. Here are 2 relevant posts I found that might help you and you should also start looking for other similar content and see what other people do. [website1](http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2006/04/10/what-do-you-do-when-someone-steals-your-content/), [website2](http://paintspirationart.com/how-to-protect-your-work-from-online-stealing/)." CreationDate="2014-02-18T16:21:34.253" UserId="888" />
  <row Id="1690" PostId="1382" Score="0" Text="@jmort253 The other topic is about how soon we have to deal on bug requests. I saw they mentioned how long they offer support. This one is about the type of post-release support. I'd say they are not the same, thou they deal with the same thing: support." CreationDate="2014-02-18T19:52:53.827" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1691" PostId="1421" Score="2" Text="Mihail is right. You cannot do anything. In the future don't be ashamed to ask escrow funding or work hourly. All freelancing websites will cover such work and device in your favor. And have courage to decline work if clients refuses to fund escrow." CreationDate="2014-02-18T20:14:27.817" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1692" PostId="1419" Score="0" Text="Home office restrictions are pretty steep. You can't really claim a &quot;home office&quot; unless it is **exclusively** an office. You can file a Schedule C and deduct a percentage of utilities and other expenses based upon the size of the office (sq.ft.) in relation to the overall size of the dwelling. Talk to a tax professional. One thing is certain, once you start filing taxes on freelance earning, a simple 1040EZ will *not* be enough." CreationDate="2014-02-18T20:56:07.013" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1693" PostId="1424" Score="0" Text="Interesting perspective, I think task tracker software such as timer tools could be useful, but anything that relies on taking snapshots of my desktop is a little bit too intrusive in my opinion." CreationDate="2014-02-18T21:04:47.667" UserId="1975" />
  <row Id="1694" PostId="1424" Score="0" Text="There is a chrome tool which works together with assembla time tracking.you simply create tasks in assembla project and tool registers time. This is without desktop snapshots" CreationDate="2014-02-18T21:20:12.893" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1695" PostId="1429" Score="0" Text="I would also add to this of examining your life to see which one is better suited. Can you afford to be out of a job in 3 month's time? You need to determine if that risk is acceptable." CreationDate="2014-02-19T14:08:48.463" UserId="1964" />
  <row Id="1696" PostId="1432" Score="1" Text="Where are you located? The rules may differ depending on your local jurisdiction." CreationDate="2014-02-19T21:04:26.823" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1697" PostId="1433" Score="1" Text="Hey Brian, due to the nature of this question, is it possible to find some kind of source or some means of backing this up? On Freelancing SE, our goal is to become a resource of knowledge backed by facts and  references. Is there case law on this or perhaps Department of Labor information, assuming we're talking about the United States?" CreationDate="2014-02-19T21:05:52.813" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1698" PostId="1433" Score="0" Text="Hey jmort253, I edited it to hopefully be more clear." CreationDate="2014-02-19T21:37:33.307" UserId="1964" />
  <row Id="1699" PostId="1433" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the edits. To further improve, I'm going to drop a link in our [chat] to see if someone wants to do a little research on it and then edit that in. Having some authoritative information on something with a legal aspect is key to helping our new site stand out from the crowd." CreationDate="2014-02-19T21:56:12.650" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1700" PostId="1432" Score="1" Text="&quot;My business is registered in CO&quot; - Colorado." CreationDate="2014-02-20T14:04:55.140" UserId="2079" />
  <row Id="1703" PostId="1448" Score="1" Text="This is good advice. Another way to present your pricing to clients is to quote a standard rate (your highest rate) but explain that it can be discounted under certain circumstances once you find out more about the project (e.g. for longer term contracts). This puts you in a stronger negotiating position and clients are always pleased when they know they are getting a discount." CreationDate="2014-02-22T11:15:41.140" UserId="1018" />
  <row Id="1704" PostId="1371" Score="0" Text="Luke and Avonelle, both replies I equally good. I will not mark any reply as an answer. This notice shall serve other people who visit this topic. Guys, read both replies and combine them into an answer." CreationDate="2014-02-22T14:27:43.667" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1705" PostId="1366" Score="0" Text="Luke and Avonelle, both replies I equally good. I will not mark any reply as an answer. This notice shall serve other people who visit this topic. Guys, read both replies and combine them into an answer." CreationDate="2014-02-22T14:29:03.813" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1706" PostId="1450" Score="2" Text="Thanks a lot. I will propose a wait time for things to settle down. Hopefully their site will take over in the next few days." CreationDate="2014-02-22T21:38:13.217" UserId="1111" />
  <row Id="1707" PostId="1453" Score="0" Text="Are you not going to be involved in maintenance? If not, who is going to maintain it?" CreationDate="2014-02-23T02:15:45.733" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1708" PostId="1450" Score="0" Text="Hi Neil, that sounds like you're suggesting creating a problem for the client and then offering to fix it. I'm sure that's not what you intend that to mean, so perhaps there's a better way to reword that?" CreationDate="2014-02-23T02:18:10.227" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1709" PostId="1453" Score="0" Text="I will maintain it. Why is it important?" CreationDate="2014-02-23T07:38:20.343" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1710" PostId="1453" Score="1" Text="It's important because you'd want to factor that in the cost too, and you didn't mention it." CreationDate="2014-02-23T07:41:06.223" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1711" PostId="1453" Score="1" Text="That's after release support. I will just calculate work hours spent on fixes or new features and add 100+ users' pattern. Right now I need to know how does this pattern look like." CreationDate="2014-02-23T07:45:29.090" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1712" PostId="1450" Score="2" Text="Thanks @jmort253! I certainly wouldn't hold the client to ransom, but there's no harm in finding a mutually beneficial solution to a problem." CreationDate="2014-02-23T22:48:48.530" UserId="1018" />
  <row Id="1714" PostId="1352" Score="0" Text="Hello, would you be able to include references to back this up? Right now, there's no way we can really know if it is or isn't illegal for the country in question. Please see [the back it up rule](http://meta.freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/55/should-this-site-have-a-back-it-up-rule) for details." CreationDate="2014-02-24T00:46:44.467" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1715" PostId="1178" Score="0" Text="This post slipped through the cracks due to the New Year, so I apologize. In general, we're looking for questions about a real, actual problem you're facing. Real problems have plenty of detail to describe what it is you're looking at. Me telling you I pay $50 for a tiny office is useless to you if you need a 2,000 square foot space. We can see that in many of the answers there are no specifics. If you [edit] this with more details about exactly what you need, I think we might be able to make this work. See [ask] for more details. Hope this helps." CreationDate="2014-02-24T01:07:42.740" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1716" PostId="1450" Score="0" Text="Hey @jmort253, I just wanted to add that I went with the &quot;wait for a while&quot; route because the search results page is very volatile right now. In a couple of days my site has dropped several positions already without intervention, so it seems a little patience will go a long way with newly created sites." CreationDate="2014-02-24T03:00:51.927" UserId="1111" />
  <row Id="1717" PostId="1454" Score="0" Text="Thanks for your answer. I just wanted to say I've kept my SEO as targeted as possible. My page title and tags include only the client's website name, not other keywords associated with their market. The page content is largely technical and related to web development. I can assure you I'm not interested in phishing people into my site." CreationDate="2014-02-24T03:04:22.257" UserId="1111" />
  <row Id="1718" PostId="1450" Score="0" Text="@JERivas - Still, many people *pay* advertisers money to help promote their business. There's no reason for you to want SEO on keywords you don't compete in. Just add in the rel=nofollow. It's easy, and it's the right thing to do. :)" CreationDate="2014-02-24T03:05:04.027" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1719" PostId="1454" Score="0" Text="I pressed Enter to create a new paragraph in the previous comment but it was submitted. Anyways, I wanted to finish saying Google crawled my site from my sitemap.xml, not any inbound links from the client's site." CreationDate="2014-02-24T03:06:18.203" UserId="1111" />
  <row Id="1720" PostId="1454" Score="0" Text="@JERivas That's great your own SEO is targeted, but it's obvious you're also targeting stuff you didn't intend to target. With the rel=nofollow, searches for your client (i.e. example.com in this case) won't pull up your site. Hope this helps!" CreationDate="2014-02-24T03:25:17.497" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1721" PostId="1116" Score="1" Text="and which is against the T&amp;C of Odesk." CreationDate="2014-02-24T07:24:38.703" UserId="1644" />
  <row Id="1723" PostId="1461" Score="0" Text="Hi Brian, while this answers the question, can you give some more details? It currently seems like this is a comment. Thanks" CreationDate="2014-02-24T17:02:13.587" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1725" PostId="1462" Score="0" Text="I try to convey the same thing in my 1 minute verbal description when it comes up in conversation, but it still ends up with request for code samples and screenshots, followed by no questions or much interest.   How do you present this case study?  A webpage, part of linkedIn type CV, or other?" CreationDate="2014-02-24T17:28:46.893" UserId="1975" />
  <row Id="1726" PostId="1462" Score="0" Text="It is part of my site. (I'd link there, but the site is currently unavailable.) Each case study has 2-5 paragraphs describing it. I don't do it for every project, just ones that tell the best stories. My customers care less about technology specifics, so code samples are not of interest to them. If code samples are relevant to your target market, then I suggest continuing to build up github samples, but don't worry about tying them back to specific projects. Everyone understands a lot of code can't be made public." CreationDate="2014-02-24T17:52:45.403" UserId="127" />
  <row Id="1728" PostId="1465" Score="1" Text="Hi David, thanks for weighing in, would it be possible to include some references to Maryland law? Your personal experiences with this really help, and adding some *official* citations to this would make it a really *solid* answer. Hope this helps." CreationDate="2014-02-25T03:18:29.773" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1730" PostId="1465" Score="0" Text="@jmort253 +1.  I don't remember if these were my primary sources, but one of the 3 I added was for the state of Maryland.  Another one is for Colorado and uses similar language." CreationDate="2014-02-25T03:33:46.140" UserId="1323" />
  <row Id="1731" PostId="1465" Score="0" Text="Great find! I'll have to check out my state's rules (Oregon) on this. I always assumed I had to have a purpose. +1. As an aside, if you're interested in learning about why we're asking people to include citations in legal questions, check out this [chat conversation](http://chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/message/13960317#13960317), as well as the meta posts above it. Hope this helps." CreationDate="2014-02-25T04:09:51.737" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1732" PostId="1460" Score="1" Text="Most freelancing sites give you option only to upload design and put a live URL below. This helps your client see how quality did you convert a design into an app. This aspect of actual converting a design into an app is very important. If it's the same as in design, if the app is fast and responsive, then in 90% of situations the code is structured OK as well. You may add a note that you are ready to show your code via skype video conferencing or similar tool." CreationDate="2014-02-25T10:47:42.540" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1733" PostId="1463" Score="0" Text="Behance looks great for designers, but not really developers.  Are you aware of any more general portfolio sites?" CreationDate="2014-02-25T14:41:33.550" UserId="1975" />
  <row Id="1734" PostId="1466" Score="0" Text="I am not sure what you are asking. Will you merge as partners or you as an employee?" CreationDate="2014-02-26T08:31:51.040" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1735" PostId="1474" Score="0" Text="I read this 3 times and I still don't understand :). Can you sum up the part which refers to regression bugs?" CreationDate="2014-02-26T09:41:48.047" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1738" PostId="1474" Score="0" Text="For most customers I charge enough that I can throw in bug fixes for free and give the customer the benefit of the doubt.  On some larger projects or for customers who want it, I charge less for my development work but charge for regression fixes.  In both cases I charge for *testing.*  But we all know testing isn't perfect." CreationDate="2014-02-26T13:21:39.633" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="1739" PostId="1474" Score="0" Text="The other rule is that whoever assumes the risk of losing on a complex case where lots of bugs come up after the fact gets a slightly better deal on average.  So I try to price things so that I make more money when I throw in free bugfixes than when I don't." CreationDate="2014-02-26T13:22:30.560" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="1740" PostId="35" Score="0" Text="Maryland specific: here there is a business property tax filing for LLCs that costs $300 per year to file. IANAL, but it appears that whether or not you file determines whether or not your business &quot;is in good standing in the state of Maryland&quot;." CreationDate="2014-02-26T15:30:38.593" UserId="2152" />
  <row Id="1741" PostId="1463" Score="0" Text="@Miro - Freelancing sites like Elance and oDesk generally do have some portfolio capabilities if those are the types of places where you look for work.  In a quick search, it looks like Coderbits would be appropriate for a developer: https://coderbits.com/." CreationDate="2014-02-26T19:10:39.780" UserId="1323" />
  <row Id="1743" PostId="1448" Score="1" Text="I suggest editing the &quot;code&quot; so it wraps, like normal prose." CreationDate="2014-02-27T03:04:51.097" UserId="1734" />
  <row Id="1744" PostId="1462" Score="0" Text="This is the approach I take on my [Case Studies](http://concordantsolutions.com/case-studies/) pages, but I actually prefer to leave out the technological details. It depends on what kind of jobs you are looking for, but often times the best clients don't care about what technologies are behind your solution, they just care about the results." CreationDate="2014-02-27T14:39:14.127" UserId="1278" />
  <row Id="1749" PostId="1486" Score="0" Text="Also, my argument that [this](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/917/client-wants-to-pay-a-percentage-of-revenue-generated-by-website?rq=1) is not a duplicate: in this case, _I_ am the one proposing a percentage of revenue be added, not the client." CreationDate="2014-02-28T17:59:32.933" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="1751" PostId="1485" Score="0" Text="+1 for mentioning the confidential code aspect" CreationDate="2014-02-28T18:46:19.167" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1755" PostId="1488" Score="2" Text="I get what you're saying, but don't worry! I did mean &quot;revenue&quot; (and not &quot;profit&quot;, which _would_ have to take rent/costs/Hawaii/charity/etc. into account)" CreationDate="2014-02-28T20:47:56.257" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="1758" PostId="1495" Score="3" Text="Hoo...I can see your conundrum. I don't _think_ that's enough to void the contract, but I'm not a legal expert. Which country is this?" CreationDate="2014-03-03T16:30:00.877" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="1759" PostId="1495" Score="3" Text="Context is everything here; which country is this in, and what were the terms of the contract?" CreationDate="2014-03-03T16:40:11.703" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="1760" PostId="1495" Score="0" Text="*&quot;If anything is unclear just ask&quot;* -- have you simply applied that to the company? And yes, the non-compete after termination is customary." CreationDate="2014-03-03T18:41:52.440" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1761" PostId="1497" Score="0" Text="This is a very open-ended question. What locale are you in? Why didn't the Craig's List route work? This looks a lot like a Freelancing Websites suggestion, which would be closed as too open ended" CreationDate="2014-03-03T19:49:27.613" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1762" PostId="1497" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke I'm in BC" CreationDate="2014-03-03T21:19:59.493" UserId="1953" />
  <row Id="1763" PostId="1495" Score="0" Text="It's a US based contract. The contract states pay rates during training/after training. It doesn't mention &quot;how&quot; I will be marketed to clients or anything" CreationDate="2014-03-03T21:23:47.273" UserId="2189" />
  <row Id="1764" PostId="1497" Score="0" Text="This is still quite the open ended question. Check the rest of my notes above." CreationDate="2014-03-03T21:41:51.063" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1765" PostId="823" Score="0" Text="Thorough answer.  Of course you can start without knowing any of the bullet points and learn as you go when you encounter these.   I think somewhere in the middle is usually what happens.  You're prepared, but learn from every situation that goes wrong." CreationDate="2014-03-03T22:52:00.117" UserId="1975" />
  <row Id="1766" PostId="1497" Score="0" Text="it's more like I don't know what to look for on CL, I have been to a few clients but were usually individuals looking to get a website up for a few hundred bucks etc. looking for more serious clients." CreationDate="2014-03-03T22:55:42.437" UserId="1953" />
  <row Id="1767" PostId="1497" Score="1" Text="I'd have to agree with the first answer below, and suggest to steer clear of CL if it's not working for you (it didn't for me), but it still sounds like you're asking website recommendations. [edit] your question with the info you posted here in the comments, and that should help a lot with the question. And as a side note... Don't you just LOVE BC with all the snow we're getting?" CreationDate="2014-03-03T23:01:35.030" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1768" PostId="1495" Score="0" Text="My point was... have you simply voiced your concerns to the company? It's better to open a dialog than to jump to &quot;You're unethical.. I want out!&quot;" CreationDate="2014-03-04T06:04:59.787" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1769" PostId="1497" Score="0" Text="I updated my question but I agree it's quite an open ended question at best. Wish this snow came during the holidays, now it's getting in the way! lol. cool to meet another BC freelancer on stackexchange." CreationDate="2014-03-04T07:15:10.243" UserId="1953" />
  <row Id="1770" PostId="1499" Score="1" Text="I guess this is proscribed in the Law of some country. In my country if you want to employ a local coder full-time and pay him his pension funds and taxes, then you must have a registered country here." CreationDate="2014-03-04T09:41:37.713" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1771" PostId="1500" Score="1" Text="Also to add to this, this is unenforceable in the UK; the high court ruled that non-competition clauses cannot be enforced in *Pat Systems v Neilly [2012] EWHC 2609 (QB)* (However, if the company can prove that you are a significant risk to the company if you go elsewhere, or if you know vital company secrets, they **can** enforce this)" CreationDate="2014-03-04T11:32:15.963" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="1772" PostId="180" Score="0" Text="Ambiguous or untrue language can only hurt you, the contract is there to protect. You wouldn't want a car who's airbags have weak spots in them. Don't create weak spots by being dishonest or misleading." CreationDate="2014-03-05T15:21:06.603" UserId="1964" />
  <row Id="1773" PostId="1504" Score="3" Text="Exactly! Remind them that *you* are the expert, not them. If they were the expert, they would be doing it themselves" CreationDate="2014-03-05T16:48:23.410" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1774" PostId="1502" Score="0" Text="This is a good answer, but I don't see how it connects with the original question?" CreationDate="2014-03-05T16:50:33.077" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1775" PostId="1503" Score="4" Text="And never accept the project if you know in advance it's being built on something you find wrong. I did the same when stopped using library A in favor of library B. Now, no matter how good reasons a client may have for using library A, I either try to convince him why I switched to B or I don't accept the project. Money isn't worth getting bad reputation." CreationDate="2014-03-05T21:09:35.020" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1776" PostId="1508" Score="0" Text="What are you using for reading the emails? Does it count for junk mail received?" CreationDate="2014-03-05T23:31:19.797" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1777" PostId="1508" Score="0" Text="I'm using Gmail with IMAP support. Junk mail should be excluded." CreationDate="2014-03-05T23:45:48.473" UserId="2223" />
  <row Id="1778" PostId="1487" Score="0" Text="I'm a little confused. If you'd said &quot;If it will cost you more than $100 in *actual* expenses, then this deal will probably not be a good one,&quot; then i'd understand. But you referred to his *time* cost. How could it possibly *not* cost him well over $100 worth of hours -- even if he did spend only the equivalent of 5-6 weeks?" CreationDate="2014-03-06T01:26:31.177" UserId="1734" />
  <row Id="1779" PostId="1487" Score="0" Text="I'm using the $100, as that's what he is saying is the constant cost he has agreed upon; therefore, I'm basing the statement on that amount" CreationDate="2014-03-06T01:31:19.120" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1780" PostId="1509" Score="1" Text="Hi BigMacAttack, welcome to Freelancing! I edited out the part about working for them as an employee, as that would cause this question to be closed as off topic. Hopefully, this edit helps get some answers" CreationDate="2014-03-06T05:33:45.053" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1781" PostId="1504" Score="1" Text="While it's aimed primarily at designers, I found this to be a useful read: http://designprofessionalism.com/index.php - Mr. Rutledge pretty much makes the same point as you did in your closing sentence." CreationDate="2014-03-06T05:37:04.633" UserId="2230" />
  <row Id="1782" PostId="1508" Score="0" Text="Can you present time you spent reading/writing? Ps.what kind of a job this is?" CreationDate="2014-03-06T09:15:38.997" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1783" PostId="1508" Score="0" Text="It's for email support. Tracking time manually would be the most basic option, but I'm not sure it offers enough transparency and also it's a pain to do." CreationDate="2014-03-06T18:00:31.850" UserId="2223" />
  <row Id="1784" PostId="1502" Score="0" Text="He doesn't have a &quot;business&quot; per-say. He's a consultant who's bringing clients with him. It seems equivalent to a lawyer joining a law firm.  So what he's bringing is &quot;business&quot; (accounts) not a &quot;business&quot;. When he merges he will have not business - no capital, not guarantee recurring revenue, etc." CreationDate="2014-03-06T20:57:22.587" UserId="2205" />
  <row Id="1786" PostId="1513" Score="0" Text="Firstly start by explaining us better. I am trying to see why you want increase, but your question is not clear enough. Maybe this is a source of problem ;)." CreationDate="2014-03-08T08:09:26.063" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1787" PostId="1514" Score="1" Text="This is more a question about immigration laws than about freelancing. Definitely you should contact an expert, Internet forums no are not the best source of legal counsel." CreationDate="2014-03-08T22:17:26.743" UserId="2214" />
  <row Id="1789" PostId="1352" Score="0" Text="I could but I won't. This may get outdated and dead links may appear. If people really want to know they should get a lawyer not some random person on the internet (that would be me) to answer their law questions -- IOW: Feel free to delete my post if that is the appropropriate action." CreationDate="2014-03-08T22:59:43.417" UserId="1105" />
  <row Id="1790" PostId="1352" Score="0" Text="Thanks for your reply. I'm not planning on making any call on this post right this instant. I'm hoping someone else who is more knowledgeable on this topic than me may take it upon themselves to [edit] in some resources. However, when we do our [cleanup of the legal tag](http://meta.freelancing.stackexchange.com/a/171/64) posts without references may be removed. For now, I'll leave this as is. Hope this helps." CreationDate="2014-03-08T23:06:06.863" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1791" PostId="479" Score="0" Text="Watch &quot;F*ck you, pay me&quot; by Mike Monteiro: http://goo.gl/ci05wl" CreationDate="2014-03-08T23:16:40.790" UserId="2214" />
  <row Id="1792" PostId="1194" Score="0" Text="related: http://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/9053/as-a-freelance-web-developer-should-i-bill-for-my-learning-curve and http://www.graphicdesignblender.com/should-you-bill-your-freelance-clients-for-meeting-time-and-other-misc-work" CreationDate="2014-03-09T01:24:21.153" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1793" PostId="1514" Score="0" Text="Yeah but I couldn't find an SE for immigration laws :P.  If it ever comes down to me actually doing it I would definitely contact a lawyer, I was just more curious then anything, see if maybe someone had some experience in it." CreationDate="2014-03-09T04:10:29.737" UserId="2249" />
  <row Id="1794" PostId="1515" Score="1" Text="I hope you mean lawyer..." CreationDate="2014-03-09T05:43:29.670" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1795" PostId="1517" Score="0" Text="Hey NEO, can you clarify this just a bit further. Where are you going to be physically? Can you use letter designations to denote job 1 and job 2 and indicate which is the freelancing company allowing you 20 hours per week?  As it stands, this is slightly confusing and possibly too broad for our questions and answers format." CreationDate="2014-03-10T01:34:43.280" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1796" PostId="1517" Score="0" Text="I will be in Germany physically but will work remotely. There's not job1 and job2. I am a game developer and can do it anywhere." CreationDate="2014-03-10T07:15:43.973" UserId="2260" />
  <row Id="1797" PostId="1517" Score="0" Text="So the money, will it be in your home country when you're back? Hopefully, it's not going to the void. :) BTW this is much clearer thanks for the edits." CreationDate="2014-03-10T07:31:08.627" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1798" PostId="1517" Score="0" Text="No problem. Yes it will be in my home country and I will probably return after a year or two." CreationDate="2014-03-10T08:02:09.880" UserId="2260" />
  <row Id="1799" PostId="1517" Score="0" Text="How should German authorities get the information about the numbers you are working as freelancer?" CreationDate="2014-03-10T09:09:50.463" UserId="2204" />
  <row Id="1800" PostId="1517" Score="0" Text="I don't think they can get this information because the employer is not registered in Germany." CreationDate="2014-03-10T09:21:04.890" UserId="2260" />
  <row Id="1803" PostId="1515" Score="0" Text="I agree with you mostly, but the person I really need is an other freeancer with more expirience than I have." CreationDate="2014-03-10T10:37:40.433" UserId="2244" />
  <row Id="1804" PostId="1513" Score="0" Text="I've added more details." CreationDate="2014-03-10T10:46:00.467" UserId="2244" />
  <row Id="1805" PostId="1513" Score="0" Text="If the deal is hurting you, change it or get another gig." CreationDate="2014-03-10T11:02:39.660" UserId="2214" />
  <row Id="1806" PostId="1515" Score="0" Text="@update:yes it seems that I'm to gentle to terminate the current contract if we don't get the new agreememnt that would fit us. On the other side I care about my freelance reputation." CreationDate="2014-03-10T11:33:51.270" UserId="2244" />
  <row Id="1807" PostId="1518" Score="0" Text="Thanks, there is no conflict, its just ignored by the client. There is no fine for termnation or cancelation or other triubles. The only thing that may be hurt is the freelancers reputation. The client may be angry if I terminate the contract, even if the fault is his financial problems." CreationDate="2014-03-10T12:29:36.317" UserId="2244" />
  <row Id="1808" PostId="1518" Score="0" Text="Have you already fully and clearly explained the situation? No hints, no subtle nudges, just plain, simple and polite. A customer will not offer to pay more or give more especially in financially bad times, you need to ask it directly. If he still refuses, you need to seriously wonder if you want to continue working for this customer. What good is reputation if you have no revenue?" CreationDate="2014-03-10T12:50:07.423" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="1809" PostId="1518" Score="0" Text="Yes, I have directly explained the financial problems and proposed new rates to fit current workloads. As I said that was ignored. As I'm reading the tips given here I understand that I need to have maybe a last talk with the client and explain him to review and agree a new contract or to split ways." CreationDate="2014-03-10T12:55:31.743" UserId="2244" />
  <row Id="1811" PostId="1517" Score="0" Text="@Christian: Quite simple actually. They will demand proof of where your income came from to buy things like ... food, pay rent. What are you going to tell them if not lying? Keep in mind that not paying the taxes properly defeats the very system (being a student in a nother country). German universities (usually) don't charge fees except for private ones which are actually very rare here..." CreationDate="2014-03-10T20:15:13.803" UserId="1105" />
  <row Id="1812" PostId="1507" Score="0" Text="Thanks, I will be. The concern is the 'longterm contract' concept... and how specific one needs to be, I guess. I'm supposing 1-yr at-a-time contract, reviewed and renewed at the year." CreationDate="2014-03-11T05:32:50.380" UserId="2192" />
  <row Id="1813" PostId="1517" Score="0" Text="I have blocked account there in Germany which has enough money to support me for a year and after that I will be back my home country. So that's the money I am using to live there. It's a standard procedure for all students to deposit living expenses of at least a year in advance." CreationDate="2014-03-11T09:11:28.110" UserId="2260" />
  <row Id="1814" PostId="1507" Score="0" Text="If you do not propose restrictions on how and when a person works, contract employment should be OK (please consult a legal and/or tax professional in your jurisdiction)." CreationDate="2014-03-11T15:15:51.240" UserId="609" />
  <row Id="1815" PostId="1522" Score="1" Text="This edit made a great improvement on the answer. Thanks again! +1" CreationDate="2014-03-11T16:50:34.783" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1816" PostId="1529" Score="2" Text="To add to Luke's answer: Everyone's reusing his own code or mostly someone else's code. :)" CreationDate="2014-03-11T18:45:26.293" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1817" PostId="1527" Score="0" Text="No this isn't for VAT, I'm not VAT registered. I guess the question is mainly whether the UTR is sensitive information or shareable with clients." CreationDate="2014-03-11T20:51:28.410" UserId="1066" />
  <row Id="1818" PostId="1527" Score="1" Text="I meant the client is probably asking this number for VAT purposes, I'm not sure what other number he could need. I changed the answer to better reflect this. Although I'm not sure what the client could do with your UTR, it is not something that he could require as far as I know. (i.e. I would never ask a UK subcontractor for his UTR number, only VAT)" CreationDate="2014-03-11T21:53:59.670" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="1821" PostId="1534" Score="1" Text="Completely computer illiterate people are often the most annoying clients to work with, period, because they tend to think they know everything and will dismiss any claims you make about programming. Remind them that *you* are the professional, and if they continue, leave them." CreationDate="2014-03-13T12:50:59.607" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="1822" PostId="1530" Score="0" Text="Are you sure you aren't an employee of that company under the guise of a &quot;contract&quot; so that the company can save money by not having to provide benefits and do your tax for you? This can usually have very serious legal ramifications for both parties." CreationDate="2014-03-13T12:53:33.947" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="1823" PostId="1530" Score="0" Text="I don't think so, although I do sign a noncompete clause where I can't do this exact same job other places. I do freelance work elsewhere and for other publishers. But you're right, they don't provide any benefits or take care of taxes." CreationDate="2014-03-13T13:16:55.403" UserId="2293" />
  <row Id="1824" PostId="1531" Score="1" Text="Regardless of the customers faults, I think you owe it to any customer to at least talk about this and try to make things work, e.g. with clear deadlines, approval statuses and QA guidelines. &#xA;&#xA;Your question only mentions the issues you face but not what you have done to get it remedied. If you can include that the answer you receive will be more accurate." CreationDate="2014-03-13T15:12:39.187" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="1825" PostId="1531" Score="0" Text="I've had numerous meetings, over the phone and in person, where I stressed the importance of testing the system. I told them how to go about it and what they needed to do. And as I explained above, weeks and months will go by with no activity in the system, then 1 - 5 test entries and a new list of requirements." CreationDate="2014-03-13T15:44:34.270" UserId="2290" />
  <row Id="1826" PostId="1531" Score="0" Text="But what do you have in writing, e.g. emails? Phone and in person will do you no good if they actually send in the laywers." CreationDate="2014-03-13T15:49:31.330" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="1827" PostId="1531" Score="0" Text="There are plenty of emails too." CreationDate="2014-03-13T16:02:19.770" UserId="2290" />
  <row Id="1828" PostId="1531" Score="0" Text="Ok then. And have you mentioned to them that things need to improve or you walk, i.e. does the customer realize how serious the situation is for you?" CreationDate="2014-03-13T16:06:27.937" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="1829" PostId="1536" Score="0" Text="I'm working in the US, California to be exact. I fully intend to give them the source code as well as instructions for a developer on how to get things up and running. They're still able to conduct their business using the old system. The only thing they'd be out is whatever cost the new developer ends up quoting." CreationDate="2014-03-13T16:26:03.090" UserId="2290" />
  <row Id="1830" PostId="1531" Score="0" Text="That I haven't done. Not in as many words." CreationDate="2014-03-13T16:41:27.427" UserId="2290" />
  <row Id="1831" PostId="1531" Score="0" Text="Have a meeting, explain you want out and why, and your exit strategy (and put this in writing before or after the meeting). If this takes them by surprise and they are desperate to fix it, take the opportunity to make a contract with measurable and clear arrangements. Assuming you want to continue working for the client if they stick to the arrangements of course." CreationDate="2014-03-13T16:48:10.577" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="1832" PostId="1534" Score="0" Text="If someone doesn't understand the value of what you do, you don't want them as a client. Period. It's not worth explaining to those that are unaware. Move on." CreationDate="2014-03-13T17:13:46.137" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1834" PostId="1543" Score="0" Text="Thanks, I knew E-Commerce was really not right for me but I had not heard of Content Site/Showcase site as designations." CreationDate="2014-03-13T19:36:08.580" UserId="2302" />
  <row Id="1836" PostId="1540" Score="0" Text="Yes, that is a problem - there's nowhere else to walk to. And they probably know that. But I will ask - you don't ask, you don't get, I suppose." CreationDate="2014-03-14T11:47:36.010" UserId="2293" />
  <row Id="1837" PostId="1544" Score="1" Text="Thank you for this. This is all advice I need to take to heart when pursuing my next client relationship. Sadly, I don't think this one can be salvaged. I spoke to a lawyer yesterday who knows CA contract law and, while an SOW does constitute a contract, the fact that the project has gone so far out of scope is reason enough to either renegotiate or terminate. Of course, this being CA, they can still sue purely out of spite but they wouldn't have a case." CreationDate="2014-03-14T14:43:58.057" UserId="2290" />
  <row Id="1838" PostId="1540" Score="0" Text="Absolutely, it undermines negotiations, it doesn't make them impossible!" CreationDate="2014-03-14T19:27:50.627" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="1839" PostId="19" Score="0" Text="yeah it's not too localized, tons of countries have business entities that resemble or are exactly like Limited Liability Companies (LLCs). See [wikipedia LLC article.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limited_liability_company) There are slight variations on the benefits in each jurisdictions though." CreationDate="2014-03-14T23:26:10.300" UserId="2310" />
  <row Id="1840" PostId="1553" Score="3" Text="I had to learn this lesson myself and I guess everyone does no matter how hard people tell you not to do it: you are better off not accepting this type of client. They don't value your work and the issues you face now will keep on coming. You will end up doing a lot of work for too low a rate which will frustrate you and hinder your ability to work for customers that do value your work." CreationDate="2014-03-15T12:31:56.863" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="1841" PostId="1553" Score="2" Text="Guys, there should not me downvotes here IMHO." CreationDate="2014-03-15T19:21:12.500" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1842" PostId="1557" Score="0" Text="bumping is good if you're investigating your max price. If you know you max price and have solid incomes with it, then you should not bump it (unless you decided to increase your hourly rate permanently and want to test the market). IMHO" CreationDate="2014-03-15T19:22:30.333" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1843" PostId="1555" Score="0" Text="Thanks guys for your answers, I think, I need to talk to my client" CreationDate="2014-03-15T19:30:59.633" UserId="2313" />
  <row Id="1844" PostId="1555" Score="5" Text="To elaborate on Peter's answer, be really professional when you decline. Even if you're not on a system like oDesk. Your reputation will follow you, and you don't want someone to be mad at you because you acted unprofessionally. :)" CreationDate="2014-03-15T19:33:00.533" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1846" PostId="1559" Score="2" Text="Although I'm across a big ocean from you, can you point out any references for your answer? As it stands right now, it seems like you are offering legal advice without any reference. Can you [edit] your answer to add more info from reputable sources? Thanks" CreationDate="2014-03-15T20:20:38.960" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1847" PostId="1559" Score="0" Text="I could point to references, but they would be in French, German or Dutch... also, the fact that any income is OK as long as you declare it in your taxes (the difference between black and white money basically). I.e., income is income, whether you are a business or not. Having a business changes the taxation rate, it does not change the fact it is taxed." CreationDate="2014-03-15T20:23:14.867" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="1848" PostId="1559" Score="0" Text="If you can reference it, it just helps the answer for future visitors. Again, I'm in Canada, where the laws are different then what's posted. That's why we're asking for clarification" CreationDate="2014-03-15T20:28:26.227" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1849" PostId="1559" Score="0" Text="Can you point to references for that claim? :) Income is income, in Canada [as well](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Income_taxes_in_Canada#Basic_calculation). You do not need to be a business to generate income as long as you declare it in your taxes." CreationDate="2014-03-15T20:31:12.790" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="1850" PostId="1559" Score="0" Text="You are correct: as long as it's declared, but it can be declared differently as a Sole Proprietor, a Partnership, a Corporation, or individually" CreationDate="2014-03-15T21:25:32.880" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1851" PostId="1540" Score="0" Text="Actually, the alternative is I go freelance full-time, but that's not as reliable. There are always options, but I really like what I do. I just need to make more $$ doing it. And I haven't asked for a raise in 7 years, so I guess it's time! Thank you all for your help!" CreationDate="2014-03-15T22:37:44.877" UserId="2293" />
  <row Id="1852" PostId="1540" Score="0" Text="Situations, location, industry differ of course, but going freelance full time for me was the best decision I ever made." CreationDate="2014-03-15T23:00:00.483" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="1853" PostId="1540" Score="0" Text="Well, I'm considered a freelancer for this company as well, but it's very steady work as compared to building my own client list - which I've also been doing. Sigh, so many decisions..." CreationDate="2014-03-16T01:03:23.723" UserId="2293" />
  <row Id="1854" PostId="1563" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the answer, it's a one off piece of work I need, so don't really have the luxury of small pieces of work first. Your idea of skrill escrow sounds pretty good, I will look into that, I don't mind paying a small amount for only the transaction safety service. This liable contract method sounds useful, can I ask him to sign something like that over email? For what it's worth, I'm based in the UK, the illustrator is in the US." CreationDate="2014-03-17T12:08:37.600" UserId="2157" />
  <row Id="1855" PostId="1563" Score="0" Text="I really cannot advise on legal matters. I am not a lawyer nor live in uk/us. Maybe someone else will know." CreationDate="2014-03-17T12:23:20.907" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1856" PostId="1566" Score="0" Text="Did you mention payments terms before signing the contract and/or SOW?" CreationDate="2014-03-17T17:23:39.697" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1857" PostId="1566" Score="0" Text="No, unfortunately not.  Past payments with client were generally within reasonable time, and assumed it would continue." CreationDate="2014-03-17T17:31:08.957" UserId="1975" />
  <row Id="1858" PostId="1562" Score="1" Text="For you as a client sites like Elance are a decent deal, it's the freelancer that pays the price usually." CreationDate="2014-03-17T19:13:19.927" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="1860" PostId="1566" Score="0" Text="In cases like this, it helped me on dozens occasions talking to the client on this issue. I would explain to him the same things you said to us here. If he's a good client, he'll understand and will pay sooner. If not, this may be a signal that he's not as good client as you've presented him here. All of us has been stuck with &quot;good&quot; clients just because he offered us some doze of safety. Recently I dropped hard client who paid me 50% more than other, just cause I could not handle his behaviour." CreationDate="2014-03-17T21:37:03.347" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1862" PostId="1565" Score="2" Text="Shame on whomever did the downvote.  This is good, Dean - don't be dismayed.  The inherent challenge with escrow services is that they aren't able to evaluate **quality** as a parameter.  I learned this recently in similar fashion trying to not get ripped off while importing some goods for my business - the banks (which can function as escrow) can only vouch for the *form* (i.e. x number of boxes were delivered at such-and-such location, or they weren't; but there's no guarantee the boxes aren't full of crap once you open them!) Same applies to online escrow.  It's a toughy." CreationDate="2014-03-17T23:15:16.927" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="1863" PostId="1567" Score="1" Text="How's that?????" CreationDate="2014-03-18T00:00:24.657" UserId="1630" />
  <row Id="1864" PostId="1565" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the research Dean, while it's helpful as a service to consider I was looking for a bit more advice in general. Your answer doesn't deserve being down voted, so please don't be disheartened." CreationDate="2014-03-18T00:08:33.487" UserId="2157" />
  <row Id="1867" PostId="1566" Score="0" Text="If you can stand to be without 1/2 of your income for one month, and this arrangement will go on indefinitely, then it doesn't matter after that -- you're still getting paid every month." CreationDate="2014-03-18T18:36:14.033" UserId="245" />
  <row Id="1868" PostId="1565" Score="0" Text="Hey Dean, welcome to Freelancing SE. Sorry about the spam flags, we get a lot of people trying to promote their products here and end up deleting a lot of really low quality stuff, so hope you understand. With that said, we do generally expect answers to have a little more depth to them on our site, as our goal is to be a wealth of Freelancing knowledge. It sounds like you have some experience with escrow.com, so if you shared one of your experiences with the site, or explained in a bit more detail how it works, that would really help our mission to make the Internet a better place. Good luck!" CreationDate="2014-03-19T01:21:39.253" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1870" PostId="1574" Score="0" Text="You don't say what you actually provide for said fee. Are you sourcing the freelancer? Briefing them? Providing documentation? Acting as a guarantor? Supervising?" CreationDate="2014-03-17T22:51:22.620" UserDisplayName="Robbie Dee" />
  <row Id="1871" PostId="1574" Score="0" Text="From the freelancer's perspective, I'm handing them a vetted customer who has a project that needs to be done and I'd be working to help facilitate the deal.&#xA;&#xA;From the client's perspective, I'm connecting them with a vetted freelancer who is competent and would ultimately be at least partially responsible for the performance of said freelancer." CreationDate="2014-03-17T23:00:39.797" UserDisplayName="David Archer" />
  <row Id="1872" PostId="1574" Score="3" Text="In my limited experience, it's more usual to agree to pass work back &amp; forth, 'returning the favor' as it were. If that's not in the cards, you are always busy, maybe it's time to branch out &amp; earning that extra money by outsourcing &amp; supervising it explicitly, making you his customer." CreationDate="2014-03-17T23:02:50.093" UserDisplayName="Wrikken" />
  <row Id="1873" PostId="1575" Score="0" Text="+1 I think it is far more equitable to charge a fee over and above whoever is doing the work. Enforcing some price on them and then grabbing 10% doesn't seem very fair. The 3rd party should ideally be able to set their own price." CreationDate="2014-03-18T10:29:22.110" UserDisplayName="Robbie Dee" />
  <row Id="1874" PostId="1565" Score="0" Text="@jmort253 Hey, that's fine but looking up my account on other SO sites would show I'm not a spammer :) I have given as much info as I know but my aim was to just provide the OP with a link to a resource containing the information that may or may not be of some help. I've never used the service personally I simply did a bit of research to find the info" CreationDate="2014-03-19T13:44:23.117" UserId="2331" />
  <row Id="1878" PostId="1534" Score="0" Text="I don't disagree with these sentiments, however - being able to explain complex concepts in a simple way - this is the mark of understanding." CreationDate="2014-03-19T17:50:59.587" UserId="609" />
  <row Id="1879" PostId="1567" Score="1" Text="This is indispensable advice which you will read in any advanced consulting book - just about any industry. Separate yourself from the &quot;commodity&quot; workers of your industry." CreationDate="2014-03-19T18:01:03.993" UserId="609" />
  <row Id="1880" PostId="1581" Score="3" Text="Getting a project without any effort on presales, presentations, writing an offer etc., you don't think this is worth something?" CreationDate="2014-03-19T19:27:05.317" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="1881" PostId="1581" Score="1" Text="I think it'd be more appropriate if the two freelancers already had an agreement to give each other percentage-based referrals.  But if one of my colleagues called me out of the blue and told me that he/she had a potential gig for me but demanded a cut for me to hook up with the client, that'd be offputting." CreationDate="2014-03-19T21:38:33.137" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="1882" PostId="1582" Score="0" Text="I think codenoire is stating the opposite :)" CreationDate="2014-03-20T10:18:21.153" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="1883" PostId="1582" Score="0" Text="Yes, that's why I said that I have to oppose his reply." CreationDate="2014-03-20T11:26:03.813" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1884" PostId="1582" Score="0" Text="Oops, seems like I misread, thought you said agree. My bad!" CreationDate="2014-03-20T11:43:04.510" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="1889" PostId="1565" Score="0" Text="@DeanWhitehouse apologies about the deletion, however that edit was *not* by a moderator. I originally deleted your message (I take full responsibility for this) because it looked too much like a generic promotional post. I didn't, however, take action on your account, and would have undeleted had you not posted again with more info. I apologise for not giving you this info beforehand." CreationDate="2014-03-20T15:37:34.400" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="1890" PostId="1587" Score="0" Text="Hourly billing is unethical. You, as the consultant, get penalized for solving the problem more quickly. I have no interest in getting into bidding wars either." CreationDate="2014-03-20T20:36:54.403" UserId="1630" />
  <row Id="1891" PostId="1587" Score="0" Text="How could that possibly be unethical? You charge what you work. It doesn't get more transparent and ethical than that. And why would an hourly rate = bidding war?" CreationDate="2014-03-20T20:50:33.163" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="1892" PostId="1587" Score="0" Text="I've written extensively on the rationale, which I won't post here, but you can read it here: http://www.markrichman.com/never-bill-hour-redux/" CreationDate="2014-03-20T20:57:48.750" UserId="1630" />
  <row Id="1893" PostId="1587" Score="0" Text="Extensive indeed. Still don't see how the way you charge determines whether it's unethical though, fixed price gives more opportunity to be unethical if anything, as it's less transparent. The comment section isn't properly suited for this discussion, but I'm tempted to start a question for it. I think it's an important discussion. And hourly billing would still solve your dilemma wouldn't it?" CreationDate="2014-03-20T21:33:31.860" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="1894" PostId="1587" Score="1" Text="[Let's see](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/1588/which-is-the-most-honest-or-ethical-way-to-bill-hourly-or-fixed-price) if it becomes an interesting discussion or an [on hold] question :)" CreationDate="2014-03-20T21:48:19.097" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="1895" PostId="1587" Score="0" Text="Did you actually read my article?" CreationDate="2014-03-20T23:40:54.697" UserId="1630" />
  <row Id="1896" PostId="1588" Score="2" Text="Hi user, see [Good Subjective, Bad Subjective](http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/09/good-subjective-bad-subjective/). More specifically, scroll down to the section on the &quot;Guidelines for Great Subjective Questions&quot;. While subjective, your question includes enough detail and lists out assumptions to the point where people should reasonably be able to answer in Q&amp;A format, as long as they adhere to those guidelines and/or [back up their answer with facts, references, or experiences that happened to them personally](http://meta.freelancing.stackexchange.com/q/55/64)." CreationDate="2014-03-21T02:29:00.660" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1897" PostId="1588" Score="0" Text="In short, on this question we're not looking for *unsubstantiated opinion* but instead seek expert opinions that can be backed up. Hope this helps." CreationDate="2014-03-21T02:29:30.290" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1899" PostId="1587" Score="0" Text="Not sure your comment adds anything this way, at least mention why you feel I haven't read it, which apparently you do. Better yet, back up your arguments in the question I created as I would love to discuss it there. But yes, I did read it." CreationDate="2014-03-21T06:17:52.187" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="1904" PostId="1587" Score="0" Text="@MarkRichman well written and I agree considerably with many of your points." CreationDate="2014-03-21T09:10:22.917" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1905" PostId="1213" Score="0" Text="@tim.baker I am going to mark this as the answer because you made a helpful suggestion of action besides &quot;don't do business with him&quot; (which I agree with but it's a more obvious suggestion). I am just concerned about giving the impression that I agree that it was not a scam. Would you revise this opinion given that the client disappeared as soon as I (politely) asked him to use his home address in the contract if he cannot give an official business address?" CreationDate="2014-03-21T12:59:06.257" UserId="148" />
  <row Id="1906" PostId="1588" Score="2" Text="Not a full answer, but... I always do per-hour billing unless it's a project that has been well thought out, and my input validated for the customer. My industry is fixing things, and sometimes, things pop up. My customers realize this, and prefer it this way." CreationDate="2014-03-21T15:13:49.327" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1908" PostId="1538" Score="0" Text="Great points, especially about putting limits on the explaining. To make this even better, I'd add in the first paragraph a clarification that this could be a red flag that this isn't a client you want to have if they don't value you... +1" CreationDate="2014-03-22T17:54:46.633" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1909" PostId="1541" Score="0" Text="Hey Cookie, would you mind quoting the relevant part of the linked documentation, both to make it easier for people to find as well as to preserve any information if the link were to break?" CreationDate="2014-03-22T18:37:15.413" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1910" PostId="1592" Score="0" Text="Can you give a concrete example of your idea of troubleshooting?" CreationDate="2014-03-24T09:30:52.303" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1911" PostId="1592" Score="0" Text="For example client asked to implement technology x, I am not familiar with technology x and hence there is a lot of troubleshooting regarding the installation/use and compatibility of technology x." CreationDate="2014-03-24T19:38:06.980" UserId="2375" />
  <row Id="1912" PostId="1595" Score="0" Text="I'll put a proper answer this afternoon, but read some of the other retainer questions around here too" CreationDate="2014-03-25T20:11:12.723" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1913" PostId="1588" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke I think I captured a where you're going in my answer." CreationDate="2014-03-25T20:51:32.937" UserId="820" />
  <row Id="1915" PostId="1605" Score="0" Text="I don't sell time units. I am subcontracting, so I don't have access to the end client. I established the desired timeframe ahead of time. I'm not interested in competition. They can go to India if the want they cheapest brain surgeon." CreationDate="2014-03-26T18:33:27.363" UserId="1630" />
  <row Id="1917" PostId="1438" Score="0" Text="What would happen for products of type 1 if the client doesn't pay? Do you retain copyright until full payment?" CreationDate="2014-03-27T08:59:06.103" UserId="735" />
  <row Id="1918" PostId="1438" Score="1" Text="***Implicitly***, it works no different than if the client were to visit a store, pick up a $20 item and leave $19 with the cashier - the ownership for the item doesn't change!  But this can also be stated ***explicitly*** in your contract just for sake of clarity." CreationDate="2014-03-27T13:45:29.030" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="1920" PostId="1608" Score="0" Text="Hi Muhammed, has someone actually approached you with a project of this scope? Generally, most of the time existing businesses look for freelance consultants to solve a very specific need, not run their entire business..." CreationDate="2014-03-28T03:25:55.037" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1921" PostId="1608" Score="0" Text="Not really but also cause i am avoiding them as well...suppose if i could give it some time...how would i approach it..for me it seems to jumping back and forth coming up with more ideas, walking into obstacles, and then in the end giving up. I would like to know how to be my own manager better..because i've some of my own projects that i want to do and also i want to take on bigger projects." CreationDate="2014-03-28T03:58:50.070" UserId="805" />
  <row Id="1922" PostId="1608" Score="0" Text="I personally feel like it's hard to be a generalist as a freelancer, although others may certainly have different experiences. Is there some reason you don't market yourself as someone who specializes in X rather than someone who does marketing, content writing, programming, design, etc... seems like a lot to take on by yourself." CreationDate="2014-03-28T04:13:40.700" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1923" PostId="1608" Score="1" Text="If I were to answer, I'd say you'd almost need a team. Consider updating your question with an [edit] to clarify if subcontracting some of the work would be an option, as that may influence the answers you ultimately get from our community. Hope this helps!" CreationDate="2014-03-28T04:15:26.883" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1924" PostId="1612" Score="0" Text="You sort of covered this in the 2nd point #4, but it's worth mentioning that &quot;I&quot; when used to represent the pronoun for self must be capitalized. When these details are ignored, some clients might get the impression you're out of touch with that client's target market and culture... Hope this helps. Nice answer!" CreationDate="2014-03-29T17:50:55.563" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1925" PostId="1611" Score="1" Text="Hey Nofel, I edited this slightly. We're not an advice forum, so try to focus on a specific question. I focused on your cover letter since that's perhaps the biggest part of your question. Hope this helps and good luck!" CreationDate="2014-03-29T17:58:10.513" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1926" PostId="1612" Score="0" Text="Ah, just realized that Nofel actually used capital &quot;I&quot; in the cover letter, but it still might be worth mentioning for future readers..." CreationDate="2014-03-29T17:59:36.273" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1928" PostId="1614" Score="0" Text="Researching for what purpose?" CreationDate="2014-03-31T05:32:48.397" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1929" PostId="1614" Score="0" Text="@Scott - In this particular case, there are a few purposes. With limited time on both of our ends, I want any questions that I have regarding my clients' business to be as specific as possible, so that I don't waste either of our time. I'm not a home remodeling expert, so I'm trying to understand the business, so I know what concerns to prioritize, and which concerns will likely have minimal effect." CreationDate="2014-03-31T10:28:51.387" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="1930" PostId="1615" Score="1" Text="Interesting idea. I don't alter any pricing based on my distance to client unless there are necessary travel expenses involved." CreationDate="2014-03-31T12:11:50.620" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="1933" PostId="1611" Score="0" Text="I am also interested to know what is better for global services like odesk, freelancer, elance, etc. Whether it's &quot;intro + project questions&quot; or &quot;project questions + your experience&quot;." CreationDate="2014-04-01T08:29:56.293" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1934" PostId="1617" Score="1" Text="Peter, a discount is good.  But offer it conditionally as a part of the billing terms (10% Net 15, etc) rather than discounting everything.  This is win win - give the discount if the client is willing to pay fast." CreationDate="2014-04-01T23:45:58.053" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="1936" PostId="1599" Score="1" Text="Hey codenoire, would you be able to explain why? Remember, the best Q&amp;A involves sharing *experiences*, not just *opinions*. Check out [Good Subjective, Bad Subjective](http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/09/good-subjective-bad-subjective/) for more details." CreationDate="2014-04-02T04:49:00.273" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1937" PostId="1610" Score="5" Text="I'd also suggest clarifying that the negotiations should be had *up front*. Otherwise, that could put both parties in a very awkward position." CreationDate="2014-04-02T04:51:07.593" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1938" PostId="1586" Score="2" Text="Hey Mark, just a suggestion: If none of the answers solved your problem, consider editing to include some more details. The best answers tend to come from questions that paint a clear picture of the problem. When you [edit], your post gets bumped back to the top of the &quot;active&quot; page for others to see. Hope this helps!" CreationDate="2014-04-02T05:20:15.683" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1941" PostId="106" Score="0" Text="@levelnis,  I think you are OK if the middle contract is for a reasonable length of time and you don’t make a habit of working within the some area." CreationDate="2014-04-02T11:31:07.090" UserId="2456" />
  <row Id="1944" PostId="106" Score="1" Text="I went to a networking event hosted by Crunch Accounting last week and this issue was discussed at length. According to Crunch, HMRC themselves do not understand this legislation and the info on their own website is incorrect. It seems as though you can move from client to client within the same location without falling foul of this rule." CreationDate="2014-04-02T14:29:32.987" UserId="43" />
  <row Id="1948" PostId="1621" Score="0" Text="Hey Ian, are you saying you wouldn't factor in a client/customer list as an asset? Suppose the freelancer operated under a business name instead of his/her personal name? Would this change how you approach this problem? Thanks for participating." CreationDate="2014-04-03T03:24:36.173" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1950" PostId="1621" Score="0" Text="@jmort253 No, as I expect that the clients will not remain when the one key member of staff left.    If there were 5 members of staff and systems in place, so that when client make a request they did not know who would serve them, then it would be a different case." CreationDate="2014-04-03T08:51:52.773" UserId="2456" />
  <row Id="1951" PostId="1627" Score="0" Text="You should read up on the concept of value-based fees." CreationDate="2014-04-03T19:52:32.417" UserId="1630" />
  <row Id="1952" PostId="1627" Score="0" Text="Hey Mark, I get the feeling you already have an answer to this question. Just so you know, you're free to [self-answer your own question](http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2012/05/encyclopedia-stack-exchange/). *Just be sure it's an actual answer with content and not just a link to your blog. :)*" CreationDate="2014-04-04T00:36:23.180" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="1954" PostId="1555" Score="4" Text="On oDesk, you only get a rating if you do work and get paid. Turning someone down with no work done means they don't get to rate you." CreationDate="2014-04-04T14:25:39.583" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="1958" PostId="1636" Score="1" Text="What have you searched for on Google? What have other Freelancers in your circle told you as working and not working? What about StackOverflow Careers?" CreationDate="2014-04-07T03:38:56.613" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1959" PostId="1596" Score="0" Text="Actually, this is incorrect, in many situations it is returned if asked for (and unused) by the client, particularly law...so it depends on the industry and situation..." CreationDate="2014-04-07T06:15:47.627" UserId="1752" />
  <row Id="1960" PostId="1596" Score="0" Text="@daaxix In IT world, retainer is not returned. Those industries which are legally bound to return retainer will never accept the &quot;retainer&quot; but they will rather sell &quot;premium support service&quot; and such money is not returned." CreationDate="2014-04-07T07:35:21.347" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1961" PostId="1596" Score="1" Text="Sure, but the OP doesn't do specify what industry they are in...this site isn't exclusive to IT only..." CreationDate="2014-04-07T13:59:37.200" UserId="1752" />
  <row Id="1962" PostId="1596" Score="0" Text="@daaxix You're right. I will change the reply." CreationDate="2014-04-07T14:48:38.023" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1963" PostId="1596" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV Lawyers also use retainers that expire after a period of time... Not just IT does that (in reference to your latest edit :-) )" CreationDate="2014-04-07T15:45:38.697" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1965" PostId="1596" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke Guys, you're killing me! :)" CreationDate="2014-04-07T16:16:53.293" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="1966" PostId="1596" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV I thought the original draft was better, but this last edit seems pretty much perfect! I still upvoted you a while ago though, so I can't do it again here!" CreationDate="2014-04-07T16:22:00.693" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1968" PostId="419" Score="2" Text="I agree with this, except with 2 caveats:&#xA;&#xA;1) As professional courtesy, I try to never to 'slam' another developer's work.  Try and discuss design flaws in a positive way (i.e. &quot;We can/need to improve [insert what needs to be improved here] and get the following benefits....&quot;).&#xA;&#xA;2) Ask the client if they would like to you to review their current site/code and provide an evaluation on it, first.  If they so no, then just do your job the best you can.  If they say yes, you'll be recognized for adding value to the project engagement." CreationDate="2014-04-07T21:17:42.850" UserId="2489" />
  <row Id="1969" PostId="927" Score="1" Text="I would just like to add that I do a 15 minute minimum increment for billing  (so agreed here) but I keep a short concise log of each change request, even on a retainer/monthly maintenance contract - and I include that log with my invoices, so that the client is aware of the value they are getting.  These small 'changes and requests' add up!!!" CreationDate="2014-04-07T21:31:36.297" UserId="2489" />
  <row Id="1970" PostId="1642" Score="0" Text="Do you belong to a network of freelancers that you can call on for assistance? I only ask this, because I don't do design, but I know people who do, and I constantly refer to them if clients ask for graphic design help/creation" CreationDate="2014-04-07T23:06:04.937" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1971" PostId="1636" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke Searching `Windows admin jobs to work remotely` gets you some relevant jobs but all on generic sites. I don't have other similar freelancers in my social circle. And `StackOverflow Careers` are all for developers." CreationDate="2014-04-07T23:07:53.510" UserId="2501" />
  <row Id="1972" PostId="1636" Score="0" Text="SO Careers is for anything computer related, although they lean towards programmers. I see jobs posted for Linux or Windows Server Admins, as well as the regular programming jobs. Just so you know. Do you want an invite there?" CreationDate="2014-04-07T23:09:32.483" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1973" PostId="1636" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke I couldn't find it [SO careers](http://careers.stackoverflow.com/jobs?searchTerm=microsoft+windows+cluster&amp;allowsremote=true). Check the link. All developers' jobs." CreationDate="2014-04-07T23:14:02.900" UserId="2501" />
  <row Id="1974" PostId="1636" Score="0" Text="If you remove the 'work remotely', there are HUNDREDS of Admin jobs." CreationDate="2014-04-07T23:16:39.743" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1975" PostId="1636" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke But those would require me to be in that country; Canada, England etc. I live in India. I have to `work remotely`." CreationDate="2014-04-07T23:22:55.240" UserId="2501" />
  <row Id="1976" PostId="1636" Score="0" Text="Alright, add all that information to your question then. That way, others can see your restriction, and that you have tried some things already" CreationDate="2014-04-07T23:32:18.917" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1977" PostId="1642" Score="0" Text="I do have some options, and can certainly build out my network as an option, but I would love to hear from graphic designers on how to go about rolling their services into an overall web site development project quote, keeping in mind the total cost bracket for these types of web projects are between $1500 - $2000 - we don't want exhaust the budget on logo design.&#xA;&#xA;Also, if anybody uses 3rd party services that they feel are reliable, I'd love to hear their suggested approach and advice.&#xA;&#xA;In both cases, an estimation of appropriate fees and scope of services delivered would be very helpful." CreationDate="2014-04-07T23:38:38.240" UserId="2489" />
  <row Id="1978" PostId="1635" Score="0" Text="Can you edit the answer with some example? That would be helpful?" CreationDate="2014-04-08T13:13:22.783" UserId="1754" />
  <row Id="1979" PostId="1635" Score="0" Text="I saw your profile on oDesk, and its marvelous. Sometimes i think, the rate is the issue. But i see at your profile, people are loving you. great job! Given my results in test, i don't know what is wrong. It really put me off. Maybe the headline? Maybe search keywords should be changed besides the Cover letter?" CreationDate="2014-04-08T13:38:36.477" UserId="1754" />
  <row Id="1980" PostId="1540" Score="0" Text="Here's a new twist to my saga - I sent my letter in over two weeks and have heard...absolutely nothing. Not even an acknowledgment of the request. Same with other people who requested increases. Now what?" CreationDate="2014-04-08T14:02:37.987" UserId="2293" />
  <row Id="1981" PostId="1524" Score="0" Text="Thank you for your answer. I will research about planning poker and the concept of story points. About Scrum, I've already researched about it, the conclusion I present on the question is derived, in fact, from this research I did. I will share my thoughts after researching more, thanks again :D" CreationDate="2014-04-08T16:20:37.447" UserId="188" />
  <row Id="1983" PostId="1643" Score="0" Text="Great answer. I like the idea of using an online project collaboration tool like basecamp or trello. elance looks like a great option - I will try that approach for a personal project first." CreationDate="2014-04-08T18:17:44.923" UserId="2489" />
  <row Id="1984" PostId="334" Score="3" Text="This is WAY off.  An LLC doesn't have shareholders, it has members.  Secondly, professionally bodies (doctors, attorneys) cannot register as LLCs - they have to register as professional corporations.  Lastly, the other stuff about the &quot;directors and office holders&quot;, or employees, is pretty much a given, wouldn't you think?" CreationDate="2014-04-08T19:15:04.177" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="1985" PostId="1646" Score="0" Text="I am an ex-Microsoft employee. People would pay &gt;$750\hr to get their issues fixed. We would troubleshoot servers worldwide from India. I could do the same work at a fraction of that rate. The website would maintain a profile of the freelancer and if the ex-customer feedback is in the public domain, I don't see a problem. I am not looking for a full-time job more like a pay-per-task solution." CreationDate="2014-04-09T04:09:20.223" UserId="2501" />
  <row Id="1986" PostId="1540" Score="0" Text="Go to the client or manager responsible and ask about the email and the request for raise. Nothing wrong with asking about an email to which you received no reply." CreationDate="2014-04-09T14:33:42.190" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="1987" PostId="1649" Score="1" Text="Related to this question, which dealt with only one client instead of many: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/764/is-it-appropriate-for-a-prospective-client-to-require-me-to-purchase-third-party." CreationDate="2014-04-09T18:08:03.443" UserId="1323" />
  <row Id="1988" PostId="1649" Score="1" Text="I would almost say it's a duplicate, when you get down to the meat-and-potatos of it" CreationDate="2014-04-09T18:56:02.433" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1989" PostId="1646" Score="0" Text="I'm curious to know if this is microsoft specific. My husband does exactly this - remote admin from the other side of the world - for Linux servers and he certainly has no problem finding clients." CreationDate="2014-04-10T09:21:39.633" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="1990" PostId="1656" Score="3" Text="Are you also hosting the website for them?" CreationDate="2014-04-10T13:43:25.200" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="1991" PostId="334" Score="0" Text="I concur with @codenoire.  This statement is inaccurate... I just formed an LLC in Arizona, USA a few months ago." CreationDate="2014-04-10T14:22:50.797" UserId="1752" />
  <row Id="1992" PostId="1646" Score="0" Text="Ayan, it will take time to build your own stable of paying clients that give business to you for the sake of what YOU can do (and not who you work for).  The freelancer sites are low hanging fruit, and if you can find any work, there's not much to help build your reputation (your &quot;brand&quot;).  If I were you, I'd consider some alternative ways to market yourself -- identifying with others as a **business entity** may get you further than trying to communicate that you're just Joe Anybody with a laptop somewhere." CreationDate="2014-04-10T16:53:07.133" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="1993" PostId="1651" Score="1" Text="Hi NivF007, I edited your post to make it a little more readable. If you don't like the changes, feel free to roll back." CreationDate="2014-04-10T17:07:38.247" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="1994" PostId="1657" Score="2" Text="Problem is my part is what makes it working since it's the whole server so... Well anyway that actually got resolved but it's an interesting question when other people's work is mixed in yours" CreationDate="2014-04-10T17:20:09.533" UserId="16" />
  <row Id="1995" PostId="1658" Score="0" Text="Yep. Well I know the client enough to know they would not do that, but clearly in the general case it's pretty dangerous going without contract and sending the work before getting paid.." CreationDate="2014-04-10T17:21:47.837" UserId="16" />
  <row Id="1996" PostId="1651" Score="0" Text="@ Canadian Luke - I appreciate the assist - thank you - no roll-back required." CreationDate="2014-04-10T17:33:14.420" UserId="2489" />
  <row Id="1997" PostId="1658" Score="0" Text="See, a contract would specify payment terms - i.e. net 15, net 30.  But then again, you have to ASK for specific terms before you start the work -- terms that meet your needs.  I don't get the idea that you took care of this very important step." CreationDate="2014-04-10T17:33:44.900" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="1998" PostId="1656" Score="3" Text="Don't add anything to the site. While you may get some temporary satisfaction from the bad buzz, it's bound to come back and bite you. Only take down or shut-off what you were directly responsible for." CreationDate="2014-04-10T17:37:38.243" UserId="749" />
  <row Id="1999" PostId="1658" Score="0" Text="He cannot clone his work unless it's pure HTML! Even if he uses JavaScript he's so smart to scramble it. So I'd say risk of cloning is 1%." CreationDate="2014-04-10T17:43:30.637" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2000" PostId="1649" Score="0" Text="I agree, duplicate and very opinion based. The bottom line is: if you can make client buys licences for you, good for you. But be sure that it's his licence then, not yours. I have Unity3D licences and I bought them from my pocket just to have ownership of them. And I used them more than once." CreationDate="2014-04-10T17:52:17.103" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2001" PostId="1651" Score="1" Text="This is a very constructive recommendation. I think communicating openly about it to find a solution is the right path. I'll see where that gets me! Thanks for your response." CreationDate="2014-04-10T18:13:19.077" UserId="2535" />
  <row Id="2002" PostId="1656" Score="2" Text="I am responsible for putting in place the hosting, but not paying for it.&#xA;&#xA;Also I got an answer so the problem should be solved soon (although the question in itself is still viable)" CreationDate="2014-04-10T18:41:08.417" UserId="16" />
  <row Id="2003" PostId="1660" Score="0" Text="That's what I planned to do if I didn't get an answer from my last call (of today), sending a &quot;notification&quot; that I would shut the website down soon or something like that. But I got my answer so everything's okay" CreationDate="2014-04-10T18:43:59.947" UserId="16" />
  <row Id="2004" PostId="1652" Score="0" Text="Thank you. This is helpful information for future projects, and I appreciate your perspective." CreationDate="2014-04-10T18:54:14.883" UserId="2535" />
  <row Id="2005" PostId="1658" Score="0" Text="No they have access to the source from the start, but it's because I know them enough to trust them. In a real project, always obfuscate and stuff before showing the work." CreationDate="2014-04-10T18:55:54.590" UserId="16" />
  <row Id="2006" PostId="1660" Score="9" Text="Don't use the word `soon`. Be specific and say &quot;at that day at XY hours my time zone&quot;" CreationDate="2014-04-10T19:07:43.913" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2007" PostId="1662" Score="0" Text="I'm not sure I understand what you mean... Are you asking about working with clients, and asking them to pay upfront for everything?" CreationDate="2014-04-10T21:26:55.267" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2008" PostId="1662" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke no, some percentage of full payment." CreationDate="2014-04-10T21:36:24.087" UserDisplayName="user702" />
  <row Id="2009" PostId="1662" Score="0" Text="Ahhh, got it. Hopefully someone can help with that... My industry does *very little* up-front payments" CreationDate="2014-04-10T21:39:39.867" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2011" PostId="333" Score="0" Text="From what I understand, your company signs a contract and any liabilty, if sued, can only be taken from wht is in your companies assets (Money in account, company car, computers,etc) You personally, may be called to a civil court for negligence. But such cases are mostly made if you doing strictly secret work, and they accuse you of leaking information or something,or deliberly planting back doors, or malicious code. You should get PI Insurance just in case, as this is separate from Business Insurance. These cases usually end in jail time, if you are proven guilty :(" CreationDate="2014-04-10T21:43:57.263" UserId="2545" />
  <row Id="2012" PostId="1646" Score="1" Text="Yes, but Microsoft would take liability for any mess up you made, appoint the next guy to fix it and the client will be happy. If you go missing for weeks, or busy with other work, the client, like codenoire would be fuming, and loosing money. Also, codeniore could sue you personally for negligence, resulting in civil liability, outside/or including of your Limited Liability company. I agree with codeniore, I would not hire somebody from outside my city to fix anything at my company or home, unless the company is big enough to guarantee to fix issues, which a 1 man band cant guarantee :(" CreationDate="2014-04-10T21:54:02.943" UserId="2545" />
  <row Id="2014" PostId="1529" Score="0" Text="Yea, even if I do a project with NDA, then another one not NDA, I still write from scratch most of the same code. Because I know that is how it works, they cant stop me from doing that. Maybe, in your contract you need to include that some of your libraries are licensed to yourself(or GNU/Apache) and if you can reuse them. If not, you just end up rewriting them based on your origin code." CreationDate="2014-04-10T22:04:37.337" UserId="2545" />
  <row Id="2015" PostId="1611" Score="0" Text="To be honest, when I see letters like the one you just posted (as a previous hirer to freelancers) Straight into the bin. Generic cover letters are like spam. Find a client you like, research them a bit, and start of with what you like about them, then what you can do for them and lastly your skills and 1 or 2 of your favourite jobs, that relate to the client. Show some respect and get some back. Clients might research you on Google. Make sure your website is up to date, use a proper emial not gmail or yahoo, link to LinkedIn, you know. Let them follow the breadcrumbs." CreationDate="2014-04-10T22:09:35.313" UserId="2545" />
  <row Id="2016" PostId="1586" Score="0" Text="Every project needs a plan.A plan is made up of time. You might need `x` everymonth to pay bills and make some profit. So charge `x / 4 * 3` - Simple. But you may work 12 hours a day and finish in 9 days and still charge the same when you present your work after 3 weeks but what if you go over the time? You might start loosing out. So it all boils down to, time is money." CreationDate="2014-04-10T22:20:47.980" UserId="2545" />
  <row Id="2017" PostId="1586" Score="0" Text="You aren't selling time. You're selling a solution. So long as it's profitable for you and has a dramatic ROI for the client, that's all that matters." CreationDate="2014-04-10T22:25:55.997" UserId="1630" />
  <row Id="2018" PostId="1466" Score="0" Text="A simple solution might be to agree commissions on contracts landed from your clients, for each contract. You carry on doing what you do, with commissions coming in. This will deplete over time as the companies will almost, always negotiate behind your commission after a few times." CreationDate="2014-04-10T22:31:28.600" UserId="2545" />
  <row Id="2019" PostId="1278" Score="0" Text="You can create 1 app in phonegap, and charge them 2 times the amount spent for 1 app and not let them know- It not unethical, its business smart, as long as you keep the source! Because sometimes there are bugs in iOS that need fixing and sometimes on Android, even in Phonegap!" CreationDate="2014-04-10T22:35:17.310" UserId="2545" />
  <row Id="2020" PostId="1660" Score="0" Text="And send real letters, that require signatures on receipt. Not just an email or a phone call. Use a red letter head &quot;OUTSTANDING INVOICE&quot; and the actions you want to take if its not settled." CreationDate="2014-04-10T22:39:06.333" UserId="2545" />
  <row Id="2021" PostId="1658" Score="0" Text="This is a common problem. Never give source to client before they pay :) Work on it , publish it in time, and set out, even verbally, source will be delivered after 15-30 days of receipt of payment (Just in case they do the bouncey cheque trick, or reverse charges)" CreationDate="2014-04-10T22:41:59.090" UserId="2545" />
  <row Id="2022" PostId="1589" Score="0" Text="Agile planning is a good way to give a client an estimated quote, based on the hours you think it will take, plus support, plus anything else. We do it the whole time. The client want to know how much, we draw up a spec, eveybody checks it, if they think time is underestimated, they fix it, and quote client based on time it might take. Usually delays are compensated by inflating the initial projection by a reasonable amount." CreationDate="2014-04-10T22:46:42.933" UserId="2545" />
  <row Id="2023" PostId="1579" Score="0" Text="You mean spamming everybody, not another one :( Maybe a bit harsh, possibly spear fishing is more like it." CreationDate="2014-04-10T22:48:46.410" UserId="2545" />
  <row Id="2024" PostId="1531" Score="0" Text="Its a good idea to always spec up &quot;upgrade&quot; work. Clearly show the features that will stay and any improovements. Charge them on that. Once that is finished, take the new feature list and spec up Phase2. Charge them on that. NEVER deviate from spec, or this will happen." CreationDate="2014-04-10T22:52:45.647" UserId="2545" />
  <row Id="2025" PostId="1660" Score="3" Text="I don't agree with this philosophy, most especially if it's already clear to the client as to when payment was due (and it's past due).  Disabling the site will get the client's attention VERY quickly -- much faster than telephone calls.  Ayan, you have to think of yourself like the local telephone company; when you're past due, and they've notified you with no response, a DISCONNECT is the next move.  That's business.  They're not worried about if you're travelling or sick.  Ayan, your client isn't stupid -- if they're smart enough to have given you the work, they can pay on time." CreationDate="2014-04-10T22:55:22.533" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="2026" PostId="1660" Score="1" Text="Exactly. That's what I think too. You don't pay for the service? End of service. Easy. I think freelancers should stand up more often, we shouldn't have to accept these sort of things." CreationDate="2014-04-10T22:58:16.183" UserId="16" />
  <row Id="2027" PostId="1646" Score="0" Text="@StaceyAnne This is Microdoft-specific. I've been working on their products all my life. First a sys admin and now an Infrastructure engineer." CreationDate="2014-04-11T03:36:12.913" UserId="2501" />
  <row Id="2028" PostId="1646" Score="0" Text="@WillyWonka That's why the customer-feedback  should be in the public domain." CreationDate="2014-04-11T03:37:22.547" UserId="2501" />
  <row Id="2029" PostId="1669" Score="0" Text="Hey Avram, welcome to Freelancing SE. It seems the question was asking if the op should focus on SEO on his *own* website, not his customers. You may want to consider an [edit] to answer the core question. As you're new, you might find our [about] page helpful, as well as [answer]. Good luck!" CreationDate="2014-04-11T04:19:41.860" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="2030" PostId="1662" Score="0" Text="Hey Varun, I edited this to try to make it a bit more clear what I think you're asking. Please feel free to edit further if I misunderstood something." CreationDate="2014-04-11T04:24:11.847" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="2031" PostId="1612" Score="0" Text="@Mihai Boisteanu A example, would be helpful." CreationDate="2014-04-11T05:48:42.310" UserId="1754" />
  <row Id="2032" PostId="1672" Score="0" Text="Thank you for the suggestion. I want to do programming for freelancing, mainly java programming" CreationDate="2014-04-11T12:26:37.020" UserId="2550" />
  <row Id="2033" PostId="1672" Score="0" Text="You should sign up to various freelancer sites. I personally like peopleperhour.com but there are many (elance, freelancer.net and so on)" CreationDate="2014-04-11T12:29:17.827" UserId="772" />
  <row Id="2034" PostId="1672" Score="0" Text="I want to do programming for freelancing, mainly java programming. And as you are a software engineer, I have a question for you. I am curious in it. What's the difference between project management and software engineering. I think project management will need less technical skills but software engineering will need more technical knowledge" CreationDate="2014-04-11T12:36:15.940" UserId="2550" />
  <row Id="2035" PostId="1662" Score="1" Text="As guys below said, you can either stick to your business policy or change it for clients who's proven to be good payer. Just set the 1st milestone sooner in the process cause you also need to get money as soon as convenient." CreationDate="2014-04-11T18:02:48.253" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2037" PostId="1671" Score="0" Text="Hi Viper, welcome to Freelancing! This question is too broad, and is not a good fit here. Try to specialize in *ONE* question, per question. You can easily ask other questions and maybe even link here. A good question shows that you've tried some things, and need help because you hit a hiccup. Feel free to [edit] your post to improve it. As well, read [ask]. Thanks" CreationDate="2014-04-11T18:25:40.070" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2039" PostId="1673" Score="1" Text="What's your experience? What's your portfolio like? What's your minimum charge to live? Where are you located? Is it going to be employment or just contract work?" CreationDate="2014-04-11T18:29:55.110" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2042" PostId="1678" Score="1" Text="This question seems to be a bit broad... Can you narrow it down a bit?" CreationDate="2014-04-11T21:16:19.340" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2044" PostId="1678" Score="0" Text="Hi Niv. The best questions on our site are about real, everyday problems freelancers face, problems that really get the experts thinking. Instead, think about a problem you faced as a freelancer related to technical skill-sets, and use that as a basis for a real, actual problem that can be answered with expert, in-depth answers. Please see [Good Subjective, Bad Subjective](http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/09/good-subjective-bad-subjective/) for guidance on how to reform your question. Hope this helps." CreationDate="2014-04-12T02:04:08.687" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="2045" PostId="1678" Score="1" Text="It really depends upon the what specific work you are doing. If you are WordPress plugin developer, you need to know PHP, WordPress. Similarily if you develop front end of websites, you should know HTML, CSS. But, combined experience (not much) in HTML/CSS/PHP/MySQL/JS are generally good as you can do a variety of jobs." CreationDate="2014-04-12T06:44:10.867" UserDisplayName="user702" />
  <row Id="2050" PostId="1672" Score="0" Text="@viper: I'd like to give you a long answer but it would not be an answer to your original question so I will not. For a start, a simple search on Google would give you an answer in a matter of seconds anyways. Best of luck!" CreationDate="2014-04-12T13:28:33.590" UserId="2551" />
  <row Id="2051" PostId="1673" Score="2" Text="Hello user, welcome to Freelancing SE. I made an edit to focus your question more on the *why* and *how*. No one can tell you specifically how to charge, but we can definitely tell you what process one should use to charge. Hope this helps!" CreationDate="2014-04-12T14:25:17.007" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="2054" PostId="1671" Score="0" Text="Hi Viper, you might also take a look at [How do I get my first job at a freelancing site?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/101/how-do-i-get-my-first-job-at-a-freelancing-site)." CreationDate="2014-04-12T15:38:23.280" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="2055" PostId="1514" Score="0" Text="You could try http://expatriates.stackexchange.com/" CreationDate="2014-04-12T18:23:51.263" UserId="2568" />
  <row Id="2060" PostId="1675" Score="0" Text="Thank you for the answer. Yes I am working as an intern in an organization as a java programmer. But its hard to manage time for the college studies." CreationDate="2014-04-13T06:19:15.970" UserId="2550" />
  <row Id="2063" PostId="1675" Score="0" Text="I know is hard but, remember this; you need social integration. You need to know the right people and stay connected to the real day-to-day job environment. If you isolate yourself for sure you will have more time or you will believe it's easier but on the long run you will have more to lose. Another thing, be as present as you can on the job. Take responsibilities, help anyone, do as much as possible. You will see, rewards will come soon." CreationDate="2014-04-13T13:43:58.657" UserId="2546" />
  <row Id="2064" PostId="1670" Score="0" Text="&quot;It's a well used practice to pay the bills after a month or more&quot; -- this is incorrect.  Payment terms should be negotiated before starting work." CreationDate="2014-04-13T13:44:12.070" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="2066" PostId="1670" Score="0" Text="Yes, you are right. Most of the time, you should negotiate the payment terms before starting work. In my case, I had many clients who &quot;forget&quot; to pay. They always pay but sometimes is best for me/them relationship if I close an eye. It's not a good practice but I think is best than starting an argument. A remark: I write from Italy - a roman law country. We all know that a civil law country reinforces the terms of a contract &quot;better&quot;." CreationDate="2014-04-13T13:59:05.840" UserId="2546" />
  <row Id="2067" PostId="1687" Score="1" Text="Hey John, welcome to Freelancing SE, a Q&amp;A site. I replaced the last part of the question body &quot;Does anyone have experience with this&quot; with the more concrete question in the title. On our site, the best questions are asked in Q&amp;A format. With that said, I'm not 100% sure this is on-topic, but we'll see how it goes. Good luck!" CreationDate="2014-04-13T16:13:08.260" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="2068" PostId="1687" Score="0" Text="No probs @jmort253 - thought it would also interest a lot of the others here from the point of view of business development." CreationDate="2014-04-13T16:17:38.457" UserId="2573" />
  <row Id="2069" PostId="1678" Score="0" Text="@jmort253 -  I reflected on this for a bit.  The type of answers I'm looking for are along the lines VarunAGW answered as a comment, except hopefully expanded upon - for example, I don't think you get by as a 'developer' without knowing HTML.  You would also need to know how to use an IDE, FTP, how to set up a server (i.e. run and test your code), and so on - so there are 'technical skills-sets' you need to know and can't really do without.  If the question is still not acceptable as per your discretion, then I'll delete it - no hard feelings either way - let me know your preference." CreationDate="2014-04-14T00:37:48.050" UserId="2489" />
  <row Id="2070" PostId="1678" Score="1" Text="Thanks for the edits, @NivF007. This is still a little broad, but the edits help a *lot* and this could still get some answers based on facts, references, and expertise." CreationDate="2014-04-14T01:52:26.867" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="2071" PostId="1693" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the detailed advice! I should also mention that I already have a full-time consulting gig, which the client is aware of, and was only considering to take on this advising role if there it didn't exceed more than 3-6 hours per week.  But even with that said, you're right that I should be charging for my expertise, and not my time." CreationDate="2014-04-14T06:04:08.687" UserId="2579" />
  <row Id="2072" PostId="1693" Score="0" Text="Always remember it's your expertise they want. If they wanted time, they'd be putting ads on Craig's List to get the cheapest qualified person they could" CreationDate="2014-04-14T06:05:23.933" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2073" PostId="1678" Score="0" Text="Thank you jmort253.  Your edits and suggestions are always top-notch. It is broad, I agree, just as the definition of a 'web application developer' is (i.e. no generally accepted standards) - but I believe that there are some essentials such as developing database driven web sites (and data persistence), session management, at least a basic knowledge of design patterns (i.e. procedural code, MVC, OOP) - the basic essential of what it would take to label oneself a 'web application developer' (esp. as opposed to a 'web designer' which is commonly understood to mean something else)." CreationDate="2014-04-14T06:40:28.107" UserId="2489" />
  <row Id="2074" PostId="1687" Score="0" Text="I'm really not sure this fits in the &quot;freelancing&quot; realm. Advice on hiring a sales agent for your company is pretty far from freelancing." CreationDate="2014-04-14T09:15:42.707" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="2076" PostId="1696" Score="0" Text="A great deal more information is needed if you want to recieve any responses. What type of business? What type of projects?" CreationDate="2014-04-14T09:50:57.147" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="2077" PostId="1696" Score="1" Text="I was actually implying that you expend a bit more effort than posting a single sentence. What type of &quot;IT Services&quot; you offer, the type/size of clients you wish to acquire. What you've tried. Why that has not worked... etc." CreationDate="2014-04-14T10:53:47.477" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="2078" PostId="1696" Score="0" Text="hi Scott, check updated question" CreationDate="2014-04-14T11:22:34.463" UserId="2585" />
  <row Id="2080" PostId="1696" Score="1" Text="@NitinSawant Much better edit, but do remember that we need proper spelling; did his mailers have correct spelling and grammar in them? As well, we don't need to use HTML code on our posts, just pressing Enter twice creates a paragraph. Hopefully, some community members can help you. And welcome to Freelancing.SE!" CreationDate="2014-04-14T16:24:11.263" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2081" PostId="1698" Score="0" Text="What country are you in, and what country is your client in? Are both of you in the USA?" CreationDate="2014-04-14T16:25:21.530" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2082" PostId="1703" Score="0" Text="This great for nailing down design.  I like it because you can build a 'process' to work with clients for design from this answer.  But what about content?  Some clients start from ground-zero (i.e. no idea what sections or information the site will contain)?   Features?   It would be good to put together a comprehensive list with some tips.  A good way to explain, upfront, what's needed, and an efficient process to get that info." CreationDate="2014-04-14T19:50:39.630" UserId="2489" />
  <row Id="2083" PostId="1703" Score="0" Text="This is all I give to my designer. All the rest comes from his head. Neither myself or the client have the clue what the first draft will look like. To do design, you have to be an artist, right?!" CreationDate="2014-04-14T20:06:21.583" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2084" PostId="1703" Score="0" Text="Yes!  This question is excellent for the 'design' component of a web development project - but let's see if we can get some good answers on the rest of the essential stuff, like features, content, SEO, social media site integration and/or marketing - what info do we need to get up front?" CreationDate="2014-04-14T20:43:26.807" UserId="2489" />
  <row Id="2085" PostId="1689" Score="2" Text="Omar, payment terms are negotiable.  This is something that needs to be discussed during contract formation, BEFORE you start work.  Otherwise, you leave it up to whatever the client wants to do - this is not good business." CreationDate="2014-04-14T21:01:05.207" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="2086" PostId="1635" Score="0" Text="@Nofel You probably don't want to compete on rate, don't be afraid to charge for quality work (but make sure your work is worth it). See [this answer](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/779/how-to-get-over-the-discomfort-of-asking-for-money/781#781). The best advice I can give is in the answer, tell the client *how* you'll solve their problem, not your qualifications / history / etc. And search keywords are a topic of their own on oDesk. It matter less what you put in your bio, and more what words are on the jobs you win and are actively working on." CreationDate="2014-04-14T21:31:17.290" UserId="820" />
  <row Id="2088" PostId="1704" Score="0" Text="Great answer.  I agree that the term 'coder' is 'limited' - I've heard the term 'Full Stack Developer' used, perhaps more appropriate, but my attempt was to distinguish 'developers' from 'designers.'  Software Architect is a good description, but usually reserved for a Senior Developer with years of experience - sometimes SA's don't even code.  A 'Software Engineer' (sorry Professional Engineers for using that title) is also considered a very high-level full-stack expert - what I'm looking for is what's expected of Freelance Developers - the above answer is great starting point of essentials!" CreationDate="2014-04-15T00:43:08.307" UserId="2489" />
  <row Id="2089" PostId="1689" Score="0" Text="@codenoire Anything is negotiable (and obviously should be done before work). What I wanted to point is that contractors handle this differently." CreationDate="2014-04-15T08:18:20.613" UserId="2576" />
  <row Id="2090" PostId="1672" Score="0" Text="I would be glad if you message me if you the things that you want to say" CreationDate="2014-04-15T08:43:59.613" UserId="2550" />
  <row Id="2092" PostId="1709" Score="1" Text="Hi @user2601, welcome to Freelancing.SE! Can you expand your answer a bit? Right now, it's very low in quality, and doesn't reflect well on the site. Feel free to [edit] it to improve it. Thanks!" CreationDate="2014-04-15T19:05:49.810" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2093" PostId="1688" Score="2" Text="This question is so vague as to be unanswerable. Please specify what industry you are asking about; for example, in translating/interpreting, anything less than 30 days is a miracle. 30-45 seems to be standard. But again, mileage will vary based on profession." CreationDate="2014-04-15T15:17:06.853" UserId="2601" />
  <row Id="2094" PostId="1670" Score="0" Text="I would add that if you are hosting, and billing monthly fees, then you can suspend the hosting account for non-payment - this should be in the terms of your 'written contract'!!!  So learn from this mistake." CreationDate="2014-04-15T20:39:57.410" UserId="2489" />
  <row Id="2095" PostId="1698" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke USA both" CreationDate="2014-04-15T20:55:58.777" UserId="2588" />
  <row Id="2096" PostId="1689" Score="1" Text="And what I wanted to point out is that most people who are new in business have no idea at all that they are able to ASK for payment terms that suit their personal situations, rather than not asking and submitting themselves to the client's &quot;default&quot; procedure.  Since just about all the work I do enables my clients to either earn money (or earn it faster) as soon as I'm done, it's not a fair trade that the client can benefit from my work immediately, but I have to wait a month or two." CreationDate="2014-04-15T22:38:20.297" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="2097" PostId="1709" Score="0" Text="It's self evident, but I'll rephrase it as a statement. You shouldn't be accepting work on a consistent basis from a client you don't trust to pay every time." CreationDate="2014-04-15T22:57:10.857" UserId="2601" />
  <row Id="2098" PostId="1709" Score="1" Text="I agree, but we are supposed to be the site for ALL the answers about Freelancing; common sense doesn't always prevail. Thanks" CreationDate="2014-04-15T22:58:26.650" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2099" PostId="1700" Score="1" Text="+1 excellent answer" CreationDate="2014-04-16T06:50:05.283" UserId="2585" />
  <row Id="2101" PostId="1711" Score="1" Text="It's good idea with milestones but I must client argue into that. Most of the clients want to have price set in contract. It isn't problem to charge changes which aren't in contract (I have pay-rate in contract for changes) but almost all clients want to have some basic price for their app right now and later it could be more with new functions and changes but for description in contract it must be solid." CreationDate="2014-04-16T09:06:39.370" UserId="2607" />
  <row Id="2105" PostId="334" Score="0" Text="Incomplete, maybe, not innaccurate - so I've added &quot;or members&quot;.  But the point still stands - the limited liability extends to the investment only." CreationDate="2014-04-16T18:59:35.570" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="2106" PostId="333" Score="2" Text="An important note may be that a judge can easily determine that your LLC is not independent of the single-member and thus negating any protection the LLC may offer. You need to be diligent in keeping personal and business financial aspects *separate*. Don't buy personal stuff with LLC money. Take dividends on the business or write yourself a paycheck, but treat the money as if they are 2 separate entities with separate bank accounts and separate bills." CreationDate="2014-04-16T20:36:45.860" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="2107" PostId="1712" Score="3" Text="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKorP55Aqvg -- It happens all the time :)" CreationDate="2014-04-16T20:38:26.303" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="2108" PostId="1718" Score="9" Text="An old adage goes: `Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine`" CreationDate="2014-04-16T22:47:13.727" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2109" PostId="1722" Score="1" Text="Excellent answer.  Thank you for both summarizing and pointing to the authoritative resource.  Much appreciated!!!" CreationDate="2014-04-17T00:32:43.970" UserId="2489" />
  <row Id="2110" PostId="1724" Score="0" Text="This is exactly what I needed!! Thank you! One quick question: in my state the fee is $300, and because they're in a different state, to register as a foreign LLC in their state is another $135. But I have no employees, is there any reason from their perspective why they would need me to be an LLC and not a Sole Proprietorship?" CreationDate="2014-04-16T16:52:25.743" UserId="2620" />
  <row Id="2111" PostId="1724" Score="2" Text="You should check with an accountant or business lawyer to determine the exact functional difference between a sole proprietorship and an LLC.  I always felt I had more protection as an LLC.  Sometimes this just comes down to their own business rules.  I had one client who required that I have business liability insurance, but the others never mentioned it.  I don't think it is unreasonable to ask them exactly what is the basis for wanting you to be an LLC and discuss it from there.  Could be they want to write a check to a company not a person?" CreationDate="2014-04-16T18:54:28.703" UserId="1818" />
  <row Id="2112" PostId="1720" Score="3" Text="I think 50% extra for a &quot;right this minute&quot; order is too little. If it requires working week-ends and holidays, doubling the rate is not uncommon, and generally a good idea." CreationDate="2014-04-17T04:22:17.723" UserId="2627" />
  <row Id="2113" PostId="1338" Score="0" Text="Small pieces of advice or help that cost you little can be a good way to build up favor credit. Although it seems the world runs on hard cash, it turns out that being nice and helpful (not to the extreme) goes around and comes back later as helpful. Make sure you follow up with the referring party to let them know their referral called. This is networking, not billable work.&#xA;If the advice asked is too big, then your job is to explain that you're happy to work with them to understand the problem, but the kind of thing they're talking about is usually X hours of work." CreationDate="2014-04-17T04:27:14.870" UserId="2627" />
  <row Id="2114" PostId="1720" Score="1" Text="@JonWatte you are right. But, in this case, it's hard to believe the client will pay more than double. On the other case, is best if we remain fair to our clients by not exploiting their needs." CreationDate="2014-04-17T08:54:07.483" UserId="2546" />
  <row Id="2115" PostId="1716" Score="0" Text="This question is impossible to be answered." CreationDate="2014-04-17T09:46:20.010" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2116" PostId="1716" Score="1" Text="@PeterMV let's have patience. For sure there is someone with experience on the market who will have the will on writing down some comparisons." CreationDate="2014-04-17T10:16:18.940" UserId="2546" />
  <row Id="2119" PostId="1728" Score="1" Text="Thanks very much for this. Great for thought. And that idea with breaking features to todo list and items shouldn't be more then 4 hours long is approach I will try. Have you some blog or website? I would like to read more articles from you :)" CreationDate="2014-04-18T11:52:40.653" UserId="2607" />
  <row Id="2120" PostId="1735" Score="0" Text="I like your cool &amp; constructive ideas as it puts me at ease that it happens. I will wait for other input before marking as an answer." CreationDate="2014-04-18T12:28:20.400" UserId="980" />
  <row Id="2121" PostId="1728" Score="0" Text="No blog, sorry. Maybe I should put one in my profile should I get one :)" CreationDate="2014-04-18T14:22:15.167" UserId="890" />
  <row Id="2123" PostId="1641" Score="1" Text="So, Should I tell the client that I am going to reuse some code or just finish the work without telling him?" CreationDate="2014-04-18T15:32:24.607" UserDisplayName="user702" />
  <row Id="2124" PostId="1529" Score="0" Text="So, Should I tell the client that I am going to reuse some code or just finish the work without telling him?" CreationDate="2014-04-18T15:33:23.157" UserDisplayName="user702" />
  <row Id="2125" PostId="1736" Score="0" Text="Wanted to touch the same thing that conners will not have time to discuss project details, but forgot. Thanks for that. The answer to your last questions (Related) may be answered if we consider that he is using public freelancing sites like odesk, freelancers, etc. where you get piles of requests for estimation." CreationDate="2014-04-18T15:51:16.930" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2126" PostId="1529" Score="1" Text="Either don't tell him, or be upfront about it. You need to run a business too, and you take time-savers that *you know work*, and you need to keep offering that to your other clients, *otherwise you go hungry at night when you doublecharge for everything, and no one wants to use you anymore*. It's business, and they're going to have to suck it up." CreationDate="2014-04-18T16:08:58.283" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2127" PostId="1720" Score="1" Text="If the client is an existing, good, client, that has had work in the past and will have work in the future, then 50% for week-end turn-around may be OK in the interest of nurturing the relationship." CreationDate="2014-04-18T16:22:32.673" UserId="2627" />
  <row Id="2128" PostId="1729" Score="2" Text="Note that &quot;labor&quot; and &quot;contracting&quot; are very different things in the US and in Europe. I don't know about Malaysia. However, a &quot;contractor&quot; is an independent business, and gets to charge whatever the market can bear -- and at the same time, has no guarantee of work from any particular customer on any particular day." CreationDate="2014-04-18T16:23:42.167" UserId="2627" />
  <row Id="2129" PostId="1641" Score="0" Text="The best approach is to have a contract upfront, with these terms defined.  You can have a contract which gives both you and the client the rights to code.  I work with open-source code, so it's a given, but I always make sure the client is aware of it, the benefits and the implications." CreationDate="2014-04-18T17:01:31.313" UserId="2489" />
  <row Id="2130" PostId="1716" Score="0" Text="You might want to give [this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predatory_pricing) a read. Because web freelancing has a low barrier to entry and finances may be less stable, It'd be hard to undercut prices too much without a significant risk to your own expenses." CreationDate="2014-04-18T17:44:44.287" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="2131" PostId="1714" Score="1" Text="#3 is probably one of the best ideas I've read, here. Giving the client a second opinion from a third party is an excellent strategy. Unless the third party you get to provide that opinion actually figures out how to do it &gt;.&lt;" CreationDate="2014-04-18T18:09:04.550" UserId="684" />
  <row Id="2132" PostId="1734" Score="1" Text="I think you have to find out why so many other freelancers ask you for a quote (why you specifically) or otherwise, why people ask for an estimate but they prefer buying from somewhere else. One screening idea (to find out who's speaking with you) is to get proof that the business they say they represent, really exists." CreationDate="2014-04-18T18:38:23.730" UserId="2546" />
  <row Id="2133" PostId="1738" Score="1" Text="I wouldn't say it applies to _all_ cases (especially when manufacturing or retail is concerned; look at mom-and-pop stores closing when big box stores invade). That being said, you are correct in that your level of expertise should play heavily into the price." CreationDate="2014-04-18T22:52:01.010" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="2134" PostId="1739" Score="0" Text="Thank you! I love your opinion. Very much. I usually charge based on many factors: complexity of the work, past experience, customer welfare, work load, market equilibrium. And right now &quot;current market equilibrium&quot; is what I'm interested in (from the stand-point of a newcomer on the British market). This will help me integrate and avoid unpleasant losses." CreationDate="2014-04-18T23:16:27.780" UserId="2546" />
  <row Id="2135" PostId="1109" Score="0" Text="Can you provided a bullet list of the specific services you are looking to provide?" CreationDate="2014-04-19T00:25:56.657" UserId="2489" />
  <row Id="2136" PostId="1716" Score="0" Text="Hey Avram, I don't think we can give you actual figures, as that just differs from scenario to scenario, but I did edit your question a bit to clarify it and go along with how people are answering, which is to focus on the *process* of determining price.  Hope this helps and thanks for participating!" CreationDate="2014-04-19T16:20:27.803" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="2137" PostId="1729" Score="2" Text="Muz, do labor laws cover freelancers, consultants, and contractors or just regular employees? If so, you may want to try to find the legal text and link it here; otherwise, if this answer is incorrect it may attract down votes. I tried looking but couldn't find any information to back this up.  Hope this helps!" CreationDate="2014-04-19T16:31:34.457" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="2138" PostId="1729" Score="2" Text="It may not cover freelancers and you can't use it to 'pressure' someone, but it's a strong indicator of market rate and &quot;fairness&quot; wherever you live. Nobody else is going to do that work for your client, so why charge any less?" CreationDate="2014-04-20T21:28:48.043" UserId="890" />
  <row Id="2139" PostId="1729" Score="3" Text="Makes sense, @Muz, so to summarize you're suggesting using the law for employees in terms of your estimations. Thanks for clarifying." CreationDate="2014-04-21T00:59:59.323" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="2140" PostId="153" Score="0" Text="But what about cheap freelancers with good reputations? Many of those sites are full of them." CreationDate="2014-04-21T04:40:24.050" UserId="890" />
  <row Id="2141" PostId="255" Score="2" Text="I've hired freelancers before and *everyone* claims they can do it even though they are new and says &quot;trust me&quot;. You'd have to prove it one way or another." CreationDate="2014-04-21T05:00:14.163" UserId="890" />
  <row Id="2142" PostId="255" Score="0" Text="@Muz: True and hence Point A,B and C play a major role :)" CreationDate="2014-04-21T08:50:09.233" UserId="155" />
  <row Id="2143" PostId="1741" Score="0" Text="I'm impress by your answer. Is precisely on the point. Thank you!" CreationDate="2014-04-21T09:25:24.750" UserId="2546" />
  <row Id="2144" PostId="153" Score="1" Text="@Muz: In that case they beat newcomers in two fronts: price and reputation. However, there are many more places where a new freelancer can stand out: quality, availability (as in being available for bigger chunks of time during the day for work), better English and communicational skills, higher quality portfolio outside the freelancing site and so on." CreationDate="2014-04-21T09:43:54.403" UserId="121" />
  <row Id="2145" PostId="1745" Score="2" Text="Just because you can go without sleep is never a good enough reason. If it's possible to sleep, e.g. no one's life is at stake, then sleep. Multiple sleepless nights can cause very serious problems: http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/excessive-sleepiness-10/10-results-sleep-loss http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/06/scary-sleep-deprivation-effects_n_2807026.html" CreationDate="2014-04-21T16:01:59.643" UserId="1964" />
  <row Id="2146" PostId="1745" Score="0" Text="Yep youre right but the question was has anyone else done that, not is it medically sound." CreationDate="2014-04-21T16:10:48.293" UserId="2601" />
  <row Id="2147" PostId="1410" Score="0" Text="I agree with jmort253. One thing that was stressed very strongly to me in college, was to get a contract. I have signed many NDAs in my career. And I'm never offended. Btw, an NDA doesn't mean you can't do similar work. That's a non-compete. If do sign a non-compete, make sure it's a very narrow focus so it will not prevent you from working in your field in the future." CreationDate="2014-04-21T19:02:57.520" UserId="358" />
  <row Id="2148" PostId="1745" Score="0" Text="Asking if it's normal is to question the practice. To not inform about the multitude of negative effects would be dishonest." CreationDate="2014-04-21T20:17:33.883" UserId="1964" />
  <row Id="2150" PostId="1745" Score="0" Text="To lecture him is preachy...ultimately i believe he already knows what lack of sleep can do and will make his own right choice." CreationDate="2014-04-22T04:41:27.720" UserId="2601" />
  <row Id="2151" PostId="1750" Score="0" Text="We've already discussed this. Try searching my replies. Bottom line is &quot;yes, it's ok, but you will not be able to side aside and another guy do the job. each project you outsource, it'll be as you are doing it yourself and you'll spend a lot of time monitoring the guy&quot;." CreationDate="2014-04-22T09:31:41.113" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2152" PostId="1745" Score="0" Text="Call it preachy, that's fine. It doesn't change the truth of the statement. I get that he said he understands the risk, but we would be remiss to not bring it up regardless." CreationDate="2014-04-22T14:15:39.493" UserId="1964" />
  <row Id="2158" PostId="1410" Score="0" Text="Contracts are great! I have a set of terms and conditions in my proposals that clients agree to if they want to hire me. I am also happy to agree to the client owning intellectual property. I just don't like signing NDAs as there is no way of knowing what I'm signing up for! I understand the difference between an NDA and a non-compete contract but if I sign an NDA and end up working for someone else on a very similar project later, I don't want to risk getting sued." CreationDate="2014-04-23T00:13:58.127" UserId="1018" />
  <row Id="2159" PostId="1743" Score="4" Text="There was also an advice on the internet for developers. It said: if you think you can do a project in 1 hour, ask for 3, because you never know what comes up in the process." CreationDate="2014-04-23T14:10:20.537" UserId="888" />
  <row Id="2162" PostId="1742" Score="1" Text="Any code written after 24 hours of no sleep is likely bug ridden and of lower quality, do you also work while drunk?" CreationDate="2014-04-24T03:23:10.957" UserId="1752" />
  <row Id="2163" PostId="1712" Score="0" Text="Are the specifications theoretically impossible, or just difficult to implement?" CreationDate="2014-04-24T04:18:46.560" UserId="1752" />
  <row Id="2164" PostId="1673" Score="1" Text="I don't know what the acronym HCL means..." CreationDate="2014-04-24T04:25:40.303" UserId="1752" />
  <row Id="2165" PostId="1760" Score="0" Text="+1 for focused work and references" CreationDate="2014-04-24T09:10:04.997" UserId="2675" />
  <row Id="2166" PostId="1762" Score="9" Text="I'd like to touch on the lower rate point. &quot;Mates rates&quot; as I've heard them called are invariably a mistake. If a real job needs doing then the client needs to be prepared to offer the going rate, or something close to it. Clearly if you are not working you might want to offer a lower rate, but then the same is true of any job you're offered when you are out of work." CreationDate="2014-04-24T14:11:38.673" UserId="2689" />
  <row Id="2167" PostId="1761" Score="0" Text="Possible legal consequences (i.e. suing) aside, breaking a contract for this reason is very unprofessional and could harm your career." CreationDate="2014-04-24T14:17:30.727" UserId="2690" />
  <row Id="2168" PostId="1659" Score="0" Text="VAT isn't a 'fee' it's a tax and as such is usually not included in advertised contract rates - see my answer for more details." CreationDate="2014-04-24T14:31:21.337" UserId="2689" />
  <row Id="2169" PostId="1712" Score="0" Text="The  theory indicates that there a very significant issue with signal interference, due to the client's specifications. While some peer-review papers do offer ways of dealing with the signal interference issues, none of the papers we have found so far are able to successfully deal with it anywhere near the scale that we are looking at. After researching papers for 3 months, I'm feeling like either there is no solution or I'm not clever enough to find it." CreationDate="2014-04-24T15:46:50.110" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="2170" PostId="1762" Score="0" Text="I agree Phil. Any rate below your minimum rate is a bad thing. you simply cannot be happy with it cause you will not cover your costs and they friend has a feeling like he's paying you. I'd rather work for free. So I say &quot;if you have to give buddy rate, then go immediately with your minimum hourly rate&quot;. You will be happy cause your will not be in loss and you will help friend." CreationDate="2014-04-24T17:28:14.010" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2171" PostId="1659" Score="0" Text="Yes, usually not in advertisements. But I've seen that many freelancers simply tell its price including VAT and all other costs." CreationDate="2014-04-24T17:30:51.000" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2173" PostId="1761" Score="2" Text="As your old boss and friend, he should be happy to see you grow beyond having only one client.  That should spill over into your professional relationship, in that he'll be positive about schedule adjustments that allow you to do both, obviously with priority to the higher-paying contract." CreationDate="2014-04-24T19:14:23.493" UserId="2701" />
  <row Id="2174" PostId="1761" Score="2" Text="12 hours, 1138 views... Good job!" CreationDate="2014-04-24T20:09:10.147" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2175" PostId="1406" Score="1" Text="_&quot;you would be constantly remaking the site's skeleton layout from scratch.&quot;_ - a client can reasonably say, in effect - &quot;that's what I am paying you for&quot;; so this is not a valid argument.  Stick with things that the client can relate to, which are time and money." CreationDate="2014-04-24T21:29:45.577" UserId="2706" />
  <row Id="2176" PostId="1406" Score="0" Text="@burhankhalid the point is that you would never agree upon a wireframe at all with a client like this" CreationDate="2014-04-24T21:31:41.957" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="2177" PostId="1762" Score="3" Text="I hesitate at the statement &quot;yes its unprofessional.&quot;  If I have a mortgage, student loan debt, and mouths to feed at home... the *professional* thing to do is provide for those needs... the needs of *any* business should *never* come before your family.  Now, if we're talking about just purely an &quot;I want more money **just because...**&quot;  Then yeah... that's unprofessional." CreationDate="2014-04-24T22:22:38.630" UserId="2707" />
  <row Id="2178" PostId="1767" Score="1" Text="+1 for information and economy; well said." CreationDate="2014-04-25T04:17:01.873" UserId="1451" />
  <row Id="2179" PostId="1759" Score="0" Text="Prior to the 20th century it was common-place for people to sleep at most 4 hours in a row, waking for 1 to 2 hours in between, then sleeping another several hours before waking for the day.  +1 for the polyphasic sleep link." CreationDate="2014-04-25T04:37:28.343" UserId="1451" />
  <row Id="2180" PostId="1719" Score="0" Text="Take a word of advice from a fellow Canadian freelancer and do your homework by calling the CRA (http://cra.gc.ca) and telling them what you are doing - they will give you exact directions that you can bank on." CreationDate="2014-04-25T04:41:42.093" UserId="1451" />
  <row Id="2181" PostId="1762" Score="2" Text="@avgvstvs Being professional and *fair* to clients is the best way to pay off all those at earliest as possible. Bad reputation travels faster than anything. From my reply above, we can see how you can preserve your reputation and yet not work for no money." CreationDate="2014-04-25T06:32:53.157" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2182" PostId="1109" Score="0" Text="You have to tell us what services you plan to offer. Otherwise we may close the question as too broad and unclear of what you're asking." CreationDate="2014-04-25T06:39:37.587" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2183" PostId="1614" Score="0" Text="How about asking him to send you his business brochures?! I guess you have his business URL, but his blog may help as well. Also portfolio of his project can be very helpful. Lastly, DO have a couple of Skype talk sessions where he would talk about his job, their visions and intentions, and so on. This is how I got introduced with one open-source global project - the owner gave me 99% of information in 2hrs talk session." CreationDate="2014-04-25T06:42:36.793" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2184" PostId="1761" Score="0" Text="I believe/hope you are in a good position: you work for a friend (who now owes you one since you offered an attractive rate). Talk to him and find a plan to ensure his needs will be satisfied. If you talk honestly to a friend and work for not let him alone because you have a very unique opportunity, why would he object?" CreationDate="2014-04-25T06:45:59.117" UserId="2715" />
  <row Id="2185" PostId="1659" Score="1" Text="A freelancer might do that if quoting for a fixed price project. However the question was about rates for contract positions advertised on job sites, which will always be exclusive of VAT. 25 years working both permanent and freelance in the UK IT industry informs this statement." CreationDate="2014-04-25T09:49:42.963" UserId="2689" />
  <row Id="2186" PostId="1659" Score="0" Text="@Phil I believe you :)." CreationDate="2014-04-25T09:54:33.243" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2187" PostId="1510" Score="0" Text="You will of course need to take care to conform to any sanctions and export restrictions imposed by the USA on countries that you travel to, or that your work is exported to. And, probably, those imposed by the EU since your client is legally bound by them. Your contract will state which country's laws are applicable to it. Ideally you'd want that to be the USA." CreationDate="2014-04-25T10:06:24.283" UserId="2689" />
  <row Id="2188" PostId="1207" Score="0" Text="The only thing to do here is get up and walk away. I'm only surprised that you've not already done so. Everything you have described just screams 'risk' to me." CreationDate="2014-04-25T10:13:31.703" UserId="2689" />
  <row Id="2189" PostId="1767" Score="0" Text="Just to chip in, I was also going to mention viewing this from the clients point of view, what if their budget dried up would they still offer you employment until the end of the project? Of course not. I contract (in the UK) and I am part of a workforce who are available at short notice (a week usually). I agree in a perfect world the contract would always end amicably at the right time for both the employer and contractor, but how often does that happen. I would have no qualms about taking a new role, especially given that you are offering a lower rate. That is the nature of contracting." CreationDate="2014-04-25T11:46:41.917" UserId="772" />
  <row Id="2193" PostId="1790" Score="1" Text="To me, all seems clear on your side. Especially since you have signed contract and both of you are from the US. I cannot help more since I don't know US laws, but there are good US guys here who can help. PS. Can't you sue them? It's not much money, but it my country, in such case, the guilty party will pay me $100 + cover all court costs and taxes." CreationDate="2014-04-25T21:40:59.547" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2194" PostId="1790" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV I agree with you. What else I will add is that in my country it happens so frequently that now, without an upfront payment I invest no more than the normal dialog and usual &quot;know each-other&quot; discussions. If they insist for samples, I send them to see my past works or make them pay. Is this rude? Maybe. It protects me and delivers results? YES!" CreationDate="2014-04-25T22:10:41.883" UserId="2546" />
  <row Id="2195" PostId="1790" Score="0" Text="@AvramE.Cosmin In design business, custom samples must be paid work. If they want to see what you can, you show them samples of previous work. The same is in programming where clients sometimes ask me to make a demo app so that they see what I can do. Needless to say that I never fulfil such requests :)." CreationDate="2014-04-26T06:57:42.763" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2196" PostId="1787" Score="1" Text="possible duplicate of [Copyright on freelance work](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/1434/copyright-on-freelance-work)" CreationDate="2014-04-26T12:23:00.073" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="2197" PostId="1791" Score="0" Text="I thought he said they were in the same state (possibly same town) so that's why I said suing seems logical. Of course travelling to another country is not worth $100." CreationDate="2014-04-26T12:53:25.253" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2198" PostId="1762" Score="0" Text="It's too late now, but the lower rate can be made up for from a startup by asking for part compensation in stock (not options). You have to ask for enough, though. If they say the last round of funding made each worth 1 &quot;unit&quot; and you normally charge X units an hour, but have reduced that to X/2 units, you could ask for an additional 2X  or 3X units in stock (higher paper value, because it starts with basically 0 ability to pay the mortgage). It may become completely worthless, but at least there's potential for not just purely losing money versus other, higher cash paying jobs." CreationDate="2014-04-26T15:52:53.617" UserId="2741" />
  <row Id="2199" PostId="1791" Score="1" Text="Oh, I see it now.  Yeah, okay.  That's helpful.  But still, the time lost might not be worth the $100." CreationDate="2014-04-26T16:08:42.747" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="2200" PostId="1791" Score="0" Text="@codenoire - Yes, we are only about a 30 minute drive from each other. I do agree though, not sure if the time spent would actually be worth the money." CreationDate="2014-04-26T16:17:09.270" UserId="2731" />
  <row Id="2203" PostId="1791" Score="0" Text="@DevinYoung - for $100 better you look the other way around. Take right now from your pocket $100 and spend it wisely on some PR. It will be one hundred times better than pursuing a legal claim for $100." CreationDate="2014-04-26T22:46:11.957" UserId="2546" />
  <row Id="2204" PostId="1793" Score="0" Text="Sending repeatedly a reminder is a very good idea. +1 for your answer. I believe is the right answer to a situation like this one." CreationDate="2014-04-26T22:51:26.850" UserId="2546" />
  <row Id="2206" PostId="1791" Score="0" Text="If you take into account time spent and that $100 is not much, then it's really not worth of trouble. It's only if this clients got you mad and you want to learn him a lesson, only then I would spend my time suing him. PS. you may sue him for more than $100 I think for all time you spent dealing with him, instead of earning money. You'd have to check this with your local legal advisor, but if possible, I would sue him for what he owes him + all the costs his negligence caused me (time, driving costs, etc.)" CreationDate="2014-04-27T09:41:42.680" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2207" PostId="1762" Score="0" Text="@lilbyrdie Yes, that is an option as well. But most of us (freelancers) here, don't believe in such approach. I think we discussed this in multiple threads and concluded that in general you should not accept for share, but all such cases are left for each of us to think about it individually. I know there is next Facebook start-up around the corner, but there are also 10k start-ups that will fail in the first year." CreationDate="2014-04-27T09:44:00.900" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2208" PostId="1207" Score="0" Text="Hi @Phil. My reasons for not walking straight away were 1) he was a friend of a friend and seemed to want to pay (and later the fact that he was a FoaF made me think he wouldn't be that stupid to try a scam on me) but later still it was curiosity to see how it would play out and then, if possible, how to put a stop to him doing it again. I agree that in most cases walking away is the better option." CreationDate="2014-04-27T12:22:59.890" UserId="148" />
  <row Id="2209" PostId="1791" Score="0" Text="Peter MV, I get your point about suing.  But in small claims court you can only sue for actual damages - $100.00." CreationDate="2014-04-27T13:34:21.907" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="2210" PostId="1762" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV Oh, agreed, generally speaking. In the case of a friends &amp; family discount, though, it's one way to help yourself from straying to higher cash offers. It's one thing to break a cheap contract with someone you don't know well. It's another if they're a good friend. Business is business, though. If the startup failure rate is 90%, then you'd be mathematically sound in collecting 10:1 stock on any discounts given. (e.g. give a $25/hr discount and collect $250/hr in stock value to compensate for the discount. Taxes may make it not worthwhile and that level of conversion is unlikely.)" CreationDate="2014-04-28T12:36:11.700" UserId="2741" />
  <row Id="2211" PostId="1729" Score="0" Text="Even in the US &quot;labor,&quot; &quot;contracting,&quot; and &quot;exempt&quot; roles all have various laws surrounding them. Freelancing usually means you're your own employer and, generally, fully exempt from having to pay yourself overtime even if you do work for others on an hourly basis. If work is by job and not related to time, it's even less likely to trigger labor laws based on _when_ the work is performed. In my experience, those that hire contract work generally treat them like their own employees, expecting exempt-style work if that's the norm in their industry." CreationDate="2014-04-28T12:42:23.347" UserId="2741" />
  <row Id="2212" PostId="15" Score="0" Text="For me, fixed rate billing has failed more often than not. Sure, it's usually been the other side in &quot;breach&quot; (by having surprise tasks that they claimed were obvious, even though not listed, not having things in the claimed state of readiness, a landslide of tiny changes, etc.), but enforcing such things also takes a tremendous amount of effort. It does mean the faster you are and the higher durability of your results gives a discount rather than a premium, but you also then don't have to &quot;nickel and dime&quot; change orders. Compromise? Monthly rates." CreationDate="2014-04-28T12:53:37.203" UserId="2741" />
  <row Id="2213" PostId="1787" Score="0" Text="I read that, but it's talking specifically about development and programming, while I'm wondering about websites. The answer might be the same, but it isn't addressed in the linked question." CreationDate="2014-04-28T14:14:50.900" UserId="2693" />
  <row Id="2214" PostId="1729" Score="0" Text="I meant that you should use the laws as a basis for etiquette. There's a good reason why most countries don't cover freelancing - it would be unpopular when the work is voluntary. But expecting a contractor to do something which an employed person isn't legally allowed to do is unreasonable, and provides a strong argument for negotiating much higher pay. If you look carefully at the link in my answer, professionals are exempt from overtime pay in Malaysia, but you don't have to tell the client that ;)" CreationDate="2014-04-28T15:26:03.373" UserId="890" />
  <row Id="2215" PostId="1787" Score="0" Text="It really doesn't make a difference whether it's development or web design.  The crux of the matter is the fact that you are trying to figure out whether you are going to ***sell*** your work product (and relinquish copyright) or ***license*** it (and retain copyright)." CreationDate="2014-04-28T15:54:57.583" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="2222" PostId="1612" Score="0" Text="@Mihai Boisteanu Please can you provide me with a example?" CreationDate="2014-04-29T08:23:56.347" UserId="1754" />
  <row Id="2224" PostId="1635" Score="0" Text="When you say, **Tell them how will you solve the problem?** They aren't looking for problem solving, but having a website made for them using tools such as wordpress, magento, php etc. How do you get through them? Perhaps a example of a cover letter would be great?" CreationDate="2014-04-29T08:28:29.023" UserId="1754" />
  <row Id="2225" PostId="1612" Score="0" Text="I added an update to the answer. I hope this helps." CreationDate="2014-04-29T08:36:32.813" UserId="888" />
  <row Id="2226" PostId="1292" Score="0" Text="@codenoire can u give a example of good cover letter?" CreationDate="2014-04-29T08:37:59.147" UserId="1754" />
  <row Id="2227" PostId="1804" Score="0" Text="Also, am I the only one who finds title opposite to the question body?" CreationDate="2014-04-29T19:25:22.977" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2228" PostId="1807" Score="0" Text="an example would be great?" CreationDate="2014-04-29T19:34:00.823" UserId="1754" />
  <row Id="2229" PostId="1807" Score="0" Text="What example? Of how I would write a proposal?" CreationDate="2014-04-29T19:54:19.847" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2230" PostId="1807" Score="0" Text="yes a winning example of a proposal." CreationDate="2014-04-30T07:17:54.143" UserId="1754" />
  <row Id="2231" PostId="1807" Score="0" Text="I cannot do that, it's kind of a secret of a trade. But I already explained what my proposal consists. Also oDesk likes South Asia workers so if you're from India or Pakistan or other such countries, you should not fear that they will reject you because of your region and region-specific expressions in English language." CreationDate="2014-04-30T07:21:17.220" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2233" PostId="326" Score="0" Text="Both should be necessary while contacting to any client it is better to use both ways, initially you have to attract the client through the mail when you not got the response so you just call them as a feedback call. It will put better effect on them. At-least they will give you response." CreationDate="2014-04-25T07:29:47.663" UserId="2716" />
  <row Id="2234" PostId="326" Score="0" Text="Hi user, welcome to Freelancing.SE! This answer is quite low in quality, and really belongs as a comment. If you can expand on it to improve beyond the other answers, then feel free to post as a new answer. Thanks" CreationDate="2014-04-30T22:45:44.100" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2235" PostId="1811" Score="0" Text="Eh...you're not going to like the options. Now, I'm not a lawyer (full disclosure), but while it looks like you _can_ sue them, it may quickly become cost-prohibitive. At that point, you might just have to eat the cost if they continue not paying. For best results though, you should chat with a sort of international business lawyer." CreationDate="2014-05-01T21:40:59.803" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="2243" PostId="1821" Score="0" Text="Where are you based?" CreationDate="2014-05-05T09:58:28.063" UserId="43" />
  <row Id="2244" PostId="1821" Score="0" Text="US...no VAT for me" CreationDate="2014-05-05T10:55:13.980" UserId="2601" />
  <row Id="2245" PostId="1824" Score="0" Text="max. responding time in the agreement..does anyone really do this?" CreationDate="2014-05-05T19:50:30.967" UserDisplayName="user702" />
  <row Id="2247" PostId="1826" Score="0" Text="Someone downvoted without providing anything constructive regarding my comment. Please point out if anything about this was untrue." CreationDate="2014-05-06T16:12:12.727" UserId="2601" />
  <row Id="2248" PostId="1827" Score="0" Text="I like the sound of that, will investigate tonight. Am I able to save them to desktop too? Have to be able to upload them on various portals." CreationDate="2014-05-06T18:25:57.920" UserId="2601" />
  <row Id="2249" PostId="1826" Score="1" Text="I didn't down vote, but I'm curious... who says he's inept? Perhaps he's merely busy and okay with a project taking longer? It's very short-sighted to assume long response times mean &quot;inept&quot;. Most well-to-do clients I have are naturally slower then the smaller clients in responding. You could be cutting off your nose despite your face." CreationDate="2014-05-06T18:42:23.433" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="2250" PostId="1804" Score="1" Text="I just don't see how anyone could have a crystal ball and know in advance what a client specifically needs. You convey *your* skills and hope they fit the client needs." CreationDate="2014-05-06T18:43:44.410" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="2251" PostId="1826" Score="0" Text="I used inept and unprofessional interchangeably." CreationDate="2014-05-06T18:43:49.097" UserId="2601" />
  <row Id="2252" PostId="1826" Score="0" Text="They aren't interchangeable." CreationDate="2014-05-06T18:44:08.523" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="2253" PostId="1826" Score="0" Text="When my largest clients are without fail the fastest, they are." CreationDate="2014-05-06T18:45:01.113" UserId="2601" />
  <row Id="2254" PostId="1827" Score="0" Text="just checked. Yes, there is a 'download as PDF' option." CreationDate="2014-05-06T19:32:08.127" UserId="1278" />
  <row Id="2256" PostId="1827" Score="0" Text="After fiddling around with it (mostly figuring out how to remove the payment stub) I think it's exactly what I needed...thanks!" CreationDate="2014-05-07T01:59:09.800" UserId="2601" />
  <row Id="2257" PostId="1828" Score="0" Text="This is a great answer to this question and is a great example of what we're looking for on questions like this. As an aside, a good analogy for what you're talking about is &quot;walking over dollars to pick up pennies&quot;. Sometimes we avoid paying for something even when the net result is in our favor." CreationDate="2014-05-07T05:48:40.330" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="2258" PostId="1831" Score="0" Text="To those who have offered suggestuons, do any of them offer the ability to add custom fields to the premade templates? I have a client who requires things like the PO number and PO date as well." CreationDate="2014-05-07T14:35:31.390" UserId="2601" />
  <row Id="2259" PostId="1831" Score="0" Text="@emaltman, yes for Xero. You can also attach files to individual invoice if you wanted to include a digital copy of the PO." CreationDate="2014-05-07T15:13:27.460" UserId="2820" />
  <row Id="2260" PostId="1827" Score="0" Text="They also have automated reminders, so you don't have to write those awkward &quot;Please pay me&quot; emails. And the latest thing is the ability to ask for feedback after someone pays an invoice. Great way to get testimonials!" CreationDate="2014-05-07T16:01:31.193" UserId="2819" />
  <row Id="2262" PostId="1830" Score="0" Text="Hi Chris, welcome to Freelancing.SE! I removed the first link, as it was too &quot;spammy&quot; for the SE network. I also read your blog post, and it has some good information. Can you incorporate that information into your answer? It makes the answer stand out more, and gives more information to the reader. You can still link to your blog as the &quot;original source&quot; though and get traffic." CreationDate="2014-05-07T20:36:31.253" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2263" PostId="1830" Score="0" Text="No problem. It wasn't my intention to be spammy ;)" CreationDate="2014-05-08T11:16:47.197" UserId="2819" />
  <row Id="2269" PostId="1837" Score="1" Text="When was this software released? It looks like about 10 year ago or more :) Interface on screenshots doesn't look very modern" CreationDate="2014-05-09T10:50:06.753" UserId="2836" />
  <row Id="2273" PostId="1836" Score="3" Text="This question appears to be off-topic because it is about software recommendations, not Freelancing. Try softwarerecs.stackexchange.com" CreationDate="2014-05-09T16:45:29.210" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2274" PostId="1836" Score="2" Text="But in my opinion time tracking software is very important for freelancers who often have many clients and have to switch between tasks and need to know how much time they spend on their clients" CreationDate="2014-05-09T17:19:36.003" UserId="2836" />
  <row Id="2275" PostId="1836" Score="0" Text="My reasoning stems from [this](http://meta.freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/141/what-should-we-do-with-all-of-the-questions-asking-for-software) meta discussion specifically. Based on the answers, it does not look like it would be helpful to future visitors, let alone now (one answer specifies he doesn't run Windows anymore, so we don't know how effective that answer is). I'll reopen for now, but I'd prefer more community involvement for whether or not we allow these types of questions (asking for recommendations)." CreationDate="2014-05-09T17:24:30.057" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2278" PostId="1837" Score="0" Text="It has been around for ages. Yeah, the aesthetics may not look that modern, but the functionality is what you're after. I've found it a good fit for my brain and work style." CreationDate="2014-05-09T20:26:36.440" UserId="512" />
  <row Id="2279" PostId="1833" Score="3" Text="I think a key point that you get closest to here is that outsourcing implies responsibility.  Subcontracting is a project without autonomy.  People outsource things they don't want to do or cannot do as an organization.  People subcontract things that they can do, but would rather not." CreationDate="2014-05-09T22:58:21.460" UserId="2484" />
  <row Id="2281" PostId="1841" Score="0" Text="They once created those tests with latest technologies and then they don't care to update them. So, only thing you can do is use google for answers, learn old technologies, leave the test or make random guesses" CreationDate="2014-05-10T14:13:13.980" UserDisplayName="user702" />
  <row Id="2284" PostId="1843" Score="0" Text="possible duplicate of [How do I get my first job at a freelancing site?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/101/how-do-i-get-my-first-job-at-a-freelancing-site)" CreationDate="2014-05-11T12:55:08.660" UserDisplayName="user702" />
  <row Id="2285" PostId="1843" Score="0" Text="@VarunAgw Its not first, i have 900+ hours. Just new skills." CreationDate="2014-05-11T13:45:51.570" UserId="1754" />
  <row Id="2294" PostId="1846" Score="0" Text="Hi CodeNoire, can you please [edit] your answer to expand, explaining why this would be the ideal fit for the OP? Right now, it doesn't really tell me *what* it can do better than anything else listed here, so it seems to be very low in quality. Thanks" CreationDate="2014-05-12T22:41:46.787" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2295" PostId="1847" Score="2" Text="Hi bugloaf, welcome to Freelancing SE. I edited this down a bit to reword this to focus on an answerable question. As a Q&amp;A site, our goal isn't to dispense advice or poll for opinions but rather to get answers in Q&amp;A format. I'm not 100% sure this is on-topic here as it seems more like a question for the [Personal Productivity SE](http://productivity.stackexchange.com) site, but since it's borderline, we'll leave it here for now. Good luck." CreationDate="2014-05-13T04:07:55.093" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="2297" PostId="659" Score="1" Text="Also consider contractual responsibility.  Outsourcing, in my experience, has a greater responsibility than subcontracting.  Outsourcing agreements often have metrics and consequences for failure where subcontracting fits under existing management and organizational structure." CreationDate="2014-05-14T20:57:43.473" UserId="2484" />
  <row Id="2298" PostId="1853" Score="0" Text="I myself considered the possibility that they want to save money by bypassing the agency. This is a question that should be asked. Another reason can be the desire to build a stronger/stable/durable work relationship (which is possible only by loosing the middle man)." CreationDate="2014-05-14T21:40:49.377" UserId="2546" />
  <row Id="2299" PostId="1849" Score="1" Text="To add, I also work like Scott. It's hard as hell. But you have to stick to your hourly time no matter what. If your wife/parent/brother needs you for X hours in the morning (and you decided to work in mornings), then you have to work extra in the afternoon to compensate your time. No matter what, you have to stick to the schedule." CreationDate="2014-05-15T05:15:36.790" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2300" PostId="1857" Score="0" Text="We need to know your location, what you do, and what you have tried to research. For example, taxes in Canada are handled by the [CRA](http://cra.gc.ca) (Canada Revenue Agency). Every country is different." CreationDate="2014-05-15T16:32:38.677" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2304" PostId="1857" Score="0" Text="Yes, of course. I am based in London, England (UK) and I work predominantly as a data analyst / Excel expert producing bespoke systems and reports for a variety of clients." CreationDate="2014-05-15T18:42:18.623" UserId="2872" />
  <row Id="2305" PostId="1850" Score="1" Text="Amazing answer avram. Good way of putting emotion aside and getting a good look at what one is doing. In the past I was a freelancer and also got tainted to like working on private projects more. However if looking at them from the distance I could've spotted their uselessness earlier." CreationDate="2014-05-15T19:01:17.493" UserId="2881" />
  <row Id="2306" PostId="1813" Score="0" Text="DON'T proceed without a written contract specifying your rate, even if the hours will be flex.  You've been warned! :)" CreationDate="2014-05-16T14:59:38.493" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="2307" PostId="1859" Score="2" Text="I have no idea why someone voted to close, but I feel this is an important question! +1, and I hope you get your answer" CreationDate="2014-05-16T16:36:17.133" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2308" PostId="1859" Score="0" Text="Personally, I generally don't write the money spend as part of job as expenses. I simply calculate the net profit and write it." CreationDate="2014-05-16T20:11:21.567" UserDisplayName="user702" />
  <row Id="2309" PostId="1450" Score="0" Text="Client needs to know that on internet popularity is also of value that can't be just be created on demand but work for. If client's site is more valuable then it will come above the his, if not then it won't." CreationDate="2014-05-16T20:11:21.963" UserId="805" />
  <row Id="2313" PostId="1859" Score="0" Text="@VarunAgw I guess his financial report has a special Expenses field and he should not omit it." CreationDate="2014-05-17T14:36:41.997" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2314" PostId="1859" Score="0" Text="Snooker dude, what country you're in? EU or UK or USA? Or rest of the world?" CreationDate="2014-05-17T14:37:08.323" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2315" PostId="1863" Score="0" Text="i just checked they didn't seem to have portfolio but their reputation as the main point you know 90 reviews with 5 ratings" CreationDate="2014-05-17T19:38:44.633" UserId="805" />
  <row Id="2316" PostId="1863" Score="0" Text="Check odesk. They should have it." CreationDate="2014-05-17T20:23:16.583" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2317" PostId="1870" Score="4" Text="Good answer, and it's also worth emphasizing and making it clear that even &quot;bugs&quot; don't equate to free work.  All software has bugs." CreationDate="2014-05-19T19:35:58.623" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="2318" PostId="1870" Score="0" Text="Cannot add more to this. Just make sure you can really handle this free work and make sure your clients knows it's a favor." CreationDate="2014-05-19T19:43:09.163" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2319" PostId="1865" Score="0" Text="This is not offtopic? This seems to be a topic for Stackoverflow." CreationDate="2014-05-19T19:44:02.543" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2320" PostId="1865" Score="0" Text="&quot;I’m planning to build websites that do not have a CMS (Content Management System) to enable the user to update their content&quot; &lt;--- this doesn't make any sense.  The purpose of a CMS is for a non-technical user to be able to update content." CreationDate="2014-05-19T20:41:27.587" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="2321" PostId="1870" Score="0" Text="This is a good answer.  However, the question still remains for when another bug comes along in another 1-2 weeks, indefinitely.  Each bug generally means about 2 hours work to debug+fix." CreationDate="2014-05-19T23:18:05.307" UserId="1975" />
  <row Id="2322" PostId="1870" Score="0" Text="@Miro - That's why I was emphasizing the importance of saying &quot;Hey! I'll fix this bug for you because we've been through a lot and I really appreciate your business, but I want you to know it isn't a normal thing for me to fix bugs for free. So if you have more work for me in the form of bugs/adjustments/tweaks, we'll need to negotiate a price.&quot;" CreationDate="2014-05-20T03:15:25.773" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="2323" PostId="1870" Score="0" Text="i guess it depends on how serious the bug is, how related the bug is to the work you got paid for, but if it's easy i'd do it. But if not then i'd explain how it's not." CreationDate="2014-05-20T06:12:48.093" UserId="805" />
  <row Id="2324" PostId="1859" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV I am in London, England (UK)." CreationDate="2014-05-20T07:52:36.243" UserId="2872" />
  <row Id="2325" PostId="1869" Score="1" Text="&quot;He seemed to indicate that since it was a &quot;bug&quot;, it should be fixed even though we were not on a payment agreement anymore.&quot; You should tell him that this isn't true. Otoh, helping someone get through a rough period and aknowledgin that can yield a lot of future work, so I'd give him a free month." CreationDate="2014-05-20T08:10:49.860" UserId="2910" />
  <row Id="2326" PostId="1873" Score="3" Text="Hi Nofel, I edited your question to keep it more to the point. Asking questions that don't seem to help others is not really something that works well here, so I changed it to &quot;how do I determine if I should ...&quot;. This should help more visitors, and also get some better quality answers. Good luck!" CreationDate="2014-05-20T16:01:27.740" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2328" PostId="1876" Score="0" Text="This might change in future though. Most sites do work like presentation of all that's happening in the backend. But with single page sites that are more like apps client side logic is becoming deep and this is where angularjs and similar stuff comes in. There is no way a back end developer can be good at back end and also master stuff like animation, responsive design, MCV frameworks, html5 apis client side apis..However i take your point that if i am doing front end then i can't be just front end developer for now." CreationDate="2014-05-20T19:11:43.490" UserId="805" />
  <row Id="2329" PostId="1876" Score="0" Text="Single page sites are created by designers, design studios, and agencies. I have yet to see a one single-page web site which was **not** for a designer or design firm itself. Other businesses, in general, don't use single page designs." CreationDate="2014-05-20T19:18:02.750" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="2330" PostId="1877" Score="1" Text="&quot;I highly doubt they'll be any issues...&quot;  Famous last words. Even the best of friends can have falling outs. And I don't know about UK laws, but in the US.. if you've made more than a few hundred dollars you must file taxes. You may not have to pay taxes, but they still must be filed. And you can't open a back account as a business without business structure paperwork." CreationDate="2014-05-21T07:03:21.290" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="2331" PostId="1877" Score="0" Text="I know I know, I stuck that in there as a &quot;I understand this, no need to pull me up on it&quot; :)" CreationDate="2014-05-21T11:34:41.857" UserId="2917" />
  <row Id="2332" PostId="1882" Score="0" Text="Only done this for donations: bill the full amount, then as a separate transaction, I would donate the earnings back. I don't know how it would be done in this situation though." CreationDate="2014-05-22T15:48:31.607" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2333" PostId="1884" Score="0" Text="Thank you for such detailed response. Regarding your questions, No contract does not specify any domain partner statement and I know this. The other two questions are cleared in contract though. Yes he is citizen there and belongs to there. I think I should do this now. I have time and I hope this all goes well. I also have in mind that contract is not fully secure type of thing in this partnership. The big thing which attracts me is the guy has always been good to me. I know him from last few years. So I think this thing worth a chance." CreationDate="2014-05-22T17:06:44.583" UserId="2933" />
  <row Id="2334" PostId="1884" Score="0" Text="As long you understand the possible negative things that can happen, everything will go well. Many times in life you have to take risks. Without them, you will always loose. The most important part is that you have the time and resources to invest. In this case, the risk you take diminishes exponentially. Also, remember that he always was good to you because you were an associate. When you become a partner, the relationship gets more complicated." CreationDate="2014-05-22T18:14:19.687" UserId="2546" />
  <row Id="2335" PostId="1876" Score="0" Text="Can someone who is just a Graphic Designer with some css skills or back end developer with some javascript skills...can make a site that all ajax based, utilizes html5 apis such as speech to text, touch api, offline, history, websockets, webrtc apis...If sites need to be fast then ajax is the way to go. However, you are right in saying that you haven't seen it..because i also think most business don't need cutting edge with all html apis in them. Normal, easy to maintain, and small website is what most businesses need." CreationDate="2014-05-22T18:35:38.943" UserId="805" />
  <row Id="2336" PostId="1876" Score="0" Text="In fact, i can't even justify the need of whole website for small businesses they are better off with facebook page only." CreationDate="2014-05-22T18:35:56.470" UserId="805" />
  <row Id="2337" PostId="1885" Score="1" Text="i love this question" CreationDate="2014-05-22T19:12:12.993" UserId="805" />
  <row Id="2338" PostId="1885" Score="0" Text="Can you explain more what consulting means? Also what is your field of expertise?" CreationDate="2014-05-22T20:02:20.200" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2340" PostId="1885" Score="0" Text="Software development. By consulting I mean independent contracting of any type. I know there is probably a subtle difference between the two, but I don't think it's necessarily relevant to this question." CreationDate="2014-05-22T20:27:34.420" UserId="2937" />
  <row Id="2341" PostId="1888" Score="0" Text="If it weren't for personal use, would your answer be different? Let's say, for instance, the client offered me free hosting for a year? Thanks." CreationDate="2014-05-23T01:13:54.107" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="2342" PostId="1889" Score="0" Text="Yes, I understand this; however, my question focuses more on general expenses which aren't specific to any one client - do I still have to calculate and then deduct the amount of energy, etc., that I use at my home office during the period that I am with the client?  I am not asking if I should bill my client for the amount of expenses incurred.&#xA;&#xA;I will also update my question to make it a little clearer.  Also, any references you have for your answer would be wonderful to take a look at if you would kindly provide them.  Many thanks." CreationDate="2014-05-23T08:10:49.827" UserId="2872" />
  <row Id="2343" PostId="1881" Score="0" Text="You make a very good point indeed; even though this makes perfect sense, I am still unfortunately nonethewiser!" CreationDate="2014-05-23T08:24:59.863" UserId="2872" />
  <row Id="2344" PostId="1836" Score="0" Text="I made a chrome extension that reminds me after x minutes that x minutes have passed, and can be reset. This extension runs in background so it's still open when no chrome browser is open. I think i will work on it more so i can include statistics and stuff. I made it so it reminds to take time off computer after every x minutes to do some walking and some squats. I have set it to 25 mins. and then take 4 mins off. This all equals Better Mood, Increased focus, and Reminder that time passed. If you want it i could give it to you.." CreationDate="2014-05-23T23:17:59.990" UserId="805" />
  <row Id="2345" PostId="1889" Score="0" Text="I would say no just because the amount of effort it would take to determine that properly. I would say pick a base price that gives you enough work/pay and just stick to that. Talk to them about mileage/lodging/whatever before you sign anything, but electricity should just be included in your base price." CreationDate="2014-05-24T05:16:38.957" UserId="336" />
  <row Id="2347" PostId="1879" Score="0" Text="i think you should add them because if it wasn't for this job you most likely be doing it in  your home office. Think of as company requesting you to work at different office for a while for xyz reason ( renovation, proximity to important client )...does this mean that their main office stop being a legitimate expense. Now if you stay away for like 2 months then i'd say yes after that reconsider. Not a legal advice though :D" CreationDate="2014-05-24T16:05:26.597" UserId="805" />
  <row Id="2348" PostId="1889" Score="1" Text="i think he's talking about taxes" CreationDate="2014-05-24T16:06:55.520" UserId="805" />
  <row Id="2349" PostId="1898" Score="0" Text="You might not get the answer you're looking for because your risks will be different from another person's. I'm not sure you're going to get anything more credible than what you've already calculated." CreationDate="2014-05-24T17:42:03.833" UserId="336" />
  <row Id="2351" PostId="1897" Score="1" Text="I would just like to add, when I was a subcontractor, I've **always** had to sign a non-compete agreement, that made sure I couldn't make contact to the client in regards to ANY other work for either 6 months, or a year, after the project was completed" CreationDate="2014-05-25T08:16:19.487" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2353" PostId="1897" Score="1" Text="When you outsource to foreign country such agreement does not mean anything. It's much better to find a good and honest team." CreationDate="2014-05-25T08:25:45.177" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2354" PostId="1898" Score="1" Text="@EddPurcell: That might be true, but even if the value and the circumstances differ, I have at least something to compare my value to, right now I have nothing. And if I know about the circumstance(s) of other value(s) I could derive from them for comparison. Actually, a range would be fine, too." CreationDate="2014-05-25T11:31:30.270" UserId="2946" />
  <row Id="2355" PostId="1902" Score="2" Text="It's irrisponsible stating that he's being scammed when he shared so little information. Also 3 month of programming experience does not make you an expert at all. I've been programming for 14 years and I would not dare to be so determined." CreationDate="2014-05-26T05:55:23.803" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2356" PostId="1901" Score="0" Text="I also know a PHP guy who charges $50 per hour (not US, UK, Canada, or other western country citizen). If I develop a professional PHP app where I will invest like $10k or more and which has to earn money back to me, I'd rather go with him that with any $15 guy. Yet again, you may be right about digital agency." CreationDate="2014-05-26T06:13:16.077" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2359" PostId="1902" Score="0" Text="It seems i displaced my english or confused the phrase &quot;short of&quot;, since i what i meant was that this thing looked really fishy but that he should provide us some more details about it. - I will edit my answer to avoid the mistake." CreationDate="2014-05-26T19:07:17.093" UserId="2303" />
  <row Id="2363" PostId="1903" Score="0" Text="Practically, thats a good point and also the way I do it now more or less. But it´s not just about justifying my price, as I have a business informatics background, I´m used to calculate and quantify things all the time - so I definitely want to have it that way with my price as good as possible." CreationDate="2014-05-26T19:37:10.593" UserId="2946" />
  <row Id="2366" PostId="1908" Score="0" Text="Odesk, Elance, local German forums, local German IT companies,..." CreationDate="2014-05-26T20:25:25.527" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2367" PostId="1915" Score="0" Text="Yup.  Sounds also like you're going to want to try to move away from an hours-based billing for this client.  Try fixed price instead with some kind of elastic coverage for scope creep and revisions." CreationDate="2014-05-26T21:10:27.560" UserId="2484" />
  <row Id="2370" PostId="1903" Score="0" Text="There will always be those intangible things that you do for a client.  Some won't involve any &quot;work&quot; at all, but merely suggestions.  I'm sure you've had an exchange where a client asks you about, oh, virus scanning software when that's not related to what you do.  You might make a good recommendation.  Do you charge? *Maybe*.  We (developers) don't want to be seen like the attorneys so you have to find a balance that doesn't always leave you in the position of disadvantage." CreationDate="2014-05-26T22:04:40.003" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="2372" PostId="1908" Score="0" Text="Do Odesk or Elance provide any dedicated functions for finding partners? I know them as services for finding customers only.&#xA;&#xA;Can you recommend any website especially for searching a partner in engineering?" CreationDate="2014-05-27T11:19:54.550" UserId="2958" />
  <row Id="2378" PostId="1922" Score="0" Text="Thank you JT. I'm the only guy in this project so during Skype I also work." CreationDate="2014-05-28T05:06:07.417" UserId="2978" />
  <row Id="2379" PostId="1923" Score="1" Text="Thanks for your answer. I'm already track Skype calls in my project tasks as a separate article but thank you for the suggestion. As I mention in my previous comment, I'm the only guy involved in this project so no, it is not a manager role." CreationDate="2014-05-28T05:07:25.337" UserId="2978" />
  <row Id="2383" PostId="1926" Score="0" Text="Hi Jonathan, welcome to Freelancing.SE! I see that there's an answer below (from Avonelle) that also describes using Quicken; is this different from QuickBooks? If so, merging answers would be appropriate, but if they are separate products altogether, let me know and I'll remove this comment. Thanks!" CreationDate="2014-05-28T16:08:59.137" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2384" PostId="1927" Score="2" Text="Sorry, but this is asking for speculation, which is not suitable for our sites." CreationDate="2014-05-28T16:16:54.463" UserId="184" />
  <row Id="2385" PostId="1927" Score="1" Text="@Oded Actually, this is not speculation cause there are concrete reasons for that." CreationDate="2014-05-28T19:39:35.370" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2386" PostId="1927" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV - be that as it may, the question is open-ended. There were several close reasons I could have chosen." CreationDate="2014-05-28T19:40:30.610" UserId="184" />
  <row Id="2387" PostId="1927" Score="1" Text="Many projects are closed or cancelled due to some of these reasons: client did not still choose the right guy (not urgent project), miscalculation of costs, client's client cancelled the project, client is unable to find a contractor that matches his budget or experience he seeks. A very few of these projects are ones created by other contractors who try to see how much would someone else charge for such project. If you read our topics, you will see why it's stupid idea to open such projects and to rely on other's estimation." CreationDate="2014-05-28T19:42:14.217" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2388" PostId="1927" Score="0" Text="@Oded I was referring to the fact that there are indeed concrete reasons why many projects are closed or cancelled. I listed the main reasons. Very concrete ones." CreationDate="2014-05-28T19:43:05.413" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2390" PostId="1876" Score="0" Text="I like your answer as it does represent reality of now plus at least five years very clearly." CreationDate="2014-05-29T03:29:53.850" UserId="805" />
  <row Id="2393" PostId="1908" Score="0" Text="Finding a business partner is a not easy. Sometimes its just coincident. I too look for partnership in the domain of embedded electronics and software developments. All you have to do is engage in social forums. Find a guy talk to him, make a relation, if you think he is perfect then talk business." CreationDate="2014-05-29T06:42:02.133" UserId="3004" />
  <row Id="2398" PostId="1936" Score="0" Text="isn't php back end" CreationDate="2014-05-30T21:48:03.680" UserId="805" />
  <row Id="2400" PostId="1883" Score="0" Text="Hello and welcome to Freelancing SE. I focused this a bit more on how to evaluate this idea, as answering whether you should or should not do this isn't really something we can answer. Since the accepted answer addresses the issue from this angle, I made the edits on your behalf to keep the question open. Hope this helps." CreationDate="2014-05-31T03:08:42.603" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="2401" PostId="1936" Score="0" Text="I think that even if you are front end web developer you should be able to write code in PHP. I think that this is good for your future. but everyone thinks in a different way. May be some people will not agree with me." CreationDate="2014-05-31T07:05:04.540" UserDisplayName="user3016" />
  <row Id="2404" PostId="1936" Score="0" Text="i guess it comes down to how good you are in graphic design..if you are average you really should be able to get some php." CreationDate="2014-05-31T17:55:04.800" UserId="805" />
  <row Id="2405" PostId="1897" Score="0" Text="Canadian luke how could one enforce that contract or even find out it was being violated...in USA or outside." CreationDate="2014-06-01T02:57:13.447" UserId="805" />
  <row Id="2406" PostId="1936" Score="0" Text="Hi there, welcome to Freelancing.SE! Can you [edit] your answer to include more information? We are still in Beta, and need long, well-drawn out and detailed answers in order to survive. Short one-liners may be deleted if they do not meet the quality standards in the [help] area. Thanks" CreationDate="2014-06-01T04:56:57.250" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2409" PostId="1938" Score="0" Text="This doesn't provide a valid answer to the question. The OP has specifically mentioned that he cannot use a CMS solution." CreationDate="2014-06-01T05:07:41.367" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2410" PostId="1837" Score="0" Text="Evan, can you edit this to expand on how this addresses the question?  Short, one line answers are the main reason why we as a community generally close these types of questions as off-topic. Thanks for helping to possibly avoid that here. See [Anton's answer above](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/a/1894/64)." CreationDate="2014-06-01T15:54:17.520" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="2411" PostId="1927" Score="1" Text="Hey @PeterMV, if you feel strongly about this post, consider starting a [meta] discussion. It's possible we as a community could either get reopen support, or find ways to edit the post. Hope this helps." CreationDate="2014-06-01T16:01:08.467" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="2412" PostId="1945" Score="0" Text="Hello user and welcome to Freelancing SE. Our site works best for questions about real, actual problems you're facing as a freelancer. Questions that only serve to build lists of things are tough to vet with voting, as it's tough to tell what the best answers are. Please see [Good Subjective, Bad Subjective](http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/09/good-subjective-bad-subjective/) for more details. Good luck!" CreationDate="2014-06-03T14:20:24.150" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="2417" PostId="1953" Score="1" Text="What is wrong with odesk/elance by-country filters?" CreationDate="2014-06-05T05:11:52.707" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2418" PostId="1956" Score="0" Text="Are you willing to risk? If yes, then go ahead. If not, tell him that you offer no free work. If he cannot find money for making project design specs, can you really expect he will get more money?!" CreationDate="2014-06-05T16:24:11.907" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2419" PostId="1964" Score="0" Text="This seems very legal-ese. I don't know how well a freelancer could answer, but I will leave it open to get some answers. I honestly feel only a lawyer could answer with any authority, and we would still need to know the country/state that you reside in." CreationDate="2014-06-08T05:31:11.883" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2420" PostId="1966" Score="2" Text="Hey can you try splitting your question in smaller paragraph. And if possible trim out less important details. It is very hard for everyone (atleast me) to read your very long paragraph. http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/posts/1966/edit" CreationDate="2014-06-08T08:18:45.520" UserDisplayName="user702" />
  <row Id="2421" PostId="1965" Score="0" Text="Thanks Anton, you are right. I did a follow up and at the end for the work week and they still needed some time. In the beginning of the conversation, they owner said they were swamped." CreationDate="2014-06-08T21:48:41.947" UserId="2964" />
  <row Id="2422" PostId="1968" Score="0" Text="you could stay in direct contact with outsourced designer multiple times a day. He would be like your distant employee." CreationDate="2014-06-08T23:14:57.023" UserId="805" />
  <row Id="2423" PostId="1968" Score="0" Text="You are right Muhammad Umer, but I am referring to being in that moment in person with a client and getting a direct question to which you don't have the answer to, because you didn't do the work. People are savvy at explanations, but I know I personally would rather be straight forward. I am not implying that people who outsource do lie but I am saying there are those that do. My apologies, I digress..." CreationDate="2014-06-08T23:50:55.663" UserId="2964" />
  <row Id="2424" PostId="1968" Score="0" Text="no i think you make a valid point, it's just i thought my communication medium would be email.." CreationDate="2014-06-08T23:54:32.917" UserId="805" />
  <row Id="2425" PostId="1969" Score="0" Text="What are you asking? Can you broad the question? It is not clear where you need help at." CreationDate="2014-06-09T06:04:15.640" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2426" PostId="1966" Score="0" Text="Browse top topics to see how we estimate hourly price. Or browse sites like odesk and elance and see how much designers from your area charge." CreationDate="2014-06-09T06:10:19.353" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2427" PostId="1969" Score="0" Text="Didn't mean to be vague. I was just wondering if there were any legal caveats I should be mindful of if I get this project? I suppose I would be working out some kind of written agreement with both clients and previous designer." CreationDate="2014-06-09T12:28:02.327" UserId="2964" />
  <row Id="2428" PostId="1966" Score="0" Text="Simply reading the last paragraph (with the actual questions), there is no way for anyone here to answer any of those. You're employed.... you need to discuss what you want with your employer. You could as easily ask for $15/hr as you would $500/hr. No one here can price *your* time." CreationDate="2014-06-09T16:01:13.110" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="2431" PostId="1972" Score="0" Text="I had thought of another solution, which was to create a section/sub-domain on your own website which includes templates of styles and layouts that you could use to better clarify and show your clients. It is something i have been working on myself but haven't utilized yet." CreationDate="2014-06-10T18:29:57.680" UserId="2964" />
  <row Id="2432" PostId="1972" Score="0" Text="That is a terrific idea. I'm leaning towards putting together quick designs using HTML/CSS. Somewhat similar in concept to the ideas presented here: https://signalvnoise.com/posts/1061-why-we-skip-photoshop" CreationDate="2014-06-10T20:17:49.167" UserId="1711" />
  <row Id="2433" PostId="1953" Score="0" Text="I am looking for an oDesk / Elance type site that is primarily focused on the UK market. Some advantages for such a site would be a. all or most of the jobs are UK based so that you can actually get to meet your client face-to-face if needed b. not having to try to complete with ridiculously low bids e.g. $5 USD per hour from software developers living in developing countries with weak currencies c. Have a large database of primarily UK based freelance jobs to choose from (where although local to the UK, working remotely is OK for the majority of the time) etc. etc." CreationDate="2014-06-10T20:40:52.830" UserId="3055" />
  <row Id="2434" PostId="1953" Score="0" Text="The best scenario for such a site would be that all clients and freelancers would need to be UK based." CreationDate="2014-06-10T20:45:11.090" UserId="3055" />
  <row Id="2435" PostId="1972" Score="1" Text="That was a pretty interesting article!" CreationDate="2014-06-10T22:15:32.253" UserId="2964" />
  <row Id="2436" PostId="1953" Score="0" Text="You can then go to elance and find jobs filtered by Country. You can filter by UK and you will get a list of UK clients who posted the job there. I am not sure if such exists on odesk" CreationDate="2014-06-11T06:26:22.113" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2437" PostId="1976" Score="0" Text="Exactly. My point is - when I open every day pretty soon every day starts to look like swiss cheese. An hour of work, a 'maybe' call, 2 hours of work, 45 minute chat and so on. Pretty soon I see it impacting my productivity." CreationDate="2014-06-11T08:02:32.373" UserId="4085" />
  <row Id="2438" PostId="1976" Score="0" Text="Any call or chat concerning the project is paid time. You are not losing money if you are charging this. Only you can lose is concentration or productive idea." CreationDate="2014-06-11T08:12:44.693" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2439" PostId="1976" Score="0" Text="Well - isn't that a loss? On a fixed value project that's a problem" CreationDate="2014-06-11T08:43:16.763" UserId="4085" />
  <row Id="2440" PostId="1976" Score="0" Text="You must calculate this cost (Project discussions and random discussions) in the fixed-price as well. Either set it as fixed price per project or add some percentage to the project." CreationDate="2014-06-11T10:12:33.790" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2441" PostId="1982" Score="2" Text="Not always. There are many companies which do not want to disclose too much details about their employees, current or ex ones." CreationDate="2014-06-11T16:00:21.943" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2442" PostId="1966" Score="1" Text="Your employer is try to pimp you.  Be VERY careful about going 1099 or being paid only for designs that sell (also known as SPEC work).  It's not difficult to sell yourself short.  And the employer saves a ton of money.  That change is NOT necessarily to your benefit, so you may have to learn to stand your ground.  http://www.nospec.com/" CreationDate="2014-06-11T21:27:42.473" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="2443" PostId="1958" Score="0" Text="Great response.  Also, sometimes if there is a big-money effort, you want to PROVE that the end-customer actually has money to pay you.  That might mean getting a certified document from that organization's CPA." CreationDate="2014-06-11T22:15:24.567" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="2445" PostId="1982" Score="0" Text="It's also a good idea to expand in your answer with facts, references, and perhaps experiences that happened to you personally. You're making assumptions and guesses about what someone might do without anything to back this up. See [answer] and [the back it up rule](http://meta.freelancing.stackexchange.com/q/55/64) for more guidance on how you might improve this post. Hope this helps." CreationDate="2014-06-13T06:16:55.403" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="2448" PostId="1908" Score="0" Text="@Silicomancer Well being partner is a matter of interest. So if a freelancer find your idea lucrative and thinks he can contribute to it, then you will find a partner. So try publishing a job post saying you need a partner and make sure you clearly wrote that you want (a)Partner only and (b)From Germany only. Good luck!" CreationDate="2014-06-14T07:01:11.320" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2449" PostId="1086" Score="1" Text="The guys who are doing really cheap work are building crap. You can't afford to sell quality service for pennies. You'll get business if you target quality companies, with quality (great) service, for a premium price. People are willing to pay for it if they realize how good it is. You have to stress that it costs more because it's top notch. Sometimes, charging too little can actually lose you the job. It's crazy, but I find that it works that way quite often." CreationDate="2014-06-14T07:18:19.140" UserDisplayName="user4118" />
  <row Id="2451" PostId="1943" Score="0" Text="Hello, this doesn't really explain how to deal with clients who come back and challenge your estimates. On Stack Exchange, we're looking for answers that not only answer the question but also are backed with facts and references. Please consider an [edit] to address the question as per [answer]. Good luck!" CreationDate="2014-06-15T02:45:47.047" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="2453" PostId="1966" Score="0" Text="I edited this a bit to fix the spelling, grammar, and run-on sentences, but I also modified the question to focus on the *how*. On Freelancing SE, focusing on exact dollar amounts isn't something we can help with since it depends on your market and its current state, but we can help you determine how to calculate these things." CreationDate="2014-06-15T20:15:00.910" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="2454" PostId="1976" Score="0" Text="It's not uncommon for a fixed-price contract to include X hours for calls/meetings, and everything beyond that to be charged hourly." CreationDate="2014-06-16T01:14:26.623" UserId="4122" />
  <row Id="2458" PostId="1984" Score="0" Text="Can you tell me more about this? Your reply is interesting." CreationDate="2014-06-16T15:28:21.410" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2459" PostId="1996" Score="0" Text="Hi @tnorthcutt, welcome to Freelancing.SE! How does this project help the OP? Can you describe why it is the answer to the OP's prayers? This answer is currently very low in quality, and risks being deleted. Please [edit] it to expand on it. Thanks" CreationDate="2014-06-16T17:01:05.980" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2460" PostId="1984" Score="0" Text="I didn't go into detail but my rationale is identical to the answer here by bkh." CreationDate="2014-06-16T18:45:13.423" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="2462" PostId="2003" Score="0" Text="The client suggested what I'm wanting to put into a contract as a means of securing a price on nearly *half* of what the job would go for normally  via a freelancer (this would likely be an 6-8K job for a dev team, priced at 2K on the terms that I could resell the software to other agents). I should mention, this is a situation where the agents that the software will be resold / licensed to are in control of specific areas and do not compete." CreationDate="2014-06-16T23:47:40.097" UserDisplayName="user4118" />
  <row Id="2463" PostId="2006" Score="0" Text="Can you define what it means to be 1099?" CreationDate="2014-06-17T15:20:50.117" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2464" PostId="2006" Score="2" Text="What the client interprets as a &quot;bug&quot; is often more of a maintenance item.  Especially when a &quot;bug&quot; for him is anything that doesn't work as currently expected, whether it was designed that way, implemented that way, or because unexpected data comes to the system.  The last being important, in that it works great in all expected cases when it was created, until something unexpected arrives outside the original scope later in time." CreationDate="2014-06-17T15:35:41.793" UserId="1975" />
  <row Id="2465" PostId="2006" Score="1" Text="@Canadian - 1099 Applies in US, although I imagine other countries have similar. From [Wiki] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Form_1099#1099_series) : &quot;Form 1099 series is used to report various types of income other than wages, salaries, and tips (for which Form W-2 is used instead). Examples of reportable transactions are amounts paid to a non-corporate independent contractor for services (in IRS terminology, such payments are nonemployee compensation). The ubiquity of the form has also led to use of the phrase &quot;1099&quot; to refer to the independent contractors themselves&quot;." CreationDate="2014-06-17T15:38:47.907" UserId="4133" />
  <row Id="2466" PostId="2006" Score="0" Text="@Miro there is a huge difference between a bug and a change. Depending on how the &quot;unexpected data&quot; got into the system, it could be either. Was the &quot;unexpected data&quot; entered and accepted through your interface (probable bug due to lack of data validation before acceptance) or by an external source (possible bug because you didn't perform error checking before continuing or possible change because the data was never supposed to be entered external to your program). True bugs in your code should be fixed without charge." CreationDate="2014-06-17T15:53:51.120" UserId="4133" />
  <row Id="2467" PostId="2005" Score="0" Text="Which jurisdiction? US? EU? multi-jurisdiction? Where are you, the client and the userbase located?" CreationDate="2014-06-17T18:51:57.683" UserId="208" />
  <row Id="2468" PostId="2005" Score="0" Text="@smci: All in the US." CreationDate="2014-06-17T18:52:38.317" UserId="52" />
  <row Id="2469" PostId="2005" Score="0" Text="What if someone outside the US buys it/downloads it? Canada? EU? Japan?" CreationDate="2014-06-17T19:31:57.160" UserId="208" />
  <row Id="2470" PostId="2005" Score="0" Text="@smci: Good point. It is possible, albeit uncommon, for someone from practically any jurisdiction to buy the software." CreationDate="2014-06-17T19:35:17.577" UserId="52" />
  <row Id="2472" PostId="2021" Score="0" Text="I completely disagree. How does the client even know what types of website exist? what is time-space? As the dev, _you_ give the price and if the client can't meet it, then see which features can be removed. The client cannot predict the future, and every client thinks from the beginning that he will be the next Google." CreationDate="2014-06-19T06:07:30.830" UserId="4163" />
  <row Id="2474" PostId="1993" Score="1" Text="I read that you're in the USA.  But stackexchange is a global site, users should be aware that law (especially on software) is different in different countries (or even states).&#xA;&#xA;In France, for example, by default software (even specifically for a paying client, even with a contract) fully belongs to writer.  Client only has the right to use it for the business discussed at the time and safety backups, nothing more.  But I am not a lawyer, so don't trust this comment, and furthermore this is a question in itself, so it shouldn't be discussed as part of the question above." CreationDate="2014-06-19T07:26:47.393" UserId="4164" />
  <row Id="2475" PostId="2021" Score="0" Text="@dotancohen Obviously he requires a loan of Spacetime continuum from a prospective client as a retainer before commencing on a project and he wants to know how much they're willing to provide.  I'm not sure how that would be accomplished, so on the surface it may seem to be somewhat of an extreme request, but as they say: &quot;you get what you pay for&quot;." CreationDate="2014-06-19T14:57:27.053" UserId="4170" />
  <row Id="2476" PostId="1827" Score="0" Text="@emaltman You can do line items on each invoice, each with a description and cost. When you have received payment, you can enter payment and then archive the invoice. FreshBooks really beats doing it manually, as I used to." CreationDate="2014-06-20T02:32:58.603" UserId="1524" />
  <row Id="2479" PostId="2030" Score="0" Text="This is off topic, but is that done often for a medium/small-ish job, having a lawyer write a contract? It seems like that might cost about $400-$500 USD" CreationDate="2014-06-21T03:35:54.013" UserDisplayName="user4118" />
  <row Id="2480" PostId="2030" Score="0" Text="That's something that I've been wondering about; Template contracts would seem ineffective, not being tailored for the job and precise situation, but having a lawyer write one might cost over 10% of a small job's value." CreationDate="2014-06-21T03:39:43.283" UserDisplayName="user4118" />
  <row Id="2481" PostId="1869" Score="0" Text="You didn't answer me on: *&quot;You need to decide if client's financial woes are temporary, or if the client is going down the plughole (bankruptcy/repossession/liens/lawsuits). Did the client pay your last invoices?&quot;*" CreationDate="2014-06-21T05:09:28.243" UserId="208" />
  <row Id="2482" PostId="2032" Score="0" Text="Does it matter that the discounts are for personal use, not something that my consulting business would use?" CreationDate="2014-06-22T05:36:31.770" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="2483" PostId="2032" Score="1" Text="Well, in that case I believe they are separate. The same way your business can't pay for your groceries directly - you can't accept a personal discount on behalf of the business. Therefore the business has nothing to do with the discount they are offering. It would equate to a &quot;kickback&quot;. Imagine if you had an employee in the same position.. what would you advise? Would the business lower an invoice so your employee could get a personal discount somewhere?" CreationDate="2014-06-22T05:44:34.140" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="2484" PostId="2032" Score="0" Text="Pay for the discounted service they are offering out of your pocket.... leave the business out of it, would be my advice." CreationDate="2014-06-22T05:46:26.447" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="2485" PostId="2032" Score="0" Text="The other option, is the business accepts the discounted service and pays for it.. then you pay the business for the service." CreationDate="2014-06-22T05:49:10.580" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="2486" PostId="2032" Score="0" Text="If you put that up voted comment in your answer, I'll mark it as the accepted answer. That definitely sounds logical/reasonable." CreationDate="2014-06-22T05:58:08.697" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="2487" PostId="1869" Score="0" Text="The client's financial woe's are indefinite, but temporary, and no he has not paid has final invoice yet.  I've suspended work, and been polite with the reminders giving him some slack for the moment." CreationDate="2014-06-22T11:14:55.233" UserId="1975" />
  <row Id="2488" PostId="2002" Score="0" Text="Have you ever had clients ask to speak to the clients you developed for? Would you tell the clients these were projects you did yourself, not for a client, or would you only say something if they ask?" CreationDate="2014-06-22T22:27:02.993" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="2490" PostId="2002" Score="1" Text="I have yet to have a client ask to see a portfolio (I don't do web site coding anymore). But as with any task, never lie to the client, and say you did it for your own learning sake. If they want to talk to a client I did work for, I'd take their information, go to my existing client, and ask them permission to give out their information" CreationDate="2014-06-23T01:23:19.243" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2491" PostId="2002" Score="0" Text="Good point about talking to the client first before giving out contact info!" CreationDate="2014-06-23T02:02:46.473" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="2505" PostId="2039" Score="0" Text="I'm not sure I follow the full story here. Are you the freelancer? Or the client?" CreationDate="2014-06-24T21:41:26.980" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2506" PostId="1993" Score="2" Text="It's not too late, and the client should not be upset from your request if he is good client." CreationDate="2014-06-15T20:27:12.670" UserId="4124" />
  <row Id="2507" PostId="2039" Score="0" Text="I am the repairman. Client happens to be an old friend, however I'm intrested to know how this is handled 'in the real world'. Is this where the &quot;cost to show up' covers your time for inspection leading to &quot;sry we can't fix that, so I'am only going to chagre you...&quot;" CreationDate="2014-06-24T21:59:27.703" UserId="4199" />
  <row Id="2508" PostId="2042" Score="1" Text="Downvote? Anyone willing to explain why?" CreationDate="2014-06-25T08:39:38.527" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2509" PostId="2042" Score="2" Text="I'd say a man day is the length of a working day as defined in your contract..." CreationDate="2014-06-25T08:50:06.307" UserId="184" />
  <row Id="2510" PostId="2042" Score="1" Text="@Oded Many other and myself calculate it as 8 work hours. How many hours do you calculate for your work day?" CreationDate="2014-06-25T08:52:22.320" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2511" PostId="2042" Score="1" Text="I used to go with 7.5-8 hours a day. I've heard of 6 hours at creative agencies, but that was how they billed their customers..." CreationDate="2014-06-25T08:56:45.473" UserId="184" />
  <row Id="2512" PostId="2042" Score="1" Text="@oded - if it's a purely freelance project, you may not have standard working hours defined in the contract, unless you add that in yourself." CreationDate="2014-06-25T09:06:25.660" UserId="43" />
  <row Id="2513" PostId="1976" Score="0" Text="I'm rather trying to bring order and have time to work instead of just billing for that :)" CreationDate="2014-06-25T09:25:27.907" UserId="4085" />
  <row Id="2517" PostId="1976" Score="0" Text="@mdomans Then separate important calls from unimportant. Definitely set your time for chat and stick to it. And you can also go offline on messaging services when you work. Many people do this." CreationDate="2014-06-25T15:13:56.750" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2518" PostId="2044" Score="0" Text="Cross-posted to http://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/27773/is-it-unethical-to-sabotage-client-website-who-refused-to-pay to get more opinions there" CreationDate="2014-06-25T15:15:57.467" UserId="4203" />
  <row Id="2519" PostId="2047" Score="0" Text="Actually I want to delete his pre-existing data too (that was uploaded by someone else) and download it as backup. My intention is wait made him to pay and then return his data" CreationDate="2014-06-25T15:17:13.787" UserId="4203" />
  <row Id="2520" PostId="2047" Score="5" Text="@Ethical Don't do that. That part is unethical. Simply take back what is yours." CreationDate="2014-06-25T15:20:29.983" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2521" PostId="2043" Score="1" Text="I ordered pomodoro clock :)" CreationDate="2014-06-25T15:31:20.863" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2522" PostId="2047" Score="0" Text="Seems like contractor is always in loss. Even inrare case contractor get his work back he is still in loss as his time get wasted" CreationDate="2014-06-25T15:33:23.953" UserId="4203" />
  <row Id="2523" PostId="2047" Score="3" Text="@Ethical There are as same number of clients who were ripped off by bad contractors. In the future, do 50/50 for such small projects OR set milestones and refuse to start new milestone before the current one has been pair OR work by hour with weekly payments. That is the only way to be in loss as little as possible." CreationDate="2014-06-25T15:35:59.477" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2524" PostId="2044" Score="4" Text="Cross posting is frowned upon on the SE network. Choose ONE place to post it. If you don't get any answers, you can flag for mod attention, to ask for it to be moved somewhere else" CreationDate="2014-06-25T16:07:08.307" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2525" PostId="2049" Score="0" Text="Just to clarify, the difference between this question and your previous question [here](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/q/2039/9) and this one is that in the former, the repairman determined that the whatsit couldn't be fixed, and in the latter, the repairman had broken the whatsit either accidentally or through negligence. (I'm using hypothetical repairmen). Is that correct?" CreationDate="2014-06-26T04:03:11.080" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="2526" PostId="2049" Score="0" Text="No, it's basically the same question but I'm trying to narrow it down to &quot;I've tried my relatively inexpensive fix, but that wasn't the prob. Turns out your unit is shot.&quot; I've never hired a repairman, would you still have to pay them? No, not negligence just plan aint gonna work no more. But it cost my time and money to find that out....The more I learn about it... CONTRACTS! but it's usually small jobs that most wouldn't use one for." CreationDate="2014-06-26T04:37:44.900" UserId="4199" />
  <row Id="2527" PostId="2049" Score="0" Text="Yea that does sound like I broke it. This is not the case. Not sure how to word that it was &quot;not recoverable before I ever touched it&quot;" CreationDate="2014-06-26T04:41:50.123" UserId="4199" />
  <row Id="2528" PostId="2051" Score="0" Text="Please check my edit. I did the same when I was single. Now I have to spend quality time with kids in the late afternoon so overtime is something I'd rather skip." CreationDate="2014-06-26T11:01:38.800" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2529" PostId="1421" Score="1" Text="@PeterMV, actually, since the client is a US based company he may have a copyright violation claim.  It depends on how the contract was worded.  Also, it probably isn't worth pursuing for $200..." CreationDate="2014-06-26T15:35:09.407" UserId="1752" />
  <row Id="2530" PostId="2051" Score="0" Text="Also, even though you can work 24hours, I bet the quality is lower than if you had slept in between.&#xA;&#xA;Usually it is better to just manage client requests, sometimes you have to say no...or give them a realistic timeline." CreationDate="2014-06-26T16:13:52.997" UserId="1752" />
  <row Id="2531" PostId="2051" Score="0" Text="@daaxix There was an article once about a coder who did 48hours work sessions and then slept for a day or less. During this time he was able to do the boring and slow work where you tiredness does not matter, while doing heavy logic after the rest." CreationDate="2014-06-26T17:19:14.260" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2532" PostId="2044" Score="1" Text="I created a [meta discussion](http://meta.freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/192/do-we-want-to-merge-answers-from-this-cross-post-onto-our-site) regarding this post and the [cross-post](http://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/27773/is-it-unethical-to-sabotage-client-website-who-refused-to-pay) to see if we want to merge the two together. See the meta discussion for details." CreationDate="2014-06-27T02:14:22.360" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="2533" PostId="2053" Score="1" Text="We are often asked to use live time tracking tools. They take snapshots of your desktop so the client can see what you were doing. And if you stop working, then the timer stops as well. So we cannot charge those 2 extra hours if we weren't doing the work. And if we work for fixed prices, then no one will ask you how many hours you worked." CreationDate="2014-06-28T06:26:20.657" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="2534" PostId="2053" Score="3" Text="Yes, but I think this is a very different world: **Large Companies** need to estimate the time a task planned for the future will take and need to account for estimation errors and time in team meetings, etc. Therefore they may only fill 6 hours per staff per day.  **Independent Freelancers** can only charge the time they spend on a project. So if you only want to work 8 hours a day, but need to spend 2 hours finding new projects or managing your own company paper work, then you can only charge for the time you worked for the client." CreationDate="2014-06-28T10:40:10.590" UserId="4214" />
  <row Id="2535" PostId="2055" Score="0" Text="Good answer! I edited to remove the &quot;cruft&quot; and the profanity though. Good job though" CreationDate="2014-06-29T01:51:29.050" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2537" PostId="2059" Score="0" Text="Hi, thanks for the reply. To clarify, you don't believe a home user would want to sign a contract? It's an interesting answer RE contracts, especially with the other answer given." CreationDate="2014-06-30T10:30:44.970" UserId="4231" />
  <row Id="2538" PostId="2059" Score="0" Text="If I take my problem to you I expect you to take responsibility, to solve my problem and to protect my interest in case of disaster. If you ask me to sign a contract that protects you of any liability than for sure I will not work for you (as a home user). The best alternative for you is to write a sort of Agreement in which you say that accidents can happen and that by reading (and signing) it the home user implicitly assumes (and accepts) such a risk." CreationDate="2014-06-30T11:46:22.757" UserId="2546" />
  <row Id="2539" PostId="2059" Score="0" Text="Very good point too. Thanks for the replies." CreationDate="2014-06-30T13:12:22.267" UserId="4231" />
  <row Id="2540" PostId="2062" Score="0" Text="Could you please explain the timeline a little bit better? That is, from your description, it seems like you delivered an app to him, and after the delivery, he paid you 50% of what you two agreed to. Is that correct?" CreationDate="2014-06-30T18:20:13.363" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="2541" PostId="2054" Score="0" Text="This doesn't work for freelancers who do remote work, because the freelancer must file a summons-and-complaint AND show up in court wherever the customer is located.  Just doing these two things cost additional time and money.  Attorneys can't be used for a small claim.   Lastly, a judgment is a piece of garbage if one can't locate the client's money, or if the client is broke to begin with." CreationDate="2014-06-30T18:21:44.400" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="2544" PostId="2060" Score="1" Text="So, you don't trust me to pay you, but you expect me to trust you with my credit card information? You're not getting the contract." CreationDate="2014-06-30T18:45:34.643" UserId="4248" />
  <row Id="2545" PostId="2060" Score="0" Text="Agreed @Pete, i think that's a valid concern. On the flip side, losing 40+ hours of salary is (i think) more important than losing a few potential contracts." CreationDate="2014-06-30T19:04:14.770" UserId="1762" />
  <row Id="2546" PostId="2065" Score="1" Text="+1: I do agree that if done correctly, it's acceptable to take payment via card. My main concern (and the reason why I dismissed it as an option) is liability, especially if one is a sole proprietor or the like. You do address this, though, by keeping the information in a &quot;locked and secure place&quot;." CreationDate="2014-06-30T19:26:38.517" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="2547" PostId="2059" Score="1" Text="It's better to ask the user if you can back-up their data as some of them will not like the idea or will ask to delete it as soon as you finished working on their computer.&#xA;I never had issues with the second and third statements, but the fourth is another story. Once a strange network bug happened while I worked on a client's XP which caused about a minute hang on every startup and I couldn't fixed it without reinstalling the whole system which the client refused and he didn't paid me. The whole situation was very unpleasant and MS fixed the issue with SP1 month after this happened." CreationDate="2014-06-30T22:48:53.573" UserId="989" />
  <row Id="2548" PostId="2044" Score="0" Text="I am not a lawyer but for me asking for extra to put the data back seems something like blackmailing.&#xA;Although the first option may be legally OK but I don't think that they will pay if you do so." CreationDate="2014-06-30T22:55:00.183" UserId="989" />
  <row Id="2549" PostId="2040" Score="0" Text="If that didn't work and you broke the hammer, who should pay for the hammer?" CreationDate="2014-07-01T00:13:38.577" UserId="4199" />
  <row Id="2550" PostId="2040" Score="1" Text="The contractor. But in this story, it's his tool, not the client's" CreationDate="2014-07-01T00:24:47.813" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2551" PostId="2066" Score="0" Text="Or they might be indicating that they've been bitten before." CreationDate="2014-07-01T01:35:05.533" UserId="2701" />
  <row Id="2552" PostId="2060" Score="1" Text="Hotels typically ask for a credit card or cash deposit at reservation and/or upon check-in. Contractors commonly take the milestone approach @ChrisForrence mentions. Some folks just set their prices so they can afford to take an occasional loss or take it to court... The right answer may depend on what you are freelancing in and what the conventions are for that field." CreationDate="2014-07-01T03:32:40.077" UserId="4258" />
  <row Id="2553" PostId="2061" Score="0" Text="The way I used to do it before I quit freelancing was with a deposit. I would require 40% up front non-refundable. The rest of the 60% was due before I released the project over to the customer. Before then, everything that a client could just copy had watermarks. That way the client would see what they're getting, pay me the final 60%, then receive their project. Just make sure that if you do go about the deposit rule, that you get everything in contract! My first (very unlucky) contract lost me a cool $1000 because the deposit was word of mouth and the client threatened legal action." CreationDate="2014-07-01T03:37:09.083" UserId="4259" />
  <row Id="2554" PostId="2042" Score="1" Text="This is one reason I prefer to either bill by hour, or by job." CreationDate="2014-07-01T03:37:28.127" UserId="4258" />
  <row Id="2555" PostId="2066" Score="0" Text="@Ben Nope, can't agree with that one.  If you're a freelancer doing anything dirty with a customer's credit card, the customer ALWAYS has the bank's dispute process as resolution.  On the flipside, a freelancer who hasn't been paid a cent has far fewer options.  A customer who's trying to hustle the freelancer KNOWS that.  The freelancer has only so-called &quot;legal remedies,&quot; NONE of which are effective without having some money in the pocket." CreationDate="2014-07-01T08:24:29.513" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="2556" PostId="2066" Score="0" Text="Not saying the potential cost to them is as high as to you.  Just that it's far more than zero." CreationDate="2014-07-01T11:54:42.257" UserId="2701" />
  <row Id="2557" PostId="2062" Score="0" Text="He transferred 50% before hand and said he would give the final payment after I give him the apk but after that he jusy makes some excuses," CreationDate="2014-07-01T12:20:37.813" UserId="4242" />
  <row Id="2558" PostId="2072" Score="0" Text="Can you please guide me through the process? I am fairly new to all this." CreationDate="2014-07-01T12:26:06.137" UserId="4242" />
  <row Id="2559" PostId="2062" Score="0" Text="How does your contract handle late/non-payments? That could be legally enforceable if you take him to a small claims court." CreationDate="2014-07-01T12:27:28.033" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="2560" PostId="2072" Score="0" Text="Try this. I just did a quick Google search since my friend is not online on Skype atm for me to ask.&#xA;&#xA;Write to Google using this link (in Market console &quot;Help&quot; on the upper side, then &quot;Contacting Us&quot; on bottom and then&#xA;&quot;Android Market Developers: Publishers &amp; Merchants&quot; then&#xA;probably &quot;Application Removal&quot; which would lead you to this:&#xA;&#xA;http://www.google.com/support/androidmarket/bin/request.py?contact_type=publisher&#xA;&#xA;If he hasn't paid you for the app in full, then in effect he is stealing your app and you should be able to request a C&amp;D from Google." CreationDate="2014-07-01T12:35:36.627" UserId="4262" />
  <row Id="2562" PostId="2060" Score="2" Text="@PeteBecker You can buy prepaid credit cards at most convenience stores.  By spending the balance before handing out the numbers you can limit your risk to $0.00.  This is why I think it is a bad idea.  It antagonizes honest clients but does not really provide  protection from dishonest clients." CreationDate="2014-07-01T13:35:24.030" UserId="4266" />
  <row Id="2563" PostId="2076" Score="0" Text="just a note about the 14.5%: 1) it used to, and imagine it still does depend on what goods/service you are providing &amp; 2) it is calculated on the inclusive of VAT amount... so in your example it would be £17.40 to the taxman not £14.50" CreationDate="2014-07-01T18:12:02.423" UserId="4274" />
  <row Id="2564" PostId="2083" Score="4" Text="With houses, it's location, location, location. With clients, it's communication, communication, communication. (I agree with you)" CreationDate="2014-07-02T12:33:21.893" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="2566" PostId="2079" Score="0" Text="Hi Ashlinry, welcome to Freelancing.SE! While in Beta, we are looking for longer answers that give either some reference, some experience, or some explanation, more so than just 2 sentences. Can you please [edit] your answer to add more information for the questioner? Thanks!" CreationDate="2014-07-02T16:09:52.367" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2567" PostId="2063" Score="0" Text="He has recourse depending on his country.  In any country with strong contact law and/or strong copyright law he likely has legal recourse.  The contract should have stated that IP (copyright etc.) will not be transferred in the case of non-payment, then the app can be removed via a copyright violation claim." CreationDate="2014-07-02T17:14:01.780" UserId="1752" />
  <row Id="2568" PostId="2089" Score="1" Text="Did you have a contract? What type of product or project was it? Was it a school-related project? Have you talked to the client and asked why they won't pay? Is it something you can take back until it's been paid? Too little information to go on, and this risks being closed as Too Broad, as is." CreationDate="2014-07-04T18:01:42.637" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2569" PostId="2089" Score="0" Text="The client will not respond and is unreachable. It was school work, basically I solved all his homework assignments." CreationDate="2014-07-04T21:15:51.987" UserId="4303" />
  <row Id="2570" PostId="2089" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke I hope my clarification helps." CreationDate="2014-07-04T21:19:05.817" UserId="4303" />
  <row Id="2571" PostId="2089" Score="0" Text="The clarification helps *a lot*. However, I don't know how much this would be on topic for us, but I will let the community decide. I see it as you're selling services *yourself* for money, which is a large part of being a Freelancer... I just don't know what everyone else thinks. I'll leave it alone for now though, hopefully you do get your answer though :)" CreationDate="2014-07-04T21:32:54.627" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2572" PostId="2089" Score="1" Text="What you did is also unethical.  You are literally facilitating fraud.  I wouldn't hire you knowing that you took this solicitation to help commit fraud." CreationDate="2014-07-05T04:40:30.187" UserId="1752" />
  <row Id="2573" PostId="2091" Score="0" Text="Hi Mayank, welcome to Freelancing SE. I recommend you read some basic information on getting started (or even do a search for that here as others have likely already asked this). Then, if you have a more specific question about where you're confused, ask that. Our Q&amp;A site works best for questions that aren't overly broad. Hope this helps!" CreationDate="2014-07-05T05:54:00.403" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="2574" PostId="2091" Score="0" Text="http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/101/how-do-i-get-my-first-job-at-a-freelancing-site" CreationDate="2014-07-05T05:54:53.683" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="2575" PostId="2089" Score="0" Text="@daaxix , I realize that it is not completely ethical and that is why it is a tricky situation." CreationDate="2014-07-05T06:51:24.560" UserId="4303" />
  <row Id="2576" PostId="2090" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the answer. It really sums up my thoughts. However do you think it is worth to report him, could it worth any negative consequences for me? Such as potentially no more clients or that the university tries to move against me legally?" CreationDate="2014-07-05T06:53:46.877" UserId="4303" />
  <row Id="2577" PostId="2089" Score="1" Text="Hello, I edited this to incorporate the edits into the question so it flows better. I also removed the plea for advice. As a Q&amp;A site, our format works much better for specific questions. Hope this helps." CreationDate="2014-07-06T16:12:13.120" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="2578" PostId="2092" Score="4" Text="Hey kittenchops, welcome to Freelancing SE and thanks for weighing in. One concern I have is the &quot;I think you can&quot; in the first sentence. As a Stack Exchange Q&amp;A site, we're looking for definitive answers to questions supported by facts, references, or even experiences that happened to you personally. If you're sure this is correct and factual, please consider editing to include some references for further reading. Hope this helps and thanks again!" CreationDate="2014-07-07T01:34:05.850" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="2579" PostId="2083" Score="1" Text="Same here. Letting them know why you will be late with the project seemed to work fine so far. I even had clients that payed me more because of the extra work that was not expected." CreationDate="2014-07-07T08:47:01.317" UserId="888" />
  <row Id="2580" PostId="2061" Score="0" Text="The milestone method seems to work great so far. You break it into pieces and you get paid for every pieces after you finished it. This helps a lot when you have a big project, that might take 2-3 months to finish. You won't have to wait 3 months to get paid." CreationDate="2014-07-07T08:49:58.353" UserId="888" />
  <row Id="2582" PostId="2089" Score="0" Text="Who cares what he did? You're not the morality police." CreationDate="2014-07-08T03:44:30.523" UserId="2601" />
  <row Id="2586" PostId="2096" Score="2" Text="Isn't it a shame (on the client) when we have to start resorting to such tactics just to get paid for work *already* completed?!?!?" CreationDate="2014-07-08T21:25:08.263" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="2589" PostId="2096" Score="1" Text="Yes @codenoire it is a shame! but when clients do this to us we should also teach them a lesson. BTW doing this he (client) is loosing a lot which he might get if he improves the relationship with the free-lancer who worked on the project." CreationDate="2014-07-09T01:40:23.443" UserId="4323" />
  <row Id="2590" PostId="2102" Score="9" Text="I'd actually advise against this. Pleading about how &quot;this is your living and how you pay your bills&quot; is a very, very, poor negotiation stance. Business is business and personal pleas for understanding are the mark of an inexperienced business operator." CreationDate="2014-07-09T15:12:33.017" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="2591" PostId="2099" Score="0" Text="Good article (yes, I read it). Can you [edit] to expand some on the answer though? It's quite short, and triggered our Low Quality filter. Thanks" CreationDate="2014-07-09T15:59:48.023" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="2592" PostId="2102" Score="0" Text="@Mihai, It's not about you, it's about your business and the client's business.  Unless you have some kind of monopoly, client's business is not dependent on you staying in business." CreationDate="2014-07-09T16:55:47.333" UserId="1818" />
  <row Id="2593" PostId="2089" Score="2" Text="&quot;*My cocaine dealer sold me baking powder. Should I contact the police?*&quot; Seriously, if involved in nefarious ventures you take what you get. Be happy he paid you anything." CreationDate="2014-07-09T23:52:42.483" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="3594" PostId="2102" Score="0" Text="@Scott You're right. I haven't got a situation like this but your answer sounds better than what I proposed." CreationDate="2014-07-11T07:00:26.370" UserId="888" />
  <row Id="3595" PostId="2099" Score="0" Text="Umm, @CanadianLuke, I do not think I (we) could do too much here. Some business owner in the world believes in something that is [maladaptive](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptive_behavior).&#xA;&#xA;If i should name the primary obstacle in freelancing or consultancy, I would say &quot;changing mindsets&quot;.&#xA;&#xA;I believe icevolcanooo - and every self-employed - got to learn how to handle this. Probably the best approach is just consider if do or don't. Then decide if one can/want to work with such conditions. And if the answer is &quot;does not worth the effort&quot;, then quit." CreationDate="2014-07-11T08:34:31.303" UserId="4333" />
  <row Id="3596" PostId="2099" Score="0" Text="Great! Now, use the [edit] link to include that information in the original answer :-) Thanks for expanding though, it makes us a much better resource for everyone." CreationDate="2014-07-11T15:24:49.643" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="3597" PostId="2105" Score="0" Text="I agree. Everything is negotiable and where you end up may be where you start." CreationDate="2014-07-11T22:43:54.123" UserId="4357" />
  <row Id="3598" PostId="1404" Score="0" Text="As well as non-disclosure, depending on where you and your client live, a non-compete agreement." CreationDate="2014-07-11T22:48:18.497" UserId="4357" />
  <row Id="3599" PostId="2079" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke I think her answer is direct and good enough. I don't need to read a bunch of drivel." CreationDate="2014-07-11T22:54:57.717" UserId="4357" />
  <row Id="3600" PostId="1974" Score="0" Text="+1 I agree, the overall economy, local concerns, etc.." CreationDate="2014-07-11T23:05:05.893" UserId="4357" />
  <row Id="3601" PostId="1635" Score="0" Text="Can you provide a example of a winning cover letter?" CreationDate="2014-07-12T10:20:38.680" UserId="1754" />
  <row Id="3602" PostId="2109" Score="0" Text="Thanks. But I was more thinking of trying to get recommendations in advance, to get an edge in this very competitive position. The question does not make this clear - will edit." CreationDate="2014-07-13T10:49:22.050" UserId="1369" />
  <row Id="3603" PostId="2109" Score="0" Text="OK Matt. I have rewritten my answer to take into account the new information. :)" CreationDate="2014-07-13T13:14:44.207" UserId="1018" />
  <row Id="3604" PostId="2063" Score="0" Text="Leaving a negative comment means bad publicity for the freelancer.  I wouldn't recommend that." CreationDate="2014-07-14T05:57:40.847" UserId="4368" />
  <row Id="3605" PostId="2069" Score="0" Text="Or you could just walk up to the desk and ask them for all of their legal paperwork.  It's a perfectly normal inquiry that I've made plenty of times.  &quot;Is there a contract or agreement for _____ and ____?  Can I have a copy?  Thanks!&quot;  I'm sure you can get two at a time without sounding suspicious--not that they'd care.  Nobody working at the desk is going to have any interest in guarding a pile of papers they hand out for free anyway.  In fact, I'm sure they'll think they'll get in trouble if they don't honor your request (they probably would)." CreationDate="2014-07-14T06:18:20.083" UserId="4368" />
  <row Id="3609" PostId="5" Score="1" Text="Another option is: after X hours." CreationDate="2014-07-14T23:43:38.933" UserId="4358" />
  <row Id="3610" PostId="2116" Score="0" Text="Thank you. I think hourly rates could be the right way to do things sometimes, maybe if the work is for only one customer and not resellable to others: one has to consider also the &quot;market price&quot; for that sw &amp; with hourly rate, prices can become too high. I applied hourly rates for the import part (customer dropped the price to 50%...I could have said it was done only for his needs and impossible for me to resell :( ). The report can be interesting for other customers &amp; I spent many hours to find the version he likes, so hourly rates maybe are less applicable in this second part of the work." CreationDate="2014-07-14T23:53:38.997" UserId="2839" />
  <row Id="3611" PostId="2117" Score="1" Text="And please, anyone who's more used to this site, let me know if this question is too subjective for here or anything. I'm a Stack Overflow guy mostly, so I'm used to everything being clear-cut, but I get the impression for some of these that a bit of subjectivity or looking for suggestions is okay." CreationDate="2014-07-15T04:26:48.263" UserId="4314" />
  <row Id="3612" PostId="2118" Score="0" Text="And please, anyone who's more used to this site, let me know if this question is too subjective for here or anything. I'm a Stack Overflow guy mostly, so I'm used to everything being clear-cut, but I get the impression for some of these that a bit of subjectivity or looking for suggestions is okay." CreationDate="2014-07-15T04:27:11.090" UserId="4314" />
  <row Id="3613" PostId="2117" Score="0" Text="Seems to me your two numbered items are worded very well in general and perhaps may suffice if expressed to him." CreationDate="2014-07-15T07:25:39.093" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="3614" PostId="2119" Score="0" Text="Sounds like you simply need to quote higher knowing you'll spend additional time refining." CreationDate="2014-07-15T07:27:22.970" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="3615" PostId="2116" Score="1" Text="I added a suggestion for you in my answer. I hope this will be helpful for you." CreationDate="2014-07-15T20:52:40.103" UserId="3014" />
  <row Id="3616" PostId="2119" Score="1" Text="The fact that you use the term &quot;guess&quot; for your estimates may be part of the problem.  You should have a better process for modelling the costs, including scope change, and then you can come up with better estimates." CreationDate="2014-07-16T18:16:46.713" UserId="1818" />
  <row Id="3618" PostId="1816" Score="0" Text="Thanks for your help. As it stands, my client is trying to get a settlement from their direct client, who should be paying the bills. Looks like it will be only 50% of the total but it's better than nothing!" CreationDate="2014-07-17T08:44:57.760" UserId="2780" />
  <row Id="3619" PostId="1190" Score="1" Text="this is pretty solid advice..the chart especially it sums the route most people take...Unless they get hired by company that does these things." CreationDate="2014-07-18T08:50:41.667" UserId="805" />
  <row Id="3620" PostId="1631" Score="0" Text="how do i find people locally and online...there seems to just extreme atmosphere of distrust and lack of interest each time i have approached. Basically, i am more business minded, i used to be i need to learn that language completely mental state but then i read some inspiring and deep things that changed me and reminded why i am doing this. Other devs (the ones ive met which are few) are not as adventurous as i'd like them to be. Basically my goal is try to hit big and keep trying if fail...but i get feeling others want just keep biz as usual and enjoy it." CreationDate="2014-07-18T08:58:40.763" UserId="805" />
  <row Id="3621" PostId="2026" Score="1" Text="or you could charge like 80/hr to client for maintenance and $40/mo for hosting...which will make you happy and the client..because from client's perspective one guy doing all things is much better than to scramble to all 5 people involved in the project saying that this is not their responsibility or in skillset..&amp; then getting sold extra premium services..it's understood that the more of something you buy the better rate you get. Client could spend researching that there are somewhat cheaper solutions but that mean more out of field work and less efficient time spent on running business." CreationDate="2014-07-18T09:07:59.950" UserId="805" />
  <row Id="3622" PostId="322" Score="0" Text="this question could be translated to: How can i meet other designers,developers, and such to work on ideas and project together to build things to gain experience and something to put in portfolio." CreationDate="2014-07-18T09:19:47.607" UserId="805" />
  <row Id="3623" PostId="723" Score="0" Text="yes i read some place like 5 mins ago to build portfolio go to high profile clients and give them good discount then normal prices Not too cheap and too above your skill." CreationDate="2014-07-18T09:32:31.580" UserId="805" />
  <row Id="3624" PostId="319" Score="0" Text="most clients want to see if you can do it, and what, and not have you done it for someone else. Once they see you can do what they want and have done it they are interested." CreationDate="2014-07-18T09:35:19.943" UserId="805" />
  <row Id="3625" PostId="2026" Score="3" Text="Once you start reselling hosting for clients you become IT support for them. You get calls for email problems, calls for every little hosting issue. If that's your business model and you WANT to deal with that stuff, fine. But if you do not want to deal with all the IT support associated with hosting... simply don't have anything to do with hosting other than recommending a service." CreationDate="2014-07-18T11:06:08.430" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="3626" PostId="2136" Score="0" Text="Hi! As a suggestion, if you're already going to be asking the other questions later, might I suggest that you edit them out? Otherwise, this question becomes way too broad!" CreationDate="2014-07-18T14:35:03.340" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="3627" PostId="2135" Score="0" Text="There are two existing questions that might help you out: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/q/493/9 http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/q/353/9" CreationDate="2014-07-18T14:38:36.303" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="3628" PostId="2047" Score="0" Text="Agree..........." CreationDate="2014-07-18T20:20:23.897" UserId="4427" />
  <row Id="3630" PostId="2096" Score="0" Text="In complete agreement" CreationDate="2014-07-20T20:15:03.210" UserId="4427" />
  <row Id="3634" PostId="2147" Score="0" Text="What folly to give your ONLY master CD away. His mistake. Not sure what you can do until he comes to terms with that." CreationDate="2014-07-23T12:51:25.083" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="3636" PostId="2147" Score="0" Text="Totally, but still... I still have the CD he gave me. I am sure he must still have it at his home OR the person creating the CD for him must have made a mistake." CreationDate="2014-07-23T13:30:25.063" UserId="2145" />
  <row Id="3637" PostId="2146" Score="1" Text="What are they after? Taking your idea? Or just putting their name on the website as a donor?" CreationDate="2014-07-23T16:22:40.463" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="3638" PostId="2146" Score="0" Text="As far as I can tell it's a way for them to advertise their product on my site (their product is a beefed up version of mine). I don't have a problem with it as pretty much all sponsorships are done for marketing reasons." CreationDate="2014-07-23T16:49:01.370" UserId="4468" />
  <row Id="3639" PostId="2123" Score="0" Text="Thanks, @Ben, this is very detailed and informative. I'll have to think about how much of it I want to do. So far it is only one potential contract, but their might be follow-up ones." CreationDate="2014-07-23T19:36:47.057" UserId="1350" />
  <row Id="3640" PostId="2073" Score="0" Text="I think the quote is about Australians for foreign companies. The article talks about the competitive disadvantage of Australians compared to foreigners in foreign markets." CreationDate="2014-07-23T19:51:28.783" UserId="1350" />
  <row Id="3641" PostId="2150" Score="0" Text="Off the top of my head, you could do some of your regular work (whether designing or paperwork) at a local coffee shop. A gym membership could also be a good thing (if anything, as a stress reliever), and if they have classes, then there's a way to socialize _and_ get fitness done." CreationDate="2014-07-23T21:32:28.260" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="3642" PostId="1699" Score="0" Text="Do you have any source I can refer to?" CreationDate="2014-07-23T22:33:30.417" UserId="2588" />
  <row Id="3643" PostId="1800" Score="0" Text="Do you have any source I can refer to?" CreationDate="2014-07-23T22:34:03.020" UserId="2588" />
  <row Id="3644" PostId="2073" Score="0" Text="Missed a word in my comment above: &quot;... is about Australians WORKING for ...&quot;" CreationDate="2014-07-24T06:08:29.113" UserId="1350" />
  <row Id="3645" PostId="2148" Score="1" Text="That answer is fine as long as he never wants to do business with that client again. But he stated that he's a good client he wants to keep. This isn't about who's right, it's about keeping good relations." CreationDate="2014-07-24T15:16:46.123" UserId="358" />
  <row Id="3646" PostId="2148" Score="0" Text="I understand your concern, @TomCollins. I have been in a similar situation, and I still work with the ones who understood I had nothing to do with their error. This sounds like a [CFH](http://clientsfromhell.net) to me." CreationDate="2014-07-24T15:52:16.713" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="3648" PostId="2156" Score="0" Text="Out of curiousity, how much of the code has been documented thus far?" CreationDate="2014-07-24T18:01:44.530" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="3649" PostId="2156" Score="0" Text="About 1/3, perhaps a bit more...the code is well written, so the components are not that difficult to understand.  They have the high level design details, but the mid-level design details and component interactions are not documented in a way that allows new technical people to come quickly up to speed.  This documentation was slated to occur in the next 6 months.  There is a lot of parallel processing and algorithms and some performance requirements so some of the currently undocumented interaction details are crucial." CreationDate="2014-07-24T18:13:06.243" UserId="1752" />
  <row Id="3650" PostId="2156" Score="0" Text="Also, most code is documented enough so that the current engineers working on it understand it, but the current batch of parallel (and GPU) code was in the testing/bug fix/design requirements fit iteration stage, so isn't ready yet for long term documentation." CreationDate="2014-07-24T18:16:20.270" UserId="1752" />
  <row Id="3651" PostId="2155" Score="0" Text="Hi Doug, welcome to Freelancing.SE! This seems very similar, almost the same, as what Scott is saying. Is there any new information not present in his answer here?" CreationDate="2014-07-24T19:54:34.210" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="3652" PostId="2159" Score="0" Text="We weren't going to offer them any transition rate...just a few courtesy hours to ask questions, etc.  After that any work item that they have will be at our full non-discounted rate (6 months was long enough to discount our short term rate somewhat).  I want to know what is typical for this kind of situation, I take your answer as no courtesy hours at all..." CreationDate="2014-07-25T01:27:46.177" UserId="1752" />
  <row Id="3653" PostId="1800" Score="0" Text="@edgh I don't have the specific individual links to hand, but I learned all this off IRS.gov in their [Small Businesses and Self-Employment Tax Center](http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&amp;-Self-Employed/Small-Business-and-Self-Employed-Tax-Center-1).  It's all in there somewhere." CreationDate="2014-07-25T01:46:25.333" UserId="2766" />
  <row Id="3654" PostId="1800" Score="0" Text="@edgh Here we go: http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&amp;-Self-Employed/Business-Structures" CreationDate="2014-07-25T01:49:06.993" UserId="2766" />
  <row Id="3655" PostId="2161" Score="1" Text="I think this is a valuable answer, but the options vs rights status heavily depends on the specific language used in the emails..." CreationDate="2014-07-25T02:36:20.603" UserId="1752" />
  <row Id="3656" PostId="2159" Score="0" Text="Exactly.  If you don't believe me, try getting a few &quot;courtesy&quot; hours from your local plumber or accountant, and see how fast you get laughed at.  So why should you do any different?" CreationDate="2014-07-25T15:07:47.400" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="3657" PostId="2159" Score="0" Text="Actually, our accountant has done just that, without anyone asking...she keeps us very happy however, and we would pay her even more than she charges if she asked..." CreationDate="2014-07-25T15:51:53.143" UserId="1752" />
  <row Id="3658" PostId="2155" Score="0" Text="Do you want this answer deleted, or do you want to edit your answer to merge the two together?" CreationDate="2014-07-25T16:30:27.737" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="3659" PostId="2159" Score="3" Text="I gotta say, I agree 100% with the answer. I did the &quot;discount exit&quot;, and kept getting shafted with more and more work requests. I told them (after the third day) that I can't offer a discount if I'm doing the same work anyways. Lost the client for a week, then they called me back and had a cheque ready to bring me back on when the &quot;new&quot; guy didn't work out." CreationDate="2014-07-25T16:45:07.857" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="3660" PostId="2064" Score="0" Text="Good points on being liable for storing the credit card information!" CreationDate="2014-07-26T05:07:51.247" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="3661" PostId="2065" Score="1" Text="Also, you'd need a plan for properly disposing the information when you're no longer required to keep the records. The contract isn't something that should end up blowing down the street when a skunk knocks over your trash can. :) A paper shredder would be a great investment if one were to go this route." CreationDate="2014-07-26T05:10:09.970" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="3662" PostId="2065" Score="0" Text="@jmort253 - Great point!" CreationDate="2014-07-26T06:32:55.003" UserId="4246" />
  <row Id="3663" PostId="2119" Score="0" Text="@cdkMoose: can you explain or give me references (links/books titles) about &quot;better process for modelling the cost&quot;? Estimates can be a part of the problem in fact. I know cocomo, scrum &amp; c ... I don't know if you are referring to them. Thank you very much." CreationDate="2014-07-26T14:54:50.060" UserId="2839" />
  <row Id="3665" PostId="2119" Score="0" Text="Estimation starts with good requirements and your knowledge of how your team has worked on similar projects.  Your client can't tell you how long your team will take.  One  method I have used with some success is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-point_estimation" CreationDate="2014-07-28T16:37:10.163" UserId="1818" />
  <row Id="3666" PostId="2146" Score="3" Text="this is just a simple idea but you could try and look for a similar project on kickstarter and ask your possible investor for a contract draft (this way you can see what they are after before putting a price-tag on your application)." CreationDate="2014-07-28T09:09:29.197" UserId="4493" />
  <row Id="3670" PostId="2150" Score="1" Text="*Would you dance, if I asked you to dance? ...* Take a course at your local dance school, can be standard ball room dancing or something exotic like merenguee." CreationDate="2014-07-28T23:13:11.950" UserDisplayName="user4502" />
  <row Id="3673" PostId="2150" Score="0" Text="atleast you should do some outdoor activity. Visit a park, sit in a coffee soap. You may come-up with discussion with various people." CreationDate="2014-07-29T07:03:28.600" UserId="4504" />
  <row Id="3674" PostId="2128" Score="0" Text="Don't forget - an oral agreement is still a contract.  But there is no breach on the doctor's part -- he's simply pushing the boundaries a bit." CreationDate="2014-07-29T18:27:26.443" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="3675" PostId="2143" Score="0" Text="There's no breach.  A breach is a situation where a party fails to perform per an agreement.  The doctor has performed, but is also trying to modify the agreement after having performed.  It's more a situation of &quot;buyer's remorse&quot; than anything else." CreationDate="2014-07-29T18:52:57.340" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="3676" PostId="2143" Score="0" Text="It is in breach if he is saying that he no longer wants to offer his services in exchange for the OP's services, which I'm fairly certain is the case." CreationDate="2014-07-29T20:20:16.430" UserId="1752" />
  <row Id="3677" PostId="2143" Score="0" Text="No, no, no.  Unless the agreement specified that the arrangement would go on *forever*, the doctor is not in breach because the commodity being traded is in a unit that is severable (hour).  That said, the doctor may decide to not contribute more hours but it does not relieve the OP of *his* side of the bargain.  This is just like when you visit a grocery store after viewing an item in a sale paper - if the store runs out, you can't force the store to provide you the item at the same price later (though it'd be nice)." CreationDate="2014-07-29T22:23:05.070" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="3678" PostId="2143" Score="0" Text="If you signed a contract with the store stating that they will provide you with the item at a specific price, then yes they would be in breach.  It depends on *the specific language* contained in the emails which were exchanged..." CreationDate="2014-07-29T23:01:52.313" UserId="1752" />
  <row Id="3679" PostId="2143" Score="0" Text="@codenoire Are you in the EU or US?  Your terminology is something I've never encountered in *US contract law.*" CreationDate="2014-07-29T23:11:47.077" UserId="1752" />
  <row Id="3680" PostId="2143" Score="0" Text="US.  And studied this in law school before I decided to stay in IT services instead." CreationDate="2014-07-29T23:30:48.847" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="3681" PostId="2176" Score="0" Text="facepalm....yea i really gotta sit and think this again" CreationDate="2014-07-30T01:12:48.790" UserId="805" />
  <row Id="3682" PostId="2061" Score="0" Text="Depending on where you are doing business, asking for card details may not even be legal..." CreationDate="2014-07-30T08:23:25.700" UserId="2689" />
  <row Id="3684" PostId="2150" Score="0" Text="Where do you live?" CreationDate="2014-07-30T20:57:43.643" UserId="4514" />
  <row Id="3685" PostId="2150" Score="0" Text="In my home ;) Relatively small town." CreationDate="2014-07-30T21:36:06.290" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="3686" PostId="2185" Score="0" Text="The bigger question is which platform the app would be on: iOS or Android? There is no cost to entry for developing Android apps (as far as I know), but the same can't be said for iOS apps. _That_ would make it cost-prohibitive." CreationDate="2014-07-30T22:01:29.717" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="3687" PostId="2185" Score="0" Text="@ChrisForrence My mistake meant to include iOS" CreationDate="2014-07-30T22:06:00.950" UserId="4524" />
  <row Id="3688" PostId="2188" Score="2" Text="Sorry all gatherings of a religious nature are absolutely out of the question. This isn't the place to get into it, but that is never an option regardless of what it's called. I would sooner join a fan club for the tooth fairy." CreationDate="2014-07-31T07:24:53.797" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="3689" PostId="2183" Score="0" Text="I don't want to trick them. I do want to take measures such that they can rely on my product in the long term. I need such companies to make my business sustainable." CreationDate="2014-07-31T07:39:45.787" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="3690" PostId="2183" Score="0" Text="Then you'll need to build trust. Unfortunately, there isn't a quick fix." CreationDate="2014-07-31T07:45:49.130" UserId="4514" />
  <row Id="3691" PostId="2183" Score="0" Text="As I understand for now, I'd need extra human resources to keep the know-how safe, such that they could be put at disposal of these customers in case of need. But currently I cannot afford to hire guys." CreationDate="2014-07-31T07:52:22.663" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="3692" PostId="2185" Score="3" Text="Contest in general result in hobbyists submitting hobbyist work. No one dedicated to solid, professional, work is participating in a &quot;contest&quot; especially when the prize is far below market level for the work. I'm sure you've considered this, but I'd convince the client that a &quot;contest&quot; won't yield viable work." CreationDate="2014-07-31T08:27:40.187" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="3693" PostId="2150" Score="1" Text="Opening up would help. Where do you live? There might be people reading this that might live close to you. If so, go grab a cup of coffee" CreationDate="2014-07-31T08:29:49.817" UserId="4514" />
  <row Id="3694" PostId="2150" Score="0" Text="Where I live is not important. The details are listed in the question. I'm not seeking specific &quot;Hey meet me here&quot; connections. That's not what StackExchange sites are about. I'm seeking overall experienced input from those in similar situations." CreationDate="2014-07-31T08:31:53.237" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="3695" PostId="2150" Score="0" Text="You're missing the point, Scott. I'm suggesting that you should open up. That seems to be a challenge for you. You're making all kinds of excuses so I'm not really sure what kind of answers you're looking for." CreationDate="2014-07-31T08:39:35.450" UserId="4514" />
  <row Id="3696" PostId="2150" Score="0" Text="Errr.. okay.... Thanks for the psychoanalysis but I'm plenty open. I haven't given any excuses. I've explained that bars, churches, and the internet are not viable options. If by &quot;open up&quot; you mean be willing to accept those venues, probably not going to happen. You may as well suggest a KKK rally, or something just a silly, if you feel those three items I've excluded are worthwhile. And note, there are a few good answers already, Dr Freud." CreationDate="2014-07-31T08:44:45.727" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="3697" PostId="2150" Score="0" Text="Don't be sorry, your decisions don't affect me. Just trying to help. Good luck." CreationDate="2014-07-31T08:48:30.377" UserId="4514" />
  <row Id="3698" PostId="2191" Score="1" Text="You have to be really careful about this. In many cases, when you are hired to develop an IP, the person *hiring* you owns the IP, not the developer. This is the case in almost every job I have worked at (in the USA) and has such a long history of legal precedent that any court will likely rule that the client owns the IP if there is no contract stating otherwise. However, the client can not do anything with source code and byte code that they do not have, and you can certainly withhold both until you receive payment. But you risk a huge legal mess if you try to use it or sell it yourself." CreationDate="2014-08-01T00:52:14.853" UserId="684" />
  <row Id="3699" PostId="2179" Score="0" Text="In the US, without a contract, the developer owns the copyright in a consulting/freelancing scenario. On these legal questions, it's a good idea to cite sources to help other readers make the right decision. Hope this helps." CreationDate="2014-08-01T05:35:26.000" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="3700" PostId="2177" Score="1" Text="You should include in your post where you're located so you might get the best answer for *you*. Hope this helps." CreationDate="2014-08-01T05:35:57.067" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="3701" PostId="2191" Score="0" Text="@Thomas - My research on this subject shows the opposite, those hired in a contracting role are the owners of the copyright, not the client. See http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/a/588/64" CreationDate="2014-08-01T05:38:37.563" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="3702" PostId="2179" Score="0" Text="See this post for more details, where I've cited actual US Copyright law: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/a/588/64" CreationDate="2014-08-01T05:39:43.077" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="3703" PostId="2177" Score="2" Text="... It's how Mark Zuckerberg made billions....." CreationDate="2014-08-01T06:34:46.963" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="3704" PostId="2191" Score="1" Text="@jmort253 That's a very thorough answer to the other question. However, my concern is that because there is such a tremendous industry standard (evidenced by the written contracts) of assigning ownership to the person hiring the contractor, a judge can easily rule in the client's favor regardless of the technical interpretation of the law. I have seen it happen. It's a sticky situation and I would not encourage the asker to make it any stickier by assuming ownership and making money off of the property. At the very least, he should consult an attorney first." CreationDate="2014-08-02T04:05:43.753" UserId="684" />
  <row Id="3705" PostId="2191" Score="2" Text="@Thomas - That's what makes these legal questions so tricky... interpretation of the law. It's one of the reasons some community members [discussed whether we should even allow them on our site](http://meta.freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/14/should-law-specific-questions-be-encouraged) and that answers should be backed up ideally with sources. As you've indicated, precedence can play a role, which is why it's always good to have a contract even if the law is written in your favor." CreationDate="2014-08-02T04:52:08.100" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="3707" PostId="2174" Score="0" Text="I recommend looking at this [Irish government site](http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employment/types_of_employment/self_employment/self_employment_as_an_individual.html)" CreationDate="2014-08-02T21:38:28.137" UserId="4547" />
  <row Id="3708" PostId="2196" Score="0" Text="Thanks! This makes a lot of sense to me. I'll definitely be on the lookout to avoid clients like this in the future. The back burner is how I'll handle the clients I have." CreationDate="2014-08-03T05:47:26.857" UserId="4545" />
  <row Id="3709" PostId="2196" Score="0" Text="No problem! Good luck." CreationDate="2014-08-03T06:00:09.693" UserId="4514" />
  <row Id="3710" PostId="2191" Score="0" Text="Thomas, your example keeps pointing to the example of what happens when there are explicit written contracts.  That's not the case here.  Apparently there are some communications that took place for a &quot;meeting of the minds&quot; but also note that even minus a &quot;real&quot; contract a judge would evaluate *performance*.  Here, there's been performance on one side only and not the other (no money).  That's a critical issue." CreationDate="2014-08-04T18:55:44.147" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="3711" PostId="2206" Score="0" Text="Yeah, I was thinking that 10-15 would be pretty low. But good idea putting on offer two prices or similar. I have to think about it." CreationDate="2014-08-04T20:40:08.623" UserId="4558" />
  <row Id="3713" PostId="2205" Score="0" Text="Don't go below 50% for such quick tasks. Even 100% price is not bad. After all, you are leaving the work of other clients aside just to do this client. Later on, you will have to see if this &quot;day less&quot; influenced schedules in other projects. So double price is OK. If it's too much for them, then they will quickly stop making such urgent requests." CreationDate="2014-08-05T12:09:57.443" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="3714" PostId="2214" Score="2" Text="Slackers will slack even if you constantly looking at them. The can slack each time you blink ;)." CreationDate="2014-08-05T12:11:20.453" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="3718" PostId="2212" Score="0" Text="Paul, thanks so much.  My concern is not my hourly rate being know so much as this person having access to all my proposals, how many hours for certain tasks, my ideas for solving their problems, etc.  &#xA;&#xA;My value is definitely not only based on just price but it is a factor.  I have had the experience of a competitor who knew my rate getting wind of a project I was bidding on, approaching the client, and underbidding me.  Philosophically I know I don't need clients like that anyhow... but in reality, with the economy and business flow at that time, I actually did need that client." CreationDate="2014-08-05T19:08:45.523" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="3719" PostId="2212" Score="0" Text="It sounds like you're acting as a subcontractor to the other IT company, correct? Even if this wasn't intended, it's for the greater good of the client, correct? Let's look at this from the competitors perspective. A. They have your price. B. They know how long it will take. C. They have your ideas. In all honesty, none of this matters. It's your relationship with the actual client that matters." CreationDate="2014-08-05T19:31:46.670" UserId="4514" />
  <row Id="3720" PostId="2200" Score="0" Text="What do you suggest about this part? -&gt; &quot;I was also going to mention what exactly I contributed to the project, but maybe these people don't want that information public.&quot;" CreationDate="2014-08-06T05:05:06.213" UserId="4554" />
  <row Id="3721" PostId="2200" Score="0" Text="@user3692125 I've added two more paragraphs on the end, does that clarify things for you?" CreationDate="2014-08-06T10:55:42.900" UserId="4556" />
  <row Id="3722" PostId="2199" Score="0" Text="Does your contract with the clients allow you to showcase their websites in your portfolio?" CreationDate="2014-08-06T12:31:05.273" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="3723" PostId="2199" Score="0" Text="@ChrisForrence No such contract. In fact, there was no contract. Just few emails back and forth." CreationDate="2014-08-06T13:01:53.073" UserId="4554" />
  <row Id="3724" PostId="2227" Score="2" Text="Hi Chris, I must say that this is one of the better written answers on the site: you try to solve the user's problems, without specifically saying &quot;Site A is the **ONLY** site you need&quot; and not giving an explanation. For a recommendation-style question, I think this should be the template answer. Good job!" CreationDate="2014-08-06T16:11:22.953" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="3729" PostId="1664" Score="0" Text="A headhunter is someone who is employed by a business to find them the talent they need - not someone who helps people find jobs, and they are paid accordingly by the business, not the candidate keeping in contact with some of these people may be beneficial, as they are more likely to score the most lucrative of contracts, but don't ever expect or rely on them to find you a job - you will run out of bread!" CreationDate="2014-08-05T18:50:04.870" UserId="4574" />
  <row Id="3730" PostId="2212" Score="0" Text="Thanks again Paul - I should focus on your last point, my relationship with my client.  But, no I am not a sub contractor to the other IT company.  We are both contractors to the same client.  They are running their network &amp; desktop support and I provide training and custom software development.  Where we overlap is that the other IT company claims to also offer the same services I do - making them my potential competitor, who now has my pricing, proposals, materials, software, etc.  I'm most concerned about potential clients and them sharing my pricing/info with other competitors." CreationDate="2014-08-06T20:32:32.430" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="3731" PostId="2212" Score="0" Text="Sorry, I probably wasn't understanding the relationship. If you are in no way a sub-contractor, then you're right. Pricing, contracts etc. should go directly to the client, not through the other company. If it was me, I wouldn't care about them having pricing etc., I'd care about them not presenting me in the best light. Reputation is everything. You should manage that part." CreationDate="2014-08-06T20:38:16.810" UserId="4514" />
  <row Id="3732" PostId="1509" Score="0" Text="If you are working for a UK company, regardless of whether a visa is required, it is sound practice to determine if you have reporting requirements to HMRC.  They are completely  different from visas and immigration.   There's no point in letting a liability build up, so make sure you understand the HMRC implications." CreationDate="2014-08-07T17:52:44.837" UserId="2646" />
  <row Id="3734" PostId="57" Score="1" Text="1) Look at fee statistics for freelancers/consultants like you. 2) Take your income as an employee and double or triple it (depending on your country, the ratio is that of total employer cost/employee salary). This will roughly correspond to market rates." CreationDate="2014-08-08T19:21:15.713" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="3735" PostId="2232" Score="0" Text="Hi, thanks for taking time to reply. About your questions,&#xA;1. I was hired for a different task and doing that well since I got onboard. Failed task was just an experiment he wanted me to work on and hence do certain things in a better and faster way.&#xA;2. I was not able to work because I had an accident(medical records I have) and was taking therapy.&#xA;3. In this case, failed does mean it is not possible to do it in the way we wanted to do it.&#xA;I have worked with him for last 8 months but never a problem happened, he has started behaving strange since this task did not work as expected." CreationDate="2014-08-08T22:52:54.350" UserId="4600" />
  <row Id="3736" PostId="2138" Score="0" Text="You can safely sign almost any NDA. It's just you promising not revealing any project-related details before specific date stated in the NDA. If no date is set, then end of a project is presumed as &quot;the date&quot; you have to be silent until." CreationDate="2014-08-09T05:57:56.690" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="3737" PostId="2232" Score="1" Text="@Gaurav 1) You should not have taken work in the field you're not expert in. You first and biggest mistake. It seems to us you wanted extra money cause you're left out of work in the main field. Never do this. 2) Send him these medical records and tell him that you will work all remaining hours in new time period. Obviously, it was not your fault. Did you inform him of the accident or left him hanging all time you were out of work? 3) When team starts breaking and invested money go to nothing, it's obvious that investors are angry and nervous. Be part of a team and offer for a solution." CreationDate="2014-08-09T06:04:39.413" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="3738" PostId="2232" Score="0" Text="Hi Peter, It was never that I was out of work. Midway in the project, he just asked me to try if I can do that and I clearly told, I am not the best guy as I have never done it. He told, he prefers me doing and failing compared to getting another guy on board and hence I tried.&#xA;Post this after 3 days of trying, I told him I do not think it is possible to do what he wants to do, and if he wants to cross check, he should get an expert from the field. He got one and paid heavily to him. But guy failed to do as well.&#xA;2) He was well informed about my accident and was okay back then." CreationDate="2014-08-09T08:10:34.070" UserId="4600" />
  <row Id="3739" PostId="2232" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV I am already offering him solution and suggesting, I get product launched and then part ways. But he is holding my money as a threat so I keep working for him is unacceptable to me. Money he holds is a big sum and lies in range of 5 figures USD." CreationDate="2014-08-09T08:13:32.020" UserId="4600" />
  <row Id="3740" PostId="2232" Score="0" Text="@Gaurav Is it in any escrow? If not, then you're on a thin ice. I just don't get how come you got to 5 figures without getting paid any escrow. I would never agree to a milestone larger then a couple of thousands. Since this happened, if you want to get your money, then only solution is to keep working. Maybe not full time, but half-time, and use the rest hours to do side jobs. When you sense that he not so angry any more, suggest project analysis. Tell him that you would like to get paid for the parts you finished because that is the only path to finalize the project and keep you motivated." CreationDate="2014-08-09T08:19:15.520" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="3741" PostId="2232" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV thanks for suggestion. Yes mistake on my part was to not use any escrow. He was lacking funds midway and since I had worked with him for 6+ months, I trusted for payments and worked 2 months without any payment or escrow.&#xA;We have kind of reached to a settlement where I am closing all the open issues and getting next release done over the week and then move to payments discussion. Thanks for your advice." CreationDate="2014-08-09T08:28:03.073" UserId="4600" />
  <row Id="3742" PostId="2219" Score="0" Text="Thank you, somehow this aspect managed to escape my mind :)" CreationDate="2014-08-10T09:29:14.767" UserId="2653" />
  <row Id="3743" PostId="2224" Score="0" Text="Wish I could pick 2 best answers :) Thanks!" CreationDate="2014-08-10T09:30:41.473" UserId="2653" />
  <row Id="3746" PostId="2119" Score="0" Text="Don't feel guilty asking for your expected cost for the project.  It doesn't make economic sense for you to undercut your own opportunity cost." CreationDate="2014-08-11T01:59:02.880" UserId="4608" />
  <row Id="3747" PostId="2211" Score="0" Text="Talk to the client about it. If there isn't a subcontract relationship, you have no obligations to this third party. If you'd rather stay independent and negotiate directly with the client, make sure that's clear, before the decision is made otherwise for you." CreationDate="2014-08-11T02:09:42.247" UserId="4608" />
  <row Id="3748" PostId="1509" Score="0" Text="This would be more appropriate under http://expatriates.stackexchange.com/" CreationDate="2014-08-11T02:14:23.103" UserId="4608" />
  <row Id="3749" PostId="1955" Score="0" Text="IMHO its almost always beneficial to form an LLC or corp if you are show more than a few thousand dollars a year in profit.  Less liability exposure. More expenses deductible." CreationDate="2014-08-11T02:17:30.593" UserId="4608" />
  <row Id="3750" PostId="2236" Score="3" Text="Hey Mark, welcome to Freelancing SE. Is it possible to toss out a more specific question? We'd like to think we're here for more than just book recommendations and would like to help with a more specific question you might have. For instance, perhaps you might want to ask what your biggest concern you have in hiring employees? Hope this helps." CreationDate="2014-08-11T03:31:27.327" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="3751" PostId="2242" Score="23" Text="Do you want to keep them as a customer or not?" CreationDate="2014-08-11T08:40:17.313" UserDisplayName="Jenny D" />
  <row Id="3754" PostId="2242" Score="0" Text="Charge them whatever you agreed to charge them when you first took the backup, which sounds like nothing. In which case, charge them for your time only, at most, or risk losing them as a client. It's their property anyways." CreationDate="2014-08-11T14:02:57.233" UserDisplayName="Jason C" />
  <row Id="3755" PostId="2244" Score="1" Text="As you indicate the data is the client's.  Charge the normal rate to restore it, otherwise, send them a copy of the backup and allow them to restore it yourself ( speaking to the author )." CreationDate="2014-08-11T11:13:38.603" UserDisplayName="Ramhound" />
  <row Id="3756" PostId="2245" Score="2" Text="FWIW, he happened to create the backup in question as a routine part of his work. Retaining such a back-up for longer than a short time is a &quot;grey area&quot; and risky if the OP somehow lost control of it but I seriously doubt that the client would be glad to get their lost data back and then decide to sue him because he had it." CreationDate="2014-08-11T11:35:11.740" UserDisplayName="teego1967" />
  <row Id="3757" PostId="2245" Score="7" Text="@teego1967 - The creation of the backup isn't problematic, in and of itself.  But transferring it from the customer's host to a host that you exclusively control is generally crossing a line, especially if the customer doesn't know that you're doing so.  Doubly so if you then turn around and try to charge a fee for giving your copy back to the customer.  I agree they wouldn't sue the OP simply for _having_ the data.  But if the OP tried to _sell it back to them_ for $10k (or any amount, really), I imagine the sparks would start to fly." CreationDate="2014-08-11T11:43:26.030" UserDisplayName="aroth" />
  <row Id="3758" PostId="2245" Score="4" Text="I am going to guess that it takes some labor to apply a backup and the client would want the OP to do it. Of course the OP should be paid for the time and materials to apply the backup and he has every right to charge his rate. He should charge his rate even if it means spending 10 minutes to give them a URL and password." CreationDate="2014-08-11T12:16:38.110" UserDisplayName="teego1967" />
  <row Id="3759" PostId="2245" Score="1" Text="@aroth Actually that pretty much depends on the location. For example if the backup contains any kind of private data, he likely ran afoul of the EU data protection directive.." CreationDate="2014-08-11T14:29:12.387" UserDisplayName="Voo" />
  <row Id="3761" PostId="2245" Score="0" Text="@teego1967 - Yes, _applying_ the backup is something that the OP can definitely charge for.  I say as much in the answer.  What he can't charge for is the data itself.  If his customer wants someone else to apply the backup, the OP has to (or at least, should) give them the raw data at no charge." CreationDate="2014-08-11T15:41:19.150" UserId="4615" />
  <row Id="3765" PostId="2242" Score="2" Text="@JasonC he said it was an incidental backup which suggests to me there was never an agreement to provide backup.  The client is just lucky he did." CreationDate="2014-08-12T00:29:13.123" UserId="4266" />
  <row Id="3766" PostId="2245" Score="0" Text="Thank you. I try to be careful about the things I don't charge for, because I have a natural inclination to do everything for free, and I've been told it causes me to be taken advantage of." CreationDate="2014-08-12T01:34:12.060" UserId="4622" />
  <row Id="3768" PostId="2250" Score="0" Text="Hey Jake, this sounds like an interesting problem, but instead of asking for procedure, could you please be a little more specific in terms of your question? Our Q&amp;A site's voting mechanism's work better with more specific questions since it's easier to vote for the best ones. I also think you'd get better answers that way. Check out [ask] for more in-depth guidance. Hope this helps." CreationDate="2014-08-12T04:08:54.110" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="3769" PostId="2250" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the encouragement, still new to the rules here. I have narrowed down to the part on design now as I think that is the core of the question. Hope it helps." CreationDate="2014-08-12T06:52:34.920" UserId="4621" />
  <row Id="3770" PostId="2250" Score="0" Text="I think that does it. Thanks for clarifying, and welcome to Freelancing SE! If this is your first time here, you might take the [tour] and also take a look at the [other questions tagged &quot;contract&quot;](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/contracts). Good luck! :)" CreationDate="2014-08-12T07:10:30.773" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="3771" PostId="2253" Score="1" Text="Hello! Could you please edit your question to clarify exactly what's going on? As it stands, this is rather vague. It sounds like on a freelancer site, you've completed a few jobs, but are having trouble landing additional projects. You're asking, then, for suggestions for what else to offer to a client. Is that right?" CreationDate="2014-08-12T19:07:23.213" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="3772" PostId="2253" Score="0" Text="I have edited and you are right. I am asking &quot;what should I offer client in proposal&quot;." CreationDate="2014-08-12T19:20:29.020" UserId="4550" />
  <row Id="3773" PostId="2259" Score="0" Text="Wrong!  @unity100, you are suggesting work &quot;on spec&quot;.  If the OP is asked for any work product, including a mock-up, then the OP should be pressing the client for a signed contract before doing any work." CreationDate="2014-08-12T22:17:13.047" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="3774" PostId="2259" Score="0" Text="Which will mean he wont be able to get any jobs. As you see, he got 3-4 jobs, then he cant get anymore. which means that his reputation is not enough to get jobs solely on his past history. which means, there will be a lot of people rightfully asking him to provide some proof of his capability and his grasp of what client wants. only after he has some good number of jobs and feedback under his belt, he can get jobs on name alone." CreationDate="2014-08-12T22:21:55.947" UserId="4640" />
  <row Id="3775" PostId="2259" Score="1" Text="I still disagree.  A GREAT portfolio can get work." CreationDate="2014-08-12T22:24:50.310" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="3776" PostId="2259" Score="0" Text="You need to be aware of what you are saying - &quot;a great PORTFOLIO&quot;.&#xA;&#xA;He has had FOUR Jobs. there is no portfolio." CreationDate="2014-08-12T22:44:01.170" UserId="4640" />
  <row Id="3777" PostId="2259" Score="1" Text="Then he's got work to do :)" CreationDate="2014-08-12T22:45:18.290" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="3778" PostId="2259" Score="0" Text="Exactly that. And in order to get jobs to show in portfolio - but MORE importantly FEEDBACK, he has to use any means possible to get jobs at the start - including manifesting mockups." CreationDate="2014-08-12T22:53:56.810" UserId="4640" />
  <row Id="3779" PostId="2259" Score="0" Text="Simply because, even in quite respectable sites like elance - which verify almost every info you provide -, portfolio is still something under your control. So i uploaded 30 screenshots of websites there, with links to the websites. WHO can tell that they are mine ? you cant put a link under all of them. so presence or non presence of a link is not proof. therefore there is no way to prove that a portfolio is totally yours. What remains ? FEEDBACK. feedback in freelance sites trumps everything." CreationDate="2014-08-12T22:55:24.757" UserId="4640" />
  <row Id="3780" PostId="2253" Score="1" Text="What does your typical proposal look like? I still think the question is vague; I have no idea what you're currently doing to attract clients, so I don't know what you've already tried." CreationDate="2014-08-13T00:02:55.560" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="3781" PostId="2259" Score="1" Text="I think what @codenoire is referring to (and feel free to correct me if I'm wrong) is to _create_ work where there is none. That is, think of a project and execute it. Once it's finished, there's another project for the ol' portfolio (and I bet you can get permission from the &quot;client&quot; to use it in the portfolio)!" CreationDate="2014-08-13T00:09:59.633" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="3782" PostId="2236" Score="1" Text="Thanks @jmort253 for your suggestion. As a techy myself, I'm not an accountant, tax expert, HR manager, or lawyer. So I really am looking for something that covers the range of topics when a freelancer has to make their first hire. If I ask _What is your biggest concern hiring employees_, I don't want to get answers like, &quot;making sure they are self-motivated&quot; or &quot;are they trustworthy&quot;. I have an specific person in mind and I feel confident in the person I want to hire. I just don't have a clue on the administrative side what I need to do in hiring an employee." CreationDate="2014-08-13T00:12:12.573" UserId="4607" />
  <row Id="3783" PostId="2257" Score="0" Text="Not sure if I'm ready for something like ADP Run.  I have a friend that works for a company that outsources their entire HR department to a company that handles payroll, benefits administration, vacation and sick day administration, time sheets, 401k, taxes, and more. Again, that's more than I think I need at this stage of the game." CreationDate="2014-08-13T00:17:24.817" UserId="4607" />
  <row Id="3784" PostId="2257" Score="0" Text="There's always quickbooks :P I couldn't stomach an all-in-one." CreationDate="2014-08-13T00:19:14.893" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="3785" PostId="2257" Score="0" Text="I always thought of quickbooks as strictly accounting software (a business version of quicken)." CreationDate="2014-08-13T00:21:09.440" UserId="4607" />
  <row Id="3786" PostId="2257" Score="1" Text="No, it's always had a payroll module.  The online version has it also." CreationDate="2014-08-13T00:22:50.083" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="3788" PostId="2236" Score="1" Text="Okay. Just so you know, if none of the answers you do get answer your question with what you're looking for, I encourage you to edit with more details/clarification if anything more comes to mind." CreationDate="2014-08-13T04:23:14.827" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="3789" PostId="2255" Score="0" Text="But I don't paint the house until the client confirms, so I don't think this analogy works? I think what you are describing is what the client wants, which I disagree." CreationDate="2014-08-13T05:04:49.903" UserId="4621" />
  <row Id="3790" PostId="2255" Score="0" Text="Unless it is a time and materials contract, you cannot take this approach, can you? But the question is, what is the industry norm?" CreationDate="2014-08-13T05:15:51.900" UserId="4621" />
  <row Id="3792" PostId="2259" Score="0" Text="@unity100, I have 5 out of 5 star rated profile. All previous jobs were completed successful. I am proposing clients same as before but this time client isn't responding me." CreationDate="2014-08-13T07:08:16.143" UserId="4550" />
  <row Id="3793" PostId="2258" Score="0" Text="Thanks for pointers. As for #2 He is willing to sue me for server cost that he ended up paying for those 2 weeks when I was not working. As of now, we have reached to a settlement with he paying me half money and rest in escrow unless task is completed. Which I am supposedly going to wind up by end of week." CreationDate="2014-08-13T07:08:25.507" UserId="4600" />
  <row Id="3797" PostId="2264" Score="2" Text="possible duplicate of [As a freelance programmer, how to include projects in portfolio without legal trouble?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/2199/as-a-freelance-programmer-how-to-include-projects-in-portfolio-without-legal-tr)" CreationDate="2014-08-13T15:35:01.783" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="3799" PostId="2253" Score="0" Text="I'm with @ChrisForrence on this; I've attempted to answer the question (as I've seen this before and I *think* I understand what you're talking about), but more information on what clients are asking for in proposals, what competition is doing, and so on would be quite helpful." CreationDate="2014-08-13T15:54:18.027" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="3802" PostId="2264" Score="0" Text="Are you asking about work you completed *while employed at a steady company who had clients*, as opposed to work you completed *on your own for your own clients without a boss*? That would determine if this is a duplicate question or not." CreationDate="2014-08-13T16:21:55.500" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="3803" PostId="2259" Score="0" Text="4-5 jobs are still not enough to receive projects without providing any guarantees and establishing trust up front, or get high budget projects. im speaking from experience. if your client is not responding to you, then it means either they were not satisfied with you or they found someone else." CreationDate="2014-08-13T19:44:14.437" UserId="4640" />
  <row Id="3804" PostId="2255" Score="0" Text="Doing the work involved to create mock-ups *is*, in essence, painting the house.  Some clients will push for this part to be done for free, just to see how desperate the consultant is." CreationDate="2014-08-13T20:18:12.613" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="3806" PostId="2255" Score="0" Text="What type of mock ups are you referring to? I only do JPGS and refer to existing websites, unless I have a revolutionary concept to sell, in which case, I will create that webpage but it will still be an unpolished version. I think a better analogy is a renovation: you show the client the design in sketch and CAD, but you don't sign until the design is confirmed to go ahead with the actual renovation." CreationDate="2014-08-14T01:31:36.773" UserId="4621" />
  <row Id="3807" PostId="2255" Score="0" Text="Furthermore, when you don't sign, you are not obliged to design for the client till the end. If you feel the client is going to be demanding and stingy, you can call it off. That's how I screen clients too." CreationDate="2014-08-14T01:33:54.807" UserId="4621" />
  <row Id="3808" PostId="2253" Score="0" Text="You might check out what 99designs is doing.  They broker many design projects." CreationDate="2014-08-14T03:44:54.663" UserId="4608" />
  <row Id="3809" PostId="2264" Score="0" Text="Yes @CanadianLuke you got it absolutely right. Is it legal to just display screen shots of works which I had worked under a steady company who had clients." CreationDate="2014-08-14T04:56:23.147" UserId="4648" />
  <row Id="3810" PostId="2264" Score="1" Text="If the finished product is publicly available on the web, I highly doubt you'd have issues with a screen shot and short description of how you helped" CreationDate="2014-08-14T05:00:07.910" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="3812" PostId="2266" Score="0" Text="+1 for good point but not the answer of my question. I am not talking about worthless client who just bother freelancer, I am talking about a decent client. Mostly I discuss with client and before I am awarded, the client awarded project to someone and can't figure out what that freelancer has offered him. I am proving links to portfolio, attaching samples and etc.. but I don't get job. What you usually do to attract client and what you offer him to get job during discussion." CreationDate="2014-08-14T05:48:11.233" UserId="4550" />
  <row Id="3813" PostId="2264" Score="0" Text="Yup, I agree with @CanadianLuke. I do this in my portfolio. If it's publicly available, I consider it free game. If it's an internal project, such as an intranet, I'd get permission first." CreationDate="2014-08-14T07:05:35.077" UserId="4514" />
  <row Id="3819" PostId="2266" Score="0" Text="@Murtaza ah, I was trying to guess the context from your initial question" CreationDate="2014-08-14T12:28:53.003" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="3820" PostId="2240" Score="0" Text="Almost all of my work collaborating on code has been in my clients' own git repositories on existing projects, and I billed monthly to make it easier on the clients (who paid alongside employees). The contractors on the job were essentially temporary full time employees and we were involved in all company meetings and we managed our own sprints, etc." CreationDate="2014-08-14T12:45:24.027" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="3821" PostId="2270" Score="0" Text="I think I didn't use the word design properly. Your first paragraph sort of describes what I actually do except you used the word &quot;mock&quot; instead of design. I think the difference is only in the level of detail and it is difficult to define with respect to client expectation. Do you have a clear guideline between mock and design, say if you do not use balsamic?" CreationDate="2014-08-14T13:37:47.440" UserId="4621" />
  <row Id="3822" PostId="2270" Score="0" Text="For me, mock would be very simple, no colours, black and white outlines everywhere, so that the focus can be on the content and features rather than look and feel. You could use HTML wireframes for this or Photoshop, provided that there is no polish to the initial screen layouts. I like Balsamiq because it's very quick to shift stuff around. Design, on the other hand, would be screens built in Photoshop/Illustrator (or equivalent) that would then be passed to a developer to turn into a working website." CreationDate="2014-08-14T13:41:43.197" UserId="43" />
  <row Id="3823" PostId="2199" Score="0" Text="@user3692125 a contract doesn't have to be typed on headed paper, it's likely a contract [technically did exist](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contract#Elements) since you entered a commercial agreement, however that contract never listed anything beyond the basic terms, so your point stands." CreationDate="2014-08-14T15:15:46.317" UserId="4556" />
  <row Id="3824" PostId="2255" Score="0" Text="Jake, I think you're a little underinformed.  You can set up a contract to be invoiced (billable) in steps, to make the design phase separate (and severable) from the implementation.  That way, neither party is obligated to carry on to the later phase." CreationDate="2014-08-14T19:55:33.943" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="3829" PostId="2276" Score="1" Text="That you......?" CreationDate="2014-08-14T14:45:46.990" UserDisplayName="mxyzplk" />
  <row Id="3830" PostId="2276" Score="0" Text="oops thank you for pointing that out @mxyzplk" CreationDate="2014-08-14T14:47:44.767" UserId="4142" />
  <row Id="3831" PostId="366" Score="0" Text="I'm not sure what country you are in but in the U.S a friends and family discount is pretty common. E.g.: http://www.hp.com/retiree/Friends_and_Family.html" CreationDate="2014-08-15T06:33:43.620" UserId="2532" />
  <row Id="3832" PostId="2264" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke Thank you for your inputs. And yeah it is publicly available. :)" CreationDate="2014-08-15T07:44:20.607" UserId="4648" />
  <row Id="3837" PostId="2255" Score="0" Text="I think that is possible, but few clients I worked with will accept. Is this the industry practice to set up &quot;2 separable contracts&quot;? If I can confidently say it is then it will be easier for me, therefore its back to my original question." CreationDate="2014-08-16T06:02:44.643" UserId="4621" />
  <row Id="3838" PostId="2273" Score="0" Text="The experience with multiple other developers adds a lot of perspective, something that I do not have. Thanks. In this particular project, I actually sub contracted the backend system to another company. I showed them the Design Intent which only has frontend screenshots and ask &quot;Can you figure out what is required?&quot; Without further clarification, they confirm they understood the requirements and went on to development straight without showing me mocks. I must say they managed to get 90% right, but the client's changing of design voided everything that was done. :(" CreationDate="2014-08-16T06:11:02.023" UserId="4621" />
  <row Id="3839" PostId="2255" Score="0" Text="There's no need to set two contracts.  There's one contract with separate sections for design and implementation.  Design will cost $___, and implementation will cost $____.  Client can decide whether or not to complete implementation after design is completed.  That's the gist of what has to be captured on paper.  Two contracts?  I'm not sure where that idea came from." CreationDate="2014-08-17T16:09:52.870" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="3841" PostId="2273" Score="0" Text="Oh man, that's messed up!  Going forward, I would never sub anything out until you have a contract and a deposit. &#xA;&#xA;Did you have SOME kind of understanding on price/scope before you started?  Even if verbal, the must expect to pay for your work.  Can you say &quot;This design change is no problem at all, but I want to make sure you're positive you want this before moving forward because it requires a significant change to the programming architecture which is going to add $X to the project.  I never want to shock anyone with an invoice...  Do I have your permission to start on these changes?" CreationDate="2014-08-17T18:45:46.043" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="3842" PostId="2273" Score="0" Text="Also - maybe this client is just a jerk and deliberately trying to abuse you.  But I've had clients where I felt abused by their constant questions/changes/little requests and I said &quot;I can't keep doing this for free&quot; and they said &quot;Of course! I just assumed you'd send an invoice...&quot;" CreationDate="2014-08-17T18:47:55.833" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="3846" PostId="1850" Score="0" Text="In point 4 you said `This shifted completely my perception about the success of all of my own projects`. I first thought you researched about the skills, but now it seems you researched about economics-side of the project, right? Or how did you figure out if the project will be successful or not?" CreationDate="2014-08-18T05:59:53.937" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="3847" PostId="2286" Score="0" Text="Unfortunately, it will also look bad if I pull out of this project. Besides, this project will go swimmingly if they just let me report directly to Widgets Inc instead of Bob." CreationDate="2014-08-18T15:35:36.900" UserId="4689" />
  <row Id="3848" PostId="2286" Score="1" Text="As I said, I would do ANYTHING to get out of the project. Otherwise, be prepared to do the work for both of you to get the unpredicted result. And try to be hard ass and don't let anyone giving you advises. Have you opinion and maybe Bob will complain that he cannot work with you :). Again, you're on the ship on the course to the iceberg. Find a way to get out of it." CreationDate="2014-08-18T15:39:50.907" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="3850" PostId="2285" Score="0" Text="Are you still in the planning stage, or are you in development? Furthermore, do you have a contract with Bob?" CreationDate="2014-08-18T17:27:54.717" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="3851" PostId="2285" Score="0" Text="@ChrisForrence My contract is with Widgets Inc. Bob is telling me to start development, but I really want to do more planning with Widgets Inc first. Bob also has a contract with Widgets Inc for &quot;his share&quot; of the work even though I'm doing 100% of it." CreationDate="2014-08-18T18:51:25.043" UserId="4689" />
  <row Id="3852" PostId="1850" Score="0" Text="A good project materialize very fast and becomes profitable in a reasonable amount of time. Now when I look back I can tell that the fail projects were sustained only by my passion; they never were to be profitable or achievable. No, I didn't expressly researched to see if a project is profitable or not. Is hard to say what will succeed and what not. What I did it was to learn and evolve. This came also with answers." CreationDate="2014-08-18T19:22:00.007" UserId="2546" />
  <row Id="3853" PostId="2289" Score="0" Text="Well, where are you located? If in Canada or USA, include the province/state. What information are you looking for specifically? Currently this question looks as though it's asking for opinion, instead of solving a problem. Can you reword it? If you need, feel free to ask on [chat] or [meta] for more information. Thanks, and welcome to Freelancing.SE!" CreationDate="2014-08-18T23:44:20.750" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="3855" PostId="2289" Score="0" Text="I guess I am looking for more of an opinion. But I am also concerned about the legalities of working as a freelancer vs. a sole proprietor. I am in Washington State, USA. I will move the opinion portion of my question to the freelancing chat or meta, but what about the legal-side of my question? Should that be elsewhere also?" CreationDate="2014-08-19T14:10:26.597" UserId="4540" />
  <row Id="3856" PostId="2289" Score="0" Text="Nope, you can leave the legal part here, but please edit the question to add in the extra info as well. Include anything you've researched yourself as well. That will help make it a great question." CreationDate="2014-08-19T14:37:50.200" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="3857" PostId="2289" Score="0" Text="Thanks, @CanadianLuke! I edited the question per your suggestions." CreationDate="2014-08-19T14:45:04.460" UserId="4540" />
  <row Id="3858" PostId="2290" Score="1" Text="Clever trick with the innocent questions! I'm going to give that a try. Re: your side note, I have another (Bob-free) project with Widgets Inc that is paying well above my standard rate, so I think they value me. I'm getting underpaid on this project because they think that Bob is doing most of the work." CreationDate="2014-08-19T19:20:19.293" UserId="4689" />
  <row Id="3859" PostId="2290" Score="1" Text="That's good.  Did you compete with Bob for this project, or did they just pick him then he came to you?  (just curious) I once had a larger company approach me to be their sub contractor on a training project for one of my own clients.  I said &quot;but my rate is as high as yours so how would that work?&quot;  I didn't hear from them again, but I also didn't get the project." CreationDate="2014-08-19T20:32:49.937" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="3860" PostId="2290" Score="0" Text="Emily, I think you missed something.  The OP is *not* a subcontractor of Bob." CreationDate="2014-08-20T00:45:09.510" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="3861" PostId="2282" Score="0" Text="I tend to forgo email and Skype and other methods of communicating in preferenece of IRC or Slack, but remember that if you are doing *any* group project, you will need to communicate heavily with an existing team. Just shutting off all communication is a little heavy-handed and can leave your client bewildered." CreationDate="2014-08-20T13:12:02.717" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="3862" PostId="2290" Score="0" Text="@Emily They've been working with Bob for years and with me less than a year, so they go to him first. They don't understand the difference between design and programming. It's all interchangeable &quot;geek stuff&quot; to them." CreationDate="2014-08-20T13:51:22.010" UserId="4689" />
  <row Id="3863" PostId="2294" Score="0" Text="Thanks for all that clarification, @codenoire! I know about the liability differences and agree that an LLC is probably the best way to go. However, I can't financially do that right now. Hence why I think I'll go with an SP. Are there any other reasons I shouldn't do any paperwork? If freelance is interchangeable with &quot;Sole Proprietor&quot; why should I go through the process? Can I DBA Anchors Away Designs that way?" CreationDate="2014-08-20T17:45:18.640" UserId="4540" />
  <row Id="3864" PostId="2290" Score="0" Text="That makes sense.  Bob still needs to be punished for biting off more than he can chew... ;-)" CreationDate="2014-08-20T20:46:39.923" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="3865" PostId="2290" Score="0" Text="@codenoire, the OP said Bob is a freelancer to their mutual client, Bob outsourced that work to the OP for a fraction of the pay (I assume a fraction of the pay Bob is getting).  Also that Bob is now the boss on the project.  So doesn't that make the OP Bob's sub contractor?" CreationDate="2014-08-20T20:52:36.887" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="3866" PostId="2294" Score="1" Text="You can go down to the county clerk's office where you live and register a DBA, so it'd be Alicia Uhacz d/b/a Anchors Away Designs.  As for your LLC, the cost to set it up is not actually much more than what you'll spend on doing the d/b/a and then *having the DBA published*, which you HAVE to do.  You can register an LLC in Wyoming for $50!!!  Again, do your homework to see if this is right for you." CreationDate="2014-08-20T20:53:46.507" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="3867" PostId="2290" Score="0" Text="I read it again.  Ooh, that's one heck of a conflict-of-interest.  I wouldn't have done it, MOST especially since if I was doing work for the same client, why would I accept less than my regular rate?" CreationDate="2014-08-20T21:00:49.347" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="3868" PostId="2296" Score="1" Text="Was the work done FOR the client, or just a project of your own?" CreationDate="2014-08-20T21:04:04.923" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="3869" PostId="2290" Score="1" Text="@codenoire, the OP said elsewhere that his contract is with Widgets so I'm confused too.  *something* about this situation is very twisted.  I've been there...  If nothing else I would analyze exactly how it happened and prepare to make sure there is no repeat.  llana I am curious how it happened that you are doing the work but Bob has control and the lion's share of credit/money.  I am guessing you were caught off guard and trying to be a nice guy to everyone when this was proposed." CreationDate="2014-08-20T22:10:47.427" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="3870" PostId="2294" Score="0" Text="Ha. Wish I was in Wyoming then! It was about $400 for an LLC here!" CreationDate="2014-08-20T23:00:27.613" UserId="4540" />
  <row Id="3871" PostId="2294" Score="0" Text="You don't have to live in Wyoming :)" CreationDate="2014-08-21T03:47:37.593" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="3872" PostId="2290" Score="0" Text="I dont think it was the best idea for the OP to work for &quot;Bob&quot; with the same end client.  &quot;Bob&quot; might not pay!!!  Or, Bob might be doing the ol' &quot;you don't get paid until I get paid&quot; trick." CreationDate="2014-08-21T03:50:46.253" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="3877" PostId="2300" Score="1" Text="What do you mean by &quot;Panel&quot;? Are you referring to something like cPanel? Also, what do you mean by &quot;get rid of the client&quot;: refusing the work or to deliver the code as you would normally do such?" CreationDate="2014-08-21T15:44:04.013" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="3879" PostId="2300" Score="0" Text="Like cpanel yes. no I mean, I deliver what was agreed. I set up the platform, If bug there is I correct it. But otherwise, contract is over. I'm neither a sysadmin nor a support team!" CreationDate="2014-08-21T15:57:30.017" UserId="4713" />
  <row Id="3882" PostId="2290" Score="0" Text="It's all very twisted, but +1 to: &quot;I understand I work for Bob on this project, but as a professional, I cannot, in good conscience, proceed per current direction&quot;" CreationDate="2014-08-22T06:06:07.850" UserId="4514" />
  <row Id="3883" PostId="2300" Score="0" Text="Not trying to sounds harsh, but you don't sound like the right person for the job. A non tech person is going to have a hell of a time with a simple wordpress site. Hell, non tech people have a hard time logging into Facebook. You'll either need to support the client after (and charge for it) or decline the work." CreationDate="2014-08-22T06:12:12.333" UserId="4514" />
  <row Id="3884" PostId="2300" Score="0" Text="@PaulDessert A while ago, the guy made his own site himself with HTML and CSS on a notepad reading &quot;for dummy&quot;, I'm pretty sure he would be fine with WordPress. Though I found my answer. A fully managed plateform that is django friendly: http://djangofriendly.com/hosts/ .&#xA;&#xA;English is not my mother tongue, so maybe I misused the word Client. I differentiate Client (providing specifications) from Customer. I work for companies where platform are managed, the guy asked me if I could CMS-ify his site. I do not even plan to make him pay for that. I just do no want to have his site on my VPS." CreationDate="2014-08-22T07:23:43.690" UserId="4713" />
  <row Id="3885" PostId="2294" Score="0" Text="Hmm good to know! Haha. Thanks for all the info, codenoire!" CreationDate="2014-08-22T15:06:23.570" UserId="4540" />
  <row Id="3886" PostId="2302" Score="1" Text="Why didn't you just ask the client what he meant?" CreationDate="2014-08-23T02:45:24.117" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="3887" PostId="2306" Score="2" Text="Did you have a contract?  Also, in the US, this is a civil matter, so the cops don't care..." CreationDate="2014-08-23T21:46:11.967" UserId="1752" />
  <row Id="3888" PostId="2306" Score="0" Text="IMHO this questions does not deserve downvote." CreationDate="2014-08-24T10:25:35.487" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="3889" PostId="2306" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV, ideally, on questions like these we should try to get the asker to clarify the question. &quot;What should I do&quot; is a bit too open ended for Stack Exchange, but if we press askers, we can usually help them [edit] and identify something a bit more specific and that fits our Q&amp;A model. Hope this helps." CreationDate="2014-08-25T03:28:26.100" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="3890" PostId="2306" Score="0" Text="@jmort253 I agree in general. Questions like What should I do are too wide indeed. But somehow, this question has clear explanation and the last question is a logical end. That is why this seem a clear question to me." CreationDate="2014-08-25T07:22:32.640" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="3891" PostId="2306" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV, if you think a question is clear, and you're noticing others aren't quite getting it, another thing we can do is [edit] the question to make it more clear.  Even if a question is perfectly clear to you, making it more clear to the wider audience just benefits our community and all the future visitors even more. Sometimes I do this on questions I come across where I know what the person is trying to ask, but it may not be very clear immediately. Hope this helps." CreationDate="2014-08-25T07:28:22.777" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="3892" PostId="2306" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV, I edited this a bit more to more closely align with how I think you interpreted the question." CreationDate="2014-08-25T07:38:20.343" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="3893" PostId="2316" Score="0" Text="fair enough for me. DjangoEurope has a django installer, but i'd still need to use console for some setup. Even so it would work on its own after setup. Whatever CMS i'll choose, I'll only have to override a few templates and I'll be done, so maybe I should just choose wordpress. I'll probably not charge the guy (who is an acquaintance) for such little work. Hopefully it will prevent maintenance." CreationDate="2014-08-25T20:02:26.653" UserId="4713" />
  <row Id="3894" PostId="2302" Score="3" Text="This question appears to be off-topic because it is about word usage, and not about freelancing. It appears to be on-topic for [English Language &amp; Usage](http://english.stackexchange.com/), but please check their question guidelines first!" CreationDate="2014-08-25T21:39:11.480" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="3895" PostId="2310" Score="0" Text="This is good advise. But most people find it hard to estimate their monthly income. That is why hourly rate is easier to most of them." CreationDate="2014-08-26T06:50:08.350" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="3898" PostId="2304" Score="0" Text="Why don't you refer Bob as your client? If Bob has got good projects, he should be famous among peers, why don't you present it as you have done XYZ work for Bob." CreationDate="2014-08-24T07:01:15.903" UserId="4735" />
  <row Id="3900" PostId="2300" Score="0" Text="Hello, I put this post on hold as it's not really clear what your question is. I suggest taking any information from the comments and making an [edit] to your post to clarify and organize it into a single question folks can answer. See [ask] for more details. Also, you might take the [tour]. Hope this helps!" CreationDate="2014-08-27T06:25:27.623" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="3902" PostId="2267" Score="0" Text="I'd add to this: Some states allow you to reserve an LLC name or a trading as name to make sure that no one steals the name you're considering while you're testing it." CreationDate="2014-08-27T16:02:18.213" UserId="1323" />
  <row Id="3905" PostId="2309" Score="0" Text="I used this for a company I recently formed: http://www.cityaddress.co.uk/&#xA;Dead cheap for £30 per year, just got my first forwarded mail from them." CreationDate="2014-08-25T04:07:18.420" UserId="1066" />
  <row Id="3906" PostId="2321" Score="1" Text="This question appears to be off-topic because it is about programming. It belongs to Stack Overflow" CreationDate="2014-08-29T12:27:09.897" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="3907" PostId="2321" Score="12" Text="@PeterMV I'd vote that it's on topic because it's about expertise and when to accept clients for projects, not specifically about the programming language(s) in question." CreationDate="2014-08-29T12:44:29.847" UserId="4556" />
  <row Id="3913" PostId="2330" Score="3" Text="This question appears to be off-topic because it is about odesk policy and rules which should be directed to oDesk support team. We here can only give false information." CreationDate="2014-09-01T12:05:56.317" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="3914" PostId="2332" Score="0" Text="Hey Sergey, welcome to Freelancing SE. We're a Stack Exchange Q&amp;A site, just like any other SE site, so we're looking for specific and answerable questions. I edited this slightly to focus on solving your problem and not on what other people *might* do. My suggestion from here is to edit in more specifics about your situation, and if there's anything you've tried to improve your revenue stream. Hope this helps!" CreationDate="2014-09-02T07:33:00.200" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="3915" PostId="2330" Score="0" Text="I did email the oDesk support. They answered me a copy of their policy rule and a comment to say to fill in the tax form for individual and that they don't care about agencies.&#xA;I'd like to know how agencies make it ?" CreationDate="2014-09-02T07:36:04.953" UserId="4797" />
  <row Id="3916" PostId="2330" Score="0" Text="Hey Thierry, did you explain to them the situation that you're a business? You might want to email them again, as they're really a better option for this kind of question." CreationDate="2014-09-02T07:36:40.833" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="3917" PostId="2330" Score="2" Text="If you email them and get back another canned response, feel free to [edit] into your post that you tried contacting them, what their response was, and we might be able to possibly make this question fit our site guidelines. Hope this helps." CreationDate="2014-09-02T07:37:47.603" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="3918" PostId="2330" Score="0" Text="I did. I think since there was no different tax form between individual and business few months ago, they're not up to date." CreationDate="2014-09-02T07:39:46.450" UserId="4797" />
  <row Id="3919" PostId="2330" Score="0" Text="Ok I've edited the post" CreationDate="2014-09-02T07:43:06.647" UserId="4797" />
  <row Id="3920" PostId="2330" Score="0" Text="I'm not entirely sure that this is a good fit for our site, but I also think it's a freelancing problem, and if oDesk isn't able to answer this, then I think it's worth a shot. I'll reopen for answers." CreationDate="2014-09-02T07:48:38.040" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="3921" PostId="2330" Score="0" Text="Thierry, I edited again to make it more clear. Can you take a look and make sure I didn't mess up any facts? For instance, do you *work* for the agency or do you *own* the agency?  (ex: Are you the owner of the business or are you a freelance contractor to the business?) Thanks!" CreationDate="2014-09-02T07:52:04.400" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="3922" PostId="2325" Score="0" Text="In elance you have facility to generate miscellaneous invoice." CreationDate="2014-08-31T17:39:30.677" UserId="4793" />
  <row Id="3923" PostId="2325" Score="1" Text="Hi Williams, welcome to Freelancing.SE! It's a little difficult understanding what you're asking here, and this question is at risk of being put on hold. Can you please [edit] to give some more details as to your problem? If you need help with formatting the question, feel free to ask on [chat] or [meta]. Thanks!" CreationDate="2014-09-02T15:51:04.153" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="3924" PostId="2118" Score="1" Text="This question is currently in our [self-eval review queue](http://meta.freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/195/lets-get-critical-aug-2014-site-self-evaluation). It's a good question, but how can we make it easier for people to find from google? What search terms did you use before asking here, and would those terms make a better title?  Thanks!" CreationDate="2014-09-03T05:07:21.280" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="3925" PostId="2120" Score="1" Text="I think this can backfire sometimes. If two programmer-types disagree on something, yet the other holds a great deal more power, like writing the checks, that can lead to problems. Unless you have a good rapport with the client developer, you could end up getting micromanaged." CreationDate="2014-09-03T05:10:10.023" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="3926" PostId="2329" Score="0" Text="Yep, you are allowed to work up to 10 hours and you must be payed for any amount you do in a week, even if it is half an hour." CreationDate="2014-09-03T06:16:20.180" UserId="888" />
  <row Id="3927" PostId="2118" Score="0" Text="@jmort253 interesting, that makes sense. Hmm. I think the key question I'd use to paraphrase the question for brevity would ask something like &quot;What's the best balance between explanation and debugging?&quot; But I'm not sure that that's broad enough to be a good title for SEO, nor descriptive enough to attract attention." CreationDate="2014-09-03T06:24:57.237" UserId="4314" />
  <row Id="3928" PostId="2118" Score="0" Text="The bigger key I think is the SEO. Most visitors to our site are the silent majority of visitors who don't have accounts. Many land here from google searches where they're looking for answers to their problem. Whatever makes this more visible in search results helps those people. If any ideas come up, feel free to jump into [chat] or [meta], or you can even give the post an [edit] yourself. We're always looking for ways to improve the content. It's what makes Stack Exchange so great." CreationDate="2014-09-03T06:31:37.293" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="3929" PostId="2330" Score="0" Text="Thank you, it is more clear. I own the agency, I edit the post." CreationDate="2014-09-03T08:38:39.217" UserId="4797" />
  <row Id="3930" PostId="2333" Score="0" Text="This is very broad.  Apparently you have some concerns with some of the text of the document.  Why don't you post it, or at least paraphrase?  Otherwise, you are giving us nothing to work with." CreationDate="2014-09-03T18:27:21.977" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="3931" PostId="2335" Score="0" Text="Thank you. Last question, do you fill the individual form with the owner name or with the business name ? Odesk asks for the owner name but then there is no form for the business..." CreationDate="2014-09-03T23:06:56.143" UserId="4797" />
  <row Id="3932" PostId="2340" Score="0" Text="Thank you for the answer. But I don't talk like that to the costumers/team-leads. Where did you get the idea that I know something about JavaScript? I started this because I realized that after all the &quot;learning&quot; I still have to buy lots of clue." CreationDate="2014-09-03T23:27:21.297" UserId="2973" />
  <row Id="3933" PostId="126" Score="0" Text="On Workplace SE: [How can I prepare for getting hit by a bus?](http://workplace.stackexchange.com/q/9128/6124)" CreationDate="2014-09-04T09:27:04.147" UserId="100" />
  <row Id="3934" PostId="2335" Score="0" Text="Why don't you call IRS?" CreationDate="2014-09-04T12:23:11.833" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="3935" PostId="2341" Score="5" Text="&quot;Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants for food, fuel, fibre, and land reclamation.&quot; --[Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agronomy) (I didn't know off-hand what it was)" CreationDate="2014-09-04T15:04:43.733" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="3936" PostId="2341" Score="0" Text="@ChrisForrence LOL" CreationDate="2014-09-04T15:12:47.310" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="3937" PostId="2201" Score="0" Text="I'm not an accountant but that makes sense.  It seems the IRS would want the reporting to make sure the recipient pays his or her taxes -- since they are not in the US they don't owe the US IRS anything, so the US IRS would just see it as a business expense for you but not care if the foreigner reports their income or not.  And you can run an oDesk report to back up the expense for your IRS purposes (I assume)." CreationDate="2014-09-04T19:47:24.010" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="3940" PostId="2329" Score="0" Text="Hey Williams, and Emily, I put the question on hold because it's not 100% clear to everyone exactly what's being asked. We put posts on hold to give us time to improve them via suggested edits and asking clarifying questions in the comments. Emily, since you answered this, would you be willing to give the question a suggested edit?  When anyone edits an on hold post, it gets bumped back into our [review queues](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/review), where anyone with 500+ reputation can review and vote to reopen. Hope this helps clarify." CreationDate="2014-09-05T04:59:26.017" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="3941" PostId="2171" Score="0" Text="Hey Jon, in the future, please don't [cross-post questions across multiple SE sites](http://money.stackexchange.com/questions/35615/tax-considerations-for-outsourcing-freelance-work-to-foreign-country). This makes it harder for people with the same problem to find the answers all in one spot. With that said, thanks for following up with a self-answer in both places." CreationDate="2014-09-05T05:22:03.040" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="3942" PostId="2167" Score="0" Text="Off topic: So the business started again?! I am glad to see that." CreationDate="2014-09-05T05:28:22.150" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="3943" PostId="2344" Score="0" Text="Well, who is your target audience? From my unscientific point of view, if your audience is pretty static (and if you're on a budget), then you can just focus on one platform. If your audience varies greatly (targeting 18-65 males in UK), then you may want to post the same content to multiple platforms, since different segments may frequent different sites." CreationDate="2014-09-05T13:26:47.523" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="3944" PostId="2344" Score="0" Text="@ChrisForrence The question here is not so much which platform would fit my indended audience best, but how to use these platforms. The answer should be more generally applicable to all self-publishing artists, like musicians, webcomic artists or independent film makers. The example that made me ask this question is a nude model." CreationDate="2014-09-05T16:14:31.943" UserDisplayName="user4830" />
  <row Id="3945" PostId="2171" Score="0" Text="no problem! i hadn't thought about it like that before. i'll make sure not to, just wasn't sure where to put this one, especially since both sites were beta. thx again!" CreationDate="2014-09-05T16:53:07.540" UserId="4500" />
  <row Id="3946" PostId="2346" Score="0" Text="Hi Yaemish, welcome to Freelancing.SE! Can you please [edit] your question to not ask for an opinion/poll for ideas, and focus JUST on the problem at hand? The SE Q&amp;A model does not really work well with questions that get opinions, as we like focusing directly on the facts at hand. If you need help, feel free to join us in [chat] or [meta]. Thanks!" CreationDate="2014-09-05T21:33:28.067" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="3947" PostId="2329" Score="0" Text="@jmort253 I am not sure what is unclear to you guys. This answer is really cool that I was looking." CreationDate="2014-09-06T07:31:01.050" UserDisplayName="user4429" />
  <row Id="3948" PostId="2337" Score="0" Text="+1 for the &quot;HTML expert because he took a class in high school&quot;. It really sucks when it happens; somebody is trying to be smart while you know *you* are the expert. Happens in real life as well, office works, restaurants, you name it. The key here is, *never, never, never!* allow your client to contribute directly. Otherwise you'll never finish. If they insist after repeated requested to stop, it's not a bad idea to drop the client - they don't trust your professionalism and it's not worth spending so much time with them for little money." CreationDate="2014-09-06T18:18:39.170" UserId="4794" />
  <row Id="3949" PostId="2341" Score="0" Text="Hmm... there are remote personal trainers.  Are there remote interior decorators?" CreationDate="2014-09-06T19:15:01.873" UserId="4837" />
  <row Id="3950" PostId="2329" Score="0" Text="I gave it an edit, based on what I think you were asking. (I think the problem was a mixture of just differences in language, as well as some grammatical issues and typos. Sometimes that's all it takes to clarify is simply fixing those problems). Hope this helps! :)" CreationDate="2014-09-07T00:02:22.240" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="3952" PostId="2350" Score="0" Text="Do you have an existing contract? THat would limit what you can do and would most likely mean you need to suck it up and fulfill what you agreed to." CreationDate="2014-09-07T06:24:38.137" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="3953" PostId="2350" Score="0" Text="Yes, as indicated above there's a fixed price contract currently in place. Right now I'm going with the &quot;no gold-plating&quot; option and sticking to only what's in the contract.  &quot;oh, u wantd it 2 look pritee?&quot;" CreationDate="2014-09-07T16:01:43.053" UserId="4837" />
  <row Id="3954" PostId="2350" Score="0" Text="I should add that the contract includes a 30 warranty for bug fixes, but doesn't address technical support at all, so I have some wiggle room there." CreationDate="2014-09-07T16:04:47.553" UserId="4837" />
  <row Id="3955" PostId="2352" Score="0" Text="mods, I am new here. couldn't add 'safety' tag. And also please feel free to change title/question. Thank you!" CreationDate="2014-09-07T16:50:49.547" UserId="4842" />
  <row Id="3956" PostId="2352" Score="1" Text="Hi, and welcome to Freelancing.SE! I don't see how a `safety` tag could help with future questions, so I will not be creating one yet. If the community disagrees, someone else will. Welcome, and I hope you get the information you're after." CreationDate="2014-09-07T19:00:03.950" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="3957" PostId="2329" Score="0" Text="@jmort253 I did have to read the question several times before I thought I understood it enough to answer. I also assumed there was a language barrier causing the confusing wording of the question.  Glad it sounds like my answer hit the target." CreationDate="2014-09-07T20:42:32.350" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="3958" PostId="2329" Score="0" Text="@Emily - I think this is a fine artifact on our site now. If you, or Williams, want to know the ways you can help the Freelancing SE community be the best site on the Internet for freelancing problems, see http://meta.freelancing.stackexchange.com/q/194/64. Hope this helps!" CreationDate="2014-09-07T21:46:00.320" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="3959" PostId="2321" Score="0" Text="@Chris, do you see how we might edit the post to make that a little more clear? The title, for instance, sure makes it looks like it's about programming. The key to editing is finding someone like you who sees what it's really about and then putting an edit in place that clears up the things that make close-voters think it's off-topic. See [this Meta Freelancing post](http://meta.freelancing.stackexchange.com/a/119/64) for ways we can help make questions more completely fit our scope. Hope this helps." CreationDate="2014-09-08T01:49:50.120" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="3960" PostId="2352" Score="0" Text="Are you asking about these &quot;other&quot; sites specifically? I'm a freelancer and have *never* used any web site (other than my own) as an employment tool." CreationDate="2014-09-08T03:42:09.127" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="3961" PostId="2324" Score="1" Text="**A lot** more information would be needed that what you've provided. For example, when quoting, was it reasonable to assume the subsets of A and B would be needed? Should you have detailed the scope better?" CreationDate="2014-09-08T03:45:06.877" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="3963" PostId="2352" Score="0" Text="CanadianLuke - Thank you. @Scott - sites like reddit (/r/forhire) or ifreelance etc. Now you mention, you have your own site, thats also a platform for non-comission based. Now I approach you and assign you some work. How do you make sure that I am gonna pay you after you complete it? You reply could in answer box" CreationDate="2014-09-08T08:43:44.347" UserId="4842" />
  <row Id="3964" PostId="2360" Score="0" Text="If anyone has any suggestions to improve this answer I'd be interested to hear them, it doesn't feel super strong…" CreationDate="2014-09-08T18:20:11.153" UserId="4556" />
  <row Id="3965" PostId="687" Score="0" Text="Well, what if its the government and nothing regarding late fees were mentioned in the contract???" CreationDate="2014-09-08T20:48:03.257" UserDisplayName="user4849" />
  <row Id="3966" PostId="2300" Score="1" Text="@jmort253 thanks, I understand my own question better now! English is not my mother tongue so sometimes it is a bit hard to be sound." CreationDate="2014-09-09T07:23:25.037" UserId="4713" />
  <row Id="3967" PostId="2300" Score="0" Text="No problem. Our goal is to continue to tweak our content and make it shine, and I think your post is now a good example, so I'm going to reopen based on [this Meta Freelancing SE discussion about the post](http://meta.freelancing.stackexchange.com/q/198/64)." CreationDate="2014-09-10T03:19:53.050" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="3969" PostId="1042" Score="0" Text="Hey @HoneyBear97, I'm looking for freelance blogger to write fashion tips &amp; trends blog articles for us. Interested?" CreationDate="2014-09-10T09:52:23.213" UserId="4860" />
  <row Id="3970" PostId="2366" Score="0" Text="Hi a20, welcome to freelancing.se! You are asking a lot of questions all at once, which may not be the best approach. Can you focus on just one main question, based on your problem, and edit out the rest? You are free to create multiple questions with different content" CreationDate="2014-09-10T15:03:35.107" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="3971" PostId="2368" Score="0" Text="Hey gowfer, welcome to Freelancing SE! I edited this to put the spotlight on your question and make sure the title matches. Please feel free to clarify further if needed. Hope this helps." CreationDate="2014-09-11T03:52:30.727" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="3973" PostId="2366" Score="1" Text="I've split the question into four parts: [i. Finding them](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/2366/freelance-bloggers-1-4-finding-them), [ii. Spotting good ones](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/2369/freelance-bloggers-2-4-spotting-good-ones), [iii. Compensation](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/2371/freelance-bloggers-3-4-compensation) &amp; [iv. Management](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/2370/freelance-bloggers-4-4-employee-management)" CreationDate="2014-09-11T04:14:02.567" UserId="4860" />
  <row Id="3974" PostId="2369" Score="1" Text="I've split the question into four parts: [i. Finding them](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/2366/freelance-bloggers-1-4-finding-them), [ii. Spotting good ones](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/2369/freelance-bloggers-2-4-spotting-good-ones), [iii. Compensation](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/2371/freelance-bloggers-3-4-compensation) &amp; [iv. Management](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/2370/freelance-bloggers-4-4-employee-management)" CreationDate="2014-09-11T04:15:03.993" UserId="4860" />
  <row Id="3975" PostId="2371" Score="0" Text="I've split the question into four parts: [i. Finding them](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/2366/freelance-bloggers-1-4-finding-them), [ii. Spotting good ones](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/2369/freelance-bloggers-2-4-spotting-good-ones), [iii. Compensation](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/2371/freelance-bloggers-3-4-compensation) &amp; [iv. Management](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/2370/freelance-bloggers-4-4-employee-management)" CreationDate="2014-09-11T04:15:35.357" UserId="4860" />
  <row Id="3976" PostId="2370" Score="0" Text="I've split the question into four parts: [i. Finding them](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/2366/freelance-bloggers-1-4-finding-them), [ii. Spotting good ones](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/2369/freelance-bloggers-2-4-spotting-good-ones), [iii. Compensation](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/2371/freelance-bloggers-3-4-compensation) &amp; [iv. Management](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/2370/freelance-bloggers-4-4-employee-management)" CreationDate="2014-09-11T04:16:05.947" UserId="4860" />
  <row Id="3977" PostId="2367" Score="0" Text="Thanks, I can't upvote because I'm new. Although the question was mostly about: &quot;Is there any host which would actually allow me to say 'the initial contract is over.'   if I do not use wordpress but django/play framework ?&quot; I ended up with a yes after some research but such providers are very few..." CreationDate="2014-09-11T20:29:42.747" UserId="4713" />
  <row Id="3978" PostId="2373" Score="0" Text="What if I have less or no almost no experience but want to do this project as it will help me in future, what done? How can I quote. How will I justify to client why I m charging them this high or this less?" CreationDate="2014-09-11T22:35:21.717" UserId="1754" />
  <row Id="3979" PostId="2373" Score="0" Text="What do you mean by &quot;almost no experience&quot;? No experience coding? No experience writing plugins? No experience w/something this large? At some point, truly no experience = don't do it." CreationDate="2014-09-12T12:38:03.177" UserId="127" />
  <row Id="3980" PostId="2367" Score="0" Text="@user2346536 Actually most web hosting companies provide advanced support (paid) such as small modifications to scripts and custom development (beyond just managing the server architecture). So you can direct your client to those companies." CreationDate="2014-09-12T12:43:50.140" UserId="121" />
  <row Id="3981" PostId="2367" Score="0" Text="Ok . Good point. Though support included is better!" CreationDate="2014-09-12T12:54:06.997" UserId="4713" />
  <row Id="3983" PostId="2362" Score="0" Text="I like this approach. I think the danger in charging different tier rates is that you may receive more work that pays the lower tier and perhaps become more support based than design/development based." CreationDate="2014-09-12T20:29:10.120" UserId="4874" />
  <row Id="3984" PostId="2373" Score="0" Text="that was just a vague scenario which i said." CreationDate="2014-09-13T10:29:55.820" UserId="1754" />
  <row Id="3985" PostId="2375" Score="0" Text="can you give me a practical answer? Say my hourly rate is 5$" CreationDate="2014-09-13T10:30:58.733" UserId="1754" />
  <row Id="3986" PostId="2373" Score="0" Text="Vague scenarios don't work well for the stack exchange questions." CreationDate="2014-09-13T16:04:24.600" UserId="127" />
  <row Id="3987" PostId="2340" Score="1" Text="This is incredibly critical to your success. It's not just important that you use correct terminology with clients, but you must use them around other professionals as well; otherwise, they may not take you seriously. I can't emphasize enough how important this is. To clarify, we are professionals here. Hope this helps." CreationDate="2014-09-13T18:02:02.840" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="3988" PostId="2375" Score="0" Text="I cannot reply for your specific case as I am not an expert there. But let's say I need to build cache for some app. Then I divide that idea to database, file storage, sync logic. Then divide database to insert, update and edit logic. Then I analyze insert logic and I see that I would need 10 methods. If I need 10min for 1 method, it's 1h40min of work. The same for update and delete and in total I need 5 hours for database. Add 1.5 hour for testing and it's 6.5 hrs for database or $32.5. Do the same for other features and you will get your estimated price and time frame." CreationDate="2014-09-14T09:27:02.913" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="3990" PostId="91" Score="0" Text="This is a good start, but I cannot emphasize enough that a (good) agency will handle a lot of the dirty work for you, as well as take on the risk.  Client not paying?  Not your problem.  You delivered exactly what they asked for and they're still unhappy?  Let your managers deal with that." CreationDate="2014-09-14T17:45:25.660" UserId="4837" />
  <row Id="3991" PostId="75" Score="0" Text="I think a definite &quot;yes&quot; (but to what extent is up for debate).  What if the contract is due in a week and the client's unresponsive, who's fault is it that a blocking question prevented you from finishing on time?" CreationDate="2014-09-14T17:50:00.950" UserId="4837" />
  <row Id="3995" PostId="2383" Score="0" Text="@conor there are [lots of sites](http://stackexchange.com/sites#traffic) on the StackExchange network.  While much of it is [technical](http://stackexchange.com/sites#technology-traffic), there is a set of [business oriented sites](http://stackexchange.com/sites#business-traffic) that may be of interest and a better fit for certain questions." CreationDate="2014-09-14T23:25:45.377" UserDisplayName="user1712" />
  <row Id="3996" PostId="2381" Score="6" Text="Contact a lawyer.... any answers here would be guessing. I'd recommend **not** doing **anything** detrimental to **any** accounts (such as changing passwords). Be a grown up and simply contact a lawyer." CreationDate="2014-09-15T01:35:08.120" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="3997" PostId="2380" Score="1" Text="+1 -- a client's budget should have absolutely no bearing on estimates, bids, or quotes." CreationDate="2014-09-15T06:50:29.817" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="3999" PostId="1562" Score="0" Text="“…although half is still quite a lot of money.” Then you are are in a paranoid/somewhat-dysfunctional relationship with your freelancer if you are thinking like this. A 50/50 split is the best way to handle tasks like this." CreationDate="2014-09-16T15:27:11.613" UserId="4896" />
  <row Id="4000" PostId="2393" Score="2" Text="There seems to be two questions here, namely, &quot;When do I know if it's a good idea to freelance full time&quot; and &quot;Is freelancing experience something I can put on my CV?&quot; They both would probably be quite good questions in their own right and it probably would be a good idea to make two separate questions." CreationDate="2014-09-17T10:16:22.137" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4001" PostId="2393" Score="0" Text="You should broad your question. I am not sure what you are asking and I think many others feel the same." CreationDate="2014-09-17T10:19:33.147" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="4002" PostId="2393" Score="0" Text="I've closed this primarily because the question is simply asking &quot;Should I move to a full-time job because of all of the competition?&quot;, and though we generally go a little easier on this rule than we should (It can be healthy for discussion when backed up with personal experiences and references), I'm not so sure that applies in this case. You could possibly [edit] your question and provide more information. Alternatively, you could stop by [chat] and ask!" CreationDate="2014-09-17T11:23:37.073" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="4004" PostId="2393" Score="0" Text="I think, you got it wrong. I am just editing the question to be specific now." CreationDate="2014-09-17T18:37:57.787" UserId="4645" />
  <row Id="4005" PostId="2394" Score="1" Text="This is really bad advice, “…for every 100 likes they get 10% of an agreed deadline amount…” So then what incentive does the blogger have? To create quality content that will work, or would they game the system? If you set payment based on popularity you will never hire anyone. If anything the best tact to implement this would be via a base rate and a bonus system. And also say any evidence of gaming the system will result in instant termination." CreationDate="2014-09-18T00:18:15.677" UserId="4896" />
  <row Id="4006" PostId="2393" Score="0" Text="Hello. What kind of job are you looking for? What experience do you have? What platform are you using to advertise to potential clients? It sounds like you're no longer using Elance and freelancer.com, is that accurate?  Definitely edit and add more details. We're happy to help, but I think we need more details that are specific to your situation. Hope this helps!" CreationDate="2014-09-18T05:09:37.263" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="4007" PostId="2393" Score="0" Text="@jmort253 I have edited question with more details." CreationDate="2014-09-18T05:33:13.933" UserId="4645" />
  <row Id="4008" PostId="2393" Score="2" Text="Since you're responding to clarifying questions, I'll go ahead and reopen for answers. But would you mind also keeping an eye out for any additional questions potential answerers might have? This not only gets you the best answers but would also make this useful to future visitors too. Good luck!" CreationDate="2014-09-18T07:13:09.177" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="4010" PostId="2396" Score="2" Text="What does this question have to do with freelancing? This is a programming question or logistics question but not a freelancing question." CreationDate="2014-09-18T15:41:43.157" UserId="4896" />
  <row Id="4011" PostId="2396" Score="0" Text="Frankly there was nowhere else I could post this, even if it's not 100% relevant, it's MOST relevant on this forum" CreationDate="2014-09-18T16:17:51.147" UserId="4913" />
  <row Id="4012" PostId="2396" Score="0" Text="@Pickle Although I don't see how this could be a &quot;freelance&quot; question, I'm going to leave it open, and invite you to post on [meta], or come into [chat]. We are still in beta, and determining what's on topic or not is something we love testing" CreationDate="2014-09-18T19:44:28.830" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="4016" PostId="2378" Score="0" Text="Excellent response. I refuse to use Skype for this reason. I can launch it when a meeting is agreed upon, but I never launch Skype and just let it run. That's a recipe for interruption." CreationDate="2014-09-19T08:14:10.850" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="4019" PostId="1920" Score="0" Text="Your time and expertise are valuable - that is why you charge for it. The medium used to communicate that expertise and use your time is irrelevant (unless you work in a job where face-to-face is a key e.g. massage therapist!). So, for me, would seem logical to charge the same amount." CreationDate="2014-09-19T13:28:10.297" UserId="2672" />
  <row Id="4021" PostId="2405" Score="0" Text="_(Please take my advice with a grain of salt, since I'm unfamiliar with the vendor-side of bridal shows and the New York City market)_ At face value, $1,750 does seem exorbitant. On the other hand, a show that charges $75/bride will either be empty or filled with brides who can afford that. If it's the latter, then I could see the organizers' point of view of charging that much. I think the best course of action would be to start networking with other string players in NYC first." CreationDate="2014-09-19T15:25:51.253" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="4022" PostId="2405" Score="0" Text="Thank you, @ChrisForrence. It is my opinion that she hasn't done that (networked) enough, but the next such show is likely to be 3 to 6 months away, and given lead times on weddings, getting her on her feet with this is likely to be very expensive in terms of time..." CreationDate="2014-09-19T15:33:14.483" UserId="2740" />
  <row Id="4024" PostId="2396" Score="0" Text="@JakeGould, CanadianLuke, Pickle, I went ahead and opened a [meta discussion for this post](http://meta.freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/202/what-constitutes-a-freelancing-problem-on-freelancing-se)." CreationDate="2014-09-21T17:33:21.717" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="4026" PostId="2373" Score="0" Text="@AvonelleLovhaug, as one of the highest rep users on our site, I invite you to check out some recent [Meta Freelancing SE](http://meta.freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/201/what-are-good-twitter-hashtags-we-should-use-when-sharing-questions-from-our-fre) discussions. If you have time, we definitely could use more brainpower to determine how to expand our site's reach, as well as how to put our freelancing knowledge in the hands of people who need it. We also occasionally post notes in [chat]." CreationDate="2014-09-21T18:06:53.133" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="4027" PostId="2396" Score="2" Text="@Pickle Is there any reason you are not posing the question directly to Amazon’s support team? This seems like a painfully simple, “I want to use your service, what does your service provide?” question." CreationDate="2014-09-22T03:08:28.890" UserId="4896" />
  <row Id="4030" PostId="2422" Score="1" Text="I think one can do security work remotely. That said, it’s getting enough experience under your belt to do so remotely. Catch-22 situation." CreationDate="2014-09-23T00:52:37.570" UserId="4896" />
  <row Id="4031" PostId="2369" Score="1" Text="Hey a20, one of your questions got a pretty good answer. However, these other posts largely have the same exact content. Is it possible to differentiate them a bit so people don't feel like they're answering the same questions? The more tailored these are, the better chances of a good answer. Hope this helps!" CreationDate="2014-09-23T03:04:42.960" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="4032" PostId="2424" Score="0" Text="“Ask for the lady to show her sample writing.” The lady?!?!" CreationDate="2014-09-23T20:11:19.507" UserId="4896" />
  <row Id="4033" PostId="2397" Score="0" Text="Thank you for your help. This answers my question perfectly." CreationDate="2014-09-24T20:07:16.720" UserId="4913" />
  <row Id="4034" PostId="2428" Score="0" Text="Was your email your formal resignation, and did you get your tax documentation from the business?" CreationDate="2014-09-25T13:08:40.390" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="4035" PostId="2428" Score="0" Text="Yes it was kind of a formal &quot;resignation&quot;, even dow it is not a resignation but the termination of my contract, because I am a contractor. And so I get no taxation document because I am responsible for my own taxation." CreationDate="2014-09-25T13:14:49.030" UserId="4822" />
  <row Id="4036" PostId="2428" Score="2" Text="Random question, what country are you in? I only ask, because I have heard about some countries not enforcing those type of clauses." CreationDate="2014-09-25T18:08:54.817" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="4040" PostId="2435" Score="1" Text="+1, I'm using a very similar system. Just for those who don't want their passwords in the cloud, you can use KeePass. You can put the passwords in the storage also into folders." CreationDate="2014-09-28T06:04:43.243" UserDisplayName="user19" />
  <row Id="4041" PostId="2435" Score="0" Text="I do keep KeePass" CreationDate="2014-09-28T09:35:27.283" UserId="4505" />
  <row Id="4042" PostId="2435" Score="0" Text="Besides this I have started using Google calendar, I create calendar per client, share it with him/her, I am keeping track of recurring charges like this. Is this fine?" CreationDate="2014-09-28T09:58:42.843" UserId="4505" />
  <row Id="4043" PostId="2435" Score="0" Text="Yes, I heard many people use Google Calendar. I haven't find it practical so far, but I am trying to find a way to utilize it. Local password storage is OK, but what when you suddenly need to login to client's account and you're not by your computer?! Such things will happen when you least expect them (to me, when I was on holidays) and you should be aware of them." CreationDate="2014-09-28T10:34:12.540" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="4044" PostId="2155" Score="0" Text="Combining is okay with me. My point is that terms of work come later, in the agreement. This is often called scope of work. ~doug" CreationDate="2014-09-28T14:28:20.527" UserId="4473" />
  <row Id="4046" PostId="2435" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV Do you have some files that are only on DropBox, or does everything you have in dropbox also synch to a PC?  I use DropBox too and have wanted to keep some client backups in the cloud but NOT taking up space on my hard drive.  I'm curious if DropBox does this easily." CreationDate="2014-09-28T21:26:15.463" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="4047" PostId="2435" Score="0" Text="You can tell Dropbox what to sync with the local hard disk and what to leave on the cloud." CreationDate="2014-09-29T07:43:54.127" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="4048" PostId="2444" Score="0" Text="Hello, johan! Here on Stack Exchange, we like questions that are answerable and whose answers aren't opinion-based. While we are lenient with this at times, asking &quot;why should I freelance&quot; is quite subjective, so I'd [edit] your question into something a little more objective." CreationDate="2014-09-30T13:24:05.740" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="4050" PostId="2428" Score="0" Text="The EU has very strong laws aimed at protecting livelihood which often make these types of clauses void, even if they are often written into contracts. Be sure to check the countries laws before assuming that the clause is valid." CreationDate="2014-09-30T21:15:44.483" UserId="2147" />
  <row Id="4051" PostId="2445" Score="0" Text="I disagree that freelancers usually charge less than their employee counterparts. Freelancers should be charging more because it is necessary to take into account office expenses, etc. that employees don't have." CreationDate="2014-10-01T08:11:18.463" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4052" PostId="2454" Score="0" Text="Both Ecuador and Thailand, in addition to a couple of other countries, have banned bitcoin. It's illegal to trade bitcoins there and using it as a currency in a contract there wouldn't be a good idea due to the legal ramifications." CreationDate="2014-10-01T11:04:17.720" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4053" PostId="2452" Score="0" Text="+1 good answer. You might consider further improvement by quoting a relevant section of the links you've provided, just to preserve the important content here in the event that the link might break. Hope this helps." CreationDate="2014-10-02T03:19:08.083" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="4054" PostId="695" Score="0" Text="You could try joining us at Toptal also" CreationDate="2014-10-02T12:50:18.953" UserId="5022" />
  <row Id="4055" PostId="2435" Score="0" Text="+1 I also use Dropbox and LastPass for everything." CreationDate="2014-10-02T13:34:50.327" UserId="1630" />
  <row Id="4057" PostId="2457" Score="0" Text="[Hope you like hot dogs and Coke!](http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/11622587/georgia-tech-yellow-jackets-first-program-use-bitcoin-stadium-concessions) This _is_ a good thing to consider though; there would be additional costs associated with using Bitcoin that may not be readily apparent." CreationDate="2014-10-02T18:16:50.740" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="4061" PostId="2461" Score="2" Text="Wow, thanks for the informative answer.   Very well written and informative.  Worth a read." CreationDate="2014-10-02T20:31:55.340" UserId="1152" />
  <row Id="4065" PostId="2455" Score="0" Text="In the USA, IRS considers bitcoin as property: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-14-21.pdf" CreationDate="2014-10-04T03:46:31.273" UserId="4874" />
  <row Id="4066" PostId="2332" Score="0" Text="I'm not sure if it's the OP or jmort253's edit that put &quot;steady stream of income&quot; there, but I just don't think freelancing can result in a steady without the buffer of an employer. I'd suggest putting &quot;an increased income in the long term&quot; instead." CreationDate="2014-10-04T18:14:34.697" UserId="4794" />
  <row Id="4067" PostId="2468" Score="0" Text="Whether or not she pays for insurance, etc. is somewhat irrelevant to me. Clearly adequate time to consider the contract and negotiate terms was not provided. At the very least an additional 3 to 5 business days BEFORE work is to begin should be allotted for negotiations." CreationDate="2014-10-06T06:07:06.230" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="4073" PostId="2470" Score="1" Text="+1 for not assuming the worst. Chances are these are just stock terms which were unedited/incorrectly attached (especially on a Friday). Challenge them and they may well be changed on the spot." CreationDate="2014-10-07T20:20:50.733" UserId="2147" />
  <row Id="4074" PostId="2253" Score="0" Text="Hi @Murtaza, welcome to Freelancing.SE! I see that a few of your recent questions have been closed/deleted, and I want to offer you some support. Please feel free to ask in [chat] for tips on writing a good question, or even check on [meta] for the types of questions we allow. We want to help you with growing our community, and we're more than willing to help out." CreationDate="2014-10-08T04:07:05.093" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="4075" PostId="2479" Score="0" Text="user5068 - if I was fully booked up I would increase my prices.  Have you seen the online websites for freelancing?  If I were living in England I would be back in my old job at my old rate.  My idea is more that I can match the rates offered online, by other people who either seem to be living in cheaper countries like me, or being very altruistic with their pricing." CreationDate="2014-10-08T05:52:24.713" UserId="5067" />
  <row Id="4076" PostId="2477" Score="0" Text="Note that your rate is also an indication of how much you value your time and your expertise. If you charge too little, the client may not value you as a professional, take you seriously, or respect your time as much as they would otherwise. This question isn't about rate, which is why this is a comment, but  it is a good idea to find a medium where you're charging rates that are in-between what they are used to paying and what you need to live. this is a win-win situation for both of you." CreationDate="2014-10-08T06:19:34.897" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4081" PostId="2468" Score="0" Text="I hope everything works out.  I would be very leery of someone who says they won't hold you to something, yet does not strike it out and asks you to sign it regardless.  If she's going to work with them for any period of time I would ask for an amended contract to sign that will replace the original.  Good luck!" CreationDate="2014-10-09T00:41:07.367" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="4083" PostId="2477" Score="0" Text="Thanks Stacey.  I'm just purely looking at the rates quoted on these freelance sites.  I would be able to bid and live off the money made here comfortably, where as if I was back in the UK I wouldn't touch these sites as I wouldn't earn even close to what I was in my last full time job!" CreationDate="2014-10-09T03:39:56.007" UserId="5067" />
  <row Id="4084" PostId="2481" Score="0" Text="Thanks for your advice Stacey.  &quot;Don't make a big thing about it&quot; I think you're spot on with this.  If the people I write proposals to don't have the time to read my proposal and look at my profile, then they're probably not worth working for!" CreationDate="2014-10-09T03:41:37.290" UserId="5067" />
  <row Id="4087" PostId="2468" Score="1" Text="I don't feel it's being &quot;litigious&quot; to protect your own rights. By signing the contract as is, regardless of what they *say* she is *bound by all clauses*. Written agreements take preciseness over *any* verbal agreements. Sounds like you're a contract holder's dream." CreationDate="2014-10-09T13:16:29.807" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="4088" PostId="2468" Score="0" Text="Wife isn't sophisticated regarding contracts, whereas I've had a few courses on the subject. I wasn't present, or I'd strike it through. Regardless, if they want to enforce anything in a court, they're going to screw themselves, waste a lot of money, and earn a lot of negative publicity. The main issue for me was would they walk away from her when she told them she had a problem with those lines. Apparently not, apparently they really want her." CreationDate="2014-10-09T13:50:08.443" UserId="2740" />
  <row Id="4089" PostId="2429" Score="0" Text="Describe your projects as described above and ask your customer for a written reference." CreationDate="2014-10-09T15:21:02.240" UserId="5085" />
  <row Id="4096" PostId="2492" Score="0" Text="Yikes, that sounds like a bad situation. If it's just not worth it to keep them, you may want to give [this question](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/q/935/9) a read" CreationDate="2014-10-10T22:25:50.813" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="4097" PostId="2490" Score="0" Text="Hello, and welcome to the Freelancing Stack Exchange site! Unfortunately, this looks like a polling question (_can_ there be a &quot;right&quot; answer, and if so, how useful would that answer be)?" CreationDate="2014-10-10T22:28:10.407" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="4098" PostId="2490" Score="0" Text="As much as others will pay you." CreationDate="2014-10-11T01:54:45.770" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="4100" PostId="2481" Score="0" Text="Upon re-reading this a few more times, it's really good advice that goes beyond what my question asked and is really good advice for dangers to look out for." CreationDate="2014-10-11T02:43:04.140" UserId="5067" />
  <row Id="4101" PostId="2490" Score="0" Text="possible duplicate of [How do I calculate pay rate if I've never freelanced before?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/57/how-do-i-calculate-pay-rate-if-ive-never-freelanced-before)" CreationDate="2014-10-11T04:15:32.877" UserId="1752" />
  <row Id="4102" PostId="2490" Score="0" Text="I've personally seen $350/hour for short contracts, but I've only heard of $800/hour from my brother, for geological imaging in mining (he is a mining engineer), so I suppose there are some specialized software engineers who could get that much, but they are probably very, very rare." CreationDate="2014-10-11T04:19:03.133" UserId="1752" />
  <row Id="4103" PostId="2494" Score="0" Text="I didn't think about my question being in poor form since it was open ended. There is no RIGHT answer and I didn't stop to think that polling would be poor form here. However, if I had to choose a 'right' answer, it'd be this. Thanks." CreationDate="2014-10-11T09:53:23.277" UserId="5097" />
  <row Id="4104" PostId="2495" Score="0" Text="I have been charging for the meeting time, however it doesn't seem to be a motivating factor, even though my rate is competitive." CreationDate="2014-10-11T20:46:13.583" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4106" PostId="2495" Score="0" Text="Hey Scott and Stacey, can you please edit the info from the comments into your respective posts? We're not a discussion site, and information in comments can't be easily searched by people searching for answers to the same problem. Let's continue building a high-quality repository of knowledge, in Q&amp;A format, that gives back and helps others." CreationDate="2014-10-12T01:07:03.997" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="4107" PostId="2495" Score="0" Text="@jmort253 done (and feel free to delete this comment :) )" CreationDate="2014-10-12T01:50:10.483" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="4113" PostId="493" Score="0" Text="for bidding we need any balance ? amount money?" CreationDate="2014-10-14T08:05:55.767" UserId="5131" />
  <row Id="4115" PostId="2499" Score="0" Text="&quot;Possibly on an audit basis, but not regularly&quot; is my guess" CreationDate="2014-10-15T11:12:49.147" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="4116" PostId="2501" Score="0" Text="Why not hire some help..online or offline. Even if it means breaking even for first few projects, won't it be good if you also acquire trust of a newer clients that pay more and want more. You could have hybrid of freelance and business. Sure it'd mean you role will slightly transfer to managing then creating but you should be happy with profit it will give you" CreationDate="2014-10-15T19:07:59.010" UserId="805" />
  <row Id="4117" PostId="2503" Score="0" Text="what if he could bring another person and pay him to do it. This way he will get to keep his current clients happy, and get a new client who is going to boost his status more..only price to pay would be lesser profit in short term" CreationDate="2014-10-15T19:10:46.537" UserId="805" />
  <row Id="4118" PostId="2503" Score="0" Text="If working part time... you might try subcontracting. .. but subcontracting often can take as much or more time to complete something if you've worked with a client for a long period of time and developed some mutual understandings." CreationDate="2014-10-15T20:22:16.700" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="4119" PostId="2501" Score="0" Text="@MuhammadUmer It's a good suggestion, but not possible. There's a significant subjective element in what I do - someone's hired me because they want my style." CreationDate="2014-10-16T07:59:08.280" UserId="1369" />
  <row Id="4120" PostId="2501" Score="2" Text="Related, possible duplicate http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/1761/unprofessional-to-leave-before-project-ended-for-better-paid-project" CreationDate="2014-10-16T08:43:37.767" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4121" PostId="2501" Score="0" Text="Also similar to: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/q/2050/1018" CreationDate="2014-10-16T23:06:29.127" UserId="1018" />
  <row Id="4123" PostId="2514" Score="0" Text="what i did was opposite, lol. I basically came as someone who is doing them a favor, and they better not miss this opportunity. -__-" CreationDate="2014-10-18T04:31:51.440" UserId="805" />
  <row Id="4124" PostId="2514" Score="0" Text="what you said makes so much sense, if i had a business, and someone came to talk to me and said hey i want to make a thing about which you don't understand much for free and it will double your business...when can i start? i know ill avoid contact with that person. So maybe he will just go away." CreationDate="2014-10-18T04:33:15.150" UserId="805" />
  <row Id="4125" PostId="2508" Score="0" Text="If you are not zillions miles away, they you can prosecute person who signed the document. It's illegal in any country to do so. Such person is then liable for all damage he produced. Just make sure that person signing the contract is the same one in the document. Ask for his ID as well." CreationDate="2014-10-18T14:59:24.497" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="4126" PostId="2514" Score="1" Text="Yep. Unfortunately for them, you really were offering to do them a favor, and they missed out.  But they would not know that.  The human psychology says &quot;Danger Stranger!&quot; LOL." CreationDate="2014-10-18T18:09:18.617" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="4127" PostId="2503" Score="0" Text="Definitely agree with this, but, it should also be noted that after you meet your current clients' deadlines, it is time to *raise your rates.*" CreationDate="2014-10-20T05:46:48.977" UserId="1752" />
  <row Id="4131" PostId="2519" Score="1" Text="Welcome to the Freelancing Stack Exchange site! Unfortunately, you've already asked this question here: [I'm a freelancer. Do I give the finished work to client before or after they paid me?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/2517/im-a-freelancer-do-i-give-the-finished-work-to-client-before-or-after-they-pai). The proper way to handle this is to [edit](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/posts/2517/edit) the old question, which automatically flags it for possible reopening. Posting the same question multiple times is bad form." CreationDate="2014-10-20T18:31:36.387" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="4132" PostId="2527" Score="0" Text="+1 on the letter restating understanding. In the US, we consider this sort of thing a memo of understanding, it's not as good as a contract, but it's enough to make trouble if it goes to court." CreationDate="2014-10-20T23:46:06.830" UserId="2740" />
  <row Id="4136" PostId="2524" Score="0" Text="Hi eionmac, welcome to Freelancing.SE! Can you [edit] your answer to expand, with some details, that may help future visitors of the site?" CreationDate="2014-10-21T18:18:02.190" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="4137" PostId="2523" Score="0" Text="thanks @Canadian Luke, this is helpful.  In my case I don't want to go on site for as short a time as an hour 'cause most of the time people waat me for a half or full day and it kills that part of the day for me, but I definitely need to make it CLEAR that they are committing to the half/full day in advance.  I did have this info in my proposal/agreement, but I've learned no one remembers what that says.d" CreationDate="2014-10-22T02:43:15.417" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="4138" PostId="2524" Score="0" Text="Thanks @eionmac, this sounds like exactly what I need to do.  I will go by hourly if I'm in the area, but I don't want to schedule time like that in advance, particularly over the lunch hour which kills both halve of the day for getting to other clients for a half-day session." CreationDate="2014-10-22T02:44:38.567" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="4139" PostId="2523" Score="0" Text="Of course they won't! They want to pay you as little as possible for your time. Every client is like that, deep down" CreationDate="2014-10-22T02:45:02.437" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="4140" PostId="2523" Score="0" Text="do you think most freelancers who go on site bill just for the time spent so clients are used to that, or do you think clients are aware and trying to manipulate freelancers by acting oblivious?  I think many IT type are different than me in that they can make several short visits in one day, but in my case I'm usually teaching classes that require I be there at an exact time.  An open ended visit to a client prevents me from seeing anyone else." CreationDate="2014-10-22T02:53:29.113" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="4141" PostId="2523" Score="0" Text="I Bill for my time, because that's what I feel is fair, if we don't specify the start/end time." CreationDate="2014-10-22T02:59:27.093" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="4143" PostId="2517" Score="0" Text="I believe he's asking if he should deliver the work before he receives full payment." CreationDate="2014-10-22T15:30:24.297" UserId="1630" />
  <row Id="4144" PostId="2528" Score="0" Text="And there's nothing wrong with that. Don't forget to follow up with a phone call to ensure they read the policy, since email *can* go into `/dev/null`" CreationDate="2014-10-22T18:01:46.637" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="4145" PostId="2534" Score="0" Text="&quot;Health and Safety and Environment&quot; &lt;--- this assumes the OP is in the same location as you." CreationDate="2014-10-22T18:41:26.747" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="4146" PostId="2534" Score="0" Text="@codenoire yep mate. Here in Antarctida it's quite a task to setup a healty and safe environment xD" CreationDate="2014-10-23T00:18:34.670" UserId="2973" />
  <row Id="4148" PostId="1046" Score="0" Text="Surely if the contractor is not physically present in the US they are not obligated to give any tax to the US government at all? Firstly the Substantial Presence test would be a fail (http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/International-Taxpayers/Substantial-Presence-Test) and secondly they would not even be a non-resident alien since they are not in the US at all while working (http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/International-Taxpayers/Taxation-of-Nonresident-Aliens)" CreationDate="2014-10-23T13:56:43.667" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4149" PostId="613" Score="1" Text="Surely this question isn't about non-resident employees (&quot;those who are residents of one country but work in another&quot;) because the client remains in the US and the worker remains in India? The person in india would be a considered a non-resident alien by the US and would not be subject to US tax because they're not physically present in the US while performing their work." CreationDate="2014-10-23T15:00:47.530" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4151" PostId="2541" Score="0" Text="@Ryan It's about the business of graphic design and we've already answered this over on that site: https://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/questions/957/what-price-should-i-charge-for-design-services" CreationDate="2014-10-23T17:56:20.690" UserId="5191" />
  <row Id="4152" PostId="2541" Score="1" Text="Jonathan, I recommend this  http://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/a/959/306" CreationDate="2014-10-23T17:57:31.540" UserId="5191" />
  <row Id="4153" PostId="2504" Score="2" Text="&quot;The common advice is to do free work to get portfolio started&quot; = That's not common advice from professionals." CreationDate="2014-10-23T18:20:44.793" UserId="5191" />
  <row Id="4156" PostId="2541" Score="0" Text="see my detailed answer [here](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/57/how-do-i-calculate-pay-rate-if-ive-never-freelanced-before/2230#2230), and I think that question is more informative than the other duplicate used above." CreationDate="2014-10-23T22:26:10.777" UserId="1752" />
  <row Id="4157" PostId="2547" Score="0" Text="I like your conclusion. But I suppose consulting is more push than pull in terms of hiring, I mean consultant himself has to search for clients most of the time. Not a problem for an experienced freelancer, but I'd like someone to confirm or deny my thoughts." CreationDate="2014-10-25T06:20:08.320" UserId="5088" />
  <row Id="4162" PostId="2545" Score="0" Text="Hey Mike, thanks for weighing in. As a Q&amp;A site geared towards teaching and learning, we're looking for answers that focus on *how* and *why* and not just *what*. Can you edit and explain in greater detail how you arrived at this figure, so that future visitors with the same or similar problem can use that information to solve their pricing problem as well? See [answer] for more details." CreationDate="2014-10-26T22:45:47.773" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="4163" PostId="2557" Score="0" Text="Out of interest, why don't you want to agree to his country's law? (Usually the contracts I sign are in the jurisdiction of whoever made the contract, perhaps I should reconsider changing my ways)." CreationDate="2014-10-27T17:33:32.063" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4164" PostId="2557" Score="0" Text="What parts of his country law do you dislike and vice versa? You could write the terms of the contract to specifically address those laws. Sometimes, country contract laws apply as a default, when there is no specific agreement about a clause. To be picky, if you don't agree on governing law, you technically don't have a contract (an agreement between two or more parties...). Also, how willing are you to sue him in another country or vice versa if this actually becomes an issue?" CreationDate="2014-10-27T18:19:31.210" UserDisplayName="user5226" />
  <row Id="4165" PostId="2557" Score="0" Text="@Stacey, the only issues are that I don't know anything about his country's law and that in the event of him suing me, I don't want to have to go to that country and spend money on traveling. If there is an international law that would be best :)" CreationDate="2014-10-27T18:32:30.213" UserDisplayName="user5221" />
  <row Id="4166" PostId="2557" Score="0" Text="@BarryCarter, I don't know anything about his country's laws and vice versa. I don't have an intentions of suing him. If he doesn't pay me regularly I'll quit without making a fuss. But if he decides to sue me, I don't want to have to fly to his country." CreationDate="2014-10-27T18:34:29.253" UserDisplayName="user5221" />
  <row Id="4168" PostId="2560" Score="0" Text="The truth about the law is: everyone can sue everyone. It does not mean that he will win. Also international suing is so rare and I think it would be considered only if you cheat on the client for $10k+. But of course check is there anything in the contract about the quality or that you have to cover the damage. ;)" CreationDate="2014-10-27T19:06:11.540" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="4169" PostId="2557" Score="0" Text="@learner If both of you are willing to quit (if necessary) at any time, you could theoretically move forward without a contract, or with a &quot;either party may terminate this contract at any time for any reason or for no reason whatsoever, at which point all existing obligations will cease&quot;. You could also add a &quot;venue&quot; clause saying that all legal disputes must be handled via mail or something like that. There's really no such thing as &quot;international law&quot;. Nations are sovereign and don't accept any authority higher than their own. At best, you can look at international treaties/conventions, etc." CreationDate="2014-10-27T19:07:04.417" UserDisplayName="user5226" />
  <row Id="4170" PostId="2560" Score="0" Text="Yes. You can bring a suit for anything. There is no guarantee he will win or the court will accept it as a valid suit. The question is whether he can win a suit without it clearly stated." CreationDate="2014-10-27T19:07:19.370" UserId="5047" />
  <row Id="4171" PostId="2560" Score="0" Text="&quot;The question is whether he can win a suit without it clearly stated&quot; - this is impossible to predict." CreationDate="2014-10-27T19:08:39.087" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="4172" PostId="2557" Score="0" Text="@BarryCarter, 1. can you shed some more light on this &quot;venue&quot; clause of handling via mail? Is there such a thing? We both don't really have intentions of suing each other. 2. What's the closest we can have to a non-legally enforceable contract? (to us contract is just a properly written thing amongst us)" CreationDate="2014-10-27T19:15:29.220" UserDisplayName="user5221" />
  <row Id="4174" PostId="2557" Score="0" Text="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venue_%28law%29#Civil_venue explains the legal concept of &quot;venue&quot;. If you want a non-legally enforceable contract, you might as well just work without a contract." CreationDate="2014-10-27T20:37:41.213" UserDisplayName="user5226" />
  <row Id="4175" PostId="2561" Score="0" Text="In most cases, it doesn't. For a client, it's a lot easier and, to be true, desired to get the work done. So if you fall out of the project triangle with bad quality (which can be an after-effect of poor time or scope estimation) then you are automatically expected to fix it on your own. It's often a lot cheaper, for a client, to fight to the bitter end until the work is completely done, than to rush to the court. If only there aren't any other options, will the client rush to the court." CreationDate="2014-10-27T20:43:32.970" UserId="5088" />
  <row Id="4176" PostId="2557" Score="0" Text="@BarryCarter, it helps to have a &quot;contract&quot; to show proof source of income, maintain records, etc. :)" CreationDate="2014-10-27T20:49:04.447" UserDisplayName="user5221" />
  <row Id="4177" PostId="2560" Score="0" Text="Regarding a &quot;blunder&quot;, I am not a lawyer, but in most contract cases a certain level of quality is expected, whether it's delivering software or roofing a house. It's better if the criteria are defined, but clients can sue (and win) if the final product does not meet expected &quot;industry standards&quot; for example." CreationDate="2014-10-28T13:39:30.947" UserId="2672" />
  <row Id="4178" PostId="2564" Score="0" Text="Thank you for your answer. The contract states that it will end at the end of the year but both sides can cancel at any further date (with a 2 weeks notice period)." CreationDate="2014-10-28T14:20:56.203" UserId="5235" />
  <row Id="4179" PostId="2564" Score="0" Text="Ok so you have to give them 2-week notice. But if they are nice guys I would inform them next week. It's now really up to you." CreationDate="2014-10-28T14:28:58.520" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="4182" PostId="2396" Score="0" Text="This question appears to be off-topic because pre-sales questions are best answered by the service provider and because the answer may change from time to time as service terms and conditions can be varied by the service provider." CreationDate="2014-10-29T22:49:33.620" UserId="1018" />
  <row Id="4183" PostId="2549" Score="0" Text="Sure we overlap projects, but projects are quite small. Unfortunately developers don't like project switches forth and back too much. So it is hard to keep them in our team and motivated, they usually leave in 2-3 years. For designers it is easier, we have one working 5 years already with us." CreationDate="2014-10-30T14:42:15.793" UserId="5207" />
  <row Id="4184" PostId="2568" Score="1" Text="I'm trying to do this job (&quot;business development&quot;) right now, but I don't know where to start from from. Since we are quite small we can't hire full-time person without impact on team members earnings. So seems like it is a vicious circle :( We don't have knowledge to find clients willing to pay good hourly rate and offer a long-term contract and we don't have enough money to hire full-time experienced &quot;business development&quot; person. And hiring an inexperienced one is probably makes no sense." CreationDate="2014-10-30T14:48:48.387" UserId="5207" />
  <row Id="4188" PostId="1378" Score="2" Text="When you work via Elance or oDesk, you have to run an app that takes screenshots which prove that you actually work and don't waste your time on Facebook. If you get a walk to think out a problem, the time is billable, despite you don't sit in front of screen, isn't it? How'd you deal with that, if it ever happens to you?" CreationDate="2014-10-30T22:24:58.613" UserId="5088" />
  <row Id="4191" PostId="2478" Score="0" Text="+1 for the overall advice. As for the Freelance relevance, I think the question is very appropriate, as it is a common issue when we're alone trying to explain the value of this design stage. I agree with you that this is not *specific* to Freelance, though. How about a few links to related SE questions?" CreationDate="2014-11-01T03:42:18.427" UserId="4218" />
  <row Id="4192" PostId="2569" Score="0" Text="+1 just for the &quot;design concept&quot; suggestion. Wireframing definitely sounds technical and I saw many clients get lost..." CreationDate="2014-11-01T03:43:22.453" UserId="4218" />
  <row Id="4194" PostId="2577" Score="1" Text="I disagree with : &quot;Explain the time commitments you have with other customers, your work-life balance, and any extra costs or restrictions you have.&quot; It is a business relationship and should be treated as such, personal commitments have nothing to do in this type of discussion. The client perfectly understands that and is just 'trying his luck'. Stay firm, write a quote for the extra feature, and he will most likely agree. If he does not, let him go, you're free, and there's many more clients." CreationDate="2014-11-03T02:51:26.530" UserId="5274" />
  <row Id="4201" PostId="2092" Score="1" Text="I do not see, why the german government should be interested in your grades." CreationDate="2014-11-04T22:39:38.133" UserId="5277" />
  <row Id="4202" PostId="2591" Score="0" Text="Could I, legally, alter the source code of a clients website if they only have a non-exclusive license for it?" CreationDate="2014-11-05T11:54:46.737" UserId="5303" />
  <row Id="4203" PostId="2591" Score="0" Text="Good question. Since you are an employee, ask them to check the contract with the original coder and then they should give you the green light. This way they are liable for possible legal consequences. Did you raise this question or them?" CreationDate="2014-11-05T12:06:01.693" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="4204" PostId="2591" Score="0" Text="I raise these questions. It sounds like I should always ask them to review their previous contract, huh? Have you ever heard of a developer getting in legal trouble for modifying a clients website?" CreationDate="2014-11-05T12:27:42.103" UserId="5303" />
  <row Id="4205" PostId="2591" Score="0" Text="To be frank, I have worked on dozens of other people's code and I never asked such question :). I guess I was relying on client's liability to check that since I was only a contractor. I would like to hear what others have to say on this topic." CreationDate="2014-11-05T12:31:47.877" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="4206" PostId="2597" Score="0" Text="As the client, you can ask for anything you want. However, if the contractor will agree is another story. Did you discuss automated scripts as part of the deliverable upfront?" CreationDate="2014-11-06T05:48:34.233" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4207" PostId="2597" Score="0" Text="It depends on you(the client). Generally, such issues are decided at the start of the project in a document. But, if you and your consulting firm have a good rapport, you can ask them even now and they might oblige. If not, you may be asked to pay extra." CreationDate="2014-11-06T06:32:47.197" UserId="1563" />
  <row Id="4214" PostId="2597" Score="0" Text="It's perfectly reasonable, assuming that that's what you've paid for." CreationDate="2014-11-06T17:45:32.440" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="4216" PostId="1069" Score="0" Text="+1 for email+post. If starting on an email say-so with the promise of an inked signature to follow (rather immediately) isn't comfortable, you probably don't want to work with this client." CreationDate="2014-11-07T18:01:15.990" UserId="514" />
  <row Id="4217" PostId="2607" Score="0" Text="What are these other avenues you mention of?" CreationDate="2014-11-07T19:30:50.020" UserId="5303" />
  <row Id="4218" PostId="2611" Score="1" Text="Why not just ask the hourly rate you want and quote the client the actual time you'll take?" CreationDate="2014-11-08T12:07:53.677" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4219" PostId="2611" Score="0" Text="I'm afraid the client will decline my quote for desired rate without even reading the proposal. Placing no quote at all is also risky because it may lead to further misunderstanding between me and the client and even more wasted time. I understand that honesty and clear communication is the best strategy but I'm afraid that, for this certain project, this wouldn't work." CreationDate="2014-11-08T13:32:55.260" UserId="5088" />
  <row Id="4220" PostId="2611" Score="0" Text="The obvious (and unethical) answer is to fudge your estimates and hours billed. If lawyers can bill more than 24 hours in a day, so can you ;)" CreationDate="2014-11-08T16:56:21.107" UserDisplayName="user5226" />
  <row Id="4221" PostId="2611" Score="0" Text="@BarryCarter I totally disagree with you!!! Clients are not stupid and when they realize this, he will lose possible good client. I have also outsourced projects to hourly freelancers, and I easily caught any of them who tried to fake the hours just by realizing that each task took much longer than what is normal." CreationDate="2014-11-08T17:06:29.557" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="4222" PostId="2607" Score="0" Text="Being unfamiliar with your skill-set, I can only speculate. But the general idea is that having delivered genuine business value to the client with your first project, you position yourself to be their first choice for additional projects in your area of expertise (web coding). For instance, having delivered a web site, you could now propose a series of html email templates designed to match their new site branding. Or you could offer a retainer contract / subscription plan to do cross-browser testing and optimization of any new content they add to their site." CreationDate="2014-11-08T17:07:58.280" UserId="5308" />
  <row Id="4223" PostId="2611" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV It's less unethical (and harder to catch) if you pad your estimates as well. Let clients know in advance how long you estimate a task will take (using padded numbers), and they have less basis to complain." CreationDate="2014-11-08T17:10:26.753" UserDisplayName="user5226" />
  <row Id="4224" PostId="2611" Score="0" Text="@BarryCarter I am totally against and cheating or padding. I never do that and yet I make 5 times more money than guys around me. Should I start padding so I earn 10 times more money that guys around me? I don't think so. If I want more money, I announce clients 5% or 10% raise of my rates, I lose 20% of clients, but 80% are still willing to pay me my new rate. Simple, honest and productive - I earn more and still being honest." CreationDate="2014-11-08T17:17:48.693" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="4226" PostId="2611" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV You're very fortunate, but that doesn't mean honesty implies making more money (or vice versa). I'm (somewhat humorously) trying to give the OP a pragmatic suggestion, even if it is a bit unethical." CreationDate="2014-11-08T17:22:49.313" UserDisplayName="user5226" />
  <row Id="4227" PostId="2578" Score="1" Text="Contrary to your answer I have only received unrealistic offers on Odesk.  One was actually very cool, extending research of light caustics to industrial level design. I did a fairly detailed proposal, cost would have been at least $100k for any Western engineer or engineering firm. The company said they had $2k to spend...since then I have received offers for full stack jobs w/ 5 years of experience for $10/hour, machine learning jobs which required a Ph.D or a masters for $15/hour...not anywhere near western market rates." CreationDate="2014-11-09T03:57:01.860" UserId="1752" />
  <row Id="4228" PostId="2611" Score="0" Text="Well, in general, I agree that honesty leads to best outcomes and simply putting out my real hour rate would be the best tactic. But the question is how to ask the client to switch the project from hourly to fixed cost, unrelated to what is honest and what is not. I only provided details to make the picture clearer. This certain client states that he only has $x/h for unlimited time; I want to shift the situation for $2x for me and much lower risk for him, as he will know the entire cost beforehand and will be able to make a decision of relatively high quality." CreationDate="2014-11-09T06:45:13.987" UserId="5088" />
  <row Id="4230" PostId="2578" Score="1" Text="I've chosen to avoid Odesk because of those, they are notorious for pushing the rates down. That being said, I doubt you'll find a ML expert anywhere in the world who would work for 15$/hour. I'd suggest you try Elance, which has proven a lot more lucrative to me. At the moment I'm working for rates up to 60$/hour for clients I met on Elance. After trust was established, we moved out of the site and they're now hiring me as an independent contractor. The key is to find the right people, not the ones who want ehir job done on the cheap..." CreationDate="2014-11-09T10:01:35.177" UserId="5274" />
  <row Id="4231" PostId="2611" Score="0" Text="You can use the same words. If it doesn't help, then there is no way to persuade client. No matter how unreasonable it may look to us, we can never know why the client insists on hourly project." CreationDate="2014-11-09T10:12:56.720" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="4232" PostId="2578" Score="0" Text="My last contract was at $125/hour, and I've raised my rates since then.  My specialties are ML applied to imaging and optics problems, C++ software architecture and development, physical optics, and optics instrumentation ( like machine vision). Many of the protects that I have been solicited for are actually good fits *technically,* with many projects needing a level of expertise which is uncommon.  After the compensation quotes I am worried however, either there are people with this level of expertise working *for fast food wages*, ou these companies aren't filling their technical needs." CreationDate="2014-11-10T04:13:04.523" UserId="1752" />
  <row Id="4233" PostId="2612" Score="0" Text="+1 for &quot;If the client is looking for really low hourly rates, it's most of the time not worth looking at the project. You'll be worth nothing to the client and he'll treat you as such.&quot;" CreationDate="2014-11-10T11:59:47.890" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4235" PostId="2613" Score="0" Text="Actually here for example #1, there is NO obligation to finish at the low rate because the commodity sold to the client is *time* (which is severable) and not a finished product." CreationDate="2014-11-10T17:50:55.887" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="4237" PostId="2613" Score="0" Text="@codenoire I was referring to work via rating systems like odesk/elance. In case you do not do that, the client will leave a negative feedback." CreationDate="2014-11-10T17:54:29.710" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="4243" PostId="2176" Score="0" Text="A good preliminary planning and scheduling approach. I'd just add that one should take a bunch of short talks with those who make web sites and ask what time (not money) it takes to complete each part of the work, and what are the phases. This decomposition will help _a lot_ to accurately calculate estimations and thus fixed cost propositions." CreationDate="2014-11-12T19:54:54.297" UserId="5088" />
  <row Id="4244" PostId="2137" Score="1" Text="The question is where to start. One shouldn't charge this much for an average project without having both a solid portfolio, proven track record, happy clients who can assist and reference, and strong skill." CreationDate="2014-11-12T19:57:18.710" UserId="5088" />
  <row Id="4245" PostId="2619" Score="0" Text="Are you asking about getting sued? Or how to avoid this in the future?" CreationDate="2014-11-12T22:09:29.020" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="4246" PostId="2619" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke - updated the question." CreationDate="2014-11-12T22:40:58.843" UserId="5346" />
  <row Id="4247" PostId="2620" Score="0" Text="Unless the two parties have agreed by written contract that any disputes will be handled in a US court, the customer would have to sue in the OP's country." CreationDate="2014-11-14T00:48:01.743" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="4248" PostId="2622" Score="0" Text="+1 thanks for great explanation. I edited my post to reflect that yes, I have been paid via milestones. But we differ in value of refund wherein he demands big and I am not prepared to refund that much. Basically his perceived value of missed features is more than I think I have delivered." CreationDate="2014-11-14T05:51:38.260" UserId="5346" />
  <row Id="4249" PostId="2623" Score="0" Text="+1 - Comparative estimates are great way but one really wonders how soon we can get such clients. My only funnel is through my website through which I get leads, some of them come through my live apps. At the end of delivery when such disputes are discussed, it is bit hard to go into the market and receive such estimates, as I think." CreationDate="2014-11-14T09:00:20.020" UserId="5346" />
  <row Id="4250" PostId="2620" Score="0" Text="@codenoire, you're not an attorney and you used the word &quot;probably&quot; in your answer, but state as fact in your comment.  Let's be consistent" CreationDate="2014-11-14T13:03:16.117" UserId="1818" />
  <row Id="4251" PostId="2623" Score="0" Text="The cost of the valuation might prove to make it not worthwhile compared to the current amount due :)" CreationDate="2014-11-14T22:32:57.573" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="4253" PostId="79" Score="3" Text="In concurrence with @PeterMV, I literally spent 2 full time weeks estimating detailed tasks for a big project (12-18 months @ $125/hour @ 20 hours/week).  Ultimately I didn't land this project, and next time I would probably charge some fixed fee for such a detailed estimate.  Now they have a detailed plan of work that they can use to try to get someone else at a lower rate.  I didn't charge for the estimate because I already had a relationship with the client, and I felt it was likely that they would continue to use my services." CreationDate="2014-11-15T17:43:02.503" UserId="1752" />
  <row Id="4255" PostId="2625" Score="0" Text="Thanks a lot for your feedback Peter! You brought up an excellent point in why work for clients with such little work. I will definitely think about that one." CreationDate="2014-11-16T14:08:54.490" UserId="4088" />
  <row Id="4257" PostId="2633" Score="0" Text="This question appears to be off-topic because it is about what to put on a resume for a *job*" CreationDate="2014-11-17T20:38:02.450" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="4259" PostId="2633" Score="1" Text="And [Does this freelancing experience count on a resume for a full time job? How do I mention it?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/q/2393/152)" CreationDate="2014-11-17T20:57:34.327" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4260" PostId="2627" Score="0" Text="Not &quot;approval&quot;, Scott.  Agreement.  Approval equates to authorization, which is is a bit one sided.  It matters." CreationDate="2014-11-17T23:49:06.687" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="4267" PostId="2641" Score="0" Text="There is no magic number, the sources vary greatly for a reason. See [From Agency to Freelance - What Should I Charge?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/1851/from-agency-to-freelance-what-should-i-charge) as a general guide." CreationDate="2014-11-22T05:14:59.730" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4268" PostId="2644" Score="0" Text="Try sending them email stating that you feel like you are at a slow pace in their project because of their slow reply. Tell them is it OK that you put their project aside and accept another project in the meantime until they know what exactly they want. They will either give you some space or get scared and become serious. Either way, you are on the win." CreationDate="2014-11-24T11:43:02.753" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="4269" PostId="2641" Score="0" Text="I believe this should be &quot;*in* Europe&quot;, not &quot;*from* Europe&quot;. Why would you get a different rate dependent on your nationality?" CreationDate="2014-11-24T11:56:44.053" UserDisplayName="user19" />
  <row Id="4270" PostId="2517" Score="2" Text="I see that this question has been edited quite a bit to make it more readable, which is awesome! That's what the community of peer review is all about! But, I must ask, **what was agreed upon before you started working?**" CreationDate="2014-11-24T16:53:56.943" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="4271" PostId="2645" Score="0" Text="Hi Laura, thanks for your response. I gave them a project schedule and have been sending them reports, but I think I made the mistake of not specifying a deadline for them to respond. Cheers!" CreationDate="2014-11-25T01:07:13.700" UserId="2964" />
  <row Id="4272" PostId="2646" Score="1" Text="Hi Neil, I especially like your points 2 &amp; 3. I have milestone payments set and the one milestone is payment after the content is created, which I am realizing if I add the clause you suggest in your second point, eliminates that problem. Great advice!" CreationDate="2014-11-25T04:45:33.633" UserId="2964" />
  <row Id="4273" PostId="2641" Score="0" Text="@CamilStaps The same Indian, Pakistani and Chinese developers don't have the same rates. Even more, it also depends on whether you live in the capital or in the suburb (costs of living)." CreationDate="2014-11-25T11:27:23.033" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="4274" PostId="2641" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV You're also talking about in Europe." CreationDate="2014-11-25T11:33:11.477" UserDisplayName="user19" />
  <row Id="4275" PostId="2641" Score="0" Text="@CamilStaps I am confused. Are we talking about the grammar or your question &quot;Why would you get a different rate dependent on your nationality&quot;? I was talking about later and was able to help this guy since were are coming from the same area (same nationality)." CreationDate="2014-11-25T11:39:46.423" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="4276" PostId="2644" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV: Don’t you want to make an answer about this?" CreationDate="2014-11-25T12:36:16.020" UserId="100" />
  <row Id="4277" PostId="2644" Score="0" Text="@unor There are better and larger answers already. This is just additional hint." CreationDate="2014-11-25T12:39:09.443" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="4280" PostId="2641" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV The only thing I was trying to point out is the ambiguity in &quot;from Europe&quot; - it can hint at both nationality and current location, while &quot;in Europe&quot; definitely means current location, which is, I believe, the intention of the question. (Sorry for my last brief message, I was on my phone, and running for a bus). Anyway, it's not that important: question answered, answer accepted :)" CreationDate="2014-11-25T22:25:19.037" UserDisplayName="user19" />
  <row Id="4284" PostId="2656" Score="0" Text="What kind of tax are you referring to? Income tax? Sales tax?" CreationDate="2014-11-27T04:21:08.683" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4285" PostId="1761" Score="1" Text="In my opinion, you should not leave your current contract, rather, you should also accept the new contract. The solution is, you can hire someone to help in your current project. So that you can also complete your current project (without loosing reputation and trust), also you can work on new project simultaneously so that you can earn much handsome income." CreationDate="2014-11-27T05:17:25.783" UserId="5455" />
  <row Id="4287" PostId="2656" Score="0" Text="This is about income tax accounting. Any transaction that goes thru bank account or CC must be documented.&#xA;My direct transaction partner in this case is the freelancer sites, as they also manage the payments and draft the funds + fees for the various jobs..&#xA;&#xA;So, while I can document this ok, Im wondering if I might also require direct invoices from the developers as well..." CreationDate="2014-11-27T23:58:09.957" UserId="5454" />
  <row Id="4290" PostId="2660" Score="0" Text="Clients with reading/writing challenges: you REALLY want to be sure this is the right client before engaging.  I mean, if the client can't get through a brief, what happens when it's time to sign a contract, or get you a check?" CreationDate="2014-12-01T22:57:22.607" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="4292" PostId="2663" Score="0" Text="There is no quality behind cheap price. The simple math. The simply cannot lose time on quality. So they always deliver raw products full of time bombs and bad algorithms. You should find your own price and then aim at quality. Thousands of others did the same way. PS. This is a duplicate question ;)" CreationDate="2014-12-02T17:03:52.707" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="4294" PostId="2666" Score="2" Text="No need to shout (with capital letters). There are some good advise here http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/101/how-do-i-get-my-first-job-at-a-freelancing-site" CreationDate="2014-12-04T13:42:50.093" UserId="4354" />
  <row Id="4296" PostId="2644" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV I did call them and they told they would get the content to me within the week, however, that was a week ago. I don't think this is intentional but they still haven't sent anything back." CreationDate="2014-12-05T04:48:43.930" UserId="2964" />
  <row Id="4297" PostId="2644" Score="1" Text="When it's about the content, you should be pushy and ping them the first day after the last day they were about to send something. Be boring as their slowness effects your earnings. Of course, be prepared and have courage to either ditch the client or inform them that you took another project and once they gather work for the full week or two to let you know." CreationDate="2014-12-05T07:30:49.640" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="4298" PostId="2535" Score="1" Text="While it is true that he first needs to go to the tax office, that is not due to complexity: there's a law that says he has to do so. Members of a free profession can be employees like everyone else (which he is, considering he has a main job). OTOH I believe &quot;Scheinselbständigkeit&quot; will probably not be an issue for a true side business as all kinds of social security are paid through the main job." CreationDate="2014-12-06T00:24:00.240" UserId="5526" />
  <row Id="4299" PostId="2676" Score="4" Text="Perhaps it is the kind of freelancing I do and the area I reside in, but I've never had to prove such a thing. Can you expand on why this would be an issue?" CreationDate="2014-12-06T15:15:42.973" UserId="127" />
  <row Id="4300" PostId="2676" Score="0" Text="Surely if you're being paid by electronic means (and not in cash), the transfer is traceable and the government would be able to establish a legit relationship (declaration of the income on your taxes and the expense on theirs)." CreationDate="2014-12-06T17:49:31.740" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4302" PostId="2669" Score="0" Text="Not really qualified to answer, but perhaps it is part of the nature of the work and so the client has not considered the option purely because they think the relationship is fine as-is because it's always been done this way. What about showing the client the advantages of opening a branch so they can see what they're missing out on, become dissatisfied with the relationship currently and make steps to opening a branch on their own." CreationDate="2014-12-06T18:18:15.977" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4303" PostId="2677" Score="0" Text="Will email invoices suffice instead of this?&#xA;Emails contain timestamps, sender and recipient addresses, amount, time spent working, what I did." CreationDate="2014-12-06T18:20:15.310" UserDisplayName="user5221" />
  <row Id="4304" PostId="2676" Score="0" Text="@AvonelleLovhaug, if your bank account shows a &#xA;10 X $1000k deposits, how does the government know it's not money laundering?" CreationDate="2014-12-06T18:21:51.057" UserDisplayName="user5221" />
  <row Id="4305" PostId="2677" Score="0" Text="I've edited in more detail of what you need. As long as your invoice meets the criteria listed there isn't any reason you can't use email. Note that (1) the addresses required are physical addresses and (2) invoices need to be kept for 5 years (where I live, anyway) and for record keeping purposes it may be nice to have the emails all in one place (instead of scattered throughout your email) and backed up in case you need to provide proof." CreationDate="2014-12-06T18:43:41.513" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4308" PostId="2679" Score="0" Text="Thank you so much, Stacey. I've been feeling really lost and your answer helps.&#xA;:)" CreationDate="2014-12-07T08:18:09.013" UserId="5533" />
  <row Id="4309" PostId="2676" Score="0" Text="Okay, but I don't see the two items - your contract w/ your client and proof to the gov't - as related." CreationDate="2014-12-07T18:53:09.693" UserId="127" />
  <row Id="4312" PostId="2676" Score="0" Text="@AvonelleLovhaug, well that contract proves that I'm doing some legit work and getting paid and not illegal activities." CreationDate="2014-12-08T06:07:55.067" UserDisplayName="user5221" />
  <row Id="4313" PostId="1905" Score="1" Text="[This page](https://revenue-pa.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/203/~/how-do-i-know-which-items-or-services-are-subject-to-pennsylvania-sales-tax%3F) says *that services performed on taxable items are subject to sales tax*, so I'm not sure if your mechanic example is 100% correct, it's subject to how &quot;services performed on&quot; is interpreted." CreationDate="2014-12-08T07:53:01.933" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4314" PostId="2677" Score="0" Text="why is needed to mention actual physical address of the client? I don't know my client's address and all I know is his real name and country." CreationDate="2014-12-08T08:04:00.530" UserDisplayName="user5221" />
  <row Id="4315" PostId="2677" Score="0" Text="What's necessary on an invoice is dependant on where you live. Where I am, I can leave off the address of the client only if the invoice is below a certain amount (then it's an &quot;abridged invoice&quot;). The client shouldn't have any issue with giving you their address, and it is probably going to be on the contract in any case (at least, that's my experience. All the contracts I've signed have had the physical address of both parties on it)" CreationDate="2014-12-08T08:08:13.110" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4316" PostId="2678" Score="1" Text="Just go straight with money talk. Something like &quot;Can you describe what you want/need in details so I can calculate my costs&quot;. If he wants free work, you will not hear of him again." CreationDate="2014-12-08T11:20:36.053" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="4317" PostId="2669" Score="0" Text="@Stacey That's the thing. We're in programming business and it almost normal to have a branch to cut costs on such a demanding work. I've seen other companies coming to our area hiring 100+ employees and I am sure someone suggested that to them. It's got to be something in our approach." CreationDate="2014-12-08T11:32:15.323" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="4318" PostId="1905" Score="0" Text="@codenoire For a consulting job, I show up, and the client can pick by brain, ask questions about various things, sometimes I'm not interested in doing their development but have a few hours to do some consulting so I might be brought in to hire or help hire the developer and plan out requirements and talk about strategy or business process optimization with known technology or custom solutions. When I do development work, it's actual code writing, and I charge double (or triple) my consulting fee." CreationDate="2014-12-08T19:46:11.000" UserId="1943" />
  <row Id="4319" PostId="1699" Score="0" Text="@edgh I edited in proof." CreationDate="2014-12-09T07:27:01.807" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4320" PostId="2572" Score="0" Text="Have you looked into a local installation of quickbooks? I think Quickbooks Pro 2014 has that functionality." CreationDate="2014-12-09T08:47:03.040" UserId="5427" />
  <row Id="4321" PostId="2686" Score="3" Text="I don't understand, either tell him &quot;No.&quot; or tell him what the charges will be. If you ask your local plumber for free services, what would he tell you? Same thing applies." CreationDate="2014-12-09T21:10:52.570" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="4332" PostId="2689" Score="0" Text="None of the sites are dependent on a API or anything like that. Both sites are completely fine up and running. If there was a bug or broken feature i include a lifetime bug fix within the contract assuming the code was not altered by another dev. Also does not explain why they would just cease communication after receiving the product, launching their sites, then disputing." CreationDate="2014-12-09T22:08:34.880" UserDisplayName="ICJ" />
  <row Id="4333" PostId="2689" Score="0" Text="THat's why it seems so odd that several at once did this when you haven't had problems before." CreationDate="2014-12-09T22:10:24.960" UserDisplayName="HLGEM" />
  <row Id="4334" PostId="2688" Score="0" Text="What country(ies) are you operating in, and your clients?" CreationDate="2014-12-10T04:57:21.753" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="4335" PostId="2690" Score="0" Text="Couple of questions: (1) Would you be working on their premises and using their stuff or work from home on your own pc? (2) Would you be working for them full time? (3) Would you be allowed to take on other clients while you're working for them?" CreationDate="2014-12-10T15:21:23.510" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4336" PostId="2690" Score="0" Text="I think the answers are their premises / full time / no, but I'm going to ask them now" CreationDate="2014-12-10T16:59:42.983" UserId="5555" />
  <row Id="4337" PostId="2690" Score="0" Text="The official answers are: 1: At the client premises&#xA;&#xA;2: Full time&#xA;&#xA;3: yes but not fulltime" CreationDate="2014-12-10T17:32:48.583" UserId="5555" />
  <row Id="4338" PostId="2687" Score="0" Text="Thank you so much, i'm following your advice,&#xA;Have a good day!" CreationDate="2014-12-10T17:56:24.930" UserId="5552" />
  <row Id="4339" PostId="2687" Score="0" Text="No problem! I hope it helps!" CreationDate="2014-12-10T18:17:15.230" UserId="5427" />
  <row Id="4340" PostId="2690" Score="0" Text="I can't answer officially yet because I don't have proof but where I am there is a &quot;freelancer test&quot; to tell if a person is a freelancer or an employee. Working full time at the client's premises using their stuff is a big indicator that a person is an employee, which means that (1) the client/employer is probably responsible for taking off income tax and (2) the worker can't claim expenses as tax deductions. This is only my understanding of tax law where I live so yours could be different. I don't know what the implications of this are in the Netherlands." CreationDate="2014-12-10T18:18:47.570" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4341" PostId="2690" Score="0" Text="Thanks. This might be a way to evade taxes for the employer." CreationDate="2014-12-10T18:25:54.657" UserId="5555" />
  <row Id="4342" PostId="2690" Score="0" Text="See the Belastingdienst website here http://www.belastingdienst.nl/bibliotheek/handboeken/html/boeken/HL/stappenplan-stap_1_nagaan_of_er_een_dienstbetrekking_is.html It talks about determining the employment type." CreationDate="2014-12-10T18:40:18.583" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4343" PostId="2692" Score="0" Text="possible duplicate of [Is it appropriate for a prospective client to require me to purchase third-party tools?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/764/is-it-appropriate-for-a-prospective-client-to-require-me-to-purchase-third-party)" CreationDate="2014-12-11T12:33:05.367" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="4345" PostId="2692" Score="2" Text="Possibly not a duplicate, because in this case OP is advocating for the software, not being required to purchase." CreationDate="2014-12-11T17:09:03.473" UserId="1818" />
  <row Id="4346" PostId="2676" Score="1" Text="@learner, actually that contract proves nothing to the government.  The contract is for agreements between you and your client regarding the work you will do or service you will perform.  If the government was concerned about illegal activity, you would have to do more than show the contract, you would need to prove that you actually delivered services of some kind.  Otherwise, criminals would just draw up pointless contracts with each other and be done." CreationDate="2014-12-11T17:18:29.527" UserId="1818" />
  <row Id="4347" PostId="2669" Score="0" Text="Many times companies don't want to open a foreign branch because that is just more jurisdiction where they would have to develop expertise in tax and employment law.  Much easier just to keep paying your invoices if they are satisfied with your work." CreationDate="2014-12-11T17:41:48.270" UserId="1818" />
  <row Id="4348" PostId="2694" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the reply. You touched some great points. I will definitely have to consider their perspective too." CreationDate="2014-12-11T17:55:57.020" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="4349" PostId="2694" Score="0" Text="To reply to your questions. I am looking from the point &quot;what if I am there&quot;. For example, if the client find a good development team who proved good results by finalizing his own project, I would then think to bring this cooperation to the next step. I would find more clients in my own country charging the rates of my own country (who are higher) and then outsource the project to the team who can do them cheaper. The difference would be my profit. I have seen 5+ US and UK companies who did this way, and they earn 6 figures nowadays." CreationDate="2014-12-11T17:58:51.837" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="4350" PostId="2694" Score="0" Text="I've seen a number of companies that do this, but they have enough of a presence in the country already to lower the bar of entry or are setting up such a large branch office that the costs can be amortized.  If you are a small company, the costs of entry may significantly overshadow any value from acquiring your team." CreationDate="2014-12-11T18:00:59.383" UserId="1818" />
  <row Id="4351" PostId="2694" Score="0" Text="Consider this, I may be wrong so may correct me. I am in the USA/UK and I found a good team in cheaper country. I want to elevate my business and I have found a few rich clients in my own country. But to do the projects, I need a team. Setting a team in my own country would be too expensive, plus I don't know how capable they are.Finding a new team abroad - again I am not sure how good they are. Hiring the proven team ad hoc - They cannot commit full time as they have other projects.So the only logical thing is to become owner of the proven team so they work only for me.Isn't this logical?" CreationDate="2014-12-11T18:06:48.777" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="4352" PostId="2694" Score="0" Text="The incremental cost to add people to my existing company could be much cheaper than establishing a presence in a country where I have none.  It's not just the cost comparison between my employees and yours, on your side I must include significant new overhead costs which I am already paying in my country." CreationDate="2014-12-11T18:20:15.033" UserId="1818" />
  <row Id="4353" PostId="2694" Score="0" Text="Really? In spite the fact that annual salary of 1 US developer can cover the costs of 4 or 5 developers in the cheaper country? This is a new view for me. So what, in your opinion, could make the client think about creating presence in the cheaper country? What should happen in the client's company to opt for such step?" CreationDate="2014-12-11T18:24:13.340" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="4354" PostId="2694" Score="0" Text="You are only accounting for the direct people cost.  MNCs may have to incur additional business costs as well: fees in your country, facilities, HR and accounting personnel, etc.  If they have to incur those additional costs with no added benefit beyond lower direct employee costs.  It may not be worthwhile when you do all of the math.  4 to 1 is an appealing ratio, but what if the costs make it 2 to 1 or 4 to 3, it may just not be worth the trouble." CreationDate="2014-12-11T18:39:19.757" UserId="1818" />
  <row Id="4355" PostId="2694" Score="0" Text="Let us [continue this discussion in chat](http://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/19397/discussion-between-cdkmoose-and-peter-mv)." CreationDate="2014-12-11T18:39:31.137" UserId="1818" />
  <row Id="4356" PostId="2691" Score="0" Text="Thanks Stacey for the time you spent researching that, that's very nice of you :) in the end, I refused the offer" CreationDate="2014-12-11T20:40:40.253" UserId="5555" />
  <row Id="4357" PostId="2695" Score="0" Text="I do appreciate your answer and thanks :) &#xA;I will think about it ^^" CreationDate="2014-12-12T04:45:34.140" UserId="5560" />
  <row Id="4358" PostId="2701" Score="0" Text="It may be that the person misrepresented himself. But odesk does indeed indicate if a person applied is agency or individual contractor. So the only way to know if he lied is to see if he applied as agency or individual contractor." CreationDate="2014-12-12T17:29:16.943" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="4359" PostId="2701" Score="0" Text="I may have read too much into OPs question, but &quot;she sent me an email saying that she is an agency&quot; made me think she hadn't disclosed that earlier.  If she had, then my advice would not apply.  I'll clarify." CreationDate="2014-12-12T17:31:54.913" UserId="1818" />
  <row Id="4360" PostId="2701" Score="0" Text="No, you may be right. I often say &quot;no agencies&quot;, but they still apply as individuals. I quickly decline them as I have experience, but new users will be confused by this. Thou I am not sure if you can switch work to agency worker if you applied as individual :S. But I am sure they found a solution to this as well." CreationDate="2014-12-12T17:33:24.640" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="4361" PostId="2701" Score="0" Text="I was talking to her individually and then she sent me official email telling me she is an employment agency and can get me people. You are right, doesn't sound very honest." CreationDate="2014-12-12T18:57:37.220" UserId="5568" />
  <row Id="4362" PostId="2692" Score="0" Text="Yes, really it is my own initiative to use the tool. The client's requirement is just to localize and localization can be done manually but it will be long lasting process." CreationDate="2014-12-12T20:23:09.903" UserId="5570" />
  <row Id="4363" PostId="2699" Score="1" Text="Did the terms and conditions you have state that it must be a person and not an agency?" CreationDate="2014-12-12T20:44:47.030" UserId="5572" />
  <row Id="4364" PostId="2706" Score="0" Text="Do you have any suggestions on how to tell the client this? I don't think they realize they'll have to pay for this and I didn't account for it in the original bid." CreationDate="2014-12-13T02:35:54.550" UserId="5574" />
  <row Id="4365" PostId="2706" Score="0" Text="Just tell them that money application will earn will go to the account used to publish the app to App Store. I'm sure they don't want money to go through you and your account. And you'll have to pay taxes etc. In this case they basically don't own the application. Anyway this is not a one time payment so it's not supposed that you pay   something every year for each application you develop." CreationDate="2014-12-13T03:37:36.827" UserId="5578" />
  <row Id="4366" PostId="2699" Score="0" Text="what kind of jib did you planned to do?" CreationDate="2014-12-13T12:17:36.323" UserDisplayName="user5580" />
  <row Id="4367" PostId="2680" Score="0" Text="Do you deliver turn key projects? IE you do all the work directly for the end client? If so then maybe you are charging enough to live comfortably but perhaps not making the most of it. Do you charge a monthly fee or a fixed project sum? Think about it this way. If a project involves downloads do you charge a one fee or do you also add a part like 1p per download etc?" CreationDate="2014-12-12T20:37:07.050" UserId="5564" />
  <row Id="4368" PostId="1345" Score="0" Text="go through the blog for cost estimation : http://blaze-core.com/much-cost-develop-app-game/" CreationDate="2014-12-15T09:57:05.417" UserId="1389" />
  <row Id="4369" PostId="1278" Score="0" Text="go through the blog for cost estimation : blaze-core.com/much-cost-develop-app-game" CreationDate="2014-12-15T09:57:56.683" UserId="1389" />
  <row Id="4370" PostId="2368" Score="0" Text="go through the blog for cost estimation : blaze-core.com/much-cost-develop-app-game" CreationDate="2014-12-15T09:58:23.343" UserId="1389" />
  <row Id="4372" PostId="1278" Score="0" Text="go through the blog for cost estimation : blaze-core.com/much-cost-develop-app-game" CreationDate="2014-12-15T09:59:19.850" UserId="1389" />
  <row Id="4373" PostId="1215" Score="0" Text="go through the blog for cost estimation : blaze-core.com/much-cost-develop-app-game" CreationDate="2014-12-15T10:04:56.107" UserId="1389" />
  <row Id="4375" PostId="2706" Score="1" Text="Just tell me &quot;can you give me access to your ios developer account&quot;. They will either give you the access or tell you they don't have it. In later case, reply back with a link to where they can register account and offer your help if they get stuck in the process." CreationDate="2014-12-15T10:42:08.850" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="4376" PostId="2702" Score="0" Text="I'm worried about the expense associated with the agency. Paying agency plus paying their employee would strike my budget." CreationDate="2014-12-15T14:36:56.550" UserId="5568" />
  <row Id="4383" PostId="2717" Score="0" Text="how was she charging you? I agreed on commission only and she agreed. How an agency can work on commission only?" CreationDate="2014-12-17T14:43:30.313" UserId="5568" />
  <row Id="4384" PostId="2719" Score="4" Text="Honest advice? Ask your employer first." CreationDate="2014-12-17T18:35:51.570" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="4385" PostId="2719" Score="0" Text="Why is he ending a support? Can you ask him would he mind you continue supporting these clients in your own time?" CreationDate="2014-12-17T18:36:08.780" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="4386" PostId="2719" Score="1" Text="Sorry for the confusion, when I say &quot;employer&quot;, I don't mean an individual, I mean the large company I work for.  They're ending support because there are too few clients with too few issues for the project to remain profitable.  The product has been around for about a decade, so this isn't any new technology." CreationDate="2014-12-17T18:47:34.997" UserId="5615" />
  <row Id="4390" PostId="2725" Score="4" Text="Hello, and welcome to Freelancing@SE! Unfortunately, I do think that this is off-topic, if because freelancing is more providing services for clients instead of having a store. For this particular problem, you might want to try [Startups@SE](http://startups.stackexchange.com)." CreationDate="2014-12-19T15:18:29.250" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="4391" PostId="2725" Score="0" Text="Okay, I wasn't sure because the help center says: &quot;Freelancing Stack Exchange is for questions relating to self-employed and freelance workers.&quot; Can a mod move this if they feel it is off topic?" CreationDate="2014-12-19T15:21:20.327" UserId="5633" />
  <row Id="4392" PostId="2699" Score="0" Text="I was looking for a sale person" CreationDate="2014-12-19T15:51:52.627" UserId="5568" />
  <row Id="4394" PostId="2719" Score="2" Text="This could easily violate the non-compete, if their intent is to kill this product to market another, you would be helping keep a competitive product alive.  We need more details and that makes this a much more of a legal question which we are not qualified to answer." CreationDate="2014-12-19T17:48:41.197" UserId="1818" />
  <row Id="4395" PostId="2720" Score="0" Text="Thanks, I guess that will be my plan of action; when we get close to the end of support, I'll ask my current employer about what I can legally do for the customers using the &quot;dead&quot; product, on my own time.  I was afraid of bringing this to them because I thought even mentioning it would be taboo in a business environment, but it sounds like the only safe course." CreationDate="2014-12-19T18:24:10.457" UserId="5615" />
  <row Id="4396" PostId="2725" Score="0" Text="I would say this is on topic, but a little open ended. Could you try narrowing down the exact question, and what research you have done already about it?" CreationDate="2014-12-19T18:30:16.487" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="4397" PostId="2727" Score="0" Text="Is your income being paid into your uk account in gbp? How long do you intend to remain in Thailand? Are you in Thailand due to necessity for work reasons (the client(s) want you there) or for personal reasons?" CreationDate="2014-12-20T09:01:07.773" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4398" PostId="2727" Score="0" Text="I am here until May 2014 (since November 2014) and what I earn goes into my UK account in Pound Sterling. The trip is for personal reasons only." CreationDate="2014-12-20T09:17:17.267" UserId="5635" />
  <row Id="4400" PostId="2713" Score="0" Text="possible duplicate of [Clients who don't pay their invoices what are your options?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/842/clients-who-dont-pay-their-invoices-what-are-your-options)" CreationDate="2014-12-20T19:07:54.837" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4401" PostId="2713" Score="0" Text="also http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/1022/is-there-any-way-i-can-attempt-to-recover-16k-from-a-client-who-doesnt-feel-it" CreationDate="2014-12-20T19:08:19.140" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4402" PostId="2725" Score="0" Text="In my -little- experience, not so viable. Perhaps you could look into trial versions? Regular users would need to purchase, but it can still serve as a portfolio, because people who just want to see what you did can." CreationDate="2014-12-21T07:22:28.723" UserDisplayName="user19" />
  <row Id="4405" PostId="2733" Score="0" Text="What is the final deliverable? Code or a software exectuable?" CreationDate="2014-12-22T15:19:59.823" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4406" PostId="2733" Score="0" Text="Code, I have to deliver code." CreationDate="2014-12-22T16:32:36.907" UserId="4822" />
  <row Id="4407" PostId="2731" Score="0" Text="Late fee is regulated by Law of every country. In my country it's 1% monthly. I don't think you can add your own late fee." CreationDate="2014-12-22T19:54:03.347" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="4409" PostId="2736" Score="0" Text="So you're second invoice has just the late fee on it with a note containing the original amount, and then you attach the original to the new invoice?" CreationDate="2014-12-22T21:15:32.660" UserId="4837" />
  <row Id="4411" PostId="2736" Score="0" Text="@emragins No, I send an exact copy of the original invoice, printed from my program, at the 30 day mark. 14 days after that second notice gets sent out, I send out an invoice with two line items: a memo (no cost in the final column, just a note about what's due), and a late fee charge. This way, the work is not double billed in my invoicing program." CreationDate="2014-12-22T22:29:09.783" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="4414" PostId="2725" Score="0" Text="I advice you to start by working on a completely free version of the product. If it get very popular, implement some revenue system in it. Because unpopular software are going to make you next to nothing." CreationDate="2014-12-23T23:34:22.107" UserDisplayName="user702" />
  <row Id="4415" PostId="2725" Score="0" Text="Sounds like wise advice santa" CreationDate="2014-12-23T23:46:48.833" UserId="5633" />
  <row Id="4416" PostId="2735" Score="0" Text="Interesting and pretty comprehensive of an answer. Not my question originally but I would like to know what is a &quot;Statement of Work&quot; and how does it fit in all of this?" CreationDate="2014-12-25T05:48:30.020" UserId="5642" />
  <row Id="4417" PostId="2735" Score="0" Text="A statement of work is a document detailing what work will be done by the contractor, when it will be done, and how much it will cost. It may contain legal requirements as well (must meet building codes, for eg). Essentially the scope(5), quote(6) and possibly even contract (7) all in one. Usually SOWs are used for large scale jobs in certain industries (construction, for example) and may not generally be that common for smaller jobs, although the quote, scope and contract subsections may be produced separately instead." CreationDate="2014-12-25T07:34:47.977" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4418" PostId="689" Score="1" Text="Since I found the answers to some tests online, I've been avoiding them like the plague. There seem to be quite a comprehensive collection of answers available if you google." CreationDate="2014-12-26T17:38:10.020" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4430" PostId="2716" Score="1" Text="Duplicating an invoice can be an accounting headache depending on how your systems are integrated? How is an invoice, &quot;lost&quot;, if it's electronic getting, &quot;lost&quot;, isn't an option and if it's not electronic it should be." CreationDate="2014-12-30T00:35:17.363" UserId="5707" />
  <row Id="4431" PostId="2731" Score="0" Text="@ Peter that's incorrect, you can charge whatever you want in late fees. There are certain limits that aren't enforecable in a court of law, but you can protect yourself via the business terms and your payment milestones. As far as a specific percentage I would base it on the costs associated with collecting the funds, what your time is worth, how important the cash flow is to you, and what it will take to motivate them to pay on time. Collecting late fees is ALWAYS going to provide negative net return, the point is just to make sure you get paid on time." CreationDate="2014-12-30T00:42:39.403" UserId="5707" />
  <row Id="4432" PostId="2731" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV, yes, in the US now contract law trumps all other laws according to the supreme court..." CreationDate="2015-01-01T02:08:00.493" UserId="1752" />
  <row Id="4433" PostId="2749" Score="1" Text="why wouldn't you?" CreationDate="2015-01-01T10:45:40.387" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4434" PostId="2749" Score="0" Text="This point was not discussed previously. So I'm thinking - is it extra job or not?" CreationDate="2015-01-01T11:09:38.417" UserId="5724" />
  <row Id="4435" PostId="2749" Score="0" Text="Is the job fixed price or hourly?" CreationDate="2015-01-01T11:42:52.920" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4436" PostId="2749" Score="0" Text="That's fixed price job." CreationDate="2015-01-01T11:56:32.577" UserId="5724" />
  <row Id="4437" PostId="2731" Score="0" Text="@ToddNelson I was thinking in case you file a dispute at court. In my country you cannot ask for your own late fees in such cases. It may be different in other countries, thou I am confident that the Law has proscribed max fee you can ask in such cases." CreationDate="2015-01-01T14:21:15.293" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="4439" PostId="2497" Score="1" Text="I want to add to this that I really appreciate it when people, especially employers, are frank about stuff. When they treat me like a peer more than a professional we often both get more out of it. This of course needs some time to grow and isn't great advice for a starting relationship." CreationDate="2015-01-04T14:32:29.690" UserId="5743" />
  <row Id="4442" PostId="2763" Score="0" Text="Interesting approach; out of curiosity what app do you use for generating invoices?" CreationDate="2015-01-05T22:12:09.720" UserId="5750" />
  <row Id="4443" PostId="2763" Score="0" Text="I wrote a custom application in Microsoft Access; when I switched to a Mac, I then used my iPhone, and the program there sucked. I'm actually back to just doing manual invoices now, as I lost the old program in the transition back to Windows." CreationDate="2015-01-05T22:21:08.733" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="4444" PostId="2764" Score="0" Text="-1 &quot;you may need to hire a Singaporian accountant for yourself&quot; Why would they be paying taxes to Singapore if they're not physically present in Singapore?  Withholding taxes is only a legal obligation when paying workers *actually present in the country*." CreationDate="2015-01-06T04:47:55.163" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4446" PostId="2764" Score="0" Text="How would the Singapore government even allow the registration of this person as an employee? They wouldn't even have any kind of local identity number.  The government doesn't even know/care if they exist." CreationDate="2015-01-06T05:01:39.653" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4447" PostId="2764" Score="0" Text="This is why you would talk to the HR department and/or an account to find out what Singapores laws require....  Do you know that Singapore requires employees of Singapore companies to be present to be taxed?  I don't and so I suggest he contact a professional.   Why you would decide to down count that concpet is way beyond my understanding.  you should always contact a professional when your concern involves the law." CreationDate="2015-01-06T05:21:06.817" UserId="5761" />
  <row Id="4448" PostId="2764" Score="0" Text="see http://www.iras.gov.sg/irasHome/page.aspx?id=11538.  Under &quot;Non-resident (Less than 183 days)&quot; it says that &quot;You will only be taxed on all income earned in Singapore.&quot; Since they will not physically be present in Singapore, they won't need to pay tax to the Singapore government. See my answer here: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/2742/freelancing-internationally-how-do-i-abide-by-international-laws/2744#2744 for how the freelance/contract work relationship is viewed internationally. The contractor is offering a service and it is not an employee-employer relationship." CreationDate="2015-01-06T06:53:46.663" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4449" PostId="1046" Score="1" Text="-1 This answer isn't correct. Since the contractor is working in a freelancing capacity, the relationship is not an employer-employee one at all and of the employment rules do not apply." CreationDate="2015-01-06T08:35:53.653" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4450" PostId="2761" Score="0" Text="@Stacey, except I am a US citizen working outside the US and that was a non US citizen working inside the US? That doesn't seem like the same thing to me." CreationDate="2015-01-06T13:30:25.980" UserId="5755" />
  <row Id="4451" PostId="2761" Score="0" Text="Its not feasible to handle every single possible country combination.  The example was for the USA but the vast majority of the countries in the world operate based on residency based taxation all in a very similar way." CreationDate="2015-01-06T13:47:09.200" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="4452" PostId="1732" Score="0" Text="I'm not a fan of posting link-only answers, but I highly recommend [PHP: The Right Way](http://www.phptherightway.com/) as a good high-level outline." CreationDate="2015-01-06T15:11:26.710" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="4453" PostId="1046" Score="0" Text="@Stacey I appreciate the explanation for the -1. There are many ways to &quot;freelance&quot; which does not always mean a 1099 independent contractor. I did &quot;freelance&quot; IT for almost 10 years and many of the jobs I took were W-2 &quot;employee&quot; positions. There are lots of wonderful tax reasons for an IC to negotiate a W-2 relationship with a prospective business client. So I would argue that my answer is not incorrect, but perhaps incomplete. I should have done some research on other IC tax relationships, many of which are probably covered under international trade agreements." CreationDate="2015-01-06T15:55:56.653" UserId="684" />
  <row Id="4455" PostId="1732" Score="4" Text="This question appears to be off-topic because it is about learning to program" CreationDate="2015-01-06T20:23:40.157" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="5454" PostId="2766" Score="0" Text="I didnt ask a question whether i should quit or not, because I will quit eventually. What I hoped to get are tips and tricks that might ease the transition or maybe advice when would be the right time to make the transition. Your advices are great, thank you very much, I believe currently I am not ready yet, but maybe a few months later, if I work hard enough I could be. Thanks again, cheers!" CreationDate="2015-01-07T10:35:43.890" UserDisplayName="user5768" />
  <row Id="5455" PostId="2765" Score="0" Text="Hi Zan, welcome to Freelancing.SE! I'm glad you wrote all the details you could, but could you try to shorten it up to the details *specific* to your problem, outline a clear *question* in your post, and double-check your spelling/grammar? If English isn't your native language, let us know, and someone else may be able to help clean it up a bit. Thanks!" CreationDate="2015-01-07T18:05:15.000" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="5458" PostId="2769" Score="0" Text="Looks to me that you are seeking something less advances than what tools like Trello or Basecamp offer. Did you consider cloud space tools like Dropbox? They have web access as well." CreationDate="2015-01-08T08:04:07.613" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5459" PostId="2769" Score="0" Text="Although I've only heard of Trello and Evernote... Is this a freelancing product you are looking for? Or a product for your client to use?" CreationDate="2015-01-08T17:14:52.207" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="5461" PostId="2769" Score="0" Text="This is mostly a freelancing project for an individual - if there's a free version of something, I'd prefer to use it.  If there is something that costs, though, I'm happy to use it.  Thanks, Canadian Luke! I'm from Toronto originally :)" CreationDate="2015-01-09T21:45:16.433" UserId="5778" />
  <row Id="5462" PostId="2769" Score="0" Text="This might get closed as opinion based but in the meantime, have you looked at AgileZen or KanbanFlow? They're primarily task management tools so may not cover everything you need" CreationDate="2015-01-10T17:47:43.917" UserId="43" />
  <row Id="5464" PostId="2774" Score="0" Text="I would not work if the work is less than 10 hours each month. you will earn nothing and spend more time doing admin stuff." CreationDate="2015-01-11T20:17:30.930" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5465" PostId="2765" Score="0" Text="Note: There is no *actual question* in your question. However this may be a possible duplicate of [How to make the jump from normal employee to higher level freelancing](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/913/how-to-make-the-jump-from-normal-employee-to-higher-level-freelancing)" CreationDate="2015-01-11T20:57:31.270" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5466" PostId="2753" Score="0" Text="you said &quot;If the solution runs on your machine(s) and not theirs, then you haven't really solved the problem you were engaged to solve.&quot; &#xA;That is a really good point." CreationDate="2015-01-12T02:54:09.113" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="5468" PostId="2765" Score="0" Text="Here it's complicated to be self employed, i had a job just like you where i had to work about 8 hours, one great day I've been fired and lost on this same decision, i though i could work for myself during the time until i find something else, then i found freelancer.com and started freelancing to check how things come up. At the start was really complicated, but after some 4 months, it started to come nicely, but as our friend above said, we can't tell you the correct time for transition, you must feel that you can and start things up." CreationDate="2015-01-11T01:34:42.063" UserId="5796" />
  <row Id="5471" PostId="2779" Score="7" Text="I only include software costs if I have to buy a special rool or licence for this specific job. In other cases, I don't mention this." CreationDate="2015-01-14T12:30:05.310" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5472" PostId="2780" Score="1" Text="You are right. Hourly rate is not only your work rate. It includes your service, your bills, your office costs, etc." CreationDate="2015-01-14T12:30:45.250" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5474" PostId="2783" Score="0" Text="I absolutely agree that value-based pricing is a **much** better pricing model to use. But you should still know your hourly overhead expenses." CreationDate="2015-01-14T15:59:10.153" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5476" PostId="2778" Score="1" Text="I think you need to define what the insurance would cover for any high quality answers. I'm not even certain what you would insure or how a claim would be filed by a client." CreationDate="2015-01-14T16:45:07.240" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5477" PostId="2778" Score="0" Text="Good idea @Scott! Editing question." CreationDate="2015-01-14T16:45:39.190" UserId="5785" />
  <row Id="5478" PostId="2778" Score="0" Text="Ermm.. okay.. but how would a website crash, with an on-going issue if not self-inflicted?? All servers go down at times. Even the best host only states &quot;99% uptime&quot;. What issues would *specifically* happen that would need to be insured and require &quot;troubleshooting&quot;? Most sites don't just fail. Are you referring to malicious hacking? Database injections? Just playing devil's advocate, but to me this sounds like the insurance you'd be talked into at a car rental -- it's not *really* needed, but heck if you'll pay for it, they'll take your money." CreationDate="2015-01-14T16:50:56.353" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5480" PostId="2778" Score="0" Text="I see. How would you suggest I approach this? Ditch the idea altogether or be more specific? You can also put it up as an answer if you like." CreationDate="2015-01-14T17:24:56.753" UserId="5785" />
  <row Id="5481" PostId="2778" Score="0" Text="Well, I can't be specific about *your* idea. And I can't answer without knowing what it is you see as the item for sale. It may be a great idea, but how am I to know if you don't even know what the details are?" CreationDate="2015-01-14T17:30:12.650" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5482" PostId="2783" Score="0" Text="Paragraph 4 with your example: $80/wk * 52 wks = $4,160. Seems to be worth a lot more than $2,000" CreationDate="2015-01-14T18:25:06.840" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="5483" PostId="2783" Score="0" Text="Haha, you're right. Math is hard :)" CreationDate="2015-01-14T19:08:28.427" UserId="2819" />
  <row Id="5485" PostId="2490" Score="0" Text="How to get to $800 per hour?! Get a job, be good, make people hear how good you are, apply to other jobs asking more and more money, change jobs when you get a better offer, in the end you will end at $800 per hour." CreationDate="2015-01-15T19:05:25.597" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5486" PostId="2490" Score="0" Text="Another fact I hear, but cannot confirm, the main developer in one large company dealing with lottery games (and earning millions from them) was said to have salary of $2M per year. his other hundreds colleague were having $1k per month. So this company paid 1 worked crazy sum and neglected others. The story is true." CreationDate="2015-01-15T19:07:12.690" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5487" PostId="2785" Score="0" Text="Could you add some actionable items, like above, to help mitigate some of these very potential risks for the OP?" CreationDate="2015-01-16T00:10:12.113" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="5489" PostId="2763" Score="0" Text="To the best of my knowledge your tax return shouldn't be any more convoluted invoicing in this way, your book keeping records will just have more entries. Obviously you're best talking to an accountant before making any tax decisions." CreationDate="2015-01-16T13:22:49.323" UserId="4556" />
  <row Id="5490" PostId="2106" Score="0" Text="A clarification on the voluntary VAT registration; it may make sense if the majority of your income comes from companies outside of the UK whilst your expenses are mainly paid to companies in the UK. If you think it may make sense, check with your accountant." CreationDate="2015-01-16T13:27:31.440" UserId="4556" />
  <row Id="5491" PostId="2787" Score="2" Text="It's generally *bad form* to try and make an &quot;*exact copy*&quot; of someone else's work." CreationDate="2015-01-16T23:05:28.733" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5492" PostId="2026" Score="0" Text="Personally, I find the benefits of providing hosting (more control, familiarity, value added service and more convenience) far outweigh the costs of providing support, **providing you pick a decent hosting company.**" CreationDate="2015-01-17T14:40:00.093" UserId="5750" />
  <row Id="5493" PostId="2736" Score="0" Text="I use pretty much the same method, with a new invoice for each month that it is overdue. I also send a statement of account with each invoice, which gives a nice overview of all the invoices to date, and also shows any part payments made." CreationDate="2015-01-17T14:45:45.057" UserId="5750" />
  <row Id="5494" PostId="1009" Score="0" Text="Further to the point made by @MichaelJohnston - in the UK you would have to ensure you had some manner of public liability insurance in place to cover you if any clients came to your premises." CreationDate="2015-01-17T14:54:53.783" UserId="5750" />
  <row Id="5495" PostId="2569" Score="0" Text="It might also help to think of it in terms of 'incentives/disincentives' - clearly explain the benefits of advanced planning and what may happen if this stage is skipped and additional changes have to be made (i.e delays or extra costs)" CreationDate="2015-01-17T15:02:22.523" UserId="5750" />
  <row Id="5497" PostId="2793" Score="1" Text="Skimmed it, seems interesting. I will explore it." CreationDate="2015-01-19T14:45:17.757" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5498" PostId="2793" Score="0" Text="Surely that's how an agency works? Agency has a supply of freelancers, client approaches agency and asks for x to be done, agency manages project and picks people to do the job. Odesk does have support for agencies as far as I know." CreationDate="2015-01-19T15:34:47.770" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="5499" PostId="2794" Score="1" Text="Not mandatory, but it's smart to have it." CreationDate="2015-01-19T19:31:21.070" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5500" PostId="2794" Score="1" Text="We're not lawyers here. My inclination is **yes** you must disclose penalties before you can enforce penalties. I don't think any (US) court would allow a business to add on charges which are not disclosed." CreationDate="2015-01-19T22:59:45.147" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5501" PostId="2793" Score="0" Text="This just seems off-topic to me. Not so much freelancing as a company review request." CreationDate="2015-01-20T01:23:12.763" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5502" PostId="2793" Score="0" Text="Don't have traditional agencies a limited pool of freelancers that work in the agency or at the location of the customers? Are there agencies that actually use a pool of remote developers that work via internet only to realize *online* outsourcing? Even on oDesk such agencies are not built that way, are they?" CreationDate="2015-01-20T08:06:59.617" UserId="2958" />
  <row Id="5504" PostId="2800" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the reply. I have been thinking about this a bunch lately, and it was time to call it. Have to pursue those passions, fiscal responsibility be damned. I know that's probably far from the best mindset, but it's what it is. I already put my notice into the job, sorry for not clarifying." CreationDate="2015-01-20T17:35:31.627" UserId="5876" />
  <row Id="5505" PostId="2765" Score="0" Text="&quot; i have a really hard time working for someone else, I have no problem freelancing, because at the end of the day I am working on my own brand.&quot;&#xA;&#xA;This outlook would strike me as very problematic if you want to freelance in a design related field; you're not working on your own brand, you're developing *your client's brand.* If you're not comfortable with that then you might struggle with client work." CreationDate="2015-01-20T17:44:27.207" UserId="5750" />
  <row Id="5506" PostId="2801" Score="1" Text="I think this may be off-topic because this isn't about freelancing" CreationDate="2015-01-21T04:53:21.070" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="5507" PostId="2801" Score="0" Text="People on these sites are so damned keen to off-topic things. Its a CV for freelancing work. Where else do you suggest that I post the question?" CreationDate="2015-01-21T08:22:37.767" UserId="5879" />
  <row Id="5508" PostId="1009" Score="0" Text="@KJW I use Regus a lot. They have offices around the world and you can pay by the hour. Which is ideal for meetings. I'm sure they are not the cheapest, but I've had nothing but positive experience with them." CreationDate="2015-01-21T11:12:47.653" UserId="5887" />
  <row Id="5509" PostId="2802" Score="1" Text="To add, if they print it out, you want it be exactly as you planned it to be." CreationDate="2015-01-21T12:44:12.903" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5511" PostId="2801" Score="1" Text="Hmm.. never needed a cv for *any* freelance work." CreationDate="2015-01-21T18:11:55.507" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5515" PostId="2801" Score="0" Text="Why not OpenOffice/LibreOffice/GoogleDocs in lieu of Microsoft Word?" CreationDate="2015-01-21T18:49:47.597" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="5516" PostId="2794" Score="0" Text="You'll need to *at least* mention how you're starting the work (with a contract or not, through an agency or not, etc), and where you and the client(s) are located to get a proper answer." CreationDate="2015-01-21T23:18:24.503" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="5518" PostId="2807" Score="0" Text="I added the actual language from my contracts. Hope that helps." CreationDate="2015-01-22T03:47:04.387" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="5520" PostId="2807" Score="0" Text="It's my first day here... getting the hang of things. :)" CreationDate="2015-01-22T03:51:50.380" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="5521" PostId="2801" Score="0" Text="Have you ever created a document in OO then opened it in Word? It usually comes out a complete mess. Another reason for switching to PDF is that I can create a beautiful document using LaTeX and be sure that it will remain beautiful all the way to the hiring managers inbox. Word emulators are completely out of the question for me." CreationDate="2015-01-22T08:53:17.773" UserId="5879" />
  <row Id="5522" PostId="2806" Score="0" Text="Thanks, I think I may go the other way; LaTeX to produce the PDF, but then cut and paste the text into a very simple Word document with no fancy formatting for the situation where I have to." CreationDate="2015-01-22T08:55:29.867" UserId="5879" />
  <row Id="5523" PostId="2801" Score="0" Text="HR Departments don't care how &quot;spiffy&quot; your PDF looks. They only care that it won't go through their Microsoft Word Macros. Resumes/CVs aren't all about how *you* want it to look. If it's a problem for HR... it's tossed or filed away to be forgotten." CreationDate="2015-01-22T08:59:41.677" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5524" PostId="2801" Score="0" Text="I suspect a PDF produced by LaTeX would be cleaner that one produced by Word, when it comes to extacting the text? But yes, this is part of the reason for asking because I worry that a PDF might not go through these tools as easily as Word, or is that not the case?&#xA;OO -&gt; Word could also be a disaster in that regard. Try it, you'll see what a mess the Word document comes out as." CreationDate="2015-01-22T10:35:47.287" UserId="5879" />
  <row Id="5525" PostId="2801" Score="0" Text="As far as I can tell all HR departments care about is if your CV gets a good score when word matched against the job spec. Yes, I am familiar with this game. But I still want a good looking copy to end up in the hiring managers hands, that does make a difference." CreationDate="2015-01-22T10:37:54.230" UserId="5879" />
  <row Id="5526" PostId="2807" Score="0" Text="Additionally, if you don't state your fees beforehand, in the event that you *do* end up claiming for late fees you'll (probably) only be able to claim the statutory amount, which will vary depending on your area. For example, in the UK it's currently 8.5%." CreationDate="2015-01-22T11:17:27.193" UserId="5750" />
  <row Id="5535" PostId="2801" Score="0" Text="@scott, I've had to submit a cv for larger freelancing jobs many times." CreationDate="2015-01-22T18:27:12.803" UserId="358" />
  <row Id="5538" PostId="2812" Score="0" Text="Where do you live? Have you looked at your local tax revenue service's website?" CreationDate="2015-01-23T05:20:45.457" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="5539" PostId="2812" Score="0" Text="My state does not have an income tax, so I am not sure how my local tax revenue service's website would help." CreationDate="2015-01-23T05:50:21.053" UserId="2060" />
  <row Id="5540" PostId="2812" Score="0" Text="Surely you're paying income tax to someone? By local I meant your country's tax website." CreationDate="2015-01-23T06:49:39.477" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="5541" PostId="2812" Score="0" Text="Paying quarterly estimates **is** paying income tax. What have you been paying if not estimated quarterly taxes?" CreationDate="2015-01-23T07:42:21.197" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5543" PostId="2812" Score="0" Text="@Scott I thought my estimated taxes was just the medicare and social security taxes." CreationDate="2015-01-23T14:35:31.540" UserId="2060" />
  <row Id="5544" PostId="2812" Score="0" Text="Estimated taxes, at least for me, are based on an estimate of what I will earn in the coming year and how much total income tax will need to be paid. They don't separate out specific taxes. It's essentially an escrow account for your coming tax bill, all of it, not just specific taxes. You should speak to a tax professional." CreationDate="2015-01-23T16:17:20.113" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5547" PostId="1553" Score="0" Text="Unless you are an indentured servant, you are free to say &quot;No.&quot;" CreationDate="2015-01-23T22:02:10.393" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5550" PostId="2819" Score="0" Text="I call them clients as they are my clients :)." CreationDate="2015-01-24T07:58:48.933" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5552" PostId="2818" Score="0" Text="They are probably someone from the same field as you but with more experience. They gathered their own pool of client who are able to bring new projects constantly. This is a usually thing. I used to work on projects work 5M+ where I was paid my hourly rate :). It's just the way things flow." CreationDate="2015-01-24T08:00:16.003" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5554" PostId="2819" Score="0" Text="@Stacey : Vote up requires 15 reputation. So +1 and thanks :)" CreationDate="2015-01-24T08:02:53.373" UserId="5911" />
  <row Id="5566" PostId="2820" Score="2" Text="What about expanding the testing--automate if it isn't already, add more 'edge' test cases, review the bugs to see if there's a pattern, etc." CreationDate="2015-01-22T17:45:31.817" UserDisplayName="mkennedy" />
  <row Id="5567" PostId="2820" Score="5" Text="You see, this is one of the reasons contracts fit excellent into this kind of activity: it makes it clear what to do in these situations." CreationDate="2015-01-22T18:00:50.527" UserDisplayName="Radu Murzea" />
  <row Id="5568" PostId="2820" Score="1" Text="Sounds like you need to check your contract, and see if there is a retainer clause - A monthly fee that is paid for you to just be available at certain times, whether you have work or not." CreationDate="2015-01-22T18:43:29.750" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="5569" PostId="2820" Score="16" Text="&quot;We do not have any kind of official contract&quot; &lt;= big red flag." CreationDate="2015-01-23T03:21:03.597" UserDisplayName="anorton" />
  <row Id="5570" PostId="2820" Score="0" Text="You can have a contract without anyone actually using the word contract. It will vary from country to country but at least in England if you make an agreement which has benefits for both parties and you both intend for it to be legally binding I think that's a contract, whether you call it that or not.&#xA;&#xA;I expect you do have a contract that entitles you to be paid for the work you do, whether or not it also entitles you to be paid when there isn't anything to do probably depends on exactly what was said or written." CreationDate="2015-01-23T12:17:06.067" UserDisplayName="bdsl" />
  <row Id="5571" PostId="2820" Score="0" Text="This question seems more appropriate for a Freelancing forum than here." CreationDate="2015-01-23T15:59:07.487" UserDisplayName="Joe Strazzere" />
  <row Id="5572" PostId="2822" Score="13" Text="I'm honestly surprised you're the only one mentioning the lack of contract at all. Not having a contract is a MASSIVE danger. I would strongly suggest to ask for an official contract." CreationDate="2015-01-22T23:30:44.937" UserDisplayName="Kjeld Schmidt" />
  <row Id="5573" PostId="2822" Score="0" Text="On the other hand: Your don't have any official contract, which is quite easy for them (no taxes, can terminate you anytime...) - So just bill them for the whole time! They cannot sue you without a contract, you have no legal obligation to only bill them work hours, because there is no contract. - A big firm with such edgy probably illegal activities should pay for your free hours, if they cheat the system" CreationDate="2015-01-23T11:02:37.507" UserDisplayName="Falco" />
  <row Id="5574" PostId="2822" Score="0" Text="@Falco If that's what's going on, I think the advice would be to find a reputable company." CreationDate="2015-01-23T11:54:35.280" UserDisplayName="jpmc26" />
  <row Id="5575" PostId="2822" Score="0" Text="@Falco They can certainly just not pay you, no lawsuit necessary on their part." CreationDate="2015-01-23T15:19:56.170" UserId="4613" />
  <row Id="5576" PostId="2822" Score="1" Text="@Joe but they can do that anyway whenever they want to. Then you just stop working for them and hopefully have leverage in form of some inside knowledge which a new employee will need to learn before being able to do your job - so they can't just let you down and replace you without some major downtime ;-)" CreationDate="2015-01-23T15:37:46.813" UserDisplayName="Falco" />
  <row Id="5577" PostId="2823" Score="0" Text="If you're lucky, responding to email and running all the tests once a day adds up to the minimum hours anyway, so the client gets their money's worth." CreationDate="2015-01-22T18:56:19.073" UserDisplayName="Steve Jessop" />
  <row Id="5578" PostId="2823" Score="0" Text="@SteveJessop Possibly true. The minimum time is definitely one of those &quot;The asker knows best&quot; points." CreationDate="2015-01-22T19:04:06.223" UserDisplayName="KHeaney" />
  <row Id="5581" PostId="2831" Score="0" Text="Paste has been removed?!" CreationDate="2015-01-25T08:46:22.257" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5582" PostId="2831" Score="0" Text="hmmm, that's weird, I will try another service" CreationDate="2015-01-25T14:58:33.287" UserId="1191" />
  <row Id="5583" PostId="2831" Score="0" Text="It's there now." CreationDate="2015-01-25T19:38:26.823" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5584" PostId="2832" Score="0" Text="thanks, would you mind telling me which are the stylistic things?" CreationDate="2015-01-25T19:56:41.657" UserId="1191" />
  <row Id="5585" PostId="2832" Score="0" Text="Cover letter, no 4. But please check with native speakers first. English is not my native, thou I speak it fluently." CreationDate="2015-01-25T20:26:33.493" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5587" PostId="2835" Score="3" Text="As well, don't make it like a bandaid you just rip off; you may need to give them a month or two worth of notice to your client, depending on how you feel they'd react." CreationDate="2015-01-26T17:48:28.790" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="5589" PostId="2835" Score="0" Text="Yes, you need to give them sufficient time to consider and find another resource if they don't agree." CreationDate="2015-01-26T18:42:42.410" UserId="127" />
  <row Id="5590" PostId="2835" Score="0" Text="I agree with Canadian. It can be very difficult to find an appropriate replacement that can pick up where you previously left off, especially if there's been much custom development or customization that has been done. I would at least offer to put together a skill requirements list/years experience for whoever he needs to find if that is the ultimate outcome. **The perspective of the customer may be a feeling of being trapped**, even though it is certainly you're right to walk away in the absence of any kind of service level agreement." CreationDate="2015-01-26T22:07:59.417" UserId="5932" />
  <row Id="5591" PostId="2006" Score="2" Text="&quot;(bug-fixes are always free)&quot; I disagree completely. If the client is paying to have a development process that identifies bugs (defects) based on written requirements, which in turn requires the client paying for real analysis, then the contract will apply penalties for too many defects. But the work is always paid for. Defects are part of writing software. Choosing which defects to fix based on cost is part of it too. If the client is too cheap to pay for analysis and requirements, then a never-expiring promise to fix &quot;bugs&quot; is like brake pads with a guarantee on the box - i.e. &quot;worthless&quot;." CreationDate="2015-01-26T23:18:26.870" UserId="5935" />
  <row Id="5592" PostId="1869" Score="0" Text="Ask him for something else in return. For example,agree to fix the bug, but ask for a written agreement about future work in response." CreationDate="2015-01-27T06:05:02.483" UserId="5940" />
  <row Id="5593" PostId="2006" Score="0" Text="@KeithPayne IDK about brake pads, but ok. My method has always (20+ years) been to fix for free; enhance, change, for fee. I am surprised so many people disagree with standing behind your code." CreationDate="2015-01-27T12:43:58.800" UserId="4133" />
  <row Id="5594" PostId="2834" Score="0" Text="So the real motivation isn't to make him save money - the real motivation is so you can do higher-paying hourly jobs?" CreationDate="2015-01-27T14:38:09.533" UserId="5572" />
  <row Id="5595" PostId="2835" Score="0" Text="I think these comments have missed the fact that this guy hasn't been getting regular service. It looks like he has been six months to a year without any problem. This means 2 things: a) he will not be feeling trapped so long as his site works in the present moment and b) he has no incentive to agree to this monthly plan until the next time something happens. Thats how this guy thinks. As a developer myself, I don't do monthly maintenance on our company's wordpress blog as for the most part it just sits there." CreationDate="2015-01-27T15:22:10.667" UserId="5934" />
  <row Id="5596" PostId="2837" Score="0" Text="&quot;who cares about updates anyway?&quot; A lot of people do, but it is true that perhaps this client doesn't." CreationDate="2015-01-27T15:30:33.397" UserId="127" />
  <row Id="5597" PostId="2006" Score="0" Text="Another POV is to look at when the bugs are fixed. For instance, when coding but before deployment, you might discover an error in your code. Do you stop the clock while fixing it in the moment? Of course not. So why fix it for free after deployment? You can't be a superman who writes perfect code all the time. By offering to &quot;always fix it for free&quot;, you're setting the expectation that the code will contain 0 bugs. It also sets the expectation that all bugs are high priority. If I am a client and there is an insignificant bug that will be fixed at no cost, I'm always going to want it fixed." CreationDate="2015-01-27T17:02:34.800" UserId="5935" />
  <row Id="5599" PostId="2839" Score="1" Text="Would &quot;consultant&quot; work? You could also ask this question at http://english.stackexchange.com/" CreationDate="2015-01-27T22:19:45.730" UserId="1018" />
  <row Id="5600" PostId="2834" Score="3" Text="&quot;you know, you'd save a great deal of money if you simply paid a monthly retainer. In fact you'd save $XXXX just this past month.&quot;" CreationDate="2015-01-27T23:35:09.110" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5601" PostId="2839" Score="0" Text="I was tossing around the idea of &quot;consultant&quot; for a while. However, my services would include &quot;hands-on&quot; work (if I might use the expression), such as designing data sheets for electronics manufacturers. These kinds of things require testing and measuring using tools. While &quot;consulting&quot; certainly would be an aspect of the job, I'm afraid the name &quot;consultant&quot; would drive away clients interested in a circuit troubleshooter or thorough component tester." CreationDate="2015-01-28T02:41:40.057" UserId="5938" />
  <row Id="5602" PostId="2840" Score="0" Text="I know it's against the forum rules to expand on a topic question in a comment, but there doesn't seem to be any private messaging system and you seem like a valuable resource (so please excuse me here, moderators). How did you figure out what you needed to do to become a contractor? The system seems so overwhelming that I don't even know what to google." CreationDate="2015-01-28T02:49:08.177" UserId="5938" />
  <row Id="5603" PostId="2840" Score="0" Text="There's always chat for those kinds of conversations. http://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/8874/freelancing Are you referring to Electrical Eng freelancing in specific or freelancing in general?" CreationDate="2015-01-28T03:30:44.187" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="5604" PostId="2840" Score="0" Text="Specifically electrical engineering. Were you required to get some sort of competency certification like the CET? I know that's for technicians rather than FPGA firmware designers, but I'm sure there's some equivalent. What I'm afraid of, to clarify, is that I will start doing work for people only to realize that it was illegal because I was missing some sort of government approval." CreationDate="2015-01-28T03:43:22.327" UserId="5938" />
  <row Id="5605" PostId="2840" Score="0" Text="While I do have a EE qualification, I'm not registered as a Professional Engineer. What this means varies with region, but it's often only necessary to be registered as a Professional Engineer if the application is &quot;safeguarding of life, health, property, economic interests, the public welfare or the environment.&quot; That's taken from http://peo.on.ca/index.php?ci_id=1813&amp;la_id=1, as an example. So as long as I don't call myself a Professional Engineer and stay away from jobs that meet that description, I'm ok. Usually a client who needs a PE or CAT certified contractor will ask for one." CreationDate="2015-01-28T04:48:25.693" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="5607" PostId="2006" Score="1" Text="@KeithPayne - OMG no, not during development or ALPHA or BETA testing; then it's part of development process and we are paid for it. I meant a serious bug discovered after general release - it may affect less than 1% of users in a less often used routine but to those few users, 2+2=5 is a serious bug and we fix for free." CreationDate="2015-01-28T13:10:58.893" UserId="4133" />
  <row Id="5613" PostId="2839" Score="0" Text="I use the word &quot;consultant&quot; and I'm doing &quot;freelance graphic and UI design&quot; right now. I have a BSEE degree and I know of several people who do EE work on a consulting basis. The biggest obstacle I see for you is convincing people that your skills are of a high enough caliber to do the work you are contracted to do." CreationDate="2015-01-30T16:31:05.023" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="5614" PostId="2839" Score="0" Text="However, I also know people without the appropriate degree who are doing quite well as EEs (full time and consulting). They manage to do this by having people who already know them and their work bring them into a company. So your network of previous employers are going to be of paramount importance in establishing your credibility." CreationDate="2015-01-30T16:32:36.330" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="5615" PostId="2843" Score="1" Text="Rather than repeat myself.. : see here : http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/1304/whose-responsibility-is-to-give-budget-for-job-freelancer-or-client/1317#1317" CreationDate="2015-01-30T17:42:19.393" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5616" PostId="2843" Score="1" Text="And relating to clients complaining about pricing being too high: http://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/questions/25712/what-should-i-do-if-a-potential-client-claims-my-pricing-is-too-high/25713#25713" CreationDate="2015-01-30T17:54:00.257" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5618" PostId="2848" Score="0" Text="Peter, I'm seeing this as an exact duplicate, just with more detail. I still don't see how it's different, but it's worded much nicer than the previous question you linked to. I'm wondering if it's a duplicate of a different one, but I'm tempted to leave it open for now." CreationDate="2015-01-30T21:42:10.437" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="5619" PostId="2848" Score="0" Text="All similar questions I found did not include poor region and its economical circumstances. I found those workers dependent on services like those above (simply cannot make living without them). Totally different from freelancers living in developed countries like USA, UK, etc." CreationDate="2015-01-31T07:20:44.817" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5620" PostId="2849" Score="0" Text="Excellent reply! Any chance you expand reply on networking. Do you, or others you know, use networking services like Linkedin or networking like get in touch with old college friends designers and programmer?" CreationDate="2015-01-31T07:24:53.957" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5621" PostId="2848" Score="0" Text="Which is why I want to leave this one open. Just showing my train of thought" CreationDate="2015-01-31T10:41:39.173" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="5622" PostId="2849" Score="0" Text="I don't use online services Peter, that includes LinkedIn - I have a profile just in case, but it pretty much goes unused. :)" CreationDate="2015-01-31T18:03:38.973" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5623" PostId="2849" Score="0" Text="Yes, I wrote about Linkedin and similar service, but when I read the reply again, I noticed you say that &quot;we should not rely on online services&quot;. Again, great reply!!!" CreationDate="2015-01-31T18:18:16.823" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5624" PostId="96" Score="0" Text="One should definitely read this reply: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/q/2848/517 . It's also a reply to this questions, more or less." CreationDate="2015-01-31T18:18:54.320" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5625" PostId="2849" Score="0" Text="Yup. I edited a bit to add some additional information. :)" CreationDate="2015-01-31T18:21:23.620" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5626" PostId="2848" Score="2" Text="What I have personally done is work my butt off working for peanuts on sites like you mentioned for a short term in which I was fortunate enough to have worked and met a few connections by working for clients on Elance which have led to pretty much full time work between a handful of big spender clients!  So basically I couldn't survive by working on Elance project however the connections I made from ELance have led to good paying and somewhat steady work!" CreationDate="2015-01-31T23:34:02.867" UserId="5978" />
  <row Id="5627" PostId="2839" Score="0" Text="'&quot;freelancing&quot; only applies to writing, performing, and programming (by definition)' -- by what definition?  Definitions I see are usual not industry specific (e.g. &quot;Self-employed and hired to work for different companies on particular assignments&quot; as per Oxford online)." CreationDate="2015-02-01T09:39:29.147" UserId="5979" />
  <row Id="5628" PostId="2006" Score="0" Text="Not to belabor the point, but now you've gotten to the root of the issue: Clients have different opinions than we do on what constitutes a &quot;serious bug&quot;. If code has been delivered with many &quot;serious bugs&quot;, fixing them for free won't help to land the next project. Alternatively fixing a few &quot;serious bugs&quot; on the clock won't cost the client much and it removes a potential a source of conflict. It also encourages the client to self prioritize which bugs are indeed serious. If there's no cost and I'm the client, then every bug is serious because I want them all fixed." CreationDate="2015-02-01T23:18:35.687" UserId="5935" />
  <row Id="5629" PostId="2848" Score="0" Text="@jasondavis There are many people like you. But there are also the same amount of those like my friend who are good but were unable to find clients who will let them work out of the middleman." CreationDate="2015-02-02T11:12:07.620" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5630" PostId="2854" Score="2" Text="Did you ask Google to remove the damaging site as its purpose is only to harm you? How about contacting his hosting service? Is your company name well establish - can you change it?" CreationDate="2015-02-02T11:57:17.900" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5631" PostId="2854" Score="0" Text="A good practice when being small and using the freelancing service is to have one business name for them, and another real one for yourself. I did it that way although I never had issues like you (thanks good), but if I had, I could easily change my virtual company name to something else." CreationDate="2015-02-02T11:58:42.050" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5632" PostId="2849" Score="0" Text="This is awesome advice.  I *have* made some very close friends via online forums, but the investment in time and energy is HUGE. We are talking years and hours of interactions. (also a very tiny percentage of these relationships panned out into paying gigs -- so far)" CreationDate="2015-02-02T14:37:57.123" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="5633" PostId="2852" Score="1" Text="I'm not following your question - Are you asking if it's OK, or if it's recommended? If the latter, how would we determine what's recommended in your case?" CreationDate="2015-02-02T17:57:28.597" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="5634" PostId="2764" Score="0" Text="The first $99,000.00 earned overseas is exempt from US taxes." CreationDate="2015-02-02T19:51:02.720" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="5635" PostId="2858" Score="0" Text="Thanks a lot - yeah, I've been thinking I might have to contact the IRS directly. They will certainly know and at least I can say I got the information directly from the source then!" CreationDate="2015-02-03T09:37:53.453" UserId="5992" />
  <row Id="5636" PostId="2852" Score="1" Text="The goal is to lower my tax burden in a legal way. If there is such a way, it would be stupid not to use it. This tax mode (for IP) has much lower % than other type of income. My question is if I can use this tax mode for my case." CreationDate="2015-02-03T19:45:30.043" UserId="5986" />
  <row Id="5637" PostId="2856" Score="0" Text="SEO is a solution, but it may bring up the question of costs again." CreationDate="2015-02-03T19:50:57.763" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5638" PostId="2860" Score="0" Text="possible duplicate of [How do I get my first job at a freelancing site?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/101/how-do-i-get-my-first-job-at-a-freelancing-site)" CreationDate="2015-02-04T12:28:34.927" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5639" PostId="2860" Score="2" Text="Something to keep in mind: grammar and spelling are _very_ important when writing project bids. If the bid that you've made uses similar grammar to that in this question, then frankly, I'd reject the bid outright without sending a reply. I've edited the question to what I think you were trying to ask (&quot;Should I get a response? Can I find out who won the bid?&quot;), but please keep attention to detail in mind in the future." CreationDate="2015-02-04T17:52:19.227" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="5640" PostId="2857" Score="0" Text="You might consider &quot;migrating&quot; this question to http://money.stackexchange.com/; they are more tax-minded. I bet you don't owe US taxes, but do owe Swedish taxes, on the money you earned while physically in Sweden." CreationDate="2015-02-04T20:40:08.167" UserId="39" />
  <row Id="5641" PostId="2854" Score="0" Text="Fire with fire? How about you start &quot;theircompanynamecheat.com&quot;, and post to it every day (SEO loves constant content updates)--maybe you'll overtake them as the #1 result! But if you go this route, resolve yourself to taking the site down when you get what you want (him taking the other site down)." CreationDate="2015-02-04T20:44:19.143" UserId="39" />
  <row Id="5643" PostId="2863" Score="1" Text="You should talk to a qualified tax professional, not a bunch of strangers on the internet." CreationDate="2015-02-05T22:02:25.137" UserId="1818" />
  <row Id="5644" PostId="2863" Score="0" Text="Arms length rule: Would an arbitrary company pay for an employees rent for three months abroad on work related business?" CreationDate="2015-02-06T05:39:07.600" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="5645" PostId="2308" Score="0" Text="Agreed. By uploading the app to the play store, he is also essentially proving to a court that he is happy with the work you did for him. If he's happy to publish the app, then he should pay for it what you agreed." CreationDate="2015-02-06T10:33:49.900" UserId="6023" />
  <row Id="5646" PostId="2863" Score="0" Text="I would say yes, no? Perhaps not a rent but an hotel, no?" CreationDate="2015-02-06T10:51:15.710" UserId="4737" />
  <row Id="5648" PostId="2867" Score="1" Text="Best how? Low taxes? Ease of registering the company? Law? Requirements? It's too broad right now" CreationDate="2015-02-07T15:05:22.423" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="5649" PostId="2867" Score="0" Text="Low taxes, ease of registering the company, laws, stability in country, etc. I can't really tell exactly what I need, I'm just software engineer who want's the answer. At least some educational material or source, I can't really afford to learn laws for each country in the world and then decide :) Maybe you know where I can buy the answer, whatever.?" CreationDate="2015-02-08T01:29:21.917" UserId="6035" />
  <row Id="5650" PostId="2868" Score="0" Text="Indeed, I heard about Chile, however I wanted that somebody here would reply with the result of their investigation :)" CreationDate="2015-02-08T01:32:03.657" UserId="6035" />
  <row Id="5651" PostId="255" Score="1" Text="Can you elaborate a bit further on &quot;Submit working sample of the current work.&quot; Since this is for a bid pitch to _get_ work" CreationDate="2015-02-09T16:01:01.937" UserId="6052" />
  <row Id="5653" PostId="2869" Score="2" Text="err.. contact Paypal." CreationDate="2015-02-10T01:37:10.260" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5654" PostId="2869" Score="0" Text="Why would you downvote this? Is it not apparent I wanted to ask others before contacting PayPal? This is why this community is worthless." CreationDate="2015-02-10T02:44:18.327" UserId="6054" />
  <row Id="5656" PostId="2869" Score="0" Text="The only **definitive** answer to this would come directly from PayPal. Not a bunch of random people on the internet. StackExchange sites may be unlike other sites you are accustomed to. SE sites are *not* discussion forums. They are geared around a strict question&lt;&gt;answer format. Since *only* PayPal can answer this question for you, it's clear no effort to solve the issue on your own has been taken, thus the down vote." CreationDate="2015-02-10T05:53:56.503" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5658" PostId="2308" Score="0" Text="IMO I would only threaten to have the app removed as an absolute last resort, and I would make it known to the client before removing it without their knowledge. To some extent this gives you some bargaining power and should have at least allowed for some negotiations to take place. Many developers hand over their work and then have no way of securing payment if their client turns sour." CreationDate="2015-02-10T12:20:18.933" UserId="772" />
  <row Id="5659" PostId="2869" Score="0" Text="You can hope that someone here uses Paypal in the same way as you hope they do. So they may answer eventually. But as Scott says, I would also ask Paypal. If it's their public policy, they will gladly explain how you can apply to get a portion of it." CreationDate="2015-02-10T12:27:05.190" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5660" PostId="2874" Score="0" Text="What does your contract say? If your contract stipulates a finite number of revisions, then you'd be able to charge for additional revisions, based on your contract. If your contract doesn't state anything regarding revisions, then you now know what sort of language to add to your next contract ;)" CreationDate="2015-02-10T18:16:16.037" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="5661" PostId="2874" Score="0" Text="No formal contract only an email exchange agreeing to a flat rate based on a project deadline of one week ago. Can I not argue that extra time going forward will result in additional charges?" CreationDate="2015-02-10T19:19:53.607" UserId="6067" />
  <row Id="5662" PostId="2869" Score="0" Text="I disagree, if you had a problem with a Google Maps API you wouldn't email Google. Same here. With supportive communities its much more efficient and faster to get the answer you are looking for then to contact a mega corp and wait a few days for a reply. If someone is unable to answer the question, you don't downvote it or say to contact PayPal. Obviously I would have contacted them already if I felt that was the best option." CreationDate="2015-02-10T20:59:33.957" UserId="6054" />
  <row Id="5663" PostId="2874" Score="0" Text="You can certainly try. Have you received any payment for work done so far?  If you're going to ask for more money, you should use the words &quot;change of scope&quot;.  You may also have to chalk this up to &quot;lessons learned&quot; - I think most of us freelancers have one of those projects in our past." CreationDate="2015-02-10T22:07:52.157" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="5664" PostId="2869" Score="1" Text="A technical problem with an API is nowhere near the same as a financial agreement with a corporation. What would you expect people to answer here other than &quot;contact Paypal&quot;?" CreationDate="2015-02-10T22:09:10.593" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5666" PostId="2876" Score="0" Text="Thanks. Where can I find those brokers ?" CreationDate="2015-02-11T12:27:53.260" UserId="5969" />
  <row Id="5667" PostId="2876" Score="0" Text="Have you tried a search on LinkedIn?" CreationDate="2015-02-11T14:35:25.493" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="5669" PostId="2876" Score="0" Text="It's the same as finding a real estate agent, lawyer or an accountant. See if anyone you know can recommend one, else search online and do your homework." CreationDate="2015-02-12T02:26:57.887" UserId="5990" />
  <row Id="5670" PostId="2878" Score="1" Text="Thanks Tristan, I agree whole-heartedly. It seems this is a design by committee scenario. Always fun. &lt;--can you hear my sarcasm? J" CreationDate="2015-02-12T16:43:58.733" UserId="6067" />
  <row Id="5671" PostId="2886" Score="0" Text="Do  you have any source to support the &lt;$500 rule you mentioned?" CreationDate="2015-02-13T05:04:59.447" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="5672" PostId="2886" Score="0" Text="It's my understanding that you don't have to file a 1099 for a vendor/contractor you hired and paid less than $600. You also don't have to file taxes if your total gross income was less than a threshold (like $2000) - but that may also depend on your status as a dependant on someone else's return. The OP is earning between $3600 and $4800 through Paypal, which is above the filing threshold." CreationDate="2015-02-13T14:04:54.797" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="5673" PostId="2886" Score="0" Text="comment on your update: It may be &quot;side income&quot; or &quot;main income&quot; - the way to reduce tax liability is to start a &quot;side business&quot; so you can deduct business expenses. There are rules about how many years you can operate a part-time business at a loss before the IRS considers it a hobby, however (generally 5 years)." CreationDate="2015-02-13T14:10:32.520" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="5674" PostId="2848" Score="0" Text="+1 for helping your mate" CreationDate="2015-02-13T16:31:28.763" UserId="6098" />
  <row Id="5675" PostId="2889" Score="3" Text="Does your full time employment contract allow work on the side?" CreationDate="2015-02-13T17:01:17.537" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="5676" PostId="2889" Score="1" Text="Yes.  But I don't agree with the idea of a side job client attempting to use my full time employer as a threat.  It just reeks of shadyness" CreationDate="2015-02-13T17:02:23.747" UserId="6099" />
  <row Id="5677" PostId="2890" Score="2" Text="Thank you.  I feel that is probably the best path as well, but really needed an outside view." CreationDate="2015-02-13T17:17:54.770" UserId="6099" />
  <row Id="5679" PostId="2889" Score="0" Text="Since you haven't done any work for them, even if they come see you at work, mention you have done no work for them, and received no compensation anyways." CreationDate="2015-02-13T17:34:08.017" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="5680" PostId="2890" Score="0" Text="I agree. Since you did not do anything which your current employes does not allow, his threats are simply obnoxious. Ditch them in a polite manner letting them know that you are ditching them because of their conduct which is obnoxious." CreationDate="2015-02-13T18:01:40.897" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5681" PostId="2875" Score="3" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it does not appear to be about freelancing." CreationDate="2015-02-13T18:55:32.647" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="5682" PostId="2889" Score="0" Text="&quot;Payment up front&quot; means &quot;I don't start work until I get paid&quot; The fact that he hasn't paid you yet is a HUGE red flag. Fire this client. It's not worth the hassle." CreationDate="2015-02-13T22:06:43.433" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="5683" PostId="2892" Score="0" Text="Do you have any feedback about sovereign man? Their marketing campaigns looks even worse than MacKeeper therefore destroying any trust immediately." CreationDate="2015-02-14T04:03:15.947" UserId="6035" />
  <row Id="5684" PostId="2889" Score="0" Text="They are not your client, and you have not picked up a side job - &quot;Terms were agreed on. Payment up front&quot;, so before the payment has happened because of their fault, they're not a paying customer, you have no job, and no obligations to them." CreationDate="2015-02-14T06:14:27.277" UserId="2222" />
  <row Id="5685" PostId="2889" Score="3" Text="Were appropriate times for communication discussed? Did you explain you are not available 9am-5pm weekdays? Don't get me wrong, I'd *immediately* drop them based on your second paragraph. I'm just curious if they knew correct times to communicate." CreationDate="2015-02-14T20:48:34.053" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5686" PostId="2894" Score="0" Text="This doesn't *really* appear to be about freelancing, you aren't asking about a freelance issue. It's more of an educational issue (how to gain experience/learn real world usage). There are other SE sites dedicated to questions related to specific educational areas such as UX.se or GraphicDesgin.SE You may want to consider a different stack for more targeted, helpful answers." CreationDate="2015-02-14T20:52:56.787" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5687" PostId="2894" Score="0" Text="@scott Can I move this discussion?" CreationDate="2015-02-15T06:55:24.437" UserId="6103" />
  <row Id="5688" PostId="2896" Score="0" Text="This sounds awesome and I never thought about this. I'll definitely look into it.  Are their any good sites to find meetups?" CreationDate="2015-02-15T06:57:57.597" UserId="6103" />
  <row Id="5689" PostId="2896" Score="0" Text="Sure, meetup.com" CreationDate="2015-02-15T07:46:55.717" UserId="5990" />
  <row Id="5694" PostId="2889" Score="1" Text="Yes, they know I will not answer the phone during my normal business hours.  I let everyone I know, whether it's a personal or professional relationship, that I will not answer the phone during business hours, and if I do answer the phone and it's not a life or death emergency then they will be put on auto reject forever and ever, amen." CreationDate="2015-02-16T16:13:25.413" UserId="6099" />
  <row Id="5698" PostId="2904" Score="0" Text="There is no answer regarding my question in whole community?" CreationDate="2015-02-18T08:20:30.977" UserId="7130" />
  <row Id="5699" PostId="2904" Score="1" Text="You don't have multiple accounts, right? So you just need to show you're different people. Submitting identification for both people and explaining the situation should be enough." CreationDate="2015-02-18T10:58:43.193" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="5700" PostId="2905" Score="0" Text="If there was a formula, everyone would use it. There is no formula. Talk to the client about their project and why you are interested in it at what you can contribute. You want them to pick you out of everyone and the only way you can do that is to prove you know your stuff." CreationDate="2015-02-18T15:53:38.413" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="5701" PostId="2910" Score="0" Text="&quot;Once they prove both identities, the account will freeze&quot; is this statement mean they will when we verify our identities they will remove our account permanently? if yes then why?" CreationDate="2015-02-18T16:30:10.153" UserId="7130" />
  <row Id="5702" PostId="2910" Score="0" Text="Sorry, I mean unfreeze. A typo." CreationDate="2015-02-18T16:32:13.563" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5703" PostId="2910" Score="0" Text="thanks for your reply, how elance catch double account any idea?" CreationDate="2015-02-18T17:13:04.203" UserId="7130" />
  <row Id="5704" PostId="2910" Score="0" Text="IP, cookies and probably more undisclosed methods." CreationDate="2015-02-18T17:14:56.790" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5705" PostId="2910" Score="0" Text="is this compulsory both would be verified because I have no control on other ID so how I can force other to verify?" CreationDate="2015-02-19T02:07:39.937" UserId="7130" />
  <row Id="5706" PostId="2910" Score="0" Text="I have no answer to that. Ask elance support." CreationDate="2015-02-19T06:06:09.357" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5707" PostId="2907" Score="0" Text="Have you tried using Google Filters? They can sort outgoing emails as well. It will be tricky, but if you use the same unique keyword for the statuses (accepted, in progress, finished, unpaid, paid,...), you can make something out of it. And please, if you find such software, let us about it. I am interested as well." CreationDate="2015-02-19T16:48:38.390" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5709" PostId="2910" Score="0" Text="You say the other person is your friend. If they ARE your friend, they will be willing to help you fix this. Also, isn't their account also frozen?" CreationDate="2015-02-19T18:36:52.603" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="5710" PostId="2910" Score="0" Text="@Voxwoman yes his account also frozen and elance is not contacting with him." CreationDate="2015-02-19T19:01:41.557" UserId="7130" />
  <row Id="5711" PostId="2907" Score="0" Text="Have you tried using email categories? In outlook I color things as Red that need my attention. If you aren't drowning in emails it's easy to scroll through see what you need to look at." CreationDate="2015-02-19T21:04:49.127" UserId="4687" />
  <row Id="5712" PostId="2921" Score="0" Text="Thanks for answering! The people i hired are graphic designer, not programmers, unfortunately... Where can i find such agencies? And what's the difference between a company and an agency? On Elance and Odesk i found companies which are most reported as scam...and of course the guarantee their workers are good. Aren't they like an agency?" CreationDate="2015-02-20T14:46:03.897" UserId="7153" />
  <row Id="5713" PostId="2921" Score="0" Text="Company uses their own workers. Agencies have a list of hundreds of contractors and they either take percentage from them, or charge you for their services (finding, testing,...). For you, this could be the same as using odesk or other methods I listed." CreationDate="2015-02-20T18:07:51.940" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5714" PostId="2910" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV I have read lot of stories like here http://elancehorror.blogspot.com/ most of the people never their account active." CreationDate="2015-02-20T19:00:19.817" UserId="7130" />
  <row Id="5715" PostId="2910" Score="0" Text="@MayanKhan Well it depends what you did and how severe this is. They tried to cheat the system or wanted to be paid out of it. As simple as this. I don't believe their stories of being innocent and banned. Neither should you. Try, what can you lose. If they lock your account, open a new one and be smarter this time." CreationDate="2015-02-20T19:03:52.003" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5716" PostId="2910" Score="0" Text="@MayanKhan That story is really horror story, but he also tried to cheat the system. I don't believe about his &quot;petty money client&quot; as it was himself." CreationDate="2015-02-20T19:15:38.573" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5717" PostId="2910" Score="0" Text="They already taken my government ID and verified on that as I think on next time it is very hard to open new ID, what you suggest?" CreationDate="2015-02-20T19:15:42.037" UserId="7130" />
  <row Id="5718" PostId="2910" Score="0" Text="@MayanKhan I cannot suggest anything legal. But I guess you can ask your relative to help. We should not discuss about this any more." CreationDate="2015-02-20T19:16:40.473" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5719" PostId="2904" Score="0" Text="@Stacey they are still not willing to active both account even they are verified, they are saying just complete open jobs(this is due they want happy their clients not freelancer)" CreationDate="2015-02-20T20:18:12.110" UserId="7130" />
  <row Id="5722" PostId="2913" Score="0" Text="Very good points. Heck, it may depend on the client how long the response is" CreationDate="2015-02-21T13:14:25.387" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="5723" PostId="2921" Score="0" Text="The agencies I speak of are called &quot;staffing firms&quot; if you are searching online for them. They are very similar to recruiting agencies that place full-time workers in jobs (and sometimes they are a different division of a full-time company). They also charge market rates for your location. The difference between finding a firm like that and finding one on eLance or Odesk is that these international companies have reputations to maintain in the marketplace. There are smaller staffing firms as well." CreationDate="2015-02-21T14:54:13.183" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="5724" PostId="2925" Score="0" Text="What is an ERP??" CreationDate="2015-02-22T19:54:50.380" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5725" PostId="2917" Score="1" Text="If an NDA was signed, you better read it closely before displaying anything." CreationDate="2015-02-22T19:55:55.373" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5726" PostId="2925" Score="0" Text="Ops, sorry :P ERP stands for &quot;enterprise resource planning&quot; (rif. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterprise_resource_planning), my customers use it to manage sells, payments, invoices, ..." CreationDate="2015-02-22T20:59:04.937" UserId="2839" />
  <row Id="5727" PostId="2922" Score="0" Text="Since coca cola is covered in trademarks I would stay away from that one" CreationDate="2015-02-23T01:44:00.150" UserId="7168" />
  <row Id="5728" PostId="2924" Score="1" Text="Not exactly , you can mention it but you may not be able to include its imagery. it depends on what terms you transferred the copyright to the client. If you retained some rights then that's ok, but if the client has full perpetual exclusive rights to something you could be breaching their copyright by posting it ( for example if a session musician writes a song for" CreationDate="2015-02-23T01:49:54.460" UserId="7168" />
  <row Id="5729" PostId="1170" Score="2" Text="As someone who is not in India I can say quite clearly that cheapest is &quot;maybe&quot; ( although Eastern Europe often can undercut prices ) but as for the general quality of work I can say that more often than not I get called in to fix outsourced projects and my fee will range from $120 to $160 per hour depending on how much of a mess I have to deal with ( my clean slate development rate is $ 80 to $110 per hour depending on technologies used and how much work I am offered )..." CreationDate="2015-02-23T01:59:56.703" UserId="7168" />
  <row Id="5730" PostId="2922" Score="0" Text="@DamianNikodem It was just an example. But even then, I highly doubt Coca Cola would ever sue a young graphic designer who wanted to show his view on Coca Cola logo. Since he has no profit from it, I am even not sure if this can be sued. Yet again, I am not a lawyer so my words should not be taken for granted" CreationDate="2015-02-23T10:12:19.537" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5731" PostId="2922" Score="0" Text="you know what, the fact that you didnt earn any money from it dosn't mean anything at all. Infact coca cola would have you in court so quick you wouldnt even have time save the document you are editing. You have this thing called a trademark, trademarked logos and designs are similar to copyrighted ones, in many senses, except for the fact that a trademark cannot be considered protected _UNLESS_ its owner takes steps to protect it. (e.g. Sue the living crap out of anyone who uses it or its likeness. ) (continued.)" CreationDate="2015-02-23T10:46:15.317" UserId="7168" />
  <row Id="5732" PostId="2922" Score="0" Text="So if I was to create some 'mockups' using the mcdonalds logo (or based on the mcdonalds logo) , and put them in my folio then if mcdonald's was to find out about it they would have the option to get me to remove it from my folio, or leave the golden arches for anyone to use (even burger king). If BK was to attempt to use them then they could cite my folio as a example of mcdonalds not protecting their IP, mcdonalds would claim they didnt know, and them 'protect' their IP by dragging both me and burger king through court. (cont.)" CreationDate="2015-02-23T10:50:58.673" UserId="7168" />
  <row Id="5733" PostId="2922" Score="0" Text="You may notice that whenever you see a movie or tv series various logo's or brands are 'hidden', its for this exact reason, unless express permission is granted by a given trademark holder then the producers can be liable. In many cases companies treat it as advertising and pay a token amount to have their product or logo featured,(such as a dollar, or free samples for cast/crew), this is because in some jurisdictions permission has to be explicit, and the simplest way to do this is to call it marketing. In the world of trademark law there is no such thing as 'fair use'..." CreationDate="2015-02-23T11:00:37.390" UserId="7168" />
  <row Id="5734" PostId="2922" Score="0" Text="@DamianNikodem Haha you seem to be deeper in this water than me. I am a coder and we usually don't have to deal with such issues. So I will trust your expertise." CreationDate="2015-02-23T11:03:57.333" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5736" PostId="2922" Score="0" Text="@DamianNikodem Then we really need you around as there are many legal-bound questions here. you can make your own reply as well ;)." CreationDate="2015-02-23T11:19:26.190" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5737" PostId="2922" Score="0" Text="I will leave you to edit your reply and get accepted :P... I am not a lawyer even though I have a fair bit of knowledge on the subject. And one thing that I should point out is that my knowledge is primarily based on what applies in Australia.. Every jurisdiction is different (for example in china I believe that you have to specifically register copyright/trademarks there for them to be enforceable because they dont recognize anything from the rest of the world.)" CreationDate="2015-02-23T12:40:24.697" UserId="7168" />
  <row Id="5738" PostId="2395" Score="0" Text="But the OP's relationship with the person stiffing him is not the client, but a &quot;business partner&quot; the relationship and ownership of the applications are different than a simple freelancing gig." CreationDate="2015-02-23T13:08:05.690" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="5739" PostId="2918" Score="0" Text="Really? I'm in Beyrouth right now and found a Android/iOS Developer around the corner. He takes 17$/hr." CreationDate="2015-02-23T17:41:10.037" UserDisplayName="user171" />
  <row Id="5740" PostId="2932" Score="0" Text="Thanks: very useful advice about 'high maintenance clients'. I'll review other aspects of my software agreement to be sure there are such kind of limitations." CreationDate="2015-02-24T15:02:51.740" UserId="2839" />
  <row Id="5741" PostId="2911" Score="0" Text="If you are on a 1099, and you are basically an employee, then yes he is correct to worry.  The IRS has been cracking down on this practice.  Are you an employee or not?  That is the question.  It appears that your &quot;employer&quot; is worried about this as well, which is not a good sign. *To ensure that you are not classified as an employee,* I suggest that you set yourself up as an actual business, and file the correct paperwork in your state, an LLC is probably best.  If you do so, you can just decline to cover yourself for workman's comp." CreationDate="2015-02-24T19:56:41.033" UserId="1752" />
  <row Id="5742" PostId="2912" Score="1" Text="Yes, single member LLCs and sole proprietorships/partnerships often do not have to carry workman's comp...I have never encountered any law that states that **vendors** have to have the insurance...it is clear that his &quot;employer&quot; (client) is worried about the OP being classified as an employee, which he very may well be." CreationDate="2015-02-24T19:59:40.400" UserId="1752" />
  <row Id="5743" PostId="2937" Score="1" Text="You make me think about an interesting variable to take into account, to measure how much the contract will return and invest resources according that. Two things though: Contract price is very hard to determine. Automate sales as much as possible is essential." CreationDate="2015-02-25T02:07:45.563" UserId="1191" />
  <row Id="5744" PostId="2922" Score="0" Text="Well obviously putting the client's logo can be problematic, I realize that. But what if I remove the logo? For example, the client makes me sign an NDA and then reveals that their “highly unique” idea is to make, say, Tinder for Blondes. And they want a mockup of a UI “Like Tinder, but for Blondes”. If I hide their name and label it a “Tinder redesign” – would that be an NDA breach?" CreationDate="2015-02-25T10:49:27.047" UserId="7150" />
  <row Id="5745" PostId="2922" Score="0" Text="@user7150 I strongly suggest you ask this in the legal forum. I personally would probably put such redesign in my portfolio, but it does not say it's legal." CreationDate="2015-02-25T10:55:48.003" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5746" PostId="2942" Score="0" Text="thanks Ryan, that phrase feels very professional. I am thinking in using a referral system as a hook for people to &quot;earn&quot; a discount. I would also try to remove free trials unless I can automate the trial." CreationDate="2015-02-25T20:13:58.287" UserId="1191" />
  <row Id="5747" PostId="2886" Score="0" Text="In the US Absolutely by law you are supposed to CLAIM all income no matter how small.  If the amount is under $600 the company paying you does not have to issue a 1099.  All that means is that the IRS won't know you were paid.  That doesn't mean you aren't supposed to pay taxes on that money." CreationDate="2015-02-26T02:39:25.233" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="5751" PostId="2960" Score="0" Text="Thanks Peter, &#xA;&#xA;But I do want to learn programming, I want to attend meetings and be able to discuss stuff. I want to learn C#, JavaScript, CSS, Azure, SharePoint, Bootstrap, etc.. am I wrong with that?" CreationDate="2015-02-28T14:05:47.500" UserId="7214" />
  <row Id="5752" PostId="2960" Score="0" Text="Absolutely not. If you have time and willingness to leans, then go ahead. After you leans how to use C#, JavaScript and CSS, you will see that knowing programming language is only a part of the deal. After that you will have to dig inside each framework of interest and learn its specifics. Right now this &quot;each framework of interest and learn its specifics&quot; may sound confusing, but at the time you come to this step, you will know what I meant. Good luck!" CreationDate="2015-02-28T19:14:13.720" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5755" PostId="2882" Score="0" Text="Jacob, your home page link in your profile is broken. Oh, taxes is such a stressful topic." CreationDate="2015-03-01T03:03:18.563" UserId="1191" />
  <row Id="5756" PostId="2830" Score="0" Text="I'm not sure that this answers the question. I imagine  the OP knows how to write a proposal that weighs up pros and cons. The question is more to what extent is it necessary to address the competitions' recommendations and how is this situation should be delt with." CreationDate="2015-03-01T19:32:04.280" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="5757" PostId="2830" Score="0" Text="Yes, I think an introductory paragraph was needed." CreationDate="2015-03-02T00:46:19.383" UserId="1191" />
  <row Id="5759" PostId="2951" Score="0" Text="Do you mean 'sensitive' information/subject/data?" CreationDate="2015-03-02T14:27:33.693" UserId="5334" />
  <row Id="5763" PostId="2975" Score="1" Text="Can you give me a link to github repo of this system? Otherwise this answer is rather useless for me." CreationDate="2015-03-04T19:45:18.853" UserId="7248" />
  <row Id="5764" PostId="2974" Score="0" Text="I'll give it a try, thx." CreationDate="2015-03-04T19:45:49.403" UserId="7248" />
  <row Id="5768" PostId="2984" Score="1" Text="Hi Hector, welcome to Freelancing.SE! I'm not sure I'm following what you're asking for, as your question is currently written. Could you [edit] it to include maybe some examples of what has gone wrong, and what your expectations are?" CreationDate="2015-03-06T18:39:23.290" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="5769" PostId="2982" Score="0" Text="What did your contract state? Is everything hosted on your testing server first? I wouldn't release anything until you've been paid for what you've done, personally" CreationDate="2015-03-06T18:42:07.123" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="5770" PostId="2984" Score="0" Text="Can you be more specific? I have experience with writing all types of specs, but I am not sure what you refer to." CreationDate="2015-03-06T19:35:22.913" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5771" PostId="2984" Score="0" Text="I added some details. Hopefully that clarifies my question. It's hard for me to be more specific because I am not even sure what's the normal procedure here, I just have the feeling that there should be some document that clarifies the requirements. Thanks for your time btw!" CreationDate="2015-03-06T20:09:34.933" UserId="7267" />
  <row Id="5772" PostId="2987" Score="0" Text="Is this including taxes? Is this for individuals (freelancers) or what companies charge when renting their employee? As I also heard about 300GBP per day." CreationDate="2015-03-07T08:10:16.967" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5773" PostId="2988" Score="1" Text="Thanks, but that's not what I want to find out. I roughly know what the costs of living in NY might be, but I don't know how much could I actually make there. And to answer your previous question, you need to pay tax on top of the prices I quoted. Approx. 20-40%, depending on your circumstances. So assuming you're making £300 per day, you're left with about £180." CreationDate="2015-03-08T12:22:48.270" UserId="7190" />
  <row Id="5774" PostId="2988" Score="1" Text="Also, you're confusing hourly rate with daily rate. Hourly rate is most likely to be charged when you freelance directly, then you manage your own clients and you can bill them whatever you want. I am talking about freelancing through an agent - which is a completely different story. There are no 'hourly rates', only daily." CreationDate="2015-03-08T12:24:29.230" UserId="7190" />
  <row Id="5775" PostId="2990" Score="0" Text="Is it possible to download the theme source from the example site? If that's the case, wouldn't screenshots/pics be safer? Then hosting an example isn't an issue at all." CreationDate="2015-03-08T18:48:22.320" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="5776" PostId="2990" Score="0" Text="@Stacey Not for Wordpress I think as there is PHP coding involved. However, they can download images and styles." CreationDate="2015-03-08T20:03:51.897" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5777" PostId="2990" Score="2" Text="This is not a topic for freelancing. This is for Web hosting issues. Try to post on their group. The only thing we can advise is to try to sell hosting along web programming. Clients usually like full package service. Everything else is off topic IMHO." CreationDate="2015-03-08T20:05:39.950" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5778" PostId="2951" Score="0" Text="Anything wrong with removing the logo, and replacing all the text with Lorem Ipsum?" CreationDate="2015-03-09T18:03:16.433" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="5779" PostId="2990" Score="0" Text="Although only slightly related, I did just write a blog post about using Dev servers; while not choosing a hosting company, I feel there is some useful information in general: https://www.talk-about-it.ca/dev-servers/" CreationDate="2015-03-09T18:07:00.927" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="5780" PostId="2993" Score="0" Text="I do have a contract that I use but you're right, I should work in some time stipulations into it." CreationDate="2015-03-10T16:57:28.020" UserId="7262" />
  <row Id="5781" PostId="2575" Score="0" Text="-1: The world of low-rate freelancing is not the only place where freelancers can compete.  It's a matter of positioning. There are people even on this site who charge U.S. $125+ an hour. You get there by not positioning yourself in the bargain basement and prospecting, not by bidding on jobs for people who don't want to spend the money. To get your rates even higher than that, consider value pricing, wherein you take a percentage of the increased profit that results from a project (that's one way to do it). That moves more toward consulting than freelancing, but it's still independent work." CreationDate="2015-03-10T17:39:37.400" UserId="1323" />
  <row Id="5782" PostId="2575" Score="1" Text="@David Where do I say to go low-rate? I don't do low rate as well and have a good living." CreationDate="2015-03-10T17:43:49.523" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5783" PostId="2638" Score="0" Text="+1.  Several great points here.  Some companies won't legally let you put work for them in your portfolio, especially in portfolios for fields where your thought process is very important and needs to be shown in your portfolio entries (e.g., UX is about much more than making things look pretty).  Partnerships, such as with companies offering complementary services in a similar industry (I'm interested in doing several of these), are another good approach.  Bidding sites, etc., are generally the wrong places to look.  (A few specialized ones exist for high-priced consultants.)" CreationDate="2015-03-10T17:46:47.667" UserId="1323" />
  <row Id="5784" PostId="2575" Score="0" Text="&quot;It always like that. Welcome to the world of freelancers.&quot;  We don't have to compete (directly) against the low-rate freelancers because we're interested in working with different kinds of clients (the ones who will pay us the rates we ask them for).  Also, I'm not sure that a full-time, on-site presence is necessary for setting yourself apart from low-cost providers.  It's one way to do it, but I've also seen other designers and developers with their own shops who do most or all of their work remotely." CreationDate="2015-03-10T17:50:51.737" UserId="1323" />
  <row Id="5785" PostId="2575" Score="0" Text="@David I was rejected a few times due to location factor. Just passed my experience. It's not every time like that. And I still stand behind my sentence :). The first thing everyone asks is &quot;how can I compete against cheap contractors who also have a lot of experience&quot;. It's simply because not everyone can wait to find good paying customer. I've been freelancing for the past 4 years, and only 6 months ago I found &quot;the one&quot;. 60+ clients before him were one or two timers." CreationDate="2015-03-10T19:19:14.883" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5787" PostId="2997" Score="0" Text="I'm waiting for that day when I'm so busy I have to book months in advance. I'm also bad with follow up, but I need to get good at it. It feels like I'm back in the dating world, waiting by the phone." CreationDate="2015-03-11T14:00:42.277" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="5788" PostId="2999" Score="0" Text="I am a resident in the UK though." CreationDate="2015-03-11T17:06:46.063" UserId="7298" />
  <row Id="5790" PostId="2999" Score="0" Text="are you saying that no one from Bangladesh can work on oDesk? I saw thousands of the workers." CreationDate="2015-03-11T18:38:19.253" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5791" PostId="2998" Score="0" Text="Did you put UK or Bangladesh as your location? It suspect this could be the reason." CreationDate="2015-03-11T18:38:49.183" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5792" PostId="2999" Score="0" Text="Thats the thing, I set up my ODesk profile when I was in Bangladesh. Now that I have moved here I didn't get into updating the profile because I didn't use it. Only recently I logged in to see the financial transaction limit and now they just permanently banned me. They gave me the reason after banning me as well, so I didn't have any chance to appeal." CreationDate="2015-03-11T23:21:52.913" UserId="7298" />
  <row Id="5793" PostId="2904" Score="0" Text="Properly structured paragraph breaks and text aides in users *wanting* to even read your question." CreationDate="2015-03-12T00:24:59.247" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5794" PostId="2987" Score="0" Text="why this has been downvoted? it's a legitimate question." CreationDate="2015-03-12T15:14:31.917" UserId="7190" />
  <row Id="5795" PostId="3000" Score="0" Text="Sounds to me that they just want to cover their ass if you get hurt or in an accident, to guarantee they're off the hook, and you could go after your insurance company instead. I don't know for sure though, so I'm just leaving this as a comment" CreationDate="2015-03-12T20:31:29.233" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="5796" PostId="3003" Score="1" Text="I haven't used it nor I heard of it before. You can always try it but be sure you check their rules on fees and withdrawing money, if they have escort or hourly payment. After that, you can simply try it. You may be successful there and be top developer. Always remember of the saying &quot;better be the first in the village, then last in the town&quot; meaning all you need 10 good clients to earn like top 10 on odesk/elance/freelancer" CreationDate="2015-03-13T13:41:06.130" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5797" PostId="3004" Score="0" Text="As far as I remember, odesk has this policy too." CreationDate="2015-03-13T20:31:20.103" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="5798" PostId="3004" Score="3" Text="I wrote to them about it, and said that's not SOP for freelance graphic designers, and someone actually replied. They implied that we can &quot;ignore&quot; that for our own negotiated terms, but I don't think so." CreationDate="2015-03-14T02:07:34.680" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="5799" PostId="2573" Score="1" Text="&quot;the person finding you a job could be a company also&quot; they exist, but they also take a very large cut of the project's value. In the US they are called &quot;Contract Houses&quot;" CreationDate="2015-03-14T15:17:52.803" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="5802" PostId="3001" Score="1" Text="I have basically answered this question here : http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/57/how-do-i-calculate-pay-rate-if-ive-never-freelanced-before/2230#2230" CreationDate="2015-03-15T03:12:44.607" UserId="1752" />
  <row Id="5803" PostId="2988" Score="1" Text="@goodpixels, In the US, when going through an agency, there aren't typically daily rates either, just a salary for the length of the contract. Here it is usually hourly, fixed price, or salaried if going through an agency." CreationDate="2015-03-15T03:39:30.460" UserId="1752" />
  <row Id="5804" PostId="3008" Score="0" Text="Thank you @daaix for your answer. As to your question, I will not be driving a company car nor wearing a uniform provided by them. I will be driving my own car and that is covered by my personal car insurance. These insurance requirements sounded a bit excessive to me as well." CreationDate="2015-03-15T13:07:44.530" UserDisplayName="user7302" />
  <row Id="5805" PostId="3009" Score="2" Text="**No one** else can set your prices for you." CreationDate="2015-03-16T02:51:59.603" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5807" PostId="3013" Score="0" Text="Hi Damian, this answer would be much better if you included a link to the authorized source for this information. Can you please [edit] to include the link, and maybe even a quote from the source? Thanks" CreationDate="2015-03-16T18:11:34.363" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="5810" PostId="2998" Score="0" Text="This question shouldn't be downvoted. Please give a reason when you downvote. I'm making a +1." CreationDate="2015-03-18T10:07:38.303" UserId="4588" />
  <row Id="5812" PostId="3018" Score="0" Text="It is viable if your area of expertise can be done remotely (will get more clients) and if you can find clients. Of course, it's important that you deliver quality as well. I'd suggest you check on freelancer or odesk if there are clients who need Matlab services." CreationDate="2015-03-18T12:37:19.030" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5814" PostId="3018" Score="0" Text="what do mean by done remotely?" CreationDate="2015-03-18T16:27:27.320" UserId="4588" />
  <row Id="5815" PostId="3018" Score="0" Text="Remotely means you're in NY and your client is in London. Or any other city not your own city. We usually refer to this if you cannot meet the client face to face." CreationDate="2015-03-18T16:55:52.857" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5816" PostId="2999" Score="0" Text="You live in the UK, but are you a UK citizen?  There is a difference and it is significant.  Clause (a) in the highlighted TOS above would apply to you if you are a citizen of Bangladesh, regardless of where you live." CreationDate="2015-03-18T17:03:07.477" UserId="1818" />
  <row Id="5817" PostId="3016" Score="0" Text="Thanks for your reply. It's kind of frustrating because I've learned theoretically C# and .net, JAVA, php,JavaScript, JQuery, OOP design patterns, Martin fowler EP, DDD, TDD, DI, MVC, MySQL, REST, JSON, AJAX and more. I wanted to do front end development because it's easy compared to areas like DDD. I'm doing Frameworks like Angularjs, underscores etc. I find front end easy compared to the other things I've done. But because of the difficulty of taking requirement, I think I'll meet your friends wife's destiny, and yes I am slower than most now. I will take your advice, and thanks for reply." CreationDate="2015-03-19T01:25:33.840" UserId="7319" />
  <row Id="5818" PostId="3017" Score="0" Text="Thanks for your advice. i will try the things you have mentioned." CreationDate="2015-03-19T01:30:56.497" UserId="7319" />
  <row Id="5820" PostId="3018" Score="0" Text="Ok, and why do you think, being away from your clients helps?" CreationDate="2015-03-19T05:20:51.820" UserId="4588" />
  <row Id="5821" PostId="3016" Score="0" Text="Another advice, don't try to be good in 10 areas. Pick 1 or 2 and be best in them. Good luck!" CreationDate="2015-03-19T13:23:35.693" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5822" PostId="3018" Score="0" Text="Well it does not really help, but if you can do your job with clients in another country or on another continent, then you can bid on more projects. My friend is agronomist and he is bound to work face to face with his clients (also bound by geographical area) so he does not have so much clients and often has gaps in work. If he could work remotely without having to be present on client's land, he could have more client. OK?" CreationDate="2015-03-19T13:29:43.380" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5830" PostId="2791" Score="0" Text="upvote for Koding link." CreationDate="2015-03-20T10:46:52.483" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5831" PostId="2791" Score="0" Text="I wish I could give another upvote for Marker. Something we Linux users waited for years :)" CreationDate="2015-03-20T10:54:16.703" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5834" PostId="3028" Score="1" Text="I think this is a question for a CPA, not other freelancers." CreationDate="2015-03-20T19:02:11.180" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5836" PostId="3030" Score="2" Text="Elance is the cheapest. http://biz30.timedoctor.com/odesk-vs-elance-vs-freelancer-and-99designs-infographic/" CreationDate="2015-03-21T10:08:56.953" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="5837" PostId="3034" Score="1" Text="You can make a deal on odesk like this: you put design money into escrow and you start partnership. If you do not respect your part, he will at least get money from escrow. If he does not respect his part, you cancel the project. If everything is well documented on oDesk, they will rule in your favor. Other than this, I personally do not think that you two can sign so quality international binding contract. The money is small and court fees and travelling will cost more than the budget." CreationDate="2015-03-21T20:32:49.140" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5838" PostId="3034" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV thanks for your help. The problem is how's the designer supposed to verify how much revenue I'm generating from the app store? As the actual iOS developer I will be receiving revenue in my bank account and obviously I can't give the designer access to my personal bank account. Furthermore It's not just a predefined sum of money that I can put into escrow and problem solved, it's a percentage of the money I will be making during years." CreationDate="2015-03-21T21:56:25.123" UserId="7368" />
  <row Id="5839" PostId="3035" Score="0" Text="thanks for your help. Sounds interesting, I'll investigate this and see how I can apply it to my case and let you know. I'll check your answer as soon as I make sure it solves my problem (might take a few days). Thanks again!" CreationDate="2015-03-21T22:00:14.187" UserId="7368" />
  <row Id="5840" PostId="3034" Score="0" Text="You can add him to play store developer as a tech user with access to view earnings for each app. If I am not mistaken..." CreationDate="2015-03-21T22:57:45.443" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5841" PostId="3034" Score="1" Text="@PeterMV For some reason I thought only companies are authorized to do this, but I just double checked and realized that I indeed can do this as an independent developer. I can add him with a financial role and he will be authorized to see all the sales and revenue reports. The only problem left now is how do I guarantee to him that I will be paying a percentage of the revenue he'd be seeing in iTunes... I'll investigate Spencer's suggestion. Thanks for your help... I would have up-voted your comments if I had enough reputations :)" CreationDate="2015-03-21T23:21:46.217" UserId="7368" />
  <row Id="5842" PostId="2791" Score="0" Text="Hi @PeterMV , my friend works for the company that made Marker.  Just curious, what feature from Marker did you love (as a Linux user)?" CreationDate="2015-03-22T16:18:09.650" UserId="5821" />
  <row Id="5843" PostId="2791" Score="0" Text="Simplicity, short link, annotations,... All of them" CreationDate="2015-03-22T16:38:17.110" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5845" PostId="3037" Score="1" Text="This is a possible duplicate of [Clients who don't pay their invoices what are your options?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/842/clients-who-dont-pay-their-invoices-what-are-your-options). Does your contract include language regarding late payment or non-payments? Have you delivered anything to your client yet?" CreationDate="2015-03-23T15:05:35.613" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="5846" PostId="3030" Score="0" Text="Here is a Blog Post from 1stWebDesigner comparing all the Top Freelancing Websites. http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/best-freelance-websites/ I know posting a link is not the best way to answer a Question, But this link is one of the best comparisons I read. Comparing all prices + commissions etc." CreationDate="2015-03-22T17:39:26.273" UserId="7242" />
  <row Id="5847" PostId="3037" Score="0" Text="thanks for the message, not not a duplicate this is specific to my issue, as i wanted to know where i stand with the NDA,&#xA;&#xA;not really but as a contractor i cannot not get paid if i am working on their project.&#xA;&#xA;yes i have been working with the client for over 6months already this is the first time they cant pay. but its coming up to 3months without payment.&#xA;&#xA;surely the NDA and contract are null and void if they cannot fulfill their end by making payments?" CreationDate="2015-03-23T18:03:50.047" UserId="7375" />
  <row Id="5848" PostId="3037" Score="0" Text="i have updated the question with more information," CreationDate="2015-03-23T18:17:06.233" UserId="7375" />
  <row Id="5849" PostId="3037" Score="1" Text="An NDA is a non-disclosure agreement.  It's related to whether or not you can tell other people about the project you are working on, not whether or not the client pays you." CreationDate="2015-03-23T18:28:37.837" UserId="1323" />
  <row Id="5850" PostId="3037" Score="3" Text="From a I-can't-legally-give-you-advice standpoint, an NDA does not become invalidated based on payment, and violating it may likely bring legal action against yourself." CreationDate="2015-03-23T18:37:30.063" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="5851" PostId="3037" Score="0" Text="@David thanks thats pretty much what i thought.. ChrisForrence thanks! i will not i guess read through it and more then likely seek further legal action!" CreationDate="2015-03-23T19:05:38.213" UserId="7375" />
  <row Id="5853" PostId="3035" Score="0" Text="Unfortunately your partnership agreement link supports only US and UK agreements. The LLC idea sounds too much for just an App." CreationDate="2015-03-25T08:21:12.390" UserId="7368" />
  <row Id="5855" PostId="2987" Score="0" Text="I don't think we should be allowing questions about what rates are in specific places. That could lead to a ton of questions that are not applicable a very short span of time later, and that wouldn't be too good." CreationDate="2015-03-25T09:44:00.657" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="5856" PostId="3037" Score="0" Text="While I'm not a lawyer, you *should* have terms indicating how a contract can be invalidated in the contract itself. If there are payment terms in the contract (and there should be!), you can claim breach of contract. The NDA, however, is separate from this. I'd say to not violate that, as the legal ramifications can be severe." CreationDate="2015-03-25T10:05:12.093" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="5857" PostId="3031" Score="1" Text="I'm not sure why the poster wants to use Elance, but it could also be the escrow and dispute resolution services that they provide. Especially with a new client, this can be worth the price. If you just want escrow, there's http://escrow.com which has fees of 3.25% or even lower" CreationDate="2015-03-25T13:40:01.667" UserId="5887" />
  <row Id="5861" PostId="3046" Score="3" Text="Just to make sure, it sounds like the proposed samples are from sites that you didn't do the design work for. Is that accurate?" CreationDate="2015-03-26T21:00:53.243" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="5862" PostId="3046" Score="0" Text="Yes, I did not do anything on those sites." CreationDate="2015-03-26T21:41:25.997" UserId="7401" />
  <row Id="5863" PostId="3047" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the rundown Chris, I do plan on replacing this Samples page with original design very soon. The page is mainly for a few local business owners to casually browse so to help them understand what I can do for them. I also wanted to get some outside perspective from other freelancers on what their perception is on doing something like what I did." CreationDate="2015-03-27T04:08:41.850" UserId="7401" />
  <row Id="5864" PostId="3049" Score="0" Text="Thanks. You know I read somewhere that taking small screenshots of things you see on the internet and then re-posting them so you can talk about them is totally fine. Some of the copyright stories out there almost make it sound like we're all supposed to keep what we see on the internet a big secrete, or else X will happen." CreationDate="2015-03-27T04:21:42.480" UserId="7401" />
  <row Id="5865" PostId="3047" Score="2" Text="+1 absolutely agree. Even *if* it were legally okay (which I don't think it is), it's a bit unethical to display work which is *not* yours. It comes across as a sort of &quot;bait and switch&quot; tactic and borders on false claims." CreationDate="2015-03-27T08:47:13.907" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5867" PostId="3051" Score="0" Text="After reading all the answers and comments, I'm now considering the idea of removing all the images and replacing them with text links." CreationDate="2015-03-27T16:31:06.797" UserId="7401" />
  <row Id="5868" PostId="3053" Score="0" Text="Yes you can use atlassian.com products, some how it's free." CreationDate="2015-03-28T07:07:29.503" UserId="7339" />
  <row Id="5869" PostId="3053" Score="0" Text="Which of their products would be the best for my needs?" CreationDate="2015-03-28T08:16:47.753" UserId="7409" />
  <row Id="5870" PostId="3053" Score="0" Text="JIRA for project management and HIP CHAT for conversation between your team members.That is it." CreationDate="2015-03-28T08:26:20.570" UserId="7339" />
  <row Id="5871" PostId="3053" Score="0" Text="Yep, the problem is that I would like to have it all in one place." CreationDate="2015-03-28T08:27:10.803" UserId="7409" />
  <row Id="5872" PostId="3053" Score="0" Text="ohh. then I suggest you to go with onlyoffice.com" CreationDate="2015-03-28T08:29:04.210" UserId="7339" />
  <row Id="5873" PostId="3047" Score="0" Text="@LightHouse - And that's a great idea; when you can say to a customer, &quot;I've done these designs; this is why they're awesome. Your site can look as good as this!&quot;, you're doing well!" CreationDate="2015-03-28T16:00:37.993" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="5874" PostId="3053" Score="0" Text="I had a look at OnlyOffice and I don't really see too many benefits about using it." CreationDate="2015-03-28T18:46:48.277" UserId="7409" />
  <row Id="5875" PostId="3053" Score="0" Text="Let us [continue this discussion in chat](http://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/22375/discussion-between-dexterity-and-alex)." CreationDate="2015-03-28T18:48:22.747" UserId="7339" />
  <row Id="5876" PostId="3056" Score="0" Text="Thank you for your reply @Voxwoman - The thing is that it is not easy to explain to the customer that you want to charge them by project. They are used to pay per hour. Also, it is really difficult to know how many leads are you bringing them if they don't tell you." CreationDate="2015-03-28T21:39:03.123" UserId="7409" />
  <row Id="5877" PostId="3056" Score="0" Text="A more common term for this pricing is **value-based pricing** .... and I too support this as opposed to hourly pricing models." CreationDate="2015-03-28T22:09:55.940" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5878" PostId="3056" Score="0" Text="Any good formula to calculate the value you are giving to the client and cut your percentage from it @Scott ?" CreationDate="2015-03-28T23:39:18.390" UserId="7409" />
  <row Id="5879" PostId="3056" Score="0" Text="@Alex Because I'm not directly in your realm of work, I wouldn't know. I know *my* area of work and *my* demographics. That won't really translate to you. You can [search Google](https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&amp;ion=1&amp;espv=2&amp;ie=UTF-8#q=value-based%20pricing%20model) for definitions, models, and more in-depth explanations of value based pricing." CreationDate="2015-03-28T23:42:23.433" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5880" PostId="3057" Score="0" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because the author needs to get that information from whatever web sites, including Paypal, he or she is using.&#xA;&#xA;RTFM." CreationDate="2015-03-30T15:14:53.257" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="5882" PostId="3055" Score="0" Text="Your use of pronouns &quot;they&quot; and &quot;them&quot; makes it very confusing to figure out which party is which, and what you're really trying to find out." CreationDate="2015-03-30T15:20:43.027" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="5883" PostId="3057" Score="0" Text="Depending on whether or not you are currently freelancing, you may want to consider not _changing_ banks, but _creating_ a new international bank account solely for freelancing work." CreationDate="2015-03-30T16:01:07.657" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="5887" PostId="3030" Score="0" Text="As a heads up, this question may be regarded as off-topic in the near future. We've opened a [meta](http://meta.freelancing.stackexchange.com/q/221/9) topic to discuss whether or not to create this off-topic reason. Please give us your feedback!" CreationDate="2015-03-30T20:37:08.240" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="5888" PostId="2920" Score="0" Text="As a heads up, this sort of question may be regarded as off-topic in the near future. We've opened a [meta](http://meta.freelancing.stackexchange.com/q/221/9) topic to discuss whether or not to create this off-topic reason. Please give us your feedback!" CreationDate="2015-03-30T20:37:55.170" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="5889" PostId="2906" Score="0" Text="As a heads up, this sort of question may be regarded as off-topic in the near future. We've opened a [meta](http://meta.freelancing.stackexchange.com/q/221/9) topic to discuss whether or not to create this off-topic reason. Please give us your feedback!" CreationDate="2015-03-30T20:38:25.477" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="5890" PostId="3057" Score="0" Text="I don't see how this question is off topic, I'm asking about freelancing websites, which are a part of freelancing. It seems like you don't want to advertise websites here, but i see that being done all the time. I don't see how a beginner asking where to start is a illegitimate and off topic question." CreationDate="2015-03-30T22:03:01.313" UserId="7425" />
  <row Id="5891" PostId="3055" Score="0" Text="I think it is clear. I am not native anyway." CreationDate="2015-03-30T22:56:28.160" UserId="7409" />
  <row Id="5892" PostId="2906" Score="0" Text="I will rephrase, I didn't want to specifically ask for work, but ask where people could find it if they're German speakers, would that still be considered as self advertising?" CreationDate="2015-03-31T04:42:45.053" UserId="5649" />
  <row Id="5893" PostId="3057" Score="0" Text="@Conflux, are you against having a PayPal account? I'd suggest keeping your current bank account and opening a PP account - it'll still be tied to your bank account but you can send and receive money from (pretty much) anywhere." CreationDate="2015-03-31T08:02:29.493" UserId="5334" />
  <row Id="5894" PostId="3057" Score="0" Text="I would love to have a PayPal account, but it is requiring credit card nowadays, that is the point of the question, I don't have a credit card and i don't want one." CreationDate="2015-03-31T08:33:29.840" UserId="7425" />
  <row Id="5895" PostId="3057" Score="0" Text="@Conflux debit cards are different to credit cards - you can register with Paypal and use your debit card (VISA, Mastercard, etc.). That said, I'm assuming you have a debit card, I realise not all banks and building societies offer them." CreationDate="2015-04-01T12:07:06.867" UserId="5334" />
  <row Id="5899" PostId="3065" Score="4" Text="**I am not a lawyer, and you really need to consult with one**. It looks like, since you're retaining the code rights (and you're essentially perpetually licensing it to your client), it'd be legal to re-purpose that code." CreationDate="2015-04-02T01:52:56.693" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="5900" PostId="3066" Score="0" Text="Just to confirm: NI = Northern Ireland?" CreationDate="2015-04-02T15:01:39.140" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="5902" PostId="3070" Score="0" Text="Quick question: did you have a contract with this client?" CreationDate="2015-04-03T12:06:54.573" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="5903" PostId="3070" Score="0" Text="no , i didn't make any contract" CreationDate="2015-04-04T06:09:55.863" UserId="5100" />
  <row Id="5906" PostId="3074" Score="0" Text="Why don't you tell them that you do not have the ID? Maybe they can put n/a. My clients often ask me for the ID as they need to prove expense in their own country. If you use some freelancing website, then charges will be more than 4% that paypal charges." CreationDate="2015-04-06T10:16:51.503" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5907" PostId="3074" Score="0" Text="unfortunately they said the accountant needs an org nr. on the invoice, so &quot;N/A&quot; in not an option. @PeterMV what freelancing websites do you know, that have the lowest commission, or are best suited for this ?" CreationDate="2015-04-06T18:00:50.463" UserId="7477" />
  <row Id="5908" PostId="3074" Score="0" Text="ok  I've seen your answer :) &#xA;http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/3030/freelance-site-with-lowest-commission-fees" CreationDate="2015-04-06T19:20:19.000" UserId="7477" />
  <row Id="5909" PostId="3082" Score="1" Text="1. The site is freelancer dot com and their support seems more interested in making employers happy rather than the freelancers working there. Quite hypocritical to it's company name, really lol&#xA;2. If a dispute is started, the project can be closed even if both sides haven't marked it as completed too.&#xA;3. &quot;if they have commented explaining, I usually disregard the bad rating and assume the client is a nut-job.&quot; &lt;&lt;-- That honestly made me laugh and feel a bit better honestly lol" CreationDate="2015-04-07T09:33:58.233" UserId="7364" />
  <row Id="5910" PostId="3082" Score="0" Text="Are you able to respond to the feedback after it's left by the client?" CreationDate="2015-04-07T13:24:15.570" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="5911" PostId="3082" Score="0" Text="@Emily &quot;nut-job&quot; made me laugh." CreationDate="2015-04-07T14:22:20.910" UserId="70" />
  <row Id="5912" PostId="3086" Score="0" Text="Hmm. Maybe making things and selling them online (a la Etsy)?" CreationDate="2015-04-07T16:40:28.667" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="5913" PostId="3086" Score="0" Text="@ChrisForrence I have not heard of Etsy. He can take a look. It only that we are located in Europe so not sure if this will work for Etsy (postage costs)." CreationDate="2015-04-07T16:41:52.087" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5914" PostId="3086" Score="0" Text="@ChrisForrence Also I would like that he starts career on odesk or elance to build his reputation and make a steady income. So my question refers to these websites particularly." CreationDate="2015-04-07T16:42:50.690" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5915" PostId="3083" Score="0" Text="Great answer. To add, assuming you don't ask for compensation from that company, I'd try to make it a generic web site system, and put it on your portfolio - assuming all the store's branding and naming has been removed" CreationDate="2015-04-07T18:00:34.030" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="5916" PostId="3076" Score="1" Text="except now he's also wearing a &quot;project management&quot; hat - should there not be compensation for that?" CreationDate="2015-04-07T21:24:49.247" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="5917" PostId="3076" Score="0" Text="Yes, he can take any percentage or flat fee for that." CreationDate="2015-04-08T05:01:02.770" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5918" PostId="3089" Score="0" Text="I usually include in the contract an annual fee for upgrading the CMS to the latest version. But comes up a time when you can't upgrade anymore from a major version to another version unless you rebuild the site from zero (for example you have a CMS with an e-commerce component with hundreds products that is not compatible with the new CMS version and maybe there is no upgrades of the component). In that particular moment the clients usually don't want to rebuild a working site even if you warn of all the possible problems. Also the cost of that change would not be cheap." CreationDate="2015-04-08T09:27:50.117" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="5919" PostId="3094" Score="0" Text="This ends up being good in the sense that you're explicitly telling a client when you think you may take longer than expected (or go over budget) and are asking their permission (or rather, they *feel* like you are), and so the client feels more in control and so ends up happier." CreationDate="2015-04-09T11:51:34.000" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="5920" PostId="3097" Score="0" Text="I agree with what you said, but let me elaborate more reasons for my question. I started thinking about this as right now I earn 28% more than the last autumn because dollar increased. The costs in my country did not raise as we are bound to euro. So I was thinking if I should now lower my hourly rate for 20% for new projects I bid? As $100 are now seen as $120 so in theory I could drop price 20% and still earn same amount as last autumn. I am not saying that I am eager to do this (everyone needs extra money). I was just asking if &quot;this step would be wise to undertake&quot;." CreationDate="2015-04-09T15:27:37.560" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5921" PostId="3082" Score="0" Text="@Voxwoman The project is still ongoing as I'm still working for him but yes, I will be able to provide a feedback to him too if the project is marked as completed. But the problem is I would still get a negative feedback regardless :(" CreationDate="2015-04-09T22:49:03.177" UserId="7364" />
  <row Id="5922" PostId="3087" Score="0" Text="Yes, I will most definitely do that with all future clients." CreationDate="2015-04-09T22:50:01.233" UserId="7364" />
  <row Id="5923" PostId="3097" Score="1" Text="Not wise. But if you're feeling guilty about it, you can offer a refund/rebate/discount on a particular invoice (maybe as an incentive to pay it faster). You can tell them it's because of the current exchange rates, or not." CreationDate="2015-04-10T13:22:27.367" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="5924" PostId="3086" Score="0" Text="So no one has any ideas?" CreationDate="2015-04-10T15:17:57.947" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5925" PostId="3086" Score="0" Text="I've never used a freelancing website, so I'm striking out. Perhaps writing articles?" CreationDate="2015-04-10T16:55:06.407" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="5927" PostId="3082" Score="1" Text="Ha ha, &quot;nut job&quot; was because I didn't want to use profanity. ;-)" CreationDate="2015-04-11T04:26:56.423" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="5929" PostId="3101" Score="0" Text="Thanks for sharing. I think I am making it out to be a bigger deal than it probably really is. I have tried freelancing before in the past and understand the bad sides of it. Right now I have enough money saved up to last me a few solid years without any income, so money is not the issue." CreationDate="2015-04-11T21:09:50.430" UserId="7529" />
  <row Id="5930" PostId="3105" Score="0" Text="You are right but he cannot fight the large company. He can only leave or follow the rules. He can also disclose his clients and projects without disclosing anything and thus beat the system." CreationDate="2015-04-12T07:41:33.027" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5931" PostId="3104" Score="1" Text="Signed contract? If not, you've already lost any battle." CreationDate="2015-04-12T17:41:19.400" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5932" PostId="3110" Score="0" Text="We both are from same country but he was working in different country" CreationDate="2015-04-12T19:10:07.653" UserId="7533" />
  <row Id="5933" PostId="3107" Score="0" Text="I am not aware of &quot;small claims court&quot;. Can you please elaborate on this?" CreationDate="2015-04-12T19:10:49.523" UserId="7533" />
  <row Id="5934" PostId="3104" Score="0" Text="It was not signed contract but I have mails from his official id and his personal id." CreationDate="2015-04-12T19:11:46.480" UserId="7533" />
  <row Id="5935" PostId="3104" Score="0" Text="I believe small claims is your only legal option. You have to *prove* there's a debt first." CreationDate="2015-04-12T20:14:59.983" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5936" PostId="3105" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV - what do you mean by &quot;disclose his clients and projects without disclosing anything&quot; ?  It also occurs to me that some of his clients may have their own confidentiality concerns and not want to be disclosed." CreationDate="2015-04-13T00:26:02.320" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="5937" PostId="3105" Score="0" Text="You can say &quot;US client with a blog website&quot;. It should be enough for the company and you will not disclose anything. Of course there are projects where he would not be able to tell anything about the project as it's covered with non-disclosure." CreationDate="2015-04-13T07:46:26.270" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5938" PostId="3111" Score="0" Text="Personal assistant should have high level of English, right? Not sure if this is for him. What are administrative tasks - can you give a few examples on this?" CreationDate="2015-04-13T13:02:43.787" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5939" PostId="3086" Score="0" Text="@ChrisForrence Writing means high level of English" CreationDate="2015-04-13T13:03:19.500" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5940" PostId="3086" Score="0" Text="Articles don't have to be English" CreationDate="2015-04-13T13:03:47.990" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="5941" PostId="3086" Score="0" Text="@ChrisForrence True. But his language is neither Italian, Spanish, French or any Western language. And people from his language do not use freelancing sites but pay a little money hiring people locally." CreationDate="2015-04-13T13:05:50.787" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5942" PostId="3086" Score="0" Text="Then, if I can ask, what is his native language?" CreationDate="2015-04-13T14:24:07.487" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="5943" PostId="3086" Score="0" Text="Slavic, South-European" CreationDate="2015-04-13T14:43:45.977" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5944" PostId="3071" Score="0" Text="It happened to me years ago... then I wrote a contract for following clients. No money for that project. Now I force myself doing nothing without the client signature on my contract :P I ask an upfront deposit to cover first piece of work." CreationDate="2015-04-13T15:04:51.333" UserId="2839" />
  <row Id="5945" PostId="2975" Score="0" Text="From his website, it seems the project is here -&gt;https://github.com/jhfrench/Workstream" CreationDate="2015-04-13T15:31:12.973" UserId="2839" />
  <row Id="5946" PostId="3107" Score="0" Text="Hi Voxwoman, can you [edit] to expand your answer? This is quite low in quality, and may be deleted. If you have any questions, please drop by the [chat], and I'd be willing to help." CreationDate="2015-04-13T16:52:34.650" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="5947" PostId="3110" Score="0" Text="Hi Tosin, welcome to Freelancing.SE! Can you please [edit] to expand your answer? This is quite low in quality, and may be deleted. If you have any questions, please drop by the [chat], and I'd be willing to help." CreationDate="2015-04-13T16:53:12.173" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="5948" PostId="3111" Score="1" Text="Not necessarily. There are lots of admin jobs on odesk and elance like working on office doc or spreadsheet etc. They don't need high level of English." CreationDate="2015-04-13T18:49:58.357" UserId="7542" />
  <row Id="5950" PostId="3112" Score="0" Text="I don't really understand what is being asked here. How to grow your business? What to do *other* than freelancing?" CreationDate="2015-04-13T23:16:49.090" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5951" PostId="3113" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the suggestions. So you recommend to hire my own team on salary instead of hiring project based resources?" CreationDate="2015-04-14T05:58:53.577" UserId="7542" />
  <row Id="5952" PostId="3113" Score="0" Text="You can if you have good local workers. Work in the same premises. Monitor closely till you gain trust. And be involved in every project you do." CreationDate="2015-04-14T06:58:02.520" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5953" PostId="3113" Score="0" Text="PS. I recommended to work yourself. In my case, I earn more and make more quality apps." CreationDate="2015-04-14T06:59:00.113" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5956" PostId="2574" Score="1" Text="You can even take another path and try yourself in TopTal or Crossover. These companies hire freelancers and give clients some extra guarantee in exchange to rates that are above market's average. As an employee (actually, subcontractor), you get a steady flow of projects and decent hourly rate. This may be a good way for you to assess your real knowledge and gain momentum as a freelancer." CreationDate="2015-04-15T20:13:03.027" UserId="5088" />
  <row Id="5958" PostId="3125" Score="0" Text="No physical address whatsoever, &quot;contact&quot; is a &quot;mailto&quot; link which is on the same domain as website. &quot;Representative&quot; asked me to register to start &quot;two-tier&quot; testing which her colleague is supposed to send in a day or two. Very little on the web too, although there are some dead links from 2007." CreationDate="2015-04-16T17:34:37.620" UserId="7563" />
  <row Id="5959" PostId="3125" Score="2" Text="No serious company will have no physical address. This is sooo fishy." CreationDate="2015-04-16T17:37:21.143" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="5965" PostId="3128" Score="4" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it doesn't sound like a freelancing-specific question, but a question that could apply to any business. You could try [Software Recommendations](http://softwarerecs.stackexchange.com/) though!" CreationDate="2015-04-17T13:18:30.360" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="5966" PostId="3132" Score="0" Text="Thanks. I have had the same experience with my company and ultimately I had to wind up operations with my partners. So you and Peter both kind of suggest the same thing. I should start building pool of trusted freelancers to which I can assign tasks instead of whole projects. That makes sense. After all it also comes down to what you want to be in life and see yourself in the future. I was aiming for running a good company but I think it might not be my thing. I should just satisfy with one man show by doing what I love and enjoy doing." CreationDate="2015-04-18T14:33:10.943" UserId="7542" />
  <row Id="5967" PostId="3131" Score="0" Text="Asking for a downpayment with people you don't know is a normal and standard practice until trust is established between parties. Even moreso when working across national borders, as it is extremely difficult to force them to pay afterwards if they decide to stiff you." CreationDate="2015-04-18T18:09:40.987" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="5969" PostId="3138" Score="0" Text="I read the question differently.. as in a salesperson being hired on a freelance basis, not an *agent* for a freelancer." CreationDate="2015-04-20T04:01:45.693" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5970" PostId="3138" Score="0" Text="@Scott: you are right, the first interpretation holds. My business is a mix of well-defined product and services and I don't want to spend time prospecting myself." CreationDate="2015-04-20T06:57:48.900" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="5971" PostId="3138" Score="0" Text="@Voxwoman: I agree with the 15%-50% range." CreationDate="2015-04-20T07:08:41.417" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="5972" PostId="3138" Score="0" Text="The person is acting as the agent for the service provider, even if they don't use the title of &quot;agent&quot; -- I meant it as in &quot;acts with agency&quot;. Also, there would be some sort of contract that would end up looking very similar to an agent/artist contract, one would suppose." CreationDate="2015-04-20T17:35:34.933" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="5973" PostId="3138" Score="0" Text="I guess I'm confused. What is being &quot;sold&quot;-- a freelancer service or some product? You can hire Bob to sell widgets and only pay Bob on a commission basis as a freelancer (Bob is the freelancer). Or you can hire Bob to go out and sell YOU and find you work (you are the freelancer). These are two *very* different relationships and I'm unclear which is being asked about." CreationDate="2015-04-20T18:38:16.730" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5974" PostId="3138" Score="0" Text="@Scott: my company is selling products and services buts has no salesforce. I can't afford an employee, so a freelance salesperson would be an option." CreationDate="2015-04-20T18:50:04.137" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="5975" PostId="3143" Score="0" Text="It is very rare that *any* other freelancer can set *your* pricing for you." CreationDate="2015-04-20T20:57:57.687" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5976" PostId="3144" Score="0" Text="Information Architect?" CreationDate="2015-04-20T21:49:43.057" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="5977" PostId="3143" Score="0" Text="possible duplicate of [How do I estimate the cost of building an mobile app?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/1710/how-do-i-estimate-the-cost-of-building-an-mobile-app)" CreationDate="2015-04-20T21:57:29.743" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="5978" PostId="1190" Score="1" Text="In a word &quot;leverage&quot;. A nice summary, thanks." CreationDate="2015-04-20T22:37:19.523" UserId="7606" />
  <row Id="5979" PostId="3138" Score="0" Text="Ah... @Harry - I was thinking you meant Scott's scenario &quot;B&quot;" CreationDate="2015-04-21T02:25:50.573" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="5981" PostId="3143" Score="0" Text="@Scott I'm asking about standards" CreationDate="2015-04-21T07:58:43.920" UserId="7590" />
  <row Id="5982" PostId="3146" Score="0" Text="So, do you have an idea about the actual range of $/hour for android development?" CreationDate="2015-04-21T08:07:17.273" UserId="7590" />
  <row Id="5983" PostId="3146" Score="1" Text="@MuhammedRefaat, I don't know since it's not my specialty but I think you can find some estimated ranges on different forums and come up with an average. Better yet, since you work in a company, try to find out the average range of an Android app and go from there." CreationDate="2015-04-21T09:38:56.693" UserId="1021" />
  <row Id="5986" PostId="3144" Score="0" Text="@Scott, I don't think that would work well. As far as I understand, an Information Architect deals more and perhaps exclusively with the structuring of information. Please correct me if I'm wrong." CreationDate="2015-04-22T09:33:34.720" UserId="1021" />
  <row Id="5988" PostId="3148" Score="1" Text="@Sam, please consider to mark answer as valid if it resolved your question. Thank you." CreationDate="2015-04-22T11:39:58.320" UserId="4165" />
  <row Id="5994" PostId="3154" Score="0" Text="I've had this question on my mind for a long time and even though I still don't have an answer, I believe the logical solution for now would be to skip the title altogether and just stick to a description as you said. I think after all, a good portfolio speaks much more than a good title. Thank you for your input!" CreationDate="2015-04-23T16:38:37.613" UserId="1021" />
  <row Id="5995" PostId="2848" Score="0" Text="Good question, and it could be improved by adding &quot;to work online&quot;. My answer: There may not be good answer.&#xA;I'm searching, too, but, so far, found nothing as convenient as the big sites. I am a client -- I hire freelancers -- and I wonder how to find freelancers outside of those big sites.&#xA;I've had fair-to-poor experiences hiring on Elance and oDesk, so came to Freelancing Stack Exchange looking for other options for hiring on-line." CreationDate="2015-04-24T06:21:44.897" UserId="7633" />
  <row Id="6001" PostId="3176" Score="1" Text="The only thing I could think of was that a potential client would not take me seriously because the project is just a demo and not actually being used by anyone." CreationDate="2015-04-26T22:44:35.863" UserId="7529" />
  <row Id="6002" PostId="3176" Score="0" Text="Well, you should think that a portfolio with a single item will look poor, you must have variety, not just games, upload some serious projects too, you can hide the sensitive data or create a similar one with fake data." CreationDate="2015-04-26T23:28:22.940" UserId="798" />
  <row Id="6003" PostId="3170" Score="1" Text="Hi Ian, welcome to Freelancing! So that this answer doesn't look like spam, can you please [edit] it to include the relevant features, and maybe a walkthrough or example? Thanks!" CreationDate="2015-04-27T16:13:54.647" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6004" PostId="3190" Score="0" Text="Good point.  I've seen this  before, where they will have the free app, then a completely different paid app that is not the same, but might be related in some way." CreationDate="2015-04-30T11:11:23.887" UserId="7632" />
  <row Id="6005" PostId="3181" Score="3" Text="6 min?! Come on :). If you were my contractor and you report back 24min of time, I would pay you half hour like 99% of good clients." CreationDate="2015-05-01T10:25:47.360" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6006" PostId="3192" Score="1" Text="This seems like it's more of a http://softwarerecs.stackexchange.com/ question" CreationDate="2015-05-01T20:23:55.547" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="6007" PostId="3192" Score="0" Text="I can try there. I though to narrow it down as freelancers probably use such software." CreationDate="2015-05-02T08:08:45.423" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6009" PostId="3142" Score="0" Text="Coworking spaces are good, but not for everyone, I really, really hate chit-chats." CreationDate="2015-05-03T21:58:40.007" UserId="4591" />
  <row Id="6010" PostId="3142" Score="0" Text="@RomanKo the OP wants to be around other people." CreationDate="2015-05-03T22:37:19.147" UserId="7557" />
  <row Id="6011" PostId="3196" Score="1" Text="possible duplicate of [How do you make family understand that you need to stick to a schedule?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/501/how-do-you-make-family-understand-that-you-need-to-stick-to-a-schedule)" CreationDate="2015-05-04T21:15:09.200" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6012" PostId="3196" Score="0" Text="Hey, check the link I've posted. It's a similar question. If there is something extra you'd like to ask, please do so." CreationDate="2015-05-04T21:15:47.753" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6013" PostId="3196" Score="6" Text="Spray bottle full of water. -- Spray her at every interruption... she'll learn.... works for pets too :)" CreationDate="2015-05-05T02:02:02.673" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="6014" PostId="3197" Score="0" Text="Thanks; unfortunately we have to share space because our apartment isn't big enough for me to have an office. Trying to explain this to her (typically several times a day, 6 days a week) is not having any impact. I'm not sure there is much of a solution but I want to be hopeful." CreationDate="2015-05-05T04:43:09.153" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6015" PostId="3196" Score="0" Text="None of the answers in the other question are adequate for me; most of them boil down to common sense and basic communication, but I am here because common sense and basic communication have failed and I need something more. I'll elaborate more in the question." CreationDate="2015-05-05T04:44:28.687" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6016" PostId="3197" Score="1" Text="That reminds me my first situation with the girl I quitted. Unfortunately she seems not understanding and this is not a good sign. Just think about what would be in other situations along your life togheter. At this point I think that your only solution is to find yourself an external office or go to work elsewhere, maybe even for a few days a week. Have a look at this: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/3140/where-other-than-home-can-freelancers-do-their-work/3141#3141" CreationDate="2015-05-05T09:31:20.077" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="6019" PostId="3196" Score="0" Text="I understand the lack of space issue, but as long as she has her desk right next to yours, she is likely to consider your situation equal to hers." CreationDate="2015-05-05T17:40:03.370" UserId="1818" />
  <row Id="6025" PostId="3082" Score="0" Text="I don't know about other sites but the one I work on applies a weight to each rating based on how much money the client spent on you. So if this job is only 1% of your total income on the site, then it will only affect your rating by 1% source:https://www.upwork.com/blog/2006/12/feedback-calculation-tweaks/" CreationDate="2015-05-06T17:14:56.403" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="6026" PostId="3157" Score="1" Text="just wow @Notorious Pet0" CreationDate="2015-05-07T13:30:16.867" UserId="1782" />
  <row Id="6030" PostId="3213" Score="0" Text="Just a friendly reminder: answers should be able to stand on their own without relying on another answer." CreationDate="2015-05-07T23:37:09.017" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="6031" PostId="3213" Score="0" Text="I agree, everyone makes great points and has great thoughts on the subject.   I am actually going to go with your idea on this one and see how it works out.   Not sure why some jerk downvoted this answer.   I'll give you the check tho.  Thanks for answering." CreationDate="2015-05-07T23:37:26.727" UserId="7632" />
  <row Id="6032" PostId="3178" Score="0" Text="Thank you for answering.  You make some great points.   I appreciate the knowledge from all who answered, but only one can get the check so I chose the person who's answer I was going to use in the field and test out.   Thanks again.  Gave you the upvote at least.  :)" CreationDate="2015-05-07T23:38:39.940" UserId="7632" />
  <row Id="6033" PostId="3177" Score="0" Text="I appreciate you taking the time to respond.  Everyone submitted great answers and I can only give the check to one of you.   I awarded to the person who's idea I'm going to try first.   Yours will be my backup plan.  Thanks again for answering.  Gave you an upvote." CreationDate="2015-05-07T23:39:37.047" UserId="7632" />
  <row Id="6034" PostId="3165" Score="0" Text="Your idea definitely makes sense and will be the focus of my app.  However, I gave the check to another answer as I am going to use his idea and he could use the points.  :)   Gave you the upvote.  Thanks again." CreationDate="2015-05-07T23:40:38.937" UserId="7632" />
  <row Id="6035" PostId="3159" Score="0" Text="Thanks again for all your input everyone.  I really appreciate everyone taking the time to come up with great ideas and knowledge to help me." CreationDate="2015-05-07T23:41:44.787" UserId="7632" />
  <row Id="6036" PostId="3204" Score="0" Text="Great Answer!  I would add to always start with salutation like &quot;Hi &lt;clientname&gt;,&quot;  and always close with a signature as well.   It makes a difference in how professional you come across." CreationDate="2015-05-07T23:54:52.103" UserId="7632" />
  <row Id="6037" PostId="3204" Score="1" Text="Excellent point, @NotoriousPet0 . Salutations and closing lines are also imperative. It's amazing how far simply starting an email with a salutation will take you." CreationDate="2015-05-08T02:18:46.143" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="6038" PostId="3177" Score="0" Text="I have not seen &quot;pivot&quot; used this way before; do you mean dramatically change the direction/focus of your app or company?" CreationDate="2015-05-08T02:45:04.347" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6039" PostId="3213" Score="0" Text="@Amelia - His answer stands on its own perfectly well. You can remove the first paragraph and it has the same merit, which is an idea no one else proposed" CreationDate="2015-05-08T02:46:14.117" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6040" PostId="3213" Score="2" Text="@user45623 rather than just edit and forget, I though I'd inform them that the passage at the start is normally avoided" CreationDate="2015-05-08T05:12:39.483" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="6042" PostId="3215" Score="1" Text="Hi Notorious Pet0, I removed your extra link initially because learning web technologies has *absolutely nothing* to do with communicating via email. Inter-question linking is not necessary, especially when the questions are so vastly different. In addition, it creates confusion for users and only serves to muddy the waters, so to speak. Your other answer is here, on the site, and will be found by those looking for that information. However, that information is **not** valuable for this question. Please realize that StackExchange sites are strict question &amp; answer sites, not discussion forums." CreationDate="2015-05-08T19:30:38.203" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="6043" PostId="3157" Score="0" Text="WOW.&#xA;Thank you so much..That's the kind of information I needed." CreationDate="2015-05-08T19:52:23.977" UserId="7609" />
  <row Id="6048" PostId="3216" Score="0" Text="This answer does not even address questions about scammers." CreationDate="2015-05-08T21:14:43.923" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6049" PostId="3213" Score="0" Text="@Amelia All he really did was praise the other answers. My feeling is you are effectively reprimanding him for being nice :)" CreationDate="2015-05-08T21:18:17.290" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6051" PostId="3216" Score="0" Text="Yes it does, he was referring to scammers doing illegal activity.  I could have answered about people trying to burn him on payment, but that was not the question he asked." CreationDate="2015-05-09T00:21:45.903" UserId="7632" />
  <row Id="6052" PostId="3177" Score="0" Text="Pivot is a common Valley parlance.  It generally means taking what you have learned and making an adjustment to better align your venture with a positive outcome.  I am sure there are other nuanced definitions." CreationDate="2015-05-09T00:30:07.370" UserId="7665" />
  <row Id="6053" PostId="3216" Score="0" Text="&quot;[...] with a client who is doing illegal stuff ***or*** trying to scam me&quot;   Scammers in this context refers specifically to clients who are trying to rip off freelancers for cheap or free work, not clients engaged in illegal activity. I wouldn't call a client who hired you to make something that infringed on someone else's copyright as a &quot;scammer&quot;" CreationDate="2015-05-09T02:07:16.740" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6054" PostId="3216" Score="0" Text="It's open to interpretation." CreationDate="2015-05-09T02:35:43.053" UserId="7632" />
  <row Id="6055" PostId="3219" Score="0" Text="I have heard of clients on UpWork (formally ODesk) give freelancers the task of doing things like data scraping content on the Internet (which as far as I know is a gray area from a legal perspective) and such. That's what I mean by illegal. And I am a developer myself. The rushing me to accept the job is a good tip. It does seem fishy if someone wants to pay you so fast. That was the kind of stuff I was talking about in my question, so no you did not miss the point. Thanks!" CreationDate="2015-05-09T17:55:49.017" UserId="7529" />
  <row Id="6057" PostId="3205" Score="1" Text="You're right!! Honesty in skills is the first thing." CreationDate="2015-05-11T14:36:29.087" UserId="5899" />
  <row Id="6059" PostId="3223" Score="2" Text="As I see it, I'm not sure if we should be a HMRC support channel on Freelancing StackExchange. It doesn't really make sense. It could be okay for help in the short term, but it should be discussed on meta." CreationDate="2015-05-11T14:42:55.130" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="6060" PostId="3220" Score="1" Text="Hi Katy, welcome to Freelancing.SE! Can you please [edit] to elabourate on how these tools would help in the OP's situation? Otherwise, this looks like it could point to a spammy-like answer. Thanks! If you have questions about this, please feel free to join us in [chat]" CreationDate="2015-05-11T16:03:57.977" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6063" PostId="3223" Score="0" Text="I had no clue what HMRC even was until I Googled it.  Explaining that it's a UK or European entity would go a long way :)" CreationDate="2015-05-11T19:22:37.787" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="6065" PostId="3223" Score="0" Text="@Scott I wrote the tag wiki for it in private beta, c'mon! (We originally had tags for most major tax entities as it was a very, very common point for questions. Tax is hard!)" CreationDate="2015-05-11T20:25:24.320" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="6066" PostId="3223" Score="0" Text="@Amelia I always forget to hover over tags... :) Sorry." CreationDate="2015-05-11T20:27:59.427" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="6067" PostId="3191" Score="0" Text="+1 for co-working spaces." CreationDate="2015-05-12T06:51:08.430" UserId="245" />
  <row Id="6069" PostId="2532" Score="0" Text="Relevant (recent, authoritative) link: https://www.gov.uk/ir35-find-out-if-it-applies" CreationDate="2015-05-13T10:27:13.097" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="6070" PostId="3226" Score="0" Text="I'm going through this exact same situation myself. A 3-4weeks project has spanned to more than 2months now except in my situation, 100% of the payment will be released on completion so I'm at the mercy of the client smh" CreationDate="2015-05-13T10:47:14.917" UserId="7364" />
  <row Id="6071" PostId="3228" Score="0" Text="Can I use this for my quotes too Maguijo??" CreationDate="2015-05-13T10:49:21.333" UserId="7364" />
  <row Id="6072" PostId="3228" Score="1" Text="Sure! @AndrewLyndem" CreationDate="2015-05-13T14:16:40.227" UserId="7759" />
  <row Id="6073" PostId="3234" Score="1" Text="If you try with a new profile, immediately contact Elance support and tell them to delete your other account (I am not sure if you can delete it by yourself). But don't simply create a new profile and do nothing as they may detect that you have 2 accounts and may lock both of you. They are rigid on these kind of things." CreationDate="2015-05-13T15:10:54.050" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6074" PostId="3236" Score="0" Text="RE: tax deductible in Canada - See [this answer](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/269/donating-my-work-to-charitable-organizations-without-incuring-legal-liability/277#277) and the one above it" CreationDate="2015-05-13T18:10:53.123" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6075" PostId="3236" Score="0" Text="Maybe there's some disconnect in terms of understanding what I mean. A bill with a 100% reduction doesn't get me any money. If I choose to provide a discount, am I simply just not getting paid full value that I would otherwise receive if billing a full for profit organization?" CreationDate="2015-05-13T21:14:01.800" UserId="7795" />
  <row Id="6076" PostId="3236" Score="0" Text="There's a link that describes more on that answer. That's what I was getting at. It's not the full answer, which is why I only posted as a comment." CreationDate="2015-05-13T21:17:34.820" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6078" PostId="3235" Score="0" Text="Yes thanks, That is really helpful. Will it be good if I do my first job at $0 so I can get review and ratings for next?" CreationDate="2015-05-14T02:24:17.083" UserId="5479" />
  <row Id="6079" PostId="3242" Score="0" Text="This is good.  However if being paid on a project basis, what reasonably fits in the scope of a project? One round of designs and iteration? I think the issue faced here was that the terminology used for my thus far indicated the payment was for building and completing the project per client specs; giving him the power to define and change the specs until completion as needed.  50% payment was on completion, meaning he holds you until the end." CreationDate="2015-05-14T14:20:42.080" UserId="1975" />
  <row Id="6080" PostId="3244" Score="0" Text="Hi eionmac, welcome to Freelancing! Can you describe how this answer is different from [Kyle Slattery's answer](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/a/3232/75) above? Right now, it looks like a shortened version, with very little extra information added, creating noise. If you have more information, please [edit] your answer to include it. Thanks!" CreationDate="2015-05-14T17:09:50.473" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6081" PostId="3240" Score="0" Text="I have a powerful desktop with three monitors at home. I can't do my work effectively in a coffee shop." CreationDate="2015-05-14T18:50:20.547" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6085" PostId="3027" Score="0" Text="There are service fees. Outsource takes 10% on top of the bidding credits fees. That was a bit of a shock when I discovered that the hard way." CreationDate="2015-05-16T01:32:26.617" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="6086" PostId="3196" Score="3" Text="Looking for work is a full-time job. If she's got time to bother you constantly, she's not doing her bit." CreationDate="2015-05-16T01:55:12.320" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="6087" PostId="3255" Score="0" Text="I'm thinking about the noise-cancelling headphones, but my understanding is these are only useful for blocking out steady noise (i.e. white noise), and they are expensive as hell. If I was in an office, I would be getting paid salary, and I would be paid the same regardless of how often I was interrupted or how much time I spent chatting (assume it didn't get me fired). I don't get paid salary when freelancing. If my productivity is reduced by 50%, I make 50% less money. Even if it's an hourly job, I can't charge for 3 hours of chatting..." CreationDate="2015-05-16T02:15:22.110" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6089" PostId="3254" Score="0" Text="Just as info: there are free open source CRM softwares but you have to install and setup yourself (or ask someone do it for you), see for example http://www.crmsearch.com/top-10-open-source-crm-systems.php" CreationDate="2015-05-16T08:40:30.193" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="6090" PostId="3255" Score="1" Text="The headphone suggestion is still valid - if they are large enough (i.e. headphones and not earbuds) they will provide a visual cue to the girlfriend that you are in &quot;flow&quot; and can't be disturbed w/o serious loss of productivity. (and maybe you need to explain &quot;flow&quot; to her so that she understands it). Even as a freelancer, you shouldn't be paid piecework. You should also factor in &quot;downtime&quot;  or &quot;creative spark time&quot; when estimating how long something is going to take. Also, the music will block out distracting noises, like if she's reading facebook at her desk and laughs out loud." CreationDate="2015-05-16T16:46:03.610" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="6092" PostId="3039" Score="1" Text="Actually, a contract cannot be breached by you if the client has done so first, however, there are steps required to properly notify your client. Please consult a lawyer and provide a copy of the contract that was signed by the client." CreationDate="2015-05-17T04:58:43.033" UserId="7839" />
  <row Id="6093" PostId="3028" Score="0" Text="Failure to provide proof of insurance generates a fine at the federal level fix this and your state requirements should be satisfied." CreationDate="2015-05-17T05:01:53.283" UserId="7839" />
  <row Id="6094" PostId="2912" Score="0" Text="The requirement to carry workers comp is based on the state you or your employees reside in and varies by state consult accountant the equivalent of department of employment and labor for your state and they can provide you with specifics" CreationDate="2015-05-17T05:08:52.203" UserId="7839" />
  <row Id="6096" PostId="3261" Score="0" Text="What would be your opinion on having separate entries for projects/roles I want to highlight and a &quot;freelance&quot; position where I can mention additional projects/roles/clients/etc." CreationDate="2015-05-18T12:22:21.297" UserId="7758" />
  <row Id="6097" PostId="3261" Score="0" Text="Firstly, does LinkedIn support anything like this? For CV, I am not sure. Most guys suggest that CV should be 1 page long so I am not sure if you have space for that idea. The bottom line is: if it's well organized and watcher can easily review your work history, then use it. Ask your friends if they think it's easily read. Don't rely on yourself solely." CreationDate="2015-05-18T13:03:44.890" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6098" PostId="3261" Score="1" Text="I've seen others on LinkedIn set one role under Work Experience as &quot;Freelance&quot; and put general descriptions of what they do there (including how long they've been freelancing for). I suppose the profile is probably the same as with the CV. It should be well-organized and easy to view." CreationDate="2015-05-18T13:13:26.227" UserId="7758" />
  <row Id="6099" PostId="3261" Score="0" Text="This sounds OK. Accent on Sounds. We have to see how it looks in reality." CreationDate="2015-05-18T13:17:38.660" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6100" PostId="3263" Score="0" Text="As I wrote its not so much about the money. I am willing to do the extra work. I am more interested whether telling them that I needed more time will make a good or bad impression. Good impression: &quot;Oh, this guy works a lot just to deliver a good product! We'll hire him again&quot; or bad impression: &quot;This guy can't even calculate his time properly. He is probably not well organized. We should look for someone more professional.&quot;." CreationDate="2015-05-18T17:01:06.327" UserId="7847" />
  <row Id="6101" PostId="3216" Score="0" Text="It's possible to disagree with someone without the sarcasm. Please remember the #1 rule on our site is to [be nice](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/help/be-nice): &quot;Your tone should match the way you'd talk in person with someone you respect and whom you want to respect you. If you don't have time to say something politely, just leave it for someone who does.&quot;  I edited the comment to comply with that guideline." CreationDate="2015-05-19T06:04:54.350" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="6105" PostId="3255" Score="1" Text="+1 for &quot;get real&quot;" CreationDate="2015-05-20T06:53:03.783" UserId="2881" />
  <row Id="6106" PostId="3003" Score="0" Text="It seems like a scam to me.. Buying credits to make money.. That's my opinion only. It just seems fishy to me.. Wishing you luck in finding work." CreationDate="2015-05-20T19:53:14.510" UserDisplayName="user7875" />
  <row Id="6108" PostId="3003" Score="0" Text="If it's not a large, highly-known company advertising it's a scam, especially when it uses phrases that promise you things when they might not be true." CreationDate="2015-05-15T01:10:05.307" UserId="7808" />
  <row Id="6109" PostId="3003" Score="0" Text="Not necessarily true. Any company had to start as new and unknown. you should never excluded a company because it's new or you never heard of it." CreationDate="2015-05-18T12:06:53.437" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6113" PostId="3204" Score="0" Text="I let the clients call me by phone only for emergency or things very long to explain by writing. This way I have all the history of what we talked about... usefull if you don't remember something you said or they said... without taking notes." CreationDate="2015-05-22T16:25:09.860" UserId="2839" />
  <row Id="6114" PostId="3275" Score="1" Text="Billion dollar corporations have their own departments or they work with agencies/studios. They aren't hiring freelancers." CreationDate="2015-05-24T06:05:41.097" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="6115" PostId="3275" Score="0" Text="A good rule of thumb for this is: if you don't know the channels to get in touch with a megacorporation to offer yourself as a freelancer, you probably aren't qualified to be working at that level. Would you jump straight from writing a local play to pitching scripts to Spielberg? Would you jump straight from the local athletics club to applying to the biggest teams in the NFL? What do you have to offer that makes you a better choice than enterprise-level teams with huge corporate experience? &quot;I'm cheaper&quot; isn't going to cut it at that level" CreationDate="2015-05-26T02:36:47.250" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6116" PostId="3280" Score="0" Text="This makes sense to me. Freelancers or small startups typically work on small sites, and teams who work at companies with great momentum get to work on vaster, and more cutting edge projects. Thanks." CreationDate="2015-05-26T06:38:17.913" UserId="7401" />
  <row Id="6117" PostId="3278" Score="0" Text="This is a very complicated matter, you should ask to an accountant in Germany to have a proper answer." CreationDate="2015-05-26T17:30:45.460" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="6119" PostId="3285" Score="0" Text="Why should you be paid more? What do you have to offer that they don't? Price is the USP of these foreign contractors so of course on a site where 9 times out of 10 the client just wants the cheapest price, they're going to win. Find out what your USP is and find out who wants it. This doesn't seem the best method of gaining new business for you." CreationDate="2015-05-28T11:47:07.987" UserId="7758" />
  <row Id="6120" PostId="3274" Score="0" Text="(Not a tax lawyer either) If you are an american citizen, the IRS requires reporting of all income no matter where in the world it was earnt, regardless of whether the IRS will actually take a cut.  EG A US citizen who lives permanently outside the US in a country that has reciprocal tax treaties with the USA still has to file US tax returns.  This is different from pretty well every other country in the world." CreationDate="2015-05-28T13:05:54.767" UserId="7557" />
  <row Id="6121" PostId="3285" Score="0" Text="What programming area are you in?" CreationDate="2015-05-28T13:08:45.950" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6122" PostId="1348" Score="0" Text="While not applicable to PA, I know that in Virginia I don't have to charge sales tax for commercially sold software if I deliver it electronically.   But sales tax starts kicking in once I start shipping a physical object." CreationDate="2015-05-28T13:10:51.203" UserId="7557" />
  <row Id="6124" PostId="3286" Score="0" Text="It's not a bad idea but maybe the local owners don't have a proper budget at that time for a new website, so how do you know that before? It's like a gamble. You can't also develop 10 websites and sell 1 or 2, it will be a disaster in terms of work hours compared to the income. But maybe you can try and see what happens." CreationDate="2015-05-28T16:40:03.397" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="6126" PostId="3287" Score="0" Text="This is a bad answer. You can absolutely compete on these sites. It's how I make my money. Not to mention that hiring foreign developers to do your work is going to end in disaster." CreationDate="2015-05-28T18:22:30.590" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6127" PostId="3287" Score="0" Text="user45623: This is not my experience. I regularly hire freelancers from India for certain jobs, they are serious workers, they are very accurate, fast and charge impossible low rates for US or Europe." CreationDate="2015-05-28T18:38:53.143" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="6128" PostId="3299" Score="2" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it appears to be a question to ask PayPal." CreationDate="2015-05-29T09:24:56.017" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="6129" PostId="3292" Score="0" Text="why I think the email is the polite way to handle things and the professional way (in which you wanted) you could just pick up some more work from other clients. Then when x person comes back saying here are the assets then add in your current client commitments to the time scales you return to them." CreationDate="2015-05-29T13:24:28.620" UserId="7943" />
  <row Id="6130" PostId="3294" Score="0" Text="Personally, I despise flair on websites/portfolios, and I just use my stackoverflow careers page as a cv to send over." CreationDate="2015-05-29T14:31:54.550" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="6131" PostId="3299" Score="0" Text="You can also open Dollar account in UK and switch Paypal to USD. Then withdraw to your dollar account if you think you will get more money." CreationDate="2015-05-29T14:56:40.847" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6132" PostId="3295" Score="0" Text="Don't run away. It's not only the worst thing you can do (yes, worse than deliver bad product), but he can sue you as well. Be a man and a professional and tell him what Zeal Lin proposed." CreationDate="2015-05-29T15:00:29.567" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6133" PostId="3300" Score="0" Text="So if they wanted they could apply an exchange rate that gives £10 for US$637.56 and still pretend that they only apply a 3.4% fee right? This is a form of deception IMO. Officially it's 3.4%, in reality it's the percentage they want (4%, 10%, 50%, 90%), desguised as &quot;exchange rate&quot;." CreationDate="2015-05-29T15:56:47.057" UserId="504" />
  <row Id="6134" PostId="3290" Score="0" Text="***&quot;Your primary target market is U.S. based clients who have been burned&quot;*** I've seen a lot of postings now that say &quot;US providers only&quot;." CreationDate="2015-05-29T16:51:32.617" UserId="245" />
  <row Id="6135" PostId="3300" Score="0" Text="Surely there is a limit to their greed?! Anyway, this is how most if not all financial institutions handle currency exchange. The best you might be able to do is find a bank whose rates are closer to the official." CreationDate="2015-05-29T16:54:27.143" UserId="7942" />
  <row Id="6140" PostId="3307" Score="0" Text="Agree completely!!!" CreationDate="2015-06-03T10:51:40.550" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6141" PostId="3311" Score="0" Text="thanks buddy i'll keep in mind all these things next time" CreationDate="2015-06-03T11:19:54.707" UserId="7969" />
  <row Id="6143" PostId="3286" Score="2" Text="Never, ever, EVER submit spec work. Ever!! http://www.nospec.com/faq" CreationDate="2015-06-03T00:29:25.480" UserId="7759" />
  <row Id="6144" PostId="3285" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV LAMP (Info-sites/ecommerce)" CreationDate="2015-06-03T22:53:05.213" UserId="7935" />
  <row Id="6145" PostId="3290" Score="0" Text="@user45623 I'm going to roll with this and see how it works out. Thanks." CreationDate="2015-06-03T22:56:42.453" UserId="7935" />
  <row Id="6148" PostId="1599" Score="0" Text="I agree with codenoire: with source code they could create derivative works, sell source code to someone else... maybe it's not &quot;exactly&quot; what you want. If they're allowed to only use your software, they need only executables (maybe a cd-rom, a download from internet or just a zip sent via e-mail). You can add a pdf manual if you want, but without any source code." CreationDate="2015-06-07T23:23:10.147" UserId="2839" />
  <row Id="6150" PostId="3323" Score="0" Text="http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/96/how-to-find-clients-beyond-sites-like-odesk-guru-freelancer&#xA;http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/724/where-can-a-new-freelancer-find-people-to-work-with&#xA;http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/1173/struggling-to-find-work/1180#1180&#xA;http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/245/how-to-approach-local-shops-to-offer-them-my-service/246#246&#xA;http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/1680/how-to-get-direct-freelancing-work-without-job-portals" CreationDate="2015-06-09T02:53:45.630" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6153" PostId="1348" Score="0" Text="Yes you charge sales tax. See this link...&#xA;http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/061/chapter9/s9.3.html" CreationDate="2015-06-08T23:30:23.743" UserDisplayName="user8023" />
  <row Id="6156" PostId="2959" Score="1" Text="For a big new skill set to learn I will first break down it into a skill list, analyze them and find out the &quot;most interesting skill&quot; (for example MVC) and  the &quot;biggest impact skill&quot; (for example C#). Then I will schedule at least one hour everyday to learn the most interesting skill and one hour every two day to learn the biggest impact skill. Arrange more time to learn other related skill if needed. You just need to keep learning as daily-based habit. After 2 to 3 month you will feel significant improvement and you can start some freelance job if you have confidence after then." CreationDate="2015-06-10T07:29:46.607" UserId="7753" />
  <row Id="6157" PostId="3325" Score="1" Text="This doesn't really answer the question, but contains good information. Perhaps you can ask a new question, and post this as its answer?" CreationDate="2015-06-10T15:53:34.697" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6159" PostId="3325" Score="0" Text="Yes, it looks like a good tutorial, but it does not reply to this question directly. Yet again, I don't think it should be deleted." CreationDate="2015-06-11T14:23:17.287" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6160" PostId="3295" Score="0" Text="What technologies is this software based on?" CreationDate="2015-06-12T11:56:01.320" UserId="8050" />
  <row Id="6162" PostId="3326" Score="0" Text="If you don't mind sharing, what industry are you in where your business expenses outweigh your hourly pay at market rate? I assume your &quot;market&quot; rate is taking ultracheap freelancers from China, India, etc into account. This might help formulate an answer. Also, what country are you living in?" CreationDate="2015-06-13T02:09:26.873" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6164" PostId="3118" Score="0" Text="This could likely be cleaned up and passed over to [softwarerecs.se]" CreationDate="2015-06-15T08:36:19.737" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="6166" PostId="3341" Score="1" Text="I'm in the US so our situations are no doubt different but your contract says pretty much what I was going to put in mine.  One of my gripes is that over here we don't have an industry wide standard like your data laws so I plan to follow OWASP's Top 10 and say good enough.  For the maintenance of the website I'll just stick to updating content and I'll outsource security.  Hopefully that will free me of liability and even better if they handle backups and software updates too." CreationDate="2015-06-15T20:40:23.560" UserId="8059" />
  <row Id="6167" PostId="3348" Score="0" Text="Hi UltraDraft - we make a point of not dealing with questions about how to deal with direct questions about freelancing websites, but your question could easily be salvaged! Please [edit] it, clean it up a bit, and focus more on the improving reputation amongst clients side of things (not site-specific) instead." CreationDate="2015-06-17T12:40:54.977" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="6168" PostId="3311" Score="0" Text="-1 Some parts of this response are unnecessary and rude coming from someone suggesting to be more &quot;professional&quot;! Picture is alright, top 30% isn't bad at all. I didn't see the original formatting of the questions but the question isn't very heavy in content; I can hardly imagine what was so bad about it to deserve the first sentence of your response (a bit passive-aggressive.)" CreationDate="2015-06-18T11:18:35.993" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="6169" PostId="3281" Score="0" Text="Is the website hosted on a private server of the previous dev or a hosting like Go Daddy? It's very rare to see real private servers for this even though some dev like to say &quot;my server&quot;, they don't own them at all. If it's on a reseller account, you shouldn't be so worried, it's not in the interest of the &quot;reseller&quot; to sabotage elements that are legally in the property of your client. There's law against this. And no it's not rude at all to use a hosting from a previous dev/designer. You should change hosting for technical reasons (eg. speed, ram, cpu, bandwith) and costs only." CreationDate="2015-06-18T11:26:38.263" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="6170" PostId="3311" Score="8" Text="@go-me He came for the honest comments. He did not come asking us to petty him. So I gave him the proper answer what I would not hire him. I am confident that 95% of clients things the same as myself, even more as I have hired contractors myself more than 70 times in the past." CreationDate="2015-06-18T20:08:09.087" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6171" PostId="3311" Score="0" Text="I shouldn't have downvoted you, this is probably not the right feature for this.  (http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/4632/what-is-the-difference-between-condescending-and-patronizing)" CreationDate="2015-06-18T21:24:56.307" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="6172" PostId="3359" Score="2" Text="Will you use Amazon gift cards to pay your bills or buy your food? Can you transform them in cash?" CreationDate="2015-06-18T22:36:36.203" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="6173" PostId="3311" Score="1" Text="@go-me You can always reverse a downvote. If it says it's locked in, just make a small edit, then you can undo the down vote." CreationDate="2015-06-18T22:54:59.793" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6174" PostId="3311" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke Thank you, I didn't know about the edit. But Peter will have to wait tomorrow for upvote, I get the message &quot;Edits must be at least 6 characters&quot; and I'm not comfortable in changing a whole word or finding more revisions than the missing uppercase on the word &quot;more&quot;. I don't have a working grammar-police radar :)" CreationDate="2015-06-18T23:20:18.963" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="6175" PostId="3359" Score="1" Text="He can resell them, he can buy goods online for himself or resell them, etc. There's great value in Amazon and other gift cards." CreationDate="2015-06-19T01:24:38.523" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="6176" PostId="3359" Score="3" Text="Always **READ THE TERMS OF SERVICE** for gift cards. Gift cards expire, have limitation or restrictions, etc.... cash doesn't." CreationDate="2015-06-19T07:02:51.707" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="6177" PostId="3361" Score="0" Text="I remember that Elance had an option to print an invoice for each milestone or payment. I am not sure about others. Odesk probably has it. So should Freelancer. but you have to ask their support. It's much faster." CreationDate="2015-06-19T11:30:46.327" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6178" PostId="3359" Score="0" Text="Check for Payoneer card for Venezuela. You can get money to it and withdraw from the ATM and it's very hard to be tracked down." CreationDate="2015-06-19T11:32:52.830" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6179" PostId="3359" Score="0" Text="go-me: I think is a bad idea to be payd with gift cards. If I urgently need to pay my bills and I have $1000 in gifts cards, If I can't resell them to anyone then I could not pay anything. Also why one would buy a $100 amazon gift card if he can directly spend $100 on amazon itself? It's a waste of time and you also loose a %. I 100% prefer cash unless you can convert a gift card in cash like in an ATM or so." CreationDate="2015-06-19T12:26:42.863" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="6180" PostId="3361" Score="1" Text="Whether you think it's &quot;not about freelancer.com per se&quot; or not, realize that this is still a web-site support question." CreationDate="2015-06-19T17:23:53.177" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6181" PostId="3359" Score="0" Text="@Mario If Lenin CANNOT get more than $3000/year with online payment, he can still offer his services without being limited by this. Sometimes, the option is $3000, and not more. Gift cards can be useful to people who don't have a credit card, and can be resold 100% of their value. Some simply resell gift cards for a less; if he's happy with this, that's a personal choice! Of course if he can get &quot;real&quot; online money, it's better. I pointed out already the inconveniences when being paid in gift cards and that's the question. But being in Venezuela limits the options! Cash by mail isn't safe." CreationDate="2015-06-19T18:52:21.617" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="6182" PostId="3352" Score="0" Text="Thanks for your response. I've already informed the incredibly intrusive IRS about the account in the UK.                                                                                   If it is fine to have money paid into a UK account, I am not clear as to whether I would need to exchange the money into $ or I could just keep them in pounds.  Also there are way better ways to transfer money from abroad than Paypal. Transferwise for example, has very reasonable rates." CreationDate="2015-06-19T20:12:42.497" UserId="8089" />
  <row Id="6183" PostId="3352" Score="0" Text="If the bank account in GBP, you GBP. Then if you get it transferred to a US bank account, it might need to be converted to USD. I'm not from USA but here I need a commercial account in a specific currency to get other currency. Otherwise I need to pay the 2% exc. rate. For transfer, not sure why you want to go through a bank account, that's an extra intermediary but you can look at WePay, Payoneer, Stripe. By the way, Paypal or any other system is more expensive if paid from credit card. If money comes from Paypal to Paypal it's a lot cheaper, for example. Not Paypal fault's, same everywhere." CreationDate="2015-06-20T04:12:43.760" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="6184" PostId="3228" Score="0" Text="Thanks so much for posting your wording.  I am always wondering how other people word things." CreationDate="2015-06-20T04:18:20.143" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="6185" PostId="3337" Score="0" Text="That is really smart to say you can't advance to the next step until they sign off on the current one." CreationDate="2015-06-20T04:19:07.530" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="6186" PostId="3352" Score="0" Text="When converting currency, there is always a base fee of 2-2.5% + the value of the currency. And the fee you pay in any of these payment services for receiving money is usually influenced by: if a credit card is used and if it's international. From Paypal to Paypal, I think it's free to receive money; the sender pays the fees. You pay if paid from credit card to Paypal. I calculated Transferwise vs paypal exchange rate, only $10 difference on $1000. Plus if you have a business, check if these transaction expenses are deductible, eg. you either give that $10 to the IRS or to Paypal!" CreationDate="2015-06-20T04:28:18.663" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="6187" PostId="3337" Score="0" Text="Thanks, and yes very useful. It makes things more official. If you can't have a real signature because you work by email, you can simply ask the client &quot;is this step approved?&quot; and get them to say in a written way &quot;yes&quot;. As long you really get an answer yes/no type, it's fine. Print that email and keep it! Some people are resistant to officially sign or approve and just step over your question, but you simply need to ask back with a &quot;Alright, so is this last proof approved and can I get on the next phase?&quot;, they'll say yes. That's a simple neuro-linguistic trick I guess!" CreationDate="2015-06-20T04:38:23.470" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="6188" PostId="3363" Score="0" Text="+1 You're right that some companies could be worried with IRS, it complicates their accounting for sure. Never used Bitcoin, and not too sure how it works but might be a good option indeed." CreationDate="2015-06-20T07:44:15.433" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="6189" PostId="3352" Score="0" Text="Thanks again, but with all due respect, I don't think you're in the best position to answer this if you are not even a US-based freelancer.                         I am not talking about credit card payments. A UK business/corporation is paying me for my work by bank transfer and I have the option to have it paid into a UK account and I want to know if this is possible." CreationDate="2015-06-20T11:48:45.960" UserId="8089" />
  <row Id="6190" PostId="3352" Score="0" Text="If I am forced to transfer the Pounds to $ this would be coming from my personal UK current account and be paid into my US-based business account. This would be done using Transferwise, which is significantly cheaper than PayPal. About 0.5% of the value of the currency being exchanged and at more or less the mid-market rate.                                                                                                                So in this case No there is not always a base fee of 2-2.5% + value of currency." CreationDate="2015-06-20T11:49:07.937" UserId="8089" />
  <row Id="6191" PostId="3352" Score="0" Text="As said, YES it's possible to be paid in your UK bank account as you said you own one; I don't see why it couldn't be possible unless there's no bank transfers in UK! Banks use pretty much all the same standards in most first world countries, but GDP won't be an issue since you'll get the transfer in USD by Transferwise. Use Transferwise if it's better. Since you'll get your money in USD, you can use a personal US bank account for the deposit. They do P2P transfer and don't use bank brokers apparently for the exchange of currency, that's why it's cheaper. I never used it, I can't help on this." CreationDate="2015-06-20T15:54:32.160" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="6192" PostId="3352" Score="0" Text="Ok I think something is lost in translation here. I am not asking if its technically possible to make a bank transfer into a UK bank account. That is obvious.  I am asking if it is acceptable by the US government/IRS/Accounting standards to be paid for work done in the USA, into a UK bank account.                                                            Many thanks for trying to help on this." CreationDate="2015-06-20T18:09:12.420" UserId="8089" />
  <row Id="6193" PostId="3352" Score="0" Text="It's mentioned in the url in my answer:  &quot;U.S. taxpayers who own or have a financial interest in or signature authority over financial assets outside of the United States may have an additional reporting requirement to the IRS and/or the US Treasury.&quot;  It doesn't say you cannot have one or get deposits, it says you need to mention it to the IRS. It's implied that someone somewhere did a deposit into it... There's no problem as long you pay your taxes, mention it and don't fund criminal activities with it. A Google search could easily answer this, you can look at &quot;offshore bank IRS&quot; too." CreationDate="2015-06-20T18:40:53.677" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="6194" PostId="3352" Score="0" Text="Maybe you could ask your question in the Stack Exchange &quot;Personal Finance and Money&quot;, there's probably a lot of experts with good resource on the nature of the money you received in your UK bank account. I just don't see why there would be an issue if you follow the law and your deposits come from legal freelance activities. Some info: http://www.frostbrowntodd.com/resources-Can_a_United_States_Citizen_Deposit_Money_in_an_Offshore_Bank_Account_and_Avoid_IRS_Pentalties_09-13-2007.html and http://www.forbes.com/2010/07/26/offshore-bank-accounts-irs-ubs-fbars-personal-finance-robert-wood.html" CreationDate="2015-06-20T18:55:18.890" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="6195" PostId="3367" Score="0" Text="Are you using a freelance website for this? If so, Peter MV has some good answers and as he said, you're a bit stuck with this... hopefully scarabs will not enslave the human specie! But if you're not on a freelancer website, there's some options." CreationDate="2015-06-21T00:07:14.607" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="6196" PostId="3359" Score="1" Text="The main reason people look for options like Amazon is you can transform money quickly into stuff you can get in the country without the trouble of getting direct $ cash.. Not just for resell which would be a lesser option in most cases." CreationDate="2015-06-21T23:53:09.127" UserId="8100" />
  <row Id="6197" PostId="3359" Score="0" Text="Also I wasn't looking about paying people outside the country, but getting paid from outside in a way which doesn't require U.S. Bank accounts to do so." CreationDate="2015-06-21T23:56:18.627" UserId="8100" />
  <row Id="6198" PostId="3360" Score="0" Text="Thanks for your recomendations, I think I would look into these Visa gift cards.. Also about the alternatives on the bottom link, I wonder why always those articles look from the perspective that native Venezuelans have a need to pay outside individual or corporation and not focus in all the people here who want to get paid from outside without excessive trouble." CreationDate="2015-06-21T23:57:29.077" UserId="8100" />
  <row Id="6199" PostId="3363" Score="0" Text="Thanks for your reply, and yeah I was asking about that exactly.! I think Bitcoin is the future for every online transaction but as a new standard is still in development. ;) let's be optimistic #babysteps!" CreationDate="2015-06-22T00:01:40.073" UserId="8100" />
  <row Id="6200" PostId="3370" Score="1" Text="IMO, there are no &quot;best&quot; places, but more like more reputable, or have more jobs posted in certain sites or are concentrated on certain areas of expertise. Freelancer.com is another if you haven't been there yet. You'll figure out which one(s) is/are best for &quot;you&quot;." CreationDate="2015-06-22T02:24:48.070" UserId="8123" />
  <row Id="6201" PostId="3370" Score="1" Text="There are lot of websites available. I like `upwork.com` , `peopleperhour.com`" CreationDate="2015-06-22T03:54:32.157" UserId="8125" />
  <row Id="6202" PostId="3370" Score="0" Text="possible duplicate of [How do I get my first job at a freelancing site?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/101/how-do-i-get-my-first-job-at-a-freelancing-site)" CreationDate="2015-06-22T12:50:01.870" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6203" PostId="3371" Score="0" Text="possible duplicate of [How do I get my first job at a freelancing site?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/101/how-do-i-get-my-first-job-at-a-freelancing-site)" CreationDate="2015-06-22T12:50:34.637" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6204" PostId="3370" Score="1" Text="Hi Lenin, welcome to Freelancing.SE! Unfortunately, asking polling questions such as this is not a good format for a Q&amp;A network such as the Stack Exchange, and has been closed as such. If you can, [edit] your question to show what you have tried, why it hasn't worked, and how to solve a *problem*, as opposed to asking for a list of sites." CreationDate="2015-06-22T18:17:22.090" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6205" PostId="3373" Score="0" Text="Hi Ethan, welcome to Freelancing.SE! Unfortunately, this question is not a good fit for a Q&amp;A network site such as the Stack Exchange. Webmasters may be able to help (for programming the sites), or Community Building (for learning to engage a community online), or even just checking out the different chat rooms on SE. If you can [edit] your question to show what problem you have, and what you've tried, we can try to help with a *specific* problem you are having. List type questions are hardly ever encouraged here. Hope this helps!" CreationDate="2015-06-22T18:22:36.143" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6207" PostId="3360" Score="0" Text="Still be careful with the gift cards, I guess once they're filled up with the money, it's all yours but some could be like &quot;prepaid cards&quot;, and the person sending it to you could also take the money out of it. Again, have fun reading terms ;)  Regarding the url, maybe they want to be politically correct and not encourage citizens to try to &quot;bypass&quot; the country's laws. It's often written from an american perspective but the issue for you (and the lack of online payment options) is caused by the control on how the money gets in the country. Not an easy situation for citizens." CreationDate="2015-06-23T06:25:32.887" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="6208" PostId="3372" Score="0" Text="the projects the list are complex and I want to be able to do them. but i'm overwhelmed. how do i get, how to develop them? any gateway projects to get going to be able to develop those listed ones?" CreationDate="2015-06-23T15:53:46.577" UserId="7204" />
  <row Id="6209" PostId="3372" Score="0" Text="We all had the same problems. You simply cannot do them now. As each project consists of dozens of small tasks. You must have experience with most of them, and know how to solve those tasks you meet for the first time. Try the steps I told you and when you come to point 3 (actual bidding), many projects will suddenly look easier. There is no shortcut I am afraid." CreationDate="2015-06-23T17:14:29.057" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6213" PostId="3377" Score="0" Text="HI there, welcome to Freelancing.SE! This question is being closed as Primarily Opinion Based due to having no concrete answer available; as well, it's too broad to ask for lists of recommendations, as a good answer would be hard to &quot;accept&quot;, which goes against the Q&amp;A model of the Stack Exchange network. For more information, or to learn how to [edit] your question to be acceptable, please drop by [meta] or [chat]. Thanks!" CreationDate="2015-06-24T15:45:41.293" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6215" PostId="3377" Score="0" Text="Canadian Luke is right. You would hear zillion advises on this topic. I suggest you try posting a job on freelancing websites. I have seen such posts there. I have no idea of their outcome." CreationDate="2015-06-25T15:11:21.437" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6216" PostId="3376" Score="0" Text="Thanks! Ironically, the person contacting me IS my main contact.  She usually sends a request, then gets my estimate approved before any work.  But now they are in the project rollout and &quot;emergencies&quot; come up.  Usually they call thinking there is a bug from my end, but it turns out they did something wrong - like messed with the installation script. Actual bugs I would take care of regardless (obviously).  I think I will just add this time to my invoice and let the chips fall where they may." CreationDate="2015-06-25T16:33:14.877" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="6217" PostId="3381" Score="0" Text="Well this actually is a law firm!  And I am sure they bill for every little thing.  I think I will just bill for the time and see what happens.  If her firm is going to choose not to have a maintenance agreement, I can't afford to give them free support just because I don't want he boss to get mad at her." CreationDate="2015-06-25T16:35:56.543" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="6218" PostId="724" Score="0" Text="Muhammad: how can I contact you directly?" CreationDate="2015-06-25T16:53:34.253" UserId="8162" />
  <row Id="6219" PostId="724" Score="0" Text="http://goo.gl/forms/QbZETPt13e I just made it for us. Send email, ill reply using my email. This way all of our emails remain safe." CreationDate="2015-06-25T16:58:02.907" UserId="805" />
  <row Id="6220" PostId="3372" Score="0" Text="but each project is different and there are hundreds of different small things. what do i start with? and in the other projects is non of those repeat or others r needed which I do not have experience with? A quick look at https://www.freelancer.com/jobs/ASP-NET/ will give u an idea each project is almost completely different. How do I get experience with things which will let me do many of such projects?" CreationDate="2015-06-25T17:37:12.087" UserId="7204" />
  <row Id="6221" PostId="3372" Score="0" Text="You will NEVER be at that state to know all the features in each project in advance. But once you see a project, you will be able to see that you already know how to build UI elements, custom UI elements, set database structure, uploading files to the website, share content with social services, etc. But each project will have at least 30% of new things which you will have to learn from docs or find on the net and test. More clear?" CreationDate="2015-06-25T20:35:38.227" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6222" PostId="3367" Score="0" Text="Maybe some info there: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/3226/project-based-freelance-project-requiring-multiple-unexpected-redos-from-clien/3337#3337" CreationDate="2015-06-26T05:18:35.307" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="6223" PostId="3384" Score="0" Text="Thanks. I based my email on your template and the results were instant - I received the signed paperwork within thirty minutes." CreationDate="2015-06-26T17:24:13.373" UserDisplayName="user8159" />
  <row Id="6224" PostId="3377" Score="0" Text="It's not an answer about where to find partners specifically but there's some tips about how to select a good partner! http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/661/finding-a-freelancing-partner-for-small-business/3362#3362" CreationDate="2015-06-26T20:59:11.347" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="6225" PostId="3387" Score="0" Text="FYI, this question is two years old." CreationDate="2015-06-26T21:07:49.597" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6227" PostId="3387" Score="0" Text="Well, the question is very specific to the individual that asked it. On the other hand, your answer doesn't address his question ('how do I tell them I'm no longer going to work for them?') at all, so it might work better as general purpose advice" CreationDate="2015-06-26T21:34:21.123" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6228" PostId="3388" Score="1" Text="I have been a Linux user for the last 15 years and I have NEVER bought any Linux app. Linux users are gathered over &quot;use for  free&quot; idea so IMHO I don't think that Linux users are your best aim." CreationDate="2015-06-27T08:43:37.943" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6229" PostId="3372" Score="0" Text="Thanks a lot Peter. Thats a lot more clear. How many years experience do I need at a job to be in a position to be confident of taking and delivering freelance projects?" CreationDate="2015-06-27T10:32:50.547" UserId="7204" />
  <row Id="6230" PostId="3377" Score="0" Text="Thank you very much to all, I had not thought that this question could lead to many different answers. I try to be more specific in other questions.&#xA;Peter  I'll look nice but seems to want to find a partner, not hire someone&#xA;Thanks go-me sure would help a lot." CreationDate="2015-06-27T16:33:57.923" UserId="8143" />
  <row Id="6231" PostId="3372" Score="0" Text="That's all individual. When I started specializing for mobile programming, I took 6-month self training. But I know those who started after 1 month. I wanted thou to be well prepared. For complex projects, you would need at least 2 years of work in one field with at least 2 long-term projects with a decent number of users (users find bugs like 1k QA guys)." CreationDate="2015-06-27T20:54:39.197" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6232" PostId="3372" Score="0" Text="But don't think about that, start leaning and you will know when you are ready. Just trust me." CreationDate="2015-06-27T20:55:07.323" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6233" PostId="3376" Score="0" Text="Maybe just explain to her that you're happy to get the calls, but if the issue ultimately ends up being due to their error, you'll have to invoice for support time. And then reiterate that if it is indeed a bug, there would be no invoice." CreationDate="2015-06-28T06:19:07.333" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="6234" PostId="3388" Score="5" Text="`It's just a quick way to make money` Oh no it isn't. Expect years to pass before you are at the point of *possibly* receiving donations. Your idea sounds well thought out, but naïve. Even if you are able to provide software that no one else is, it could take years to draw the attention of 'the community'. You can't just make some software and a website and expect an automatic following." CreationDate="2015-06-28T11:14:33.847" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6237" PostId="3393" Score="0" Text="I will redirect all pages to an &quot;under constructions&quot; page, then try to recover and and check the web site" CreationDate="2015-06-29T09:15:26.540" UserId="7753" />
  <row Id="6238" PostId="3393" Score="1" Text="Welcome to Freelancing! This question has potential to be pretty good, but needs far more expansion and needs some relation to freelancing in there. Please [edit] your question and add something (even an analogy) to expand it a little more!" CreationDate="2015-06-29T12:30:13.187" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="6241" PostId="3403" Score="1" Text="(+1) And some people simply use these services to get estimates and shop around; they're not really serious about their projects. That's interesting oDesk has this system you mentioned, it's great... for freelancers, at least." CreationDate="2015-07-02T09:29:56.427" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="6242" PostId="3394" Score="0" Text="+1 for Fog Project and the BC mining idea.  Great post!" CreationDate="2015-07-03T08:21:07.943" UserId="7632" />
  <row Id="6244" PostId="3394" Score="0" Text="Thank you for your _great_ answer! I was not aware of the FOG Project before. Your response has a significant impact on me." CreationDate="2015-07-03T15:04:58.493" UserId="8178" />
  <row Id="6245" PostId="3394" Score="0" Text="If it helped you the most, don't forget to also mark as the answer" CreationDate="2015-07-03T15:06:47.547" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6246" PostId="3414" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the info, I'll make sure I review code in future" CreationDate="2015-07-03T15:22:50.620" UserId="8225" />
  <row Id="6247" PostId="3414" Score="0" Text="It's not necessary, but it's recommended so the client can plan his budget accordingly. We can work on good or bad code. It's just work on the bad code will take more time and bugs can be harder to predict." CreationDate="2015-07-03T15:24:40.773" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6250" PostId="2304" Score="0" Text="Why not check with Bob and tell him you are looking for other avenues (beyond bob) and if bob has any issues with that." CreationDate="2015-07-03T18:27:30.350" UserId="7774" />
  <row Id="6251" PostId="3405" Score="0" Text="I had no idea eLance and Odesk (UpWork) mergerd. I have been off eLance for years now (I used to make nice side money doing writing jobs because it's harder to outsource to countries where wages are low but English isn't the language)" CreationDate="2015-07-03T20:56:54.697" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="6252" PostId="3393" Score="0" Text="There is no universal way of hacking into website, therefore, there is no universal way of how I would behave if my website gets hacked. Please edit your question and make it a bit more specific." CreationDate="2015-07-04T14:36:51.063" UserId="8178" />
  <row Id="6253" PostId="3418" Score="1" Text="Can you explain the conflict of interest further and why this would be considered one?" CreationDate="2015-07-05T06:03:57.303" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="6254" PostId="3418" Score="0" Text="Never work for family. Just my opinion. There's too much personal history there." CreationDate="2015-07-05T07:43:57.327" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="6255" PostId="3418" Score="0" Text="@Stacey I believe he's simply worried it could be seen as a conflict of interest by his employer because he doesn't want it to be seen as giving me the project as a favor because we are related. There is no other conflict beyond that." CreationDate="2015-07-05T12:37:14.783" UserId="8236" />
  <row Id="6256" PostId="3418" Score="0" Text="@Stacey to further clarify, he actually would like to give me the project, not because we are related, but because he and his co-worker (not-related) were impressed by my recent work for other companies. He just doesn't to give the wrong impression in hiring me" CreationDate="2015-07-05T12:47:48.943" UserId="8236" />
  <row Id="6257" PostId="3419" Score="0" Text="That's great information, thank you for the response I really appreciate it.  I'll see if he can manage to remove himself from it, but if not, I will definitely reconsider.  Thanks again" CreationDate="2015-07-05T23:47:12.433" UserId="8236" />
  <row Id="6258" PostId="3418" Score="0" Text="I would rather see it as getting a job from a reference - This &quot;reference&quot; can be anybody  - Friend,ex-colleagues,etc. In this case its a relative. I dont think this should hamper because I essentially see it as subset of networking. further If deliverables etc are documented/based on agreement + if you exceed their expectations - you should be good. Personally,Its just me - I would rather ask for work then money" CreationDate="2015-07-06T13:22:25.640" UserId="7774" />
  <row Id="6259" PostId="3418" Score="0" Text="@alpha Thanks for your response. I'll see if I can frame it like that and hopefully my relative can not be the point person on the project so it's not perceived as a conflict. Hopefully it will work out." CreationDate="2015-07-06T17:26:14.470" UserId="8236" />
  <row Id="6260" PostId="3420" Score="1" Text="Hi djt, welcome to Freelancing.SE! Unfortunately, the way this question is worded makes it ask for opinion-based answers, which are hard to accept as proper answers. Can you [edit] your question to reword it, asking about a *specific* problem you are facing, instead of asking for &quot;others['] experiences [...] with co-working spaces&quot;?" CreationDate="2015-07-07T15:51:31.633" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6261" PostId="3421" Score="0" Text="Very good point. I hadn't been in this situation before and didn't view it like that. Thank you for the advice" CreationDate="2015-07-07T19:04:18.220" UserId="8236" />
  <row Id="6265" PostId="3424" Score="0" Text="I hesitate primarily because I'm not experienced with this sort of thing, therefore I can't make a good decision on whether it's profitable for me on the long run to restrict myself from telling other people that I've done certain things as a part or the whole of this particular project's scope. Being unable to make a decision is the reason I'm asking." CreationDate="2015-07-08T17:38:35.183" UserId="5088" />
  <row Id="6266" PostId="3424" Score="0" Text="Well, I wouldn't avoid NDAs because I wanted portfolio pieces." CreationDate="2015-07-08T17:43:05.077" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="6267" PostId="3056" Score="0" Text="Here's an introduction to value pricing. It touches on formulae, but not in-depth: http://www.freshbooks.com/breaking-the-time-barrier" CreationDate="2015-07-08T21:43:44.870" UserId="2463" />
  <row Id="6268" PostId="3427" Score="0" Text="I don't have that contract, but be weary of such an arrangement: how soon is &quot;immediately&quot; in your mind, and your client's mind?" CreationDate="2015-07-08T22:14:57.953" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6269" PostId="3418" Score="0" Text="I think there is no conflict. The company 'he works for' is not his own. How many time you'll invest in this project ? The company should pay you for your work. Maybe you can make a better price - not more." CreationDate="2015-07-08T18:52:35.887" UserId="8257" />
  <row Id="6270" PostId="3434" Score="0" Text="I am actually doing a very similar thing now so I am glad I see that it's not a wrong approach." CreationDate="2015-07-09T06:42:57.750" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6271" PostId="3434" Score="0" Text="In addition to this, if I see that the client is one of those &quot;100 estimations, 0 projects awarded&quot;, I then take 5min to take a look at the project and give him a very rough estimation saying that he should send me detailed specs for a better estimation." CreationDate="2015-07-09T06:44:20.010" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6273" PostId="3435" Score="0" Text="What do you think I should do about the optimisation checklist?" CreationDate="2015-07-09T09:05:24.513" UserId="8225" />
  <row Id="6274" PostId="3435" Score="0" Text="Hmm good question since the client is fishy. When the client is &quot;normal&quot; and if it will not take more than 1h of my time, I would make the list for free. If it takes more time, I do it either partially or short version within 1 hour of time, and tell him that the full list will be done after we start the project." CreationDate="2015-07-09T10:12:55.723" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6275" PostId="3435" Score="0" Text="Alright, thanks, I've sent all this to the client and I've issued the refund, they're still trying to push to hire me though" CreationDate="2015-07-09T10:15:13.510" UserId="8225" />
  <row Id="6276" PostId="3435" Score="0" Text="Whatever I tell you now, I risk of being wrong. You have to act on your hunch now. Check how other contractors rate him. If he's new, I would not accept it working via freelancer rating system - I would suggest PayPal - yet again, doing so you risk your own account of being banned." CreationDate="2015-07-09T11:07:38.597" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6277" PostId="3437" Score="2" Text="Having said that, does he necessarily need to include that particular website in his portfolio that he publicly advertises? I think he'd still be able to leave it out and get business anyways." CreationDate="2015-07-09T15:33:38.130" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6278" PostId="3436" Score="0" Text="I don't take such projects and I would never put them in the portfolio unless you aim at the XXX industry." CreationDate="2015-07-09T15:40:54.950" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6279" PostId="3435" Score="0" Text="It isn't freelancer I'm using however he is a new profile" CreationDate="2015-07-09T16:31:55.547" UserId="8225" />
  <row Id="6280" PostId="3425" Score="0" Text="Let me get this straight, you agreed to a rate with a client and accepted the work.  Then decide that you had given a bad estimate because you hadn't investigated the project well enough and you have a problem with the client?  If I was the client, I would have a problem with you, we agreed on a rate and you are now trying to force me to pay more than we agreed?  You acknowledge that you are new to freelancing, so I would suggest that you learn much more about business before jumping to conclusions about this client." CreationDate="2015-07-09T18:04:27.130" UserId="1818" />
  <row Id="6281" PostId="3425" Score="1" Text="I didn't agree to a rate and fail to deliver, it's hourly and regulated through people per hour, the time scale increased" CreationDate="2015-07-09T18:06:21.320" UserId="8225" />
  <row Id="6282" PostId="3425" Score="0" Text="Quoted from your question &quot;and thus my hourly rate.&quot;  At the end of the day, anything you do to change the total cost after agreeing to do the work is on you, not the client." CreationDate="2015-07-09T18:08:21.777" UserId="1818" />
  <row Id="6283" PostId="3435" Score="0" Text="I referred to a freelancer's service website, not to a freelancer.com :). Anyway, being a new client and so pushy always tell me that he's probably experienced bad client and possibly created a new profile. New clients are usually not pushy as they have no idea how to behave. Of course this is just the way I do. You can try with him and see if I was right or wrong." CreationDate="2015-07-09T19:50:53.673" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6284" PostId="3427" Score="0" Text="If I was paying a freelancer 20 hours a week to do nothing, they had damn well better start immediately if I hand them a project. The point of a retainer is they pay you to set aside time for them, so you are available if needed. If they pay you a 20 hour a week retainer, they expect you to be sitting at your desk 20 hours a week waiting for them to call you with some work." CreationDate="2015-07-09T23:01:43.230" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6285" PostId="3443" Score="0" Text="Are you a programmer? As in my 10+ year career, I have been unable to write such template. I can try to guess the price in 10min, but when I do a real estimation, the final result may wary from 100% upwards." CreationDate="2015-07-10T07:12:28.330" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6286" PostId="3442" Score="0" Text="But such think is not possible when you work via oDesk and similar sites right? clients may rate you badly because you took their money and they got nothing in return." CreationDate="2015-07-10T07:14:29.200" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6287" PostId="3427" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke It will be set in the contract. But in general, immediately should mean &quot;estimation within a day or two&quot; and &quot;start working on a project the first Mon or sooner&quot;. Something like this." CreationDate="2015-07-10T07:15:52.103" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6288" PostId="3427" Score="0" Text="@user45623 Yes, I agree. But 20 hours a week may not be enough. What if you need 30 hours a week or 40 because the project is urgent? Obviously retainer cannot cover this as you will work only up to number of work hours you were paid via the Retainer. For all extra, you will have to wait until the schedule is emptied." CreationDate="2015-07-10T07:18:03.317" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6289" PostId="3428" Score="0" Text="I see that no one probably has a good reply. You can also reply by telling me how you successfully (!) make a client realizes that he needs a retainer. Are you stubborn if there is no Retainer or soft as myself." CreationDate="2015-07-10T07:20:15.247" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6291" PostId="3427" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV Did you read my answer? Normally a retainer allows you to work over the number of hours paid by the retainer and bill the extra time as normal. If they give you a 20 hour retainer and one week send you 30 hours of work, as long as you get it all done you bill them for the extra 10 hours. I'd be shocked if anyone was willing to do a retainer of over 20 hours a week unless they had urgent issues cropping up constantly" CreationDate="2015-07-10T17:54:13.470" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6292" PostId="3425" Score="2" Text="Moose is ignoring the very real problem that you can't give an accurate quote on working with existing code until you've read the code. Some clients won't send you the code until after they've hired you. If they sent you the code after they hired you, it isn't your fault that the estimate changed. It's only your fault if you had the code but didn't read it." CreationDate="2015-07-10T18:07:08.197" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6293" PostId="3414" Score="0" Text="Many clients won't send you the code until after they've hired you. It's a complicated situation for everyone." CreationDate="2015-07-10T18:33:47.930" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6297" PostId="3443" Score="0" Text="No I'm not a programmer. I'm a UX/graphic designer and technical writer. A lot of things I do are pretty straightforward. I know how long it takes me to (for example) create a set of 24 icons/buttons for an app, or how long it would take for me to design a business card, or layout a trifold brochure." CreationDate="2015-07-10T21:03:17.633" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="6298" PostId="3443" Score="0" Text="There are standard questions you end up asking every client before you can provide an accurate quote. THAT is what you should put in your standard response, so you don't have to waste time retyping it constantly." CreationDate="2015-07-10T21:04:26.083" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="6299" PostId="3447" Score="0" Text="You are partially right, I do try to get more steady cash income, but the reason is not greed. I tell clients similar things you wrote. They usually reply &quot;I understand, we do not need retainer, I will contact you and you can finish it when you have time&quot;. And this looks good on paper. Then in a month or so, a client contacts me and I tell him that it will be done as soon as I have some free time from other projects. But I keep thinking about it and maybe in 7-10 days, although I do not have free time(!), I leave other work and finalize his tasks. Am I wrong in this approach?" CreationDate="2015-07-11T07:20:19.560" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6300" PostId="3445" Score="0" Text="But you do not act the same with every client, right? I mean, there are those who just ask, and on them I spend 10 min saying approx costs and asking for detailed specs. Those who are more serious, I spend 1+ hours delivering official estimation for every part of the project. Do you do the same?" CreationDate="2015-07-11T07:27:29.237" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6301" PostId="3414" Score="0" Text="Yes, but for such clients you tell them that you cannot deliver fix price. Or to be more price, I NEVER give fix price for fixing the code. It's impossible to predict all the issues you can meet." CreationDate="2015-07-11T07:29:28.890" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6302" PostId="3445" Score="1" Text="Yes. Estimates take top priority. Whether it's a loose ballpark estimate or a formal proposal, they are always at the top of my list of things to do." CreationDate="2015-07-11T07:31:57.637" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="6303" PostId="3427" Score="0" Text="@user45623 Yes, I read it. It just that I am no talking about retainer specifically. I was talking about situation when you have a client who is a regular client and delivers urgent projects a few times of a year. You work other projects in the meantime, but when he sends you his project, it would be smart to start doing it asap (projects from scratch) as you cannot risk loosing him. That's why I am trying to figure out if there is any agreements where the client can reserve your time for ? num of hours (Retainer is specific about how many hours)." CreationDate="2015-07-11T07:33:14.987" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6304" PostId="3445" Score="0" Text="So you always finish them within 24 hours you got a request for estimation? What about when you have a regular client and he tells you &quot;I need estimation, but it's not urgent project at all, do it when you have free time&quot; - do you still act within 24 hrs or you loose on it?" CreationDate="2015-07-11T07:35:36.563" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6305" PostId="3445" Score="0" Text="I never posted 24 hours... I posted &quot;top priority&quot;. I try and be as quick as possible. There are occasions where more complicated quotes may take 2 or 3 days, but in those instances I tell the client up front that I'll need time to work up costs. And no matter what.. if *anyone* asks for an estimate it is the *first* thing I attend to the moment I can." CreationDate="2015-07-11T07:37:31.343" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="6306" PostId="3445" Score="1" Text="My point is **there's no such thing as being &quot;too busy&quot; to deal with prospective clients/projects.** If I'm too busy to write a quote, I'm too busy to accept the work... so I turn down the request for a quote." CreationDate="2015-07-11T07:41:13.607" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="6307" PostId="3427" Score="0" Text="What do lawyers do? They work on retainer all the time." CreationDate="2015-07-11T13:59:35.643" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="6308" PostId="3435" Score="0" Text="If it were me, I'd ask to be paid for the site review as a fixed-rate job completely separate from this other thing that he can't afford." CreationDate="2015-07-11T17:16:11.837" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="6309" PostId="3415" Score="1" Text="Yeah, I'll say I'm surprised this wasn't chosen as the better answer.  Your client will distrust you if you start complaining about the code base at this point.  The time for that expires after you make a quote.  It's too late to talk about the problem now without making the client feel like they were just baited and switched.&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;The only honest way out (that I see), if you do want to back out, is to tell the client that you didn't expect the code to be so complex and that you won't be able to continue the job in the given time frame with the given budget." CreationDate="2015-07-11T17:50:46.307" UserId="8288" />
  <row Id="6310" PostId="3445" Score="0" Text="Since your conduct looks very pro to me, let me ask you one more thing. What if you get estimation on Fri or Sat and you don't work on Sun or on weekends? Do you promptly reply the client that you do not work and he will get it the first work day or you actually do work on those days to provide estimation? I can apply the same for national holidays." CreationDate="2015-07-12T07:40:42.357" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6311" PostId="3453" Score="1" Text="This is what I was looking for. I will come back with more questions if I get stuck in the creation of such contract." CreationDate="2015-07-12T07:48:10.660" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6312" PostId="3445" Score="1" Text="I don't respond to *anything* on weekends. Nothing. If I get a request in late Friday afternoon, if I can't get it back to the client by Friday night, then I send it first thing Monday morning. But I will send things very late Friday.. 10-11pm if needed. Overall, I want clients to be accustomed to my NOT being available on weekends, so I don't contact them on weekends. If not working weekends costs me a client, that's fine. I don't want to work weekends." CreationDate="2015-07-12T09:19:37.150" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="6314" PostId="3238" Score="1" Text="If the companies you work for won't open up their intranets to the outside world, you should at least be able to display static screencaps of non-proprietary pages. (I did some UI design for a SharePoint Intranet that people outside the company can't access, but I'm allowed to show my home page design as a screencap in my portfolio)" CreationDate="2015-07-13T14:39:47.697" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="6315" PostId="1390" Score="1" Text="8K/year for 24/7 availability is a bargain, IMO." CreationDate="2015-07-14T15:51:26.373" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="6316" PostId="1390" Score="0" Text="@voxwoman: Could you perhaps outline how and what you would charge for in an answer below please? I'd be very interested to listen to your opinion. Thank you" CreationDate="2015-07-14T21:45:15.667" UserId="1836" />
  <row Id="6317" PostId="1390" Score="0" Text="It's not my field. But where I live and work $153/week for 24/7 availability is rather cheap. If someone were to expect me to work at 3AM, I'd want $200 per incident..." CreationDate="2015-07-15T02:16:17.707" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="6319" PostId="3458" Score="1" Text="As of January 2015, if you sell to someone in the EU you need to register for VAT and charge VAT based on the client/customer's country. Look up &quot;VATMOSS&quot; for more info. (Still, it means nothing when selling outside of the EU)" CreationDate="2015-07-15T11:16:21.897" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="6320" PostId="3465" Score="0" Text="Thanks Amelia. The remote freelancing came up after no company here will ever employ them. We do not have such laws. All they can do here is make Xmas cards and sell them on the street. So services like Odesk and Elance are the only where we can try taking care that they are not employed for any rush job." CreationDate="2015-07-15T12:14:28.100" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6321" PostId="3465" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV that sounds pretty bad. Ouch." CreationDate="2015-07-15T12:44:37.680" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="6322" PostId="3466" Score="2" Text="Welcome to Freelancing.SE - while I actually really like Nomad List, your answer could use a little expansion, as right now it's little more than a link-only answer. Please [edit] and expand it if you can!" CreationDate="2015-07-15T15:00:14.507" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="6328" PostId="3457" Score="0" Text="Yes it was more like cold calling.&#xA;Firstly thanks for the input.&#xA;&#xA;Let me try this method thoroughly for a week and work around it to make the sale every time. I believe the reason that I might have jumped to directly meeting people is because I used to e-mail only without making any direct calls to clients. &#xA;&#xA;I set myself a target to call atleast 5 clients a day to make it simpler for me to get used to this method. I still believe the best way to show someone what I'm capable of is by meeting them directly because in the end I'm selling myself. That's what separates me from the rest out there" CreationDate="2015-07-15T16:50:35.750" UserId="8311" />
  <row Id="6329" PostId="3457" Score="0" Text="*&quot; in the end I'm selling myself. That's what separates me from the rest out there&quot;* - That's what makes you like every other one out there. Always sell yourself" CreationDate="2015-07-15T16:55:38.877" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6333" PostId="3447" Score="1" Text="Yes, that is wrong. You shouldn't put new work with a different client on hold just to satisfy the whims of a previous client who didn't see the need for a retainer (unless it is an urgent issue due to a mistake you made). If your previous client doesn't like having to wait for you to complete the new work before getting back to them, then they can consider a retainer in the future" CreationDate="2015-07-15T19:36:11.010" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6334" PostId="3469" Score="1" Text="Careful; Stripe is [not supported](https://stripe.com/global) in India. That is, while an Indian customer can pay via Stripe, one cannot pay an Indian company via Stripe." CreationDate="2015-07-15T20:10:11.763" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="6335" PostId="3467" Score="0" Text="Thanks. However, I don't think that they can do any programming work." CreationDate="2015-07-16T10:20:34.840" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6337" PostId="3467" Score="1" Text="@PeterMV I didnt say they could do anything, but you can find easier task like graphic design, does not have to be programming at all. When I say software I meant projects that don't involve hardware like a network cabling project for instance" CreationDate="2015-07-16T13:39:46.197" UserId="8320" />
  <row Id="6338" PostId="3467" Score="0" Text="Oh, sorry, I misunderstood you. You have a good point - they can indeed use software." CreationDate="2015-07-16T13:52:38.727" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6341" PostId="3479" Score="1" Text="Do you have a portfolio? Do you have lots of experience in that?&#xA;&#xA;Look at other questions about starting out, as they'll give you more information about what to include." CreationDate="2015-07-16T21:02:07.447" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6342" PostId="3478" Score="0" Text="Hi Kory, welcome to Freelancing.SE! I edited out your personal information, as we don't like signature-style parts to an answer." CreationDate="2015-07-16T21:03:50.547" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6343" PostId="3479" Score="0" Text="I believe I have a stackoverflow career CV . Github portfolio . And a active personal Tech Blog. Can you please give a brief Idea . My CV : https://careers.stackoverflow.com/mahabub" CreationDate="2015-07-16T21:21:34.887" UserId="8322" />
  <row Id="6346" PostId="3456" Score="0" Text="At one of my old jobs my desk was next to the front door and I was typically the one who had to greet unexpected guests. From my perspective, anyone that walked through that door trying to sell something was as bad as a telemarketer and I was openly hostile whenever I know my boss wouldn't mind. I'd recommend finding another way to pitch your business so you don't piss people off." CreationDate="2015-07-17T02:47:16.580" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6347" PostId="3473" Score="0" Text="`3.Make sure the freelancer has a real video camera or cam, and not a photo camera`  I would not make that a golden rule. Some of the new high-end DSLRs shoot *really* good quality video. Have you ever heard of the Mario Warfare series on Youtube? They filmed half of it with the Canon 7D." CreationDate="2015-07-17T02:58:09.070" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6348" PostId="3473" Score="1" Text="It has been from the word go - &quot;implicit contract&quot; - with freelancer agreeing to do work based on job description. You could very easily use that clip." CreationDate="2015-07-17T04:15:30.480" UserId="7774" />
  <row Id="6349" PostId="3483" Score="0" Text="I dont think using reference should be issue - since you will be be using LLC invoice for all commercial reasons.  Further I dont think using footer (developed) by may be a good idea - unless client has some incentive to retain it - like heavy discounts or bug fixes or future support if they display your &quot;developed by&quot;" CreationDate="2015-07-17T09:40:10.507" UserId="7774" />
  <row Id="6350" PostId="3483" Score="0" Text="Sorry, I'm not sure what you mean. Are you saying that it's okay to list projects that I made as a personal freelancer, in my LLC's portfolio?" CreationDate="2015-07-17T09:53:26.213" UserId="8308" />
  <row Id="6351" PostId="3483" Score="0" Text="Definitely yes. So long you have developed projects - there is no reason you should be holding your work exhibits either personally or via LLC. But for brevity sake - you could specify some projects were developed at individual capacity then as Firm owner - if that really makes any difference" CreationDate="2015-07-17T11:36:17.507" UserId="7774" />
  <row Id="6352" PostId="2907" Score="0" Text="Inbox by Gmail actually solves this as a design goal :p" CreationDate="2015-07-17T12:55:35.680" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="6353" PostId="2914" Score="0" Text="This doesn't really answer the OP's question, and seems more like a rant about gmail." CreationDate="2015-07-17T12:57:11.643" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="6354" PostId="2914" Score="0" Text="@Amelia clearly, I disagree. It's not a direct statement on Gmail or any particular service. If anything it's an explanation as to why POP3 may be superior to IMAP... it's just happenstance that Gmail is an IMAP service. And this completely answers &quot;how to use email to track client projects&quot; I'm not new to stack sites... I don't post &quot;rants&quot;" CreationDate="2015-07-18T01:46:05.147" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="6355" PostId="3489" Score="0" Text="Thanks! I guess I'm just inexperienced in the self-employed world in general, and I haven't seen any precedent for this. You make a very good point about the name change - I come from a culture where almost nobody legally changes their name, so I had no idea how people handle that either. &#xA;&#xA;I hope you don't mind another question - what prevents people from falsely claiming that they developed a certain app or website and putting it in their portfolio? If someone took something I made (hypothetically speaking) and claimed it as theirs, how would I resolve that and 'prove' that it is mine?" CreationDate="2015-07-18T04:15:58.693" UserId="8308" />
  <row Id="6357" PostId="3479" Score="0" Text="What you should have and show: Certifications. Thats what business customers want to see to trust." CreationDate="2015-07-18T10:18:46.463" UserId="8347" />
  <row Id="6358" PostId="3479" Score="0" Text="By certifications , what kind of stuff get highest priority? Like educational certificates or professional certification?" CreationDate="2015-07-18T10:47:45.280" UserId="8322" />
  <row Id="6359" PostId="3480" Score="0" Text="Thanks. Only to comment to the last part, I am not leading their sale, there are persons for that as well. I am trying to think of an Extra so they gain more profit. I will pass Etsy and Ebay idea to card guys." CreationDate="2015-07-18T11:34:47.060" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6360" PostId="1529" Score="0" Text="In the US, you have to be careful about this because many clients will attempt to include contract clauses which state they own any and all code and IP that you developed for them.  You need to explicitly state that you or your company retain all IP rights to the code and that the client receives a *non-exclusive license* to use it." CreationDate="2015-07-19T20:04:58.187" UserId="1752" />
  <row Id="6361" PostId="3424" Score="0" Text="The OP should review the NDA to make sure it is legitimate and doesn't have any strange clauses in it, but other than that good answer." CreationDate="2015-07-19T20:08:18.367" UserId="1752" />
  <row Id="6362" PostId="3492" Score="0" Text="You could divide work in to progressive segments and link payment viz milestones. As trust builds over time and customer gets you regular work you may make rare exception to delay a milestone - but that should be about it." CreationDate="2015-07-20T12:36:31.917" UserId="7774" />
  <row Id="6363" PostId="3492" Score="0" Text="I know that when people work locally, eye to eye, they charge that way, 50% now, 50% after the work is done. However, in larger projects, milestone may be better so that client does not pay too much money immediately, and you don't wait too long for the 2nd half." CreationDate="2015-07-20T12:51:26.527" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6364" PostId="3493" Score="2" Text="It's good idea if you plan to gather clients over Upwork. If not, you are paying them for nothing. Do you really need Upwork? Will you expand so that Upwork may help? And note, Upwork is charging 10% from the total, in reality you will be charged 11.11%." CreationDate="2015-07-20T12:53:20.557" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6365" PostId="3493" Score="0" Text="Yes Peter i think in future i will be needing UpWork to get Clients but not for next 2-3 years .. We are an Outsourcing company but got First Client by my friends refrence . So later on i will have to get clients from Upwork . But they charege too much .. its like for three developers for each i will be paying 10% . So it goes to 30% of my Invoice ..." CreationDate="2015-07-20T13:16:57.853" UserId="8354" />
  <row Id="6366" PostId="3493" Score="0" Text="Let 1 work. It's still a lot of work hours in 1 year." CreationDate="2015-07-20T15:00:41.007" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6367" PostId="3489" Score="0" Text="@mélange : Sometimes there isn't much to prevent an individual from making false claims in their portfolio. It can take diligence on the part of the client or recruiter to investigate the claims (e.g. contact the owner of a website to verify that the individual actually developed it). I've caught freelancers showcasing unedited Bootstrap templates (that they didn't create) as their own work." CreationDate="2015-07-20T19:04:29.593" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6368" PostId="3489" Score="0" Text="If you call someone out on claiming false credit for your work, normally they'll back off. If not, you may need to prove your role, either by demonstrating that you have the original assets/source, or by contacting the client to have them verify that you did the work." CreationDate="2015-07-20T19:05:23.013" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6369" PostId="3489" Score="0" Text="Human's no, government agencies and the courts maybe." CreationDate="2015-07-20T19:50:07.457" UserId="1818" />
  <row Id="6370" PostId="3497" Score="0" Text="Hello, and Welcome to Freelancing.SE; unfortunately, questions of this nature are squarely off-topic here, as we're not lawyers, and neither are we freelancer.com's support channel. Consider contacting a lawyer, and reading the terms of service you agreed to." CreationDate="2015-07-21T07:57:33.673" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="6371" PostId="3501" Score="1" Text="Refuse refund. Ask them to go legal way. Your client had been a @ ss and you should not be paying for his neglect. Today its typos , tommorrow it will be something else. Your client has been exploiting your generosity and despreration for money. Be firm" CreationDate="2015-07-21T15:11:38.843" UserId="7774" />
  <row Id="6373" PostId="3506" Score="0" Text="&quot;You will end up paying more in taxes... state and federal taxes&quot; - doesn't this depend on where the reader is based? I imagine Freelancing SE caters to a worldwide audience." CreationDate="2015-07-21T20:16:53.290" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6374" PostId="3506" Score="0" Text="You're right, this only applies to the US as far as my knowledge. I know some freelancers in other countries who don't even have to pay self employment tax. I've edited my answer to mention this. Though in most cases, your also paying the portion of your taxes that a company usually would. Given that your local laws require you to pay self-employment tax." CreationDate="2015-07-21T20:23:01.187" UserId="8369" />
  <row Id="6375" PostId="3493" Score="1" Text="You can change your Upwork profile to indicate that you have taken this work on, and perhaps you can offer a small discount to your client for you to use their name and project details, either on your profile or in your website, as a case study. You can always ask your client to post the job on Upwork, but this is an inconvenience they can probably do without, and in any case you probably don't want to draw attention to your lack of portfolio." CreationDate="2015-07-21T20:26:50.657" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6376" PostId="3506" Score="0" Text="OK, cool. Out of interest, here in the UK, I believe it depends on the freelancer's choice of taxation route. One can be a sole trader and submit accounts to the tax office oneself, or one can be a limited company and then be legally required to use an accountant. The latter approach allows the freelancer to pay themselves partly from company dividends, which are taxed differently to earnings (it is quite common for contractors to use this route)." CreationDate="2015-07-21T20:31:13.953" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6377" PostId="3490" Score="1" Text="Are you talking about using your regular work machine to run scripts? If you plan to do much work in this area, would it be a good idea to have a dedicated machine to offload processing onto? You can hire cloud machines for this purpose, if you do not wish to buy one. If you hire a machine, you can bill based on the hourly cost to you, plus a sum that you think is fair for the effort involved, and taking competitor's rates into account." CreationDate="2015-07-21T20:34:20.847" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6378" PostId="3369" Score="1" Text="In your contract clauses, do you actually say &quot;please be be considerate of my time and not abuse it&quot;? I think this does need to be said in some fashion, especially for subjective work like graphic design, but I guess it must be said rather carefully! &quot;Abuse&quot; and the implication of disrespect is strong language to use in a document that, presumably, must be as non-scary as possible." CreationDate="2015-07-21T20:42:32.690" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6379" PostId="3369" Score="1" Text="I don't use &quot;my&quot; or &quot;your&quot; in favor of a more &quot;third person&quot; universal perspective in the writing. But yes, that's essentially the wording I use. And it would be &quot;abuse&quot; so I don't think the language is too harsh. I want to discourage any client from taking advantage. If they *actually read* my contract, it's overall very friendly and &quot;non-legalese&quot; so a few harder words with respect to what is not permitted or frowned upon isn't a problem here. Of course, your milage may vary." CreationDate="2015-07-21T20:47:50.650" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="6380" PostId="3501" Score="3" Text="Related at GD.SE http://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/questions/53386/who-is-responsible-for-text-mistakes-in-a-print-project -- a contract doesn't matter. If you have written approval (email works) of the logo (with the typo) it's the client's fault, not yours. You are not obligated to do *anything* for them if they approved the art with the typo. Also see: http://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/questions/55575/an-error-in-printed-book-is-my-fault-what-do-i-do?lq=1" CreationDate="2015-07-21T20:54:18.277" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="6382" PostId="3500" Score="0" Text="Is it normal for copywriters to charge by the word? I am not in the industry, but it seems to be a good way to get wordy nonsense and not interesting, readable, _succinct_ prose." CreationDate="2015-07-21T23:46:06.790" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6383" PostId="3500" Score="0" Text="I don't know if it's normal, but the company I'm talking about doesn't care about quality at all and they seem to be keen to accept nonsense, redundant and wordy articles. But since I'm not gonna make many money with this job at least I want to try to write something good in order to learn better my writing skills at least...&#xA;Anyways, sorry but I'm not used to this website, and actually what I wanted to ask was what's an average pay, in order to make a comparison, would something like that be ok?" CreationDate="2015-07-22T00:25:11.117" UserId="8366" />
  <row Id="6386" PostId="3511" Score="0" Text="I expect you're right, that 50% is probably a better estimate (my working approach is more thorough than fast anyway). I wonder whether, as I am getting started, a set of partial tests is a good place to start - for example that all web screens actually display. Not completely robust, but better than nothing. Anyway thanks, good advice." CreationDate="2015-07-22T08:31:44.420" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6387" PostId="3511" Score="0" Text="@halfer the best tests to convince clients with are behavioral tests - cucumber/behat, etc, because they literally write the tests for you and you prove your software passes those tests." CreationDate="2015-07-22T08:48:42.607" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="6388" PostId="3511" Score="0" Text="I'll look into that, thanks. I currently just use PHPUnit driving Selenium/PhantomJS etc, but setting up the correct fixtures for each scenario tends in my experience to be rather slow. `#morestufftolearn` :-)" CreationDate="2015-07-22T09:06:07.640" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6389" PostId="3505" Score="1" Text="Although I never work on 30-day policy (mine is rather unofficial, pay-asap), if you're working for the UK client and you have a good contract, I don't find that policy bad. Of course, don't suggest it yourself. Also take upfront which will cover the gap between start day and 1st payment day." CreationDate="2015-07-22T10:10:16.393" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6390" PostId="3510" Score="0" Text="I put test calculation in the estimation, just below of the QA estimation. Most clients don't want to pay for it (99%)." CreationDate="2015-07-22T10:12:20.043" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6391" PostId="3334" Score="0" Text="Billing every two weeks, presumably for smaller milestones, feels like it would ask the client to sign off more frequently, which is probably a good thing (problems/req spec errors might be caught earlier). But do clients go for it, in your experience?" CreationDate="2015-07-22T15:09:39.527" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6392" PostId="3423" Score="0" Text="Is the NDA broadly written? If you think it could be used maliciously against you (for example if you took on work from a different employer in the same sector) then decide whether it could be said you've &quot;shared information&quot; by virtual of your experience with this project. I'm wary of NDAs, and I think for less than a day's work it's not worth the bother." CreationDate="2015-07-22T15:15:53.167" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6393" PostId="3424" Score="1" Text="I am downvoting (with apologies) as I think the answer is too partisan - it would be better to set out the pros and cons and let the reader decide for themselves. I don't think it is fair to assume the OP wishes to divulge someone else's business secrets - as far as I can tell he is concerned about exposure to legal risk, which is a legitimate worry." CreationDate="2015-07-22T15:18:05.063" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6394" PostId="3424" Score="0" Text="I am not a solicitor, but I'd be keen to discover whether the wording of a particular NDA would effectively prevent me from working in a similar business area, by virtue of the secret knowledge I am unavoidably using." CreationDate="2015-07-22T15:22:21.813" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6396" PostId="3508" Score="1" Text="Agree on coffee shops. I find general public background noise less disruptive than a pet begging for attention. You may find that various stores and restaurant chains offer free access. Though, keep an eye out if you need telnet, ssh, or vpn access as some networks are a bit restrictive. Another way to disconnect is to develop some aspects local only and then integrate them later when connected again." CreationDate="2015-07-22T15:54:05.147" UserId="8251" />
  <row Id="6397" PostId="3508" Score="0" Text="@Max: the point about non-filtered internet access is a good one. However of the ~15 public wifi points I use in the UK, I think only one is filtered (SSH and related services don't work). It may vary by location, but generally it is harder to add in firewalling/filtering than just offering ordinary wifi `:-)`. Of course, it is ideal to carry a wifi dongle - bandwidths are increasing now, and costs are decreasing, and so this is becoming more viable for remote workers." CreationDate="2015-07-22T17:11:47.927" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6398" PostId="3466" Score="0" Text="I don't know how Freelancing SE works, but on Stack Overflow, link-only answers are usually either converted into a comment, or deleted. Since you logged in yesterday, I guess you've seen Amelia's comment?" CreationDate="2015-07-22T17:14:33.280" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6399" PostId="3508" Score="0" Text="This is a good point. It is like any other business, and obviously I'm trying to minimize costs. I gave it a try for a couple days last week. However, I miss my home environment with a proper desk chair, and a large monitor. Coffee shops don't do well for me because of the noise, poor ergonomic setup, and inconsistency as far as weather it's full and has working Internet. I'll have to try a couple other spaces, but generally I've felt more focused on a working environment." CreationDate="2015-07-22T17:38:37.003" UserId="6082" />
  <row Id="6400" PostId="3508" Score="0" Text="@dtj: I see your point, but I think you'll need to accept a trade off. You want to escape the confines of an apartment to reduce isolation - a substantial and well-known risk for solo workers - and it may be that you'll need to accept a less comfy chair to get the more social environment. To deal with café noise, is it workable for you to use headphones? I find that since music is a bubble of &quot;my own noise&quot;, it is less distracting than silence, oddly enough." CreationDate="2015-07-22T18:03:05.173" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6401" PostId="3508" Score="0" Text="Certainly I'd expect co-working spaces to have more appropriate chairs than coffee-shops - and this is what you're paying for. I imagine if you move into a co-working space for the long term, they'd even let you take your chair there!" CreationDate="2015-07-22T18:04:26.063" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6402" PostId="3508" Score="0" Text="Music doesn't work for me either, just nice quiet :). The space I tried had library style long tables, with ok chairs, but not proper office chairs. So perhaps I should look for another. Not as concerned about comfort as much as ensuring that I don't destroy my neck/back/hands with hours of improper seating a day." CreationDate="2015-07-22T18:11:28.320" UserId="6082" />
  <row Id="6403" PostId="3508" Score="0" Text="@dtj: yes, if you want to solve this problem, look up all of the co-working offices within an acceptable commute distance, where the price is acceptable to you, and visit them all. Don't be put off by one that was not ideal. NYC must have _loads_ of co-working spaces!" CreationDate="2015-07-22T18:20:07.733" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6404" PostId="3128" Score="0" Text="Does the Indian banking system allow for regular payments to be set up between accounts? Here in the UK we call them Standing Orders; there may be a local equivalent." CreationDate="2015-07-22T18:31:19.650" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6405" PostId="3511" Score="1" Text="Definitely wouldn't include testing a s a line item billable.  You don't bill them for source code repository setup and other key parts of a solid development process, you bill them for quality results.  The testing you should be discussing with them is acceptance testing to provide a means for both sides to agree in advance on completion criteria." CreationDate="2015-07-22T19:07:26.170" UserId="1818" />
  <row Id="6406" PostId="3492" Score="0" Text="[This answer](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/a/3334/8370) suggests that a 20-30% deposit is good starting point, with milestone payments for the remainder, as @Peter suggests." CreationDate="2015-07-22T21:31:39.650" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6407" PostId="3496" Score="0" Text="I agree with your advice, but I don't know if the comparison with suppliers in general is a fair one. If you are including in that category, say, a plumber or a electrician doing half a day's work, that would not compare to a web development project that might stretch over weeks. In fact, for longer home-improvement projects, charging at least for materials up-front is quite common, at least here in the UK." CreationDate="2015-07-22T21:34:16.123" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6408" PostId="3033" Score="0" Text="I have a very similar question, which this mostly answers - thanks! Did you switch to a Limited company for the liability limitation, or did you start to encounter clients who prefer this for VAT purposes?" CreationDate="2015-07-22T21:52:15.010" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6409" PostId="3496" Score="0" Text="Materials yes, which is why I mentioned equipment and licenses. But not for labor.I agree that services done in one day, e.g. plumber or electrician, it would be all paid at once, but for extended home improvement, I would only post up front for materials" CreationDate="2015-07-23T02:15:01.893" UserId="1818" />
  <row Id="6410" PostId="3388" Score="0" Text="I'm closing this question as off-topic because it is a theoretical question about a potential business plan, and is more about crowdsourcing/FOSS (Free Open Source Software) than Freelancing." CreationDate="2015-07-23T08:44:13.320" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="6411" PostId="3493" Score="0" Text="Thanks halfer .. i will look over your suggestion and will get back to you ." CreationDate="2015-07-23T10:05:12.490" UserId="8354" />
  <row Id="6412" PostId="3408" Score="0" Text="I suspect &quot;CF&quot; needs expanding to &quot;crowd-funding&quot;, not sure it is clear. Your post starts off OK, but the last para is rather too focussed on your own plans and conversations/meetings with Important People - whilst I wish you all the luck in the world, I think this  could do with toning down a bit!" CreationDate="2015-07-23T10:56:32.627" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6414" PostId="3511" Score="0" Text="@cdkMoose: well, repo configuration is such a trivial task that it is clearly not worth itemising. I put software testing at 20% of time spent, but Amelia is probably correct that it is more than that. Whilst I don't disagree with the above advice, I can't think of a better example category of work that takes so much time and yet ought not be itemised." CreationDate="2015-07-23T11:21:54.913" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6415" PostId="3511" Score="0" Text="@halfer see the edit I just made." CreationDate="2015-07-23T12:00:18.803" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="6417" PostId="3213" Score="1" Text="@user45623: I imagine the editing culture varies from one SE site to another, but on Stack Overflow, conversational intros are usually trimmed as noise, as are salutations, thanks, etc. Chatty material can go in comments if really necessary. I'd _like_ to see the same brevity here, but I neither know the editing guidelines here, nor wield the necessary points for an editor's pen `:-)`" CreationDate="2015-07-23T18:41:25.457" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6418" PostId="3518" Score="0" Text="I much appreciate your answer,  but I don't think manual testing is sufficient, unless we're talking about an app of fairly trivial complexity. Perhaps I've just been unlucky with the sprawling, legacy codebases I've been landed with, but many a time I've adjusted something of horrendous complexity and it's inexplicably caused a bug or regression elsewhere. Even after pushing it to a staging server and getting a customer nod!" CreationDate="2015-07-23T20:09:57.327" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6419" PostId="3518" Score="0" Text="My half-way house may be to write browser tests for just the display of all screens, and to hold off unit testing. This will catch a proportion of problems - it isn't really good enough, in my view, but at least it'll only account for a small fraction of billable time. For longer projects perhaps I can build on top of that." CreationDate="2015-07-23T20:12:05.053" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6420" PostId="3518" Score="1" Text="You wrote that `I'm looking to get started as a freelance developer` and implied that you don't expect your clients to be knowledgeable, so I got the impression that you wouldn't be jumping straight into sprawling legacy codebases. I wrote from the assumption your projects would be started from scratch. Of course, the nature of testing that is or isn't required will depend on the type of software you're building." CreationDate="2015-07-24T01:19:57.027" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6421" PostId="3510" Score="0" Text="Another thing to bang your head over is whether they're willing to pay for you to document your own code..." CreationDate="2015-07-24T03:40:29.243" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6422" PostId="3033" Score="0" Text="Both. I have a mortgage so it protects my personal assets (as long as i dont break the law etc.) and makes me more credible to potential customers." CreationDate="2015-07-24T07:57:53.537" UserId="1148" />
  <row Id="6423" PostId="3518" Score="0" Text="I should think clients exist that are not particularly knowledgeable and have legacy codebases. I'd certainly prefer to do greenfield development, but I may need to take what I am given in the early days. And, to be fair, I'd prefer to add some form of tests to everything." CreationDate="2015-07-24T08:54:16.760" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6424" PostId="3510" Score="0" Text="@user45623: I always comment code, which is the first form of documentation. I'd keep at least some minimal other docs, like some simple tech specs or install docs, as items of work rolled into the base cost." CreationDate="2015-07-24T08:56:06.220" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6425" PostId="3033" Score="0" Text="Alright, thanks. I plan to start off as a sole trader, as it feels easier to set up, but knowing that a switch is worthwhile is helpful." CreationDate="2015-07-24T08:57:12.747" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6426" PostId="3521" Score="1" Text="Is it agreed by all parties that Part 1 of the code belongs to you? I appreciate Company A has not paid for this part to be developed, but do they pay any ongoing SaaS fees? If they &quot;got this for free&quot; it may require some delicate negotiating to charge Company B for this part. Since Company A and B are linked (by virtue of being owned by the same people) you can open out this negotiation by showing that whilst you own the rights to Part 1, you are providing Company A with a free license for as long as you are developing on Part 2." CreationDate="2015-07-24T10:37:59.593" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6427" PostId="3521" Score="0" Text="Of course, you could give a free Part 1 license to the new company if they ask you to develop Part 3 for them..." CreationDate="2015-07-24T10:40:28.973" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6428" PostId="3521" Score="0" Text="(And if it is a general use framework perhaps it is not particularly worth charging for. If this is like charging for Laravel or Rails then perhaps it _should_ be free?)" CreationDate="2015-07-24T10:41:31.847" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6429" PostId="3521" Score="0" Text="Cheers for the response(s) halfer. Yes it is agreed it's my code (I was very specific with them about this and wanted them to understand). They don't pay ongoing fees for this. Even if development for Company A stops, I am happy for them to use it for free because this is what I originally agreed with them.  I see what you're saying re: Laravel/Rails, they are definitely considerably better than what I've made, but at the same time I don't want to devalue the code I've provided them (I appreciate the irony that I'm using FOSS for pretty much the whole of their server)." CreationDate="2015-07-24T10:52:19.847" UserId="8412" />
  <row Id="6430" PostId="3520" Score="2" Text="Have a warranty + disclaimer in your contract. Also, the company is the one that needs insurance, but 90% of the time that company also mandates that the contractor also has insurance so they don't have to pay for claims on their own insurance, which is quite possibly murky legal territory." CreationDate="2015-07-24T12:16:48.887" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="6431" PostId="3519" Score="0" Text="This is probably too broad a question for the _Freelancing_ site; it's rather close to asking how to do the work, and part of the reason you are being hired is that you know (or should know) how to plan software projects. Broadly you need a requirements analysis, which will specify in detail what the app will do. Some customers will be sufficiently detail-savvy to understand what is required here, others will need some of your time to plan this out. This should show every screen, every feature, every kind of customer scenario, in order to help you estimate the effort involved." CreationDate="2015-07-24T18:35:48.850" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6432" PostId="3519" Score="0" Text="It may be of interest that I've [written an article](https://blog.jondh.me.uk/2015/07/a-theory-of-software-freelancing/) on some of my thoughts on planning a project, but bear in mind I'm not (yet) a freelancer, so perhaps some of it can be taken with a pinch of salt." CreationDate="2015-07-24T18:37:13.417" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6433" PostId="3520" Score="0" Text="Related: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/3340/how-do-freelance-web-developers-approach-security-and-liability" CreationDate="2015-07-24T18:41:08.840" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6434" PostId="3519" Score="0" Text="Thanks, that even helps me to get a broader understanding of the process." CreationDate="2015-07-24T20:12:29.810" UserId="8405" />
  <row Id="6435" PostId="3466" Score="0" Text="Apologies for the downvote. If you can improve this answer, I will revert it." CreationDate="2015-07-24T23:20:07.543" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6438" PostId="3334" Score="0" Text="I do, I am some what flexible I must admit and tend to look for the next milestone around 2-3weeks and not invoice if I've not hit it. I should be tougher on me and them. I find more go for it and even works to help one client who insisted on 30day terms so I would invoice every two weeks as counter to his end of month request. So that was in waiting 4-6 not 8-10 weeks. I can't do monthly work on long terms normally." CreationDate="2015-07-25T15:52:04.330" UserId="1583" />
  <row Id="6439" PostId="3334" Score="0" Text="I find if you ask if they have an accounts department or external company they are more likely to push the terms with all people they work with. So just get the name of the accounts department early and be aware. Most direct to client work pays in less than a week" CreationDate="2015-07-25T15:53:30.987" UserId="1583" />
  <row Id="6440" PostId="3311" Score="1" Text="This criticism of someone's English writing is rather harsh, given the inconsistent case usage, incorrect spelling, and awkward phraseology within the answer itself. I think I agree with the point it makes, but perhaps not the tone: being honest does not mean diplomacy needs to be abandoned entirely." CreationDate="2015-07-25T16:42:05.600" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6441" PostId="3311" Score="0" Text="@halfer Feel free to correct my English. I am not a native speaker. Even though no client of mine had ever complained about my English or not being able to understand me." CreationDate="2015-07-25T17:27:42.043" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6442" PostId="3311" Score="0" Text="I'd be happy to adjust it if I had immediate edit rights here, but that might be to miss the point I am making anyway `:-)`." CreationDate="2015-07-25T18:42:22.097" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6443" PostId="1159" Score="0" Text="I've voted to close this question as opinion-based (Freelancer SE cannot realistically have a question for all freelancer skills for all areas of the world). However, I think the post can be improved: there is a sub-question in here about charging the same amount in different areas of the world, for which people may be able to offer some real-world experience." CreationDate="2015-07-26T10:00:33.257" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6444" PostId="1170" Score="5" Text="Downvoted, with apologies. Workers in different areas of the world must try not to bad-mouth their competition based on their nationality, and the suggestion that &quot;Indian developers are always considered to be some of the best&quot; is always going to be highly subjective." CreationDate="2015-07-26T10:03:57.867" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6451" PostId="3524" Score="1" Text="Hi David, welcome to Freelancing.SE! Can you please [edit] your answer to explain that it's your blog, and that you're not just spamming it? It's also much better if you can add the critical points from that blog post into your answer. Thanks!" CreationDate="2015-07-27T17:06:10.260" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6453" PostId="2854" Score="0" Text="@Peter: it is very hard to get a search engine to remove a website from its indexes, and mostly that is a good thing." CreationDate="2015-07-28T09:02:07.460" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6456" PostId="2102" Score="0" Text="@cdkMoose: I agree with Scott's advice, but I might take issue with part of yours. There are many clients who will try to push the price down as hard as they can, and such clients have not considered the impact to their business if their freelancer decides to refuse future work. Even where there is healthy competition, the freelancer is likely to have acquired domain or project knowledge that will take time to replace. It is thus in the interests of the experienced client that their freelancer is happy." CreationDate="2015-07-28T09:11:30.773" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6457" PostId="2102" Score="0" Text="@halfer It is also in the interests of the freelancer to keep a happy.  Clients will try to push the price down and freelancers will be trying to push their earnings up, that is business and negotiations.  I've been in the industry for a long time, and I have yet to find a developer who couldn't be replaced.  Some would be more painful to replace than others, but there is a tipping point.  Successful business requires that both sides win some." CreationDate="2015-07-28T13:16:12.600" UserId="1818" />
  <row Id="6458" PostId="3527" Score="0" Text="Hi Nate, welcome to Freelancing.SE! I see a lot of these questions has been asked already on here, and would suggest reading those ones first. As well, if you read [ask], it does ask to keep separate questions separate - you are essentially asking 5 major questions in one, which is not encouraged on the StackExchange Network. Once you read some other questions (try sorting by popular votes first, and reading those ones), I invite you to come back here, and ask about a *specific* problem that makes up one single questions for us to answer. Hope this helps! Questions, see [chat] or [meta] :)" CreationDate="2015-07-28T16:32:17.243" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6459" PostId="3521" Score="0" Text="Did you provide source for Part 1 or just executables? For company B, do they want to alter the existing codebase for Partt 1 or Part 2?" CreationDate="2015-07-29T13:42:10.033" UserId="1818" />
  <row Id="6460" PostId="2102" Score="0" Text="@cdkMoose: I think we agree with each other. Since you've been in the industry a long time, you clearly won't have been working for clients who pay less than a minimum wage, or who try to claw back all payments if any milestone is a day late (saw that gem on Upwork last week). These are ways to make a freelancer unhappy, and a freelancer will (correctly) fire a client if it goes on too long. That might not put the client out of business, but it's still a business risk from the client's perspective." CreationDate="2015-07-29T15:06:18.147" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6461" PostId="2102" Score="1" Text="@Halfer, agreed, but there are also freelancers that will try to under deliver or tack on extra charges.  It goes both ways.  There are good and bad on both sides and regardless of which side you are on, you need to protect yourself." CreationDate="2015-07-29T15:11:22.370" UserId="1818" />
  <row Id="6464" PostId="2854" Score="1" Text="You'll get nowhere with $2000. If you are in web development then you must know a few things about SEO.... Sometimes, clients feel cheated because they get promised quality and coding that end up not being worth the cost and time; this client must really have felt cheated if he was willing to put so much efforts into this. I came across a website from Adodisfraud.com with similar issue than yours...! Best you can do is make sure you won't do the same mistakes you did with that one angry client, and make sure you deliver what you promised :(" CreationDate="2015-07-30T07:53:22.247" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="6465" PostId="3527" Score="1" Text="Be aware, in the US minors can **not** enter legal agreements. You **can't** own a business as a minor.  You **must** be a legal adult to own a business. Your desire has little to do with anything. If you can't **legally** be held responsible, I'm uncertain how many legitimate businesses would hire you even if you're web dev kung fu was fantastic." CreationDate="2015-07-30T09:32:02.523" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="6467" PostId="3537" Score="0" Text="Hey Adrien. Is it possible to summarize some of the points in the links? What we are ideally looking for is the answer to the question to be hosted *here*, on this site.  If the links were to break, your answer will be useless to future visitors with the same problem. Thank you." CreationDate="2015-07-31T07:03:21.693" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="6469" PostId="3537" Score="0" Text="@jmort253 I'd like to but I do not have the time for this. The amount of information in the provided resources is too big to be summarized. I'll try add a few points that can help the OP to get started however." CreationDate="2015-07-31T07:31:56.830" UserId="5516" />
  <row Id="6470" PostId="3537" Score="1" Text="I think that would suffice to include a brief summary, perhaps a paragraph or two. Thanks for putting the time in to collect these resources. It is a fascinating topic." CreationDate="2015-07-31T07:38:59.120" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="6471" PostId="3537" Score="1" Text="done. I hope it's enough. I think that'll be some good guidelines for people getting started with this" CreationDate="2015-07-31T07:43:55.417" UserId="5516" />
  <row Id="6473" PostId="3527" Score="0" Text="@Nate Most freelancers are not even &quot;inc..&quot; or registered. But you'll need an adult to back you up anyway. The other issue is that you can sign contracts but they can easily be void if you're a minor, so again... it'd be better with an adult to co-sign. One major issue is the credit card that you'll need for essential services for your freelance projects. I still encourage you to get started, lot of entrepreneurs started before they were 18, with some help. Don't let others stop you. Here is a link with info https://www.sba.gov/blogs/6-things-you-need-know-about-starting-business-minor" CreationDate="2015-07-31T12:57:28.827" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="6489" PostId="3537" Score="0" Text="Hey Adrien, this is absolutely fantastic. Thanks for sharing these resources and for briefly summarizing them into points. Should be of great help." CreationDate="2015-08-03T06:27:10.757" UserId="7696" />
  <row Id="6490" PostId="3542" Score="0" Text="What they typically do is to share a folder with some work, and then add more over time. E.g. they agree to purchase five blog posts per week, and add the materials each week whenever her contact gets around to it. I think since there is also some delay between knowing files are available and doing the work, she has to remember which platform the client she's switching into and is finding that irritating." CreationDate="2015-08-05T01:53:02.053" UserId="8503" />
  <row Id="6492" PostId="3547" Score="1" Text="This is primarily opinion based and depends on the country you live in. Only you can determine this and still won't be sure if you're wrong. So do as we all do: each new project, try increasing your rate until you're fine with it. Another solution is to check odesk.com and find contractors from your country and see their average price. I did this when I first started freelancing." CreationDate="2015-08-05T11:05:47.027" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6494" PostId="3548" Score="1" Text="Have you considered charging him for the time it takes you to transfer things from the phone call to Slack?" CreationDate="2015-08-05T17:40:03.523" UserId="8160" />
  <row Id="6495" PostId="3558" Score="0" Text="Extra paperwork for *what* exactly? For being foreign to the UK company? For being a German? For depositing money? What do you have already, and what do the contracts stipulate? Do they include everything you need to get paid, and report your income as required?" CreationDate="2015-08-05T18:11:10.577" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6496" PostId="3558" Score="0" Text="For being registered in Germany and working for a UK company. I have all I need for working for a German company as a *Freiberufler*. I would be working as a freelancer for that company too." CreationDate="2015-08-05T18:16:50.237" UserId="8190" />
  <row Id="6497" PostId="3558" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke see my comment, hope that helps enough" CreationDate="2015-08-05T18:25:12.747" UserId="8190" />
  <row Id="6498" PostId="1170" Score="0" Text="@halfer - Many of my clients said that and hence I had to mention it here too. Some clients have the impression of getting cheap labour and quality. If they get it via an Indian or any other asian country, they feel like that. On the other hand, I have had clients who only believe in American and European developers because they are willing to pay more and trust more in developers from these parts. So, for them, these developers are the best in the world. I did not know that sharing a real life example would be downvoted" CreationDate="2015-08-06T04:44:58.980" UserId="1563" />
  <row Id="6499" PostId="3548" Score="0" Text="Good approach. Will probably do it in my next projects. INot sure it will work well for a fixed price project. What would you suggest on the rate I should apply for calls? Should it be the same as when I do get things done or lower? Something else?" CreationDate="2015-08-06T07:29:51.010" UserId="8105" />
  <row Id="6500" PostId="1170" Score="2" Text="I think you must have know how contentious that statement was going to be when you wrote it. I reiterate my wish that you do not try to compete on nationality - there is no link between nationality and quality, and it is approaching flag-waving nationalism to say so." CreationDate="2015-08-06T08:23:11.840" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6501" PostId="3557" Score="0" Text="Loved the book." CreationDate="2015-08-06T10:11:11.657" UserId="8521" />
  <row Id="6502" PostId="3557" Score="0" Text="Yes, excellent, then you know just what I mean! Also, I haven't read the subsequent book(s?), and I'm looking forward to them." CreationDate="2015-08-06T12:07:32.520" UserId="8459" />
  <row Id="6503" PostId="3548" Score="0" Text="Use google sheets - It has versioning feature which will have sanity check on both parties. Make sure you have &quot;hours worked&quot; column  and discuss it with client that you will strictly adhere to work hours in that sheet. And decide on milestones like every 5-10 hours Client needs to pay before you do anything else." CreationDate="2015-08-06T14:49:45.193" UserId="7774" />
  <row Id="6504" PostId="3556" Score="1" Text="An independent programmer NEVER sells the exclusive rights to his source code... those snippets are developed and aggregated over time!  It is the PRODUCT that the customer is buying (and potentially, on-going support)" CreationDate="2015-08-07T06:27:12.300" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="6505" PostId="3505" Score="1" Text="Whatever payment terms you agree, if working for/with a Big Company, be prepared for them to be exceeded!" CreationDate="2015-08-07T06:29:36.333" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="6506" PostId="3505" Score="0" Text="While &quot;Payment due with Invoice&quot; is ideal, 30 day terms are quite common.  Ultimately, this is down to negotiation, and do get it in writing!" CreationDate="2015-08-07T06:30:47.463" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="6507" PostId="2875" Score="0" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because this is not about Freelancing" CreationDate="2015-08-07T06:32:26.673" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="6508" PostId="3562" Score="1" Text="Thanks for the answer, I'm working in Germany directly for the client. So I guess I don't need to change anything and invoice them normally." CreationDate="2015-08-07T10:48:44.330" UserId="8190" />
  <row Id="6509" PostId="3562" Score="0" Text="In that case, then yes.  I have done the reverse (working for a German client, from the UK) and just submitted an invoice... Feel free to upvote/accept the answer :)" CreationDate="2015-08-07T10:55:17.037" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="6510" PostId="3556" Score="0" Text="That's not always (or even often) accurate. A programmer doesn't sell *all related source code* to what he produces for a client, but usually a contract will involve that specific source code coming under the ownership of your client." CreationDate="2015-08-07T12:11:10.100" UserId="8459" />
  <row Id="6512" PostId="3556" Score="0" Text="Where does one draw the line - obviously there's going to be some project specific code that you don't mind handing over. When does it stop being specific to _their_ app and start being specific to _an_ app? I supposed this is the same as asking, what's reasonable to retain..." CreationDate="2015-08-10T15:34:36.600" UserId="8520" />
  <row Id="6513" PostId="3567" Score="1" Text="What information have you researched so far? Who told you about becoming a freelancing on the Europian level? Did they have any documentation about that?" CreationDate="2015-08-10T17:11:08.423" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6514" PostId="3547" Score="0" Text="@Allenph, I encourage you to ask at least $30-40 per hour. If you want to keep it reasonable then find a system that encourage your clients to refer you to their network or to buy more services from you. Too low is not good. Some tricks here: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/3326/how-can-i-get-paid-more-despite-disclosing-my-hourly-rate/3336#3336 and maybe find a good designer to work with you, most of us constantly need to hire coders or get asked to refer one: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/661/finding-a-freelancing-partner-for-small-business/3362#3362" CreationDate="2015-08-11T04:46:24.987" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="6516" PostId="3556" Score="0" Text="Well, that's the rub, right?  Where does that line exist? You can't exclusively sell a *way* of solving a problem, just like you can't exclusively sell (say) the plan for building a fence. The way I define it is in relation to its environment --I'm probably not going to solve *this* problem in *this* environment again, so that mostly-unique configuration is what I'm selling." CreationDate="2015-08-11T13:40:44.073" UserId="8459" />
  <row Id="6518" PostId="3569" Score="0" Text="Are you asking for the specific code and section? That may be more on topic for the Law.SE (in beta as well), but I don't see how that section would help freelancers in general... Can you [edit] to make your question a little more clear?" CreationDate="2015-08-11T21:08:06.753" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6519" PostId="3569" Score="0" Text="No. Just from a high level perspective. Also, I have re-worded my question." CreationDate="2015-08-12T05:36:19.173" UserId="8568" />
  <row Id="6520" PostId="3569" Score="0" Text="I still don't see how this is a good fit for this site. It's not describing a problem you as a freelancer are experiencing, which is what this site is about. If anything, it also feels extremely broad/open ended, with no single right answer" CreationDate="2015-08-12T05:41:56.150" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6521" PostId="3572" Score="0" Text="Do you think this is professional? I find that not answering on phone is rude." CreationDate="2015-08-12T07:29:11.807" UserId="8105" />
  <row Id="6523" PostId="3572" Score="0" Text="@Anass Option: hire someone to take all the calls and sort them. But for rudeness, some clients send bits of info instead of gathering their thoughts, use freelancers as a virtual assistants, or notepads; it's alright IF there's a mutual agreement to this. If the client wants to micro-manage in this way, there's a price for this. If you're not charging an extra for all the phone calls, then not answering for 1-3 hours is not rude; who knows, you could be having an appointment with a client. How would you feel being that other client if your designer answer all the calls during the appointment?" CreationDate="2015-08-12T10:52:09.310" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="6525" PostId="3083" Score="0" Text="-1 You flat tire example doesn't fit the OP's issue. There's a third party, the friend. A lot of time these situations seem worse than they truly are because of the undefined terms. The parents probably don't even care paying for the site; it's probably the friend who is confusing the whole thing. I don't know with who you're doing business but I think polite human beings can easily get #1 by simply using the techniques of Peter MV and Voxwoman. $50? Really, business owners are not that cheap, it's all deductible too... You exaggerate and project yourself a lot in the OP" CreationDate="2015-08-12T12:54:40.847" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="6526" PostId="3569" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke, I think the answer should be very  objective,specific and not broad. I don't think the answer to my question should be subjective and based on opinions. I could perhaps move it to another Stack Exchange topic if you feel it does not belong here." CreationDate="2015-08-12T14:37:07.253" UserId="8568" />
  <row Id="6534" PostId="3567" Score="0" Text="As far as I am aware, despite the *Single European Market* there is no such thing as freelancing on a *European Level* - the rules about taxation and especially social taxes are very opaque, and I commend proper legal and/or accounting advice!" CreationDate="2015-08-13T05:33:46.817" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="6535" PostId="3572" Score="2" Text="Unless your contract reads that you offer phone support, I don't see it as 'unprofessional' to not answer the phone. Premium support is a common value added service in many industries. If - as you state in your question - phone conversations make you less productive, I'd argue that not answering the phone *is* professional." CreationDate="2015-08-13T19:39:56.590" UserId="820" />
  <row Id="6536" PostId="3066" Score="0" Text="National Insurance is what Christina means." CreationDate="2015-08-15T11:22:08.097" UserId="8623" />
  <row Id="6537" PostId="3569" Score="0" Text="Question could have been simply &quot;Is a visa necessary for freelancer on Elance!&quot;" CreationDate="2015-08-15T12:52:16.333" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="6540" PostId="3567" Score="0" Text="Dear all, thank you for your replies. The reason I asked is because last year we got a legislation training at work given by a former lawyer.He has mentioned this European Level but since i couldn't find anything about it on the internet I thought I would try here. It's so hard to find your way in these cobwebs called legislation." CreationDate="2015-08-18T20:10:53.147" UserId="8548" />
  <row Id="6541" PostId="3587" Score="2" Text="Hi Erikkli, welcome to Freelancing.SE! For this answer to be useful, can you cite a resource that explains when to charge VAT and when not to? This post got flagged for being low quality, and it may be removed if it's not improved. Use the [edit] link to edit the post with more information. If you need help, drop by [chat] or [meta], and we'd be happy to help you make this a better answer." CreationDate="2015-08-19T16:39:25.423" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6543" PostId="3590" Score="2" Text="Oh yes, I totally agree with reading contracts - something I am quite fastidious upon. I'm wanting to arm myself with foreknowledge before being hurried into a contract, having not signed this kind before. I am also keen to keep the relationship as even as possible - if my position as a contractor is at risk with a day's notice then I would prefer that to work both ways. To my naive eyes, that seems fair!" CreationDate="2015-08-19T17:21:38.620" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6544" PostId="3590" Score="0" Text="My main reason that I might have for leaving a contract early is the commutability of the roles I am looking at. I use public transport (gave up the car years ago) and, having become used to local and remote working, I am not sure how I will take to 2.5+ hours of commuting every day. I'm not looking to dump a contract as soon as a better one comes in `:-)`." CreationDate="2015-08-19T17:29:53.883" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6545" PostId="3591" Score="0" Text="Thanks for your reply. Ah yes, so we are back to the thorny issue of contracts, as per your answer on my other question! If I have to sign something to say I won't discuss remuneration, then I may have to place a metaphorical clothes-peg on my nose and keep to that agreement. However it strikes me that the main purpose of such a clause is particularly to hide the extra skimming that the recruiter might be carrying on, and this veers so sharply towards dishonesty that I would want to detect it. Your answer implies, I think, that I should tolerate it, or that I cannot find it out anyway." CreationDate="2015-08-19T18:09:31.347" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6546" PostId="3588" Score="0" Text="Whilst it is not the purpose of my question, if anyone can give rough indications of what margins recruiters work to, I'd be curious to learn. I don't think that merits its own question, and may well vary so widely that it's not particularly answerable. I might have a dig on the wider interwebs also!" CreationDate="2015-08-19T19:38:24.687" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6547" PostId="3588" Score="0" Text="I found a [London-based recruiter chewing a wasp](http://www.contractoruk.com/agencies/how_much_agency_commission_do_agents_take.html), and he/she had the following entirely unbiased perspective to offer: &quot;Frankly, it is a matter between the agency and client and the reason some contractors get excited by it, when permanent staff don't, says more about the nature of some contractors, it's really none of their concern&quot;. Ouch! `;-)`" CreationDate="2015-08-19T21:47:09.297" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6548" PostId="3594" Score="0" Text="(Side note: double-return here creates a paragraph break, which makes posts easier to read. This would be better as two or three paras, in my view)." CreationDate="2015-08-19T23:52:44.060" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6549" PostId="3593" Score="0" Text="Thanks for your thoughts. I think this is part of the answer I'm after - everyone agrees to exclusivity clauses so I should just do the same. Furthermore, I suppose if I am not comfortable with agreeing to them, then recruiters may choose not to deal with me, and I may not get any work. However, as you state, the reason may be to protect recruiters from competitive effects that may harm their cut and increase the contractor's salary. That would imply that contractors should be wary about signing them, right?" CreationDate="2015-08-20T12:24:09.453" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6550" PostId="3594" Score="0" Text="it is a town afterall. I would not call that extremely slow. Frustrating, yes." CreationDate="2015-08-21T13:21:32.693" UserId="8668" />
  <row Id="6551" PostId="3593" Score="0" Text="I have signed that agreement many times. At the beginning of most recruiters calls they ask you have you ever applied to company ABC. To make sure they are not competing with someone else's clause" CreationDate="2015-08-21T16:54:20.533" UserId="8649" />
  <row Id="6556" PostId="3607" Score="0" Text="Would you edit this to indicate what a &quot;VPO&quot; is? Vary Payment Order?" CreationDate="2015-08-24T21:41:48.960" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6560" PostId="3611" Score="0" Text="Not knowing the law there (why this is a comment and not an answer), I'd refer to the contract you had written up for them, and threaten to take them to court if they don't pay for the services they received from you. I don't know how it would work though, since they're outside your country though." CreationDate="2015-08-26T16:55:24.397" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6562" PostId="3620" Score="0" Text="PS - I just noticed it's for a website.  Are they a web development company or the company that will use the website?  If they are not a web development company themselves I definitely would not sign over the rights to your intellectual property.  I would do the website so they have the rights to have someone else work with the code in the future and they have all rights to use it, but not to resell it, and you also retain all rights to reuse yourself.  Even for a competitor of theirs.  Let's say they are a hotel - are you not allowed to do any work for a hotel for 2 years?" CreationDate="2015-08-27T19:25:39.407" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="6563" PostId="3620" Score="0" Text="IAMAL? I am guessing you were going for &quot;I am not a lawyer&quot;? You should always spell that out instead of abbreviating it, just to avoid ambiguity." CreationDate="2015-08-28T02:30:27.647" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6564" PostId="3608" Score="0" Text="You make some fair points here, and quite correctly detect my implied concern about exploitation (I've raised a question [more explicitly about recruiter skimming elsewhere](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/q/3588/8370)). My intention is not to cut recruiters out entirely, but that if I find a recruiter doesn't represent me very well, or I think they're dishonest, I can be represented by someone else for the same client if I discover that role organically." CreationDate="2015-08-28T12:51:30.110" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6565" PostId="3625" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the edits @canadian! I typed it up on on my iPhone..  Thanks again" CreationDate="2015-08-28T17:07:40.033" UserId="8745" />
  <row Id="6566" PostId="3608" Score="0" Text="It sounds like it is standard, but it bothers me too.  I can see signing that you will not go to work directly for the company the recruiter sent you to.  But how they can ask you not to work for other recruiters unless they are guaranteeing you full time employment?  Having another recruiter send you to the same company is a gray area I've not dealt with.  Wouldn't this recruiter already have won the contract with the other company before they staff it with you?  It sounds standard per Roman. But maybe people only agree out of fear of not getting the job." CreationDate="2015-08-28T17:56:59.290" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="6567" PostId="3620" Score="0" Text="@user45623 Sorry, I almost did but I have seen it so much and my posts are so long as it is...  And now I see I have a typo in it... I should have done it like a lawyer: I am not a lawyer (IANAL).  Great, now I just sound anal.  I give up! ;-)" CreationDate="2015-08-28T17:59:36.330" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="6568" PostId="3627" Score="0" Text="Did you have a contract stipulating that you had to immediately turn over all assets when leaving, or that payment was contingent on receipt of those assets?" CreationDate="2015-08-29T01:27:54.023" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6569" PostId="3623" Score="1" Text="Thank you for your answers. The agency confirmed that my certificate was genuine, but still needs a VAT number. I have since found out that Spanish companies can only legally deal with VAT-registered companies including other EU service providers. Anyone smaller like myself is going to sail into hot water. This was not made clear at any stage. A learning process indeed. It's worth broadcasting to any UK/EU freelancers that the only way you can provide an EU-wide service is by registering for VAT in your own country.One person said the choice is stark: 1) Register for VAT 2) Lose your client." CreationDate="2015-08-29T10:44:12.973" UserId="8723" />
  <row Id="6570" PostId="3627" Score="0" Text="No. Besides the emails, there has never been a contract." CreationDate="2015-08-29T17:30:51.243" UserId="8754" />
  <row Id="6571" PostId="3634" Score="0" Text="If you aren't familiar with Windows 10, you have no control over when it updates. It was my system, but I didn't &quot;allow&quot; the update, it just happened." CreationDate="2015-08-29T20:52:49.657" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6572" PostId="3633" Score="0" Text="Windows 10 doesn't give you control over when it updates. Obviously being out of commission for 3 days can't be billed to a client. That's not really comparable to having to reboot your system. I am literally talking about a 10-minute period here, part of which is just opening up their project again." CreationDate="2015-08-29T20:56:58.047" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6574" PostId="3633" Score="1" Text="such small periods should not be an issue. if I felt bad about charging them, I would not charge them. PS. you have control in Win10 or any other Win. You can set update preferences not to upload automatically, but manually. ;)" CreationDate="2015-08-30T09:08:38.390" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6575" PostId="3634" Score="0" Text="Then I'm torn - If it cost you time on their project because of what you were doing when it happened I would bill for that time as it's part of the job.  &#xA;&#xA;But I'm torn on the time Windows consumed: It's an unavoidable part of  doing what they hired you to do (bill for it).  Yet it has to happen for you to be in business regardless of their project - so it's like overhead time needed to run your business - like invoices and taxes (don't bill for it). Do you include time used to use the bathroom or grab some water when it occurs while you're working?  I'd treat it like that." CreationDate="2015-08-30T19:00:02.300" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="6576" PostId="3635" Score="0" Text="I would also be inclined to bill for your time to gather the data key data, since it's something they did not list as a requirement in advance.  And if some of that is your original intellectual property I could be wrong but I believe many people charge extra to turn that over.  Of course if you just want to get your last paycheck, don't introduce these complications, but I definitely would not turn over the data until paid." CreationDate="2015-08-30T19:07:05.157" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="6577" PostId="1421" Score="1" Text="Dana, if you see your unpaid images on his website, you can contact his web host provider and request a DMCA take down of the material. Right transfers don't happen until the bill is paid, and he's using your intellectual property." CreationDate="2015-08-31T03:14:11.247" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="6578" PostId="3633" Score="0" Text="You ostensibly have limited control over when your computer restarts. You can't choose when to start downloading the updates, or installing updates that don't need a restart. Or rather, you can tell it &quot;download any updates now&quot; but not &quot;don't download any updates until later&quot;, nor &quot;don't download or install these specific updates&quot;" CreationDate="2015-08-31T06:54:47.870" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6579" PostId="3634" Score="0" Text="Thanks for your thoughts. I was torn as well, hence posting this question :) . Treating it like a quick trip to the bathroom or for a drink/snack was my best thinking too. Normally I won't stop the clock in those cases unless it takes unusually long. If this kind of problem comes up again (and hopefully it won't) I'll consider whether I could cram in a drink or snack break at the same time - or maybe even look at any new emails from the client on my phone while I'm waiting." CreationDate="2015-08-31T06:59:47.810" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6580" PostId="3633" Score="1" Text="On my Win machines, I set all to manual download and I choose what to download and install." CreationDate="2015-08-31T07:47:43.933" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6583" PostId="3635" Score="0" Text="I wish I could upvote this more than once... NEVER release work you produced until you've been paid! Especially if a client wants *source* files that you were working with, in addition to the final product(s)!" CreationDate="2015-08-31T16:40:35.277" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6584" PostId="3634" Score="0" Text="1. Yes, you can control it. Super User has a few questions about editing the schedule/frequency it checks for, downloads and installs updates. 2. I charge for idle time, but at a reduced rate (if the system is in my shop getting fixed); if I'm on site, still charge the full amount, as they're paying for my time as well." CreationDate="2015-08-31T16:44:25.950" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6585" PostId="3626" Score="0" Text="I like this answer, as you show your partner and you have good communication skills, you have a system in place, and you're both happy to use it." CreationDate="2015-08-31T17:07:16.507" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6587" PostId="3635" Score="0" Text="Thank you so much for your advice. This was my first freelance job and I can see why people complain about this type of job. Thanks for your help." CreationDate="2015-08-31T17:42:11.190" UserId="8754" />
  <row Id="6588" PostId="3635" Score="0" Text="@Allison don't be too discouraged - you definitely learn what to expect and how to protect yourself as you go.  I have found for every jerk client there are at least 10 wonderful clients.  The more you do the better prepared you will be and you'll gradually start attracting a higher class of repeat clients.  This website is invaluable for advice when you don't even know what you should be worrying about!" CreationDate="2015-08-31T21:43:36.363" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="6589" PostId="3578" Score="0" Text="In most of country , employer prefer local candidate first and then if they do not get then of course outside people get chance." CreationDate="2015-09-01T06:11:34.220" UserId="8125" />
  <row Id="6591" PostId="3630" Score="0" Text="Thanks, your agreement that one should look for reciprocal notice periods is reassuring. I am expecting my recruiter contacts to resist if I start red-penning parts of a contract, but it may vary from one recruiter to another. You're right that exiting early should be done with goodwill and consideration." CreationDate="2015-09-01T13:09:23.613" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6592" PostId="3630" Score="0" Text="I'm not sure if you meant &quot;red-pen&quot; literally, but I generally negotiate changes in person or at least on the phone, before I send a markup, so red ink won't be the first they hear about my prefererence. Worst case, I'll send the markup under a cover letter with some introduction of what and why." CreationDate="2015-09-01T14:21:48.090" UserId="514" />
  <row Id="6593" PostId="3630" Score="0" Text="Heh, yes, it's just my turn of phrase `:-)`. Indeed, it's worth negotiating these things, so that a recruiter is diplomatically made aware of changes, rather than being faced with a set of awkward written demands." CreationDate="2015-09-01T14:39:29.080" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6594" PostId="3325" Score="0" Text="Yes please from me, to moving this to a self-answered question!" CreationDate="2015-09-01T14:43:47.390" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="6595" PostId="3641" Score="2" Text="Do you or the client have access to the &quot;proof&quot; the message as opened? Usually once you prove it once, it's good to go" CreationDate="2015-09-01T21:28:07.810" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6596" PostId="3643" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the great insight. I am just turning 23 and I think balancing the time will be a challenge but worth it to get more experience and income. I will try out your tips and charge an hourly rate to ensure I don't stretch myself on time." CreationDate="2015-09-01T22:24:39.423" UserId="8451" />
  <row Id="6597" PostId="3633" Score="0" Text="You have clearly never used Windows 10." CreationDate="2015-09-01T22:51:12.503" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6598" PostId="3634" Score="0" Text="It's not officially supported in the UI. Maybe you can adjust it with registry tweaks I'm not familiar with, but I don't think it's reasonable to expect anyone to be making adjustments in the OS innards to save 10 minutes once in a blue moon." CreationDate="2015-09-01T22:55:55.917" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6599" PostId="3634" Score="0" Text="I have Windows 10 on one PC and I don't remember the exact setting I set but I did something regarding updates and today it said it was going to update but offered to let me reschedule it for later.  The update wasn't optional but it did allow me to postpone it.  Windows 10 even suggested when would be more convenient for me based on my observed work patterns (11:00 p.m.) - a little creepy if you ask me... but I did have the option to keep working on other things and do it later." CreationDate="2015-09-03T00:37:19.270" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="6600" PostId="3656" Score="0" Text="thanks for responding. +1 for sharing that process. Yes I have a contract with this employer just an NDA and agreement that I keep working with them for a year and that already expired the previous year. So I'm working in &quot;freelance&quot; sense but employed abroad. I hope that makes sense. This employer I'm working with is doing a project with another company. Currently I don't issue invoices, I just send the hours I incurred and then my employer abroad will just send me money via paypal." CreationDate="2015-09-04T08:46:29.093" UserId="1793" />
  <row Id="6601" PostId="1555" Score="0" Text="@jmort253 How would you decline professionally? Any phrase you can share? I'm really bad at this." CreationDate="2015-09-04T09:28:58.493" UserId="1793" />
  <row Id="6604" PostId="3660" Score="0" Text="You've got a point. To be honest this employer has begun delaying since last quarter of last year. Because of this I am also suffering with my bills payments which is also delayed. In fact, my internet just got cut off for a while because of it, not to mention the other interests if you pay late in other bills and these interests keep bloating up. So in summary I'm losing incrementally. How about if I tell them that with my current situation I need to work another job and limit my working time with them? How would that sound?" CreationDate="2015-09-04T13:18:41.523" UserId="1793" />
  <row Id="6605" PostId="3660" Score="1" Text="Yes Sure you can tell them because after all it is all about your survival. Tell them that I have to look for another job to survive as not getting payment from you on time. Just be patient with them until you get all pending payment and then you can deny them if not suitable. Because not sure that if they pay on time or late in future." CreationDate="2015-09-04T13:58:21.397" UserId="8125" />
  <row Id="6606" PostId="3652" Score="3" Text="I generally agree, although I think it is acceptable to say something like, &quot;Preferred payment by check. Paypal available plus 4% fee.&quot; YMMV" CreationDate="2015-09-04T22:20:20.670" UserId="70" />
  <row Id="6607" PostId="3652" Score="1" Text="@BradUllery I wouldn't see that as an issue at all. In fact, it could help you encourage your own preferred payment options." CreationDate="2015-09-04T23:49:36.103" UserId="8603" />
  <row Id="6608" PostId="3662" Score="0" Text="You've got a point. My employer indeed acts as a middleman. If I contact the end client wouldn't that cause a legal action? I mean I was in a contract with my employer but it got expired last year already. Also let's say I get the the end client, wouldn't that haunt me in the future if my employer will cause a ruckus? I'm just concerned this employer might spread bad things about me which will affect my reputation with other clients. Or have you done this with success?" CreationDate="2015-09-05T03:15:14.120" UserId="1793" />
  <row Id="6610" PostId="3665" Score="0" Text="Sounds better. I'm not sure how many are working under this employer but I know one and have yet to ask this colleague about this situation or him getting paid on time but like you said &quot;I doubt it&quot;. Do you think it is not inappropriate asking a colleague?" CreationDate="2015-09-05T04:48:22.197" UserId="1793" />
  <row Id="6611" PostId="3662" Score="0" Text="It's a crapshoot. But right now you are working for nothing, without any contract. What do you have to lose? Also, your terminology is confusing. You keep talking about &quot;my employer&quot;, and receiving your &quot;salary on time&quot;. IF you are actually a FTE of this middleman, that changes the whole thing (and you are NOT a freelancer)." CreationDate="2015-09-05T18:03:19.610" UserId="8795" />
  <row Id="6612" PostId="3639" Score="0" Text="Can someone guide me about using payza?" CreationDate="2015-09-05T20:15:54.313" UserId="8737" />
  <row Id="6613" PostId="3662" Score="0" Text="yup you are right, my situation is indeed confusing because I was suppose to work for this employer under a certain contract but the contract has ended and they need me to do more stuffs for them. With that, instead of paying me of the days work we agreed to have it monthly to reduce paypal fees. Sorry if I made it more confusing I couldn't find a better place to ask this question and get reliable answers. Anyway, I already got what I needed and thank you for all your help." CreationDate="2015-09-07T03:33:11.750" UserId="1793" />
  <row Id="6614" PostId="3213" Score="1" Text="@halfer +1 for your insight. I didn't realize that was &quot;the way&quot; on stack sites.  Good to know." CreationDate="2015-09-07T08:42:15.223" UserId="7632" />
  <row Id="6615" PostId="3665" Score="0" Text="It is probably inappropriate and unprofessional -- but I personally would do it anyway, especially if I was friendly with the colleague.  It's also inappropriate not to pay people on time and to mislead them about when you will pay them. Just make sure you have not signed anything saying you will not discuss payments.  They won't like it if they find out because it will be embarrassing, but something like that is only embarrassing if you think you should not have done it..." CreationDate="2015-09-08T20:46:20.323" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="6616" PostId="3666" Score="0" Text="Are you modularizing your projects?" CreationDate="2015-09-08T21:32:29.887" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6618" PostId="3666" Score="0" Text="Are you factoring in the time taken to prepare and present the final PDF into your quote? Or, if hourly, charging them for the time? If either of these are true, then why remove it from the process? THis is the kind of thing which gives the client a warm-and-fuzzy feeling and brings them back for more." CreationDate="2015-09-09T00:17:38.163" UserId="8795" />
  <row Id="6619" PostId="3667" Score="0" Text="Hey there. Welcome to the dark side good sir. A few sites I would recommend (and freelance on) is outsource.com / codersclan.net / stackoverflow careers (I'm sure there are tons of programmers in SO Career looking for contractual projects too) and yes, freelancer.com lol" CreationDate="2015-09-09T00:56:34.147" UserId="7364" />
  <row Id="6620" PostId="3667" Score="0" Text="Envato too is another one but the rates are a tad bit higher than the others though" CreationDate="2015-09-09T00:58:19.690" UserId="7364" />
  <row Id="6621" PostId="3667" Score="1" Text="peopleperhour.com has a good online repute too but I have never tried it so I can't say much about it from my own experience." CreationDate="2015-09-09T01:02:13.630" UserId="7364" />
  <row Id="6622" PostId="3667" Score="1" Text="@Andrew put that information into an answer, and **explain exactly how it solves the op's problem**" CreationDate="2015-09-09T04:34:15.113" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6624" PostId="3667" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke I'm on my phone right now good sir. Will do that as soon as I'm on pc." CreationDate="2015-09-09T13:44:45.960" UserId="7364" />
  <row Id="6626" PostId="3673" Score="0" Text="Didn't want to risk spamming, but if you are using quickbooks it can definitely [do the 1099's for you](http://quickbooks.intuit.com/prepare-1099/). And if you use it properly it can fill out most of your tax return as well." CreationDate="2015-09-09T23:33:55.330" UserId="8795" />
  <row Id="6627" PostId="3673" Score="0" Text="Thanks, Good to know - I don't use QuickBooks, but I may switch to it in the future." CreationDate="2015-09-10T04:21:18.380" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="6628" PostId="3667" Score="0" Text="I tried peopleperhour now.  interestingly, the bidders seem less scammy and there are at least some reasonable ones...but they don't curate much, either, and they do have a good number of likely scams, too." CreationDate="2015-09-10T14:42:13.657" UserId="9834" />
  <row Id="6629" PostId="3675" Score="0" Text="He could probably do it quickly if he started by scraping the CSS style sheets from that site. Not ethical, almost certainly not legal as they contain no licensing information beyond the copyright. But this client is already hoping to get something for nothing." CreationDate="2015-09-10T18:04:34.483" UserId="8795" />
  <row Id="6630" PostId="3676" Score="1" Text="Exactly what you said!  Play innocent.  Sometimes I even make up a helpful &quot;tip sheet&quot; on how to avoid doing something wrong.  Obviously it was a mistake, why it would never occurred to me the person is a deliberate saboteur, so I send my &quot;helpful&quot; tutorial to management so they can make sure everyone is aware not to make the &quot;common mistake&quot; of reporting wanted email as SPAM..." CreationDate="2015-09-11T07:14:24.497" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="6633" PostId="3684" Score="1" Text="Hey, this is great feedback, thanks! And also the video is great!" CreationDate="2015-09-11T13:55:21.797" UserId="9865" />
  <row Id="6634" PostId="708" Score="1" Text="+1 'Dead Sir...' :)" CreationDate="2015-09-11T14:46:05.657" UserId="9871" />
  <row Id="6636" PostId="1660" Score="0" Text="I absolutely agree to this logic! Never burn bridges unnecessarily." CreationDate="2015-09-11T20:30:08.133" UserId="155" />
  <row Id="6637" PostId="3685" Score="1" Text="You took something in work without setting up the terms and price before?" CreationDate="2015-09-13T08:27:37.503" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6638" PostId="3685" Score="0" Text="You must of missed the part where it was originally for my fiancé, and so yes I was never going to charge my fiancé! NOW the company my fiancé works for wants to pay for it." CreationDate="2015-09-13T12:40:31.297" UserId="9882" />
  <row Id="6639" PostId="3685" Score="1" Text="Hourly price is calculated based on multiple parameters. Check the most voted questions here. Another way is to visit upwork and see the average price of contractors from your country in your field of interest." CreationDate="2015-09-13T15:42:16.870" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6640" PostId="3667" Score="0" Text="Try posting your job on Upwork, but not for public. In project settings choose 'Invite Only' and pick good candidates self. If freelancer's job success score less of 85% don't work with him." CreationDate="2015-09-14T13:42:05.507" UserId="5484" />
  <row Id="6641" PostId="3611" Score="0" Text="Note this comes up [every so often](http://www.proz.com/forum/business_issues/174532-intra_community_vat_number_is_it_necessary.html), it is not necessary to be registered for VAT. They just need a number, send them your UTR and say &quot;this is the required reference&quot;, or add text saying your exempt as per British tax law. You can get a VAT number apparently, phone up the HMRC and explain the situation with the Spanish bureaucrats." CreationDate="2015-09-15T13:24:23.037" UserId="9902" />
  <row Id="6642" PostId="1080" Score="0" Text="Docstoc will be closing down effective December 1, 2015." CreationDate="2015-09-15T18:27:54.430" UserId="9907" />
  <row Id="6643" PostId="3611" Score="0" Text="Thanks gbjaanb. I gave the agency my UTR which they ran past the tax office there; it is not the right one, and you shouldn't give your UTR number as this is between you and HMRC. I'd also said I was exempt and showed them my tax resident certificate. Back in July I rang HMRC and they didn't know what I was talking about." CreationDate="2015-09-16T18:12:04.633" UserId="8723" />
  <row Id="6648" PostId="3689" Score="1" Text="http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/917/client-wants-to-pay-a-percentage-of-revenue-generated-by-website/923#923" CreationDate="2015-09-17T18:47:20.990" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="6649" PostId="3666" Score="0" Text="You give a good point. The warm/fuzzy aspect important and the pdf is more or less included. I was just looking for a better process." CreationDate="2015-09-18T01:10:04.000" UserId="2964" />
  <row Id="6650" PostId="3668" Score="0" Text="I haven't delved into video tutorials yet" CreationDate="2015-09-18T01:10:45.387" UserId="2964" />
  <row Id="6652" PostId="3700" Score="0" Text="It sounds like his client would prefer a legal solution" CreationDate="2015-09-18T16:44:31.913" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6653" PostId="2382" Score="0" Text="Holding the client's product or services hostage is not a good solution. It unfairly punishes the client for something that isn't their fault, and they certainly aren't going to take your side after you offline their app." CreationDate="2015-09-18T18:50:52.287" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6654" PostId="481" Score="0" Text="If you switch from email to phone conversations, follow up every teleconference with an email to the client summarising the conversation and any agreements reached during it. This gives both of you a paper trail and ensures you both came away from the meeting with the same understanding." CreationDate="2015-09-18T19:14:32.170" UserId="8795" />
  <row Id="6655" PostId="3702" Score="0" Text="Did they hire others AFTER you informed them of your 4 article intent?" CreationDate="2015-09-18T23:33:48.247" UserId="2669" />
  <row Id="6656" PostId="3701" Score="0" Text="&quot;hold off on some less-important features until the service goes live&quot;  Does this indicate that you have already completed the original scope of the project and it is technically ready, or the original scope is unattainable due to the barrage of extras?" CreationDate="2015-09-19T00:30:22.203" UserId="2669" />
  <row Id="6657" PostId="3701" Score="0" Text="The original scope no longer exists, the scope is changing faster than I complete it. Again, this isn't inherently a problem since I'm getting paid hourly, but I'm concerned we'll never reach a point where we can launch, and eventually they'll run out of money or I'll go crazy. I like the release-early-release-often approach seen on the mobile market, where you put the product out ASAP and update regularly." CreationDate="2015-09-21T03:36:31.093" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6658" PostId="3705" Score="0" Text="While you say I &quot;don't have a right&quot;, there is also the ethical issue of whether to advise the client that I think they're going to waste money or crash-and-burn their project. I've tried suggesting an Agile-like approach where we break the project into sprints and lock the features for each sprint down, but it doesn't work out so neatly, partially because they don't seem very concerned about what order we complete features in and thus never confirm a sprint structure, and partially because sometimes the requirements change enough that the sprints I have planned stop making sense." CreationDate="2015-09-21T03:39:53.280" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6659" PostId="3703" Score="0" Text="I did sign a comprehensive NDA and can't hire any additional staff to work under me without their approval. It's not at the point (at least yet) that I want to walk away from the project, but I don't want to feel like I'm taking advantage of them. I guess for now I'll keep on keeping on, with the idea in mind of insisting that we lock down a final scope if I decide I can no longer provide the services they need. Thanks for your input!" CreationDate="2015-09-21T03:49:55.317" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6660" PostId="3702" Score="0" Text="If the client hired someone else, it's either because you said you were leaving and they needed a replacement, or they don't feel you are worth as much as you are asking. Either way, they are unlikely to devote more funds to you." CreationDate="2015-09-21T04:54:04.743" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6661" PostId="3705" Score="0" Text="Then it's time talk to them professionally in a manner &quot;either we do it properly or I quit&quot;. If you tell this in a polite manner, this will make them realize that you are in charge of the project, but they need to take active part. So if they don't confirm sprint, you don't start it. If this happens often, you quit. And for Sprint, Sprint can finish sooner, but don't expand it. So if they cancel a few tasks, just shorten the sprint." CreationDate="2015-09-21T08:12:08.990" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6662" PostId="3705" Score="0" Text="And when I say quit, I mean tell a professional reminder that they are not acting as you agreed on, you are waiting for their confirmation and lose money. Or you can simply charge wait time as many other guys do." CreationDate="2015-09-21T08:13:09.033" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6663" PostId="3694" Score="0" Text="It would help to know which country you are *in*" CreationDate="2015-09-22T19:42:17.100" UserId="8795" />
  <row Id="6665" PostId="3694" Score="0" Text="Don't you have a VAT number (as an individual) ? The trick is that the customer must make sure that your invoices will be accepted by the French tax authorities and they need to see official registration info." CreationDate="2015-09-23T07:34:25.750" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="6666" PostId="3715" Score="0" Text="As a side note, typical customer reactions are &quot;mh, I passed the invoice to the accounting department, I'll check with them&quot;, which actually means &quot;uh, did they send me an invoice ?!&quot; :)" CreationDate="2015-09-23T07:57:20.673" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="6667" PostId="3715" Score="0" Text="Brilliant - thanks a lot this is really useful, in your remark where you say &quot;you'll never be penalized for that.&quot; do you find customer relationships are effected through enforcing a charge?" CreationDate="2015-09-23T08:58:02.277" UserId="4352" />
  <row Id="6668" PostId="3715" Score="0" Text="The customer knows he is guilty, he doesn't like to be guilty and to be fined. If he believes he is over-punished, he will react negatively. On the opposite if you handle it smartly and show some &quot;understanding&quot;, you will strengthen the relation." CreationDate="2015-09-23T09:10:36.760" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="6669" PostId="3603" Score="0" Text="I confirm that Intra-EC rule, you don't charge the VAT and make a reference to the Council Directive 2008/8/EC, Article 44 instead. Your invoice needs to show the company's VAT number, and the applicable VAT rate." CreationDate="2015-09-23T09:24:09.993" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="6670" PostId="3587" Score="0" Text="This no more applies to intra-community sales." CreationDate="2015-09-23T09:25:28.070" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="6671" PostId="3715" Score="0" Text="That makes sense - thanks for your input @Harry" CreationDate="2015-09-23T09:26:50.237" UserId="4352" />
  <row Id="6672" PostId="3690" Score="1" Text="Though I use to be optimistic and try to help generate business, I prefer to support this answer: such projects are usually dead-born." CreationDate="2015-09-23T09:34:56.593" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="6673" PostId="3666" Score="0" Text="Maybe think about a screen capture recorder, together with audio, for visual tutorials." CreationDate="2015-09-23T09:59:48.717" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="6674" PostId="3641" Score="0" Text="Make very sure that no automatic spam blocking rule is in force anywhere, that would be too bad." CreationDate="2015-09-23T10:27:48.467" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="6676" PostId="3517" Score="0" Text="Anyway, there is no VAT at all on the sales of **services** outside of the EU. Check the US regulations about services." CreationDate="2015-09-23T10:31:03.727" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="6677" PostId="3701" Score="0" Text="Will it help if you tell them gross estimates of work hours for a new feature request ? (And to put these on a calendar to show them the end of the tunnel moving back ?)" CreationDate="2015-09-23T10:39:35.487" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="6681" PostId="3718" Score="0" Text="That's a good point." CreationDate="2015-09-23T18:34:37.110" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="6684" PostId="3702" Score="0" Text="No, they haven't hire the writers yet.  They said it was in the pipeline.  &#xA;&#xA;They hired the editor during the time that I was asking about an increase in my fee though.  I don't even know why they didn't tell me this position was being advertised or available.  They brought someone in from the outside who has the same experience as I do, and is from a much smaller paper. &#xA;&#xA;They are entitled to hire whomever they like of course, but after 2 years of reliable service, and keeping that column alive - I was pretty gutted.  But, that's corporates for you I guess. Never again.  Learned my lesson." CreationDate="2015-09-24T08:41:24.497" UserId="9939" />
  <row Id="6689" PostId="3722" Score="0" Text="Hi Marie, welcome to Freelancing.SE! I fail to see how this is an *answer* to your question, per se. It's great to let us know how it turned out, but what I see in this response has been said already by the other two answers posted here." CreationDate="2015-09-24T19:12:18.127" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6690" PostId="3709" Score="0" Text="Where is the site being hosted? On servers you control/registered in your name? Or servers they own/have control over?" CreationDate="2015-09-24T19:24:47.937" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6691" PostId="3726" Score="0" Text="Sorry if that wasn't clear - the alternative to BCC would be individual emails or a service like MailChimp, never just openly emailing everyone. I agree with you!" CreationDate="2015-09-24T19:55:29.340" UserId="9845" />
  <row Id="6692" PostId="3726" Score="0" Text="I'm not familiar with MailChimp. If it lets you send out a mass email to separate users individually without having to copy-and-paste anything, doesn't that cover the concerns in the last few sentences of your question?" CreationDate="2015-09-24T20:38:21.730" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6693" PostId="3726" Score="0" Text="It's an email marketing/newsletter service, and the free version (that I have) is branded, thus making it less personal - people can unsubscribe, the &quot;from&quot; address is authenticated differently, and Gmail (and possible other ESPs) will automatically bump mail from there to the promotional or newsletters tab. That changes the dynamic." CreationDate="2015-09-24T21:05:16.873" UserId="9845" />
  <row Id="6694" PostId="3709" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke Site is hosted by a third-party." CreationDate="2015-09-25T15:01:04.450" UserId="5750" />
  <row Id="6695" PostId="3709" Score="0" Text="Did you have a contract in place?" CreationDate="2015-09-25T15:04:08.237" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6696" PostId="3709" Score="0" Text="Unfortunately, no. I'm normally very good with contracts, but in this instance it was a very small, rushed project, and the client was a referral from another one of our regular clients. In any instance there is sufficient correspondence to imply contractual terms. The tricky part is if there is any specific legislation that covers payments for non-physical goods that have been taken removed (such as cancelling a service etc.) I'm sure there *must* be one, I'm just struggling to find it." CreationDate="2015-09-25T15:11:58.700" UserId="5750" />
  <row Id="6697" PostId="3709" Score="0" Text="I think there was another question, very similar, and the conclusion drawn was to not take it down without a contract, and especially if it's on their server. I'll look when I her to my computer" CreationDate="2015-09-25T15:20:13.427" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6698" PostId="3709" Score="0" Text="I was very careful to provide ample warning to the client and I only removed the content I had added, returning the site to the state it was before the project started." CreationDate="2015-09-25T15:38:20.057" UserId="5750" />
  <row Id="6700" PostId="3709" Score="0" Text="Related: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/1656/do-i-risk-anything-if-i-shut-down-a-product-that-hasnt-been-paid" CreationDate="2015-09-25T16:08:42.827" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6702" PostId="3731" Score="0" Text="Can you consider charging in $ rather than hours ? You can argue that different tasks don't have the same hourly rate nor risk level and you give global pricings (or your policy is not counting time but estimating the delivered value)." CreationDate="2015-09-26T12:23:29.693" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="6703" PostId="324" Score="0" Text="&quot;You don't sell anything&quot;: huh, don't you sell services ? Don't you have to invest in equipment, marketing, training... ? Don't you need to balance charges and earnings, predict income, define a strategy... ?" CreationDate="2015-09-27T19:03:45.203" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="6707" PostId="3744" Score="0" Text="The client definitely needs a special-purpose API. There may be more than one option, but they are all similar in scope and usefulness outside of this project. I don't imagine they'll need another app that uses the same API, but I suppose I can suggest it to maximize their investment if they take issue with the cost outline I come up with. Thanks!" CreationDate="2015-09-30T18:22:20.993" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6711" PostId="3623" Score="2" Text="@Ana it may be worth self-answering your own question here" CreationDate="2015-10-01T08:22:02.693" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="6713" PostId="3751" Score="0" Text="Quick question then, how do you deal with the &quot;bug free&quot; part when you're fixing bugs as they find them later on?" CreationDate="2015-10-02T20:18:27.670" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6714" PostId="3751" Score="0" Text="As I said you account for the time it takes to develop your product. If you don't know what you're dealing with then you shouldn't offer that type of product/service, i.e. software in a language you aren't as competent in. If mistakes are made they should be fixed." CreationDate="2015-10-03T03:50:45.560" UserId="2964" />
  <row Id="6715" PostId="3754" Score="0" Text="This would violate PayPal's T&amp;C, and close the account and freeze any and all funds that went through PayPal." CreationDate="2015-10-03T18:38:45.893" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6716" PostId="3758" Score="3" Text="The main issue is that an invoice must be verifiable, i.e. the tax administration must be able to check the authenticity of the transaction, so trace it to someone. This problem isn't new for the boatmen, it must have a well-known solution. A boat has a plate number, hasn't it ?" CreationDate="2015-10-06T08:02:35.787" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="6717" PostId="3754" Score="0" Text="I can say, based on many people I know that have opened a US account, that they haven't had any trouble... anyway, do as you consider necessary." CreationDate="2015-10-06T13:37:16.193" UserId="10061" />
  <row Id="6718" PostId="3759" Score="0" Text="Thank you Emily :-) You are right, &quot;what do you use as your address&quot; should be fine. &#xA;&#xA;According to www.gov.uk an invoice must include the customer's address. But it should be OK if there wasn't one on some invoices.&#xA;&#xA;So I would do the work, have template invoices in my case, write the amount on the invoice. Then ask my client to write their name and address on two copies, and keep one of them. Is that right? &#xA;Or by email but that's a pain.&#xA;&#xA;I'm worried that with many small jobs (1 hour or 2), people would find it a pain to fill it. It's also be a pain for me, so I'm trying to minimize it." CreationDate="2015-10-06T17:10:45.463" UserId="10075" />
  <row Id="6719" PostId="3759" Score="2" Text="That sounds perfect.  Just ask them to fill it in.  I don't think asking someone to write down their name and address is asking that much of someone.  But you might just have them write it on the first one, then copy it to the second one yourself, or, to save everyone time, if you have a smart phone, just take a picture of their return address with your phone and fill it in on your copy later.  OR, you could go old school and put a sheet of carbon paper between the two invoice forms so when they write it once, it goes onto both copies." CreationDate="2015-10-06T19:07:18.963" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="6722" PostId="3759" Score="1" Text="Thanks again :) would it be enough, for me to keep a photo? Maybe I don't need a paper copy? This way there can be one paper only" CreationDate="2015-10-08T01:09:48.100" UserId="10075" />
  <row Id="6723" PostId="3758" Score="0" Text="is a boat registration number a good enough &quot;address&quot;? I'll ask around" CreationDate="2015-10-08T01:11:33.683" UserId="10075" />
  <row Id="6724" PostId="3767" Score="0" Text="Thanks for responding over, thats makes sense.. I guess you are right, if i put their company's face result with all the proofs on world wide web then it would open their eyes..  thanks for the advise appreciate your response." CreationDate="2015-10-08T10:57:05.823" UserId="10096" />
  <row Id="6725" PostId="3767" Score="0" Text="Don't give out your identity on the world wide web, when you say proof.  Just put out a warning about this company on various websites.  You may also write to BBB (Better Business Bureau) that they didn't pay your wages.  The proof is needed for the lawyer." CreationDate="2015-10-08T11:02:50.210" UserId="10098" />
  <row Id="6726" PostId="3767" Score="0" Text="Muge, why not put my identity when i am on the right and they are wrong?" CreationDate="2015-10-08T11:15:26.423" UserId="10096" />
  <row Id="6727" PostId="3767" Score="0" Text="i was thinking to get couple of domain names against their site name for example www.companyname.com i would get like www.companynamereviews.com and filled it up with their real face." CreationDate="2015-10-08T11:20:50.457" UserId="10096" />
  <row Id="6728" PostId="3766" Score="0" Text="Launching a web campaign against them will certainly not have any other effect than make you spend time and energy. What's more, it can put you in a bad position to claim your due by legal means. Don't do that." CreationDate="2015-10-08T15:31:58.487" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="6729" PostId="3767" Score="1" Text="This is far, far, FAR from a solution.  The original poster was NEVER an employee." CreationDate="2015-10-08T15:51:02.763" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="6730" PostId="3667" Score="1" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because this is about HIRING freelancers, not WORKING as a freelancer." CreationDate="2015-10-08T16:07:27.543" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="6731" PostId="3757" Score="0" Text="This is only appropriate if the freelancer is being paid for her **time**, as a work routine is not fitting for someone being paid on a fixed price basis." CreationDate="2015-10-08T16:09:39.910" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="6732" PostId="3720" Score="0" Text="Michael, courts can *infer* a contract if there is an offer and acceptance (even without an explicit document), and most especially if the work was actually performed and received by the client." CreationDate="2015-10-08T16:12:16.137" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="6733" PostId="3769" Score="1" Text="Hi PNP, welcome to Freelancing.SE! Unfortunately, link-only answers are not usually the best way to answer a question. Can you take the information from the posts, summarize them, and [edit] your answer to include the summarization? It's great to include links that you cited, but we want the bulk of the answer to live on SE, not on a third-party website. If you have any questions about this, please ask us in [meta], [chat], or replying to me (use `@CanadianLuke` to reach me) in this comment. Thanks, and welcome!" CreationDate="2015-10-08T21:54:42.817" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6734" PostId="3767" Score="0" Text="what do you mean by that?" CreationDate="2015-10-08T22:57:44.717" UserId="10096" />
  <row Id="6735" PostId="3766" Score="0" Text="then what can i do here? what is the solution ?" CreationDate="2015-10-08T22:59:32.673" UserId="10096" />
  <row Id="6736" PostId="3766" Score="1" Text="Unfortunately, there's little that you can do to coerce them. Try and e-mail them again, asking for your due. If no answer comes, phone. If they hang up, send a registered mail. Stay polite but firm. You worked, you deserve your salary." CreationDate="2015-10-08T23:13:47.297" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="6737" PostId="3583" Score="0" Text="I found a way to increase activity on my personal Github account while working for clients (i.e. not owning the result): whenever I find out that certain fragment of code is worth being packed into some sort of lib or package, I do it. So if you create some software for a client, spin off all the things. Make sure you don't violate terms, of course. With a pinch of fantasy, it's very easy to find a way to show off your code in a useful way and not screw contracts." CreationDate="2015-10-08T23:42:26.610" UserId="5088" />
  <row Id="6738" PostId="3767" Score="0" Text="@codenoire what do you know?  Are you affiliated with that company?  The OP obviously wasn't volunteering for 4 months when he has children to feed at home.   Integrity should be the name of the game.  If crooks are steeling from a worker, what do you call them?  Employee on payroll or not, no one would confide their login and password to some volunteer living in another country.  There is foul play here!" CreationDate="2015-10-09T01:43:15.933" UserId="10098" />
  <row Id="6740" PostId="3757" Score="0" Text="It's absolutely fitting for a fixed price setting. The routine to checking servers should be built into the fixed price. It's part of doing business with *that* client." CreationDate="2015-10-09T01:45:57.550" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="6741" PostId="3768" Score="0" Text="Lawyers usually don't charge for first consultation and all OP needs to do first is to consult.  The rest with what you are suggesting is sound.  Voting me down does not change the fact that my suggestion actually came from a lawyer.  Like it or not." CreationDate="2015-10-09T01:51:35.967" UserId="10098" />
  <row Id="6742" PostId="3759" Score="1" Text="I don't know the record keeping laws where you are.  If you're not sure, I'd keep the paper copy, but I was thinking you could take the picture at the time then write it on your copy later.  Of course, that creates more hassle for you later, so the carbon paper idea might be better.  Here, in the US, you can even purchase booklets of receipts that are carbon paper that you write on, tear the top one off, to give the customer, then you still have the original.&#xA;http://www.staples.com/carbon+copy+receipt+books/directory_carbon+copy+receipt+books" CreationDate="2015-10-09T02:03:33.400" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="6743" PostId="3767" Score="0" Text="@HarryCover is right when he says not to start a campaign on the internet but others should be made aware.  Again, keep your identity private.  Codenoire made a very good point about 'Milestones'.  You get paid some and then you work some, and so on.  All needs to be laid out in the beginning and documented." CreationDate="2015-10-09T02:36:04.117" UserId="10098" />
  <row Id="6744" PostId="3767" Score="0" Text="In a lot of country, oversea claims will be rejected if they are under $10,000 and are not done in a normal court but higher level one. It's almost pointless to try to sue oversea for a &quot;small&quot; amount like $4000, unfortunately. It's sad to say, but the best way to deal with these issues is to anticipate them and get paid by milestones before the files are delivered. @LearningPHPOOP I don't recommend wasting money and time trying to attack the company's reputation; it's gambling. It's almost better to move on and keep your energy to find new projects, and learn from this one." CreationDate="2015-10-09T06:27:39.677" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="6745" PostId="3766" Score="0" Text="@HarryCover I will disagree with your statement that there is 'little' that can be done in North America,. We value our reputation if we want to keep our business rolling.  Your letter suggestion is important, because we usually get asked 'what did you do' to inform the other party?  Emails are valid proof today as are electronic signatures." CreationDate="2015-10-09T08:36:37.810" UserId="10098" />
  <row Id="6746" PostId="3766" Score="1" Text="@mugé: this situation is uneasy, because the service provider operates in Pakistan. So what is the applicable law and what is the competent jurisdiction ? I don't believe that the reputation of an American company could be scratched in any way by the complaints of an obscure Pakistani claiming an unpaid invoice. (Don't misunderstand me, I am not saying that the claim of Learning PHP OOP is unfounded, on the opposite; I am saying that nobody will care.)" CreationDate="2015-10-09T08:46:28.667" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="6747" PostId="3766" Score="0" Text="@HarryCover. Outsourcing is a huge market. The jurisdiction is the country or state that does the hiring.  Believe me when I say that as long as I was firm to get my money, it is do-able.  Recently, this happened also to a friend of mine who did a substantial interpretation from Canada to a UK company who keep deferring her pay for months.  She let it go.  This is a multi-centered company.  They must have found a good way to grow.  I would be on their case and also example to others. Few days ago, I won my case against a telecom company. I didn't pay a cent. I just used the right place to go." CreationDate="2015-10-09T09:03:49.253" UserId="10098" />
  <row Id="6748" PostId="3766" Score="0" Text="And sometimes, you just drink a glass of water over your loss, but it is worth to give it some fight beforehand  :)." CreationDate="2015-10-09T09:12:17.057" UserId="10098" />
  <row Id="6749" PostId="3766" Score="0" Text="@mugé It's doable but don't give false hope using the law and don't mix in-country cases and international cases; you can't compare your situation with the OP's situation, some countries have treaties and accords with each others, some don't. Hiring a lawyer specialized in international law VS going to the small claims is totally different. $4000 would barely cover what it would cost to sue your neighbor for installing a fence on your property...! The best the OP can do with the law is bluffing and hoping the company doesn't know he can't really sue them." CreationDate="2015-10-09T09:30:05.840" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="6750" PostId="1041" Score="1" Text="You pay the taxes in the country you live in. The employer manages the taxes he has to pay in the country he lives in. You don't need a working permit for freelancing if you don't live in USA since you're not physically there and don't get any benefit from that government!" CreationDate="2015-10-09T10:48:02.213" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="6751" PostId="3754" Score="0" Text="Paypal might verify the identity of the card holder and it will need to match the Payoneer's details. It might have worked a few years ago though but I'm not sure anymore since I think Paypal now requires to see IDs. It's possible it works on basic accounts with less than $1000 transactions though. Anyway, that could work although it's borderline legal. One thing for sure, you don't want to have to contact the Paypal customer support (it's probably easier to meet Santa Claus actually heehee!) But Payoneer itself is great. And Stripe is also another payment method that wasn't mentioned anywhere" CreationDate="2015-10-09T10:57:12.683" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="6755" PostId="3766" Score="0" Text="@go-meek is that what you will suggest to all freelancers, to just learn from it?  I know what I am talking about, because I was the middle person outsourcing to a company that did not want their reputation challenged for hiring IT personnel from India.  I made sure that I was paid 1 month in advance before the IT tech worked for the company.  He did his work and he got paid 2 weeks after.  So yes, my suggestion is to research (consult!) first.  Research first and then go from there.  This is a growing industry and cannot be just ignored for gain or fail experience." CreationDate="2015-10-09T12:43:02.243" UserId="10098" />
  <row Id="6757" PostId="3766" Score="0" Text="@mugé Yes, learn from it and move on. Laws are laws no matter the attitude or motivation a freelancer may have. That's interesting you mention you got paid fully upfront yet you didn't pay fully upfront your own provider...! Clients often do the same as you, probably for the same reasons: lack of trust in new oversea providers because they know they'll never see their dollars if something goes wrong, and they have the power to do so in some case. As you did.. I suppose the company who paid you upfront knew you already and/or was Canadian/American/UK/Australian/Commonwealth-like too." CreationDate="2015-10-09T14:00:52.097" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="6758" PostId="3777" Score="0" Text="Thank you for the excellent insight! Truly appreciated. &#xA;&#xA;After further digging, I have found that the tax deduction for hiring contractors does cover their fees 100%. So, that's a huge relief.&#xA;&#xA;The considerations about how much to pay based on talent, is smart. In this particular case I'm hiring someone I have worked with before and know, so hopefully that won't be too much of an issue. &#xA;&#xA;Thank you so much for your comment!" CreationDate="2015-10-09T14:57:30.333" UserId="10113" />
  <row Id="6759" PostId="3771" Score="1" Text="I don't get how this is a freelancer problem... It seems like a life choice problem" CreationDate="2015-10-09T15:04:29.643" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6760" PostId="3777" Score="0" Text="@jmscogin Glad it helps! Yes you're right, 100% deductible. For this you should meet an accountant indeed, he/she will tell you about all this; there's lot of things that are deductible and you'll realize it's worth investing on things that improve your workflow and comfort instead of spending that money in taxes. That can even be part of the bonuses you can offer to freelancers. For example, paying their Adobe subscription and other services might actually benefit you at the end of the year, and benefit the freelancers as well. That's great if you found someone close, good luck with all this!" CreationDate="2015-10-09T15:22:33.707" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="6761" PostId="3771" Score="2" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because this is more about career choices than working as a freelancer." CreationDate="2015-10-09T16:01:31.267" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="6762" PostId="3720" Score="0" Text="Liability for work for which he has not been paid, whose original scope was outside of the established statement of work, and which others were altering in the meantime? Nah. Naaaah. If I, as a mechanic, am paid to fix your petrol burning car, and do so, and am then asked to fix some other part of it, and do so, you cannot then sue me for damages when you put diesel in it. OP isn't responsible for keeping idiots out of their wordpress." CreationDate="2015-10-09T16:51:29.283" UserId="8459" />
  <row Id="6763" PostId="3720" Score="0" Text="Also, if courts can infer a contract, then it would be valid to infer that it is void due to nonpayment. They would be in material breach of any legal contract ever written, if a contract had been signed." CreationDate="2015-10-09T16:53:37.607" UserId="8459" />
  <row Id="6764" PostId="3720" Score="0" Text="A contract is voided due to nonpayment -- huh???  That makes no sense." CreationDate="2015-10-09T17:54:56.407" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="6765" PostId="3720" Score="0" Text="Sure it does. A contract works like this: I agree to do some work, in return for compensation. You agree to compensate me, in return for some work. If either of us fail to do one of those things, the other party is absolved on responsibility to fulfill their portion of the agreement. Most contracts have clauses detailing what happens next (liability for damages, remuneration for work done, etc), but regardless, that contract has been breached." CreationDate="2015-10-09T19:21:10.137" UserId="8459" />
  <row Id="6766" PostId="3720" Score="0" Text="Michael, you're apparently confused.  Breach and void are not interchangeable terms because they don't mean the same things -- not even close.&#xA;&#xA;Breach ==&gt; http://thelawdictionary.org/breach-of-contract/ &#xA;&#xA;Void ==&gt;&#xA;http://thelawdictionary.org/void/" CreationDate="2015-10-09T19:27:16.063" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="6767" PostId="3766" Score="0" Text="@go-meek I hoped you understood the mathematics and work force standards in our calculations. First 2 weeks require work before pay.  The other 2 weeks is not to have interest gain but administrative timings from the funds getting transfered from company to me and the wheels turning of the money being shipped to India. HR and wire reasons.  Interesting that you could not see the workings behind.  Anyway, my word has been passed on.  Good day!" CreationDate="2015-10-09T23:52:07.567" UserId="10098" />
  <row Id="6768" PostId="3734" Score="1" Text="What do you mean by &quot;break it down so much&quot;? Isn't transparency (aka records) desired? Also, please elaborate on the rationale for &quot;do not break down every cost&quot;." CreationDate="2015-10-10T02:02:20.043" UserId="1998" />
  <row Id="6769" PostId="3771" Score="0" Text="@Rosh, It depends... Where do you get your freelance work from and is it a &quot;stable&quot; choice?" CreationDate="2015-10-10T02:04:34.750" UserId="1998" />
  <row Id="6770" PostId="3772" Score="0" Text="@go-meek, Whaht do you mean when you say &quot;training&quot;? Which schools actually teach freelancing?" CreationDate="2015-10-10T02:05:01.187" UserId="1998" />
  <row Id="6771" PostId="3761" Score="0" Text="How large is a &quot;large budget&quot;?" CreationDate="2015-10-10T02:06:10.420" UserId="1998" />
  <row Id="6772" PostId="3778" Score="0" Text="Which country are you from?" CreationDate="2015-10-10T02:06:18.673" UserId="1998" />
  <row Id="6773" PostId="3537" Score="0" Text="@AdrienBe, So when you talk about &quot;old fashion banks&quot;, what are some examples of &quot;new fashioned banks&quot;?" CreationDate="2015-10-10T02:07:56.760" UserId="1998" />
  <row Id="6774" PostId="3092" Score="0" Text="What if the client is just a &quot;once-off&quot; client?" CreationDate="2015-10-10T02:25:36.890" UserId="1998" />
  <row Id="6775" PostId="2195" Score="0" Text="But isn't the &quot;employer's&quot; goal to get maximum value (max quality-to-price ratio)? This is against the &quot;freelancer's&quot; goal to maximize the price." CreationDate="2015-10-10T02:43:58.903" UserId="1998" />
  <row Id="6776" PostId="2197" Score="0" Text="&quot;explicitly state what is not included&quot; is a good idea." CreationDate="2015-10-10T02:44:31.100" UserId="1998" />
  <row Id="6777" PostId="191" Score="0" Text="Regarding &quot;that might destroy the good relationship with the client as he would have in his mind that every minute costs money&quot;... But isn't that how lawyers do it too? And people trust their lawyers don't they?" CreationDate="2015-10-10T02:47:08.097" UserId="1998" />
  <row Id="6778" PostId="192" Score="0" Text="Regarding &quot;if there are grey areas that you can see&quot;, so what if there are grey areas that you can't see? In fact, there'll be **a lot** of grey areas that cannot be seen until much later......" CreationDate="2015-10-10T02:48:58.913" UserId="1998" />
  <row Id="6779" PostId="248" Score="3" Text="This doesn't seem right. What do you mean by a &quot;big project&quot; and, How would you be able to estimate a &quot;big project&quot; with so many unknown variables?" CreationDate="2015-10-10T02:52:04.493" UserId="1998" />
  <row Id="6780" PostId="496" Score="0" Text="@BradUllery, Are you saying that your customer paid 20*$100 = $2k upfront for nothing but a design document which he **may not even agree to**? And if he didn't follow-through with the project after you have written that document (perhaps he want a lower price) then what happens?" CreationDate="2015-10-10T02:54:58.463" UserId="1998" />
  <row Id="6781" PostId="3734" Score="1" Text="Breaking down the cost into many smaller parts makes it seem like the customer can skip parts to save money, while expecting the same quality and features as originally quoted, for much less" CreationDate="2015-10-10T03:44:12.380" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6782" PostId="3537" Score="0" Text="@Pacerier by new fashion I mean bank providing excellent remote services (website, app, phone support, email support &amp; more), in France you have Boursorama for instance. Old fashion are the banks providing poor remote services, a bad website (expensive &amp; hard to use), no app, poor phone support, and so on." CreationDate="2015-10-10T03:52:12.003" UserId="5516" />
  <row Id="6783" PostId="3772" Score="0" Text="@Pacerier Freelancing is just a cheap word for entrepreneurship. To become an entrepreneur you simply need to get some experience, mentoring, do some project managements, and learn a career in school and/or by working. Good training can come from the companies who hired the freelancer as an employee and sometimes by internship. There's also a lot of complementary courses that can be taken to learn some administrative skills." CreationDate="2015-10-10T04:18:49.320" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="6784" PostId="3778" Score="0" Text="@Pacerier Lot of american and european countries are this way. And there are places where you cannot work if you're not part of a professional association that you can only join by having a degree; for example education, medical domain, engineering, accounting, building, law, etc. It's true what zipzit mentions, diploma doesn't always reflects the skill set but it's still required in some domains because companies have a lot of choice for candidates and also need to comply to insurance policies or other administrative factors. It's like a passport for work." CreationDate="2015-10-10T04:30:22.373" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="6785" PostId="3774" Score="0" Text="Hey Johnny, you'll want to talk with Elance about this. We don't do support for third party sites.  Also, you may need to consult a lawyer if you can't find a resolution. Hope this helps." CreationDate="2015-10-10T08:18:15.420" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="6786" PostId="3761" Score="0" Text="Any sum that is large in your opinion. For someone it's $500, someone $5000, and someone $50k. It also depends what a client thinks it's large. So you just have to rely on your hunch but also talk it thru with the client." CreationDate="2015-10-10T09:15:00.717" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6787" PostId="497" Score="0" Text="Are you sure &quot;signing it&quot; is sufficient for a contract?" CreationDate="2015-10-10T11:17:48.733" UserId="1998" />
  <row Id="6788" PostId="942" Score="0" Text="Are the two freelancers friends or are they only working together for a *particular* project? Also, assuming you have already collected payment and the cheque didn't bounce, why would &quot;harassing emails&quot; matter?" CreationDate="2015-10-10T11:20:18.160" UserId="1998" />
  <row Id="6789" PostId="945" Score="0" Text="Why do you say &quot;there will always be one person who thinks they are slightly better&quot;? Aren't there many examples of people working together as equals (50/50)?" CreationDate="2015-10-10T11:21:35.883" UserId="1998" />
  <row Id="6790" PostId="44" Score="0" Text="@bretterer, It entirely depends on what your contract writes.... can you link to a template sample of said contract?" CreationDate="2015-10-10T11:23:02.430" UserId="1998" />
  <row Id="6791" PostId="79" Score="0" Text="@daaxix, So do you mean that estimating-without-collecting-pay is typically what you do, or do you mean that you did it once, realized it sucked and now you are no longer doing estimation work for free?" CreationDate="2015-10-10T11:27:42.483" UserId="1998" />
  <row Id="6792" PostId="79" Score="0" Text="@jmort253, I don't quite understand your comment.... even 5 hours is a lot of time. Does it make business sense to be doing 5 hours of free work for the client? The dilemma is that at the same time, on the client's side, it doesn't make sense for them to pay for 5 hours of work which they may not use." CreationDate="2015-10-10T11:28:23.810" UserId="1998" />
  <row Id="6793" PostId="53" Score="0" Text="@Chris, How would a month estimation ended up in 4 months of work? Did the customer requested multiple &quot;small fixes&quot; along the way which added up to a lot of time?" CreationDate="2015-10-10T11:31:00.733" UserId="1998" />
  <row Id="6794" PostId="79" Score="0" Text="@Pacerier - It may be that the client has multiple options and is accepting bids on their project. The X hours of work is work a business must do to secure a contract. Think of this as part of the sales process to secure a client, just like a business has advertising and marketing costs in order to find and attract clients. All costs in a business should be factored into your asking price so your revenue is greater than your expenses. Without breaking up the work, I'm not sure how one would give an accurate, honest bid. How do you approach this problem? Perhaps you can add a detailed answer." CreationDate="2015-10-10T12:05:47.247" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="6795" PostId="3771" Score="0" Text="If you &quot;lose&quot; 2-3 next years learning colleague and earn a degree, nothing major will happen in the IT industry. And you will have your diploma just in case things don't go as smooth as you planned. Even thou, earning 20hrs a week aside of learning, you will still be able to earn a lot to finance colleague, living costs and live a good life. Many people (including me) had the same thoughts and I say it's smarter to finish colleague &quot;just in case&quot;." CreationDate="2015-10-10T13:13:11.433" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6796" PostId="497" Score="0" Text="@pacerier is there a reason it isn't?" CreationDate="2015-10-10T14:16:06.367" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6797" PostId="945" Score="0" Text="@pacerier human nature, there is always going to be someone who feels they're the better between two" CreationDate="2015-10-10T14:19:56.997" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6798" PostId="3784" Score="0" Text="Hi go-meek, great input, especially for &quot;friend&quot; part, thanks a lot, yes, friend-ship is worst ship in the world:)" CreationDate="2015-10-10T15:18:28.020" UserId="7727" />
  <row Id="6799" PostId="3776" Score="0" Text="The money you transfer to the subcontractor is deduced as costs from your own income, and taxes will decrease in proportion. (The rest of the taxes is paid by the subcontractor himself, be reassured.)" CreationDate="2015-10-10T15:46:56.183" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="6800" PostId="3786" Score="0" Text="Given that a mobile friendly website would be a lot better option than an app, I think you should not be charging them…….  Being a professional includes refusing to do work that is not of benefit to the client." CreationDate="2015-10-10T20:43:28.053" UserId="2456" />
  <row Id="6801" PostId="3766" Score="0" Text="I appreciate all your comments on this but i am stuck , i don't see a solution of getting myself paid. i can't afford my daughter's doctor fees, its getting so complicated. do you think if i submit my case to the court of arizona, is there any chance they would take this seriously? what are the chances? i have written emails from the employees who was always asking me to make the changes and promised to pay the payroll one he is back from his tour but he never released the funds. but i don't have a written contract from him.. please advise" CreationDate="2015-10-10T21:42:53.237" UserId="10096" />
  <row Id="6802" PostId="3779" Score="0" Text="It seems that some people on here are bothered by the word 'law'.  Interestingly, there seems to be the notion of giving advice for not seeking your rights and rather staying quiet.  I didn't know that small claims look into long distance cases.  Thank you for the direction 'To Whom This May Concern'." CreationDate="2015-10-10T22:23:38.797" UserId="10098" />
  <row Id="6803" PostId="3766" Score="0" Text="Contract or not, you have it in writing.  The person asking you to do things for the company will need to be authorized to do so. Either way, it doesn't seem that they will make it easy for you to get paid, but you must try to get what you were promised.  Good luck!" CreationDate="2015-10-10T22:30:19.653" UserId="10098" />
  <row Id="6804" PostId="3786" Score="0" Text="I already did a website for them and now they want me to do the app. I also explained that I don't think it would be if it them be he said he doesn't care, he wants an app. So I'm going with the customer is always right motto here." CreationDate="2015-10-10T22:50:47.480" UserId="10126" />
  <row Id="6805" PostId="3766" Score="0" Text="Thank you so much .. i will try my level best and would let you guys know about it." CreationDate="2015-10-10T23:12:51.883" UserId="10096" />
  <row Id="6806" PostId="79" Score="0" Text="@Pacerier, I did it once, because I had a long existing relationship with the client. I think in the future, I would take a tiered approach, my detailed, almost project management level, estimate was too much to give away with no pay. I should have given a ballpark estimate for free (of course with the caveat that it has a high variability), and maybe have spent at most one or two days, then do a full rate if they want to continue with a detailed estimate." CreationDate="2015-10-10T23:28:31.897" UserId="1752" />
  <row Id="6807" PostId="97" Score="0" Text="The fault with this approach is the loss of opportunity cost of the retainer. The difference is that in a law case, people only have one attempt and literally **cannot afford** for the &quot;law project&quot; to go haywire. In terms of software projects, you can afford for the project to go wrong. In fact, some people even hire [two sets of work](https://sivers.org/how2hire) upfront and only keep the one which they like" CreationDate="2015-10-11T18:03:01.190" UserId="1998" />
  <row Id="6808" PostId="3790" Score="0" Text="There are couple of things that i would like to point out which i think would bring up the new ways to think of it,&#xA;&#xA;First of well, as soon as the company started, everything was provided to me and i was said to have payroll by their representative of the computer, who was very nice. but as soon as this representative left. new representative took her and never cared to pay at the end. which is ofcourse even after 4 months. but the old representative had the agreement with me, it was spoken agreement. but by keeping all the things in mind, i worked for the company not for the individual." CreationDate="2015-10-12T03:07:41.690" UserId="10096" />
  <row Id="6809" PostId="3790" Score="0" Text="so company needs to explain why they are refusing to pay and why using my work online? how would they explain to court?" CreationDate="2015-10-12T03:13:40.917" UserId="10096" />
  <row Id="6811" PostId="3790" Score="0" Text="No, first you would have to prove to the court that you have a contract.  The person you made the original agreement with left the company so you would have to find that person and get them to testify to the fact that you'd had a contract.  Without that witness the company will likely deny you had a contract at all." CreationDate="2015-10-12T14:29:28.667" UserId="10119" />
  <row Id="6812" PostId="3790" Score="0" Text="Even if they admit to the contract, since it was an oral agreement you have no record of the specifics of the agreement.  They will also likely argue that company policy is to have every contract in writing, so the person you made the agreement with had no authority to make the contract.&#xA;&#xA;Then you will likely have to prove that the work you did is actually yours.  (Which can be difficult with code.)" CreationDate="2015-10-12T14:38:11.350" UserId="10119" />
  <row Id="6813" PostId="3790" Score="0" Text="With regard to your comment about working for the company instead of the individual - status as an employee is very particular.  If you were an employee the company would be obligated to withhold taxes and issue you a report of that withholding at the end of the year (form W-2).  If they are only in Arizona and you did the work from Pakistan you will most likely be regarded as an independent contractor.  The Internal  Revenue Service has a series of tests they use to distinguish employees from Independent Contractors.&#xA;&#xA;Again, you should consult an attorney in Arizona." CreationDate="2015-10-12T14:38:23.787" UserId="10119" />
  <row Id="6814" PostId="3790" Score="0" Text="woow this is getting so complicated then i thought.. the last representative agrees that he had the oral contract with me and he is ready to testify this infront of all. he is a very good dude but this new doesn't even reply to my emails. i guess i will need to find a good lawyer from Arizona on contingency fees who could handle this smoothly. you seem to have alot of knowledge about this area, could you please redirect to some of the relevant website where i could find an honest lawyer?" CreationDate="2015-10-12T22:52:56.153" UserId="10096" />
  <row Id="6816" PostId="3761" Score="0" Text="Is this answer specifically related to when escrow is involved?" CreationDate="2015-10-13T01:47:55.447" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6817" PostId="3790" Score="0" Text="Let me check with a couple of lawyers I know in the area. They don't practice this kind of law but they may be able to provide a good recommendation." CreationDate="2015-10-13T04:04:15.277" UserId="10119" />
  <row Id="6818" PostId="3779" Score="1" Text="The amount's too high ($4000), the OP is overseas, and would probably have to be present during a hearing." CreationDate="2015-10-13T17:31:39.103" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="6820" PostId="3761" Score="0" Text="Why not? Escrow is just a guarantee that the client has money to pay you for your work. So at the start of a milestones, a client can put the money into escrow and release it once you have completed the milestone." CreationDate="2015-10-13T20:04:03.133" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="6821" PostId="2195" Score="0" Text="I would say the goal to get maximum quality within fixed budget." CreationDate="2015-10-13T21:13:23.133" UserId="4546" />
  <row Id="6822" PostId="3092" Score="0" Text="A &quot;once-off&quot; can turn into regular. You never know." CreationDate="2015-10-13T21:14:40.957" UserId="4546" />
  <row Id="6823" PostId="3776" Score="0" Text="Thank you for your comment, Harry. I'm so glad this is the case!" CreationDate="2015-10-13T21:23:16.873" UserId="10113" />
  <row Id="6824" PostId="3792" Score="0" Text="Get a lawyer &amp; send an official letter. Or contact the client &amp; mention you'll get this to an agency for collection &amp; prefer to give them a least a chance to pay their invoice before doing this step that might affect their credit. Not sure if collection will buy the debt. Either ways, you'll probably need to use an agency. You might have some chances of being paid but it's very bad you've let this go on for so long. A company has the responsibility to get paid. In court, you could be seen as having been irresponsible. Is there another firm between you&amp;client? And are you canadian too?" CreationDate="2015-10-13T21:52:38.697" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="6825" PostId="3792" Score="0" Text="Apparently, 2.5 years old is not too old to be sold to a collection agency. There's a market for these and it might even be resold to another agency lower. You should simply contact one, but I'd contact the client (and other firm if any) first. Involve as many people as you can, including third party if any. You can also send a registered official letter, you can get it approved by a lawyer first but it's not necessary and it's as official. It just look a bit more scary when a lawyer sends it! Not to patronize, but next time send invoices at the amount you're ok to lose. 2-5k is a lot!" CreationDate="2015-10-13T21:58:49.370" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="6826" PostId="79" Score="0" Text="This is why I advocate an agile approach.  I never estimate the entire project, just a small part that can provide value to the client. Then we focus on another portion and repeat the process." CreationDate="2015-10-14T07:57:11.553" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="6827" PostId="3792" Score="0" Text="@go-meek: no, I'm not Canadian, I'm located in EU. That's a big issue. No other intermediary. However, as I said, there was no contract, but only NDA + emails" CreationDate="2015-10-14T14:03:10.353" UserId="8087" />
  <row Id="6828" PostId="3779" Score="0" Text="Clearly with that cap, the user will lose $500... but read on.  Look at my very first comment, the question that was never answered.  That is really key.. subtle hint.. if the small claims court is near where I live, I will gladly volunteer to represent our friend overseas on a general power of attorney, free.  I really, really hate companies that screw over people.  I don't tolerate it.  I'd happily face off with dirt bags in small claims court gratis...  It would be truly a pleasure." CreationDate="2015-10-14T15:23:08.340" UserId="2559" />
  <row Id="6829" PostId="3128" Score="0" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because this isn't about freelancing, but payment services" CreationDate="2015-10-14T17:28:49.497" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="6830" PostId="3788" Score="0" Text="Incorrect.  Unless the terms of the agreement SPECIFICALLY state that it's a personal services contract, the original poster is free to subcontract.  It has nothing to do with being big-business or not.  This happens all the time, all over the place.  Notice to the client is NOT required unless it's going to create a potential risk for the client (i.e. exposure of proprietary information or business practices)." CreationDate="2015-10-14T17:35:41.953" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="6832" PostId="3800" Score="0" Text="Related if not a duplicate: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/913/how-to-make-the-jump-from-normal-employee-to-higher-level-freelancing/2461#2461 In short, length of time freelancing on the side or some rating on some site mean nothing. You have to look at your **financial** status and other life factors." CreationDate="2015-10-15T15:20:38.120" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="6833" PostId="3800" Score="0" Text="I don't see your situation as problematic. Why should you keep your full time job ?" CreationDate="2015-10-15T16:00:40.500" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="6834" PostId="3788" Score="0" Text="Point taken, however OP is asking about &quot;transfer&quot; of work, not subcontracting. You are also over-simplifying the need for notice. You cannot rely on your own judgement of the risks of exposure and if you've signed an NDA, you better tread very carefully." CreationDate="2015-10-15T18:07:41.960" UserId="10129" />
  <row Id="6835" PostId="3802" Score="3" Text="You shouldn't accept their clause either. It involves that in case a third party just *alledges* an infringement of IP rights, you'll have to support all expenses. This is completely unbalanced, they take no risk at all. The indemnity should only be due in case you are *convicted* of IP infringement." CreationDate="2015-10-15T20:41:56.733" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="6836" PostId="3802" Score="1" Text="Reciprocally, your statement &quot;in no event&quot; is too strong. It would imply, in the extreme, that even if you harm them willingly you aren't liable !" CreationDate="2015-10-15T20:52:17.503" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="6839" PostId="3800" Score="0" Text="@HarryCover - I agree with you but there is something like fear in mind as  this is risk in life so.. :)" CreationDate="2015-10-16T03:23:38.140" UserId="8125" />
  <row Id="6840" PostId="3802" Score="0" Text="[This article](http://www.shakelaw.com/blog/indemnity-clauses-understanding-basics/) talks directly to your question and gives some good advice" CreationDate="2015-10-16T20:04:10.340" UserId="8795" />
  <row Id="6841" PostId="3521" Score="0" Text="How was the original Licence to company A phrased. DId it name them specifically and restrict it to that company? If so, Company B may have no rights to use your framework without a new licence from you. In which case you have your opportunity to negotiate." CreationDate="2015-10-16T22:31:01.407" UserId="8795" />
  <row Id="6842" PostId="3805" Score="0" Text="if I (theoretically) share the email chain with project discussion with the collection agency, do I violate the NDA?" CreationDate="2015-10-17T05:28:08.763" UserId="8087" />
  <row Id="6843" PostId="3805" Score="0" Text="That's interesting... I've thankfully never had to consider that. You might need to redact sensitive/proprietary stuff in the email chain, but still leave enough information (i.e. the line items of work you proposed) so the offer &amp; acceptance remains clear." CreationDate="2015-10-17T14:47:40.997" UserId="10141" />
  <row Id="6844" PostId="3768" Score="0" Text="@mugé  The guy is still refusing to have a written a contract, i know he didn't signup a written contract infact i never did that with any of my client before. but his point seems to be invalid because he wanted me to work for 4 months. i knew all those areas where i had been working on. he would have said beforehand &quot; look we are bankrupt and we can't afford your services so please stop working &quot; so it doesn't make sense here. i given gave him a discount of $1k and asked him to pay in $3k into 2 installments. i did favor but what a jerk" CreationDate="2015-10-17T15:36:05.573" UserId="10096" />
  <row Id="6845" PostId="3779" Score="0" Text="Client is not willing to pay.. i tried to explain in all ways and provided him a discount of $1k and asked him to make two installments if it is having problems but.. no he is not ready .. he simply says that he has no money to me as his company is bankrupt, i asked him to turn down the website so i could sell it to other party but he doesn't do that.." CreationDate="2015-10-17T15:55:38.520" UserId="10096" />
  <row Id="6846" PostId="3779" Score="0" Text="Lets try this again. WHAT CITY IN ARIZONA? Did he provide you with a copy of the bankruptcy proceedings? Are you listed as a claimant on that document?  If not, I'd assume he is lying thru his teeth.  I'm sure he has limited money available, but you need to make the claim anyway, either thru a lawyer or via claim at Small Claims court.  Bankruptcy proceedings are pretty formal, and require a formal payment system.  If you are a claimant, you need to be listed on his bankruptcy proceedings.  Bankruptcy doesn't simply erase his debt, it changes the terms.  If you want site back, its done.." CreationDate="2015-10-17T22:41:37.400" UserId="2559" />
  <row Id="6847" PostId="3816" Score="1" Text="I seriously tried to make sense of your question, but couldn't. It is about claiming money ?" CreationDate="2015-10-18T10:23:49.943" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="6849" PostId="3817" Score="1" Text="hmm.. why the down vote?" CreationDate="2015-10-19T01:12:25.410" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="6851" PostId="53" Score="1" Text="In the case I think of, it was a matter of insufficient domain knowledge to understand the full requirements on my part so a lot of time was lost getting up to speed." CreationDate="2015-10-19T11:00:54.743" UserId="60" />
  <row Id="6856" PostId="3818" Score="1" Text="@Codenoire Thank you very much for your editing." CreationDate="2015-10-19T21:00:27.910" UserId="10191" />
  <row Id="6858" PostId="3646" Score="0" Text="You did not state which country is your tax residency. If you are outside of UK (and in EU), you very often need to be registered at least as a sole trader and report that you provided the service to other EU country based company." CreationDate="2015-10-16T22:28:16.793" UserId="10189" />
  <row Id="6859" PostId="3817" Score="0" Text="not sure why this was downvoted. I actually used a lot of what you said to communicate with a client and it helped." CreationDate="2015-10-19T23:55:40.360" UserId="10199" />
  <row Id="6860" PostId="3823" Score="0" Text="This is the best route to take. Lesson learned. From now on I'm not doing anything for free (unless it's contributing to an open source tool I use)." CreationDate="2015-10-19T23:58:34.063" UserId="10199" />
  <row Id="6861" PostId="3817" Score="0" Text="In this scenario, I think I'm just going to drop my free clients. But I'm selecting this as best answer because it'll help me explain certain things to paying clients as well." CreationDate="2015-10-20T00:01:54.230" UserId="10199" />
  <row Id="6863" PostId="3803" Score="0" Text="Thank you for answer.. you have increased my confidence level." CreationDate="2015-10-20T03:49:41.037" UserId="8125" />
  <row Id="6864" PostId="3829" Score="0" Text="Hi zanona, welcome to Freelancing.SE! This question reads a bit much like an opinion-gathering question, which would not be a good fit for the Stack Exchange network. Can you [edit] it to ask for advice on a *specific, clearly defined problem* you are experiencing? Thanks." CreationDate="2015-10-20T23:00:58.097" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6865" PostId="3797" Score="0" Text="@canadian Thanks for the edits .. New to interacting with this community." CreationDate="2015-10-21T01:11:54.837" UserId="10169" />
  <row Id="6866" PostId="3830" Score="0" Text="As OP is developer and may be does not have experience as project manager even though is it fair to charge higher than normal? He may be expert as developer and in development but for project manager it seems he is fresher." CreationDate="2015-10-21T08:49:59.830" UserId="8125" />
  <row Id="6867" PostId="3829" Score="0" Text="Hey @CanadianLuke, thanks so much for your reply below. You are right in the format of the question. I think it's difficult sometimes because you guys can really help out but it's not a matter of right or wrong, but still all the advice is valid and valuable. Would you have any suggestion on how could I edit the question so it fits best within SE scope? Thanks once again." CreationDate="2015-10-21T11:24:47.270" UserId="10234" />
  <row Id="6868" PostId="3830" Score="0" Text="Really insightful advice — Thank you. It's great to know about **micro-management** and how it can negatively affect the team. I certainly wouldn't like that done with me. In regards the rate, I am indeed on a dilemma and how @HelpingHands mentions, I am a fresher on this, but I understand that coordinating a team can use a lot of my previously technical knowledge in addition to new ones I don't currently own. Hopefully I can find a balance of instead doubling the rate I actually charge, trying something like _x1.5_ instead?" CreationDate="2015-10-21T11:30:04.640" UserId="10234" />
  <row Id="6869" PostId="3831" Score="0" Text="Thanks Harry, I completely agree with you. I see the team is a bit lost at the moment in the middle of so many tasks to achieve, no achieving much after 1 whole year. So they are not being as productive as they could due to that. Since I have had experience with this kind of situation in the past, I believe I could be able to help. The team seems to have a good knowledge on what they are doing, but could use some help, so I would try to be more of a guiding hand than a dictator for sure. Interesting about point the liability, I will keep this in mind." CreationDate="2015-10-21T11:34:00.277" UserId="10234" />
  <row Id="6870" PostId="3830" Score="0" Text="I doubled my rate the first time, but I had managerial experience before. Do what makes you feel comfortable, and Google around for rates of other people in your area with your kind of expertise" CreationDate="2015-10-21T14:33:24.817" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6871" PostId="3829" Score="0" Text="Don't ask us such an open ended question based on opinion. Check out [ask] for more information" CreationDate="2015-10-21T14:34:25.173" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6872" PostId="3832" Score="1" Text="Have another address." CreationDate="2015-10-21T15:18:24.260" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="6873" PostId="3833" Score="0" Text="For example if I am &quot;googled&quot; by name - I'd come up on a result from those &quot;company check&quot; websites right? To be clear I'm quite happy for customers to know who I am and where I live etc. A similar situation (not mine) is if for example being &quot;stalked' by an ex....then they could find you?" CreationDate="2015-10-21T17:55:03.990" UserId="10237" />
  <row Id="6874" PostId="3829" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke that's a bit tricky, most questions here on Freelancing SE seem to have opinion based replies. (Just checking the related question tabs here) where in most cases, something might work for one but not for others, hence, opinions? The only thing I know if I haven't asked it here, I wouldn't get both really insightful replies from you and Harry Cover. :) But I think I understand what you meant and will try to keep it more on target for the next one." CreationDate="2015-10-21T17:55:34.640" UserId="10234" />
  <row Id="6875" PostId="3832" Score="0" Text="What sort of address @Harry? PO box or a relative or what?" CreationDate="2015-10-21T18:13:57.773" UserId="10237" />
  <row Id="6876" PostId="3832" Score="0" Text="Refer to @kdopen." CreationDate="2015-10-21T20:18:00.763" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="6879" PostId="3833" Score="0" Text="Absolutely yes." CreationDate="2015-10-21T21:03:40.410" UserId="8795" />
  <row Id="6880" PostId="3827" Score="2" Text="I don't think anyone here can make life decisions for you. In addition, I personally wouldn't trust a bunch of random unknown users on the internet to have any clue of the overall scope of my decision, regardless of how well i think I've typed it. Whether or not you should stay with existing employers or hope to find new ones is your decision, no one else's. Practicality would suggest one not to dump the money that *is* coming in on pure speculation that other money *may* be replacing it." CreationDate="2015-10-22T08:51:44.227" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="6881" PostId="3835" Score="0" Text="Hi MoXplod, welcome to Freelancing.SE! This question is too broad, as it's essentially asking for a list answer. What research have you done? Where is your business located? Are all your services online? Are alternative payment methods available? This question is too broad, but could be [edit]ed to be more on topic. See [ask] for more information." CreationDate="2015-10-22T17:34:18.667" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6882" PostId="1115" Score="0" Text="Same 3 pieces of advice as were given on another similar post: run, run and run." CreationDate="2015-10-22T20:13:10.117" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="6884" PostId="3786" Score="0" Text="Possible Duplicate: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/1710/how-do-i-estimate-the-cost-of-building-an-mobile-app?rq=1" CreationDate="2015-10-23T18:49:34.713" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="6887" PostId="3844" Score="2" Text="It is careful to add that the law of US pertains, and name the jurisdiction that is most convenient for you. In case of a litigation, you can't afford a trial/resolution abroad." CreationDate="2015-10-24T13:27:59.597" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="6889" PostId="3848" Score="0" Text="&quot;offered a contract&quot;: what do you mean ?" CreationDate="2015-10-26T20:03:25.173" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="6890" PostId="3848" Score="0" Text="A friend wants a hybrid app built for cheap, and came to me since they knew I do a little mobile dev. It's not super economical for me, but I do want to help them out." CreationDate="2015-10-26T20:05:40.707" UserId="10287" />
  <row Id="6899" PostId="3865" Score="0" Text="+1, this makes a huge difference.  Especially once you add other variables to the mix (e.g., kids, pets, etc.) it becomes impossible to draw that line without there being some physical separation.  It's counterintuitive, but in this case, my experience is that distance makes the heart grow fonder ;)" CreationDate="2015-10-29T16:21:47.440" UserId="10318" />
  <row Id="6900" PostId="3800" Score="0" Text="If your public relation is good. And you are getting new customers day to day or weekly then must go for freelancing **Either way do freelancing with work** I followed this." CreationDate="2015-10-29T08:05:34.760" UserId="10309" />
  <row Id="6901" PostId="3865" Score="0" Text="While I agree it's a *possible* solution, I think the OP is looking for a solution while he's working out of his home, not relocating" CreationDate="2015-10-29T17:27:12.413" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6902" PostId="3868" Score="1" Text="Hi Brad, welcome to Freelancing.SE! This is reading as a list based question, which would be considered too broad for the SE Network. Can you [edit] to ask for a specific problem to be solved? For Software Recommendations (what this boils down to), show a list of what you've tried, why they didn't work, and bullet points of what you require. This will make the question much more answerable and useful to the community. If you have questions on this, please ask in [meta] or on [chat]. Thanks!" CreationDate="2015-10-29T17:31:53.647" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6903" PostId="3786" Score="0" Text="My dad told me that you should take the hourly rate that you make at a company and times it by 3. That way you are covered for the time that you aren't working." CreationDate="2015-10-29T16:04:32.523" UserId="10317" />
  <row Id="6904" PostId="3259" Score="2" Text="On the subject of headphones, use the big can-style ones rather than the small in-the-ear kind: I find they act as a clear visual sign that says &quot;I can't be disturbed.&quot;" CreationDate="2015-10-29T17:43:44.630" UserId="5750" />
  <row Id="6905" PostId="3865" Score="0" Text="I'm not making enough to justify renting an office." CreationDate="2015-10-29T20:00:14.120" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6906" PostId="3871" Score="0" Text="You are right. It is touch in start level but there will be many benefits and projects if we do things in right direction , right?" CreationDate="2015-10-30T03:10:04.123" UserId="8125" />
  <row Id="6909" PostId="336" Score="0" Text="&quot;Everyone makes decisions based on emotions and justifies them with logic&quot;: I enjoyed that." CreationDate="2015-10-30T10:52:24.867" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="6912" PostId="3802" Score="0" Text="Always, always limit your liability. You aren't responsible for stuff that goes wrong." CreationDate="2015-10-30T07:07:13.063" UserId="10317" />
  <row Id="6916" PostId="2875" Score="1" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because this has nothing to do with freelancing." CreationDate="2015-11-02T15:33:13.007" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="6920" PostId="3883" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the comments. Actually, it's a very special solution and I gave them a demo version for a trial period. They tried it for 10 days and decided to go with that. Now, I need to send them an invoice and I'll deliver them a full, licensed version after I received my payment. No worries about the payment :) The actual problem is if this is legal as an H1 employee and how should I move to be completely legal and stay safe about my visa." CreationDate="2015-11-02T16:42:36.493" UserId="10349" />
  <row Id="6922" PostId="3884" Score="0" Text="Thanks for detailed explanation. I'll accept your answer. As far as I can understand, I should transfer this money to my own country directly to stay safe side. Regarding with your question, after business hours everyone can do anything, right? I don't bring this work to my business hours, it's after business, so in my opinion I don't have to report all my activities after business hours to my sponsoring company." CreationDate="2015-11-03T04:11:27.977" UserId="10349" />
  <row Id="6924" PostId="3884" Score="0" Text="Regarding after hours work, did you sign a rights transfer agreement with your full-time employer (this is standard in the US)? If so, there are no &quot;after hours&quot; and it depends on the State you live in whether they actually own the rights to the code you are delivering to your client. And you are *only* safe on immigration because your client is outside the USA." CreationDate="2015-11-03T15:44:32.140" UserId="8795" />
  <row Id="6926" PostId="3481" Score="0" Text="Please give a reason if you choose to downvote." CreationDate="2015-11-04T00:36:28.043" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="6928" PostId="3890" Score="0" Text="That's amazing, thank you. I'll start investigate that solution then." CreationDate="2015-11-04T12:03:11.907" UserId="10370" />
  <row Id="6930" PostId="3884" Score="0" Text="Thanks for reminding me this detail. Actually I'm not sure but I'll definitely check it when I go home." CreationDate="2015-11-04T20:07:13.597" UserId="10349" />
  <row Id="6932" PostId="3893" Score="4" Text="&quot;Recently quit my job&quot;: ban that !" CreationDate="2015-11-05T21:42:04.623" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="6933" PostId="3892" Score="2" Text="I exactly did that on one occasion. Explained that the overtime was unexpected and not under my control and proposed to share the extra with the customer (50%/50%). That worked fine." CreationDate="2015-11-05T21:48:54.540" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="6936" PostId="3897" Score="0" Text="perfect.........:)" CreationDate="2015-11-06T05:58:46.317" UserId="8125" />
  <row Id="6937" PostId="3901" Score="0" Text="Thank you for your answer, I was worried that anything I did while connected to their FTP would put my work on their server." CreationDate="2015-11-06T07:30:50.237" UserId="9835" />
  <row Id="6938" PostId="3901" Score="0" Text="No no , do not worry. enjoy your work.. One more suggestion I would like to give that take back of files of that ftp before you change any file so in future you can use backup to upload if any issue comes." CreationDate="2015-11-06T07:33:31.363" UserId="8125" />
  <row Id="6941" PostId="3898" Score="0" Text="Thank you for your answer.  I believe, whole-heartedly, in value-based pricing as well.  So many consultants and consulting companies underprice because they do not look at the big picture.  It's good to know there are others with the same thought." CreationDate="2015-11-06T12:58:35.463" UserId="10396" />
  <row Id="6942" PostId="3900" Score="2" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because this belongs on one of the Technology stackexchange sites, not here.  http://stackexchange.com/sites#technology" CreationDate="2015-11-06T17:08:24.493" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="6944" PostId="3905" Score="0" Text="Yes it's normal to ask a supplement for a new feature so that the customer now the value of your work. If price too high for him you can later enter in negociation process. If the custom request for a discount, it's normally a good news: that means he wants to work with you." CreationDate="2015-11-09T13:00:12.293" UserId="10424" />
  <row Id="6946" PostId="3904" Score="0" Text="OK thanks guys. He's a client that I've done work for before and I have other projects lined up with him. I don't want to burn them bridges by asking for a great amount more. Thanks for your time." CreationDate="2015-11-09T13:21:58.070" UserId="10425" />
  <row Id="6947" PostId="3905" Score="0" Text="Not sure why answer downvoted." CreationDate="2015-11-10T04:00:59.200" UserId="8125" />
  <row Id="6948" PostId="3909" Score="0" Text="Flagging as &quot;Blatantly Off Topic&quot; because that is the nearest flag. I think this belongs on law.stackexchange.com or some other site dealing with the legalities of running a business. It is not specific to freelancing." CreationDate="2015-11-10T22:50:26.190" UserId="8795" />
  <row Id="6949" PostId="3910" Score="4" Text="Dump him. We call this [tag:scope-creep] and it's dangerous. Cut the ties with him, wrap it up, and move on" CreationDate="2015-11-11T00:39:45.357" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6950" PostId="3909" Score="0" Text="I disagree with kdopen because many freelancers will choose to form an LLC and many freelancers are likely to be more focused on coding or their graphic arts or whatever skill they sell and, like me, lose focus on some business aspects until brought to their attention. Thus a question whose answer might help others. (However narrow to only Florida, U.S.A.)" CreationDate="2015-11-11T01:55:33.037" UserId="10434" />
  <row Id="6951" PostId="3802" Score="1" Text="Just a note. I purchased Errors and Omissions insurance and also use the phrasing below from the Contract Killer 3 sample contract" CreationDate="2015-11-11T03:10:39.203" UserId="8408" />
  <row Id="6952" PostId="3911" Score="1" Text="Yup; this is the answer. &quot;Of course I'd be willing to add that feature for you. Here's our estimate of how long it would take. When you've signed off on the budget and terms, we'll jump on the updates.&quot;" CreationDate="2015-11-11T17:10:15.450" UserId="8459" />
  <row Id="6953" PostId="3909" Score="1" Text="Don't misunderstand me. I think this is an excellent question, and one where the answers may be useful to freelancers. But the answers need to come from someone with legal knowledge beyond that which you are likely to find on this site. Unfortunately, the only &quot;other site&quot; I can select with that flag type is meta, and there's no &quot;other&quot; flagging option which lets me explain *why* I flagged it." CreationDate="2015-11-11T19:07:01.123" UserId="8795" />
  <row Id="6954" PostId="3915" Score="0" Text="The change order idea is really great. I think I probably need to take a project management class somewhere." CreationDate="2015-11-11T22:08:59.273" UserId="8408" />
  <row Id="6959" PostId="3910" Score="1" Text="And if he is bad mouthing you in writing (email, web page, etc) you might consider a lawyer's letter." CreationDate="2015-11-12T01:15:43.493" UserId="8795" />
  <row Id="6961" PostId="3910" Score="1" Text="I always say &quot;No&quot; to anyone who is both irate with me *and* wants something for free. In life *and* in business." CreationDate="2015-11-12T20:14:03.933" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="6963" PostId="3923" Score="3" Text="Look up more of the questions on [tag:scope-creep]. You may learn a thing or two about this type of client, and *how to deal with them effectively*." CreationDate="2015-11-13T02:43:41.253" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6964" PostId="3924" Score="0" Text="Is this for a particular gig, or for a job?" CreationDate="2015-11-13T02:44:30.227" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="6965" PostId="3922" Score="0" Text="Yes, that's the point. I mean to compite as a web designer/developer that does WooCommerce to create Online Stores is the services, but do people look for the task or for the guy that does the task? What inspires more confidence? And so on." CreationDate="2015-11-13T08:22:42.800" UserId="9910" />
  <row Id="6966" PostId="3922" Score="0" Text="Yes that's the point. I know that &quot;someone&quot; is not what people are looking for. I want to know whats more effective, offering a service and trying to sell it or being an expert in that service. I know is similar, but for example. I can have kevin.com Expert in WooCommerce. Or woocommercestores.com. What is people looking for? An expert? The services? Do they know it? I'm not asking for the specifics in this case, just for previous experiences from others because it implies a different strategy. **Both appeared after I replied to this one, sorry for dup**" CreationDate="2015-11-13T08:45:50.493" UserId="9910" />
  <row Id="6967" PostId="3066" Score="0" Text="NI conts are a personal liability and unrelated to where your clients are located. If you also have an Ltd company you will need to be paying employer's contributions as well." CreationDate="2015-11-13T15:05:45.740" UserId="8795" />
  <row Id="6968" PostId="3930" Score="1" Text="I don't have a danger of not getting paid because I control all the hosting of the project until they are fully paid. Their whole business runs on this software and I can turn it off and on with the push of 1 button. If it goes offline, their business grinds to a halt during the busiest season of the year. Once a client pays, then I turn over all hosting and source code to them." CreationDate="2015-11-15T20:57:45.917" UserId="8408" />
  <row Id="6969" PostId="3910" Score="0" Text="Don't let yourself be impressed by the guy. This must be his (conscious or unconscious) strategy. Respecting the clauses in your contract and in particular regarding work additions is the way to go. If you have carried out the initial schedule, it might be time to invoice. Unless the other party explicitly disputes the invoice, it is binding." CreationDate="2015-11-15T22:06:59.970" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="6970" PostId="3930" Score="1" Text="That's why getting paid BEFORE delivering the work and with milestones is the way to do online business. Psychological pressure is a normal part of everyday life at different levels, freelancers will meet all different types of &quot;manipulators&quot; (eg. my daughter is sick, I'm in a crunch, I have lot of projects for you after this one, it's for a church project, let see if we're a good fit, you didn't do X...) but they can easily be controlled if you know what they're doing." CreationDate="2015-11-16T01:02:01.337" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="6971" PostId="3930" Score="2" Text="Yeah I've met the &quot;daughter is sick&quot; guy before. I set too few milestones in my project, half up front, 25% on completion before fixes, last 25% plus balance of additional approved work after fixes." CreationDate="2015-11-16T01:32:05.673" UserId="8408" />
  <row Id="6973" PostId="3921" Score="0" Text="Your edit doesn't make a great deal of sense. *&quot;offer a service as a freelance or just the service&quot;* What would be the difference????" CreationDate="2015-11-16T12:23:50.403" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="6975" PostId="3924" Score="0" Text="This is unanswerable. Fees would easily vary by country, region, state, city, experience, etc. What one person charges is almost *never* the same as what another person would charge." CreationDate="2015-11-17T05:48:26.030" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="6976" PostId="3937" Score="1" Text="@zfollette: do keep in mind that your hourly rate must be higher than your rate as an employee, as you have to afford taxes and general costs." CreationDate="2015-11-17T09:31:03.727" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="6977" PostId="3911" Score="0" Text="That's it! Anything else?" CreationDate="2015-11-17T13:49:21.913" UserId="10497" />
  <row Id="6978" PostId="3667" Score="0" Text="I work full time on upwork.com and have 5k+ hours billed on there. It does have a lot of chancers. I find a lot of clients have a budget that is too low (&quot;design me a circuit board for $50!&quot;) and give no details (&quot;give me teh c++ codez, plz&quot;). As long as you screen people, have decent specs and have a reasonable budget, you should be fine." CreationDate="2015-11-18T19:14:06.373" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="6981" PostId="3521" Score="0" Text="Can you speak openly to them and ask them the same question ? Chances are low that they will answer &quot;no charge at all&quot;. They will rather ask for an offer." CreationDate="2015-11-19T21:02:06.310" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="6988" PostId="3942" Score="0" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because this is not about Freelancing." CreationDate="2015-11-23T20:48:23.890" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="6989" PostId="3907" Score="0" Text="Of course,  the work-for-hire was to produce a system for the client's own use.  Producing a system for the client to sell on is a different system, and new work.  The old work package was work-for-hire.  The new, additional work package is yet to be negotiated." CreationDate="2015-11-23T21:53:22.190" UserId="10565" />
  <row Id="6990" PostId="3942" Score="0" Text="If you think this is not about freelancing, you have no idea what freelancing is about. Do you think freelancing is just about sitting at a cafe and smile to people while you do play with your computer? I have correctly tagged the question with the relevant topics in freelancing..." CreationDate="2015-11-24T07:47:56.403" UserId="8313" />
  <row Id="6991" PostId="3951" Score="0" Text="It's more of the latter. Also, it is &quot;well I thought that's how I needed it to work but our vendor actually says they need it to work differently&quot;" CreationDate="2015-11-24T14:53:26.277" UserId="8408" />
  <row Id="6992" PostId="3951" Score="0" Text="Luckily, you are not liable for your client's mis-interpretion of his own requirements. You are liable for providing the contracted deliverables.  No court is going to find that mind-reading is a necessary skill when delivering against a contract." CreationDate="2015-11-24T15:02:01.883" UserId="10565" />
  <row Id="6993" PostId="3951" Score="0" Text="You only have to provide what the client said he wanted, not what he later decided he actually needed.  (Of course, it's a valuable skill to be able to guide the client to what he actually needs, rather than what s/he thinks s/he wants.  But that's at either: at the pre-contract stage, when you are both clarifying the clients' requirements;  or during the project, when the client still needs to pay for extras-to-contract." CreationDate="2015-11-24T15:02:07.660" UserId="10565" />
  <row Id="6994" PostId="3951" Score="0" Text="I actually went through 6 revisions of the initial proposal over a period of 1.5 months before the project started. The client kept forgetting things that  he needed to add. It was replacing an old system that basically ran their whole business, the entire ordering process, inventory, interfacing with the warehouse, and multiple other vendors. After we signed the deal, they sprung it upon me that they needed it in 2 months because it turned out they didn't own their current system that they used and their provider was pulling the plug." CreationDate="2015-11-24T15:07:18.353" UserId="8408" />
  <row Id="6995" PostId="3951" Score="0" Text="I wonder why the previous provider decided to stop working with him?  ;-)" CreationDate="2015-11-24T15:20:59.940" UserId="10565" />
  <row Id="6996" PostId="3951" Score="0" Text="Yes, now I know. This entire project has been the worst, most stressful time of my life and I was disabled for 10 years having to be in bed with a lot of pain for long periods at a time." CreationDate="2015-11-24T15:23:31.527" UserId="8408" />
  <row Id="6997" PostId="3951" Score="0" Text="It sounds like the client needed to pay someone to look at the current system and document what it does, and create a spec from that.  Creating specs does not sound like one of his key skills." CreationDate="2015-11-24T15:24:58.913" UserId="10565" />
  <row Id="6999" PostId="3942" Score="0" Text="The question is NOT about freelancing in general, it's about Upwork.  We don't respond to questions about specific websites offering work -- it is specifically laid out in the forum's charter.  You need to go ask the people at Upwork.  Hence my vote to close." CreationDate="2015-11-24T16:27:05.040" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="7001" PostId="3517" Score="1" Text="The laws in the EU have now changed, and services provided on-line in an automated way without a significant human intervention are liable for VAT, even if they are provided from outside your home nation within the EU, or even outside the EU." CreationDate="2015-11-24T18:45:02.663" UserId="10565" />
  <row Id="7002" PostId="3956" Score="0" Text="I don't think you realize that the motivation to be in business is to make a profit. :(" CreationDate="2015-11-24T19:00:54.027" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="7003" PostId="3961" Score="0" Text="Actually what matters is invoicing. You invoice at completion/delivery of the milestone, using some payment terms, but whatever these terms, the amount starts being due/claimable from that date, even if the project stops there or trust disintegrates." CreationDate="2015-11-24T20:50:04.650" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="7004" PostId="3961" Score="0" Text="Thanks for your thoughts, Euan. OK, so let's say you have 30-day payment terms on milestone payments. You complete a milestone, issue the invoice, and send it to your customer. Do you stop work until you get paid, possibly for the full 30 days? You might risk it with an established client and press on with the next milestone, but would you - and should you - with a new client that you don't know?" CreationDate="2015-11-24T23:10:18.967" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="7005" PostId="3767" Score="0" Text="@mugé , Hi Muge, finally writing to BBB , client agreed to pay $2k , which i agreed on , however here is the another problem , i use Western Union only for my transaction and i don't have any other way to get paid for years. i find Western Union very much reliable but client has no time to go their store and so he asked for paypal account and paypal doesn't provide its service for my country. so i gave him my friend's paypal but after receiving $1k through paypal , paypal froze his account and rejected his document and its taking forever. is there any way to get the funds out of paypal?" CreationDate="2015-11-24T23:21:04.970" UserId="10096" />
  <row Id="7006" PostId="3961" Score="0" Text="Think of it the other way around.  Would you do work for that client if there were no milestone payments, and it was payment on final delivery?  Is there a way to withhold the results of your work until payment is made? Is the contract well-drafted, so that you have recourse under the law if things go sour?  If the key concern is &quot;Will they ever pay up?&quot; it's worth baking several early milestones into the schedule - this means that you get some practical early experience of their payment habits." CreationDate="2015-11-25T01:54:56.560" UserId="10565" />
  <row Id="7007" PostId="3961" Score="0" Text="As has been said - the ideal setup is milestone payments with immediate payment terms.   This is part of the initial contract negotiations.  Perhaps start off pushing for immediate payment or strictly-7-days, and allow yourself to be pushed down to strictly-14-days." CreationDate="2015-11-25T01:55:10.887" UserId="10565" />
  <row Id="7008" PostId="3956" Score="0" Text="@codenoire: motivation can be just to make a living." CreationDate="2015-11-25T08:08:54.253" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="7009" PostId="3956" Score="0" Text="A refund is thinkable (but not so recommended). Don't expect that the client will be grateful. On the opposite, there is a risk that what the client will remember is that &quot;something went wrong&quot;." CreationDate="2015-11-25T08:13:14.623" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="7011" PostId="3961" Score="0" Text="To be clear, are you recommending that one stops work for the time between the end of the milestone and the payment for it?" CreationDate="2015-11-25T16:08:22.463" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="7012" PostId="3961" Score="0" Text="I recommend five things: 1) only work for clients that you reasonably expect to actually fork out the payments which are correctly invoiced.  2) Trust, but verify. Give them an opportunity to demonstrate their payment behaviour, early in the business relationship. 3) **Have as short a payment period after presentation of invoice that you can successfully negotiate**. 4) Continue working between presentation of invoice and the due payment date. 5) Retain any deliverables until payment has cleared.  (This started as 2 , but went all &quot;Spanish Inquisition&quot;-y).  Tbh, I think this is a new question." CreationDate="2015-11-25T16:15:28.563" UserId="10565" />
  <row Id="7013" PostId="3961" Score="0" Text="No inquisition here - the point about delaying whilst waiting for payment was the whole purpose of the question. See the last paragraph `:-)`." CreationDate="2015-11-25T16:25:36.633" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="7014" PostId="3961" Score="0" Text="It was more the Python-esque version of Spanish Inquisition.  I started out to recommend 2 things.  Ended up with 5. :-)" CreationDate="2015-11-25T17:28:07.027" UserId="10565" />
  <row Id="7015" PostId="3965" Score="0" Text="While I agree it's great to be paid right away, I have yet to see any companies paying the caterers for their parties as it's happening. I used to work for a hotel that did LOTS of catering, and they only got a small deposit up front, and the rest was billed 30 days later. Is it normal elsewhere that those types of outfits get paid as services are rendered?" CreationDate="2015-11-25T17:46:15.363" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7017" PostId="3767" Score="0" Text="Talk to PayPal.  I wanted to say congrats on finally receiving your hard-earned money but it looks like, although they made a promise for $2000, they paid you half, which is troubled transaction and still not received.  PayPal encourages to communicate with them.  Once you know what will happen to the funds, which does not seem will reach you, definitely contact the company you worked for and update them on the transaction.  Their account may show as the money was taken out.  Also make a point, reminder.. they are to pay $2000 NOT $1000!" CreationDate="2015-11-28T01:25:22.380" UserId="10098" />
  <row Id="7018" PostId="3965" Score="0" Text="(+10... if I could upvote that much) That 30-day isn't even always offered anyway by companies unless the client &quot;qualifies&quot; for this... So I agree with Codenoire, no reason why a freelancer or mall business should accept it. In fact, before I got everything 100% pre-paid, I used to actually give a rebate to clients who'd pay within 1-2-3 days; so that's the opposite technique of the 30 days terms and money comes in very quickly since there is a self-interest for them to pay fast. Anyway it's rare clients will take more than a week, especially if you stop all work until payment is done." CreationDate="2015-11-29T19:08:06.640" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="7019" PostId="3965" Score="0" Text="Thanks codenoire for your thoughts... people still use cheques? `:-)`. I like @go-junta's suggestion - offer a discount for immediate payment." CreationDate="2015-11-29T19:25:11.227" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="7021" PostId="3965" Score="0" Text="The US is wayyyyyyyy behind europe in terms of processing payments.  The discount approach doesn't work in big companies because it's usualy going to be quite a hassle for the person who approves the invoice to fast-track its movement to the person who's going to issue the check, and make sure the discount &quot;window&quot; doesn't elapse." CreationDate="2015-11-30T15:50:41.520" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="7022" PostId="3909" Score="0" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because this is not about freelancing." CreationDate="2015-11-30T16:02:12.060" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="7026" PostId="3965" Score="0" Text="Yes you're right, bigger companies or corporation will stick anyway to their terms and don't care much about rebates since... the employee who manages the accounting has no self-interest in this. Plus they have their own way of doing things. And yes @halfer ... they're the ones still paying with cheques most of the time and the good old snail mail! ;) The rebates work well when you're dealing directly with the CEO or with someone close to the CEO in the hierachy, or someone who actually has a self-interest in making the company saves a bit of money!" CreationDate="2015-12-01T09:35:10.843" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="7027" PostId="3965" Score="0" Text="@go-junta Yes and no.  Offering discounts, as I mentioned before, is probably fruitless with big companies.  But the **initial** payment terms can be set to something more to your liking.  The contact person inside the company has to do a little more work, but getting 10- or 15-day payment terms vs 30 can save a LOT of stress over the long term so it's worth a freelancer making a hassle about it." CreationDate="2015-12-01T16:48:52.150" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="7031" PostId="3974" Score="1" Text="Data entry jobs receive 100+ applications. Upworn filters those who are more attractive to clients by putting them on top. You are obviously on the bottom among dozens of others. If you add 40% of filled profile, you seem to them like unserious contractor." CreationDate="2015-12-02T08:22:16.993" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7032" PostId="3965" Score="0" Text="&quot;Yes and no&quot;... that's the whole point. All companies are different &amp; the OP will see what kind of techniques he/she prefers to use depending of the situation. &quot;Small teams&quot; are not always &quot;small companies&quot; but they do have more control on their accounting; that's what I meant in case it wasn't clear.  For example, a hospital won't care, a private surgeon/physician will. Personally I don't need to set any payment terms, everything is usually 100% pre-paid. Depends how you negotiate and there's no absolute. For corporations, there's not much risk of not getting paid, so it's not a big concern." CreationDate="2015-12-02T12:33:14.063" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="7033" PostId="3979" Score="0" Text="Thanks for your feedback. I see your point, but just one precision: the guy making 5,000$ is *not* a recruiter. He's more like a business partner of mine and client. So his cut would be in addition to the recruitment agency's. And for a brief update, the said agency is trying to get him out of the picture, which puts me in a very delicate position..." CreationDate="2015-12-03T06:32:59.770" UserId="10646" />
  <row Id="7034" PostId="3981" Score="0" Text="Are you in the meetings at the time you're &quot;blocked&quot;?" CreationDate="2015-12-03T19:36:13.973" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7035" PostId="3983" Score="0" Text="24 hours is not equal to a work day in most professions and circumstances.  In a regular job, you would still be getting paid while you sit at your desk, still on the clock (unless they just send you home, but in these projects I'm working mostly from home).  It would be charging 6 hours, 8 hours, 10 hours, or whatever your normal work day for that client is." CreationDate="2015-12-03T20:11:21.283" UserId="1323" />
  <row Id="7036" PostId="3981" Score="0" Text="Not in the stand-up meetings at that time, just working on other things while I wait for direction (and not working for a different client and double billing either)." CreationDate="2015-12-03T20:12:14.980" UserId="1323" />
  <row Id="7037" PostId="3983" Score="0" Text="Also, the circumstances and billing setup of these two projects don't permit rush fees." CreationDate="2015-12-03T20:13:07.333" UserId="1323" />
  <row Id="7038" PostId="3981" Score="0" Text="In that case, I'd agree with the answer you have below" CreationDate="2015-12-03T20:17:25.450" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7039" PostId="3985" Score="0" Text="The question is about having to quote *before* information is available, as required to engage the submission procedure." CreationDate="2015-12-03T20:41:34.593" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="7041" PostId="3987" Score="0" Text="Mh, this virtually means skip all jobs. There must be something I am missing otherwise no-one would do business on these sites." CreationDate="2015-12-04T08:48:34.003" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="7042" PostId="3985" Score="0" Text="Ooops, I edited your post by mistake, sorry. I can't completely remove it as edit additions only are allowed." CreationDate="2015-12-04T08:54:01.513" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="7043" PostId="3987" Score="0" Text="I do not share the same opinion. I'd say half jobs are well and other half is crap. When there is few info about the job, you then try to find if the client had referenced some other app so you can compare. In the end, if you see that this is a good client, then message him and ask for more info to make an estimation. All good clients will reply if they find you suitable." CreationDate="2015-12-04T09:33:19.360" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7044" PostId="3987" Score="1" Text="Also, with a bunch of jobs created every day, you only need 1-2 good jobs to apply daily in a quality manner. Bulk applications are useless." CreationDate="2015-12-04T09:34:02.013" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7045" PostId="3987" Score="0" Text="In many cases, you can't talk to the client before quoting." CreationDate="2015-12-04T09:37:32.547" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="7046" PostId="3987" Score="0" Text="No I meant, ask him in your bid. Send bid with your regular hourly price or $1 if the project is fixed price." CreationDate="2015-12-04T10:37:22.793" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7047" PostId="3991" Score="1" Text="Unless you want to gamble, make sure to ask 130% of the normal amount." CreationDate="2015-12-04T19:07:20.223" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="7048" PostId="3990" Score="0" Text="If I were you, I wouldn't work for free, but for a very low fare, **clearly stating why**." CreationDate="2015-12-04T19:10:20.753" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="7049" PostId="3315" Score="1" Text="Warn her of a doubling (tripling ?) of your rates for future services while reminding about the pending amounts. You are in a good position for negotiations." CreationDate="2015-12-05T15:03:47.317" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="7052" PostId="4000" Score="1" Text="Accept half of the supplement and explain why you don't accept the whole." CreationDate="2015-12-07T14:27:47.153" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="7058" PostId="4013" Score="1" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because this question is about life experiences or opinions on freelancing which is specifically excluded in the Help Center.  &#xA;&#xA;http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/help/on-topic" CreationDate="2015-12-08T16:56:45.720" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="7059" PostId="4013" Score="0" Text="Is there a way to reword my question? I thought it was okay since there where some others question related to portfolio building" CreationDate="2015-12-08T17:21:16.263" UserId="10703" />
  <row Id="7060" PostId="4013" Score="0" Text="Again, please review valid topics in the Help Center.  http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/help/on-topic" CreationDate="2015-12-08T17:22:52.580" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="7061" PostId="4011" Score="0" Text="&quot;let him outpoint the main features in written form&quot; &lt;- a lay user will not know how to write a requirements document.  The OP will have to play the role of a business analyst, and work with the end user to capture these things." CreationDate="2015-12-08T17:26:44.777" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="7062" PostId="4013" Score="0" Text="I have read them. Also I have read some others portfolio related questions. I do agree that it might be opinion based. Do you have any options of how can I reword it so not opinion based?" CreationDate="2015-12-08T17:34:03.777" UserId="10703" />
  <row Id="7063" PostId="4013" Score="1" Text="I believe, personally, that this is on topic. Creating a portfolio is an important step for many types of freelancers, and the OP has shown they have an issue, and want to know how to proceed, given some options. I hope you get some good guidance here." CreationDate="2015-12-08T18:16:15.810" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7064" PostId="3998" Score="0" Text="It's great to include general tips, but why specifically would you prefer option A? How is that **the** correct option? Can you [edit] to include the extra info? Thanks" CreationDate="2015-12-08T18:33:20.087" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7065" PostId="4011" Score="0" Text="Yes, you're right, working with the clients to clarify things would be the best way and formal requirenments documents would be great too. But if that &quot;Not IT Person&quot; customer doesn't have the time to discuss and at least for smaller projects, I'd still suggest to just get some informal goals, like &quot;App for Android that tracks data from system xy&quot; or &quot;db front-/backend for data in that excel sheet&quot; or whatever." CreationDate="2015-12-08T21:27:22.940" UserId="10288" />
  <row Id="7066" PostId="4011" Score="0" Text="sorry, couldn't complete that comment, damn it ... so here's the rest:&#xA;...&#xA;The point is the lack of time, for sure it's far away from a perfect approach.&#xA;And are programmers the best to interact with customers and to &quot;guess&quot; what a Enduser wants to see? Well ... But that is a typical freelancer problem, to do marketing and it-stuff." CreationDate="2015-12-08T21:35:11.330" UserId="10288" />
  <row Id="7068" PostId="4013" Score="0" Text="Thanks you Canadian Luke, Indeed Im hoping for some advice relating my portfolio (which I do believe could be added to the on topic list, seeing that its a common topic on this stack)" CreationDate="2015-12-09T13:33:55.417" UserId="10703" />
  <row Id="7069" PostId="4017" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the answer Amelia. I totally 100% agree with you." CreationDate="2015-12-09T18:50:05.557" UserId="10710" />
  <row Id="7070" PostId="4003" Score="3" Text="You are presuming this is scope creep, what if OP just didn't realize how hard the work was going to be and messed up the estimate.  There is a point at which it is the contractor's responsibility to live up to his estimate." CreationDate="2015-12-09T20:25:59.190" UserId="1818" />
  <row Id="7071" PostId="4009" Score="0" Text="from &quot;this is what you wanted?&quot; your suggestion is to make the prototype first then ask the detail requirement later?, what prototype you would suggest?a mockup?or a simple version of the app?" CreationDate="2015-12-10T01:12:38.130" UserId="10698" />
  <row Id="7072" PostId="4009" Score="0" Text="I mean first ask for requirement what ever client have. Then check in which format he/she gives you requirement. May be in mockup, as document, as image etc. After this you can ask like **Do you have mockup**? OR **Do you have prototype**?" CreationDate="2015-12-10T04:10:08.017" UserId="8125" />
  <row Id="7073" PostId="4017" Score="0" Text="&quot;kick the notion that people in a part of the world are all linked to terrorism&quot;: do the NSA bots back this ?" CreationDate="2015-12-10T10:28:46.987" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="7074" PostId="4016" Score="0" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because this is not within the scope of what this site is for, as described in the Help Center.  &#xA;http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/help/behavior" CreationDate="2015-12-10T15:08:02.607" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="7075" PostId="4015" Score="0" Text="Amen and yahoo." CreationDate="2015-12-10T15:09:39.630" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="7076" PostId="4016" Score="0" Text="I've forwarded your username to the proper officials. :)" CreationDate="2015-12-10T17:51:26.760" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7077" PostId="4024" Score="0" Text="Thank you peter , sure I would like to check things by increase rate." CreationDate="2015-12-11T08:52:39.093" UserId="8125" />
  <row Id="7078" PostId="4022" Score="0" Text="and the language wont be an issue? Maybe if I make pages both in english and spanish it could help my portfolio XD" CreationDate="2015-12-11T14:23:12.373" UserId="10703" />
  <row Id="7079" PostId="4023" Score="3" Text="I guess that trying is harmless. You will see how the &quot;market&quot; reacts and you can backtrack if necessary." CreationDate="2015-12-11T17:22:20.663" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="7080" PostId="4022" Score="0" Text="Well, being multi-lingual will only be a plus. Having a mix of projects in both languages would work - some Spanish, some English. I wouldn't worry about *every* project having both languages." CreationDate="2015-12-11T17:56:03.543" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7081" PostId="4026" Score="1" Text="Good answer. I would only alter #3 to state *never* offer discounts.  There's no call for them unless you are financially struggling and want *any* work you can find." CreationDate="2015-12-11T19:57:14.857" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7082" PostId="4027" Score="0" Text="I don't really understand what you are asking. Yes you should charge hourly. Whether you calculate that, then present an estimated total cost to the client or merely tell the client it will cost $X per hour and you estimate X hours needed, is your call. For a difficult client I'd merely make certain they understand costs are **estimates** not hard quotes." CreationDate="2015-12-11T19:58:48.870" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7083" PostId="4026" Score="0" Text="Suggest an edit :-)" CreationDate="2015-12-11T20:00:09.517" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7084" PostId="4026" Score="0" Text="Okay then, done. :) Always a bit shy to put words in someone else's mouth (fingertips)." CreationDate="2015-12-11T20:25:27.283" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7085" PostId="4026" Score="0" Text="Worst case scenario, someone rolls it back" CreationDate="2015-12-11T20:26:11.020" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7086" PostId="4023" Score="0" Text="@HarryCover - Yeah , you are right." CreationDate="2015-12-12T07:00:33.643" UserId="8125" />
  <row Id="7088" PostId="4029" Score="1" Text="How does this address the question ?" CreationDate="2015-12-13T16:40:36.347" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="7089" PostId="4036" Score="0" Text="If you are a web developer (or know things about web), you can write at lots of sites like SitePoint, SmashingMagazine, TutsPlus etc. They pay well" CreationDate="2015-12-15T04:55:20.047" UserId="2242" />
  <row Id="7090" PostId="4037" Score="0" Text="Time thanks for answer. I just impressed by your given demand and supply concept. Seems will be very helpful to change rates." CreationDate="2015-12-15T16:22:55.717" UserId="8125" />
  <row Id="7091" PostId="4038" Score="1" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because this is a site for freelancers, not clients really. I think you are asking the wrong market." CreationDate="2015-12-16T02:24:11.430" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7092" PostId="4038" Score="0" Text="Supporting the opinion of SOIA" CreationDate="2015-12-16T10:49:01.497" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="7093" PostId="4006" Score="0" Text="I like how you **word this as a favor to her**. &quot;Since you were so nice to tell me you'd be in touch around this time of the year, I would be happy to reserve some time for you&quot;. You're already on her good side :-)" CreationDate="2015-12-16T14:02:10.357" UserId="2934" />
  <row Id="7094" PostId="4040" Score="0" Text="Thank you &quot;Helping Hands&quot;. Do you have any advice on what reference to use (XE, OANDA or others)? Should I use the bid or ask rate? These references have different rates for the same day!" CreationDate="2015-12-16T14:51:44.393" UserId="10793" />
  <row Id="7095" PostId="4040" Score="1" Text="Use XE Rates. Diff. will be minor so do not worry about that." CreationDate="2015-12-16T15:51:08.783" UserId="8125" />
  <row Id="7096" PostId="4046" Score="0" Text="This seems way out of left field for a freelancer... It looks like a currency-trading or stock-trading system, not a currency converter, or an explanation of how to get the money charged properly, and adds extra to the transactions" CreationDate="2015-12-16T17:28:08.323" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7097" PostId="4038" Score="0" Text="I disagree, but I feel it could be useful. It's an issue that Dave, as a freelancer, is having. I do believe it is a little open-ended or opinion-based, so I would like to see it [edit]ed to be brought within our standards. Dave, if you have any questions about this, please check out [ask] and [meta]." CreationDate="2015-12-16T17:30:56.430" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7099" PostId="4046" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke I disagree.  This is a proper system to use.  I use it as a freelancer.  It's very easy to download data or obtain an exchange rate for a single day.  With the link, I was showing that the firm also has a statistically sound method of calculation (my Engineering and Auditing background found this interesting).  Maybe only interesting to me.  However, the question did ask about bid/ask rate and how to &quot;hedge&quot; forex loss when invoicing." CreationDate="2015-12-16T18:05:54.487" UserId="10396" />
  <row Id="7102" PostId="4051" Score="0" Text="Related if not a duplicate: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/2022/how-to-setup-client-ownership-of-domain-name-and-hosting?rq=1 -- for the record I resell for 3 clients via WHM. I **refuse** to do it for any other client. And if there was an elegant way to get rid of the 3 accounts I do support and retain those clients, I would. And the hosting provider I use is very, very good with next to no issues." CreationDate="2015-12-17T20:02:33.023" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7103" PostId="4053" Score="0" Text="That is brilliant!  I would further suggest giving the volume discount IF people commit to a larger chunk up front.  You're discounting it because they're committing to a large chunk of business.  If you say you'll get the discount from here on out once you buy one week's worth it doesn't necessarily incentivize them to buy more than they would have and it doesn't provide you much security in terms of knowing you've got a paycheck for awhile." CreationDate="2015-12-18T02:03:29.497" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="7105" PostId="4051" Score="0" Text="If the time spent in support is worth $3K or more, think of reselling your customer portfolio to someone." CreationDate="2015-12-18T08:21:24.810" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="7106" PostId="4052" Score="0" Text="I don't have a reseller account yet.  I'm investigating that now.  Right now they are all in one 'shared' hosting account.&#xA;&#xA;Thank you for your reply. :)" CreationDate="2015-12-18T13:57:04.373" UserId="10815" />
  <row Id="7107" PostId="4052" Score="0" Text="No problem! Hope it helps" CreationDate="2015-12-18T14:01:11.127" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7108" PostId="4037" Score="3" Text="&quot;because of what a low rate communicates to them.&quot; This can be surprising. During one recession, I was cold calling companies and having little joy .. we'd have a good conversation but nothing would come of it. I took a gamble, doubled my hourly rate to well above market, and people started taking me much more seriously so that I was able to keep a flow of work coming in throughout the recession." CreationDate="2015-12-18T17:48:32.023" UserId="8795" />
  <row Id="7109" PostId="4057" Score="1" Text="Curious, where is it customary to charge less?" CreationDate="2015-12-19T15:38:23.747" UserId="10823" />
  <row Id="7110" PostId="4053" Score="0" Text="@Emily Thanks!  In my case it's less about getting them to commit to a larger initial purchase than about reducing their &quot;pain&quot; for needing to buy a potentially large project and therefore getting to &quot;yes&quot;." CreationDate="2015-12-20T11:44:01.623" UserId="4601" />
  <row Id="7111" PostId="4057" Score="0" Text="The premise only applies to those that consult *and* also complete projects. If you get paid $X to preform tasks and completely work, it's customary that you get paid a little less to merely *tell* people how to perform the work rather than doing it yourself. If you *only* consult, then this is a non-factor." CreationDate="2015-12-20T18:51:08.700" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7112" PostId="4037" Score="0" Text="@kdopen - that's interesting." CreationDate="2015-12-21T03:41:28.820" UserId="8125" />
  <row Id="7113" PostId="4064" Score="0" Text="I guess that it is not enough to tell what information you need, but also where/how they can collect it. Lambda users are deprived." CreationDate="2015-12-22T10:05:37.630" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="7114" PostId="4069" Score="1" Text="All cloud services I use are 10$/m for the starting package and then I have to pay $10 or $20 more for pro features. It seems that $10 for the starter package is some standard. Try to investigate similar services and their rates." CreationDate="2015-12-28T08:44:19.647" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7115" PostId="4064" Score="0" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic" CreationDate="2015-12-28T20:10:55.600" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="7116" PostId="4000" Score="1" Text="A wise man once said to me &quot;if somebody offers you money, take it&quot;. A good thing you have going for yourself is that they like you and your work.  I would address the elephant in the room which is you made an error in estimating the time it would take. If it's inexperience, they'll understand and still be happy because they like you.  If you want to be *by the book*, try estimating milestones for them as you go and you'll get better at it!" CreationDate="2015-12-28T22:03:32.210" UserId="4996" />
  <row Id="7117" PostId="4046" Score="0" Text="If I were a client, I would be a little annoyed at the details of this...feels like nit-picking.  Getting paid in USD is a luxury if you're not in the USA...so if you insist on it, you cannot be so picky.  Either take an average for the billing time or just the billing date. make it a *non-issue* so the client doesn't have reason to focus negatively on it, imho." CreationDate="2015-12-28T22:12:07.080" UserId="4996" />
  <row Id="7118" PostId="4056" Score="0" Text="pick a number(greater than your employee hourly rate) and stick to it. don't wait for them to give a number.  as a consultant you need to have your &quot;day rate&quot; and your &quot;hourly rate&quot; at the tip of your tongue.  you have them coming to you...start your consulting career with what you're worth!  if you're unsure about this, just put more effort in to make up for it." CreationDate="2015-12-28T22:17:40.407" UserId="4996" />
  <row Id="7119" PostId="4046" Score="0" Text="@user1269942 I agree, since this is exactly what I said in my answer:  Use a monthly or daily exchange rate.  For auditing purposes, it's always best to be consistent and document with the client which you will use." CreationDate="2015-12-29T01:42:10.280" UserId="10396" />
  <row Id="7120" PostId="3981" Score="0" Text="good question. I can't say I have any insight...I'm browsing SO in search of a solution to such a problem.  I think if you have *active* side projects then you shift accordingly.  In my case, I sort of made exclusive space for a project in november for a couple of weeks and didn't get too much into anything else. the client was supposed to deliver me over a Terabyte of images for me to classify and they wanted it done before xmas.  I didn't get the data until Dec 22 and since the beginning of Dec I got deep into my other contract that I had pushed off and is on deadline mode. humbug!" CreationDate="2015-12-29T04:26:56.523" UserId="4996" />
  <row Id="7121" PostId="3324" Score="1" Text="you need to get your money. that is step 1.  make sure she has an invoice and give her a deadline.  especially if she asks a lot of you...next time she asks, say you need to pay tuition or your partner is losing a job or something....anything. go into the office and remind her in front of people!  I really hope that you've got some money thus far. If things to badly, just move on...in contracting it's an unfortunate right of passage to deal with at least one such client. good luck to you!" CreationDate="2015-12-29T04:33:10.107" UserId="4996" />
  <row Id="7122" PostId="4015" Score="0" Text="yup.  I'd also add that a client you meet in person or are referred to by somebody you know have a greater chance of being a good client...and longer lasting.  there is a lot of value in a client being able to talk with and sometimes meet their contractor.  charge what you're worth! (especially if you're ok for money while you're in school)" CreationDate="2015-12-29T04:38:51.323" UserId="4996" />
  <row Id="7123" PostId="4020" Score="1" Text="good points. **be sure to read Harry Cover's first sentence!**" CreationDate="2015-12-29T04:41:24.193" UserId="4996" />
  <row Id="7124" PostId="4029" Score="0" Text="It addresses the selling yourself short and then giving discounts on top of a product already agreed to for the price. As for getting someone to handle the sales of software/sites etc, that's something for after cash is available not before.  This model of giving a service for a low cost allows for risk averse clients to get in and check it out before committing more funds to a potential money pit that resolves into nothing." CreationDate="2015-12-29T17:52:18.687" UserId="10759" />
  <row Id="7126" PostId="4076" Score="0" Text="Even though I do know HTML, I used WordPress to create my website. It was fairly simple though there is a lot of themes and plugins you can choose to enhance the look or functionality. That at least will help the website look good.&#xA;&#xA;As for your other questions, it's normally best to ask separate questions in separate posts, but it's difficult to get consensus on which platform is better." CreationDate="2015-12-30T04:08:18.630" UserId="10886" />
  <row Id="7129" PostId="4076" Score="0" Text="It might help to explain what type of work it is that you are trying to showcase e.g. is it graphic design images, professional photography images or something else?" CreationDate="2015-12-31T13:08:55.443" UserId="1018" />
  <row Id="7130" PostId="4079" Score="1" Text="Thank you so much for this thoughtful and detailed information.  Much appreciated!" CreationDate="2015-12-31T14:08:46.437" UserId="10932" />
  <row Id="7132" PostId="4076" Score="1" Text="Good suggestion! The type of work is editing and proofreading. I'm still researching content ideas but, based on other sites of this type, I envision something fairly simple with one or two static graphics, a blog and perhaps an interactive contact form." CreationDate="2015-12-31T14:20:43.133" UserId="10932" />
  <row Id="7133" PostId="4080" Score="0" Text="Thanks!  I'll definitely explore this. It sounds good and 400 pages are  many more than I'm likely to need in this lifetime." CreationDate="2016-01-01T15:53:10.843" UserId="10932" />
  <row Id="7134" PostId="4082" Score="0" Text="In today's industry it's just better to be well rounded be the recruiter and the developer this cut up the recruitment causes companies love cutting costs anyways what's the recruiter other than overglorified salesman that's just spending money and wining and dining people if you're good at what you do your work will speak for itself" CreationDate="2016-01-02T21:49:17.213" UserId="10978" />
  <row Id="7136" PostId="4076" Score="0" Text="This question might fit better at: http://softwarerecs.stackexchange.com" CreationDate="2016-01-03T01:07:47.690" UserId="1018" />
  <row Id="7138" PostId="4083" Score="0" Text="Hi David, same comment as previously... Try to include more information into your answers, to better help the OP, and any future visitors that come here (say, from a search engine). Thanks!" CreationDate="2016-01-04T22:39:56.033" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7139" PostId="4087" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the suggestions.  However, since I'm much older  and only need one simple site, investing 6 months might not be in the cards for me ;)" CreationDate="2016-01-06T01:48:08.097" UserId="10932" />
  <row Id="7140" PostId="4091" Score="3" Text="You can't &quot;void&quot; an NDA because you got no work. The NDA has nothing to do with the amount of work you do or don't get, it's about keeping secrets. I think you need to start by understanding [**What an NDA is**](https://www.rocketlawyer.com/article/nda-101:-what-is-a-non-disclosure-agreement.rl)" CreationDate="2016-01-06T06:24:21.907" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7142" PostId="4091" Score="0" Text="NDA means that other side can freely speak about his idea. It does not have much about the actual work as it does not specify rate for the work or time frame. So I agree, you can't void it. You have to wait NDA period has expired before you can talk about it." CreationDate="2016-01-06T10:09:58.880" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7144" PostId="4093" Score="0" Text="its ok the new project have a different documentation, and i already cleared the status with old party and yes from now on i wont agree to any nda before start or some sort of solid confirmation." CreationDate="2016-01-06T14:20:33.973" UserId="11014" />
  <row Id="7146" PostId="4076" Score="1" Text="@NeilRobertson We can't migrate to Beta sites; as well, it would not fit on Software Recommendations as it stands, without an almost-complete overhaul." CreationDate="2016-01-06T16:48:10.643" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7147" PostId="4095" Score="1" Text="If it's contract work for a specific time period, you may be in violation of the contract by not completing it. You'd have to review the contract. Personally, I'd NEVER take on a job KNOWING I could not complete it." CreationDate="2016-01-06T18:20:33.833" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7148" PostId="4064" Score="0" Text="I will vote yes on this sorry its a little to vague." CreationDate="2016-01-06T23:48:45.527" UserId="10861" />
  <row Id="7151" PostId="4094" Score="0" Text="If I may add: the NDA is about private things you learnt from this company in the frame of the project. Say like &quot;we plan to use method X and integrate it in our device Z&quot;. You must keep this information for yourself, but you are not prevented to use the method X in another context (assuming X is publicly known)." CreationDate="2016-01-08T10:58:03.987" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="7152" PostId="4095" Score="0" Text="Sure, *knowing*. But in this example, it's not knowing - it's being aware of the possibility." CreationDate="2016-01-08T16:52:12.760" UserId="11018" />
  <row Id="7153" PostId="4101" Score="0" Text="Although you are LEGALLY required to report this income, you could probably get away with &quot;forgetting&quot; about it and only paying if the IRS comes sniffing." CreationDate="2016-01-08T17:06:44.780" UserDisplayName="user5226" />
  <row Id="7156" PostId="4101" Score="2" Text="@BarryCarter while true.... that mindset may not be a good one. You could *probably* get away with shoplifting,  that doesn't mean you *should* do it. Not reporting income on your taxes is criminal. If you are willing to accept the consequences of illegal activity when you're caught, then that's your call." CreationDate="2016-01-08T18:44:17.517" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7157" PostId="4104" Score="2" Text="Not for complete projects, but only for some tasks. some clients need bugfix which may take 5-10 hrs a week. there are other clients who request a few hours of work a week. however, such clients are rare! and such tasks are usually ones for experts! I suggest you start your own project and gain experience in it" CreationDate="2016-01-08T19:04:00.770" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7158" PostId="4101" Score="0" Text="I think that's a false analogy. Shoplifting is a lot riskier than not reporting income. The idea here would be: if the IRS finds out, claim you just forgot, and they'll most likely just make you pay the tax plus interest plus penalties, and you MAY even be able to get the penalties (but not the interest) waived." CreationDate="2016-01-08T19:08:14.223" UserDisplayName="user5226" />
  <row Id="7159" PostId="4104" Score="2" Text="I'm not certain this is a good question. The basic answer is &quot;Yes, it's possible.&quot; but beyond that, I don't know how anyone could really elaborate much more." CreationDate="2016-01-08T19:17:43.963" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7160" PostId="4104" Score="0" Text="@SOIA Perhaps I should rephrase it to &quot;*What kind of* small projects...&quot;?" CreationDate="2016-01-08T19:20:59.217" UserId="10904" />
  <row Id="7161" PostId="4104" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV I think your comment would make a good answer, if you'd elaborate a bit on what kind of tasks or expertise you have in mind. Also, would such small projects be offered on freelance websites?" CreationDate="2016-01-08T19:37:07.833" UserId="10904" />
  <row Id="7162" PostId="4101" Score="1" Text="Well, I tend to try and *not* suggest to others that they break the law. :)" CreationDate="2016-01-08T21:52:44.460" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7166" PostId="4101" Score="1" Text="I agree with you in general, but am ok w/ suggesting people break the law, provided that 1) they are aware what I'm suggesting is illegal, and 2) there are no undeserving sentient entities harmed. I regard the federal government of the United States as &quot;a type of small vegetable&quot;." CreationDate="2016-01-09T22:02:37.907" UserDisplayName="user5226" />
  <row Id="7170" PostId="4016" Score="0" Text="Do you really have to pay him directly from you bank account?" CreationDate="2016-01-12T07:56:40.563" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="7172" PostId="4108" Score="1" Text="I lurked for a while in odesk/upwork. The rates are impracticable, the customers ask the world for a shitty pay, and on top of that you have to pay 15% commission to the damn site. Only a few jobs are worthwhile. One of the golden rules before accepting jobs is browsing the history of the customer. As a rule I would never accept a job nor from a few countries, neither from who is not able to write a single paragraph accurately. You have to consider you got a lesson that cost you &quot;$100&quot; and keep going on. Very little can be done about it. I would write to their helpdesk/support and move on." CreationDate="2016-01-12T08:12:25.153" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="7173" PostId="4109" Score="0" Text="Yee, that is completely my fault. That was my first project. I have already contacted support team and they said the same. They should ban such people from the site. Well, at least I have one lesson learned." CreationDate="2016-01-12T12:07:51.687" UserId="11071" />
  <row Id="7174" PostId="4109" Score="1" Text="Excellent recommendation about the milestone being loaded! The fact is despite being banned they will come back with another account. They actually might have been only the middlemen for a better paying customer." CreationDate="2016-01-12T13:04:42.623" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="7175" PostId="4109" Score="0" Text="@RuiFRibeiro They cannot do it zillion of times. Each time they ban you, they ban the credit card you used, I think. So they can do it a few times OR they can catch new guys because new guys will never see odesk title like &quot;credit card not verified&quot;. That's why my suggestion on loading the milestone will help as to load the money, they will have to attach a valid card." CreationDate="2016-01-12T15:51:47.887" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7176" PostId="4110" Score="5" Text="Probably a better fit for http://softwarerecs.stackexchange.com/" CreationDate="2016-01-12T19:25:16.670" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7177" PostId="4109" Score="0" Text="Be sure to look at history. Back here in Portugal I never give my real CC in the Internet. *Ever. I create a virtual CC for *every* single transaction. I can define a maximum limit,  and wether they work a single time for paying for something, or wether they work for a fixed amount of time, say for Apple Store, for a developer account or for a magazine subscription. They cannot be (re)used for other purposes." CreationDate="2016-01-12T20:06:00.627" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="7178" PostId="4110" Score="0" Text="Maybe but i'm mostly interested in time tracking used by freelancers with those specific needs we often have. With several external clients and being able to share some time with client A and some time with client B. It must be a very common problem." CreationDate="2016-01-13T00:30:23.110" UserId="11077" />
  <row Id="7179" PostId="4109" Score="1" Text="@RuiFRibeiro I was not aware something like that is possible. I guess it's the same as the gift card but more advanced :)." CreationDate="2016-01-13T08:11:37.347" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7180" PostId="4109" Score="0" Text="Very handy for dealing with vendors in aliexpress." CreationDate="2016-01-13T08:37:59.477" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="7181" PostId="4016" Score="0" Text="@RuiFRibeiro What other ways are there? Bitcoin? That's always a possibility, but probably raises even more red flags." CreationDate="2016-01-13T08:55:56.653" UserId="10710" />
  <row Id="7182" PostId="4016" Score="0" Text="Your family opening a firm on your home country for instance. Paypal wont work imo" CreationDate="2016-01-13T08:59:09.660" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="7183" PostId="4116" Score="0" Text="I also use Freshbooks, however I use Toggl for time tracking - it integrates with Freshbooks automatically if you have a paid account, and is solely for time tracking, and managing a team of freelancers. So I'd consider looking at both software and the potential integration." CreationDate="2016-01-13T19:21:58.933" UserId="9845" />
  <row Id="7184" PostId="4119" Score="0" Text="The request for a W9 does **not** sound legitimate to me. In no instance should anyone require a W9 if they are purchasing **products**. It may be a &quot;scam&quot; to get your personal information. Speak with your reseller." CreationDate="2016-01-14T08:12:34.160" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7185" PostId="4120" Score="0" Text="It's probably best to submit questions separately." CreationDate="2016-01-15T00:49:35.060" UserId="1018" />
  <row Id="7186" PostId="3028" Score="0" Text="I realize this is kind of unrelated -- but just a comment to point out that if you are a sole proprietorship or single-member LLC, all healthcare costs are tax deductible. I wasn't aware of this until this year. So really, for some, the choice is a tax deduction or a penalty." CreationDate="2016-01-15T20:55:59.470" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7187" PostId="2938" Score="0" Text="This is certainly appropriate: you worked for him based on mutual agreement, you deserve payment. You should try an amicable settlement first. If this doesn't work, you should send him a formal demand notice to be in a legal position to claim a compensation. What happens next will depend on the amount at stake." CreationDate="2016-01-16T15:01:28.950" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="7188" PostId="4119" Score="0" Text="@SOIA see my edit, the question now has a bounty." CreationDate="2016-01-17T07:56:14.873" UserId="10754" />
  <row Id="7189" PostId="4124" Score="0" Text="This sounds more like you are asking about a debt card than a credit card. Credit cards don't allow merchants to &quot;deduct money&quot; from any account. While debit and credit cards can often be used similarly, they **are not** the same thing." CreationDate="2016-01-18T02:24:57.873" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7190" PostId="4130" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the reply, but I understand that. My question is what are the better ways to practice RoR and fill a portfolio without being hired? Of course, if I manage to find a job, my problem will already be solved." CreationDate="2016-01-18T14:21:11.353" UserId="11121" />
  <row Id="7192" PostId="4125" Score="0" Text="thats why I prefer to ask for my payment only after i finish the job completely.. Yes Risk is always there ..but one from either side has to start trusting ,,right :)" CreationDate="2016-01-19T08:46:25.823" UserId="11150" />
  <row Id="7193" PostId="4000" Score="0" Text="better you divide your work with another trustworthy developer ... skype me ( id - amar08609) ... and in my opinion dont accept money" CreationDate="2016-01-19T09:21:50.030" UserId="11150" />
  <row Id="7194" PostId="4130" Score="0" Text="Without being hired is develop your own projects or do them for free." CreationDate="2016-01-19T11:51:48.247" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7195" PostId="4134" Score="0" Text="This is great, thanks for the info. it's good enough to get started! :)" CreationDate="2016-01-19T16:06:49.877" UserId="8313" />
  <row Id="7196" PostId="2674" Score="0" Text="hey, thanks for the detailed answer. by `wk` do you mean week ? If that's the case, do you know if ones has a full-time employed job (40hours/week) and does 12hours/week freelancing does he have to pay the health insurance and the pension scheme twice ?" CreationDate="2016-01-19T17:59:21.873" UserId="11158" />
  <row Id="7197" PostId="4138" Score="1" Text="I think **first** you need to check **immigration laws**. Just because you *want* to work in Canada, it doesn't mean Canada will let you." CreationDate="2016-01-19T18:41:06.037" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7198" PostId="2674" Score="0" Text="@Blackbelt: wk = week, yes. IANAL, pension will depend on what kind of freelancing you do (e.g. if you are in a Kammer profession, ask your Kammer); health insurance: ask your health insurance. It does not only depend on the hours/week but also on the amount of money you earn that way. 12 h/week sounds like it could be covered by the main job health insurance. But 40 + 12 = 52 h / week is above the weekly work limit for employees. While as a freelancer you are not subject to the Arbeitszeitgesetz, your employer is responsible for the specified rest time (&gt;= 11 consecutive h per day) ..." CreationDate="2016-01-19T18:50:48.203" UserId="5526" />
  <row Id="7199" PostId="2674" Score="0" Text="and  they may argue that being over the weekly limit for employees indicates that the freelancing will compromise your ability to do your main job (that is one key point for the decision whether you are allowed to do the side business or not). So make sure the 40 h employer is fine with the freelancing." CreationDate="2016-01-19T18:54:05.730" UserId="5526" />
  <row Id="7200" PostId="2674" Score="0" Text="Ok thanks for the info. Do you know if the vat costs something yearly or it is free and one pays taxes on the income?" CreationDate="2016-01-19T19:48:10.583" UserId="11158" />
  <row Id="7202" PostId="4130" Score="0" Text="Right, that's why my question ends with &quot;Any advice for searching something like this? Are there platforms specifically designed for entry level coders?&quot;" CreationDate="2016-01-20T06:50:32.643" UserId="11121" />
  <row Id="7203" PostId="4130" Score="0" Text="Freelancers platforms are designed for experts. Ideally. In reality, there are many, many juniors. So yes, you can use them to do projects for petty money and thus gain experience." CreationDate="2016-01-20T08:16:45.557" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7204" PostId="2674" Score="0" Text="@Blackbelt: USt (VAT) is a sales tax. You have to declare it *monthly* unless you can negotiate longer time frames with the tax office. USt is completely separate from income tax, and you have to pay both. Maybe you should attend a lecture/seminar on business basics in Germany, many universities (exist programs) and the IHKs and local start up helping centers (Gründerzentren) as well  offer such seminars." CreationDate="2016-01-20T12:15:42.787" UserId="5526" />
  <row Id="7205" PostId="4138" Score="0" Text="I don't think programmer is Skill Type A. It classifies more as B or even C. It only takes a college/technical kind of degree to be programmer in Canada in most provinces but there's engineering programs also offered in universities. Depends where you go. Probably less &quot;severe&quot; than Europe regarding degrees in some areas actually. Also, very different to ask for visa or to become resident; check your eligibility. Even without degrees you can still be accepted and then you can get hired or do freelance, it's up to you: http://www.cic.gc.ca/ctc-vac/getting-started.asp" CreationDate="2016-01-20T13:21:58.830" UserId="8046" />
  <row Id="7206" PostId="4132" Score="0" Text="The OP isn't making a loan." CreationDate="2016-01-20T16:04:19.943" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="7207" PostId="4124" Score="0" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because this is not about freelancing, but how to use someone else's site.  Go ask *there*" CreationDate="2016-01-20T16:05:55.527" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="7208" PostId="4111" Score="0" Text="If you give work for free, they'll keep expecting that." CreationDate="2016-01-20T16:07:02.993" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="7209" PostId="4140" Score="0" Text="Guys, I realize that talking to an accountant would be the best way to get my question answered accurately.  This isn't a big revelation.  Anyway,  thank you all for your input.  It's been very helpful." CreationDate="2016-01-20T16:59:03.953" UserId="11093" />
  <row Id="7212" PostId="4142" Score="0" Text="@canadian-luke i did :) thanks!" CreationDate="2016-01-22T10:25:42.373" UserId="11159" />
  <row Id="7213" PostId="4142" Score="0" Text="Can you add the cost as well?" CreationDate="2016-01-22T15:16:08.270" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7214" PostId="917" Score="0" Text="This offer amounts to becoming his associate as you share the revenues but also the risks. You may accept if you believe in his project and want to venture in it. Depending on your respective contributions (concept and business development, site infrastructure, customer portfolio...) your share could be worth from 0% to... 100% of the sales !" CreationDate="2016-01-23T15:43:21.903" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="7215" PostId="4149" Score="1" Text="Had the same issue with Canadian checks. You just have to be adamant with the teller.  Most tellers aren't trained in foreign checks unless they are in very large metropolises. US banks will take the checks. They just don't scan through their &quot;slide-it-through-this-brainless-system-and-you're-done&quot;. They have to manually enter it and it does take a bit longer for them to clear. I had to &quot;train&quot; my bank on accepting Canadian &quot;cheques&quot;. :)" CreationDate="2016-01-24T23:31:10.333" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7217" PostId="4128" Score="1" Text="It appeared to be more expensive simply because the chaf that you see in odesk drives the price down. I do not even try to be there." CreationDate="2016-01-25T00:16:20.707" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="7218" PostId="4150" Score="0" Text="Once you tell them all they need to know, what do you have? what prevents them to patent it if you were not wise enough to do it?" CreationDate="2016-01-25T18:01:35.370" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="7220" PostId="4150" Score="0" Text="I'm voting to close this question because it has absolutely nothing to do with freelancing." CreationDate="2016-01-25T19:51:12.513" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7221" PostId="4150" Score="0" Text="@SOIA: rephrase the title as &quot;Can I sell my business idea in exchange for a freelancer job at the company that might be interested in it?&quot;" CreationDate="2016-01-26T13:25:14.277" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="7222" PostId="4150" Score="0" Text="Meh.. I still think it's far more about venture sales and and protecting IP than it is about freelancing. Just my opinion though." CreationDate="2016-01-26T15:18:47.293" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7229" PostId="4150" Score="0" Text="Even re-phrasing the question, this is likely a better fit on law or startups than here, as it's mostly a legal question." CreationDate="2016-01-27T11:57:35.380" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="7230" PostId="4138" Score="0" Text="@SOIA Maybe I was not clear enough. I already got the letter from Citizenship and Immigration Canada saying: &quot;Your application to study or work in Canada has been approved. Your study or work permit will be issued to you upon arrival in Canada, subject to your compliance with the requirements of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and its Regulations. It will allow you to study or work in Canada for a temporary period only.&quot;" CreationDate="2016-01-27T12:56:11.783" UserId="5026" />
  <row Id="7231" PostId="4138" Score="0" Text="@go-junta Programmer is Skill Type A according to http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/noc.asp" CreationDate="2016-01-27T12:58:42.207" UserId="5026" />
  <row Id="7232" PostId="4138" Score="1" Text="I understand you've been accepted through immigration. My point is that you're asking a bunch of freelancers what immigration allows when you should be asking immigration what is allowed. It is somewhat haphazard to ask users here to interpret immigration policies. Why not ask the source directly?" CreationDate="2016-01-27T19:09:12.240" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7233" PostId="4156" Score="1" Text="Good point. A judge can easily determine an LLC is not viable and dissolve it instantly if you don't treat the LLC as an independent entity." CreationDate="2016-01-27T19:10:47.297" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7235" PostId="4108" Score="0" Text="@RuiFRibeiro The commission is 10%. Elance was a wonderful 8.9 but they're dead now... Anyway, you don't have to take the shitty customers, just be judicious when accepting projects." CreationDate="2016-01-29T04:44:32.673" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="7236" PostId="4109" Score="0" Text="Bad answer. The site may be able to help him get the money back. I've used that route before. It doesn't always work, but it's clear the asker here hasn't tried and doesn't realize that's an option. You shouldn't be telling him to give up when he hasn't explored all his options." CreationDate="2016-01-29T04:46:20.400" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="7237" PostId="4108" Score="0" Text="The answer you accepted is not correct. Contact the site's support team and tell them you completed the work and the client said it was good. They will try to help you get your money." CreationDate="2016-01-29T04:48:53.393" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="7238" PostId="4108" Score="0" Text="I do agree @user45623, the rates in Elance were impracticable, once in a blue moon, there were some interest project...UpWorks seems a joke or oriented to the 3rd world market." CreationDate="2016-01-29T07:16:40.230" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="7239" PostId="4109" Score="0" Text="@user45623 If the client has not loaded any money in the milestone, no site can force him to load the money. They can ban his account, but a conman will simply open a new account with a new card. So saying again, he will not get either his money or feedback unless Jesus tells this guy to do the proper thing." CreationDate="2016-01-29T08:34:06.777" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7240" PostId="4109" Score="0" Text="Peter is correct. I have contacted support team but they said that they can only send email to the client. So I was just cheated because of lack of experience on the site." CreationDate="2016-01-29T11:32:20.387" UserId="11071" />
  <row Id="7241" PostId="4162" Score="0" Text="They can help if there was milestone from client. If not than I can not dispute it." CreationDate="2016-01-29T11:34:18.827" UserId="11071" />
  <row Id="7242" PostId="4109" Score="0" Text="As one guy pointed here, in many countries you can open virtual credit card. so if they ban your account and card, you can open a new one. something that these conmen are aware of" CreationDate="2016-01-29T11:36:23.320" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7245" PostId="4167" Score="0" Text="Thanks!!! About the contract: Who provides it normally? The agency or the client?" CreationDate="2016-01-29T20:38:25.740" UserId="11262" />
  <row Id="7248" PostId="4167" Score="0" Text="This varies depending on the needs of both sides. Remember, a contract is an understanding between you and the agency, You guys should be discussing the terms with each other and once you've come to an agreement, you can use a boilerplate contract to fill out the terms however the agency being an agency, should already have one." CreationDate="2016-01-29T23:58:57.003" UserId="11266" />
  <row Id="7250" PostId="4108" Score="0" Text="Upwork is getting better now that Elance is closed and the serious clients have been forced over to Upwork. Not everyone is looking for 3rd-world developers." CreationDate="2016-01-30T02:45:54.807" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="7251" PostId="4108" Score="0" Text="If they are not looking for 3rd-word specialists they are masking it very well...it is enough to look at the going rates, they are ridiculous." CreationDate="2016-01-30T09:57:01.997" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="7254" PostId="4173" Score="0" Text="&quot;slow&quot; is a relative term. What you may feel is slow, others may not. It is impossible for anyone here to tell if they feel you work too slow or not. What it all really comes down to is your pricing and how that is impacted by your speed -- and if clients are willing to pay you and employers willing to hire you. Also realize speed comes with practice and familiarity." CreationDate="2016-01-31T18:38:01.693" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7263" PostId="4181" Score="1" Text="Where are you located? What does your contract stipulate? Are you developing on your own computers, or on customer-owned equipment (this includes remoting to their environment to write the code)?" CreationDate="2016-02-03T05:35:52.680" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7264" PostId="4181" Score="0" Text="Located in India. Developing on my own computer. There is no such contract in place." CreationDate="2016-02-03T05:39:15.467" UserId="4338" />
  <row Id="7266" PostId="4188" Score="0" Text="Most companies are skeptical of digital (cryptographic) signatures because  other people could potentially generate a signature, or someone could steal a private key. All the while using a signature that is probably quite easy to forge..." CreationDate="2016-02-03T21:39:10.957" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="7267" PostId="4188" Score="2" Text="I hear you @Amelia --Funny thing is the digisig is *harder* to fake than an actual signature :) At the very least I think possibly a MAC address or IP is recorded with it." CreationDate="2016-02-03T23:30:24.303" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7269" PostId="3980" Score="1" Text="Another upwork service is 20%. Also note that Upwork takes %11.11 and %22.22. It's a mathematics and they chose the &quot;other side of the equation&quot; to show you how much they take ;)." CreationDate="2016-02-05T11:04:20.157" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7272" PostId="4181" Score="0" Text="How are you meeting your clients? Through a website online? See this: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/1619/what-to-do-with-code-after-odesk-job-completion/1623" CreationDate="2016-02-07T18:30:57.687" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7273" PostId="4126" Score="0" Text="Could you maybe elaborate a little more, Naresh? We're trying to build a Q&amp;A site for everyone, and we prefer answers that cover more than a few sentences. Here's the link to [edit] your question." CreationDate="2016-02-08T08:44:24.843" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="7275" PostId="4181" Score="0" Text="@No not online. Thru reference." CreationDate="2016-02-08T13:27:35.983" UserId="4338" />
  <row Id="7276" PostId="4199" Score="0" Text="If you don't have a contract and they cannot sue you, then all you can lose is their recommendation." CreationDate="2016-02-09T11:21:31.237" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7277" PostId="4200" Score="0" Text="Thanks for your extremely well thought out reply, I really appreciate it. I feel your point 3 is somewhat coming into play a bit. As far as I remember there were verbal agreements that the site was fine by the wife but nothing in writing which makes things hard. Anyhow Seeing as I have a fair amount paid which will cover the logo and stationary I think I will give him the choice of two options similar to the ones you have provided. Cheers man." CreationDate="2016-02-09T20:53:14.943" UserId="11384" />
  <row Id="7278" PostId="4200" Score="0" Text="It's really *always* best to have something in writing. Even when I get verbal approval from clients, I still ask them to shoot me a quick email saying things are okay before I move forward. If asked why, I explain that having documented, verifiable, dates of the project progression assists in my tracking and record keeping." CreationDate="2016-02-09T21:48:57.350" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7279" PostId="4200" Score="0" Text="Right I'll make sure to do that from now on thanks :)." CreationDate="2016-02-09T23:57:09.867" UserId="11384" />
  <row Id="7280" PostId="4199" Score="0" Text="I'm closing this question as it was also asked (and has more answers) on another Stack Exchange site, as an [exact duplicate](http://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/questions/66699/need-help-with-moral-dilemma-of-first-client)" CreationDate="2016-02-10T00:59:51.523" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7283" PostId="515" Score="0" Text="+1 for the door thing. The only problem that I can see with it is the constant interruption of getting up and adjusting the door" CreationDate="2016-02-12T09:20:15.787" UserId="11421" />
  <row Id="7284" PostId="515" Score="0" Text="For me, it comes down to which is the greater distraction. Some distraction is the trade-off for the convenience of working at home. And when I've worked in &quot;cubicle farms&quot; the distractions were far worse - someone dropping by to visit, or a &quot;hallway conversation&quot; taking place a few feet from my desk. And that's if I wasn't pixxing away a couple hours in a meeting I had no need to attend. The remaining alternatives would be the public library or a rented private office." CreationDate="2016-02-12T15:05:26.283" UserId="514" />
  <row Id="7285" PostId="4169" Score="0" Text="I was looking at the online Self Employment application form on the gov.uk website and the first few pages of that will give a comprehensive &quot;this applies if...&quot; and &quot;this does not apply if...&quot; advice.  Amazingly, for a government website, it's pretty good and answered a few of my questions even before I put any personal information into it." CreationDate="2016-02-12T17:38:51.073" UserId="11442" />
  <row Id="7286" PostId="4213" Score="0" Text="Any exact amount is all opinion... this answer may be helpful though: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/913/how-to-make-the-jump-from-normal-employee-to-higher-level-freelancing/2461#2461 -- specifically items #5 and #6." CreationDate="2016-02-14T03:44:35.153" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7289" PostId="4206" Score="0" Text="Are you talking about selling the templates to web developers, or using the templates to develop websites?" CreationDate="2016-02-17T09:44:56.240" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="7290" PostId="4161" Score="1" Text="I would never allow any kind of spyware in my computer, and the suggestion is pretty unfortunate, possibly illegal, and furthermore violating several privacy laws in Europe. Now that I think about it, odesk is probably violating them too." CreationDate="2016-02-17T10:28:23.463" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="7292" PostId="4161" Score="1" Text="I'm not suggesting that anyone use spyware, but simply pointing out the flaws in vemv's logic. Of course, since he abandoned this question immediately after asking it, I'm not sure that it matters much. I don't think of Upwork's tracker as spyware; it's quite clear how it's operating, you have to turn it on manually, and it notifies you whenever it takes a screenshot. You can even delete the screenshots, if you left confidential emails (or Minesweeper) open, but it deducts 10 minutes from your auto-pay." CreationDate="2016-02-18T01:43:22.487" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="7293" PostId="4222" Score="0" Text="You can check your stats for how many people have viewed your profile?" CreationDate="2016-02-18T01:48:31.863" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="7294" PostId="4223" Score="0" Text="You mentioned the freelancers displaced from Elance. I was under the impression Elance continues to operate normally as of now. Is it not so?" CreationDate="2016-02-18T02:13:58.353" UserId="11491" />
  <row Id="7295" PostId="4161" Score="0" Text="Granted... Work and privacy laws are very strong here, in fact the only few laws that still are very respected. They do not allow anyone to be &quot;spied on&quot; when working, and also do not allow you to give up rights granted by law...Consulting (or fake consulting), is so ubiquitous I doubt odesk will off the hook if someone decides to takes this to court. I frankly found it appalling both the concept and the 3rd world rates." CreationDate="2016-02-18T07:30:50.227" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="7296" PostId="4161" Score="0" Text="Is your boss not allowed to look over your shoulder every once in a while if you work at an office? You don't have to work at third-world rates; I work at first-world rates and have steady work year-round." CreationDate="2016-02-18T19:20:21.647" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="7297" PostId="4161" Score="0" Text="Maybe my boss, but too many instances of cameras have been here in justice. The waters are more than tested and there are a lot of legal  precedents here. But you are right, I do not have to work at 3rd world rates, that is why I have never invested in my profile in odesk." CreationDate="2016-02-18T19:56:21.380" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="7298" PostId="4161" Score="0" Text="I work at first-world rates *on* Odesk. It's not impossible." CreationDate="2016-02-18T20:13:00.047" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="7302" PostId="4223" Score="2" Text="@Septagram No, new users cannot register for Elance and most clients cannot post new jobs on Elance. They are closing down due to their merger with ODesk (now Upwork)" CreationDate="2016-02-25T08:12:02.620" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="7303" PostId="4236" Score="0" Text="I accepted your edit just for clarification btw She is used for both genders when you are not sure what is the actual sex of person you are referring." CreationDate="2016-02-25T12:16:37.623" UserId="11522" />
  <row Id="7304" PostId="4242" Score="2" Text="Why do you use the term &quot;firing&quot;.  It's normal for consultants to give notice oftentimes and move on.  Why can't you give some notice like you would with a real job?  I suggest an [edit] to your post to clarify.  Thank you and welcome to Freelancing SE!" CreationDate="2016-02-26T07:50:17.557" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="7305" PostId="4244" Score="2" Text="What's your contract state?" CreationDate="2016-02-26T16:10:23.553" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7306" PostId="4244" Score="0" Text="@SOIA No formal or physical contract." CreationDate="2016-02-26T16:12:00.337" UserId="11573" />
  <row Id="7307" PostId="4244" Score="2" Text="Well, without anything written (email, text messages, etc) you aren't *obligated* to do anything - just like the client would **not** have been *obligated* to pay you at all if you completed the work. So it's all a matter of negotiation with the client." CreationDate="2016-02-26T18:11:36.013" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7309" PostId="4241" Score="1" Text="So, I think you're saying not to store passwords in plain text.  " CreationDate="2016-02-27T15:45:10.560" UserId="10396" />
  <row Id="7310" PostId="4241" Score="0" Text="Almost... I'm saying a big Mac meal with large fries, diet coke... And **DON'T STORE PASSWORDS IN PLAIN TEXT**, no ice in the diet coke" CreationDate="2016-02-27T15:47:19.520" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7311" PostId="3911" Score="1" Text="*I never say no, I just get more expensive - let the customer decide on proceeding or not.* And I also agree about ignoring badmouthing - if this client bad mouths you, no doubt, its not his first time, and no doubt it won't be the first time folk hear him grumble - If anyone decides not to use your services based on his comments, it is probably someone you would not want to work with anyway. Get a purchase order for all your work, a signed contract. If the customer is slow in paying and ignores your requests, talk it over first - if it does not improve, then reconsider the relationship." CreationDate="2016-02-27T16:12:53.797" UserId="11579" />
  <row Id="7314" PostId="4262" Score="1" Text="First, welcome to Freelancing.SE! Secondly, I know that one important detail is proper grammar (including spelling, punctuation, capitalization, etc) in any correspondence with potential clients." CreationDate="2016-03-02T20:00:25.533" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7315" PostId="4265" Score="0" Text="Thank you very much i appreciate your help. Freelancing isn't going to become a serious job just a fun hobby. I plan to get a good OP and go to university to study a course such as microelectronics and code on the side. (My parents would kill me if i didn't go to university)" CreationDate="2016-03-02T22:41:56.110" UserId="11627" />
  <row Id="7316" PostId="4264" Score="0" Text="Thank you for your clear and simple answer. In Australia you can work from the age of 14 9 months legally so i'm right there. Thanks for the external references i could you please give me a sight to do free/charity work" CreationDate="2016-03-02T22:45:42.513" UserId="11627" />
  <row Id="7317" PostId="4262" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke I am sorry for my grammar but i was in science class when i composed this question. I normally do use better grammar but circumstantially i may have made mistakes. Sorry :)" CreationDate="2016-03-02T23:25:03.247" UserId="11627" />
  <row Id="7318" PostId="4244" Score="0" Text="I'm confused since you said you got a deposit but then you said &quot;I have effectively wasted time on (around 30% of) this job for no pay&quot;. Did you return the deposit? In my mind deposits should only be returned if YOU screw up, not if the client decides to cancel the project for their own reasons." CreationDate="2016-03-02T23:25:05.980" UserId="11635" />
  <row Id="7319" PostId="4262" Score="0" Text="Just making a suggestion, based on the first impression we have - which is what the potential client will see as well." CreationDate="2016-03-02T23:26:19.363" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7320" PostId="4266" Score="2" Text="They seem like a horrible client that you should fire ASAP. Why don't you just do that?" CreationDate="2016-03-02T23:47:39.027" UserId="11635" />
  <row Id="7321" PostId="4266" Score="0" Text="I'd love to! But we did have a contract and he has now paid in full as of last month. He just keeps coming back still with changes (and to be fair a few legitimate bugs which I sort right away) saying we should do them even though we haven't even launched. It's a real nightmare." CreationDate="2016-03-03T00:01:07.960" UserId="11640" />
  <row Id="7322" PostId="4266" Score="2" Text="I don't know the backstory or anything but my inclination would be to give the client all their money back and tell them to have a nice life. Obviously, that's easy for me to say. There might be realities involved that make that impossible." CreationDate="2016-03-03T00:27:46.567" UserId="11635" />
  <row Id="7323" PostId="4268" Score="0" Text="I would go with option 1!" CreationDate="2016-03-03T08:50:16.367" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7324" PostId="4266" Score="0" Text="Just to be sure, I'd look at the contract what is says about deadlines. Did you change dates with each new change? Is there a provision saying what happens in case of feature change or adding new features? These are the things that he will stick to in his lawsuit." CreationDate="2016-03-03T08:52:00.140" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7325" PostId="4266" Score="0" Text="@Peter MV It states in the contract that if the scope changes then the duration of the project will change in turn. I believe I was supposed to revise the contract every time but if I had done that we would literally be on version 150 of the contract by now. It wasn't practical considering how often it was happening. All change requests and subsequent charges (I/A) are still recorded in writing on a project management system though." CreationDate="2016-03-03T09:16:45.387" UserId="11640" />
  <row Id="7326" PostId="4268" Score="0" Text="He has now paid in full which is the problem. He just won't go away. I have given him the codebase too. Some issues have arisen since then which we have immediately fixed, but then you send a new build out and he comes back with something like 'I think this needs to work this way actually' etc etc." CreationDate="2016-03-03T09:18:22.083" UserId="11640" />
  <row Id="7327" PostId="4268" Score="0" Text="So he paid you in full, you sent him all you have, you informed him that you will no longer maintain the project...and he still won't go away?! Just ignore him." CreationDate="2016-03-03T11:58:00.277" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7328" PostId="4268" Score="0" Text="Yeah, well he paid the last payment in advance for the last milestone. We then completed the milestone scope and every time he checks the build he's doing the usual which is to demand changes. He finds a few legitimate issues which we instantly sort out for him, but there is always scope creep. Without fail." CreationDate="2016-03-03T14:36:43.143" UserId="11640" />
  <row Id="7330" PostId="4277" Score="0" Text="That's fun when that happens. :) We've had some customers we were glad to see go as well. You need to have a dotted line that is legally binding, so when the job is finished as per the contract, you're done! Sometimes it's easier said than done, and in cases like this one I believe that whatever you do won't be enough and she'll probably give up on you at some point [sigh of relief?].                                   P.S. &quot;Come&quot; has only one m, and for some strange reason, all of its conjugations reflect that. So, &quot;newcomer&quot;, &quot;coming&quot;, &quot;comes&quot;, and &quot;cometh&quot; all have one &quot;m&quot;. Don't ask me why." CreationDate="2016-03-04T00:53:04.690" UserId="11662" />
  <row Id="7331" PostId="4277" Score="0" Text="Did you already see this question? http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/616/how-to-fire-or-salvage-a-problem-client?rq=1" CreationDate="2016-03-04T01:21:22.597" UserId="11662" />
  <row Id="7332" PostId="4277" Score="0" Text="I usually set 3 free set of changes. After that, all changes are charged. So my clients think carefully what changes they will list into those 3 sets." CreationDate="2016-03-04T09:04:40.697" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7333" PostId="4280" Score="0" Text="Thanks very much for your answer , as a freelancer working from a different country than my client I didn't think of a written contact before as there is no mean of enforcing it or do you mean to use it a guidelines only?" CreationDate="2016-03-04T14:39:31.120" UserId="11656" />
  <row Id="7334" PostId="4280" Score="0" Text="My experience is that clients (and people in general) tend to take documents they have signed more seriously - regardless of whether they are legally binding." CreationDate="2016-03-04T14:42:49.733" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="7336" PostId="4280" Score="0" Text="yes @morsor this is true, may be I need to come up with general terms to handle similar situations." CreationDate="2016-03-04T14:48:02.300" UserId="11656" />
  <row Id="7340" PostId="4277" Score="0" Text="I fixed it @KaiMaxfield, Thanks for noticing it." CreationDate="2016-03-05T00:22:24.043" UserId="11656" />
  <row Id="7341" PostId="4277" Score="0" Text="No problem, I love your profile picture!" CreationDate="2016-03-05T00:56:58.267" UserId="11662" />
  <row Id="7342" PostId="4253" Score="2" Text="Could you please clarify one thing?  It's not clear as you've described it - was her &quot;end of the year/first week of the year&quot; payment for the *past year* (paid in arrears),  or for the upcoming year (paid in advance)?  I read this as &quot;at the end of year X, she didn't pay/renew the annual support for the upcoming year, she went quiet, I didn't do any work for her... and now a year later she's emailing me for a password.&quot;  If that's the case, even though she is kinda flakey, just take 60 seconds &amp; email her the password.  If however she owes you $3000 for a year of work, be hard!!" CreationDate="2016-03-06T15:26:09.960" UserId="7823" />
  <row Id="7345" PostId="4293" Score="0" Text="I've elaborated my answer. Yes - it is a workaround - but perfectly fine and 'light-weight' and in fact a quite normal way to go about things when starting out." CreationDate="2016-03-08T08:47:05.307" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="7346" PostId="4292" Score="0" Text="I agree (no obligations after Feb 2016 and generous terms in contract). I'm a contractor of 20+ years and prior notice periods for me were typically 2-4weeks, or none if the project was cancelled. Contracting is a service industry and your rate differs from an employee precisely to help you cover the cost of expenses/insurance/tax/early termination. In this case, the contract went full term. With all due greatest respect, you need forget the employee mentality and see yourself first as a service provider." CreationDate="2016-03-08T09:12:46.887" UserId="11579" />
  <row Id="7347" PostId="4293" Score="0" Text="We would be both self-employed, each registered separately with HMRC, both responsible for our own records and annual tax returns. However, this would be a frequent interaction making apps/games. I do the coding. He does the graphics. I can't do the graphics. He can't do the coding. But we want to keep it simple to begin with, so would prefer to be separately self-employed." CreationDate="2016-03-08T09:19:18.397" UserDisplayName="user11679" />
  <row Id="7348" PostId="4292" Score="0" Text="I previously answered something on startups stackexchange that might be of interest to you... https://startups.stackexchange.com/questions/8576/how-to-build-a-startup-freelance-software-qa-in-the-us/8585#8585" CreationDate="2016-03-08T09:24:17.977" UserId="11579" />
  <row Id="7349" PostId="4293" Score="0" Text="It is a perfectly sensible solution and exactly what lots of others (myself included) have done. Being two self-employed persons starting out, either of you could also easily choose to work with other partners. The only problem I could imagine, would be if it always is the same person who finds new clients - and the other person never has any other clients." CreationDate="2016-03-08T09:28:47.267" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="7356" PostId="4291" Score="1" Text="Don't forget, February 31st was also Free Big Mac Day at all the McDonalds around the globe!" CreationDate="2016-03-08T20:25:44.473" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7357" PostId="4291" Score="0" Text="Sorry, I changed the actual days involved in this contract for anonymity.  I will edit it to February 29th so that it makes sense." CreationDate="2016-03-08T21:34:42.310" UserId="11696" />
  <row Id="7358" PostId="4292" Score="0" Text="@fiprojects This was my only client so to be honest I'm not really worried about the professional implications of pushing hard on the conditions if I can.  The generous terms partly reflect the fact that I have been working on this project for nearly two years, but only recently as contractor through a company set up by me." CreationDate="2016-03-08T22:04:43.680" UserId="11696" />
  <row Id="7359" PostId="4292" Score="0" Text="@morsor I updated my question to show part of the contract that did discuss a review mechanism, as you see though it does not include dates for when to do this." CreationDate="2016-03-08T23:58:38.940" UserId="11696" />
  <row Id="7360" PostId="4292" Score="0" Text="@fiprojects Also worth stating the terms are generous because solicitation agreements require compensation above normal." CreationDate="2016-03-09T06:15:15.057" UserId="11696" />
  <row Id="7361" PostId="4292" Score="1" Text="Still - you have been paid in full. Now you move on." CreationDate="2016-03-09T07:21:11.357" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="7362" PostId="4292" Score="0" Text="You need to move on - review mechanism would imply changes to an existing contract - they are not changing your existing contract, it has reached its maturity. You expected/hoped for an extension, they did not offer it. You are bringing more stress and strain and if you rock the boat you will burn any future opportunity with this client. You have an employee mentality, not a service provider mentality. If you don't adjust that, every end of contract will cause you similar issues." CreationDate="2016-03-09T11:26:33.623" UserId="11579" />
  <row Id="7363" PostId="4292" Score="0" Text="Almost all my contracts since 1996 were based on referrals, several led to contract extensions allowing me to move from one project to another with the same client. Eventually projects end (that is why they are projects). My longest was 6 years with one client - at one point I had ten one month rolling contracts until they raised enough cash to extend me for longer periods. Flexibility is the key to profits for a service provider. *Trying to twist the arm of your client will only hurt you in the end.* Learn and start looking for your next contract." CreationDate="2016-03-09T11:28:59.997" UserId="11579" />
  <row Id="7364" PostId="4292" Score="0" Text="Interesting comment that your existing contract excluded non-compete clause - All my contracts going back to 1994 have always had non-compete clause written in from day one, preventing me from going direct to the client for a period of up to six months after the termination of the last contract. Who ever wrote your contract slipped up by not having that in from day one. You could decline the one month extension and see if the client wants to take you on direct. But seriously, avoid going heavy on legalities - it will hurt you and any reputation." CreationDate="2016-03-09T11:34:10.147" UserId="11579" />
  <row Id="7367" PostId="4301" Score="0" Text="Would this full-time person be an employee in your company or a freelancer where you are the middle-man?" CreationDate="2016-03-10T11:11:15.930" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="7368" PostId="4301" Score="0" Text="That is what I want to also ask with the client. But what do you think is the best arrangement that will benefit me? Sorry for being selfish but I have been working with the client for over months and take note that I need to transfer my knowledge to this employee/freelancer." CreationDate="2016-03-10T11:16:15.280" UserId="1793" />
  <row Id="7369" PostId="4302" Score="0" Text="Thanks! Yes this person will be employed by me and I want to maintain the relationship with the client since I need this extra income. I don't have experience managing others but I can learn. So the follow up question is how should I be compensated? Am I just going to be billed for the time it took to check the deliverables? Shouldn't I get a certain percentage from my employees' salary?" CreationDate="2016-03-10T12:43:26.497" UserId="1793" />
  <row Id="7370" PostId="4302" Score="0" Text="OK. I've edited my answer so it's hopefully more specific to your case" CreationDate="2016-03-10T12:57:51.443" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="7371" PostId="4302" Score="0" Text="Thank you that is more spot on. But I have another concern: if I'm going to hire a freelancer and they are allowed to communicate with the client wouldn't that remove me from the equation eventually? Also let's say I wasn't needed to manage for over a week because the employee was able to deliver 100% without my help, wouldn't that be unfair for me not receiving any salary?" CreationDate="2016-03-10T13:11:09.720" UserId="1793" />
  <row Id="7372" PostId="4302" Score="1" Text="Only you can answer those questions. Your approach depends on how needed YOU are; will you still be valuable to the client even with the full-timer there? If you believe so (and the client agrees), you should be payed for 'project management' in some capacity. If not, you should negotiate a one-time payoff and an hourly rate for any other future tasks" CreationDate="2016-03-10T13:15:51.187" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="7376" PostId="4307" Score="0" Text="Get a prototype with your own money and then find investors. This is the only alternative if you do not find anyone to work for free." CreationDate="2016-03-11T08:52:53.630" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7377" PostId="4309" Score="0" Text="Hey I really appreciated the help, thanks a lot." CreationDate="2016-03-12T04:07:04.940" UserId="11726" />
  <row Id="7379" PostId="4268" Score="0" Text="Just don't agree to the scope creep. If he insists it was agreed to, say you don't recall that and ask him to forward you a copy of the written document where it was agreed to. If your signature isn't on the document, you didn't agree to it. This customer is bullying and taking advantage, you've no obligation to put up with it." CreationDate="2016-03-12T09:34:10.147" UserId="11746" />
  <row Id="7381" PostId="4266" Score="0" Text="I would remove your surname from your account to avoid being identified or appearing in Google results etc." CreationDate="2016-03-13T17:18:02.660" UserId="11759" />
  <row Id="7386" PostId="4322" Score="2" Text="I think this is valid only when the contract specifies that the project is work for hire...is that correct?" CreationDate="2016-03-16T05:08:14.390" UserId="4338" />
  <row Id="7387" PostId="4322" Score="0" Text="meetpd It's spelled out very clearly in the Wikipedia article." CreationDate="2016-03-16T15:36:31.393" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="7391" PostId="4329" Score="2" Text="It's the same as compiling a project in programming. Should developers really not charge time that a compiler takes to build the project? :) Don't think so" CreationDate="2016-03-18T10:48:44.160" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7393" PostId="4330" Score="0" Text="I agree - OP should charge normal rate - OP rate is not for sweat and tears, your charge rate is for everything it takes to achieve the desired result. If you (OP) want, you can offer a reduced charge (since you can work on something else while the machine is rendering) but personally, I would charge your normal rate when either you or anything you control is busy. It is not unethical to charge, but it is business." CreationDate="2016-03-18T16:04:06.410" UserId="11579" />
  <row Id="7400" PostId="4336" Score="1" Text="I would like to add to @Mario answer that you could also make use of websites that sell templates, and add the value of the template and the hours spent to implement to your invoice." CreationDate="2016-03-22T22:01:03.267" UserId="11858" />
  <row Id="7401" PostId="1281" Score="0" Text="I recently discovered that there are several &quot;Healthcare cost sharing ministries&quot; (such as http://samaritanministries.org), that meet the ACA requirements, that would be a good option for many freelancers. The cost and coverage is even better than traditional insurance." CreationDate="2016-03-24T05:41:18.730" UserId="1725" />
  <row Id="7402" PostId="4351" Score="0" Text="Assume position is freelancer." CreationDate="2016-03-24T08:34:26.927" UserId="11865" />
  <row Id="7403" PostId="4348" Score="2" Text="No, you're sure to get cheated." CreationDate="2016-03-25T08:46:05.910" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="7404" PostId="4348" Score="0" Text="@user45623 That's happen." CreationDate="2016-03-25T08:58:01.960" UserId="11865" />
  <row Id="7405" PostId="4306" Score="0" Text="As per client, how many percentage of work has been completed?" CreationDate="2016-03-25T10:33:02.310" UserId="11878" />
  <row Id="7406" PostId="4351" Score="0" Text="then as I said, better to have a signed contract that can protect you and guarantee a payment. Be careful if the employer and you are in different countries and things are agreed online because the contract needs to be valid in both places... and you should know the contact details of the employer." CreationDate="2016-03-25T19:21:35.340" UserId="11806" />
  <row Id="7409" PostId="4326" Score="1" Text="CV or resume - two words to describe the same thing... over this side of the pond, CV is more prevalent (IME) whereas resume is more of an American term." CreationDate="2016-03-28T11:17:00.053" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="7411" PostId="4256" Score="0" Text="Your answer may benefit from further details and reasoning." CreationDate="2016-03-30T11:19:12.487" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="7412" PostId="4181" Score="0" Text="Not online? Thru reference? What is &quot;reference&quot; ? You meet them face to face? You are onsite with your own computer?" CreationDate="2016-03-30T16:33:58.570" UserId="11579" />
  <row Id="7413" PostId="4374" Score="0" Text="The phrase, Don't cut off your nose to spite your face, is meant to describe an action done in revenge or anger for something, or someone, that also hurts you in the process. FYI" CreationDate="2016-03-31T16:23:30.803" UserId="11018" />
  <row Id="7414" PostId="4378" Score="1" Text="Possible duplicate of [Clients who don't pay their invoices what are your options?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/842/clients-who-dont-pay-their-invoices-what-are-your-options) or http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/843/are-there-measures-one-can-do-to-ensure-clients-paying-on-time?rq=1 or http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/1790/client-refusing-to-pay?rq=1 or http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/3713/how-long-should-i-leave-an-overdue-payment?rq=1" CreationDate="2016-03-31T21:20:59.683" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7415" PostId="4330" Score="0" Text="I agree.  However, I think you should also consider it your responsibility to have a powerful enough computer to render efficiently.  Not that you have to have the fastest computer on the market, but if you're not using any profit to keep your system up to date, that's when you should feel bad about charging for the excess rendering time." CreationDate="2016-04-01T14:34:56.043" UserId="11954" />
  <row Id="7416" PostId="4383" Score="0" Text="Feel free to suggest tags for me to add to or remove from this question; I wasn't entirely sure how to categorize it." CreationDate="2016-04-01T17:08:39.550" UserId="11958" />
  <row Id="7418" PostId="4363" Score="1" Text="Your employed freelancers charge you the same way as you would charge your clients so, yes." CreationDate="2016-03-31T18:18:34.150" UserId="11945" />
  <row Id="7419" PostId="4385" Score="0" Text="We're not attorneys nor accountants here." CreationDate="2016-04-01T20:53:55.750" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="7420" PostId="4385" Score="1" Text="@codenoire but you are (hopefully) freelancers who have experience doing this kind of thing before..." CreationDate="2016-04-01T21:47:21.900" UserId="11956" />
  <row Id="7421" PostId="4388" Score="6" Text="VTC - Legal advice.  Way too dependent on location and context.  You need a professional attorney to answer this one." CreationDate="2016-04-01T17:08:58.643" UserDisplayName="Wesley Long" />
  <row Id="7426" PostId="3342" Score="1" Text="Thank you, wonderful answer. That's exactly the reason I asked - a couple of times I managed to land long-term projects with a very good price just because I was willing to do the test job. No reason to do this with cheap projects though." CreationDate="2016-04-03T13:49:00.883" UserId="7946" />
  <row Id="7427" PostId="3307" Score="0" Text="Sorry for the late reply. Thank you for posting the wording - that's exactly what I was looking for and big thanks for redirecting me to your other answer (English is not my first language, so I'm often looking for exact phrases that I could use in negotiations with clients). I agree on everything else you wrote about free work etc. but I meant those few cases when the project is too interesting for me personally (usually illustrations in a very particular style). Anything else is out of the question.:)" CreationDate="2016-04-03T13:56:05.057" UserId="7946" />
  <row Id="7439" PostId="4399" Score="0" Text="Thanks, I see what you mean about websites being quicker. I have one friend who is willing to help with both websites and software and another who is willing to help with just software. Both are good at design. Do you know where I would find my first client for either, being without many contacts?" CreationDate="2016-04-04T15:14:45.373" UserId="11976" />
  <row Id="7441" PostId="1059" Score="0" Text="Curious about Antartica! :)" CreationDate="2016-04-04T18:40:04.487" UserId="11967" />
  <row Id="7442" PostId="1059" Score="1" Text="@ClickOk: You are one of the few who actually asked me about Antarctica. Yes there was a scientist who wanted me to make an Excel App which could crunch numbers based on data collected and some horrific graphs that needed to be created. That guy is no longer there in Antarctica. He has moved back to US. I do occasionally hear from him for small odd jobs :)" CreationDate="2016-04-05T03:13:50.413" UserId="155" />
  <row Id="7444" PostId="4406" Score="1" Text="Hi Alexandre, welcome to Freelancing.SE! We do not typically allow specific links to work sites in answers, as many users view them as advertising only. I've removed them from your answer so that the rest can survive and thrive for future visitors. Thanks!" CreationDate="2016-04-05T17:18:38.063" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7446" PostId="4406" Score="1" Text="No problem, that's why I try to be nice when I edit stuff out." CreationDate="2016-04-05T17:58:18.657" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7447" PostId="4406" Score="0" Text="I'd also like to add that, while you already know quite a lot, Alexandre is right that there are many benefits to working alongside others in terms of learning from their workflow, having your code reviewed, etc. I think it is much easier to land freelance gigs with some more experience and projects under your belt." CreationDate="2016-04-05T22:13:24.847" UserId="754" />
  <row Id="7448" PostId="4399" Score="1" Text="&quot;consider what you like to do the most&quot; I echo that statement, I've also learned programming at a young age  (currently 16) and have had a couple jobs. I've found that if you do work with tools and languages you like to use, you'll be more efficient, and a better worker" CreationDate="2016-04-06T05:02:50.517" UserId="8714" />
  <row Id="7449" PostId="4403" Score="1" Text="I don't know why you waited so long. I would definitely pull the plug, that is ridiculous." CreationDate="2016-04-06T07:06:41.820" UserId="11971" />
  <row Id="7450" PostId="4408" Score="3" Text="Clients often need additional tutoring from your side. Do spend extra 10 sentences so he understand the difference. You will also know if he is really confused or looking for free work." CreationDate="2016-04-06T08:57:04.510" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7451" PostId="765" Score="1" Text="I asked a question which was marked a duplicate of this one and wanted to share another consideration. As a UX practitioner, so many possible design and research tools are available that there isn't one that is industry-standard. Some are priced for individuals (like Axure); others are priced for enterprise (UserZoom currently starts at $24k/year). I paid for some UX tools, including Axure, myself and use them for both clients and side projects. If a prospect wanted me to use UserZoom and wouldn't reimburse me for buying it, I wouldn't work with them. It would take too long to recoup the cost." CreationDate="2016-04-06T20:21:48.053" UserId="1323" />
  <row Id="7452" PostId="4406" Score="0" Text="Yes, I understand what you mean. My first exposure to php, and sass was a 2 week work experience placement in a startup where I worked on the website and I picked up many things not just related to development but the other things involved in startups. I enjoy many aspects of programming and originally intended to make free games with ads and do freelance websites for income but after my work experience I am unsure." CreationDate="2016-04-06T20:58:59.723" UserId="11976" />
  <row Id="7453" PostId="4406" Score="0" Text="I have thought about an internship but I think that I would prefer to have a degree to fall back on and I found a course that I think I would enjoy: http://www.whatuni.com/degrees/applied-software-engineering-bsc-hons/cardiff-university/cd/55906006/3958/" CreationDate="2016-04-06T21:01:23.990" UserId="11976" />
  <row Id="7454" PostId="1378" Score="7" Text="I avoid these places like the plague, and so do most of my customers, except for menial, easily verifiable tasks. They have already shown that they have no clue how to manage a project that requires creative processes." CreationDate="2016-04-07T02:27:34.797" UserId="1985" />
  <row Id="7455" PostId="4413" Score="1" Text="It's a common misunderstanding of end users that creating an iPad app is just a case of compiling the iPhone code with iPad as the target. The reality is that to make a good iPad version can take weeks of extra work." CreationDate="2016-04-07T13:48:30.370" UserId="2672" />
  <row Id="7456" PostId="4405" Score="1" Text="You mean if you prospect 'physically' I guess if you work on line and you reply to online offers there is no difference where you seat and your profile on those online sites does not change" CreationDate="2016-04-07T19:03:14.883" UserId="8790" />
  <row Id="7457" PostId="4421" Score="0" Text="Hi Andrew, welcome to Freelancing.SE! This question is quite open ended, and would be too hard to answer as one specific answer (too broad). I'm closing it for now, but please try to [edit] it to be more on topic and answerable. See [ask] for more info, or drop by [chat] or [meta] to chat more with us" CreationDate="2016-04-08T17:02:57.707" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7458" PostId="4421" Score="1" Text="Andrew - Your time is valuable. While working for them, you are restricted from taking money from another company. I would charge full rate a discounted rate to encourage the client to call you again at some point in the future while still respecting your time/effort. When you apply a discount, do so (for example) on the provisio that they pay you for 10hours (for example) and have 12hours of your time &quot;in the bank&quot;. Put an expiry on the hours (3months?). Time is &quot;spent&quot; in half hour &quot;units&quot;. Its a win win both sides, you feel rewarded and customer does not feel robbed." CreationDate="2016-04-08T17:54:20.940" UserId="11579" />
  <row Id="7459" PostId="4421" Score="1" Text="BTW I've been a contractor/consultant/freelancer since 1994 and learned never to turn work down but instead push the decision to the client. If I really want it, I become less expensive. If I will have discomfort, I get more expensive. If you don't value your time, nobody else will. Best of luck!" CreationDate="2016-04-08T17:55:54.917" UserId="11579" />
  <row Id="7460" PostId="4422" Score="0" Text="It sounds like you are new to consulting - have a read of an answer I wrote elsewhere http://startups.stackexchange.com/questions/8576/how-to-build-a-startup-freelance-software-qa-in-the-us/8585#8585" CreationDate="2016-04-08T18:04:32.967" UserId="11579" />
  <row Id="7462" PostId="65" Score="0" Text="Although this makes sense in the long run, I find it very hard to implement when just starting off as a freelancer. On all of the job sites you need to get good ratings in order to get the job, plus often have the lowest price. I assume this works better in a word-of-mouth kind of scenario? Where you get the job through connections or approach people directly." CreationDate="2016-04-08T22:22:20.393" UserId="12039" />
  <row Id="7465" PostId="4426" Score="0" Text="already in there but for a started! its impossible this days i guess (i know that i can get things done but i dont have a 5 star profile you know)" CreationDate="2016-04-10T09:08:40.917" UserId="12052" />
  <row Id="7466" PostId="4426" Score="0" Text="It's not impossible, you just have to bid on a lot of projects. My tips are: 1. Be honest 2. Upgrade your membership, so you can bid on more jobs." CreationDate="2016-04-10T09:09:16.690" UserId="12054" />
  <row Id="7467" PostId="4426" Score="0" Text="if i had the means to upgrade , i wouldnt be looking for a job XD 3rd world country problemes, any way thanks man :D ill keep trying" CreationDate="2016-04-10T09:11:24.230" UserId="12052" />
  <row Id="7468" PostId="4425" Score="0" Text="A similar but perhaps not entirely duplicate question asked previously that I answered can be found here: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/4279/how-to-find-good-jobs-on-freelancing-sites/4416#4416" CreationDate="2016-04-10T12:20:59.627" UserId="11579" />
  <row Id="7469" PostId="4428" Score="4" Text="Positioning a div in HTML (actually CSS) and running for loops in javascript **is** knowing those technologies.  It is all equally &quot;crucial&quot; at times depending on what any one project requires. There's really no way to list every aspect of every language. You should just learn the languages." CreationDate="2016-04-10T22:03:08.950" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7470" PostId="4425" Score="0" Text="Hello Achraf, and welcome to Freelancing.SE! — unfortunately, &quot;How do I get started&quot; is just way, way too broad to be answerable in a format that we use on Stack Exchange. Could you please [edit] your question to be more specific, so we can clean it up and provide better answers?" CreationDate="2016-04-11T10:38:22.823" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="7471" PostId="4429" Score="0" Text="This is is all great advice. It's really only by completing projects and actually using your knowledge that you start to understand your strengths and weaknesses. Doing projects and keeping notes on what came easy vs what you struggled with will help you figure out where you need to build up your skills." CreationDate="2016-04-11T14:33:19.543" UserId="754" />
  <row Id="7472" PostId="4429" Score="0" Text="Thanks. I'm no guru but I am good at my work - I have learned my limits and I still work on growing my knowledge. The problem with skills is they are in demand for a year or two before it becomes part of a standard skillset. I struggle to stay ahead but believe I manage well not falling behind if that makes sense." CreationDate="2016-04-11T15:45:27.747" UserId="11579" />
  <row Id="7473" PostId="4423" Score="1" Text="This is three questions in one.  Slim it down.  it's very, very broad" CreationDate="2016-04-11T16:42:51.813" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="7474" PostId="4421" Score="1" Text="@AndrewAponte I reopened the question for you, as it is more clearly within our scope and easily answerable and useful to other users. Good luck!" CreationDate="2016-04-11T16:50:21.153" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7475" PostId="4423" Score="0" Text="@codenoire: I changed the question a bit, is it more to the point now?" CreationDate="2016-04-11T20:19:56.377" UserId="12039" />
  <row Id="7478" PostId="4431" Score="0" Text="How have you followed up (phone, email)? If you've only tried email, I would try to get someone one the phone and get a concrete date by which you can expect payment." CreationDate="2016-04-12T17:51:11.777" UserId="754" />
  <row Id="7479" PostId="4431" Score="1" Text="If your work was published in 2015 and you *still* haven't been paid more than 4 months later... it's doubtful they intend to pay at all. You need to be forceful. And why on earth would you want to work for a company that doesn't pay you?" CreationDate="2016-04-13T00:14:32.913" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7480" PostId="65" Score="1" Text="@Pitt - I've been approached directly as well as approached by clients at work for work done outside the scope of my employer.  In both cases they were willing to pay me what I asked for." CreationDate="2016-04-14T06:55:55.573" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="7481" PostId="4442" Score="4" Text="From a freelancer perspective... it does *not* matter. Freelancers are *not* required to include 1099s with their return, only *payees* are required to file them (if they want the deduction). See here: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/4106/should-i-expect-a-1099" CreationDate="2016-04-16T23:35:54.697" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7482" PostId="939" Score="1" Text="Point to the previous dispute resolution. Also, $3 is not a sensible hourly rate for any job." CreationDate="2016-04-18T06:49:21.287" UserId="1985" />
  <row Id="7483" PostId="4426" Score="0" Text="Why the downvotes? It would be nice to explain them before downvoting." CreationDate="2016-04-18T08:00:26.720" UserId="12054" />
  <row Id="7487" PostId="4447" Score="1" Text="Taking a wild guess here..... I'd say bid on the ones you want to complete." CreationDate="2016-04-21T02:30:56.050" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7488" PostId="2849" Score="0" Text="@Scott Can you guide me to start attending developer conferences and is there any link to know the timings ?" CreationDate="2016-04-21T12:08:27.263" UserId="12160" />
  <row Id="7489" PostId="4451" Score="2" Text="Hi Jordan, welcome to Freelancing.SE! There is a whole slew of things you can, should or need to do. We need you to focus on one aspect, and [edit] to ask that one focused question. If you need more help, see [ask], [meta] or join us in [chat]. I wish you luck, and let us know when you edit the question so we can try to open it again." CreationDate="2016-04-22T17:56:01.573" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7490" PostId="4452" Score="0" Text="I am still a beginner in this domain, but I got a little more information. You were right on spot; my work was initially Q/A and Proofreading (to use the exact words for it)." CreationDate="2016-04-23T14:58:50.890" UserId="12188" />
  <row Id="7491" PostId="4453" Score="0" Text="I like your advice, Tim, but when you ask &quot;Wouldn't it be better to just filter inbound requests?&quot;, I'm tempted to blurt out &quot;WHAT inbound requests?&quot;  (That probably speaks to how good my profile is. I'd be glad to know your opinion on it if SO lets me post the link.)" CreationDate="2016-04-23T20:39:22.377" UserId="12167" />
  <row Id="7493" PostId="3655" Score="0" Text="Have a look to [this question](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/4431/how-do-i-persuade-a-client-to-make-good-on-a-late-payment),some of the ideas may apply for this case as well." CreationDate="2016-04-25T05:22:53.657" UserId="11806" />
  <row Id="7494" PostId="4453" Score="1" Text="@ShawnV.Wilson regardless of SO allowing you to post the link, they should allow you to upvote my answer. :) Right now your profile lists some experience / companies as just a list of names. Expand on that, explain what you accomplished for specific companies. Keep in mind it's (based on my observation) what you have in that profile that determines where you show up when people search." CreationDate="2016-04-25T12:43:49.163" UserId="820" />
  <row Id="7495" PostId="4453" Score="0" Text="@ShawnV.Wilson  But I get the frustration not having inbound requests - my main point is to also evaluate potential projects on how they will impact the placement of your profile in search results as well. Is this description the kind of job you'd want to be contacted about? I don't *know* how UpWork does it now, but I did *observe* that after just responding / bidding or / getting projects, I'd place higher in search results for related keywords (back when it was oDesk)." CreationDate="2016-04-25T12:45:33.877" UserId="820" />
  <row Id="7496" PostId="4449" Score="0" Text="'Fraid not.  It is an accepted practice that contractors - of all types, including attorneys - pass along their costs for the time it takes to correctly implement new tools, materials, and procedures.  When an attorney's paralegals need new training on certain subject matter, the end-clients get the bill, except that it's masked in the attorney's hourly rate.  It's no different than a painter buying a new gadget to spread paint better - the clients pay, just indirectly." CreationDate="2016-04-25T15:51:07.270" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="7497" PostId="4449" Score="0" Text="I feel like overall that was the spirit of my answer, was to bill for research. To use your example, I essentially said you don't expect the painter to bill you to learn how to tape edges cause it's expected that a painter would know how to do that." CreationDate="2016-04-25T15:54:48.233" UserId="12183" />
  <row Id="7498" PostId="4449" Score="0" Text="Maybe I read your answer wrong, then :( oops! Thanks for pointing this out.  I need coffee!" CreationDate="2016-04-25T15:57:48.743" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="7499" PostId="4455" Score="3" Text="Anyone can sue anyone for anything.... whether they win anything is up to the judge." CreationDate="2016-04-26T06:26:53.177" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7500" PostId="4457" Score="0" Text="@kyle  Where are you located? Where is your client located?" CreationDate="2016-04-26T22:16:51.173" UserId="2559" />
  <row Id="7501" PostId="4463" Score="0" Text="Legal questions are impossible to answer without a location tag, at the minimum. As well, I'd advise against this practice, since the owner doesn't seem to want it... Just saying..." CreationDate="2016-04-28T22:38:43.140" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7502" PostId="4309" Score="0" Text="@C.Forrest I'm glad to have helped. Would you care to mark it as the answer if it resolved your question?" CreationDate="2016-04-28T23:37:29.520" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="7503" PostId="4463" Score="3" Text="No offense, but this is a terrible idea. It's unethical, probably illegal, and very likely to get you in trouble. Were you planning on getting paid for this, or just doing it out of charity? If you want to do it for free, contact them and offer to build them a site for free. If you want to get paid, building it without their permission and then asking for money is practically blackmail." CreationDate="2016-04-28T23:48:29.697" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="7505" PostId="4471" Score="1" Text="Hi Niamke, welcome to Freelancing.SE! We can't answer any tax questions without knowing where you are. Please [edit] your question to include your location in the question, as well as a tag. This will help people answer your question with accuracy. Thanks!" CreationDate="2016-05-02T16:02:23.050" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7506" PostId="4473" Score="0" Text="Thanks, I'm in northern MS, and the nearest office is in Jackson, MS I believe. As for the $6,300, it was for employment(such as a summer job at a fast food restaurant.)" CreationDate="2016-05-03T02:52:35.113" UserId="12280" />
  <row Id="7507" PostId="4475" Score="0" Text="I did the test, it said that yes, he had to file taxes because, even though he's a minor, he met the $400 self employment tax bracket. It says he will have to report it on a 1040-C and 1040-SE, but can probably put it on our(parents') return. Thanks!" CreationDate="2016-05-03T03:05:30.447" UserId="12280" />
  <row Id="7508" PostId="4475" Score="0" Text="I'm glad that was helpful. Please also note that he will NOT have income withheld from his income and he will owe 20-30% at the end of the year. I recommend putting 20-25% of all earnings in a separate bank account just for your sons self-employment taxes." CreationDate="2016-05-03T03:48:35.103" UserId="9835" />
  <row Id="7509" PostId="4476" Score="1" Text="Takes depend on your income as higher incomes have different tax brackets. http://taxfoundation.org/article/2016-tax-brackets. I pay between 25-30% of my total income in taxes but that doesn't mean you will too." CreationDate="2016-05-03T21:04:20.180" UserId="9835" />
  <row Id="7510" PostId="4480" Score="0" Text="Thanks a lot for your response.  I don't want to do that, but I think you are right that I really need to.  Maybe the client had unrealistic expectations of what could be done with the given budget, and I know that I was overconfident and did not realize the challenges of the task." CreationDate="2016-05-04T08:29:07.493" UserId="12297" />
  <row Id="7511" PostId="4480" Score="0" Text="Perhaps 'partial delivery' is possible? See edit." CreationDate="2016-05-04T08:55:53.483" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="7512" PostId="4480" Score="0" Text="If you are all alone, perhaps you could consider getting help? Quite often, just not being alone with a problem leads to a more productive cycle." CreationDate="2016-05-04T08:58:02.230" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="7514" PostId="4479" Score="1" Text="Possible duplicate of [How can I start freelancing and get online projects to work on?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/707/how-can-i-start-freelancing-and-get-online-projects-to-work-on)" CreationDate="2016-05-04T15:42:59.817" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7515" PostId="4487" Score="0" Text="thanks for such a comprehensive answer @Canadian Luke. This is exactly the sort of advice I was hoping for. When I say they buy credits, one credit = one hour. Rather than people buying one hour at a time they can purchase 5 or 10 credits in bulk." CreationDate="2016-05-04T19:46:54.123" UserId="12307" />
  <row Id="7516" PostId="4487" Score="0" Text="Ahhh, that makes good sense! I've only seen credits by Microsoft" CreationDate="2016-05-04T19:56:10.717" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7518" PostId="4490" Score="1" Text="great analysis, although your percentage confuse me a bit. For example, for the transaction fee why are you using 999.7*100/102.3 and not 999.7 - (999.7*0.023)?" CreationDate="2016-05-05T14:09:53.930" UserId="12316" />
  <row Id="7520" PostId="4489" Score="4" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because this is a math question." CreationDate="2016-05-05T16:44:28.150" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="7521" PostId="4490" Score="0" Text="Client wants to pay 977.224, but that amount doesn't include the 2.3% of transaction fee. If 977.224 is 100%, 999.7 is 102.3% (100% for project + 2.3% fees). Hence why I do 999.7*100/102.3 to calculate the 100% value." CreationDate="2016-05-05T16:45:38.273" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7522" PostId="3648" Score="0" Text="Thanks for this. Apologies, I don't think I received a notification last year when you kindly posted this. Agree with what you say about total exclusivity - that sounds very risky!" CreationDate="2016-05-05T20:08:30.220" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="7523" PostId="2911" Score="0" Text="Could you add in a small parenthesis about what 1099s are? I expect this would be helpful for non-US readers. Thanks!" CreationDate="2016-05-05T20:35:44.057" UserId="8370" />
  <row Id="7524" PostId="4490" Score="0" Text="Ah. The 20% rule doesn't apply to repeat clients because you will be past the $500 point for lifetime billings." CreationDate="2016-05-06T01:36:32.617" UserId="12274" />
  <row Id="7525" PostId="4423" Score="1" Text="Possible duplicate of [Marketing new skill or line of business](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/1843/marketing-new-skill-or-line-of-business)" CreationDate="2016-05-06T08:40:52.253" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7526" PostId="3567" Score="0" Text="&quot;I already have a full time job&quot;. First thing to check is that your current job contract allows for work on the side." CreationDate="2016-05-06T08:46:26.880" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7529" PostId="4494" Score="0" Text="Thank you for your reply! It's very helpful! Actually i sent a message to where i work as freelancer but i don't think my email was effective enough!  one of them refused by saying we don't support &quot;certificate of earning&quot;.  Bank does not want the invoices they just want a letter from the freelancing company that i work as a freelancer. My email did not have the desired effect. Can you please give your expert advice on what to write? and do you think i should write to them again?" CreationDate="2016-05-06T18:48:35.230" UserId="12332" />
  <row Id="7530" PostId="4494" Score="0" Text="Do you have one client, or several? If your bank wants a letter from your client, that sounds like something they'd request from an employee, rather than a freelancer." CreationDate="2016-05-06T18:55:16.297" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7531" PostId="4494" Score="0" Text="I have several clients! The bank does not want letter from client but The Freelance Marketplace for which i'm working, in this case &quot;FIVERR&quot; or &quot;istockphoto&quot;. Thanks" CreationDate="2016-05-06T18:57:05.663" UserId="12332" />
  <row Id="7532" PostId="4494" Score="0" Text="@AmirDe What about screenshots of the jobs? If you can take a screenshot of the website with the list of jobs (how about a report of the jobs, with the amounts). It seems really odd that the bank doesn't accept invoices! It should for businesses! Not everyone works on websites and invoices are the usual proof of income." CreationDate="2016-05-06T19:36:23.230" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7533" PostId="4494" Score="0" Text="I talked to two different banks, they asked for written proof just like certificate of earning from upwork." CreationDate="2016-05-06T21:17:29.313" UserId="12332" />
  <row Id="7534" PostId="4494" Score="0" Text="I recieved a reply from Fiverr, &quot;Could you please provide us with information is your VAT or address relevant to such report as we could not locate such information within your account?&quot; i don't have a VAT number as VAT is only required of businesses with qualifying turnover. What else should i provide?" CreationDate="2016-05-07T04:40:50.197" UserId="12332" />
  <row Id="7535" PostId="4495" Score="0" Text="Yes i understand, Thanks for your reply. But if you do freelancing on upwork (odesk) they provide a certificate of earning. i don't earn enough to file an income tax. I am a student i do part-time freelancing. Please have a look at odesk certificate of earning https://goo.gl/erDvef" CreationDate="2016-05-07T04:44:59.793" UserId="12332" />
  <row Id="7536" PostId="4495" Score="0" Text="I've never used oDesk... can't comment on that. Imagine you sell items at a flea market... would you expect the owners of the flea market to provide you an earnings statement??? Essentially, that is what Fiverr and iStock are... flea markets for people selling (digital) goods WAY under traditional pricing. In addition, if you didn't make enough to file taxes ($600/job or $4k/yearly) then what on earth would a bank need earnings statements for?? If you did make $4k or more last year and failed to file taxes.. well that's your error." CreationDate="2016-05-07T05:25:37.603" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7541" PostId="4497" Score="0" Text="Does the contract allow the client to refuse payment due to late delivery?" CreationDate="2016-05-09T08:33:56.260" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="7544" PostId="4497" Score="0" Text="I suspect the answer to this depends on (1) how determined the client is to sue you and (2) how likely they are to suceed if they try. (2) is more likely to be addressed on http://law.stackexchange.com." CreationDate="2016-05-09T09:03:08.573" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7545" PostId="4497" Score="0" Text="How was the communication between you and the client? When he made changes, did you tell him the project would take longer? If so, then he is absolutely responsible for the project being late." CreationDate="2016-05-09T09:08:33.840" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7546" PostId="4497" Score="0" Text="@morsor No, there is nothing in the contract about missing deadlines. There is also nothing in the contract about refusal of payment for any reason." CreationDate="2016-05-09T12:59:04.217" UserId="2731" />
  <row Id="7547" PostId="4497" Score="0" Text="How much of the ORIGINAL scope of work is actually completed?  If there's been no money changing hands for the out-of-scope stuff that isn't in the contract, then you're not really responsible for it." CreationDate="2016-05-09T16:03:17.310" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="7548" PostId="3588" Score="0" Text="I've been doing this for 20 yrs.  Generally -- just get what YOU need, and leave the rest alone.  Don't drive yourself nuts, because you absolutely cannot control the recruiter's bill rate." CreationDate="2016-05-09T16:05:14.530" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="7549" PostId="4497" Score="1" Text="Sounds like the contract, frankly, sucks. I think the best option would be to have an open and frank discussion with the client. Anything short of that is just a guessing game based on what they reaction *may* be." CreationDate="2016-05-09T17:43:19.320" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7550" PostId="4497" Score="0" Text="Also, what location are you in? List the country as a tag, and you can optionally add the province/state in the question text itself." CreationDate="2016-05-09T17:52:12.260" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7551" PostId="4499" Score="1" Text="Have you read their EULA? I don't really see how this is related to Freelancing specifically, though - can you [edit] to elabourate?" CreationDate="2016-05-09T21:21:41.320" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7553" PostId="4503" Score="0" Text="thanks, in the end I offered them a 10% discount and am waiting to hear back, the first to speak looses the negotiating :), it's not a zero hour contract, they pay weather or not if they have work for me, but they are busy and growing fast so this is not likely to happen much at all" CreationDate="2016-05-11T11:07:20.807" UserId="12308" />
  <row Id="7554" PostId="4499" Score="4" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it's not about freelancing but rather asking for legal advice." CreationDate="2016-05-11T13:16:00.587" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7555" PostId="4499" Score="0" Text="@stacey Thanks for the comment, which SE forum should i use?" CreationDate="2016-05-11T14:51:42.093" UserId="7334" />
  <row Id="7557" PostId="4499" Score="1" Text="There may be an *obligation* to show the logos... as @CanadianLuke suggests, only the EULA would tell you." CreationDate="2016-05-11T18:56:13.953" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7558" PostId="4499" Score="0" Text="see http://law.stackexchange.com" CreationDate="2016-05-12T07:41:59.340" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7560" PostId="4505" Score="1" Text="So what's the problem in sending them invoice for the number of hours you put into the project? This happened to me as well and I was paid for the time I spent on the project, not the full amount." CreationDate="2016-05-12T08:47:29.923" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7562" PostId="4494" Score="0" Text="I'd put 'Business banking accounts' first, Invoices last. Banks are pretty reliably/trustworthy sources and bank statements neatly show all relevant info. Websites are less trustworthy, might not want to put in the effort or have systems in place, and will result in messier data. Invoices are things you make yourself so could easily be fraudulent - plus invoices have a LOT of information you shouldn't share with third parties (1st party, you, 2nd party, client)." CreationDate="2016-05-12T21:10:09.587" UserId="12381" />
  <row Id="7563" PostId="4494" Score="0" Text="I'd also add a fourth option (at position 2 or 3) of the freelancers own bookkeeping. That'll be more neatly sorted than website letters, although it will still not be as trustworthy as a bank statement." CreationDate="2016-05-12T21:12:52.350" UserId="12381" />
  <row Id="7564" PostId="4503" Score="0" Text="Having a prepaid system where (semi)regular clients can purchase hours/days at a discount is a clever idea. I'll keep that one in mind." CreationDate="2016-05-12T21:25:14.037" UserId="12381" />
  <row Id="7566" PostId="4505" Score="0" Text="&quot; how to support their (very) frugal spending limits&quot;.&#xA;And: &quot;I did about 10-15 more hours of work&quot; -are you talking about 2 working days lost and that's why you cry...seriously?" CreationDate="2016-05-13T03:27:22.300" UserId="744" />
  <row Id="7567" PostId="4508" Score="0" Text="In principle, this is correct. However - if the value of the contract is low (which seems to be the case) no one wants to go to court - and court is actually the only way to enforce a contract." CreationDate="2016-05-13T07:33:34.347" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="7568" PostId="4505" Score="1" Text="@matheszabi 2 days of work on 8 days of work is 25% of the total hours work. On top of that they might have rejected/renegotiated other clients to free up space. On top of that, principle." CreationDate="2016-05-13T12:10:50.263" UserId="12381" />
  <row Id="7569" PostId="4497" Score="0" Text="How are scope, schedule and communication handled in the contact? If it states they should deliver the full specifications in February, they are the one breaching the contract by being late." CreationDate="2016-05-13T12:21:49.150" UserId="12381" />
  <row Id="7570" PostId="4477" Score="0" Text="#2, the methodology, is a huge red flag. If I'm reading the situation right, they're probably aware of the flaws in that method and they know it will result in more beneficial outcomes for them. &quot;lies, damned lies, and statistics&quot; as they say.&#xA;&#xA;The worst part is that you're always going to be the one they blame. If you tell them now, they could say you didn't say soon enough and that you delayed the project, potentially failing their larger project. If you don't tell them and someone else points the bad methodology out, you'll get blamed for incompetence, malpractice or similar." CreationDate="2016-05-13T12:32:26.747" UserId="12381" />
  <row Id="7571" PostId="4512" Score="1" Text="Was there a question here? And you can't use &quot;minimum wage&quot; to calculate *anything* regarding freelancing. I don't know any freelancer that sets their rates to &quot;minimum wage&quot; rates. You also must factor in cost of living and **exchange rates**." CreationDate="2016-05-14T06:05:52.957" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7572" PostId="4512" Score="0" Text="US programmers charge $9/h? Don't think so. The same is in India. Another parameter is that there are few freelancers that have 40 payable work hours EVERY week. If they have monthly occupation on some project, they will usually set more attractive salary. Check why freelancer's fees seems larger - read a few of the top topics here." CreationDate="2016-05-14T14:06:55.533" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7573" PostId="4512" Score="0" Text="To add more, in the end, a good freelancer will earn `salaryFromReputableCompanyWhoPaysWorkersPerQuality` + `feeCompanyTakesOnEveryWorker` + `potentialBonus`. Not more. You will see good-earning freelancers, but not millionaires. To earn millions, you have to have your own company and your own workers (read millions come not from work but from 2 other parameters)" CreationDate="2016-05-14T14:08:55.497" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7574" PostId="4503" Score="0" Text="You should have an expiration date on the credits... Additional food for thought can be found in a related answer I placed on startups  http://startups.stackexchange.com/questions/8613/process-for-implementing-support-contracts/8615#8615" CreationDate="2016-05-14T15:59:50.823" UserId="11579" />
  <row Id="7575" PostId="4512" Score="1" Text="Switzerland has no minimum wage. Do you think swiss programmers work for free?" CreationDate="2016-05-14T16:47:36.733" UserId="12000" />
  <row Id="7576" PostId="4512" Score="0" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it's not a problem Freelancers are facing" CreationDate="2016-05-14T17:25:07.057" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7577" PostId="4511" Score="2" Text="How do you deal with travel times? Are those also billed as regular hours?" CreationDate="2016-05-14T18:41:20.720" UserId="12381" />
  <row Id="7578" PostId="4511" Score="1" Text="@PixelSnader I don't really run into that.. but if I were to, travel *expenses* would certainly be invoiced, but travel time would probably not be. If driving a per mile cost would be used since I can't do anything other than drive. If flying or sailing or by train, I could easily do other things during the travel, so I can't logically invoice the client for travel time unless I'm directly working on their project." CreationDate="2016-05-14T19:06:12.603" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7579" PostId="4511" Score="0" Text="@PixelSnader unless I am flying I don't expense it. Particularly in this instance it was a Skype interaction." CreationDate="2016-05-15T18:24:29.670" UserId="12413" />
  <row Id="7580" PostId="4510" Score="0" Text="related: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/2447/what-are-best-practices-around-billing-for-the-initial-consultation/2448" CreationDate="2016-05-18T11:13:40.200" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7582" PostId="4525" Score="1" Text="Possibly. Or [web editor](https://webeditorhome.wordpress.com/a-web-editor-by-any-other-name/). It seems rare to find those job descriptions used in conjunction with HTML as a skill requirement, though. I would suggest that possibly the exact job description hasn't found a name yet. I've added some more items to my question. I'll wait for a few more suggestions before deciding whether to mark this as the correct answer (I can't up-vote yet). Thanks codenoire!" CreationDate="2016-05-19T16:05:11.577" UserId="12459" />
  <row Id="7583" PostId="4526" Score="0" Text="Very well put.." CreationDate="2016-05-21T04:18:49.053" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7585" PostId="4536" Score="0" Text="You nailed it!!!" CreationDate="2016-05-25T20:53:05.783" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="7586" PostId="4537" Score="0" Text="Right but there could always be someone who has had to deal with something similar here ;)" CreationDate="2016-05-25T22:11:15.427" UserId="7868" />
  <row Id="7587" PostId="4538" Score="0" Text="I'm not certain if this is really a freelance question. It seems to be a more logistics question. Perhaps better answered at http://StackOverflow.com (but that's just my guess)." CreationDate="2016-05-26T00:33:45.917" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7588" PostId="4538" Score="1" Text="Very closely related: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/2022/how-to-setup-client-ownership-of-domain-name-and-hosting/2023#2023" CreationDate="2016-05-26T06:35:44.030" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7589" PostId="4540" Score="4" Text="Was he paid on an hourly basis or a fixed sum for the complete job?" CreationDate="2016-05-26T14:14:18.193" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7590" PostId="4533" Score="0" Text="&quot; if I write bad code they can't sue me&quot; ... don't write bad code?" CreationDate="2016-05-26T14:15:33.520" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7591" PostId="4533" Score="0" Text="Why do you think they would sue you if you had a bug in your code? What are you coding? If it's for some military/medical application (so someone's life is on the line), then you're definitely (1) going to need to meet some standards and have the code pass a spec by an authority and (2) going to need liability insurance. If it could lose someone copious amounts of money, then that code better be tested thoroughly. In both cases, this shouldn't just fall on you, it probably would be a good idea to discuss who is responsible for testing the code. But I'm not a lawyer, perhaps you should ask one." CreationDate="2016-05-26T14:22:18.477" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7592" PostId="4541" Score="3" Text="While that's true, the OP mentioned that the contractor went ahead and did the work without approval. Even if billed hourly, non-approved hours make things a little more nuanced." CreationDate="2016-05-26T15:11:10.360" UserId="2672" />
  <row Id="7593" PostId="4540" Score="0" Text="Yes, he is paid on an hourly basis. However, whether it's appropriate to bill for fixes or not, my concern is more so the fact I asked about whether the project is billable and to please provide this information before he started working on the project. He ignored this request, and went ahead to complete the project when I was only asking for a quote on billable or non-billable hours. At least knowing this information, I would have been able to speak with my boss first and let him know the situation. Now we're stuck with a bill for hours we weren't necessarily willing to pay for in the first p" CreationDate="2016-05-26T15:10:28.153" UserId="12529" />
  <row Id="7594" PostId="4541" Score="1" Text="@LaconicDroid You are right!" CreationDate="2016-05-26T17:49:26.233" UserId="12000" />
  <row Id="7595" PostId="4544" Score="0" Text="Why reinvent the wheel? There are many marketplaces out there for this exact purpose, and trying to design one from scratch seems quite silly to me, money wise..." CreationDate="2016-05-26T20:08:32.900" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7597" PostId="4544" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke I agree, however I wasn't contacted to decide if their business was going to succeed or not, they just want me to make their apps. My question here is how to charge this type of projects where what I develop, is the direct source of income for a company." CreationDate="2016-05-26T20:14:38.130" UserId="10589" />
  <row Id="7598" PostId="4544" Score="0" Text="Just a suggestion... a custom market app **should** be a costly thing if they aren't willing or interested to use existing avenues. (This is PURELY opinion... hence a comment) Find the &quot;marketplace&quot; apps out there.. study their pricing as if you wanted to purchase them... then add a multiplier of 10x along with any costs for development. Basically charge for your development time in creating the app then charge an additional 10 times what any marketplace app would charge them." CreationDate="2016-05-26T23:25:53.283" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7601" PostId="4533" Score="0" Text="Have you considered just letting your current contract (perhaps modified to 0-hours) run on for a bit? It's not that weird to have two employers." CreationDate="2016-05-27T15:13:21.337" UserId="12381" />
  <row Id="7602" PostId="4548" Score="0" Text="Please give a least a coarse range!" CreationDate="2016-05-27T21:49:48.757" UserId="11004" />
  <row Id="7603" PostId="4548" Score="1" Text="That is pretty much impossible as I have no idea where the OP intends to work" CreationDate="2016-05-27T21:51:47.767" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="7604" PostId="4548" Score="0" Text="Guve at least the information about where know. Better to restrict than let all options open. Better to know its between 3k and 5k in a specific region than to keep wondering if its 200 all around the world" CreationDate="2016-05-27T21:55:08.550" UserId="11004" />
  <row Id="7605" PostId="4548" Score="1" Text="But there is no absolute number. It would be hugely different in Western Europe compared to Vietnam or similar. The best approach would be to find out what an employee doing the same work earns and multiply that by 50-100% depending on what the market allows" CreationDate="2016-05-27T21:59:24.293" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="7606" PostId="4535" Score="0" Text="I think web administrator could contain both the &quot;web editor&quot; and / or &quot;content editor&quot; roles so it's more general / less-specific than those two. I think it also implies more server / security - related skills, so I'm more in favour of a description with an _ editor suffix. Thanks LMK Web." CreationDate="2016-05-28T08:57:53.550" UserId="12459" />
  <row Id="7607" PostId="4525" Score="0" Text="This is probably as close as we're going to get for now, so I've marked it as correct. As at this time - until there's a more exact description - the title or description should probably state the HTML requirement eg. &quot;Content Editor with HTML skills&quot;." CreationDate="2016-05-28T09:16:50.163" UserId="12459" />
  <row Id="7608" PostId="4540" Score="0" Text="I don't think you should be liable to pay for this if you weren't given the opportunity to accept it. Having said that, if you have an ongoing contract in place that implies that he can just bill for whatever time he spends, then you might be out of luck - but if that's the case, you might want to suggest to your boss to change the contract." CreationDate="2016-05-29T07:38:14.630" UserId="12154" />
  <row Id="7609" PostId="4556" Score="1" Text="Thanks for sharing your experience @petre!&#xA;Really useful points. &#xA;I would still keep the question open for more answers and perhaps more experiences like yours. &#xA;Enjoy the upvote in the meanwhile :)" CreationDate="2016-05-30T17:40:02.977" UserId="12568" />
  <row Id="7610" PostId="4474" Score="0" Text="Advice about sending spam is doubtfully good advice..." CreationDate="2016-05-31T00:30:52.777" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="7611" PostId="4556" Score="0" Text="Yes, leave it open a bit more, so other people might share their experience as well." CreationDate="2016-05-31T06:55:22.537" UserId="11704" />
  <row Id="7615" PostId="4560" Score="1" Text="Possible duplicate of [How do I get my first job at a freelancing site?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/101/how-do-i-get-my-first-job-at-a-freelancing-site)" CreationDate="2016-06-01T14:07:38.147" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7619" PostId="4564" Score="0" Text="Where are you located in the world?" CreationDate="2016-06-03T18:38:26.027" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7620" PostId="4564" Score="0" Text="US, NH specifically." CreationDate="2016-06-04T15:05:14.940" UserId="9835" />
  <row Id="7621" PostId="4495" Score="0" Text="I got my statement of earning upon request from fiverr. Thanks for your help @scott" CreationDate="2016-06-05T06:28:57.783" UserId="12332" />
  <row Id="7626" PostId="4570" Score="0" Text="Dunno about the UK. In my country there is a bureaucratic process which must be done to get exemption, as I am already paying that in my full time job. However if you do not ask for the exemption, you will pay it." CreationDate="2016-06-07T09:34:52.977" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="7627" PostId="4574" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the reply testydonkey, I know about the tax its the national insurance I am trying to find out about." CreationDate="2016-06-07T13:04:14.940" UserId="10211" />
  <row Id="7628" PostId="4577" Score="0" Text="Possible duplicate of [How do I calculate pay rate if I've never freelanced before?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/57/how-do-i-calculate-pay-rate-if-ive-never-freelanced-before)" CreationDate="2016-06-08T05:54:06.147" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7629" PostId="4580" Score="0" Text="Not so much that $40/h is too much, just that the parent/s might think so given that I've only ever done this once before. And yeah the results were good - the student went from around 15 or 20 percent test results to roughly 80%. Would that be enough of a selling point? I've seen online examples of uni students charging less than that ($30 - $35) which is making me a little cautious" CreationDate="2016-06-08T07:45:12.793" UserId="12647" />
  <row Id="7630" PostId="4580" Score="0" Text="An hourly rate often depends on the number of hours; the less hours - the higher the rate. In addition, if you need to negotiate - never just lower your price; you need to get something back - even if it's just symbolic, like flexible hours or more hours or perhaps bonus after a measurable result" CreationDate="2016-06-08T07:51:25.747" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="7631" PostId="4580" Score="0" Text="Ahh okay yeah - I'll probably be looking at 1.5 hours a week, so $40 wouldn't be too bad I suppose. &#xA;That's good advice on the negotiating, thanks!" CreationDate="2016-06-08T08:00:34.953" UserId="12647" />
  <row Id="7633" PostId="4577" Score="0" Text="I usually give a hard number. &quot;My rate is $60/hour&quot;. Usually my rate goes up $2/hour each client. So (for example), first would be $50, then next is $52, and so on. Until someone doesn't want to pay that amount anymore. I don't use a recruiter, though, so YMMV." CreationDate="2016-06-08T09:00:49.447" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7634" PostId="4577" Score="1" Text="I'm not convinced this is a duplicate. That question is &quot;how do I work out the number&quot; and this one is more &quot;how do I tell them the number?&quot;. There may be a duplicate of this out there but I can't find it." CreationDate="2016-06-08T09:10:05.913" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7635" PostId="4577" Score="0" Text="I just looked at the rate calculator you linked to and there are a few things it does not take into consideration:" CreationDate="2016-06-08T21:54:09.253" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="7636" PostId="4577" Score="0" Text="Sorry - I pressed enter too soon ^^^&#xA;&#xA;1. You probably won't be 100% booked.&#xA;&#xA;2. You don't get paid for time spent interviewing, bookeeping, etc. (running your business).&#xA;&#xA;3. No mention of retirement benefits.&#xA;&#xA;4. If in the US, you have to pay a brutal extra 8% self employment tax on business income.&#xA;&#xA;I think you need to charge more than $50 an hour to clear 80K of W2 income.&#xA;&#xA;I would try to find out what your competitors charge.  You might offer the recruiter a discounted rate for larger/longer projects." CreationDate="2016-06-08T22:05:06.260" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="7637" PostId="4583" Score="0" Text="Do you have a contract?" CreationDate="2016-06-09T01:33:03.463" UserId="9835" />
  <row Id="7639" PostId="4577" Score="0" Text="@Emily in the US there's an extra 8% tax for self empoyed people? Ouch." CreationDate="2016-06-09T05:10:52.273" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7640" PostId="4583" Score="0" Text="@Memj not exactly, the job was arranged through Upwork. I have no additional contract." CreationDate="2016-06-09T05:41:58.120" UserId="12652" />
  <row Id="7641" PostId="4583" Score="2" Text="I would suggest asking for a contract to be made, or you make one and ask it to be signed. You can simply state (the contract should be more in depth than the following &quot;In the unforeseen event that there is a breach in data I cannot be held responsible for any HIPPA violations&quot;. I would include that you are developing it to be as secure as you can make it within your ability and time allowance and that once you hand the product off you and not responsible for any misuse of the product." CreationDate="2016-06-10T01:37:41.867" UserId="9835" />
  <row Id="7642" PostId="4585" Score="2" Text="I would never suggest going to a clients or freelancers residence without express permison. If it's their workplace that's one thing but showing up at their home is on another level that could lead to trust issues and defensive behavior." CreationDate="2016-06-10T01:48:05.590" UserId="9835" />
  <row Id="7643" PostId="4577" Score="0" Text="@stacey, we have &quot;social security&quot; tax which is about 15.5%.  When you are an employee you pay half of that and the employer pays the other half.  When you are self employed, you pay BOTH halves. yay...  That's on top of income tax, but with income tax, people who make very little money don't pay much or any.  With the social security tax everyone pays it on every dollar they make (under about $190,000)." CreationDate="2016-06-10T02:48:25.170" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="7644" PostId="4585" Score="0" Text="lol, but stealing the employer's money is perfectly fine with you ? He even paid him in advance , as a proof of good faith &amp; that's how he repays him ?" CreationDate="2016-06-10T03:16:41.520" UserId="12664" />
  <row Id="7645" PostId="4576" Score="1" Text="What country are you in? Laws are different in each country. Did you have a contract and scope of work BEFORE they started working?" CreationDate="2016-06-10T03:43:58.873" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7646" PostId="4585" Score="0" Text="It doesn't matter. There are crappy people out there. This is why businesses are supposed to account for AR (accounts receivable) that they'll never get back. This is a business matter and you're making into a personal matter. This is a small loss of capital. If they show up at his house they he has the right to sue them for various reasons (whether it holds in court is a different matter) this small loss could double or triple if they don't move on and find someone else to do it." CreationDate="2016-06-10T13:32:42.383" UserId="9835" />
  <row Id="7647" PostId="4587" Score="1" Text="Possible duplicate of [What's the smallest unit of time I should charge for when clients request minor changes?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/926/whats-the-smallest-unit-of-time-i-should-charge-for-when-clients-request-minor)" CreationDate="2016-06-10T19:04:44.393" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7648" PostId="4579" Score="0" Text="Shouldn't they at least ask for whatever portion of the money they feel the contractor hasn't earned? I agree that they shouldn't aggressively pursue it, but I don't see the harm in trying." CreationDate="2016-06-10T21:21:48.140" UserId="12692" />
  <row Id="7649" PostId="4579" Score="0" Text="I assume this has already been tried - to no avail. Basically, I agree - ask for the money, but don't pursue it." CreationDate="2016-06-10T21:26:20.137" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="7650" PostId="4583" Score="0" Text="@Memj thanks a lot, I'll set up a contract" CreationDate="2016-06-11T09:58:36.120" UserId="12652" />
  <row Id="7651" PostId="4583" Score="0" Text="I'm moving my comment to an answer so It can be accepted for future readers. Glad I could help." CreationDate="2016-06-12T00:10:44.193" UserId="9835" />
  <row Id="7652" PostId="4585" Score="0" Text="@HichemAlAbbessi This is freelancer.stackexchange.com not mobster.stackexchange.com... You can't just go to his residence and ask for your money, that's just not the way to do it." CreationDate="2016-06-13T14:36:51.570" UserId="12652" />
  <row Id="7653" PostId="4585" Score="0" Text="The point of freelancing is getting the job done for the sum paid , not earning favors and giving the greater example.." CreationDate="2016-06-13T21:53:37.917" UserId="12664" />
  <row Id="7654" PostId="4565" Score="0" Text="+1, really good answer.  I'm curious (if your attorney happened to explain the reasoning) why it's wise to pay yourself at unusual times instead of doing so on a regular schedule.  I was recently wondering about this myself and had thought the opposite would have been true." CreationDate="2016-06-13T22:19:15.987" UserId="12722" />
  <row Id="7655" PostId="4565" Score="1" Text="@Josh1billion Like I posted above, if you're seen to essentially be living, day to day, from the LLC income it becomes easier for a judge to dissolve the LLC (on the spot). At least that what was explained to me. For some reason, living off of extracted dividends is fine, but a regular check makes *you* too much like an *employee* of the LLC or it makes the LLC too much like a false facade. To be frank, this is just the advice I was given. I've never actually been in a [legal] position to know if it's true or not." CreationDate="2016-06-14T00:46:51.497" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7658" PostId="4594" Score="2" Text="Do you **know** that freelancing is *not* permitted by your company or are you just *guessing*? Seems to me, the first step is to be definitive on *that* issue. No company I've ever worked at had an issue with my &quot;moonlighting&quot; as long as it wasn't a conflict of interest." CreationDate="2016-06-14T21:00:06.503" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7659" PostId="4594" Score="1" Text="@Scott Yes I know it is not permitted by my company. And in my country more than 50 percent company does't allow. So I worry for future jobs also." CreationDate="2016-06-15T04:41:04.303" UserId="4506" />
  <row Id="7660" PostId="4595" Score="0" Text="Hi Peter MV, Same as you I also don't like to be suspicious as It will be on reputation. And dishonest with client will definitely affect. So I need to know about option. As some friends recommend me to go with family member's identity and be real. As this field always welcomes to real and good quality work." CreationDate="2016-06-15T04:46:57.727" UserId="4506" />
  <row Id="7661" PostId="4596" Score="0" Text="I want to be honest with client So it is question to real identity. So it is complex problem for me to work with company and also personal." CreationDate="2016-06-15T04:56:50.137" UserId="4506" />
  <row Id="7662" PostId="4595" Score="0" Text="If I were you and wanted to hide my identity, I would become Johny Joe (or some more professional name - maybe your baptist name) with some image of mine that no one can recognize (don't user other's person image!!!) and offer my services, but DELIVER them with quality and professionalism. 99% of clients would not mind working with John instead of Max. But you must be prepared for situations if they want to meet you in live and other potentially awkward situations. Goodluck!" CreationDate="2016-06-15T13:36:36.413" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7663" PostId="4594" Score="0" Text="This is *really* iffy. I understand you need the money, but working on the side is a breach of contract, especially if it's in the same field as the work for your employer. If you get caught, you're in trouble. If you're in need of money, I would perhaps look at (1) asking your company if it's ok or (2) looking at offering a service to people in real life that is unrelated to your field (like fixing pcs, or some other hobby you have)." CreationDate="2016-06-15T14:24:22.457" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7665" PostId="4605" Score="0" Text="Sorry, what's the question? Whether or not to meet with a client when they are requesting it?" CreationDate="2016-06-16T17:09:32.713" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7666" PostId="4607" Score="0" Text="The agreement is per-project. Thing is that he wants to do some &quot;supervised work&quot; in his words. &#xA;I cant include this as an extra cost, right?" CreationDate="2016-06-16T17:24:52.917" UserId="12758" />
  <row Id="7667" PostId="4605" Score="0" Text="@Scott no, it is not. I just want some opinion about the situation that I described." CreationDate="2016-06-16T17:33:14.740" UserId="12758" />
  <row Id="7668" PostId="4605" Score="0" Text="My point is.. your description doesn't really state *what the dilemma* is. Are you *not* wanting to meet with the client? Do you feel he is asking for things above and beyond what your contract states? Are you seeking just general advice on how to handle a client demanding a meeting you don't want to attend (this would be off topic kind of)?" CreationDate="2016-06-16T18:28:55.160" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7669" PostId="4607" Score="2" Text="I'd say either trust my skill or I walk... But that's just me. Hourly rate usually gets around this" CreationDate="2016-06-16T19:40:20.470" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7670" PostId="4605" Score="0" Text="Stacey edited the question and put in words what I was trying to say. Sorry if I couldnt make myself more clear." CreationDate="2016-06-16T20:02:21.943" UserId="12758" />
  <row Id="7671" PostId="4605" Score="0" Text="I would trust my gut and would fire a micro-managing customer." CreationDate="2016-06-17T02:32:10.147" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="7672" PostId="4609" Score="0" Text="Thank a lot. I just told them what I applied for and they corrected it." CreationDate="2016-06-17T12:32:15.050" UserId="5936" />
  <row Id="7673" PostId="4610" Score="1" Text="This solved my problem. I clarified the costs to the client and we made a new agreement about onsite work." CreationDate="2016-06-17T14:00:39.787" UserId="12758" />
  <row Id="7674" PostId="4605" Score="0" Text="Ahh.. okay.. I triple, and sometimes quadruple, my rate if the client wants to &quot;watch me work&quot;." CreationDate="2016-06-17T21:19:10.337" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7675" PostId="4590" Score="1" Text="I have done essentially the same thing when my clients job was subject to USFDA (Food &amp; Drug Administration) work rules and they asked me for a &quot;hold harmless&quot; agreement. I point out that as soon as I write the software, they own it and I have no control over how the use or misuse it, that is they, the manufacturer, who is required to prove the device is safe and effective, and that to expect that I, a sole practitioner, could possibly defend their company against a medical lawsuit is just plain ridiculous. Then I ask *them* for a hold harmless agreement, and I usually get it!" CreationDate="2016-06-17T23:40:25.693" UserId="514" />
  <row Id="7679" PostId="3520" Score="0" Text="Any development contract I take, I always work into the agreement as to what I can and cannot be liable for. I mentioned in a different question about liability which you may find useful http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/4583/can-i-be-held-responsible-for-hipaa-violation/4590#4590" CreationDate="2016-06-19T04:05:50.713" UserId="9835" />
  <row Id="7681" PostId="4229" Score="0" Text="This is very specifically asked. Can you please edit your question to make it relevant to users that aren't in this exact situation?" CreationDate="2016-06-19T04:25:24.197" UserId="9835" />
  <row Id="7682" PostId="4229" Score="0" Text="@Memj, can you elaborate, or maybe even make an edit suggestion?" CreationDate="2016-06-19T15:26:21.950" UserId="156" />
  <row Id="7683" PostId="4229" Score="0" Text="You're asking about the billing period of a specific company. Only those who will work for this company will find it relevant. You should edit your question to phrase it in a way that could be useful for anyone in a similar situation but not the exact situation." CreationDate="2016-06-19T16:34:50.563" UserId="9835" />
  <row Id="7684" PostId="4229" Score="0" Text="It's a top-3 company; the question is comparable to someone asking about Google Search or Bing on SE Webmasters; I don't see how it could be changed without affecting its usefulness." CreationDate="2016-06-19T17:20:45.320" UserId="156" />
  <row Id="7685" PostId="4610" Score="0" Text="That is great to hear!" CreationDate="2016-06-20T05:26:42.127" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="7686" PostId="4619" Score="0" Text="Possible duplicate of [How much do I charge?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/3786/how-much-do-i-charge)" CreationDate="2016-06-20T06:13:39.200" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7687" PostId="4536" Score="0" Text="This exactly. And always always always have a contract before work starts." CreationDate="2016-06-20T06:52:09.003" UserId="2929" />
  <row Id="7688" PostId="4621" Score="0" Text="Thank you and the below response for a swift constructive viewpoint. It has been very helpful. I do have one thing to add which complicates my situation a little bit. As I'm unexperienced in dealing with clients. (This client is an old friend) There was no set payment method discussed at the beginning of the project. Therefore I feel slightly hesitant asking for an hourly wage like that incase it takes him by surprise. Is there any additional advice you could give? I understand i screwed myself a little bit here. Thank you" CreationDate="2016-06-20T14:57:56.163" UserId="12783" />
  <row Id="7689" PostId="4624" Score="0" Text="Thank you very mouch for sharing your sound insights. They will probably be the accepted answer if nobody dares to write another essay before long :) I totally agree on the &quot;avoid HR&quot; bit. The average job ad you encounter tells you loads about the HR departnemt (but also about the lack of appreciation of HR by the bosses)." CreationDate="2016-06-20T15:42:10.460" UserId="12794" />
  <row Id="7690" PostId="4621" Score="0" Text="Hi @DevTony Yup, sounds like you've kind of done a disservice to yourself. It's **always** hard to try and raise pricing *after* its been discussed. It's not impossible, but it generally doesn't work out. At this point, if he's a friend, all you can do is imply that you underestimated the project and gage the reaction. If it is one of interest or even maybe concern you may be able to discuss it. But if your implication falls on deaf ears, you're better off just sucking it up in this case and learning from it." CreationDate="2016-06-20T17:37:08.510" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7691" PostId="4619" Score="1" Text="Your rate is crazy low! Even developers from 3rd world countries charge more than you do." CreationDate="2016-06-20T18:15:44.357" UserId="12000" />
  <row Id="7693" PostId="4621" Score="0" Text="Cheers Scott, thanks for the reply. We haven't actually discussed the price at all as of yet. Therefore, it may proceed with more ease. Your response is extremely helpful. I have considered sucking it up. I think I may just have to gage his reaction like you said and see how it goes from there. I really appreciate your time. Thanks again." CreationDate="2016-06-20T19:10:49.587" UserId="12783" />
  <row Id="7694" PostId="4590" Score="1" Text="FWIW, you should have professional liability insurance.  You can not entirely contract away your responsibilty.  Not saying you aren't a good developer, but, if your work fails in some way that should have been caught and creates a security hole you could still be responsible.  Contracts won't protect you from something that could be considered professionally negligent." CreationDate="2016-06-20T19:23:12.807" UserId="1818" />
  <row Id="7695" PostId="4618" Score="1" Text="I think this is *far more* an immigration and legal question than it is a freelance question. You may not get any answers here. You *might* try http://law.stackexchange.com but I'm just speculating." CreationDate="2016-06-20T20:41:34.193" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7696" PostId="4624" Score="0" Text="Just for giggles, the best job ad I've ever seen was looking for &quot;Entry level marketing assistant&quot; requirements 5 years exp in x, 3 years exp in y, 3 years exp in z, and a year of exp in q with a BA/BS degree. :)" CreationDate="2016-06-20T22:59:37.377" UserId="9835" />
  <row Id="7697" PostId="4590" Score="0" Text="editing your comment into the answer @cdkMoose" CreationDate="2016-06-20T23:00:56.220" UserId="9835" />
  <row Id="7703" PostId="4630" Score="0" Text="Good point on raising rate. I do the same, but ad-hoc. I don't have it in writing. How do you handle urgent projects? Obviously, you have to work on them full-time, otherwise working on them is pointless for the client." CreationDate="2016-06-21T13:52:09.277" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7704" PostId="4631" Score="0" Text="Client A can wait, but I cannot as I have to get paid for the project. Am I right? That's why I have asked the question to see if I can invoice extras on being slow on responses and actions." CreationDate="2016-06-21T13:53:40.270" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7705" PostId="4630" Score="1" Text="I generally don't take on that work, then. If I have 20 hours/week available, and the client wants 40 hours, then I can't take that job.  The existing clients always take priority." CreationDate="2016-06-21T13:55:01.947" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7706" PostId="4631" Score="0" Text="Yes. You can charge him as I answred in the question. This situation is difficult to handle, but that way worked for me." CreationDate="2016-06-21T13:56:24.607" UserId="12758" />
  <row Id="7707" PostId="4630" Score="0" Text="Haha it's easy to decline a new client. I do the same e.g. I don't work on urgent projects without getting to know the client. But I was asking about the situation when good and old clients are asking for urgent full-time tasks. Are you telling me that you are declining them as well? Sorry, I like you, but I don't make changes in my business policy - something you probably tell them." CreationDate="2016-06-21T13:56:50.113" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7708" PostId="4630" Score="0" Text="That's a sticky one - I generally will see what I can do if it's an existing client. I have worked a couple of 60-70 hour weeks on urgent stuff as a result. If it's a week or two of extra time then it's fine, but I have turned down existing clients in the past because I'm too busy. I have a couple of friends in the industry I recommend to them in that case." CreationDate="2016-06-21T13:59:36.393" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7709" PostId="4630" Score="0" Text="It's also very industry specific. I tend to take on long-term development/programming type jobs (I think my average job is &gt;6 months). So often I'll allocate a portion of my week to a client and it'll remain 'theirs' for a while." CreationDate="2016-06-21T14:03:17.250" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7710" PostId="4629" Score="1" Text="I was zoomed out too far and thought this was on Parenting, not Freelancers. I thought what a wonderful idea..." CreationDate="2016-06-21T15:29:19.570" UserId="5572" />
  <row Id="7713" PostId="4629" Score="1" Text="This question hit the Stackexchange Hot Questions list! Yay, i think it may have been the first time :)" CreationDate="2016-06-21T19:31:08.750" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7714" PostId="4634" Score="0" Text="Depending on client and freelancer location this can be illegal." CreationDate="2016-06-21T21:42:44.597" UserId="9835" />
  <row Id="7716" PostId="4637" Score="0" Text="It's bad that it's an extra 15% off my money" CreationDate="2016-06-23T03:07:02.817" UserId="12842" />
  <row Id="7717" PostId="4637" Score="0" Text="The good news though, as a sole proprietor you can deduct a large percentage of all expenses related to the business.  Computers, gas, employee wages, legal fees.  When done correctly, the 15.3℅ tax is not so bad." CreationDate="2016-06-23T03:52:55.093" UserId="12482" />
  <row Id="7718" PostId="4637" Score="0" Text="If I'm working from home, can I charge myself rent for business space and deduct it ?" CreationDate="2016-06-23T03:54:04.797" UserId="12842" />
  <row Id="7719" PostId="4637" Score="0" Text="By &quot;charge yourself&quot; you probably mean expenses to operate your business. If you also use the area for personal use, then you'd only deduct the % used for work. As a rule, you would want to keep separate accounts for business and personal so if and when you are audited there is no questions or issues." CreationDate="2016-06-23T04:02:49.837" UserId="12482" />
  <row Id="7720" PostId="4637" Score="1" Text="A bit of advice for any small business owner: open up a separate account with your bank and all transactions related to the business goes through it. Then estimate your revenue and expenses by doing simple monthly forecasts. Also, this makes figuring deductions a snap." CreationDate="2016-06-23T04:08:42.287" UserId="12482" />
  <row Id="7723" PostId="4642" Score="0" Text="i don't see how an escrow would solve the problem of risk to me for my work performed if i can get money out of it only &quot;when the client agrees&quot;.  am i missing something ?" CreationDate="2016-06-23T19:08:02.300" UserId="12842" />
  <row Id="7724" PostId="4643" Score="0" Text="I'm asking for 100% of a biweekly pay but the project is supposed to be a much longer term" CreationDate="2016-06-23T20:29:39.377" UserId="12842" />
  <row Id="7725" PostId="4643" Score="0" Text="Honestly, if I didn't have experience  working with you before I wouldn't even consider 100% in advance. 50% at the most." CreationDate="2016-06-23T20:31:31.587" UserId="9835" />
  <row Id="7726" PostId="4643" Score="0" Text="Here's a good reference http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/468/how-much-payment-should-be-required-up-front" CreationDate="2016-06-23T20:32:09.793" UserId="9835" />
  <row Id="7727" PostId="4644" Score="0" Text="i'm sorry -- by byweekly i mean submitting an invoice and getting paid every two weeks" CreationDate="2016-06-23T21:05:52.807" UserId="12842" />
  <row Id="7728" PostId="4644" Score="1" Text="Apparently &quot;biweekly&quot; can mean **both** twice a week or every 2 weeks. So it's not that you used it incorrectly. It's merely that I use it *differently*, that's all :)." CreationDate="2016-06-23T21:06:40.220" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7729" PostId="4644" Score="0" Text="i edited the OP -- feel free to edit it as well if i didn't use correct terminology" CreationDate="2016-06-23T21:06:57.453" UserId="12842" />
  <row Id="7730" PostId="4644" Score="0" Text="@amphibient yup.. I edited :)" CreationDate="2016-06-23T21:08:56.977" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7732" PostId="4633" Score="0" Text="But if you for example take 50% now, and 50% in the end, and you plan to get that money in 6 weeks, this will not happen with slow clients. So them being slow also affects your payment." CreationDate="2016-06-24T14:20:22.793" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7733" PostId="4650" Score="3" Text="Why a discount to begin? I've never added a risk period cost to my hourly rate. Is that something to consider?" CreationDate="2016-06-24T14:42:21.243" UserId="12860" />
  <row Id="7734" PostId="4633" Score="0" Text="Well, I don't really budget based on *expected* payments. I budget on *current* funds. So payment being made slightly later than anticipated isn't really an issue. In other words, I don't count on that second 50% until I have a check in my hand. Yes I *expect* it. But it's not really factored until I have it. I do post-accounting not projected-accounting." CreationDate="2016-06-24T15:32:38.220" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7736" PostId="4650" Score="2" Text="Does it have to be 8 hour days/40 hour weeks? You may want to schedule this guy for 30 hour weeks to leave some time available for things like warranty/emergency work for your current clients." CreationDate="2016-06-24T22:40:22.943" UserId="5572" />
  <row Id="7740" PostId="4657" Score="0" Text="Does this happen before or after the client already knows your rate? If you charge $50/hour to an existing client and they want to hire you full time and you charge then $60-75 an hour - in my experience - most clients aren't too keen on increasing rates too much when they'll already be paying you more due to more hours." CreationDate="2016-06-25T23:45:07.713" UserId="9835" />
  <row Id="7742" PostId="4650" Score="0" Text="Why dont you just offer him your normal price and see if he accepts it?" CreationDate="2016-06-26T09:22:10.507" UserId="11004" />
  <row Id="7747" PostId="4633" Score="0" Text="I am kindly lost in English economical terms. Are you saying that you work only for the funds you have been paid? For example, a client give you $500 to do some work and you work until $500 have been depleted - then you stop? If you do this, it's very interesting. I wonder how you calculate the scope - or you do not set &quot;it will take X weeks&quot; but you work week by week?" CreationDate="2016-06-27T12:04:21.600" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7748" PostId="4650" Score="0" Text="@Maarten Well you should if you think to persist in the business. Unless you are the rare one and actually work full month, each month. For example, if your hourly rate is $50, then you expect to earn 50x160=2400 each month. So this is your salary. Obviously you can rarely work full month each month. so you have to calculate risk. let's say for the start, you predict you will work only half month - it means that you have to charge clients $100/h. This cannot always work as simple as this, but you must know the minimum you have to each each month to survive" CreationDate="2016-06-27T12:09:35.563" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7749" PostId="4650" Score="0" Text="@corsiKa It's kind of experiment for me. So yes, it has to be the real full week of work. I will sort other things over time and on weekends." CreationDate="2016-06-27T12:10:22.067" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7750" PostId="4650" Score="0" Text="@user9589 What is my normal price? If you see, it's variable and it changes based on my current work and future projection. So I an either charge him my regular min rate or my regular max rate. In each case, I am not sure and that's why I had asked the q." CreationDate="2016-06-27T12:11:32.417" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7751" PostId="4651" Score="0" Text="Thanks for another great reply. Your formula should be put into Help section of this group so new freelancers can figure out what should be their rate." CreationDate="2016-06-27T12:16:13.630" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7752" PostId="4650" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV Well I am fairly new to the freelancing business (I've been active just less than a year), but I have been contracted by clients so far for multiple months for 40 hours a week every week. And no, I have never seen or heard of being asked by the client for only x hours a week, only 40 (or 36 for the banking business) hours a week. So from my point of view, I cannot place the discount, or risk period costs." CreationDate="2016-06-27T12:16:16.030" UserId="12860" />
  <row Id="7753" PostId="4650" Score="1" Text="@Maarten If you are interested more about your question, why don't you post a question. I am sure you will get great answers ;)" CreationDate="2016-06-27T12:19:48.790" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7755" PostId="4650" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV You're braver than I am committing to 50 hour weeks for a while year. I do hope the quality of your work doesn't suffer for it. I know mine would." CreationDate="2016-06-27T15:26:48.017" UserId="5572" />
  <row Id="7757" PostId="4650" Score="0" Text="Try asking for your maximun rate then. If he accepts it, bingo! Only if the custome doesnt like it, then you should explore your options" CreationDate="2016-06-27T18:55:28.960" UserId="11004" />
  <row Id="7758" PostId="4662" Score="0" Text="Read these. https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/228566 &amp; http://grasshopper.com/blog/getting-paid-in-equity-a-what-to-do-guide&#xA;&#xA;Personally, I've never had a positive equity experience and those were 50-75% paid my usual rate along with equity. Adventurer Beware!" CreationDate="2016-06-27T23:19:12.167" UserId="9835" />
  <row Id="7760" PostId="4662" Score="0" Text="Possible duplicate of [How do you negotiate your fee in equity?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/2595/how-do-you-negotiate-your-fee-in-equity)" CreationDate="2016-06-28T06:05:04.787" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7761" PostId="4662" Score="0" Text="@Memj, thanks for the link. They were very good primers." CreationDate="2016-06-28T06:59:43.083" UserId="12890" />
  <row Id="7762" PostId="4666" Score="0" Text="I don't use freelancer but here's their FAQ page. https://www.freelancer.com/faq/view.php You could also try talking to support." CreationDate="2016-06-28T16:25:34.260" UserId="9835" />
  <row Id="7764" PostId="4664" Score="0" Text="thank you for this very thorough answer. You have underscored a lot of the potential pitfalls that have been made me apprehensive about proceeding. I was also not aware that there are different types of equity, so thank you very much for that. Is there anything that you can think of that might make this sort of contract even riskier if the other party is overseas?" CreationDate="2016-06-28T18:59:48.593" UserId="12890" />
  <row Id="7766" PostId="4662" Score="0" Text="@stacey, there is overlap between my question and the one you have linked. What differentiates the two is that I am also curious about what, if any, risks are specific to international agreements. If you think it would be best, I can edit my question to only focus on this aspect." CreationDate="2016-06-28T19:21:05.653" UserId="12890" />
  <row Id="7767" PostId="4662" Score="0" Text="Possible duplicate: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/917/client-wants-to-pay-a-percentage-of-revenue-generated-by-website" CreationDate="2016-06-28T22:34:45.247" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7768" PostId="4664" Score="0" Text="Different countries have different laws and regulations. There may also be different tax implications as the equity tax would be from overseas. Do research on the company and the people who work for it. If you see any red flags then don't go down the equity road." CreationDate="2016-06-29T00:45:08.177" UserId="9835" />
  <row Id="7769" PostId="4664" Score="0" Text="Thanks. Your advice has given me a good idea of where to start my due diligence." CreationDate="2016-06-29T00:47:21.613" UserId="12890" />
  <row Id="7770" PostId="4664" Score="0" Text="Happy to help. Feel free to +1 the answer by clicking the up arrow. :)" CreationDate="2016-06-29T00:50:11.290" UserId="9835" />
  <row Id="7771" PostId="4664" Score="0" Text="Unfortunately, I don't have enough reputation to do so (which is a little frustrating, b/c I constantly bump up against this bungled feature on Stack Exchange subdomains)" CreationDate="2016-06-29T03:13:17.183" UserId="12890" />
  <row Id="7773" PostId="4633" Score="1" Text="I think the nature of my work may be merely different than yours, @PeterMV -- In general, I budget this month based on my lowest monthly income which has been averages over the past 2 or 3 quarters. So, I budget this month, based on something like Sept 2015 since it was the lowest 3 month average I've had in the past year. I have some general financial ballpark figures to aim for each month/week, but I don't build any monies into my budget until they have been paid." CreationDate="2016-06-29T03:46:06.633" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7774" PostId="4633" Score="1" Text="Most of my clients pay quickly when invoiced. And this allows me to &quot;bank&quot; or save any extra earnings I'm just in the habit of *never* planning on money I don't have in my pocket already. Dont' get me wrong, I do some projected earnings, but I just don't actually spend money or make plans based on anything projected. (FYI, I don't use credit cards either. Other than my mortgage I essentially have zero debt because I deal with finances this way.)" CreationDate="2016-06-29T03:46:39.497" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7775" PostId="4665" Score="0" Text="Thanks a lot for answering my question. I will follow your instructions." CreationDate="2016-06-29T06:24:28.163" UserId="12892" />
  <row Id="7779" PostId="4669" Score="1" Text="Thanks but my question is &quot;how can you bid with little or no project information&quot; ? Can the bid be conditional ? Can the bid be refined after acceptance ? What's the true practice and procedure ? Bidding too high for safety is a dead-end, while bidding too low is suicidal." CreationDate="2016-06-29T09:38:52.617" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="7780" PostId="4669" Score="0" Text="I would suggest that you search for mostly those projects which have a good description. never go for those project with description you can not understand." CreationDate="2016-06-29T09:41:54.477" UserId="11903" />
  <row Id="7781" PostId="4669" Score="0" Text="No insight on how others do ?" CreationDate="2016-06-29T09:42:35.620" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="7782" PostId="4669" Score="0" Text="others means &quot;experienced freelancers&quot; ??" CreationDate="2016-06-29T09:43:08.903" UserId="11903" />
  <row Id="7783" PostId="4669" Score="0" Text="and i am also  a freelancer. so i am giving these suggestion as of my experience ." CreationDate="2016-06-29T09:43:57.737" UserId="11903" />
  <row Id="7784" PostId="4669" Score="0" Text="Yes, of course." CreationDate="2016-06-29T09:44:02.503" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="7785" PostId="4669" Score="0" Text="experienced freelances go for projects with many projects. if the projects have little description they can take the risk. as they high number of bids to spends. and most likely to get the project with the profile they have. but as a new freelancer you cant take that risk." CreationDate="2016-06-29T09:46:38.013" UserId="11903" />
  <row Id="7786" PostId="4669" Score="0" Text="Do you mean that the only way is to take the whole risk ? That sounds crazy. From a minimalistic project description, the workload can be indeterminate to a factor 10." CreationDate="2016-06-29T09:48:36.197" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="7787" PostId="4669" Score="0" Text="i am saying this by taking into account the chances of that you are going to get a project. so to get a job you must have a good proposal. and to make a good proposal you need a good description. without a good proposal you are just wasting your bids." CreationDate="2016-06-29T09:52:49.513" UserId="11903" />
  <row Id="7789" PostId="4672" Score="0" Text="I have the feeling that my question is poorly phrased. I am not after advice to get work, I am worrying about how to handle the risk associated to poor project descriptions." CreationDate="2016-06-29T23:23:48.977" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="7791" PostId="4673" Score="2" Text="This really seems like a legal question, or at least one for an accountant, not other freelancers." CreationDate="2016-06-30T07:16:21.287" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7794" PostId="4672" Score="0" Text="What risk? You can only give a general bid, if they like you they'll interview you and give you details/you need to ask for them. If you can't do the job, move on." CreationDate="2016-06-30T18:49:25.683" UserId="9835" />
  <row Id="7799" PostId="4683" Score="0" Text="after 3 days(from this post) the client texted me and told me that he was sorry he had some professional issues ..etc and then he send the full payment despite the job is not finished (cause i need some informations so i can do it). but thank you for the answer , it does provide some information on what i should do if this happens another time." CreationDate="2016-07-02T02:35:43.487" UserId="12052" />
  <row Id="7800" PostId="4683" Score="0" Text="Glad to hear it's sorted and good news on getting your payment. Good luck in future jobs!" CreationDate="2016-07-02T13:04:59.117" UserId="12935" />
  <row Id="7803" PostId="4673" Score="0" Text="You can't say there is no sense in filing tax returns because you havn't made any money, how is HMRC meant to know that without you fillings in the forms that tell them? And not understanding the forms is no reason not to file, it a reason to get an accountant." CreationDate="2016-07-03T21:36:53.457" UserId="11857" />
  <row Id="7817" PostId="4685" Score="4" Text="Sounds like the client is just trying to haggle the price down and has no moral standards while doing so" CreationDate="2016-07-04T06:11:23.973" UserId="11004" />
  <row Id="7819" PostId="4690" Score="0" Text="I should add that during your research, avoid paying anyone. There are some that charge to make these connections and you might as well throw your money out the window. I've worked for 25+ businesses over the years and the business paid consultancies to find talent. Asking the talent to pay for work is a big no no as it would imply the richest, and not always the more skillful would get the job offers." CreationDate="2016-07-04T16:46:18.127" UserId="11579" />
  <row Id="7820" PostId="4678" Score="0" Text="I really don't understand what's being asked here. Surely you aren't expecting anyone here to offer an *opinionated guess* at an appropriate agreement with *absolutely zero* information about the business." CreationDate="2016-07-04T17:50:53.740" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7821" PostId="4691" Score="0" Text="Mh, it seems that this is the rule rather than the exception. There must be something I am missing." CreationDate="2016-07-04T18:05:55.540" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="7822" PostId="4691" Score="2" Text="Then it's a bad &quot;site&quot;, full of bad clients." CreationDate="2016-07-04T19:00:17.523" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7824" PostId="4691" Score="0" Text="It's the same on UpWork and Guru." CreationDate="2016-07-04T20:50:56.923" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="7825" PostId="4691" Score="1" Text="Well I don't use middleman sites.... too full of bad clients." CreationDate="2016-07-04T21:01:32.653" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7827" PostId="4688" Score="1" Text="Yup, just sounds like client bullying. Ignore it. Keep records of everything in case it's needed. But chances are, if you stop responding they'll just go away." CreationDate="2016-07-05T05:05:21.357" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7828" PostId="4696" Score="2" Text="No one else can tell you what you should charge. Anyone who does, is purely *guessing*." CreationDate="2016-07-05T17:11:47.523" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7830" PostId="4696" Score="1" Text="What is your time worth? (Worth * hours worked) + 10% + The cost of any payment processing fees or other incurred expenses." CreationDate="2016-07-05T17:53:08.277" UserId="9835" />
  <row Id="7831" PostId="4691" Score="0" Text="@HarryCover, you aren't missing anything. In my experience, most clients on the big freelancer sites are bad clients." CreationDate="2016-07-05T21:03:48.553" UserId="12000" />
  <row Id="7834" PostId="4563" Score="1" Text="&quot;Some skills and technology needed to be known are/can be ... React.Js, Angular.js&quot;  Those are front-end frameworks, not back-end frameworks.  Not really relevant unless OP is planning to be a full-stack developer, but since he's asking about back-end development specifically..." CreationDate="2016-07-05T21:30:51.343" UserId="12722" />
  <row Id="7836" PostId="4691" Score="0" Text="I agree with this 90% of the time. Clients are either being lazy when they do this or they don't understand what they're actually paying someone to do. When I do occasionally apply to these jobs, I have a general copy &amp; paste proposal and asks for more information. **Don't accept the job unless they give you more information** I made that mistake once, nightmare with a capital N." CreationDate="2016-07-05T23:41:57.273" UserId="9835" />
  <row Id="7838" PostId="4701" Score="0" Text="Both clients want 'exclusive' rights to your work?" CreationDate="2016-07-07T13:44:09.680" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="7839" PostId="4702" Score="0" Text="I can't follow you. The first thing which is asked you in the bidding process is a price and a schedule. Without them you just can't bid." CreationDate="2016-07-07T13:55:22.167" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="7840" PostId="4684" Score="0" Text="As soon as I was able to file I did. You'd think being unable to file you'd be exempt. There needs to be a change in the law." CreationDate="2016-07-07T17:25:15.083" UserDisplayName="user12914" />
  <row Id="7841" PostId="4702" Score="1" Text="@Roshan You wrote a good article, but it would've been better if you'd disclosed that when linking, to fit into the culture here about self-promotion.  Especially since you are selling training drip email campaigns at that link." CreationDate="2016-07-07T17:32:38.357" UserId="12183" />
  <row Id="7842" PostId="4669" Score="1" Text="@Harry Let me summarize: he is saying don't bid on such tersely-described jobs.  You continue to ask him how to bid on them and he continues to say &quot;Don't.&quot;" CreationDate="2016-07-07T17:34:20.117" UserId="12183" />
  <row Id="7843" PostId="689" Score="0" Text="I scored 99th percentile on both my quizzes and haven't seen a bounce in proposals accepted, FWIW." CreationDate="2016-07-07T17:39:04.017" UserId="12183" />
  <row Id="7844" PostId="4702" Score="1" Text="@HarryCover I moved away from UpWork long time ago (clients were looking for cheap freelancers not value or quality). But while I was offering my services through the site, I never included a bid in my first proposal. But I wrote a great proposal and asked clients to send me a reply if they wanted to talk about pricing. This got them curious and I managed to win almost every job (about 4 out of 5) that I proposed to." CreationDate="2016-07-08T08:57:50.033" UserId="13007" />
  <row Id="7845" PostId="4702" Score="0" Text="@JoelWigton I apologize for that. Had no idea it's not allowed to link to personal websites. BTW my site is completely ad-free and im not selling anything, at least not yet (email course is free and no promotions or affiliate links included)." CreationDate="2016-07-08T08:59:37.167" UserId="13007" />
  <row Id="7846" PostId="4668" Score="0" Text="very simmilar, if not duplicate: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/3982/making-quotations-out-of-thin-air" CreationDate="2016-07-08T09:55:52.287" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7847" PostId="4668" Score="0" Text="@stacey: I still haven't received a satisfactory answer. Nobody seems to have experienced the requirement to provide a quote as the first step of a bidding procedure." CreationDate="2016-07-08T10:17:29.213" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="7848" PostId="4668" Score="0" Text="The correct answer is in the linked question. If there isn't enough information to provide an accurate bid, then don't bid. The onus is on the client to supply satisfactory information. If there's no way to clarify, then you can only go on what is supplied." CreationDate="2016-07-08T10:38:50.070" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7849" PostId="4668" Score="0" Text="@stacey: in automated sites, if you don't enter a value in some &quot;Amount&quot; field, you can't submit, the button stays grayed. That's what I am talking about. But I would also like to know if a negotiation process is possible and if the amounts can be changed after the fact." CreationDate="2016-07-08T10:43:35.320" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="7850" PostId="4668" Score="0" Text="If you want a feature change on a website, or to find out if a freelancing site supports changing the values after the fact, I'd recommend contacting the website support directly.  Questions about freelance website functionality aren't on topic around here." CreationDate="2016-07-08T11:13:42.647" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7851" PostId="4668" Score="0" Text="@Stacey: this is not at all the meaning of my question." CreationDate="2016-07-08T13:23:23.250" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="7852" PostId="4702" Score="0" Text="@Roshan no worries, and it is allowed it's just best practice to disclose that you are affiliated. Kinda like how finance writers who recommend stocks really should divulge that they also hold the stocks. That's all." CreationDate="2016-07-08T14:08:22.777" UserId="12183" />
  <row Id="7853" PostId="4707" Score="0" Text="What does &quot;VA&quot; mean? I'm assuming assistant?" CreationDate="2016-07-10T05:39:36.677" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7854" PostId="4707" Score="0" Text="Yes, it's in the tags but I'll add it in the question too :)" CreationDate="2016-07-10T05:40:03.457" UserId="9835" />
  <row Id="7855" PostId="4707" Score="0" Text="Oh..okay I see the tag (now)... not a term I'm overly familiar with, obviously :)" CreationDate="2016-07-10T05:40:40.307" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7856" PostId="4707" Score="0" Text="No fault of your own. It's a term I pass around dozens of times a day so it becomes impulse to abbreviate and become arrogant on others ignorance to the meaning." CreationDate="2016-07-10T05:42:19.207" UserId="9835" />
  <row Id="7857" PostId="4708" Score="0" Text="When you raise prices do you keep them that high or do you bring them back down? I may have 10 clients that take up 100% of my time, increase prices, and 6 months later end my contracts with 3 clients and take on 1 new client at the higher price. That leaves me with 2 empty client spots. Let's say 3 months later 2 more contracts end so now I'm at 6 clients with 4 open spots. Good or bad idea to lower prices to fill the gap?" CreationDate="2016-07-10T06:03:33.080" UserId="9835" />
  <row Id="7858" PostId="4708" Score="0" Text="Additionally, how vastly is the game changed if instead of hiring a VA you hire someone that's skilled or an expert (if you can afford it) within your field that already knows how to do the work but just needs to be brought up to your standards. Is it still the same story or can is be more to your advantage by informing clients there's now a team working for them at no extra cost?" CreationDate="2016-07-10T06:06:44.127" UserId="9835" />
  <row Id="7859" PostId="4708" Score="0" Text="Just picking your brain a bit here Scott, hope you don't mind :)" CreationDate="2016-07-10T06:07:08.360" UserId="9835" />
  <row Id="7860" PostId="4708" Score="0" Text="Well, it really depends upon the frequency and length of any fluctuations. I have a *very* hard time lowering prices. And, I much prefer all my clients pay the same general rate. Freelance is always feast or famine so it can become difficult to stick to higher pricing when there's less work to be had. But it's also possible to save better for lean times and not be overly concerned with the fluctuations." CreationDate="2016-07-10T06:07:36.440" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7861" PostId="4708" Score="0" Text="Whew.. there's *a lot* that could be gone into here. Truth is.. as a subcontractor/assistant you **won't** want to pay the rates any expert will want. I've been asked to subcontract.... for like 1/8th my normal rate... that's not worth my time to even think about it. People (even you and I) want to still make money even if the work is being done by an assistant. So the margins one needs to create are not enticing to anyone of a greater skill level - most are generally doing okay on their own. But if you *could* find an expert at a low rate, yes, grab that if possible." CreationDate="2016-07-10T06:09:51.560" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7862" PostId="4708" Score="0" Text="Due to my field (SEO) when a business suffers capital hardships I'm usually the first person to be let go - no matter how great my results are. This makes it difficult to know when my contracts will end and I can't assume that because im able to achieve great results that I will be seeing through the contract until the agreed end date. I can go from 10 clients to 6 clients overnight without any warning. I grow my rates as my skills grow (As we all should) but as they grow it takes more time to close contracts which cuts into my overall income as I wait 2-3 months for a company to email me back" CreationDate="2016-07-10T06:14:03.890" UserId="9835" />
  <row Id="7863" PostId="4708" Score="0" Text="I've worked with some pretty skilled people from other countries that charge half my rate so if I nail clients with a rate 3x my current rate then it can be worth it for both me and the sub contractor. I do agree though that profit margins are still important." CreationDate="2016-07-10T06:15:49.890" UserId="9835" />
  <row Id="7864" PostId="4708" Score="0" Text="There's just a fundamental difference in our work. I generally bid per-project/job. I don't do contract work. So if I have too much work.. I bid very high on new projects. I don't really track client rates.. I track project rates... and every client pays the current project rate. I customarily have 3 tiers of project pricing... need the work, don't really need the work, don't have time for the work ... so ask me for Project A during a &quot;need the work&quot; phase and my bid will be lower." CreationDate="2016-07-10T06:16:14.997" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7865" PostId="4708" Score="0" Text="I also do a great deal of time-sensitive work so If a client asks complains or asks about rate changes, I explain that if given a longer deadline pricing can be lowered. It seems I may just have more flexibility with quick pricing changes that you would with contract work." CreationDate="2016-07-10T06:17:33.847" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7866" PostId="4708" Score="0" Text="seems that way, most clients want me to charge an hourly rate and can be pretty stingy with price increases as there's not a deadline in terms of a product launch or a goal to be reached. It's more of a &quot;get the best results you can within this period of time and we'll extend the contract if we like you&quot;. I try to avoid contract work as much as possible but there's a lot of low quality and fake SEOs that companies usually suffer from before hiring a legit SEO like me ($3/hour sounds great until your Miami business's links are from Japan). That contract work has become pretty accustomed" CreationDate="2016-07-10T06:21:13.187" UserId="9835" />
  <row Id="7867" PostId="4707" Score="0" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because the OP really needs to go to some site specializing in the pros/cons of having a virtual assistant." CreationDate="2016-07-10T17:55:12.613" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="7868" PostId="4709" Score="0" Text="I've been thinking the same: submitting dirctly to department manager instead of submitting to open position or spontaneus applications email address. The difficulty here is to get the person email address." CreationDate="2016-07-11T20:42:42.373" UserDisplayName="user13032" />
  <row Id="7871" PostId="4705" Score="2" Text="Possible duplicate of [Can I sell/solicit my services by applying to regular job positions?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/853/can-i-sell-solicit-my-services-by-applying-to-regular-job-positions)" CreationDate="2016-07-12T07:16:28.333" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7872" PostId="101" Score="0" Text="Possible duplicate of [How can I start freelancing and get online projects to work on?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/707/how-can-i-start-freelancing-and-get-online-projects-to-work-on)" CreationDate="2016-07-12T07:18:04.080" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7873" PostId="4707" Score="0" Text="I'd say this is on topic because it's a problem that many freelancers will face. Someone around here may be able to give a good answer." CreationDate="2016-07-12T07:21:01.770" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7875" PostId="4673" Score="0" Text="Seems like two straightforward questions (&quot;do I have to file?&quot; and &quot;if so, how do I avoid paying fees if I didn't?&quot;). And seems like an even more straightforward answer. But the profanity and obscenity in comments makes it more difficult to want to help. I wish the OP luck." CreationDate="2016-07-12T17:23:04.840" UserId="13059" />
  <row Id="7876" PostId="4718" Score="0" Text="@Mario Thanks for the question edit, and I am glad to hear it. I think the answer still stands when you or someone has multiple clients, and I also think I will leave that bit in, for future readers who may be in a similar situation but with one or few clients." CreationDate="2016-07-12T18:00:22.963" UserId="13059" />
  <row Id="7877" PostId="4718" Score="0" Text="Thanks for your wise suggestions, they help me to focus more on the future perspectives instead of thinking much about the actual situation." CreationDate="2016-07-12T19:51:44.567" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="7880" PostId="4718" Score="0" Text="That is kind of you to say. I am sure that my perspective isn't the only valid one here, and hopefully others chime in too?" CreationDate="2016-07-13T14:51:47.493" UserId="13059" />
  <row Id="7885" PostId="4723" Score="0" Text="Hi Axel, welcome to Freelancing.SE! I edited the last part of your question, as it would make the question too open-ended, and wind up being put on hold. See [ask] for more information." CreationDate="2016-07-14T19:19:30.553" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7886" PostId="4724" Score="0" Text="Well said Luke!  Thanks so much, you certainly put things in perspective and I totally agree.  Thanks again!" CreationDate="2016-07-14T22:40:05.437" UserId="13080" />
  <row Id="7887" PostId="4691" Score="0" Text="I've been looking into Freelancer and Upwork and seems that 99% of projects have vague descriptions, and AFAIK they won't even let you contact the client other than by bidding. Could you recommend any alternative?" CreationDate="2016-07-16T01:40:12.637" UserId="13094" />
  <row Id="7888" PostId="4691" Score="0" Text="Sorry, I don't use middleman web sites. For me, they are never a viable alternative to direct client acquisition." CreationDate="2016-07-16T02:30:55.087" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7889" PostId="4730" Score="3" Text="Look outside of India." CreationDate="2016-07-16T22:39:47.400" UserId="9835" />
  <row Id="7891" PostId="4727" Score="0" Text="Thanks. Unfortunately my bank said they wouldn't be able to open a new account over the phone so I will have to look around at others. My new US accountants have warned that having UK clients pay into a UK bank account could make me liable to still file returns there. Have you come across anything suggesting this?" CreationDate="2016-07-18T14:09:31.330" UserId="12544" />
  <row Id="7892" PostId="4727" Score="0" Text="Get a new accountant - or at least a second opinion. You don't have a UK company, or a legal presence in the UK, so there's nothing for them to tax you on. We pay tax on all our UK income, but in USD on our US tax returns. Any issues - we've never had any in 9 years of doing this - would be handled as per the 2001 USA-UK Double Taxation Convention treaty (i.e, you can't be asked to pay tax twice)" CreationDate="2016-07-18T15:08:41.587" UserId="12040" />
  <row Id="7893" PostId="4727" Score="0" Text="The rules on account openings seem to have changed. If you're not going to the UK in the near future, perhaps talk to your accountant about having a UK based relative become a company director for a short while, and they can open the account?" CreationDate="2016-07-18T15:14:31.787" UserId="12040" />
  <row Id="7894" PostId="4728" Score="0" Text="A down-vote without a comment why. Obviously left by a potential scammer!" CreationDate="2016-07-18T15:16:18.943" UserId="12040" />
  <row Id="7896" PostId="4616" Score="0" Text="`I personally feel as though the quality of freelancers and clients has dropped significantly` my thoughts exactly :)" CreationDate="2016-07-19T12:11:02.543" UserId="13126" />
  <row Id="7898" PostId="3536" Score="0" Text="You could join programs like Super Nomad Friend Squad. It eases you into this new lifestyle, so you wont get lost or lonely while becoming a digital nomad. You’ll get to live in 4 or 12 cities in a year with a group of like minded people, therefore helping you find what remote jobs you could do to earn money." CreationDate="2016-07-20T08:20:39.200" UserDisplayName="user13135" />
  <row Id="7899" PostId="4730" Score="0" Text="Are you really so good or you think you are good? I have seen many good guys who prove to be just juniors when I started checking their projects. This means improve your skills. Other point is set your price and stick to it. Bid to 1 project in a day or more days, but analyze it in details. If a client see your expertise in the bid, he will pay you more than he would pay another person. You will not get $100/h, but you will get enough to make a good living in India." CreationDate="2016-07-21T11:19:50.953" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="7900" PostId="4730" Score="0" Text="Here in this question I am focusing on the customers who are looser, don't have money to spend but still think they can make good app or website. Hope you understand my point." CreationDate="2016-07-21T13:58:03.857" UserId="5100" />
  <row Id="7901" PostId="4742" Score="0" Text="It should be noted that being registered with government bodies **also** lends **credibility** to the business venture. It shouldn't be seen as a &quot;reference&quot; or anything remotely of that nature, but it does provide legitimacy." CreationDate="2016-07-21T21:45:41.883" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7902" PostId="4742" Score="0" Text="@Scott, the main issue of being registered is that it most likely removes the likelihood that the government will sue the employer for misclassifying W2 employees as 1099 independent contractors." CreationDate="2016-07-21T21:52:33.573" UserId="156" />
  <row Id="7903" PostId="4743" Score="0" Text="is it not in correct to make non refundable?" CreationDate="2016-07-21T21:54:12.103" UserId="5100" />
  <row Id="7904" PostId="4742" Score="0" Text="None of the above.  The whole point if registering is so the gov can follow up on your taxes" CreationDate="2016-07-21T21:54:23.567" UserId="12482" />
  <row Id="7905" PostId="4743" Score="3" Text="Not in my business. I'm doing the work... if a client wants their deposit back.. I can't get back the hours of work I put it. I'm not in the business of working for free. If the client is uncertain I can do the work.. they can review my portfolio and speak to me as much as they want prior to hiring me and paying the deposit." CreationDate="2016-07-21T21:56:18.673" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7906" PostId="4743" Score="0" Text="ya, thats true." CreationDate="2016-07-21T21:56:54.587" UserId="5100" />
  <row Id="7907" PostId="4742" Score="0" Text="@Kris, quite the opposite, actually.  Once you register, there's no more 1099 to wait in the mail for." CreationDate="2016-07-21T22:43:17.100" UserId="156" />
  <row Id="7908" PostId="4742" Score="0" Text="You have it backwards.....once your registered the Gov expects tax filings QUARTERLY if not sooner." CreationDate="2016-07-21T22:46:53.463" UserId="12482" />
  <row Id="7913" PostId="4747" Score="3" Text="In the US, anyone can sue anyone for anything. That doesn't mean they automatically win. I'm not sure anyone here could possibly answer this. There's just not enough information. And this is really a question for an attorney, not other freelancers. Attitudes and what *you* may have aren't enough of the story. Email agreements can be seen as &quot;a meeting of the minds&quot; so, in some cases contracts." CreationDate="2016-07-22T15:52:29.580" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7914" PostId="4747" Score="1" Text="Did you document everything you've done for this client? All the money you accepted for various milestones? What he said or did to you? If he's calling you names or commenting about your weight, I'd threaten to sue *him*, and see how he likes it... Especially if he actually gets served the papers explaining why it's not acceptable" CreationDate="2016-07-22T16:14:39.937" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7920" PostId="3710" Score="0" Text="I don't think an explicit administrative fee for incorporation would be reasonable.  Any sort of review will then reveal that you were forced to setup an Ltd, and then the whole concept of you being an independent business can be questioned by the authorities, and the business paying you the money might end up being subject to the fines associated with misclassifying their workers." CreationDate="2016-07-22T16:50:15.483" UserId="156" />
  <row Id="7923" PostId="4742" Score="1" Text="This doesn't answer the question." CreationDate="2016-07-22T16:57:54.200" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="7924" PostId="4751" Score="1" Text="While I agree that incorporating/LLC helps separate the business liabilities from the personal liabilities, there isn't any correlation that said liabilities would deter a potential client from hiring you, or your subs, or employees  solely because *your* personal assets are potentially protected.  The only people who truly give a hoot whether you're incorporated and/or LLC is the bank, and the IRS." CreationDate="2016-07-22T23:33:34.763" UserId="12482" />
  <row Id="7925" PostId="4751" Score="0" Text="And every state in the US trying to get their taxes at the end of the year.  I've been consulting for 20 years and my experience is that if there's any serious coin changing hands, a company should know better than to take the risk of having to pay taxes for an un-incorporated contractor who doesnt pay his/her tax bill." CreationDate="2016-07-23T04:36:35.130" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="7926" PostId="4751" Score="0" Text="Well, it's not always crystal clear.  The IRS even states there is no one standard answer for defining between employees, statutory employees, and sub contractors.  At any rate, I'm beginning to think the OP's question is too broad.  &quot;Success&quot; is a very interesting word to define." CreationDate="2016-07-23T12:28:25.260" UserId="12482" />
  <row Id="7927" PostId="4752" Score="1" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it isn't really a good fit for the stackexchange format - recommendations for calculator websites will go out of date, tax laws will change, websites go down, etc." CreationDate="2016-07-23T18:23:13.650" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7930" PostId="4752" Score="0" Text="@stacey , I changed the question. I am interested in solution of the problem (the problem - I do not know how to calculate) rather than in tools that solve the problem (on-line calculator, third party link, etc.), so I removed the need for calculator. You are right, tax laws differ from year to year, so I also added year of 2016 to specify the need. Hope the question became acceptable now and the answer will appear soon." CreationDate="2016-07-25T02:01:25.810" UserId="5026" />
  <row Id="7931" PostId="4752" Score="0" Text="Well, now it seems like a question for a Canadian accountant.... not that there aren't freelance accountants. I just don't think there are any that visit this site." CreationDate="2016-07-25T02:29:58.407" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7933" PostId="4753" Score="3" Text="What is CTC? And what are Lakhs (ok.. Google indicates rupees??)? Stack Exchange, as a whole, assumes English/US first. If you have a question about some other country it is often helpful to designate *which* country in the question itself, or at least in the tags." CreationDate="2016-07-25T17:25:43.973" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7934" PostId="4753" Score="1" Text="Sorry, but we're not accountants or attorneys here.  You'd be best contacting a professional in India who specializes in what you're looking for." CreationDate="2016-07-25T21:56:27.493" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="7935" PostId="4759" Score="2" Text="Are you freelancing in IT ? You might want to checkout Toptal" CreationDate="2016-07-26T13:32:28.323" UserId="10013" />
  <row Id="7936" PostId="4759" Score="0" Text="If I am right, UpWork will charge you 20% for the first 500€ then revert to 10%." CreationDate="2016-07-26T13:46:16.620" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="7939" PostId="4759" Score="0" Text="I am freelancing IT.  I am just getting started and only have 5-10 hours that I can dedicate per project.  Usually my projects are less than $500.  So the 20% hurts." CreationDate="2016-07-26T14:37:42.533" UserId="13207" />
  <row Id="7940" PostId="4761" Score="0" Text="try to rent hourly an office just for meeting at an hourly rate. failing that co-rent a modest space just for meetings with your fellow freelancers aquitances." CreationDate="2016-07-26T18:13:29.277" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="7941" PostId="4761" Score="0" Text="I voted to close this because it's exceptionally broad and opinion-based. Just not a great question for Stack Exchange. My *opinion* is that if you are meeting clients, the meeting place should be appropriate. I, personally, haven't seen a client face to face in years." CreationDate="2016-07-26T18:16:13.957" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7942" PostId="4761" Score="0" Text="@Scott I understand why it seems like an opinion-based question, but the last part seems on topic. Would editing the second-to-last sentence help?" CreationDate="2016-07-26T18:44:40.250" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="7943" PostId="4761" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke possibly. There may be a decent question in here somewhere, but it's just clouded by the anecdote and subtle animosity." CreationDate="2016-07-26T19:02:06.553" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7944" PostId="4759" Score="2" Text="You're looking at things wrong... you're focusing on the 20% in fees rather than the 80% you've earned. Change your mindset. There will almost always be fees somewhere... 4% for PayPal, merchant fees, domain registration, hosting, etc. It is important to focus on what you are earning, not on the fees you must pay to earn *anything*." CreationDate="2016-07-26T19:17:55.990" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7945" PostId="4747" Score="0" Text="11k over 3 years for 3 full web applications? you need to raise your prices." CreationDate="2016-07-26T19:47:47.333" UserId="4870" />
  <row Id="7946" PostId="4747" Score="0" Text="@JoelBrewer to clarify that, I was still in school when I started doing work for him. I had no experience in the market. I now know the value of my work and how to approach clients." CreationDate="2016-07-26T21:15:37.100" UserId="13177" />
  <row Id="7947" PostId="4757" Score="0" Text="Well to be honest, when I first started working for him, I was still a sophomore in college. I had no experience whatsoever as a freelancer. Presently I know how to communicate and address the clients' needs (I've had many successful happy clients after him). And the &quot;set of tasks&quot; was never on paper, most of the time it was just verbal conversations or email conversations. Nothing was ever written to an agreement on paper. Deadlines were never strictly set, as the timelines were consistently pushed back and everything was on a &quot;get it done when you can&quot; basis." CreationDate="2016-07-26T21:18:22.943" UserId="13177" />
  <row Id="7948" PostId="4763" Score="1" Text="This *really* depends on where you are working on it and what equipment you are using... if the employer is **in any way** tied to either of these, the employer owns the projects whether you tell them about it now or not." CreationDate="2016-07-26T21:48:49.600" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7949" PostId="4762" Score="0" Text="@Mario was the above helpful? Anything you need some additional color on?" CreationDate="2016-07-26T22:02:49.373" UserId="4870" />
  <row Id="7950" PostId="4763" Score="0" Text="@Scott no he isn't, I'm working on my home, and using my own PC. It's a personal project they just will be able to use it if they want and before online release." CreationDate="2016-07-26T22:04:42.173" UserId="12865" />
  <row Id="7952" PostId="4761" Score="0" Text="@Scott I think what I wrote is a real life scenario that can happen to anyone in the world when image pays more than substance. I think also that there is no animosity in my question, I like to be descriptive and give many details to make the situation and the question as clear as possibile. But if you guys think that my question is not appropriate I can erase it in any moment." CreationDate="2016-07-27T07:31:24.520" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="7953" PostId="4762" Score="0" Text="Thank you very much for your helpful answer, in my area there is a lot of competition so we use to &quot;take all&quot; and usually people wants to meet in person and, altough I have several clients with good long term work relationship, new clients seems to be influenced by fancy offices and shiny gears. I will consider to focus on market niches instead to develop everything for anyone and take almost any request that comes." CreationDate="2016-07-27T07:54:07.550" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="7954" PostId="4764" Score="0" Text="In any case you can add the projects that you develop in your personal portfolio, because you are the &quot;creator&quot;, if you do that by yourself or in the company name, you will always be able to say that you are the creator of that particular graphics or solution. Unless you are a company's employee, in this case in some countries this is not permitted." CreationDate="2016-07-27T08:01:31.677" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="7955" PostId="4764" Score="0" Text="Thanks for your reply Mario, That mean if i am co-owner of company i can add all my personal projects in company portfolio. right?" CreationDate="2016-07-27T08:15:30.483" UserId="13219" />
  <row Id="7956" PostId="4764" Score="0" Text="yes, that's correct. you can add your personal stuff to the company portfolio." CreationDate="2016-07-27T08:17:50.207" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7957" PostId="4761" Score="0" Text="I think this isnt too broad, honestly. it's a good question. I'm voting for it to stay open." CreationDate="2016-07-27T08:20:21.080" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7958" PostId="4764" Score="0" Text="@VinitSingh if you are business partner, ceo, or co-worker you can add your works to your portfolio, where I live the law says that you can't if you are an employee of the company or if you signed a contract in that sense. You should read the copyright laws in your country to be sure." CreationDate="2016-07-27T08:20:24.630" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="7959" PostId="4764" Score="0" Text="@Mario ok mario which will be more effective way to bid on freelancing websites. to bid as an Individual or to bid as a Company." CreationDate="2016-07-27T12:27:14.420" UserId="13219" />
  <row Id="7960" PostId="4759" Score="0" Text="The fee doesn't hurt if you include it in your price calculation. If you want to get 300$ for a job, then you have to demand 375$." CreationDate="2016-07-27T13:47:17.343" UserId="12000" />
  <row Id="7961" PostId="4759" Score="4" Text="I do agree that a site charging a 20% comission is outrageous." CreationDate="2016-07-27T13:51:54.040" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="7962" PostId="4759" Score="2" Text="Thank Jean.  Toptal looks fantastic, but I don't think my skills are good enough.  Thanks Scott.  I haven't left Upwork immediately because I do enjoy the 80%.  But just because &quot;enjoy&quot; my house, doesn't mean I should &quot;enjoy&quot; with the 30 year mortgage.  If I can find a way out I should.  Thanks for the pep talk though. :-)   I did raise my price Apfelsaft, but the customers are paying more just to cover Upwork's charge.  Not my fault, but still, nobody is getting a good deal out of that except Upwork." CreationDate="2016-07-27T15:00:44.143" UserId="13207" />
  <row Id="7964" PostId="4763" Score="0" Text="Okay, but be aware... if the employer even feels like the IDEA for the project was spawned by a need at their company... you're in for a battle. This is one area where even ideas can be somewhat claimed. I'm not saying it's right or correct, just that many companies feel work in your field is what you were hired for...and that includes all work on or off the clock. (Sort of an implicit non-compete clause if not direct.)" CreationDate="2016-07-27T20:17:29.213" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7966" PostId="4769" Score="0" Text="You have a point, the thing is I'm developing this software under my studio name no as individual at all as Canadian Luke said before, although i'm working alone until my partner finish with our other project. So the software will be created by Arcade Perfect and I'm just the programmer &amp; CEO." CreationDate="2016-07-28T06:17:56.583" UserId="12865" />
  <row Id="7967" PostId="4759" Score="0" Text="I would venture to say you are not doing your math; upwork is taking *more than 20%*. The commission is calculated in the gross value as far as I remember. It is worse than having a boss, having none of the perks of it. I would like to find alternatives to sysadmin work too actually, because as it is , I wont use upwork. And the prices are ridiculous that &quot;customers&quot; are willing to pay." CreationDate="2016-07-28T08:18:17.133" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="7968" PostId="4685" Score="0" Text="As people are saying, stop ignoring the emails, and above all do not apologise or put in writing you think it is a low quality work. This sounds like bullying. Report/flag the client in the platform too." CreationDate="2016-07-28T08:22:38.463" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="7969" PostId="4728" Score="0" Text="I would down vote you too if I had the reputation due to the negative tone of the answer." CreationDate="2016-07-28T08:27:08.370" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="7970" PostId="4648" Score="1" Text="Beware of the part of not owing part of your income to someone. In Portugal and Spain, if you live there for more than 6 months, you have to file taxes in your worldwide earnings." CreationDate="2016-07-28T08:32:12.103" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="7971" PostId="4763" Score="1" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because this has nothing to do with freelancing." CreationDate="2016-07-28T14:05:07.597" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="7972" PostId="4768" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke Alright, edited the question to specify I am a mobile/web software developer. As for what I am specializing into.. I'm not sure. That's my question. How do you effectively specialize and differentiate yourself as a software developer?" CreationDate="2016-07-28T16:14:26.427" UserId="4870" />
  <row Id="7973" PostId="4763" Score="0" Text="this would probably do better on workplace.stackexchange.com" CreationDate="2016-07-28T19:39:19.330" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7974" PostId="4761" Score="0" Text="Mario, don't take my comment about &quot;subtle animosity&quot; too personal... It's actually understandable and I've experienced it as well. I'm absolutely *not* stating it's &quot;wrong&quot; or &quot;prevalent&quot; in any way. I merely feel the *actual* question is a bit lost here and it *appears* to ask more for opinions than direct solutions." CreationDate="2016-07-28T20:52:52.900" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7975" PostId="4768" Score="0" Text="I still feel this is a bit broad. I mean the crux of any answer is to determine what you excel at in your given field and market that. Only someone who has a full, complete, thorough, understanding of your abilities and skill could answer this definitively." CreationDate="2016-07-28T23:39:17.957" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="7976" PostId="4728" Score="0" Text="Then re-read the last paragraph. I've been a web developer for 20 years, and I've contracted web developers also. The advice is based on experience, not because I don't like web developers." CreationDate="2016-07-28T23:57:43.547" UserId="12040" />
  <row Id="7977" PostId="4768" Score="0" Text="@Scott Hmm. I suppose I was looking for a *strategy* for determining a niche market. How have others gone about finding their own niche markets? What processes did they follow to arrive on that market? I feel like there must be a way to codify that process." CreationDate="2016-07-29T01:45:21.613" UserId="4870" />
  <row Id="7978" PostId="4759" Score="5" Text="20% for the first $500 is nothing considering the benefits you get, most important the fact you are guaranteed to be paid, given you follow their guidelines." CreationDate="2016-07-29T02:10:50.737" UserId="2253" />
  <row Id="7980" PostId="4769" Score="0" Text="That's really good then. I suppose that the employer you are talking about is a client then there is no problem at all (reading you question I was thinking you were in that company and not in  mission for them). As they don't need to know you were alone working on the alpha but as a software developed by your company then that's the best situation I think. be careful that it is something unrelated with your current mission else it could still be difficult to sell." CreationDate="2016-07-29T06:23:51.683" UserId="10374" />
  <row Id="7981" PostId="4754" Score="1" Text="How would you recommend they meet if not at the house? What alternatives do you suggest?" CreationDate="2016-07-29T07:56:13.737" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="7982" PostId="4618" Score="0" Text="what visa do you have?" CreationDate="2016-07-29T13:03:14.373" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7983" PostId="4759" Score="0" Text="Well, if the project is big enough, it will take only 10%." CreationDate="2016-07-30T02:00:25.273" UserId="10805" />
  <row Id="7984" PostId="4753" Score="0" Text="I'd use your income from the previous jobs as the ctc (cost to company) and just tell them you're a freelancer." CreationDate="2016-07-30T20:08:15.173" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="7985" PostId="4761" Score="0" Text="You can rent an office to use only for new clients. Use this in your favour, instead of  against your favour" CreationDate="2016-07-31T21:20:28.933" UserId="11004" />
  <row Id="7986" PostId="4387" Score="0" Text="While I certainly agree with your reasoning, the author *did* say &quot;they do not want to be charged hourly&quot;" CreationDate="2016-08-01T16:06:33.367" UserId="4870" />
  <row Id="7995" PostId="4387" Score="0" Text="Good business is not about making the situation a &quot;win&quot; only for the client.  Some clients are better left alone." CreationDate="2016-08-01T21:11:44.030" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="7996" PostId="4387" Score="0" Text="oh, absolutely! Defining what a good client is, and then finding them, should be at the top of any freelancer's todo list." CreationDate="2016-08-01T21:29:00.693" UserId="4870" />
  <row Id="8002" PostId="4781" Score="0" Text="Are you associated with this website in any way?" CreationDate="2016-08-03T13:15:25.673" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="8003" PostId="4783" Score="2" Text="Possible duplicate of [Do you fix hourly estimation or accept your mistake and do for free?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/514/do-you-fix-hourly-estimation-or-accept-your-mistake-and-do-for-free)" CreationDate="2016-08-03T13:23:59.127" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="8005" PostId="4782" Score="1" Text="I think you need an accountant familiar with international billing as well as Tennessee. I don't believe I've seen any freelance accountants here. You may be better of contacting accountants in your local area." CreationDate="2016-08-03T21:13:53.087" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8006" PostId="4785" Score="0" Text="A lot of useful points here. You answered my original question and more. It will be tough getting used to accurate pricing but as you said you soon make up for it as you learn. Thanks for the valuable information :)" CreationDate="2016-08-03T22:46:22.373" UserId="13298" />
  <row Id="8007" PostId="4784" Score="0" Text="Accurate analogy thanks for making it clearer codenoir!" CreationDate="2016-08-03T22:47:33.893" UserId="13298" />
  <row Id="8008" PostId="4787" Score="0" Text="Interesting concept, seems like a practical idea if I were planning on staying with hourly rates. Thanks :)" CreationDate="2016-08-04T08:38:09.513" UserId="13298" />
  <row Id="8009" PostId="4782" Score="1" Text="Thanks Scott. Talked to an accountant, will post back here for future reference." CreationDate="2016-08-04T14:13:23.780" UserId="13295" />
  <row Id="8010" PostId="5789" Score="0" Text="Every client will have different needs. No one can tell you, in general terms, what may or may not be needed. Learn what you want to learn... then *find clients that need those skills*." CreationDate="2016-08-04T19:42:13.477" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8011" PostId="5794" Score="5" Text="Additional comment: If he refuses to pay.. I'd restore the site to the backup I created when I started working for them... or to a backup from when payments started failing. I backup webdev at every major revision. It would be a simple matter for me to restore to &quot;March 2014&quot; or whatever. I don't know if you could do that." CreationDate="2016-08-05T19:46:27.803" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8012" PostId="5789" Score="1" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because this isnt about freelancing." CreationDate="2016-08-05T19:48:06.873" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="8013" PostId="4782" Score="1" Text="Thanks for updating! You should post that as an answer to your own question (and you can mark it correct as well)." CreationDate="2016-08-06T01:12:54.827" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8015" PostId="5797" Score="1" Text="Taxes generally involve **2** columns - income **and** expenses. $600 income, $500 expense." CreationDate="2016-08-06T17:05:51.090" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8016" PostId="5797" Score="0" Text="taxes are usually charged on profit, not turnover." CreationDate="2016-08-06T18:21:27.637" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="8017" PostId="5799" Score="1" Text="What if they terminate your contract? Will they then have to repay the discount you gave?" CreationDate="2016-08-08T07:00:20.810" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="8018" PostId="5799" Score="2" Text="Possible duplicate of [Discount for 1-year full-time contract?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/4650/discount-for-1-year-full-time-contract)" CreationDate="2016-08-08T17:44:21.477" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8020" PostId="5803" Score="0" Text="What have you tried? What kind of projects are you looking for? Have you tried legwork? Have you talked to friends and families?" CreationDate="2016-08-08T19:23:24.677" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="8022" PostId="5791" Score="2" Text="As simple as that, once you have been paid for you work, finalize it and deliver everything. Without it, you don't deliver anything. If they threat you with Small Claims Court, don't be afraid. Just tell them that you will say on the court the same &quot;I will give everything, after I have been paid for invoices I sent&quot;." CreationDate="2016-08-09T10:24:13.277" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="8023" PostId="5803" Score="0" Text="Programming, I am little rusty but I have knowledge PHP, Python, Mysql" CreationDate="2016-08-09T20:27:41.283" UserId="14361" />
  <row Id="8024" PostId="5803" Score="0" Text="That's not answering the probing question..." CreationDate="2016-08-09T21:02:56.310" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="8025" PostId="5803" Score="2" Text="Go to local church/charity/non profit organization and offer your help as volunteer programmer/developer. Talk to family, relatives and friends maybe you will find someone who needs your skills or a project to be done without having money to afford it. Post an ad in your local city newspaper or website offering yourself for free development/programming with the reason to build a portfolio or CV. Or do some open source app of your choice and release to the public, this will be good and ready to do, just pick an idea and go." CreationDate="2016-08-10T12:28:57.073" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="8026" PostId="5811" Score="1" Text="No such thing as a &quot;single proprietor LLC&quot; -- you're either a single proprietor OR an LLC (possibly single member LLC) they are different in the eyes of the law (taxes). Have you asked an Oklahoma accountant about this? Done any research on sales tax in Oklahoma? You might start here: http://www.taxjar.com/states/oklahoma-sales-tax-online/" CreationDate="2016-08-11T02:50:07.347" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8027" PostId="5808" Score="1" Text="Is it possible to set up payment in several stages? That is what I do in the real world when there might be a trust issue." CreationDate="2016-08-11T06:17:50.250" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="8029" PostId="5809" Score="1" Text="This happens among companies too. I worked for a 100 employee company doing work for a 20 000+ more company, never had a problem, and then suddently we started getting scammed by a manager there. The scam also consists of telling us the work was notgood. My boss was stupid enough notto distrust the client moral standard, so I asked to quit and found a new job.'client is the king' is sometimes a verynaive approach!" CreationDate="2016-08-11T11:54:42.677" UserId="11004" />
  <row Id="8030" PostId="5803" Score="1" Text="If your goal is to get a task more easily, I don't think this is a good idea: proposing to work for free will raise distrust, giving a feeling of &quot;I am not sure to manage&quot;. Bid for what you are worth." CreationDate="2016-08-11T12:01:10.097" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="8031" PostId="3710" Score="0" Text="@cnst yeah I would not explicitly call it a fee for incorporation, but if it's costing more to do business you'll have to recoup the money somehow, otherwise how can you stay in business?  So a person can have a per project admin fee named something like &quot;Project Management Fee&quot; or they could raise their rates.  The only problem with raising your rates overall is small projects may still not be able to be profitable and large projects may be able to find someone for less.  (You could always do a volume discount for large projects.)" CreationDate="2016-08-12T05:55:59.793" UserId="4561" />
  <row Id="8033" PostId="5815" Score="1" Text="This requires actually committing time to a phone call - which is technically more work - and hoping that nobody flakes.  If someone flakes, that time is wasted.  That time could be better spent doing something **more direct** that's actually going to induce the client to pay." CreationDate="2016-08-12T20:56:27.087" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="8037" PostId="5817" Score="0" Text="You said it... You need to build up experience, the more you are experienced the more you will be competitive. Start with helping some friend or relative for free, offer your services as volunteer for local non profit organization, church, charity, etc. Make your own project like a tourist info point on the Web for your city, etc. You can use those works as portfolio too." CreationDate="2016-08-13T12:03:05.010" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="8039" PostId="5791" Score="0" Text="So what happened in the end?" CreationDate="2016-08-13T14:25:03.913" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8040" PostId="5816" Score="0" Text="Forgive me for my lack of knowledge on the topic but isn't VAT the same as the taxes to declare to HMRC? What taxes should I fill with HMRC if there's nothing I'll pay them as gumroad take care of it?" CreationDate="2016-08-14T00:51:43.200" UserId="14406" />
  <row Id="8041" PostId="5816" Score="0" Text="No, [VAT](https://www.gov.uk/topic/business-tax/vat) is an extra tax some pay for *some* things, *in addition* to your regular taxes. You still need to register for self-assessment  and send a tax return every year which will calculate your personal [income tax](https://www.gov.uk/browse/tax/income-tax)." CreationDate="2016-08-14T05:59:45.233" UserId="11857" />
  <row Id="8042" PostId="5816" Score="0" Text="VAT is normally only paid when your taxable turnover is over £83k whereas you need to send a tax return and pay income tax regardless of how much money you make." CreationDate="2016-08-14T06:01:11.683" UserId="11857" />
  <row Id="8044" PostId="5817" Score="2" Text="Don't focus on &quot;competing&quot;. Just focus on marketing *your* skills and abilities. You'll never overcome experience gaps. But you can easily market yourself well enough that experience becomes a non-factor. Good work is good work... years of experience don't ensure good work. (Disclosure: I don't use middleman freelance sites, never needed them.)" CreationDate="2016-08-14T17:17:16.943" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8046" PostId="5817" Score="0" Text="Very close, but not quite duplicate: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/707/how-can-i-start-freelancing-and-get-online-projects-to-work-on" CreationDate="2016-08-15T15:54:55.177" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="8048" PostId="5820" Score="3" Text="&quot; In the end I am more worried about reputation (customer stasifaction) than the money or time&quot; - that's fine, but don't get the reputation of being &quot;the sucker who will agree to do anything for free&quot;. A formal contract might be over the top for a few hours work, but from your posts *you never even agreed a price for doing it*. That's a fatal mistake. If you want to do *some* of the task as a &quot;free sample,&quot; fair enough - but not *all* of it!" CreationDate="2016-08-15T17:20:26.437" UserDisplayName="alephzero" />
  <row Id="8049" PostId="5821" Score="7" Text="The most sincere client is the client who's willing to pay for work that hasn't even been done yet.  Contracts are good, but for some clients a contract isn't worth the paper they're printed on." CreationDate="2016-08-15T17:13:32.607" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="8051" PostId="5823" Score="1" Text="It is quite possible that he didn't get the sale to go through when he thought it would.  It is also possible that he's a very optimistic person who is looking to line up people to do work with more promises than he can keep." CreationDate="2016-08-15T16:36:10.223" UserDisplayName="MikeP" />
  <row Id="8052" PostId="5824" Score="3" Text="In the USA, it's not unusual for work to require a deposit of some sort. So if someone is refusing to give a deposit or contract, then I wouldn't do business with them." CreationDate="2016-08-15T16:26:08.090" UserDisplayName="Dan" />
  <row Id="8053" PostId="5824" Score="2" Text="Totally agree, Dan; but prospects (I wouldn't call them clients, as they never get to that stage) think otherwise. I was caught out a few times years ago when I started, by doing a rush job with payment at the end. Oddly enough (not really!), paying the invoice dropped in priority once the work was done for them..." CreationDate="2016-08-15T16:28:31.030" UserId="12040" />
  <row Id="8054" PostId="5820" Score="0" Text="To address your Addendum: For trivial work, a contract can be trivially simple. Even oral contracts (x work for y cash, seal with a handshake) are infinitely better than no contract at all. Of course having a written standard contract prepared also helps a lot." CreationDate="2016-08-15T17:40:12.807" UserId="14427" />
  <row Id="8056" PostId="5822" Score="0" Text="Choosing your answer because you are right that some concrete agreement needs to be in place." CreationDate="2016-08-15T17:53:56.670" UserId="14428" />
  <row Id="8058" PostId="5826" Score="0" Text="Where is the client?" CreationDate="2016-08-15T19:54:54.010" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="8059" PostId="5826" Score="0" Text="what do you mean where is the Client?" CreationDate="2016-08-15T20:35:12.863" UserId="5100" />
  <row Id="8060" PostId="5826" Score="0" Text="Location of the business" CreationDate="2016-08-15T20:35:29.877" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="8061" PostId="5826" Score="0" Text="he is in Mumbai, India, I am working as a freelancer only no meeting yet" CreationDate="2016-08-15T20:42:17.563" UserId="5100" />
  <row Id="8062" PostId="5826" Score="0" Text="&quot;We don't have any legal agreement between us for the project&quot; &lt;-- an oral agreement is a legal agreement.  Since you are in the same location, he can sue and possibly recover damages.  Contact an attorney." CreationDate="2016-08-15T21:42:34.203" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="8063" PostId="5826" Score="1" Text="Here's the thing.. I can ask for a refund and threaten legal action against *anyone* I purchase *anything* from. Threatening means nothing really other than they are trying to scare you into submission. As @codenoir points out, a verbal agreement is an agreement, although hard to prove. But emails can also be an agreement and much easier to prove. I don't know how anyone could answer this really. It's not so much a question asking for an answer... it's just asking for opinions, which isn't really great for the StackExchange format." CreationDate="2016-08-15T22:28:24.257" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8064" PostId="5826" Score="0" Text="I appreciate all otheres opinions , i thought StackExchange is the good platform to ask for help, evenn though I don't like to continue the project I work on it, and that is the reason why I don't want refund the amount?" CreationDate="2016-08-15T22:39:00.577" UserId="5100" />
  <row Id="8065" PostId="5826" Score="0" Text="it's understandable if you want to be paid for that work. Freelance **services** are not the same as selling a product. Regardless of whether the client wants the work or not.. you can't get your time back. See here: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/4534/am-i-supposed-to-be-paid-even-though-my-work-isnt-used/4536#4536 and here: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/514/do-you-fix-hourly-estimation-or-accept-your-mistake-and-do-for-free and here: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/4783/should-i-charge-my-client-for-mistakes-i-make?noredirect=1&amp;lq=1" CreationDate="2016-08-16T00:39:30.260" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8066" PostId="5820" Score="5" Text="I'd love to answer this... but really, for me, it's *all about client attitude*.  There are subtle cues that the client sees you nothing more than grunt, unspecialized, general, labor. In those cases, I avoid those clients. Here's a link to a question on another stack where I detailed the red flags I saw in communication with a client: http://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/questions/25712/what-should-i-do-if-a-potential-client-claims-my-pricing-is-too-high/25713#25713" CreationDate="2016-08-16T00:43:00.480" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8067" PostId="5826" Score="1" Text="@Scott: I disagree with you. Services are products as well. Situations where the customer has no obligation to purchase are too imbalanced and are unacceptable. Proceed in charged milestones so that the customer assumes his share of the risk." CreationDate="2016-08-16T09:05:27.030" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="8068" PostId="5826" Score="1" Text="@HarryCover Uhm.. services are *not* products. By definition they are completely different. You're free to disagree but the English language is the English language. You can return a product, you can not return a service. Quantum Meruit is a valid legal argument. But I do agree. milestones are important and payment structures make a difference. I don't have enough information about *this* particular situation, hence the comment.. not an answer." CreationDate="2016-08-16T09:25:19.203" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8069" PostId="5826" Score="0" Text="@Scott: I don't want to enter in juridical technicalities, I don't want to leave the impression that a service is charged &quot;optionally&quot;." CreationDate="2016-08-16T09:29:48.560" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="8070" PostId="3379" Score="3" Text="I use to announce free bug fixing for a given warranty period because it's my duty to release bug-free. But after a while it is understandable that reopening the project has a cost. Whatever you do, agree on it *beforehand*." CreationDate="2016-08-16T13:58:20.123" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="8071" PostId="5831" Score="0" Text="Just to add to this, sending an image of a signed contract also seems more than sufficient in the US, but that does require printing it out signing and scanning etc" CreationDate="2016-08-16T16:20:11.160" UserId="14440" />
  <row Id="8072" PostId="5823" Score="1" Text="_A fantastic idea written on a piece of paper is worth the paper._ Actually, it's worth less than the blank paper, because now only the other side is good for anything...." CreationDate="2016-08-16T18:57:05.057" UserId="14447" />
  <row Id="8073" PostId="5831" Score="0" Text="I have a small drawing tablet I keep near my computer, and I can sign with that on PDFs I'm sent. I'd say that the price of me signing a contract is just my time, and the client can do what they want to show they agree with the contract... Such as printing and signing manually and scanning" CreationDate="2016-08-16T19:02:55.573" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="8074" PostId="5820" Score="0" Text="Is it possible the guy was just testing the waters if he could get small jobs for free? An angolan aquitance already tried that line... 2 or 3 times until he got the message" CreationDate="2016-08-16T22:03:00.320" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="8075" PostId="5833" Score="0" Text="where do you get your customers? the rates purposed on some freelance sites are a joke" CreationDate="2016-08-16T22:11:53.060" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="8076" PostId="5840" Score="0" Text="You're missing something here  Since you used cars, here's a question.  What's the difference between a Toyota and a Lexus?  They are made in the same plants.  A high number of the parts, and maybe even the framework, are identical.  What separates them is POSITION.  Lexus is positioned as luxury, but Toyota is positioned as economical.  We command our rate based on how we position.  A strong position can trump &quot;market forces&quot; any day." CreationDate="2016-08-17T03:15:31.890" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="8077" PostId="5849" Score="1" Text="see&#xA; http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/1173/struggling-to-find-work&#xA; http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/742/where-to-find-remote-contract-work-in-sap-abap and&#xA;http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/1065/how-to-find-web-development-work-outside-the-freelancing-sites" CreationDate="2016-08-17T09:54:03.453" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="8079" PostId="5840" Score="0" Text=":-) Good point. You have to position yourself somewhere. But there are differences between the finishes, the interiors, the accessories etc for the lexus and toyota. A budget website may be built on the same framework as a luxury website, may have a unique design too, use the same hosting and server environments. The difference between the two may be that the luxury version emails abandoned baskets, includes SEO research, on-site implementation, writes orders to an FTP file for integration with accounts, customizes the product listings, etc etc. Again why I suggested he offer two solutions." CreationDate="2016-08-17T17:08:43.143" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8080" PostId="5811" Score="0" Text="You need to confirm for OK, but most of the time services do not require collection/payment of sales tax. I *highly* recommend you retain an accountant, at least for your annual filings. It's far easier to stay on top of things rather than play catch up at the end of the year." CreationDate="2016-08-17T17:18:59.313" UserId="14440" />
  <row Id="8081" PostId="4373" Score="0" Text="There's nothing EZ about filing taxes as a freelancer... heh" CreationDate="2016-08-17T17:19:44.907" UserId="14440" />
  <row Id="8082" PostId="5811" Score="0" Text="Oh, there are plenty of US states that charge sales tax on service.  You may also owe an occupational &quot;privilege&quot; tax to your city or county.  This is why CPA's exist.  You need to ask one about your specific jurisdiction." CreationDate="2016-08-17T21:15:11.450" UserId="14429" />
  <row Id="8083" PostId="5803" Score="0" Text="Build a project for yourself. Create something to catalog the books you own, or dvds, or build an address book.. etc.... Your own web site (so you can promote it)" CreationDate="2016-08-17T22:48:17.907" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8084" PostId="5839" Score="0" Text="Thanks for your answer Scott, lots of really good points here. A lot I can't answer in public forum, however I am experienced in my field, come from a Design Management background where I was regularly working with freelancers (so know the whole spectrum of rates in my area) and am sure that my rates are not extortionate, and in fact are often fairly reasonable. I've been told by my peers in fact, that I should be charging more. The sort of rates these potential clients are looking for would equate to approx £5 per hour, which is way too low!" CreationDate="2016-08-18T15:07:40.950" UserId="12935" />
  <row Id="8085" PostId="5839" Score="0" Text="@crazycatlady like I posted, you may be a &quot;rock-star&quot; worth every penny. I don't doubt that. The market itself can *easily* start presenting horribly cheap clients. I've been there. It really just comes down to being able to ride it out while you invest time in trying to land *good* clients rather than just *any* client. Wish I could offer some solid solutions, but I don't really have any other than to trust if things were good before, they'll get good again." CreationDate="2016-08-18T17:07:49.277" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8086" PostId="5854" Score="0" Text="Thanks for that, and great story too, I bet he was super inflating the price give the reaction. In the future though, how would I help someone to protect their idea? Whilst protecting my self? What would that even look like in terms of an agreement? Or is this type of project just never going to work? It has worked in the past, but only because of the level of trust between me and the other person, so how can it work with a relative stranger? (Without resorting to long winded formal legal contracts)" CreationDate="2016-08-18T20:56:18.793" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8087" PostId="5854" Score="0" Text="I think the gist is that (a) you complete an NDA (b) you agree to not do a similar idea if the partnership falls apart, for some given amount of time.  I'm not an attorney.  You don't worry about the other party being protected, though.  If the other party stalls because they don't have the wits or resources to handle the important legal stuff, **leave the deal alone**.  It'll only be painful if you try to continue.  It's like a divorce where you're forced to pay for the other side's attorney." CreationDate="2016-08-18T22:01:23.880" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="8088" PostId="5853" Score="0" Text="Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA) protect ideas... not lack of payment. Count yourself lucky you avoided this guy." CreationDate="2016-08-19T11:25:05.187" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8090" PostId="5847" Score="0" Text="Is your land line cheaper than all the fax services?  (I haven't used one in years.)" CreationDate="2016-08-19T16:33:14.663" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="8091" PostId="5858" Score="0" Text="Regarding your four points, I assumed the first three were implied... &quot;I agree&quot; means there was something to agree on (i.e an offer, which wouldn't happen if 1 wasn't true). Helpful nonetheless :)" CreationDate="2016-08-19T18:58:31.140" UserId="11857" />
  <row Id="8092" PostId="5847" Score="0" Text="It is not much different in the UK in practice, Asking for a FAX is really not needed though. In fact, I doubt many people even have a fax any more. I have not used one for over ten years, possibly even 15 years." CreationDate="2016-08-19T19:37:34.717" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8093" PostId="5847" Score="0" Text="@PaulD In my experience businesses still use faxes.. or copy machines that can fax when necessary. It's still more common than you'd think.  I'm not saying it's &quot;popular&quot; by any means.. it's just still viable for many." CreationDate="2016-08-19T20:00:13.950" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8094" PostId="5847" Score="1" Text="@codenoir Yes.. and far less hassle with things like user accounts, spam, etc. I'd really *love* it if everyone went 100% digital but I tend to deal with older business owners that aren't as savvy when it comes to tech.. so I really *have* to support older communication methods to a degree. For example.. none of my clients use or care about Skype/IM (which I LOVE about them)." CreationDate="2016-08-19T20:03:06.683" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8095" PostId="5858" Score="0" Text="'I agree' certainly does not fulfill all four elements at all. You say you will do x for £20 and ask do I want to go ahead, and I say yes, but does that include y and z? Does that mean we are in a legal agreement? No, because of the continued discussion. If you say it includes Y but not Z, then I can say 'well thats no good for me then.' and you cannot say 'but you agreed legally to go ahead'. That would not stand up in court. I have not yet shown an intention to enter into a legal agreement with you, just a discussion about the possibility of doing so." CreationDate="2016-08-19T20:53:49.287" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8096" PostId="5858" Score="0" Text="Of course, simply saying &quot;I agree&quot; certainly doesn't mean much at all, but my question said (which you quoted) &quot;in reply to the contract&quot;." CreationDate="2016-08-19T20:59:50.553" UserId="11857" />
  <row Id="8097" PostId="5858" Score="0" Text="Well for me yes, but lets say you go off and spend a significant amount up front, only to be contacted by the person who then says, actually my boss does not want to go ahead. Did that person actually have the authority to authorise it etc etc. In terms of legal cover, it is very complicated. Usually though, for a free lancer, under the circumstances you describe, yes that is enough IMHO. But from a technical legal standpoint, it might not be, But in a small claims court over a small sum, that would be enough, probably, yes." CreationDate="2016-08-19T21:12:55.973" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8099" PostId="5858" Score="0" Text="I'm not disagreeing with any of that, I agree. My point is simply that by the time you have sent a contract all of that would already have happened. The 4 points I'm talking about are perfectly fine, I'm just disagreeing with your preceding &quot;No&quot;, since your last point is exactly what your saying &quot;No&quot; to." CreationDate="2016-08-19T21:18:42.987" UserId="11857" />
  <row Id="8100" PostId="5858" Score="0" Text="Oh! Oops. I do see what you mean now. You are quite right - sorry. To not make this conversation confusing to others I have edited the original comment but marked what I edited out. (Could not find a markup for line-through)." CreationDate="2016-08-19T21:43:00.960" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8101" PostId="5858" Score="0" Text="Let us [continue this discussion in chat](http://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/44224/discussion-between-cai-and-pauld)." CreationDate="2016-08-19T22:06:13.190" UserId="11857" />
  <row Id="8104" PostId="5803" Score="0" Text="If you're good at something, never do it for free." CreationDate="2016-08-20T11:41:17.057" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8106" PostId="5854" Score="0" Text="Oh of course. Stupidly I had forgotten all about NDA's. Will definitely offer that at the next opportunity like this. I of course would never try to steal someones idea, would have no intention of anything but honesty and integrity, and would have no problem signing one. Thanks." CreationDate="2016-08-21T13:13:16.357" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8107" PostId="5853" Score="0" Text="Thanks, Had forgotten all about NDA's. And yes, I think this persons duplicity meant he either thought I was stupid or did not value my input. Either way it would not have gone well. Since then the domain name he had bought has still not produced anything. I do not think his idea is ever going to come to fruition. Thanks again." CreationDate="2016-08-21T13:15:35.390" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8108" PostId="5865" Score="0" Text="Points 2, 4, &amp; 6 are great, but I'd have to disagree with point three. I've made more money in the long run by spending a little more up front. Sometimes it &quot;Takes money to make money&quot;. But... If you are always spending money before exhausting your free options then PaulD is correct." CreationDate="2016-08-21T19:43:55.313" UserId="13300" />
  <row Id="8109" PostId="5865" Score="1" Text="Yes of course I agree entirely. The 'FREE' options soon get done and then you get to printing, subscriptions, advertising, supporting, placements etc etc. I was just concerned because an advertising spend does not bring in work alone, although it quickly becomes part of any ongoing marketing strategy. When you don't have a mature and proven methodology though, there are a lot of dead ends and failed attempts. Like all things it takes time to work out what works for you and what does not. But you are quite correct in your comment." CreationDate="2016-08-21T21:13:19.757" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8110" PostId="5847" Score="0" Text="If there are recommendations for digital fax services... I'm seriously ALL ears... please share." CreationDate="2016-08-21T21:46:37.850" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8112" PostId="5878" Score="1" Text="If they are a company they would have company reg. no. Asking for ID in the UK would seem eurocratic too and would lose you customers. There is no UK id that you have to have. You do not have to have a driving licence, or a passport. I for one would not send a photocopy of either of those documents anywhere for any reason." CreationDate="2016-08-22T23:23:30.177" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8113" PostId="5863" Score="0" Text="It would cost quite a bit. This is a significant website, with lots of data and tons of great functionality. It has matured and developed and is a significant website that has been extremely well built. Impossible to say what else it does on the backend, or the contracts it uses, or the security checks it runs. You could make a mockery of it and impersonate it poorly. Otherwise you are talking about a very significant investment, at a minimum of £20k but probably a lot more. That does not include the marketing, brand awareness, advertising or PR costs. This is in fact a silly question to ask I" CreationDate="2016-08-21T12:45:25.633" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8115" PostId="5878" Score="0" Text="If the UK company owes me money (for example), they should NOT invoice me. I should invoice them." CreationDate="2016-08-23T15:34:33.460" UserId="12040" />
  <row Id="8116" PostId="5878" Score="0" Text="Pete *this UK client needs to pay approx 113 EUR*  Paul: A Services Company cannot just pay anyone and not leave an audit trail. You can get away with doing this for petty cash, hence why I said less than 5% of total revenue or dealing with regular small sum's of cash like a hairdressers or newsagents. If a sizeable number of expenses for an IT company were paid out without an audit trail and each of them in the multiple of hundred euros, the tax man might query the transactions. Hence an audit trail of some sort is required that will stand up to some scrutiny." CreationDate="2016-08-23T19:40:25.087" UserId="11579" />
  <row Id="8121" PostId="5875" Score="0" Text="Yes it is fine. Just use their name and address on the invoice." CreationDate="2016-08-22T21:12:08.200" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8122" PostId="5875" Score="1" Text="Thanks all, you are most kind. So, i spoke with the promoter and he said they are not registered as a company and none of them are registered as self employed, so i cannot get any company number or any sort of Tax ID, I have issued the invoice with just their name, address and contact details, hoping this will be sufficient. Will get the invoice paid via bank transfer, also hoping this stands up, in case of being audited in the future." CreationDate="2016-08-25T12:32:23.137" UserId="14527" />
  <row Id="8125" PostId="5791" Score="1" Text="Actually, it seems that you are even in a position to sue them... and win. There is enough evidence that you worked for them on their request. Tell them that you will be very happy to hand them the site after full payment. It's a matter of fairness in business." CreationDate="2016-08-25T19:26:16.250" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="8126" PostId="5817" Score="1" Text="Always the same: do not compete. Don't. Leverage on your specificities, don't try to &quot;beat&quot; others, be different, be incomparable." CreationDate="2016-08-25T19:29:40.177" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="8127" PostId="5791" Score="2" Text="You will never get your money if you give them access." CreationDate="2016-08-25T21:06:30.590" UserId="12000" />
  <row Id="8131" PostId="5879" Score="0" Text="VAT-ID number is important for trade within the EU, but not for the rest of the world. &#xA;Some EU countries do not have the &quot;small business&quot; exemption and customers from there may insist that you have to produce a VAT-IT. (Here in Germany, you can always ask for VAT number and VAT-ID, even if you are small business - but then you have to do the full VAT declaration burocracy.)" CreationDate="2016-08-28T18:39:16.147" UserId="5526" />
  <row Id="8132" PostId="5893" Score="0" Text="+1 for the useful answer, but you must be extremely lucky. Everyone I've ever spoken to has had terrible experiences with HMRC and I've had endless trouble with them, none of which has been even remotely my fault. They are totally incompetent." CreationDate="2016-08-29T06:53:10.417" UserId="11857" />
  <row Id="8133" PostId="5906" Score="0" Text="I think this might go better on Freelancing SE." CreationDate="2016-08-28T18:38:47.307" UserDisplayName="Lauren Ipsum" />
  <row Id="8134" PostId="5906" Score="0" Text="I didn't know about such SE! I've asked a moderator to move it." CreationDate="2016-08-29T16:17:56.827" UserDisplayName="DiAlex" />
  <row Id="8135" PostId="5834" Score="0" Text="You could probably add LinkedIn to both of those. It was invented for networking, and it has lots of Groups." CreationDate="2016-08-29T18:28:43.347" UserId="12167" />
  <row Id="8136" PostId="5840" Score="0" Text="@codenoir, it's funny how about a month ago, I was telling a Lexus owner that in my country, Toyota is a luxury car Lexus are nowhere to be seen. I am not trying to add value to your comment or the analogy, although there might be some." CreationDate="2016-08-29T19:15:29.800" UserId="12173" />
  <row Id="8137" PostId="5909" Score="1" Text="This is more or less exactly what I *expected* to hear. This just further helps me choose my niche! I get so much more quality work accomplished with direct, open communication between client(s) and myself. Thanks for the detailed, real-world answer." CreationDate="2016-08-29T20:29:47.710" UserId="14604" />
  <row Id="8138" PostId="5909" Score="3" Text="That is why so many freelancers target small to medium sized companies. Although the really juicy money comes with the bigger businesses usually, but getting into them directly is next to impossible, unless you have a truly unique or truly field leading expertise to offer, or a friendly contact that can champion your cause." CreationDate="2016-08-30T03:06:46.263" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8139" PostId="4759" Score="0" Text="So you saw 20% fee, and did not see 5% one. ;)" CreationDate="2016-08-30T12:22:14.950" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="8140" PostId="5893" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the +1 all the same :) Shame about your bad experiences - I think I must have been incredibly lucky in that case!" CreationDate="2016-08-31T06:11:04.673" UserId="14562" />
  <row Id="8141" PostId="5912" Score="11" Text="&quot;How do I check the actual amount of time an employee spent on my project?&quot; Stop thinking of him as your employee. Like you, he runs his own business. Don't hire a freelancer if you want an employee." CreationDate="2016-09-01T07:40:29.687" UserId="12000" />
  <row Id="8142" PostId="5912" Score="6" Text="Hire another person to sit by him and report how much time he worked" CreationDate="2016-09-01T10:55:35.873" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="8144" PostId="3520" Score="3" Text="I have a clause where I accept no liability whatsoever for anything. Has always served me well. If a question is ever raised I say it is their job to test what I give them (but in much more frothy customer service orientated language of course)." CreationDate="2016-09-02T12:03:09.910" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8145" PostId="5922" Score="0" Text="Well said! Exactly what I was thinking" CreationDate="2016-09-02T18:58:23.080" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="8146" PostId="5916" Score="0" Text="This doesn't answer the question." CreationDate="2016-09-02T19:58:45.430" UserId="14645" />
  <row Id="8147" PostId="5915" Score="0" Text="This doesn't answer the question" CreationDate="2016-09-02T19:59:04.807" UserId="14645" />
  <row Id="8148" PostId="5922" Score="0" Text="Great and amusing explanation. I kind of understand what you're saying." CreationDate="2016-09-02T21:04:07.623" UserId="11760" />
  <row Id="8149" PostId="5922" Score="0" Text="Re-reading it now, I did go on a bit :-)" CreationDate="2016-09-02T21:16:25.843" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8150" PostId="4693" Score="0" Text="Thank you for your insight! You wouldn't happen to have some links for good resources on the different coding principles? Specifically DRY and SOLID, and how to avoid complexity bloat." CreationDate="2016-09-03T02:21:36.910" UserId="12039" />
  <row Id="8151" PostId="5926" Score="0" Text="Freelancing requires that you are able to give some service to someone who is happy to pay you for that. So ask youself what can you offer to other people to solve their problems or needs that they don't wish/know/are able to solve." CreationDate="2016-09-03T13:03:18.487" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="8152" PostId="5926" Score="1" Text="Freelancing is traditionally *never* an &quot;entry-level&quot; profession. I guess you could sell magazines door to door." CreationDate="2016-09-03T20:12:08.680" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8153" PostId="5926" Score="0" Text="I think I can save people's time. Or I can learn basic stuffs I've seen. Basicly, designing is not hard to learn I can learn convert stuffs. What you've meant was more likely big Gigs. But for cheap gigs (as I hire) people can hire for cheap prices and save their time or effort to learn one-time jobs deeply" CreationDate="2016-09-03T20:54:19.340" UserId="14674" />
  <row Id="8154" PostId="5915" Score="1" Text="You pay a service provider on the results, not on the process. If you don't know if your service provider is delivering anything to you, then the problem is with you, not them." CreationDate="2016-09-03T21:53:39.753" UserId="11579" />
  <row Id="8156" PostId="5791" Score="0" Text="*Joe wants to have a phone meeting &quot;to finalize the back-end access for the new developer&quot;.* - Your response: &quot;No, it should be in person, and I will expect a certified check paying your outstanding balance to be given to me at the beginning of the meeting.&quot;  -  Do not expect to get paid for your time in handover, so keep it as short as possible." CreationDate="2016-09-04T18:01:40.443" UserId="14429" />
  <row Id="8157" PostId="5930" Score="0" Text="Ok, thanks for your response, it's helpful (+1) (also fully agree), but a bit too generic - I'll wait if maybe there's a more specific answer concerning the open source thing." CreationDate="2016-09-04T18:57:53.527" UserId="11262" />
  <row Id="8158" PostId="5930" Score="0" Text="BTW a small additional question, if you want to answer, who does usually provide the contract? The freelancer or the client? Is there a convention or something for this?" CreationDate="2016-09-04T18:59:54.130" UserId="11262" />
  <row Id="8159" PostId="5930" Score="0" Text="It all seems pretty standard to me, your prior inventions (libraries, snippets, methods etc) are not the companies, but anything they pay you to do and you do for them are theirs. Given that you have not included the relevant part of the contract I think the answer given is a good one. It does not matter who provides the contract, as Wesley said, it is negotiated until signed by both parties. For smaller companies the contractor would normally provide one, for larger companies they usually will have their own. If you are concerned, then you should seek legal advice from a contract lawyer." CreationDate="2016-09-04T19:10:59.170" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8160" PostId="5932" Score="0" Text="**It's not your business.** Smile and **politely** reiterate that it's user error when the problems arise. Then shut up and correct things if possible/necessary..... that's what you are paid to do. And be thankful that this particular individual is creating more billable hours for you. (I didn't read the entire post.. it's just a rant for the most part)" CreationDate="2016-09-04T19:51:06.660" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8161" PostId="5932" Score="0" Text="@Scott Except she goes around telling to everyone (friends, Facebook posts, etc) that the current app they're using at her family's restaurant it's &quot;a piece of s**t, it broke the computer!&quot; and &quot;we were ripped off, never ever ever buy anything from [people / company who made the app]!&quot;&#xA;&#xA;If she's gonna badmouth my app like she did with all the others, then IT IS indeed my business. If I were to leave to avoid the badmouthing at this point, she would badmouth me either way because &quot;never hire soulblazer, never finishes the work!&quot;&#xA;&#xA;Sorry for not being &quot;thankful&quot; to someone like that." CreationDate="2016-09-04T20:00:42.157" UserId="14690" />
  <row Id="8162" PostId="5932" Score="2" Text="Then gather evidence of the employee misconduct proving you are not at fault and sue for defamation or explain to the owners the damage this person is doing to your reputation and quit. My point is.. if you **can't** correct the situation and **won't** be adamant that the owners protect your reputation..... then it's *your fault* for staying in it. Leave if you aren't happy." CreationDate="2016-09-04T20:02:01.757" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8163" PostId="5932" Score="1" Text="@Scott If I leave, what's to stop her from &quot;commenting&quot; to her friends that I quit and didn't deliver? We live in a small town where gossips travel a light speed." CreationDate="2016-09-04T20:09:05.433" UserId="14690" />
  <row Id="8164" PostId="5932" Score="2" Text="Well, apparently nothing's stopping her now. So what difference does it make? With all due respect, I just think you're whining. Either take steps to correct the issue or stop dealing with the client. Get your *emotions* out of your decision making. Business is business." CreationDate="2016-09-04T20:09:39.060" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8165" PostId="5930" Score="0" Text="@PaulD ok I get it, but just to elaborate a bit on this - I'd work for them but it's still my own public repository, which is the &quot;prior invention&quot; - how would be a conflict resolved in such case? ok, I suppose they could say I'm not authorized to publish the features I implemented while working for them. While they still can keep my repo since it's public + the features." CreationDate="2016-09-04T20:35:53.650" UserId="11262" />
  <row Id="8166" PostId="5930" Score="0" Text="@PaulD to finish this last comment, the features I'm working in while not trivial are also nothing super-special, so I'm not sure why the client would do this, but well, one has to assume worst case when writing agreements. Since you mentioned it, let me edit my question with the exact excerpt of the agreement." CreationDate="2016-09-04T20:38:13.883" UserId="11262" />
  <row Id="8168" PostId="5930" Score="1" Text="@PaulD uhm, wait, I didn't read the update to the first clause first (it wasn't like this the last time I read it I think). It states actually quite clearly that I give up the rights to improvements of the inventions if it's for the company. Lol?" CreationDate="2016-09-04T20:53:56.643" UserId="11262" />
  <row Id="8169" PostId="5930" Score="0" Text="Again, that all seems quite normal to me. You can't expect them to pay for improvements and then for you to go and publish them as part of your open source script. Those improvements are no longer yours to publish. If that was your intention, you might get in trouble. If as you say they are nothing super special, you have to decide what you do, but I personally would not take the risk. Is that repo more or less important than this work? Is the company likely to check or really care? Or wait six months and then re-code the improvements sufficiently differently. Hard to say without specifics." CreationDate="2016-09-04T21:14:42.840" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8170" PostId="5930" Score="0" Text="All I mean is say your repo was an online shop, and they had you make the categories multi level for them. You could not then use that code on your repo. But in the future, as an unoriginal improvement, you could recode a multilevel category system for the repo, But it would have to be sufficiently different, which it probably would anyway, given that the company would want something specific, probably not general enough for a repo audience. I would be careful though, and probably create a trail of demand from users that you could point to as independent external requests." CreationDate="2016-09-04T21:23:02.850" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8171" PostId="5930" Score="0" Text="@PaulD nah the thing was that we agreed from the beginning that I'd own the improvements - why would this be differently? This is super generic stuff and if I'd implement it again I'd do it exactly like it is now, it's stupid. Plus it's also partly good for the company to publish this to get possible input and fixes from other people. Of course custom things which I do in their app and not in my library belongs to them. I'm also working for a slightly lower rate than usual because of this." CreationDate="2016-09-04T22:05:09.533" UserId="11262" />
  <row Id="8172" PostId="5930" Score="1" Text="@PaulD actually this is a question we had at the beginning of the project, on one side it can be seen as unfair the company alone paying for an open source project of someone else, but on the other if it was not for this, I'd not be working on the project at all. And &quot;selling&quot; generic features doesn't make sense, this not only damages my repository but also the fork of the company, which gets increasingly out of sync with the main repo and it becomes difficult to merge fixes, upgrades, etc." CreationDate="2016-09-04T22:30:39.873" UserId="11262" />
  <row Id="8173" PostId="5927" Score="0" Text="I don't understand on what planet the ISP would **ever** feel **any** compulsion to give you or your client one red cent. If the customer was unhappy with the ISP service.. they can go to another ISP or wait for the ISP to address the issue. It's not the ISP's fault the customer chose to contact you or you chose to step in." CreationDate="2016-09-05T00:02:06.820" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8174" PostId="5924" Score="0" Text="This is impossible to answer. Stack Exchange sites are a strict Question&lt;&gt;Answer format. Which is markedly different than a &quot;discussion forum. This is not a question asking for an answer, it's a &quot;discussion starter&quot; looking for very subjective, opinionated input. That's just not what StackExchange is about." CreationDate="2016-09-05T00:07:04.087" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8175" PostId="5934" Score="0" Text="I'm not doing it for free, but I missed the &quot;no&quot; due to lack of sleep. I'm so sorry about the typo, maybe that's why they thought I was whining in the comments, but you are still right. She's unreasonable and spoiled.&#xA;EDIT: She's not my friend; she's my friend's sister. In fact, he's ashamed and hates her over this." CreationDate="2016-09-05T03:07:18.837" UserId="14690" />
  <row Id="8176" PostId="4693" Score="0" Text="@Pitt, Yes. I recommend using Google to look up the kinds of resources you find most helpful (blogs, stackoverflow, wikipedia) and searching Reddit/HackerNews for opinion discussions. On writing good, clean code, there's a video series by the well-respected [Robert Martin](https://cleancoders.com/). The resource that first opened my eyes to writing efficient code was the free course at [Codility](https://codility.com/programmers/). I highly recommend it. Lastly, when you've become a better programmer, check out [The Imposter's Handbook](http://rob.conery.io/2016/07/04/imposters-handbook/)." CreationDate="2016-09-05T05:28:45.193" UserId="8094" />
  <row Id="8177" PostId="5916" Score="1" Text="@user40 Of course it does. I told you a few options on how to verify. There is a third one as well: Let him have a web cam turned ON the whole time he works. There is a 4th one involving a magic ball, but it's sarcastic thing again." CreationDate="2016-09-05T09:23:34.333" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="8178" PostId="5916" Score="2" Text="@user40 The bottom line is: why are you asking this? If you're not happy with the result, fire him. If you are happy, continue work with him or even try another contractor. If you are driven by time (money), then you will have to find a quick coder (quick is prone to errors). If you are driven with result, you will have good project that will earn money. If you are not earning money with the project, then you have a bad project. Not even the best programmer in the world can turn bad idea to good-paying one." CreationDate="2016-09-05T09:25:18.727" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="8179" PostId="5937" Score="0" Text="I've dealt with stubborn users before, but never to this extent; that's why I didn't know what to do (all stubborn users before her at least understood finally it was a matter of their computer being too old or something beyond my control).&#xA;&#xA;The stat service sounds great." CreationDate="2016-09-05T15:03:08.947" UserId="14690" />
  <row Id="8180" PostId="5937" Score="0" Text="I too was going to suggest that you should be logging entries anyway, who input what and at what time, independent from any order table or order_line table. That log should log every interaction, coded by type, so you can filter operation types out, like show me all the orders input between 1pm and 3pm for this user. I do not see how they can argue with you over that. This is an awful situation, and although I have had awkward customers in the past, never as bad as this. The other thing is to train the chef that he can only cook stuff that comes through on the system, not vocally instructed." CreationDate="2016-09-05T17:13:46.193" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8182" PostId="5940" Score="2" Text="Of *course* you'd disagree. There's still a concept of &quot;trade secrets&quot; and &quot;professionalism&quot; that may or may not mean a judge would see your actions as a breech of secrets in an unwarranted manner. I'm not an attorney or judge so I can't say for certain. But that doesn't mean the client can't contact their legal advisors. Things do not *always* require an NDA for you to be held ethically accountable. If there was a *reasonable expectation of secrecy* and you profit by breaking that... well... a judge would need to decide." CreationDate="2016-09-05T18:18:53.367" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8183" PostId="5927" Score="0" Text="That's, a good point actually, but the choices are limited in this area. I would have to check to be sure, but last I checked, this is the only cable internet provider in the area." CreationDate="2016-09-05T19:19:36.757" UserId="14604" />
  <row Id="8184" PostId="5933" Score="0" Text="That's true, and normally I would have left it at payment due immediately. I think I let the relationship he has with an existing client blur my judgement. Thanks" CreationDate="2016-09-05T19:22:47.553" UserId="14604" />
  <row Id="8185" PostId="5931" Score="0" Text="&quot;The ISP doesn't have to listen to you, and won't.&quot; Yeah, ok, it would be wasted energy. Thanks" CreationDate="2016-09-05T19:23:46.020" UserId="14604" />
  <row Id="8186" PostId="5927" Score="0" Text="If there is telephone service, there's most likely DSL as well at a minimum (not saying it's better, just probably available)." CreationDate="2016-09-05T19:36:04.760" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8188" PostId="5940" Score="3" Text="@stackoverfloweth: It sounds like he didn't make the information public: He told you in confidence." CreationDate="2016-09-06T00:05:26.513" UserId="14702" />
  <row Id="8189" PostId="5938" Score="0" Text="This is the kind of answer I am looking for! Everytime they add objectives, do you update your current contract? Also, what would consider as 80% fully booked?" CreationDate="2016-09-06T00:16:59.853" UserId="11760" />
  <row Id="8190" PostId="5939" Score="1" Text="Insider trading is unlawful in just about every jurisdiction. The perceived retention leverage this gives you is an unjust enrichment." CreationDate="2016-09-06T04:53:36.793" UserId="14707" />
  <row Id="8191" PostId="4718" Score="0" Text="If there come a point at which you are no longer in the same relationship, it might be time to break it off.  You don't owe anyone free work, nor should you have to compromise. Hand it over and let them work it out." CreationDate="2016-09-06T05:08:04.887" UserId="14707" />
  <row Id="8193" PostId="5939" Score="0" Text="Here where I live is forbidden by the law to register a domain with a name or brand name that belongs to another person. If your client got a trade mark or a registered company with a certain name, and you registered the domain, then this is a law violation and he can sue you, you will loose the domains and probably give an indemnification." CreationDate="2016-09-06T06:36:47.540" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="8194" PostId="5939" Score="10" Text="It was a dick move." CreationDate="2016-09-06T07:01:06.107" UserId="12000" />
  <row Id="8196" PostId="5945" Score="1" Text="+1 I would certainly suggest to @stackoverfloweth (who IMO probably just made a poor-judgment mistake and is not as reckless as it might initially sound otherwise he/she wouldn't have posted this question and apparently is now kind of panicking when he/she writes ugly comments like the one you quoted) to do urgent damage control as you mentioned." CreationDate="2016-09-06T08:15:19.687" UserId="14710" />
  <row Id="8197" PostId="5939" Score="2" Text="I do not see this so problematic. The only thing is if you now offer him domain with fair price or will you try to get unreasonable high amount of money for it. If you get the job of course." CreationDate="2016-09-06T08:30:32.480" UserId="14712" />
  <row Id="8198" PostId="5939" Score="1" Text="_We thought we were protecting him from domain lookups that buy the domains you search for._ If you give explanations to this person, don't use that argument, or any other one that - like that one - begs for the question &quot;Then why did you do that without telling me first ?&quot;." CreationDate="2016-09-06T09:44:02.893" UserId="14710" />
  <row Id="8199" PostId="5941" Score="1" Text="+1. To save some face, the OP could word the apology to suggest there was an error and they hard started the standard setup for that client preemptively due to marking them down as a client when they're not yet... so long as this kind of thing doesn't happen again, it may help smooth things over. But please, please don't do this kind of thing." CreationDate="2016-09-06T09:47:34.363" UserId="14718" />
  <row Id="8200" PostId="5939" Score="1" Text="The question title to this should be changed to &quot;Sniping a potential clients domain&quot;" CreationDate="2016-09-06T10:47:47.753" UserId="14720" />
  <row Id="8201" PostId="5946" Score="0" Text="I should add that I would find the clause *Contractor has disclosed on Exhibit D, a complete list of all inventions or innovations made by Contractor prior to commencement of the Services* unduly painfully restrictive. It puts you in the position of remembering everything you contributed to however it would not automatically give them ownership of anything you had forgotten. If dispute took place you would have to show prior art proof of concept that took place before the beginning of the contract. Unless its a generously rich contract, I would think twice about accepting those terms." CreationDate="2016-09-06T10:55:56.427" UserId="11579" />
  <row Id="8202" PostId="5948" Score="0" Text="I've already responded in the way you recommend. The client was thrilled that we helped him where he was not knowledgeable" CreationDate="2016-09-06T11:22:26.057" UserId="14699" />
  <row Id="8203" PostId="5948" Score="9" Text="On the whole I think it's better, when you plan to do a potential client a favour, to check with them first that it's really what they want. The &quot;pleasant surprise&quot; is great when it comes off but a bit of a risk :-)" CreationDate="2016-09-06T11:24:49.857" UserId="5929" />
  <row Id="8205" PostId="5938" Score="0" Text="Not really. I use three documents, a terms and conditions (generallly applies to all work, never changes), a quotation (which quotes for work described in the schedule of work, and the schedule or work which is the project detail, what is to be done, what is to be delivered, what is not included etc. When they add an objective, I provide a quote for the addition, plus a schedule of work describing the change. Normally additions are just a single page schedule and a single page invoice." CreationDate="2016-09-06T12:26:33.887" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8206" PostId="5938" Score="0" Text="80%  Fully booked is for me my calendar. I allow a fixed number of hours per week for fulfilment, and then allocate those hours in chunks of half days normally to different projects. When the upcoming month is more than 3 weeks fully booked, it is time to start putting up prices on future quotes. For instance (currently September) I have only 1 1/2 weeks booked in October. If it gets to October and I have 3 1/2 weeks booked, I would put my prices up for November. If I get to October and I only had 4 days booked, I would put my prices down." CreationDate="2016-09-06T12:30:53.110" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8207" PostId="5941" Score="0" Text="Agree entirely, blame it on an over zealous junior developer." CreationDate="2016-09-06T12:38:12.047" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8208" PostId="5926" Score="0" Text="Honestly... If its easy and any body can do it, then why pay you to do it? The higher paid work pays you *not for complexity*, but for responsibility. I have brothers who physically work harder than me, but I earn more (managing projects). If you not care about money or your future, and you want to save people time, and you can learn basic stuff, then try window cleaning, car washing, dish washer. Few people make it a life time choice but its low income and you can get trapped in a job like that (not have enough money to take time off to learn how to do a higher paying job)." CreationDate="2016-09-06T14:53:56.783" UserId="11579" />
  <row Id="8209" PostId="5939" Score="0" Text="If it's not too late then work with your registrar to disown the domain entirely and possibly incur the loss of whatever you paid to acquire it. If the client has not searched for it's availability yet then you will not come across as shady once they wish for you to find a domain for them; presuming they do decide to work with you." CreationDate="2016-09-06T16:30:02.413" UserId="14730" />
  <row Id="8210" PostId="5941" Score="3" Text="When the question was &quot;is this immoral?&quot; I'm not sure that advising to falsely blame someone else for your own decision cures the problem. Probably best stick to the apology and resist the urge to cover-up ;-)" CreationDate="2016-09-06T17:52:58.617" UserId="5929" />
  <row Id="8211" PostId="5951" Score="1" Text="Hi Paul, I'm appreciate for your answer. I can so many thing but usually they are better to make a course or write a book, which is most likely become passive income they are great though. I will give it a try to finding out ideas for my leisure times. And you're right it's possible for me and everyone to build a multi million pound empire. Thank you for the answer again!" CreationDate="2016-09-06T18:15:03.530" UserId="14674" />
  <row Id="8212" PostId="5939" Score="1" Text="Also be very careful - this sounds like it could verge on Cybersquatting, which in the US, is [illegal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anticybersquatting_Consumer_Protection_Act)" CreationDate="2016-09-06T19:51:55.420" UserId="14735" />
  <row Id="8213" PostId="5941" Score="0" Text="Well, I doubt from the tone of the OP they were being 'evil', and truth is always the best policy. The other day I overslept and told a meeting, that I was late to, that the traffic had been bad. The OP asked if they had crossed the line and they had. The suggestion was then made to save face a bit and I agreed. Blaming it on a junior developer comment should have had a smiley face at the end of it, Tongue in cheek comment but although the OP crossed the line, they did not mean to trap the customer or scam him, so face saving allowed IMHO. I think everyone has agreed that they should retract." CreationDate="2016-09-06T20:26:41.053" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8214" PostId="5938" Score="1" Text="I really appreciate you sharing this to me. Now, I have a better idea on what I could do. I just feel like I should be a little more flexible to my clients because I have been making a lot of mistakes as I am new to the freelancing field." CreationDate="2016-09-06T22:47:45.510" UserId="11760" />
  <row Id="8215" PostId="5953" Score="0" Text="Got it, Stripe does have a test version to play around with so I have used that in the past. When you switched to the production accounts after testing did you use your own production account or have the client create one that was synced up to their bank account?" CreationDate="2016-09-07T03:47:52.910" UserId="14704" />
  <row Id="8216" PostId="5953" Score="0" Text="@suhaibh The client should create their own production accounts since the money transferred via Stripe and Shopify on the live site you create would be theirs." CreationDate="2016-09-07T09:45:55.487" UserId="2301" />
  <row Id="8217" PostId="5948" Score="1" Text="@stackoverfloweth however, does the client know whose name is listed in the whois directory? As Steve mentioned, he may be **un**pleasantly surprised in the future just by checking out in [whois.net](https://whois.net/) that it's your name or your company's name representing his company's website." CreationDate="2016-09-07T11:36:39.050" UserId="14753" />
  <row Id="8218" PostId="5940" Score="0" Text="I completely agree with all your points, though I have witnessed cases where the clients did not want to know any technical details of what &quot;having a company website&quot; entails. One especially wanted me to have complete control over everything (annual payments included), but even in this situation I handled them all the available options in the market and made them choose by themselves... I must say, this did not make them any happier and they literally did not care." CreationDate="2016-09-07T11:46:03.683" UserId="14753" />
  <row Id="8219" PostId="5953" Score="0" Text="Have the client do it.  Keep your hands out of their money concerns as much as possible, so if something ever goes wrong they can't say you were involved." CreationDate="2016-09-07T12:56:10.953" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="8220" PostId="5956" Score="2" Text="Two bits of advice:  1) This is EXACTLY why tax/legal professionals exist.  Seek one out and avail yourself of their skills.  2) iOS apps are like fashion.  They will fade as fast as they rise.  Don't tie your future to this one success." CreationDate="2016-09-07T15:27:01.797" UserId="14429" />
  <row Id="8221" PostId="5949" Score="0" Text="No, well semantics really. It says that if you have a prior invention, then any improvements done to it as a consequence of the work they are paying for you to do for them, belongs to them and they have rights over it. That is surely correct. If I pay you to develop a wordpress widget for me, that widget is mine, not yours. Even though you previously coded wordpress, that widget is still mine." CreationDate="2016-09-07T16:19:18.270" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8222" PostId="5956" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the advice Wesley, of course I will be seeking professional advice, I just wanted to know if this sort of transition is possible. I'm aware that the app could flop as quickly as it succeeded, I have very little at stake and a full time job anyway, but here's to hoping!" CreationDate="2016-09-07T16:28:05.680" UserId="14758" />
  <row Id="8223" PostId="5959" Score="1" Text="Thanks Paul, exactly the answer I was looking for, obviously there are many more branches in this tree, and I'll be contacting an accountant soon to set something in place :)" CreationDate="2016-09-07T16:29:29.217" UserId="14758" />
  <row Id="8224" PostId="5940" Score="1" Text="Well, this isn't really about control..... no one was hired... domain names were essentially sniped. That makes all the difference. If you're hired and *discuss* things and the client &quot;just wants it done&quot; that's a different matter entirely." CreationDate="2016-09-07T16:57:44.480" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8225" PostId="5940" Score="0" Text="Is it that different? If the clients do not care how they got their website, once they want to hire another development team/person because things have gone sour with the previous one, the latter may not handle the domain to the client without a handsome ranso...(*cough*) paycheck." CreationDate="2016-09-08T09:57:12.417" UserId="14753" />
  <row Id="8226" PostId="5940" Score="0" Text="Corroborating this point of view, being ethical in terms of acquiring and controlling domains seems not to be the norm according to a [GoDaddy ex-employee that answered here](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/a/5957/14753)." CreationDate="2016-09-08T10:02:28.617" UserId="14753" />
  <row Id="8227" PostId="5940" Score="1" Text="You're referring to a **completely different scenario**. And I do not make the same correlation you are making. Yes domains can be held hostage by some, yes I think that's unethical as well. But that is **not** what this question is asking." CreationDate="2016-09-08T14:10:19.873" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8228" PostId="5965" Score="0" Text="It is his friend though, and it was his friend that asked to stay, not the company. And there will be a hotel somewhere he can stay in, just he wants to be close to work. In fairness the entire question really has nothing to do with work. His friend asked to stay, he should say yes." CreationDate="2016-09-08T18:07:18.713" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8230" PostId="5968" Score="1" Text="What research have you done? What country are you in? Why would you not be allowed to sell it? Why would you let bureaucracy get in your way? And when did toy safety become a matter of bureaucracy? It is something you should take very seriously indeed." CreationDate="2016-09-08T23:36:00.427" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8231" PostId="5940" Score="0" Text="&quot;Buying a domain for your client&quot; without his consent and knowledge is the first step for abusing the partnership established, whether might or might not exist a contract before the services are requested. Most non-tech clients are in an ignorance bliss state before the prospective people to be hired start clawing on their business. When they do know those claws left a scar, it will be too late. This exactly why Steve's moral consciousness made him ask the question above, and that's why that GoDaddy ex-employee answered to it." CreationDate="2016-09-09T09:50:03.073" UserId="14753" />
  <row Id="8232" PostId="5968" Score="0" Text="@PaulD, I edited my question. I'd like to be at least directed to some page or resources where I could find out more about the matter. The rest of your why questions can be answered simply because I don't own appropriate licenses." CreationDate="2016-09-09T12:31:28.387" UserId="5568" />
  <row Id="8233" PostId="5968" Score="0" Text="This is more a legal &amp; certification matter. Maybe you can have a proper consultancy from a legal office or a specialized professional. Try to contact category association like for example http://www.toyassociation.org or similar. Good luck." CreationDate="2016-09-09T12:46:43.723" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="8234" PostId="5972" Score="0" Text="If you keep editing your question to ask something different then it makes our answers look at odds with the question :-(" CreationDate="2016-09-09T13:03:16.907" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8235" PostId="5972" Score="1" Text="Thanks for your answer. From what I read it is a very discouraging process and not sure if it's worth it. Originally I wanted to make it for myself only but I realized the potential it could have. But without already being a millionaire this might be pretty difficult." CreationDate="2016-09-09T13:08:03.457" UserId="5568" />
  <row Id="8236" PostId="5972" Score="0" Text="No, don't give up on it. No hassle approach: Make a good prototype, identify a manufacturer that makes similar things already, get a meeting with their product development team, get a standard NDA, get a patent pending if required (not too expensive, do it  yourself if you have to), then present it to them and ask for a minimal licensing fee. They run with it and you get paid is the plan. Imagine how you would feel seeing your idea pop onto the market in the future and sell in the millions. You would forever be kicking yourself." CreationDate="2016-09-09T13:14:03.430" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8237" PostId="5968" Score="0" Text="@Mario, if I would have money to get a lawyer services, I wouldn't want to sell anything." CreationDate="2016-09-09T13:15:09.293" UserId="5568" />
  <row Id="8238" PostId="5972" Score="0" Text="Or again, first result of bing: https://idea.davison.com/?source_id=1439 There are organizations that can help, take the risk and contact one." CreationDate="2016-09-09T13:15:30.223" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8239" PostId="5972" Score="0" Text="how much can I trust these companies that help with ideas? I read bad reviews about denying and stealing it." CreationDate="2016-09-09T13:18:06.020" UserId="5568" />
  <row Id="8240" PostId="5972" Score="0" Text="Hmm. Cant say. But if you are going to give up anyway, you can contact them, read their terms and conditions, and take the risk. They will do all the work for a good idea and you will get a tiny slice, but a tiny slice of a big cake is better than no cake, surely." CreationDate="2016-09-09T13:19:36.157" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8241" PostId="5972" Score="0" Text="ok, Thanks. I'm also reading https://www.consumeraffairs.com/business/davison-com.html" CreationDate="2016-09-09T13:22:54.643" UserId="5568" />
  <row Id="8242" PostId="5972" Score="1" Text="Last comment on this but, I am not recommending that company. I am saying there are organizations or people that can help. Reading your link I would probably not use them, but that was link 1 on page 1 of a search. Find an inventors forum, dig around a bit. It could be fun. Ultimately present your idea to a real manufacturer, not a consultancy. I am just saying do not give up. Good ideas are rare, and if you found your invention useful, so will others, I assure you." CreationDate="2016-09-09T13:27:00.227" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8243" PostId="5968" Score="0" Text="@Grasper Then you should follow PaulD suggestions, protect your idea with patent or similar, then find an investor or producer that will pay you a percentage on the sold products." CreationDate="2016-09-09T13:55:09.347" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="8244" PostId="5968" Score="0" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because this has nothing to do with freelancing." CreationDate="2016-09-09T14:44:58.243" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="8245" PostId="5975" Score="0" Text="It's true that you &quot;can't work&quot;* while driving that's why you should be &quot;refunded&quot;, because if you in your working hours stop to work to drive 1 hour to your client, you could use that time to do something else that will produce a gain for you, also you are spending money for fuel etc, that's why is correct to charge for the travel. It's a refund for gain loss and car expenses. *Also while driving I use to elaborate solution and  mentally arrange and prepare the work or meeting, that's work too, not only what you physically do." CreationDate="2016-09-10T07:41:49.583" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="8246" PostId="5975" Score="0" Text="Sorry, I find that ridiculous. I can't work while in the bathroom either (at least not effectively). Should I charge clients for restroom time then??" CreationDate="2016-09-10T08:56:40.817" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8247" PostId="5975" Score="0" Text="If you are in the company bathroom and get suddenly enlightened on a revolutionary solution or idea that will change the world then you will not charge for that because you were in the bathroom ;) If you take 2 hours of your time in work hours to go to the client office and you use that time to do intellectual work that will be tranformed in real valuable products, that is chargeable work in my point of view. Other than the fact that as I said you could be doing something else in that time so I don't see why I should just loose that gain and pay fuel and other expenses. IMHO." CreationDate="2016-09-10T09:37:03.103" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="8248" PostId="5975" Score="0" Text="I guess some people just look to charge the client for anything and everything they can get away with. I tend to *not* look for ways of taking advantage of my clients." CreationDate="2016-09-10T15:03:57.183" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8249" PostId="5977" Score="3" Text="You need to be more specific. Strictly speaking all you need is a laptop, probably an email address and a coffee shop to connect to wifi. What do you need the tools for? Do you want to track hours? Make an invoice? Manage customer info?" CreationDate="2016-09-10T20:23:41.370" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8250" PostId="5975" Score="0" Text="My clients don't expect to be charged for travel time either, it's included in my fee. Exceptions exist of course: traveling abroad or large distance (more than 150km) where hotels are involved etc. but I always charge those 1-on-1 i.e. exactly what it cost me, no margin." CreationDate="2016-09-10T20:32:22.490" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8251" PostId="5977" Score="0" Text="Lol, I was about to say a computer and broadband internet access, but you are right, a coffee shop would do. A telephone would be good too of course." CreationDate="2016-09-10T21:10:41.927" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8252" PostId="5981" Score="0" Text="This is only true if you jump in blind and need to anticipate a longer period without income before things take off, that is certainly not always true. A bit of reserve is always a good idea, but 6 to 12 months is exaggerated." CreationDate="2016-09-10T21:29:42.983" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8255" PostId="5963" Score="0" Text="In the past, as an IT manager, I was a (regular) guest at a co-worker of the same group in his house in Johannesburg, with which I still have good relation terms to this day. He also drove me around, as the city can be dangerous. I helped with buying food, and payed the restaurant bills. After a couple of times, he started billing my firm, as it was much more cheaper and convenient for us that arrangement. It also provided some reliability for both of us, as he started picking me up at the airport instead of the hotels, and it happened a couple of times that hotels &quot;lost&quot; my booking." CreationDate="2016-09-10T23:00:16.290" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="8256" PostId="5963" Score="0" Text="The payment was made as transference of expenses between our two firms as much I as I am aware, as obviously we were not paying a hotel. Asking for it, and saying they cannot pay is not entirely correct. I would demand at least a token payment, firstly to take a position, second to send a message. Hosting someone also has costs. Spare towels, showering, changing the bed linen and a breakfast and the extra work that goes with it." CreationDate="2016-09-10T23:04:15.143" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="8257" PostId="5981" Score="3" Text="No. It isn't. Not if you want to ensure you are okay and can grow the business from the start rather than scramble to survive right away." CreationDate="2016-09-11T03:50:28.240" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8259" PostId="5985" Score="0" Text="If you want just to sell products, why develop such a big project from scratch when you can get something like Prestashop (or similar) that is ready to use and also mobile compatible..." CreationDate="2016-09-11T08:56:10.680" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="8261" PostId="5977" Score="0" Text="The ability to determine what is needed, when it is needed, and how to acquire it. if you don't already have it. In short, you need the ability to answer this question yourself." CreationDate="2016-09-11T09:49:09.000" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8262" PostId="5982" Score="0" Text="I guess the first step is getting a client. The clients I've discovered on online IT freelancing sites are cumbersome with little to no payoff.  Perhaps I've been looking in the wrong places." CreationDate="2016-09-11T09:59:08.293" UserId="14793" />
  <row Id="8263" PostId="5985" Score="1" Text="I voted to close this because it's not possible for *anyone* else to price your work." CreationDate="2016-09-11T16:58:07.787" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8264" PostId="5985" Score="0" Text="When you say it's not possible, could you elaborate more? I only posted it for 9 hours. Is it because I don't provide enough information?&#xA;I did look into Shopify and Prestashop. However, it is difficult to also include an app, and also store customer CC information. That is why I have to build my from scratch. This is not for a mom and pop type of shop. We expect to have several hundred orders per day." CreationDate="2016-09-11T17:49:35.623" UserId="14796" />
  <row Id="8265" PostId="5981" Score="0" Text="You're talking about growing a business, a company, and in that case I agree. Not every freelancer has that ambition." CreationDate="2016-09-12T07:52:17.830" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8266" PostId="5973" Score="0" Text="In my country the Law proscribes how much we should charge if we drive a car officially. The price is counted per 1 km and includes fuel and amortization. So I either count this price or some rounded price." CreationDate="2016-09-12T09:09:05.627" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="8267" PostId="5976" Score="0" Text="Check other replies I made in the past. This is a repeated question so guys explained this in details." CreationDate="2016-09-12T09:10:36.167" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="8268" PostId="5981" Score="3" Text="Sure they do.. isn't it every freelancer's goal to be independent and make enough money to be comfortable without having to worry about income regularly? Even 1 person is a business and &quot;grow&quot; doesn't necessarily mean adding employees and that sort of thing... it just means make it better known, more accessible, more frequented, more trusted by clients, better word of mouth... etc." CreationDate="2016-09-12T09:21:42.233" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8269" PostId="5988" Score="1" Text="If you search on Google you will find any kind of pdf contracts. You can read several of them and make your own contract in Word adapting/rewriting the various sources to your needs." CreationDate="2016-09-12T16:43:10.210" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="8271" PostId="5992" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the response @fiprojects! I just wanted to make sure that I didn't miss anything. I will research this. I appreciate it!" CreationDate="2016-09-12T17:25:41.103" UserId="11760" />
  <row Id="8272" PostId="5988" Score="0" Text="I have done so @Mario. I just wanted to make sure that I am not missing anything. :)" CreationDate="2016-09-12T17:26:28.443" UserId="11760" />
  <row Id="8274" PostId="5985" Score="0" Text="Well, I **do not** have an understanding of the project, regardless of how much you type - I never will. I don't know the client (you). I don't know your experience level, your overhead, your region, the market rates for your area, etc. There are so many variables that go into calculating pricing that is it practically **never** possible for anyone to just throw out a number for you. The best anyone could do is post what they *think* would be an adequate amount. However for all the reasons I've listed here... they would all be **guesses** and never accurate. This is just a bad question." CreationDate="2016-09-12T19:38:55.587" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8275" PostId="5985" Score="0" Text="You've essentially posted -- I want to buy land and build a house - the house must have 4 bedrooms, 2 bathroom and be blue.... what do you think it will cost? -- No one can possibly answer that with any sort of accuracy." CreationDate="2016-09-12T19:42:54.723" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8276" PostId="5996" Score="0" Text="This really isn't a good question in my opinion. It's (probably unintentionally) asking for spam and self-promo answers. Just not what Stack sites are about." CreationDate="2016-09-12T19:46:10.990" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8277" PostId="5996" Score="0" Text="I definitely agree that it might invite some self-promoting answers, but I should expect those would be downvoted over time so as not to be considered relevant.  While most StackExchange sites excel at blocking questions that lead to or support bias, I get the feeling that FreelancingExchange has to bend a little, since many answers are experience-based and there aren't really any answers that fit in every scenario.  It certainly is not my intention to invite self-promo though." CreationDate="2016-09-12T20:23:02.893" UserId="14810" />
  <row Id="8278" PostId="5997" Score="1" Text="Paul,  My Google-Fu can always use improvement, but I do typically try to exhaust my search engine queries before posting to a forum for answers.  Hence why this is my very first question.&#xA;&#xA;That being said, Many of the results I found in StackExchange were from the freelancer side, questioning the best way to find clients, or to ensure contracts are negotiated properly.&#xA;&#xA;One of the results I found was from a dev in a similar situation as myself, and he was lamenting that there were so many scammers out there and it was hard to tell - even with reviews and recommendations - the true devs." CreationDate="2016-09-12T20:24:15.477" UserId="14810" />
  <row Id="8279" PostId="5997" Score="1" Text="My question (though clear as mud), was really more about where you freelancers go, that you can feel comfortable about the projects and the people you are working for.  In my experience, a professional in any trade or craft will not look for work in a known-shady forum or site. I myself have no experience to call on for which places may be shady and which ones are proven.&#xA;&#xA;Regarding '\Jobs' - I actually went looking for that exact entry using the drop-down menu in the site header, and couldn't find it.  Your link is precisely what I was looking for.  Thank you." CreationDate="2016-09-12T20:32:46.497" UserId="14810" />
  <row Id="8280" PostId="5997" Score="0" Text="It is tough online for sure, for us freelancers there are scammers too that will take the work you do, create a fictitious reason for not paying, and keep the work and get a refund from the site. For me this site is pretty good, as well as Outsource.com however everyone will have their own favorite. Good luck with finding a decent dev. for your jobs." CreationDate="2016-09-12T20:46:57.813" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8281" PostId="5975" Score="0" Text="You're assuming my hourly rate is $50, or close to it.... it's not. If I charged my hourly rate to drive, it would be taking advantage of my clients. And I *specifically* rent a vehicle for long trips rather than putting business miles on my own personal vehicle... just makes sense to not depreciate the value of my personal assets due to business use. I don't rent vehicles to drive across town." CreationDate="2016-09-13T20:21:40.277" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8282" PostId="6003" Score="0" Text="I'm glad that you pointed that out, I felt like I was way off for being offended by his actions. It's good to know that it's a reasonable response." CreationDate="2016-09-13T20:45:14.487" UserId="14699" />
  <row Id="8283" PostId="6003" Score="0" Text="Anyone dedicated to the project they want to hire you for will be *eager* to meet with you.... even if there will be a delay in starting the project itself. Anyone who repeatedly delays even meeting you, but insists on the meeting, is stalling... either due to financial reasons or a lack of ernest commitment to the project themselves. You aren't &quot;way off&quot; for being offended.  It would be a different matter if you were already hired, but if you haven't even been hired... I'd not schedule a 5th meeting or schedule the meeting at *my* office where if he fails to appear.... it won't matter." CreationDate="2016-09-13T20:48:13.260" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8284" PostId="5976" Score="2" Text="Try freelancing at evenings and weekends for test. When you get enough tasks, leave the daily job." CreationDate="2016-09-14T13:23:02.170" UserId="14825" />
  <row Id="8285" PostId="3441" Score="0" Text="Is point 1 true?" CreationDate="2016-09-14T13:25:43.317" UserId="14825" />
  <row Id="8286" PostId="6005" Score="0" Text="Do you happen to know which US State the company resides in?" CreationDate="2016-09-14T13:26:48.727" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="8287" PostId="6005" Score="0" Text="yes, State of Delaware" CreationDate="2016-09-14T16:41:25.683" UserId="14824" />
  <row Id="8288" PostId="3441" Score="0" Text="@i486 It's certainly true in my experience. There are only three ways to spread knowledge of your business: advertising, word of mouth, and people finding you in web searches. If you are just getting started, people searching for full stack devs are going to find lots of other results before you. That leaves advertising or word-of-mouth, but word-of-mouth is cheaper and (in my opinion) much more successful for an individual developer." CreationDate="2016-09-14T18:30:21.760" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="8289" PostId="6004" Score="0" Text="Found sites. No jobs. I use linkedin but no success." CreationDate="2016-09-14T18:59:27.330" UserId="14793" />
  <row Id="8290" PostId="3441" Score="0" Text="OK, but who has the risk of penalties - the client or the freelancer? I think that agreements with freelancer sites against direct contracts between companies and freelancers can be valid for limited time (e.g. 3-6 months from the offer) and not forever." CreationDate="2016-09-14T19:40:48.893" UserId="14825" />
  <row Id="8291" PostId="3441" Score="1" Text="@i486: Oh, you meant the other part of the answer. Yes, that's true as well. See for example Section 7: Non-circumvention at https://www.upwork.com/legal/  And the period is 2 years, not 3-6 months." CreationDate="2016-09-14T20:14:08.107" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="8292" PostId="6004" Score="0" Text="Its a numbers game. Try one site and you have fewer chances than two sites. I spend an hour or two a day searching for jobs across a number of sites. Some days are more successful than others. I can expect to apply for ten or more jobs a week and lucky if half reply and possibly one in ten might end up with a talk on the phone. Interviews are less frequent. If freelancing was so easy, more would do it. Be creative and more active and you will be more successful in your search. Best of luck." CreationDate="2016-09-14T20:49:59.553" UserId="11579" />
  <row Id="8293" PostId="6004" Score="0" Text="Sounds very difficult to do.  I'm having second thoughts about it.  It would seem that a huge percent of the time is spent on overhead." CreationDate="2016-09-15T10:57:43.343" UserId="14793" />
  <row Id="8294" PostId="6007" Score="0" Text="upwork and freelancer.com are a joke. I have just seen there a work to write a provisioning application and corredponding infractruture setup for a cable provider, a job/set of projects for 10k-100k depending on your part of the world, being priced as 1k. and at 10-20k upfront commision to the site, it is an insult" CreationDate="2016-09-17T12:38:20.413" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="8295" PostId="5994" Score="0" Text="Thanks! I figured that I should just add a &quot;terms of service&quot; page to the contract for more info. I don't want to miss anything because it's hard to tell clients that I have new rules." CreationDate="2016-09-17T20:04:04.543" UserId="11760" />
  <row Id="8296" PostId="6009" Score="0" Text="What exactly is your 'liability' in this case? What are you risking. You are doing some marketing for them and it will either work or not work. What is the liability you are referring to here?" CreationDate="2016-09-18T13:58:40.443" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8297" PostId="6011" Score="0" Text="I like the advice, it could work well for me. But could this be  considered misleading in some way? Or does it not matter, if I am providing those services anyway?" CreationDate="2016-09-18T17:33:45.360" UserId="14604" />
  <row Id="8298" PostId="6011" Score="0" Text="No, use valid information, just leave off company names and dates, that's all. If asked, state it was employment, but you don't necessarily need to disclose that on the web site." CreationDate="2016-09-18T17:56:47.373" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8299" PostId="5963" Score="1" Text="&quot;However, as it's such short notice, there are no hotels available nearby.&quot; That's not true. There are always hotels available in London, provided they're willing to pay double or triple for the short notice." CreationDate="2016-09-19T16:42:19.987" UserId="14434" />
  <row Id="8300" PostId="6009" Score="0" Text="Did you mean to say &quot;cost&quot; instead of &quot;liability&quot;? Also, how entry level are you? If some clients can't pay you, or can't get good value from your services, you should avoid them. Clients that are the most difficult about the price tend to also be the clients that suck up most of your time (to the detriment of your other potential clients). It doesn't matter what their reasons are. As a freelancer, your objective is to be making a living." CreationDate="2016-09-19T17:08:29.960" UserId="14434" />
  <row Id="8301" PostId="5926" Score="0" Text="How old are you? Have you finished high school already? What regular jobs have you had? How fast can you type? Can you type as fast as this woman does on her steno keyboard? http://stenoknight.com/ http://www.openstenoproject.org/ If you have neither knowledge nor experience, freelancing is no substitute for a regular job." CreationDate="2016-09-19T17:21:35.887" UserId="14434" />
  <row Id="8302" PostId="5990" Score="0" Text="You need a boiler plate contract, even for small jobs. Even if you don't know how much something is going to cost, you need it spelled out in writing with a maximum amount the client is willing to pay before you need a second authorization. This protects both you and the client. If a reasonable contract turns off anyone, it will be the scammers, the people who expect you to work on something for nothing, and the employees who are not the real decision makers within their organizations." CreationDate="2016-09-19T20:58:41.420" UserId="14434" />
  <row Id="8303" PostId="6014" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the input PaulD. As it is a complex situation, I do realize that a simple % won't be enough, but I was hoping to use that as a base and go from there. &#xA;&#xA;I have done some background research, by enquiring with other companies, looking into how rent compares between cities, and also seeing what people charge on upwork per hour who are in this vicinity. &#xA;&#xA;Unfortunately, I have not been able to get a solid enough answer yet based on my research. I'll keep on looking!" CreationDate="2016-09-20T17:59:37.710" UserId="14874" />
  <row Id="8304" PostId="5991" Score="1" Text="Nothing more to add really. Maybe a few more Yes, Yes Yes!" CreationDate="2016-09-20T20:46:17.807" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8305" PostId="6014" Score="1" Text="The fictional quotes always worked for me, it's a bit mean to let competitors put effort into a quote you'll never answer to but in your situation it will be very difficult otherwise. Also: Upwork is no place to compare real world rates, I have no clue how guys on Upwork survive." CreationDate="2016-09-20T20:49:10.767" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8306" PostId="5912" Score="1" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because this is not about the scope of freelancing as given in the Help Center." CreationDate="2016-09-20T22:33:57.673" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="8307" PostId="6021" Score="0" Text="&quot;Stipend&quot;?  A stipend is a payment for trainees.  Not sure on this mode of thinking." CreationDate="2016-09-21T22:18:47.390" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="8309" PostId="6009" Score="0" Text="I have no idea what the question is meant to ask. The first sentence isn't a full sentence and I've read the entire question multiple times and the best I could guess is ... *&quot;Should I charge more hourly?&quot;* which I don't know how anyone could effectively answer." CreationDate="2016-09-23T04:15:53.220" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8310" PostId="6030" Score="0" Text="You seem to be offering yourself your own job in that notification? Are you trying to dishonestly improve your own profile standing. You are never going to get away with that." CreationDate="2016-09-25T19:49:12.177" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8311" PostId="6030" Score="0" Text="I would suggest that for answers about how to use freelancer, the best place to ask would be Freelancer themselves." CreationDate="2016-09-25T19:49:49.147" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8312" PostId="6030" Score="0" Text="Just to get the obvious out of the way: this SE site is about freelancing in general, aka working independent. Not the website." CreationDate="2016-09-25T20:01:42.763" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8316" PostId="6037" Score="0" Text="What possible concessions would exist if your rates aren't negotiable? Seems to me that is the *only* negotiation point on your end... either reduced pricing for some work or free work in some instances.. either one will alter your rates. Even something like &quot;2 hours free&quot; is altering your rates. -- Note I'm not weighing in on &quot;yes&quot; or &quot;no&quot;, I'm curious as to what you feel *isn't* altering your rates. I often complete small things for great clients without charging (but I know that is rate negotiation)." CreationDate="2016-09-27T17:31:20.607" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8317" PostId="6034" Score="0" Text="A free month?  Who's paying for phone calls, electricity, and to feed the OP (and family) during a &quot;free&quot; period?  Last I checked, you can't mail the electric company an envelope full of &quot;good will&quot;.  This is made more severe by the fact that the client could actually still be earning money on the Play Store, despite the found lapses -- this proposal isn't win-win." CreationDate="2016-09-27T19:43:31.907" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="8318" PostId="6033" Score="2" Text="*NEVER* use the word &quot;Free.&quot;  Use &quot;Included,&quot; or &quot;Packaged.&quot;  If you're doing a turnkey project, 30-days' follow-up support may be included.  I'd limit it to a number of hours, personally." CreationDate="2016-09-27T23:18:49.970" UserId="14429" />
  <row Id="8320" PostId="6034" Score="0" Text="I agree with Wesley Long. I get the idea OP wrote this app for ONE client. I feel this should include support. However, I agree that he should include it &quot;app development costs&quot; to the client and maybe limit to specific hours rather than a time range." CreationDate="2016-09-28T06:57:15.163" UserId="14760" />
  <row Id="8321" PostId="6018" Score="1" Text="+1 for not burning bridges. I've used a similar approach in the past and I think none of the customers picked me up on the offer to help." CreationDate="2016-09-28T11:01:49.350" UserId="14562" />
  <row Id="8322" PostId="6018" Score="1" Text="I'd also add that while it might seem daunting to fire customers, it's a fairly normal part of your business day to day and shows maturity in how you manage the business. Stay professional, don't burn bridges and get it over with quickly. Then pat yourself on the back, feel the weight lifted + get on with what is really important to you." CreationDate="2016-09-28T11:03:17.217" UserId="14562" />
  <row Id="8323" PostId="6051" Score="0" Text="Thanks for quick reply, do I have do go deep in technical details I mean how the app will look like or just write down what tools I'll be using to achieve the app ?" CreationDate="2016-09-28T18:03:40.660" UserId="14976" />
  <row Id="8324" PostId="6051" Score="1" Text="Only quick cause I happened to be online and looking at the time. No, you should not design the app before you get the job. You can certainly list the main functionality. If the customer has said I want it to let customers create a shopping list, you can write under the heading shopping list. add items, view item details, edit quantities, delete items, duplicate items, add to wish list etc etc. But only include things the customer has already asked for. Do not make up functionality, even if in your opinion that would be a good thing. Give them what they ask for, but do not do anything upfront" CreationDate="2016-09-28T18:07:41.163" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8325" PostId="6051" Score="0" Text="Even the tools you use are not needed. Imagine you asked a carpenter for a new kitchen. He would not list the hammer and drill type. Just say what you are going to build and what you will deliver." CreationDate="2016-09-28T18:09:17.017" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8327" PostId="6035" Score="0" Text="There are people that think it is good business to simply screw suppliers, not pay bills until the last possible second, to complain because they think they will get something for free, and to demand more and more for less and less. They actually think this is what a good businessman does. Personally, I think good business people know it is about win win, not win lose (to use that eighties phraseology)." CreationDate="2016-09-28T18:35:18.020" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8329" PostId="6053" Score="1" Text="In most countries **any** income above a certain amount is taxable. The source of the income is largely irrelevant (as long as it's legal). I'm not familiar with UK taxes so I can't answer specifically, but in general .... yes it's taxable." CreationDate="2016-09-28T19:47:36.413" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8332" PostId="6058" Score="0" Text="Many thanks - that's extremely helpful to know" CreationDate="2016-09-30T09:30:44.297" UserId="14986" />
  <row Id="8333" PostId="1671" Score="0" Text="You can get a basic idea from the site: http://webindream.com/freelance-how-start-freelance/ &#xA;and &#xA;http://webindream.com/freelance-how-did-i-start/" CreationDate="2016-10-02T15:43:08.483" UserId="15007" />
  <row Id="8334" PostId="6074" Score="1" Text="yeah probably not a great question... but.... eh.. I think you're worrying unnecessarily.  Yes it will be an adjustment and you surely will hit those interactions where your &quot;freelancer mindset&quot; will be &quot;against the norm&quot; for other employees -- but.. *that* may be what causes you to excel in the position. Face it, you'll most likely be more decisive and fall naturally into a more leadership role. I think the largest issue you'll have is punching a time clock -- or at least that would be my largest hurdle." CreationDate="2016-10-05T21:13:39.913" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8335" PostId="6074" Score="0" Text="I must admit that one factor in doubting myself was the not waking up at midday on occasion after a night out and flopping into the office when I felt like it! Perhaps I am just childishly nervous and thanks for your positive comments. Just wanted input from other freelancers that might have tried the same transition themselves perhaps. A weakness of the team is certainly leadership, and seeing the bigger picture, that is one thing, I think, the owners and directors are hoping I will add." CreationDate="2016-10-05T21:32:53.863" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8336" PostId="6074" Score="2" Text="Yeah giving up those occasional 2pm naps would be hard :)" CreationDate="2016-10-06T01:55:16.170" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8337" PostId="6074" Score="1" Text="That will not be easy. In our company the CEO is very stringent about hiring ex-freelancers on payroll because according to him it can only result in trouble. In the end though, I think it's about mind set. If you are really fed up with being a freelancer I can't imagine any real trouble arising. I would really miss being independent and objective as an outsider, which may not be as easy when you are an employee." CreationDate="2016-10-06T20:15:24.320" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8338" PostId="4103" Score="0" Text="Interesting, I had no clue it was so restricted in Germany. Not so in BE, NL, ..." CreationDate="2016-10-06T20:18:05.693" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8339" PostId="6074" Score="0" Text="I don't think your CEO is too wrong as a rule of thumb. In my case I wasn't job hunting or applying for jobs, I was offered one out of the blue. Less fed up but more just a loss of passion or love for it. When I was fully booked I could not take on more work to earn more. I could never get to a point where I could afford an experienced employee, nor had the time to train an apprentice. I kinda wish I had avoided service sector and gone for a product line. Too late now. And yes, I too will miss those things, but it is not all good when the passion has gone. Thanks for the comments though." CreationDate="2016-10-06T22:03:45.057" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8340" PostId="6076" Score="0" Text="Hmm... Im in the US and it's different.. taxes are based on where the work is *preformed* (or sold) not on where it's delivered to. Maybe it's different in the EU." CreationDate="2016-10-06T22:41:49.303" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8341" PostId="6076" Score="0" Text="The delivery is the service which is performed in another country, so I think it's logical it would count as intracommunity. Added link to EU site for clarity." CreationDate="2016-10-07T06:18:27.800" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8342" PostId="6078" Score="0" Text="Possible duplicate of [What's the best way to 'sack' a customer](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/6017/whats-the-best-way-to-sack-a-customer)" CreationDate="2016-10-07T08:04:49.147" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8343" PostId="6078" Score="0" Text="... not really, as the question deals with clients in a general service relationship (hosting), I do write very specialised, individual software where one can't simply go to another provider." CreationDate="2016-10-07T08:43:22.620" UserId="15053" />
  <row Id="8345" PostId="6081" Score="0" Text="You may want to find out, maybe from a friend in HR, why they're not extending. There could be legal reasons - ISTR contracts dragging on for years raising red flags with the IRS." CreationDate="2016-10-07T15:58:26.110" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="8346" PostId="6063" Score="0" Text="You are the best. This is exactly what I am looking for! Thank you so much!! By the way, they are a concierge. It's like a &quot;hidden&quot; business so it's very hard to market." CreationDate="2016-10-07T20:20:07.940" UserId="11760" />
  <row Id="8347" PostId="6077" Score="1" Text="That is one of the main reasons I hear for going to work for one company, for consultants and freelancers alike: they finally want to help build something instead of coming along for a specific project and then leaving." CreationDate="2016-10-07T22:19:53.950" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8348" PostId="5799" Score="0" Text="I agree with the general sentiment I read here.  Long term work but no discounts." CreationDate="2016-10-08T11:11:11.950" UserId="14793" />
  <row Id="8349" PostId="6088" Score="0" Text="Thanks. The reasons are despite slightly less money, I will be learning and developing no longer as a stand alone developer working on small business sites, but part of a great team on a massive commercial project. My worry, having made the decision and commitment to change, is that having been a freelancer for so long I might cock it up because of my self employed attitude and mindset. I was hoping for some top tips to account for this, address this or that might help me ensure a successful change." CreationDate="2016-10-08T13:17:05.920" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8350" PostId="6094" Score="0" Text="Over 15 years freelancing. Am a lot older than 30 :-(" CreationDate="2016-10-08T20:36:13.983" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8351" PostId="6096" Score="0" Text="So, it sounds to me like one needs to be business-wise social in order to be a successful freelancer." CreationDate="2016-10-10T18:38:58.343" UserId="14793" />
  <row Id="8352" PostId="6095" Score="1" Text="#4 probably has a few lawyers howling, already.  No one can give you a &quot;release&quot; for committing a criminal act, and you are obviously an expert enough in the field to know that this is a criminal act." CreationDate="2016-10-11T00:44:40.097" UserId="14429" />
  <row Id="8353" PostId="6095" Score="0" Text="@WesleyLong there are cases when you don't know if you are committing a criminal act. For example if the client gives you pictures, graphics, sounds, texts that you elaborate and publish, you don't know if he purchased the license for them, he produced them or he stole them from internet. So it's common use to sign declaration of release on these things where the client declare that he is ok with the law. Is not your fault if he gives you stolen images. The same if he provides you a software and a key licence, how can you know if he purchased it or not? He can say &quot;yes I purchased it&quot; and lie." CreationDate="2016-10-11T08:35:34.633" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="8354" PostId="6100" Score="0" Text="I concur with Scott - Profits from prior contracts help carry the expense it takes for you to survey and find your next contract. The greater your experience, the greater your funds will help contribute to future research, sick, holiday, pension and other expenses that still need paying when you are between jobs." CreationDate="2016-10-11T14:50:27.623" UserId="11579" />
  <row Id="8355" PostId="6095" Score="2" Text="Your point on graphics is well-taken.  However, that is not a comparable situation.  The client provided the contractor with a password cracker.  There is no contrivance where the contractor could claim this was a legitimate license." CreationDate="2016-10-11T15:32:00.733" UserId="14429" />
  <row Id="8356" PostId="6095" Score="0" Text="@WesleyLong Of course in the specific case of the password cracker is obviously not legitimate software and I agree with you. But sometimes softwares can be paid per download, per subscriptions, per membership or in other forms that are less traceable or recognizable. Sometimes my clients buy themselves licences or services that I use for their projects and I always pretend a declaration of release for anything they provide me. If anything happens I have something to show at least :)" CreationDate="2016-10-11T17:11:37.827" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="8357" PostId="6103" Score="1" Text="Maybe you could just straight away turn the client in! Inform the vendor someone is pirating their software. Your client will thank you for your integrity later." CreationDate="2016-10-11T20:26:29.393" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8358" PostId="6105" Score="0" Text="assuming 'test project' does not mean testing as in quality assurance..." CreationDate="2016-10-12T06:35:38.463" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8359" PostId="6094" Score="0" Text="Age is definitely a factor. I am acutely aware of that. Some employers see age and experience as a benefit, most see it as a negative. i.e. old means slow, old means stuck in your ways, old means not cutting edge, old means bad health. ALL these things are wrong, and illegal to discriminate against age. But it is still a massive issue that is rarely discussed. So I agree entirely." CreationDate="2016-10-12T09:26:48.570" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8360" PostId="6105" Score="0" Text="Well I think wording would be different if the task was actually testing something. :) Such as &quot;product testing&quot; or &quot;troubleshooting&quot; or, as you state &quot;quality assurance&quot;  -- It most probably wouldn't be labeled &quot;test project&quot; for a project involving testing :)" CreationDate="2016-10-12T16:38:35.517" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8361" PostId="6115" Score="0" Text="Up until six months ago I would have agreed with you entirely, being in a similar position myself for over 15 years. However, during the last six months I felt a sudden and overriding loss of passion and love of what I do. I was fed up explaining the same thing again and again to new customers, fed up with dealing with new customers and very fed up with late payers, nit-pickers and pandering to customers needs all the time. So I was primed for a massive change. I have committed to that change now and there is no turning back. For better or for worse." CreationDate="2016-10-12T16:59:54.280" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8362" PostId="6114" Score="1" Text="Having that sort of nest egg is advice I always followed even when self employed. I could survive for 6 months with 0 income. If it ever got down to just 1 month left, I knew it would be time to do something else. Fortunately it never did. It is a good idea to keep this philosophy for employment too, so it the worst ever happens, it is not the end of the world and you have breathing room to stop, consider and find alternative incomes. Thank you for that, much appreciated." CreationDate="2016-10-12T17:03:26.650" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8363" PostId="6115" Score="3" Text="As for going faster, you are quite right. The inefficiency I see in the workplace is shocking. When we are self employed we work damned hard when we are working. I am guessing that as an employee the motivation to work so efficiently goes, because you get paid anyway. Even the crappy skive off do-nothings get paid! You get paid for standing about chatting, sitting in meetings, going to the toilet, making coffee - us self employed people do not. We get paid when we produce, end of story. The noise is going to be a real turn off for me too I must admit. Especially the pointless idle chit chat." CreationDate="2016-10-12T17:05:28.447" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8364" PostId="6117" Score="0" Text="I would not consider 1 day between invoicing and payment &quot;late&quot; by any stretch of the imagination. And with no contract... you **may** be obligated to provide 10-30 days between invoicing and payment (depends on your location)." CreationDate="2016-10-12T18:13:00.750" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8365" PostId="6117" Score="0" Text="Hey @Scott, yeah I totally agree with you. The issue is he has said he will pay me every Tuesday and he's not. Every time I remind him he's not saying &quot;it's on it's way&quot; he has forgot or doesn't care" CreationDate="2016-10-12T18:16:07.263" UserId="15108" />
  <row Id="8366" PostId="6117" Score="1" Text="I really wouldn't see an issue if payment is *always* made. People get busy. While in theory he may want to pay every Tuesday... it's not impossible he's got other things going on and needs another day or two just due to existing demands on his time." CreationDate="2016-10-12T18:23:03.233" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8367" PostId="6121" Score="0" Text="1. I want to, 2. I get paid by the hour so can't get upfront payment. This is more like payroll, 3. I already do, 4. Doubt he would agree, 5. Trust me... I'm looking :)" CreationDate="2016-10-12T20:21:43.873" UserId="15108" />
  <row Id="8368" PostId="6121" Score="0" Text="As an alternative to payment before you work, you could ask for a retainer or deposit that you'll return once your work is complete and all paid up. Doesn't sound like that would work either, but it's an option. Best of luck!" CreationDate="2016-10-12T20:27:17.337" UserId="15109" />
  <row Id="8369" PostId="298" Score="0" Text="Just to update you on the article from NOLO. The new link is this [Website Law](http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/website-law). They've updated their site since this thread." CreationDate="2016-10-12T22:27:15.853" UserId="4697" />
  <row Id="8370" PostId="6115" Score="1" Text="@PaulD I understand you at 100% in everything you say about annoying customers, payments, etc, that's why I don't see myself doing that for the rest of my life and I'm trying to step into other type of business (even thought since there are people involved in the work, there will always be big and small problems). But if you came to that decision means that it's time for you to make a change and have new experiences. Best of luck!" CreationDate="2016-10-13T07:17:43.537" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="8371" PostId="6115" Score="2" Text="@PaulD, about inefficiency in offices, I didn't want to be pitiless in my answer, but when I go to work in the client offices there is a bi-directional shocking effect, I am shocked how much people waste time and do their best to work less possible (not all of course), and people there are shocked when I do in 30 minutes what they do in 2 hours or more! And this is more evident the more the company is big, with small companies everyone does it's best, with large companies the work and responsabilities are all watered down and most people get salary for doing very little." CreationDate="2016-10-13T07:25:06.733" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="8372" PostId="5941" Score="0" Text="I don't agree with blaming it on anyone - I simply meant that it could be put down to an administrative error - in no way should the OP dodge responsibility for that, or name some poor underling to take responsibility. Just that it could help the client take the news in a way that doesn't destroy the relationship." CreationDate="2016-10-13T14:12:51.783" UserId="14718" />
  <row Id="8375" PostId="6121" Score="0" Text="I suggest talking to the client and telling him you want to renegotiate the terms. Start with the contract - and in there, you can list whatever terms you want  - but bear in mind that he may want to adjust things to be comfortable for him. It wouldn't hurt to have someone familiar with international law take a look at it. Since you two are located in different countries, I don't know what kind of legal recourse you may have should the contract be in violation." CreationDate="2016-10-13T20:33:01.180" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="8378" PostId="6126" Score="1" Text="Very good point!" CreationDate="2016-10-14T00:30:17.970" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8379" PostId="6128" Score="0" Text="70$ per hour or 70$ for the whole project?" CreationDate="2016-10-14T08:04:24.140" UserId="12000" />
  <row Id="8381" PostId="6128" Score="1" Text="I voted to close this question. There's no way anyone can price your work for you, especially since we have no clue about the details of any project, your level of expertise, familiarity with tools, quality of work... etc. $70 per hour may be okay... $70 for an entire web site is **ridiculously low**.  (I mean **ridiculously**)" CreationDate="2016-10-14T10:31:03.630" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8382" PostId="6130" Score="0" Text="I would suggest **not** using upwork or freelancer to gage pricing. Those are **closed** markets that are often populated by workers in foreign countries where minimal payment is seen as &quot;good&quot; - and clients *looking* for the cheapest labor they can find." CreationDate="2016-10-14T10:33:54.847" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8383" PostId="6130" Score="0" Text="@Scott Yes, i do agree to some extent with yourself. However, a rough indication will give an idea of what is out there." CreationDate="2016-10-14T11:47:25.580" UserId="15123" />
  <row Id="8384" PostId="6128" Score="0" Text="yeah i was going to charge $70 for the whole project since i would just be html and css and maybe some javascript" CreationDate="2016-10-14T13:32:06.253" UserId="15121" />
  <row Id="8388" PostId="29" Score="0" Text="This seems far more like a legal question and would probably fit better on law.stackexchange..com" CreationDate="2016-10-15T15:12:12.877" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8391" PostId="6128" Score="0" Text="@NBera: Please don't do it. Prices like this will destroy the business for everyone." CreationDate="2016-10-15T18:43:00.137" UserId="12000" />
  <row Id="8396" PostId="6078" Score="0" Text="Maybe think of other reasons... say your health, stresses, concerns, or other reasons..." CreationDate="2016-10-16T00:49:28.073" UserDisplayName="user15141" />
  <row Id="8397" PostId="6138" Score="0" Text="Try a google search for 'project management software'." CreationDate="2016-10-17T09:53:41.180" UserId="14793" />
  <row Id="8399" PostId="6143" Score="0" Text="The reason for my question in the first place was a lack of client base.  Networking has not done for me what it has for others.  I feel that I do have to do free work in order to get any attention at all.  But, as I now know, test projects are like a black hole, and I'm an oscar meyer weiner." CreationDate="2016-10-17T18:20:14.253" UserId="14793" />
  <row Id="8400" PostId="6128" Score="0" Text="@Apfelsaft so charge more..." CreationDate="2016-10-17T19:50:59.930" UserId="15121" />
  <row Id="8403" PostId="6142" Score="0" Text="How does that work? If you deliver on time, you get a 20% bonus. If you miss the deadline, you stop working but only get 80% payment?" CreationDate="2016-10-18T11:40:36.160" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="8404" PostId="6144" Score="0" Text="You dont justify anything! You set your rate, and if the market doesnt take it, you go to another market (or client). If you start to put yourself on this position, you are giving him the great chance of taking your price down. You are not a baby needing permission to have a financial life. You have your price, and the market needed to sustain it will come to you... if you first drop the market which wont support you on this" CreationDate="2016-10-18T13:04:32.673" UserId="11004" />
  <row Id="8406" PostId="6144" Score="1" Text="I would note that if these &quot;new skills&quot; and &quot;a lot more experience&quot; are a direct result from work completed with *this client*, you may want to cut the client a break because you'd then obviously be benefitting in non-financial ways by working with this particular client." CreationDate="2016-10-19T00:15:41.853" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8407" PostId="6142" Score="0" Text="I've worked for an employer where this method using bonus/penalties was the normal way, so yes, it was standard practice. I have no idea if it is getting to be a general standard, I don't think so." CreationDate="2016-10-19T07:51:52.543" UserId="12860" />
  <row Id="8408" PostId="6142" Score="0" Text="@morsor You have to deliver the project, whether it is on time or not. If on time, you get paid what you agreed on. If earlier, you get a bonus. If later, you get paid less." CreationDate="2016-10-19T07:52:48.357" UserId="12860" />
  <row Id="8409" PostId="5811" Score="0" Text="@Scott actually the IRS classifies single-member LLC that is *disregarded* as a individual/sole proprietor." CreationDate="2016-10-19T09:32:47.123" UserId="12482" />
  <row Id="8410" PostId="5811" Score="0" Text="@Kris I own and operate a single-member LLC.. so yeah... sure.. if you say so." CreationDate="2016-10-19T09:42:35.300" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8411" PostId="5811" Score="0" Text="@Scott google it and save all of us from wasting time... or shoot while I'm at it [https://www.google.com/search?q=LLC+that+is+disregarded&amp;oq=LLC+that+is+disregarded&amp;aqs=chrome..69i57&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8](read here)." CreationDate="2016-10-19T09:43:05.573" UserId="12482" />
  <row Id="8412" PostId="5811" Score="0" Text="@Kris I just love it when people read the blurb on Google and don't really read the content, context, or even perhaps understand what's being stated.  But okay.. if you say so. (Silly me.. I see the difference between **filing** taxes and **collecting sales tax**.)" CreationDate="2016-10-19T09:47:49.180" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8413" PostId="5811" Score="0" Text="@Scott, I just love it when someone who claims to run a business is eager to point out &quot;No such thing a single proprietor LLC&quot;.  But that's ok.. Running a business doesn't make one an expert on IRS terminology." CreationDate="2016-10-19T10:04:25.830" UserId="12482" />
  <row Id="8414" PostId="6154" Score="0" Text="Why is it `tilted towards the client's advantage` ? There are obviously restrictions that would apply, such as not allowing the change of requirements without looking at the consequences to the deadline. And you need to be able to plan **very** well." CreationDate="2016-10-19T10:37:18.933" UserId="12860" />
  <row Id="8415" PostId="6154" Score="0" Text="I agree with you - in theory - if a freelancer and a client clearly agree on acceptance criteria. However, in my experience your 'obvious restrictions' are quite often vague (at best) or non-existent (at worst), making the late-fine way more likely than the bonus." CreationDate="2016-10-19T10:42:48.607" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="8416" PostId="6154" Score="0" Text="How can you agree on a deadline if the requirements are vague or non-existent? Makes no sense to me." CreationDate="2016-10-19T11:04:17.180" UserId="12860" />
  <row Id="8417" PostId="6154" Score="0" Text="I agree that deadline and requirements **should** be linked; often they just aren't - especially when the freelancer and client are inexperienced. If you have never ever had requirements that turned out to be insufficient, you been more fortunate than me." CreationDate="2016-10-19T11:54:37.937" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="8418" PostId="5811" Score="0" Text="Uhm.. there is no such thing as a &quot;sole proprietor LLC&quot;. Did you read what you linked to? It says nothing about an entity such as &quot;sole proprietor LLC&quot;. Since you didn't read.... I'll explain... A **single-member LLC** may be **treated** as an individual or a sole proprietor when filing taxes. That doesn't mean a business entity can be formed as a &quot;sole proprietor LLC&quot;." CreationDate="2016-10-20T00:56:21.603" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8419" PostId="6163" Score="0" Text="100% agree on directing the client on predefined options, I always do that too to avoid things like paragraphs in Cominc Sans or Shelley, red text over blue backgrounds, etc. About the revisions limit, I make the client know that there are 3 free revisions (so he understands that I can't spend my days making free edits and changes for him), but I always do more revisions for free, almost never bill for that extra, unless for example cases like once that I made 14 different versions of a web template because of an unstable client. But is very rare." CreationDate="2016-10-20T07:01:05.780" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="8420" PostId="6163" Score="0" Text="I completely agree - though I would add a contract clause to say that once a design has been signed off, then any further changes to it would incur additional charges. This gives you the possibility to charge if they later change their mind and code has already been written." CreationDate="2016-10-20T12:51:16.533" UserId="14562" />
  <row Id="8421" PostId="2382" Score="0" Text="This is a dangerous suggestion - you would be breaking the contract as well and could open yourself up to all sorts of lawsuits. Your issue is with your business partner and are unrelated to the client, don't let them suffer as a consequence. [I just realised the OP was asking about this, I should have commented on the question directly]" CreationDate="2016-10-20T12:55:04.310" UserId="14562" />
  <row Id="8422" PostId="6150" Score="0" Text="Why the down vote? Does someone feel you *should* quote and deliver the impossible?" CreationDate="2016-10-20T17:21:45.090" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8423" PostId="6139" Score="1" Text="I don't understand what answer you are expecting here. As with all pricing for *any* project... calculate the amount of time you think it will take to complete, then multiply that by your hourly rate." CreationDate="2016-10-21T01:28:52.183" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8424" PostId="6168" Score="0" Text="Great answer.  &quot;drop knowledges&quot; didn't make sense to me though.  If a certain technology is not relevant to a certain project it's simply not used.  If you meant 'forget' there's no such thing.  Overall, the answer is useful and will give the questioner hope for a future in freelancing." CreationDate="2016-10-22T06:52:31.290" UserId="14793" />
  <row Id="8425" PostId="6168" Score="0" Text="@user6035379 what i wanted to say is be ready to learn over and over because sometimes you'll have to abandon some field or technology that you know well. For example I was also a skilled Flash/Actionscript developer in which I invested time for learning and money for software licences, that brought me incomes and lot of work over the years. But I had to abandon that area since there is no market anymore and websites must have a whole different conception with the spreading of mobile devices and responsivity requirements." CreationDate="2016-10-22T07:29:44.513" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="8426" PostId="6173" Score="0" Text="The extension is probably beautiful.  I recommend that those using guru to look at the amount spent.  You'll find most job posts are sponsored by people who have spent $0.  It would be interesting to know what percentage of the whole site has anything more than $0 spent." CreationDate="2016-10-22T09:02:07.193" UserId="14793" />
  <row Id="8427" PostId="4308" Score="1" Text="I believe the question was how to get a satisfactory project not a list of freelance sites." CreationDate="2016-10-22T09:12:10.340" UserId="14793" />
  <row Id="8430" PostId="6178" Score="1" Text="This is the first time. I have no knowledge of his conduct with others." CreationDate="2016-10-23T13:15:18.327" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="8431" PostId="6178" Score="0" Text="You thought about it and it's obviously bothering you.  Invite him for dinner." CreationDate="2016-10-23T14:13:24.203" UserId="14793" />
  <row Id="8432" PostId="6181" Score="1" Text="I agree with you, sometime someone confuses gentleness with weakness, but it's possible to be gentle and kind with a strong professional personality. Who tries to take advantage of me has zero chances to  work with me. I'm gentle only when there is total mutual respect, otherwise I got no time to lose." CreationDate="2016-10-23T15:03:39.957" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="8433" PostId="6179" Score="0" Text="I don't really understand what's being asked here. You should be as personable as possible while remaining professional. I don't know what the alternative would be? Cold? angry? disgruntled? Hostile? How often do you purchase things from people with bad attitudes? Do you return to those people in the future?" CreationDate="2016-10-23T17:48:32.410" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8434" PostId="6182" Score="0" Text="Are you still within the contract timeframe?" CreationDate="2016-10-23T18:18:14.947" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8435" PostId="6182" Score="0" Text="Yes, I am. It's been 2.5 months." CreationDate="2016-10-23T18:21:05.983" UserId="15227" />
  <row Id="8436" PostId="6187" Score="1" Text="Why would you quote 13¢ per? Even if it took you 1 minute at a lower hourly, such as $40/hr, it would be 67¢ per. Bad quote on your part.. sounds like you're stuck. You're the one that quoted him roughly $7/hr (assuming 13¢/minute)" CreationDate="2016-10-24T04:24:17.930" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8437" PostId="6187" Score="0" Text="Because I can use Excel to fill in the cells with data provided, so I was quoting a lower price because of the volume of everything. But you're right, it was faulty on my part to quote so low. Any suggestion for what to do about the workload issue?" CreationDate="2016-10-24T04:30:30.107" UserId="15153" />
  <row Id="8438" PostId="6187" Score="0" Text="Well, not really. It's always difficult and treacherous to try and raise a quote. Most likely then best you could do is get him to just agree to an hour of your time... hopefully he goes for that without getting angry and your hourly rate is higher than $35. Ultimately though, you set the pricing. Backing out will just burn the client, which is sometimes okay.. others not." CreationDate="2016-10-24T05:36:55.937" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8439" PostId="6180" Score="0" Text="Yes, this is right! Just please remember that if you!see that the client is abusing him, you should stop being nice and even drop the client to prevent further abuse" CreationDate="2016-10-24T13:46:13.867" UserId="11004" />
  <row Id="8440" PostId="6196" Score="0" Text="But see, you essentially have 2 systems. (Which is great) My main workstation is cost prohibitive to replicate. It's not as simple as a laptop with an external monitor. -- I don't need it to be portable, and it really isn't :)  I'm not concerned about actual data... triple redundant backups and haven't lost 1 byte in decades. My issue is more about hardware and whether or not I should invest in a largely unused system &quot;just in case&quot; - but I also realize that's kind of my choice." CreationDate="2016-10-25T00:06:00.897" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8441" PostId="6196" Score="0" Text="If you need to travel by car to somewhere and the car get broken, to keep going you need another car or a quick fix :) maybe in your case will be helpful to obtain a &quot;same day (or 1 day) on site assistance&quot; service. I buy D**l computers and they offer this type of service, for example." CreationDate="2016-10-25T05:08:30.617" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="8442" PostId="6196" Score="0" Text="Not feasible at all. But interesting." CreationDate="2016-10-25T06:10:13.747" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8443" PostId="6173" Score="0" Text="@user6035379 I agree with you, it would be good if it is show the amount spent and ratting of the employer. I will suggest this to the developer of that extension." CreationDate="2016-10-25T12:06:09.857" UserId="15213" />
  <row Id="8444" PostId="6199" Score="0" Text="I'd recommend *not* insulting the client by insinuating they are unprofessional. Bad word of mouth travels faster than good word of mouth." CreationDate="2016-10-25T16:31:39.490" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8445" PostId="6201" Score="0" Text="I'm not in the EU.. but what you describe, with being &quot;hired&quot; and passing funds through a shell company, sounds *a lot* like money laundering." CreationDate="2016-10-25T18:17:46.493" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8446" PostId="6201" Score="0" Text="Why? If I pay all taxes in that country? I just do not want to establish my own company because it might require a lot of extra paper work." CreationDate="2016-10-25T19:38:41.087" UserId="8002" />
  <row Id="8447" PostId="6203" Score="0" Text="Thanks scott. I didn't really mention in my post that it's been three weeks of emailing so far to try and have a conversation, and that we're also 10 hours apart which makes it difficult. The only reason I was frustrated was because it's such a small job that I feel like it's not worth wasting any more time on." CreationDate="2016-10-25T23:33:45.590" UserId="15250" />
  <row Id="8448" PostId="6201" Score="0" Text="I'm not stating it **is** money laundering.. it just has all the tell-tale signs of it... using companies to cover up or hide where the original source of the money is coming from." CreationDate="2016-10-26T00:32:41.030" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8449" PostId="6195" Score="0" Text="FYI after spending a bit of money on a new video card.. turns out BOTH my (very expensive) 30&quot; monitors died a few hours apart. Replacing them with 2 new 4K displays has got me back to full working capabilities again... but I gotta point out.. these 4K displays are *nowhere* near the quality my Apple 30&quot; Cinema displays were -- there was a reason they cost a bit originally. But I suppose 10-15 years of use is good enough." CreationDate="2016-10-26T00:35:51.000" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8450" PostId="6201" Score="0" Text="So you find your own clients and invoice them via the shell company? How about deductions for IT equipment, books, conferences, courses? I assume you will not be able to deduct that and have to pay privately?" CreationDate="2016-10-26T10:49:09.810" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="8451" PostId="6201" Score="0" Text="What deductions? I work from home on my own laptop. I work with UpWork and can work even from the beach.The only what I want is to pay the taxes in EU and have an ability to live there not 90 days in 6 months but more. I am the only member of my business and I do not want to deal with huge paperwork for a personal company registration. I do not want to do illegal things." CreationDate="2016-10-26T11:14:41.180" UserId="8002" />
  <row Id="8454" PostId="6163" Score="0" Text="@freelance-survivor I feel like by stipulating that once we move past design it's going to cost you to make changes will make them even more scrutinizing and less likely to sign off?" CreationDate="2016-10-26T12:48:54.020" UserId="14699" />
  <row Id="8455" PostId="6201" Score="0" Text="Deductions for any laptop, books, courses, cellphone, internet connection, business travel and so on" CreationDate="2016-10-26T13:23:01.133" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="8461" PostId="6205" Score="2" Text="StackExchange could make a great deal of money if they would let us &quot;Buy&quot; +100 tokens for answers like these!" CreationDate="2016-10-26T16:24:14.920" UserId="14429" />
  <row Id="8462" PostId="6205" Score="0" Text="@WesleyLong Except you can, by placing a bounty on the question ;-) But if we bought votes with money, the site would lose a lot of trust among users" CreationDate="2016-10-27T17:08:49.073" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="8463" PostId="6205" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke - I see by your handle you're unfamiliar with this concept.  Buying votes with money is how we do things south of the border.  :)" CreationDate="2016-10-27T17:10:13.310" UserId="14429" />
  <row Id="8464" PostId="6205" Score="0" Text="Is that how votes happen? And here I am, thinking candidates are rigging elections :-P lol" CreationDate="2016-10-27T17:12:09.567" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="8465" PostId="6205" Score="1" Text="To be clear, in the US votes are bought.. but not directly by the candidates :)" CreationDate="2016-10-27T20:15:52.823" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8466" PostId="6199" Score="0" Text="@Scott sorry I'm from a culture where such honesty and directness is actually appreciated. People would rather have a cold hard truth then white lies in these kind of situations. So I guess my answer is regional." CreationDate="2016-10-28T06:36:42.163" UserId="2910" />
  <row Id="8467" PostId="6195" Score="0" Text="Wow that sounds like a nice electric oveload in your wiring, having all these devices die togheter (or the video card dieing gave a shock to the monitors). Reminds me when I had several malfunctional primary and backup HD's after a thunderstorm, spent days for data recovering. For the displays AFAIK nowadays [Apple mounts LG and Samsung panels](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retina_Display#Models) for it's monitors, so probably the good times are gone :) BTW I always used Dell Ultrasharp (Spyder4-calibrated) and I always had very good print-monitor color correspondence." CreationDate="2016-10-28T07:37:47.777" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="8468" PostId="6213" Score="0" Text="This [article](http://www.ryrob.com/how-to-write-best-freelance-proposal/) can be helpful." CreationDate="2016-10-28T07:46:31.603" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="8469" PostId="6195" Score="0" Text="Well I've got 2 new Samsung 4k Displays... but they really do pale in comparison to the Apple monitors. (Of course they cost 1/4 as much too) :)" CreationDate="2016-10-28T15:17:33.640" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8470" PostId="6214" Score="0" Text="the task is paid." CreationDate="2016-10-28T15:52:20.287" UserId="13264" />
  <row Id="8471" PostId="6205" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke - &quot;The people who count the votes decide everything.&quot; - Joseph Stalin.  They're getting sloppy, though.  Voting machine rigging in Texas was caught quite early this time around.  And, of course, ownership of the voting machine vendor has close ties to one of the candidates.&#xA;&#xA;Just remember:  When our government is being completely obnoxious, belligerent, and downright stupid, they weren't actually elected by us." CreationDate="2016-10-28T16:25:58.157" UserId="14429" />
  <row Id="8472" PostId="6205" Score="0" Text="@WesleyLong So how are the candidates chosen then? Are they not picked by the parties to run, then Americans are given the choice between two evils?" CreationDate="2016-10-28T16:44:22.057" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="8473" PostId="6205" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke - just Google &quot;Democrat superdelegates&quot; - You'll see how it really works.  You might want your crying pillows handy." CreationDate="2016-10-28T16:53:25.893" UserId="14429" />
  <row Id="8475" PostId="6211" Score="0" Text="Possibly related: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/6104/test-project-asking-for-too-much-to-get-a-job" CreationDate="2016-10-28T17:15:25.647" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8476" PostId="6205" Score="0" Text="Note that both the RNC and DNC are private organizations and not public. So essentially, yes, they pick the candidates (or pay people to pick them for the committee). It's a completely rigged system in my opinion. It all amounts to modern day robber-barons similar to the politics of the early 1900s in the US - He who hath the most money, wins." CreationDate="2016-10-28T18:54:10.017" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8477" PostId="6201" Score="0" Text="I am not clear as to what benefit this question would have." CreationDate="2016-10-28T19:06:26.320" UserId="14793" />
  <row Id="8478" PostId="4448" Score="0" Text="I wouldn't bid on anything that didn't match 1-4. As for 5: who &quot;seems like a good client&quot;?" CreationDate="2016-10-29T05:36:43.370" UserId="12167" />
  <row Id="8479" PostId="6216" Score="0" Text="How does this help me? PHP isn't in the list of skills I mentioned." CreationDate="2016-10-29T05:38:34.773" UserId="12167" />
  <row Id="8480" PostId="4447" Score="0" Text="Just a point of curiosity: why did you ask only about Upwork?  Is there a difference in bids on Upwork as opposed to other freelance sites?" CreationDate="2016-10-29T06:18:12.390" UserId="14793" />
  <row Id="8481" PostId="4447" Score="0" Text="Because I don't know anything about other sites. And its probably best for me to focus on Upwork, where I have a decent reputation, than try to join other sites as well." CreationDate="2016-10-29T06:55:59.117" UserId="12167" />
  <row Id="8482" PostId="6220" Score="1" Text="Loose current customers (exercise with caution). I also started from &quot;pocket money&quot;, and over time, I slowly lost the &quot;pocket money&quot; customers and gained customers that paid 5x-30x more. Just sharing my personal experience." CreationDate="2016-11-01T08:11:34.070" UserId="15306" />
  <row Id="8484" PostId="6228" Score="0" Text="Good point. But I do already have 3 high-end UPS systems. Unfortunately one of them had a battery that was in need of replacement. I think that was the issue in this particular case." CreationDate="2016-11-02T16:17:56.650" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8485" PostId="6232" Score="0" Text="This really depends on *what* you do. In most businesses there are satellite services.. You came to me for A, but you may also be interested B, C, and D." CreationDate="2016-11-05T16:32:54.970" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8486" PostId="6233" Score="0" Text="The answer is pretty straightforward.  The ideas you outlined are intuitive.  I was hoping to find a new idea.  Perhaps the newsletter idea is something I could use.  The problem of not having a wide client base is that when you do the things you outlined and the client says 'no thanks' how do you continue.  Thinking now more about my own question I think the crux of the matter is that it's all about sales.  You have to be a good salesman and some of  us who lack that trait need to do something else.  I guess there's no replacement for good sales skills." CreationDate="2016-11-06T10:02:51.373" UserId="14793" />
  <row Id="8488" PostId="6236" Score="0" Text="When recommending products or services, it is much more helpful to offer information relating the product, such as special features or requirements. What sets it apart from other systems?" CreationDate="2016-11-08T18:51:49.840" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="8489" PostId="6234" Score="0" Text="When recommending products or services, it is much more helpful to offer information relating the product, such as special features or requirements. What sets it apart from other systems?" CreationDate="2016-11-08T18:52:11.940" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="8490" PostId="2911" Score="0" Text="@halfer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Form_1099" CreationDate="2016-11-11T15:16:41.257" UserId="15120" />
  <row Id="8491" PostId="4779" Score="0" Text="I pay about $500/yr for general liability insurance for my new LLC (in NJ)." CreationDate="2016-11-11T15:22:28.720" UserId="15120" />
  <row Id="8492" PostId="6240" Score="3" Text="How much can you trust **anything** on the internet?? Answers here are trying to be helpful based upon that user's knowledge. If you don't trust the information... go speak to an accountant yourself." CreationDate="2016-11-13T19:34:09.700" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8494" PostId="6138" Score="0" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because questions about software don't belong here." CreationDate="2016-11-15T18:20:53.670" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="8495" PostId="6242" Score="2" Text="I'm always am aware that if I have to ask myself if something is ethical, I already know the answer." CreationDate="2016-11-15T18:28:11.260" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8496" PostId="6246" Score="0" Text="How would answers here be *any* different than reviews you've read? They are *all* based on the *opinion* of an individual. You'll find some that like a particular site and just as many who may not." CreationDate="2016-11-15T21:18:15.023" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8497" PostId="6246" Score="0" Text="Sure it's subjective, but I figured at least here I could get some more focused responses on what things one should actually look for when choosing site(s), and hopefully get much more constructive and informed feedback than just &quot;xyz site is a scam stay away&quot; reviews. Not to mention there are undoubtedly people who've done the same in the past and might have useful answers. They're all opinions but there's no way the two can be compared." CreationDate="2016-11-15T21:57:41.807" UserId="15421" />
  <row Id="8498" PostId="6246" Score="0" Text="I disagree. See, I'd say they are all scam sites and you should stay away. I've had a very long career freelancing and never once needed **any** of those middleman web sites." CreationDate="2016-11-15T22:34:08.793" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8499" PostId="6246" Score="0" Text="You could say that, but that's not at all what I'm asking. I'd like input from people with experience with these sites. I don't understand why my question is a problem here. All I'm doing is seeking help from people who've been through the motions rather than figure things out the hard and painful way if at all possible." CreationDate="2016-11-15T22:49:47.133" UserId="15421" />
  <row Id="8501" PostId="6249" Score="1" Text="No one could possibly answer this effectively for you." CreationDate="2016-11-16T19:35:10.313" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8502" PostId="6255" Score="0" Text="Thats a good option what you said there, thanks for the Idea, now I have better perspective and extra options. Thanks" CreationDate="2016-11-17T15:14:50.870" UserId="12865" />
  <row Id="8503" PostId="6257" Score="0" Text="Yes, I was going to present them a milestone plan of course thanks for point it out anyway, I forgot to say that. I may just do that and not taking the % scenario anymore. Instead will sell them services &amp;/or extra stuff to implement out of the main payment, still figuring out which &amp; what tho." CreationDate="2016-11-17T20:16:17.197" UserId="12865" />
  <row Id="8505" PostId="6246" Score="0" Text="There are reviews from reputable websites I found with a Google search, they even list the best/safest freelance/self-employment sites. You just have to watch out for promotional sites." CreationDate="2016-11-17T21:25:59.630" UserId="9968" />
  <row Id="8506" PostId="2076" Score="0" Text="You don't need to be a LTD company, You can be a sole-trader and voluntarily register for VAT." CreationDate="2016-11-17T21:41:56.780" UserId="9968" />
  <row Id="8507" PostId="6253" Score="1" Text="Working for your friend and a bunch of lawyers? Payment up front, middle and at end. Do not work for free. Seriously, if the app was going to make any serious money would they be offering a percentage? No. If it does how long will it take a company of lawyers to wrangle their way out of any agreement? About five minutes probably." CreationDate="2016-11-17T22:36:22.233" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8508" PostId="6257" Score="0" Text="There is some excellent advice in this answer. I would have ticked this one as the right one. Just my humble opinion of course." CreationDate="2016-11-17T22:41:48.940" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8509" PostId="6258" Score="0" Text="I don't think you are using &quot;evoke&quot; correctly. It certainly doesn't fit the context of the sentences and I hesitate to guess at what you may *really* mean." CreationDate="2016-11-18T00:22:28.677" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8510" PostId="6258" Score="0" Text="evoke, meaning &quot;mention&quot; in this case." CreationDate="2016-11-18T00:25:36.483" UserId="15447" />
  <row Id="8511" PostId="6258" Score="0" Text="I updated my OP." CreationDate="2016-11-18T00:27:32.403" UserId="15447" />
  <row Id="8513" PostId="6257" Score="0" Text="Percentage payments (in part or in full) are not evil by definition, it's a standard payment form between editors and writers, for musicians, photographers, illustrators, etc. If the client is serious and reliable it is OK.  Of course one must use the brain to undestand when it's time to accept that or not." CreationDate="2016-11-18T07:14:08.290" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="8514" PostId="6258" Score="0" Text="I didn't really understand the quetsion.  A lot of word.  Are you asking if being outsourced is something to be declared?  My answer would be yes." CreationDate="2016-11-18T17:45:22.767" UserId="14793" />
  <row Id="8515" PostId="6258" Score="0" Text="@user6035379 I m asking if final customer must know that I m not &quot;individual&quot; but on behalf of my own company&quot;." CreationDate="2016-11-18T17:47:07.023" UserId="15447" />
  <row Id="8516" PostId="6258" Score="0" Text="sounds like a tax question to me.  sorry, I don't know." CreationDate="2016-11-19T06:29:56.570" UserId="14793" />
  <row Id="8517" PostId="6201" Score="1" Text="It sounds like what you're referring into in the UK is called an 'umbrella corporation'. It's an alternative to running your own limited company. Technically you are an employee of the umbrella corporation, they take off their taxes and then pay you a 'salary', but you solicit your own business. It is likely different in other countries though." CreationDate="2016-11-19T15:40:45.630" UserId="15457" />
  <row Id="8518" PostId="6201" Score="0" Text="Yes, exactly, thank you for the reference." CreationDate="2016-11-19T21:59:42.977" UserId="8002" />
  <row Id="8519" PostId="6262" Score="0" Text="where are you based, US or elsewhere?" CreationDate="2016-11-20T14:38:58.197" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8520" PostId="6249" Score="0" Text="I don't see how a lower price per piece can be an issue as you will  be selling more? Unless you have some reason why price per piece matters I would assume it's the bottomline that counts, i.e. total revenue?" CreationDate="2016-11-20T14:41:30.917" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8521" PostId="6262" Score="0" Text="Hey - I'm a UK citizen." CreationDate="2016-11-20T14:49:13.770" UserDisplayName="user15467" />
  <row Id="8522" PostId="6262" Score="2" Text="[This Q/A](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/3536/how-can-i-be-successful-as-a-digital-nomad) could be interesting for you." CreationDate="2016-11-20T15:19:56.577" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="8523" PostId="6264" Score="2" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it is not a question about freelancing. I'd suggest you read the Paypal support pages or contact PayPal support if you have a question about their service." CreationDate="2016-11-21T10:10:22.733" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8524" PostId="5878" Score="0" Text="Someone has been discourteous to vote down my answer without further explanation. *I believe my answer still to be valid.* You can send invoices to whoever you want - not every entity who receives an invoice will have a tax number. A tax audit however could lead to the tax man wanting more information related to transactions going to or from your business. The more evidence you have builds an audit trail. Typically however, the tax office is more interested in who you pay money to and less interested in who you receive money from." CreationDate="2016-11-21T15:20:40.823" UserId="11579" />
  <row Id="8525" PostId="6264" Score="0" Text="I thought it was as its with a freelancer. I didnt find much info online and thought someone in the community could help with this." CreationDate="2016-11-21T21:15:57.750" UserId="11835" />
  <row Id="8526" PostId="6266" Score="0" Text="Its not with freelancer.  I've been working with him on and off for the last year. This is the first time something like this has happened. I've read everything there is on Paypal about this but they dont give too much info." CreationDate="2016-11-21T21:18:07.573" UserId="11835" />
  <row Id="8527" PostId="6264" Score="1" Text="This site is about *working* as a freelancer, not necessarily working *with* a freelancer - especially in terms of specific client-freelancer relationship issues. No one here knows what contract you may or may not have with the person you hired. This is, quite honestly, a PayPal support question. Chances of someone here being part of the PayPal support team are minimal at best." CreationDate="2016-11-21T21:36:18.713" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8529" PostId="6262" Score="0" Text="@user3621637 then I'd recommend two ways for finding work: your own network (I know, you need a network first) or contacting agencies such as Teksystems. Those agencies have all the contacts and will most likely have projects for you. You will be paid by them and your contract will be with them, but as long as you get the rate you want it shouldn't matter. Also: they pay on time which is nice." CreationDate="2016-11-22T15:06:29.230" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8530" PostId="6264" Score="0" Text="As a relatively new member of this community I welcome the question in the light that I didn't know it's about &quot;working as a freelancer, not necessarily working with a freelancer &quot;.  On that note, I propose to someone with the appropriate rep to consider making it about freelancing in general." CreationDate="2016-11-22T15:50:03.300" UserId="14793" />
  <row Id="8531" PostId="6264" Score="0" Text="@user6035379 if the site were designed to also encompass client questions about their relationship with a freelancer I feel it would add 2 very distinct differences to the site -- 1) You'd get complaints... accusations... rants from unhappy clients. and 2) The risk of both a client and a worker posting increases. Admittedly probably not a great deal, but I know I will respond differently if I think a client of mine may read what I post. This ultimately leads to less impactful answers for actual freelancers. Probably a better discussion for [meta](http://meta.freelancing.stackexchange.com/)" CreationDate="2016-11-22T16:12:19.683" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8532" PostId="6264" Score="0" Text="I'm a freelancer myself... I just thought this was a place with tons of freelancers - I know that at least 50% of my income is through PayPal. &#xA;&#xA;If it's not the correct place to ask something like this - by all means take it down. I'm a noob here. I'll probably stay a noob with comments like &quot;I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it is not a question about freelancing.&quot;" CreationDate="2016-11-22T17:35:19.350" UserId="11835" />
  <row Id="8533" PostId="6264" Score="0" Text="So if anyone finds this usefull;&#xA;&#xA;When making a dispute, make sure you keep all the chats in Paypal (i made the mistake of replying through email) then he escalated it to a manual review. I did not get a chance to plead my case or upload files&#xA;&#xA;I took a few screengrabs of conversations and pasted links to them. I also did not fill in the URL where I bought the service as the conversation/agreement happened on skype - this will count against me.&#xA;&#xA;Last thing - before you submit your comment or reply copy and save it somewhere, Paypal Timeout function lost my text 3 times before submitting." CreationDate="2016-11-22T17:48:24.207" UserId="11835" />
  <row Id="8534" PostId="6262" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the comments so far - I realise something like this would take some work in advance so I'm just trying to work out what the options are :)" CreationDate="2016-11-22T20:13:35.377" UserDisplayName="user15467" />
  <row Id="8536" PostId="6271" Score="0" Text="@Scott I amended the question with my job" CreationDate="2016-11-22T22:10:08.230" UserId="15457" />
  <row Id="8537" PostId="6268" Score="0" Text="Checking out the second link, they have been experiencing longer delays according to their FAQ." CreationDate="2016-11-23T00:22:54.483" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="8538" PostId="6271" Score="1" Text="There are some pretty decent templates online, it isn't rocket science: mention the parties, the deliverables, the scope of the project and any deadlines. Include what you should do if things don't work out and how/when payment is due." CreationDate="2016-11-23T10:51:15.480" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8541" PostId="6271" Score="0" Text="I think it depends on the kind of work you're doing and the kind of person you are.  The options range from a template you can find online and customize yourself to getting a lawyer to draft one up for every client you have.  If we have more information about the project or the work you do maybe a precise answer will pop up." CreationDate="2016-11-23T19:02:02.680" UserId="14793" />
  <row Id="8543" PostId="6258" Score="0" Text="Scott's answer below is spot on - but I'm wondering what the OP's motivation for this is in the first place!" CreationDate="2016-11-24T22:55:46.630" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="8545" PostId="6253" Score="1" Text="&quot;Keeping the source code if I can so I can use it for other companies with the same structure&quot; - If you're working for a bunch of lawyers you'd better make sure you get your ability to do this explicitly put in writing.  Otherwise in most locales they own any IP that they pay to have developed, which includes source code.  And lawyers aren't going to take kindly to you using &quot;their&quot; code to earn money that they could theoretically be earning." CreationDate="2016-11-25T04:26:47.127" UserId="4615" />
  <row Id="8546" PostId="6276" Score="0" Text="No clue where you or the managers are located.. but in the US.. this **is** a holiday week. Especially Wed - Fri. So..... Also.... any answers to this would be pretty much opinion-based and not a great fit for Stack Exchange sites. In my opinion... stand your ground. If you've *never* provided code before... there's no reason to start now. If you get ripped off (heaven forbid) at least you'll just be losing your time, not your time **and** the code." CreationDate="2016-11-25T05:22:22.880" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8547" PostId="6276" Score="0" Text="&quot;I'm in Australia&quot; - managers are too.  Not holiday time here.  Though we still have Black Friday for some reason.  I think the objectively answerable questions here are 'Is it or is it not standard practice to provide source-code prior to payment when freelancing?' and 'How does one deal with a non-paying client in a way that preferably doesn't lose them as a client?'" CreationDate="2016-11-25T05:59:48.193" UserId="4615" />
  <row Id="8548" PostId="2917" Score="0" Text="You can ask the client (after reading the NDA closely)." CreationDate="2016-11-25T13:47:55.760" UserId="14793" />
  <row Id="8551" PostId="6277" Score="1" Text="If OP is not the only developer, note the reference to independent contractors(plural) and &quot;people&quot; as opposed to &quot;me&quot; in the second bullet, then OP may not have copyright ownership due to the &quot;contribution to a collective work&quot; provisions in US copyright code for commissioned works(assuming Australian law simialr to US).  Before invoking copyright, OP should consult a lawyer.  OP probably better off citing past precedent and not copyright" CreationDate="2016-11-25T19:22:57.447" UserId="1818" />
  <row Id="8552" PostId="2917" Score="0" Text="The conversation is sort of missing the point of the initial ask. I'm having the same issue myself where I'm accruing some work as a result of completing design tests for roles that I've applied for. I have not signed any NDA's and an beginning to think that some of my design responses are portfolio worthy despite not having received the job. It sounds like it would be up to my discretion whether I would want to present or include this type of work in my portfolio. If anyone has feedback in this regard it would be much appreciated. Cheers!" CreationDate="2016-11-24T22:00:13.423" UserId="15508" />
  <row Id="8553" PostId="6277" Score="0" Text="@cdkMoose - To clarify, there are other contractors, however each works on their own codebase.  Specifically, there's a webserver, a mobile app, and an internal fileserver.  I write all the mobile app code, and another contractor writes all the webserver code, and so on.  Each component uses its own source tree and repository." CreationDate="2016-11-25T23:46:01.433" UserId="4615" />
  <row Id="8554" PostId="6277" Score="0" Text="@cdkMoose: it will be great to update your initial post with your clarification as cited above, here." CreationDate="2016-11-26T06:01:32.517" UserId="15276" />
  <row Id="8555" PostId="6276" Score="0" Text="Frankly, I'm surprised you got answers and not the flag." CreationDate="2016-11-26T13:56:05.567" UserId="14793" />
  <row Id="8556" PostId="6280" Score="0" Text="see the multitude of similar questions elsewhere on the site, http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/101/how-do-i-get-my-first-job-at-a-freelancing-site?rq=1, http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/871/how-do-i-start-my-own-freelancing-company?rq=1, etc." CreationDate="2016-11-26T17:00:28.360" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8557" PostId="6282" Score="1" Text="I got talking to a buddy of mine and he suggested come up with a time per hour that I would probably spend looking at the screen. So I said roughly about five minutes an hour works out to 4 hours a day over 3.5 days.  Fair enough for me.  Yes the code is 100% mine." CreationDate="2016-11-27T04:27:58.653" UserId="15524" />
  <row Id="8558" PostId="6276" Score="1" Text="Your draft email looks good.  It's professional and to the point.  I would not hesitate to copy Person B, too, so he's fully aware.  That he is ignoring does not bode well for your future at the company, though, as long a Person B is in the picture." CreationDate="2016-11-28T11:51:53.413" UserId="13016" />
  <row Id="8559" PostId="6277" Score="0" Text="@cdkMoose - I'll edit the question to ensure consideration of other contractors and legal standing is taken into account and is a valid shout. However after aroth's comment I feel in this specific case, the point regarding multiple contractors doesn't quite affect the situation significantly enough, as each contractor's work is kept independent." CreationDate="2016-11-28T12:03:07.107" UserId="15170" />
  <row Id="8560" PostId="6284" Score="1" Text="Didn't want to add a new answer as this hits the nail on the head. It's no less ethical than undercutting competitors, which is a basic fundamental part of business as a whole." CreationDate="2016-11-28T12:23:29.417" UserId="15170" />
  <row Id="8561" PostId="6284" Score="1" Text="I agree.  To add a point, I think it's important to consider the arena in which you're doing the free work.  If you're in your competition's face then undercutting competitors is not advisable.  If it's something like putting flyers up in your neighborhood then it's something else; not an exact analogy but I hope you get the point." CreationDate="2016-11-28T13:25:56.853" UserId="14793" />
  <row Id="8562" PostId="6277" Score="0" Text="IANAL, but if all of those codebases are designed and built to work together, I could still see the company arguing these are a collective work.   If if comes down to this issue, best advice is to get your own lawyer." CreationDate="2016-11-28T14:29:52.987" UserId="1818" />
  <row Id="8563" PostId="6284" Score="0" Text="Oh, that's a good point.  Present plan is to remove the ad once I have one or several students, and then create another, more specific ad once I've tutored them and have built a gameplan around my capabilities.\" CreationDate="2016-11-29T01:15:19.947" UserId="15537" />
  <row Id="8564" PostId="6287" Score="2" Text="I agree.. also.... if the computer is running.... well that's electricity use regardless of how much the cursor may or may not be moving." CreationDate="2016-11-29T04:21:26.960" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8565" PostId="6287" Score="0" Text="Typically I work on site and not from home.  Would that make a difference in your answer ?  As for electricity I was also watching movies all day long.  That and my rent includes electricity so the cost to me is the exact same." CreationDate="2016-11-29T04:29:38.793" UserId="15524" />
  <row Id="8566" PostId="6281" Score="0" Text="I did end up encountering errors not in the code but the database crapped out on me.  So I worked more then expected while I waited for the DBA to restart the DB.  I also had to reset some stats due to the job being interrupted abruptly." CreationDate="2016-11-29T04:33:09.177" UserId="15524" />
  <row Id="8567" PostId="6287" Score="0" Text="@EJD You're still paying for that electricity, even if it's not billed separately.  And **definitely** bill if you're on site.  Don't cheat yourself." CreationDate="2016-11-29T04:46:10.033" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="8568" PostId="6287" Score="0" Text="@codenoir if I was on site I would bill for sure." CreationDate="2016-11-29T13:23:40.597" UserId="15524" />
  <row Id="8569" PostId="6280" Score="0" Text="@user3244085 Freelancing SE would really benefit from a canonical question &amp; answer for this due to the multiple questions on the topic. One that also aims to address a wide range of starting points, as I rarely see pro-bono, charitable or open source suggestions from answers, for complete beginners who still want to scope out their skills and abilities. Also many don't fully address the difficulty of getting a first freelancing project, they may touch upon it with &quot;I've been in this situation and understand . . .&quot; but tend not to provide solid, useful tips on overcoming the difficulty." CreationDate="2016-11-29T14:54:41.587" UserId="15170" />
  <row Id="8570" PostId="6289" Score="0" Text="While this link may answer the question, it is better to include the essential parts of the answer here and provide the link for reference.  Link-only answers can become invalid if the linked page changes. - [From Review](/review/low-quality-posts/5736)" CreationDate="2016-11-29T14:56:30.957" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="8572" PostId="1446" Score="0" Text="I'll add a comment as I feel I can't really stretch it out into a decent answer with the little experience I have on the subject. But maybe try &quot;Here are my last three rates with timescale for reference, though unfortunately i'm unable to provide a definite rate until the scope and details of your project has been fully assessed.&quot; that way they get the reference of rates they want and you get the ability to set the rate depending on the variables related to the project." CreationDate="2016-11-29T15:01:56.787" UserId="15170" />
  <row Id="8573" PostId="6289" Score="0" Text="In this case, the answer is the link.  I've seen many questions here on finding resources; most questions (not answers) were flagged or marked for deletion.  I find it surprising that my precise and useful answer was not enough before the edit." CreationDate="2016-11-29T15:24:31.180" UserId="14793" />
  <row Id="8575" PostId="6291" Score="4" Text="Possibly helpful from another stack --&gt; http://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/questions/25712/what-should-i-do-if-a-potential-client-claims-my-pricing-is-too-high/25713#25713" CreationDate="2016-11-30T19:07:34.657" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8576" PostId="6291" Score="0" Text="that's actually a really good read that @Scott mentions above" CreationDate="2016-11-30T19:51:52.967" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8577" PostId="6293" Score="2" Text="Would be helpful for the users here to know what you have tried to far, which are your goals, in which fields you would like to work, and all the other details that will improve your question." CreationDate="2016-12-01T09:05:09.227" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="8578" PostId="6292" Score="0" Text="Good answer. That slow building resentment is a real nightmare too. It starts to magnify every flaw in your customer until you hate them. And that is not healthy. A customer demanding such a discount when you have moved to 40% already, is not a customer you want to be working with. Instead of wasting you time with these people, spend your time finding a customer you can really work with, and that will respect you as much as you respect them." CreationDate="2016-12-01T18:39:21.330" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="8579" PostId="6293" Score="0" Text="Okay I will edit my question, thanks Mario" CreationDate="2016-12-01T22:06:40.340" UserId="15566" />
  <row Id="8580" PostId="6297" Score="0" Text="thanks Vojkran for those points, I have copied them into my notebook. Just note I've added more info to my OP." CreationDate="2016-12-01T22:11:55.990" UserId="15566" />
  <row Id="8581" PostId="6280" Score="0" Text="Fiverr, UpWork..." CreationDate="2016-12-02T21:25:03.397" UserId="12776" />
  <row Id="8582" PostId="6304" Score="0" Text="Well this is the Freelancing SE after all, so freelancing is implied. :)" CreationDate="2016-12-03T12:43:47.090" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8583" PostId="6252" Score="0" Text="Most likely spam, see almost identical answer on different SE recently http://softwarerecs.stackexchange.com/questions/2/what-project-planning-software-includes-resource-leveling-and-is-cheaper-than-mi" CreationDate="2016-12-03T12:47:50.860" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8584" PostId="6304" Score="0" Text="The way the question is phrased it is not clear that a remote job is considered." CreationDate="2016-12-04T18:45:45.033" UserId="15586" />
  <row Id="8585" PostId="6163" Score="0" Text="@stackoverfloweth I would say more scrutinizing clients are a good thing - you want to encourage clients to take sign-off seriously and bring up problems with the design early on in the process. There is no point if they only take a quick glance and say 'yes' without thinking it through." CreationDate="2016-12-05T07:38:52.557" UserId="14562" />
  <row Id="8586" PostId="6308" Score="0" Text="A &quot;project I like&quot;? That's not hard, but I need to know which ones are likely to like *me* enough to respond. (See my original post.) I don't want to use my limited Connects on projects that are already filled or have gone MIA." CreationDate="2016-12-05T21:38:39.293" UserId="12167" />
  <row Id="8588" PostId="6297" Score="0" Text="Upvote the answer if you expect me to answer it again. Also specify what is your main goal." CreationDate="2016-12-08T09:31:02.820" UserId="15570" />
  <row Id="8589" PostId="6321" Score="3" Text="Worth noting that a decent amount of effort should still be spent on a website if you aim to maintain one, as a potential client who does his research will likely stumble upon it. A poor website can lead to the client asking themselves: &quot;If they're not prepared to put effort into their own work, why would they be prepared to put in the effort for me?&quot;" CreationDate="2016-12-09T10:17:50.300" UserId="15170" />
  <row Id="8590" PostId="6318" Score="0" Text="It actually says a lot about upwork if you've only completed 5 projects are are considered &quot;top rated&quot; -- it reflects poorly on the poole of workers there, not you... but the fact that all it takes is 5 decent project completions to be among the &quot;better&quot; workers." CreationDate="2016-12-09T10:45:39.487" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8591" PostId="6321" Score="1" Text="@lewis in fact my post ends with &quot;By the way to have a simple good looking, efficient, up to date website with portfolio, CV and other useful info, is a must.&quot; :) I spent too days of work in making my own site more and more times." CreationDate="2016-12-09T11:22:54.667" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="8592" PostId="6319" Score="3" Text="I have dozens of clients and no website. You should focus on finding clients and doing good work. So new clients will start contacting you directly." CreationDate="2016-12-09T12:42:15.040" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="8593" PostId="6324" Score="1" Text="I am assuming UK (based on your link). Please tag your country" CreationDate="2016-12-09T16:24:49.183" UserId="15202" />
  <row Id="8595" PostId="6319" Score="1" Text="I have a website, but it's literally a blank page. More important is the email addresses on that domain." CreationDate="2016-12-09T17:04:27.363" UserId="15641" />
  <row Id="8597" PostId="6311" Score="1" Text="Thank you for this wealth of information. Very informative. We have nothing in writing - no contracts. He is a long time friend who has done a lot for me. Getting me into the industry, etc. So that is why I value the relationship." CreationDate="2016-12-10T05:11:52.630" UserId="15627" />
  <row Id="8598" PostId="6311" Score="0" Text="And thanks for pointing out the legal an ethical ramifications - especially passing on those fees to the client. Gives me a lot to think about.And I am glad that this is not common practice - as it is not something I would feel comfortable doing. Worst case scenario I may just give up the client - so as not to strain our friendship. And BP can find another developer to do their work" CreationDate="2016-12-10T05:20:29.487" UserId="15627" />
  <row Id="8601" PostId="6324" Score="0" Text="Yes, add your country for any meaningful replies. But in the EU your employer will not be notified: why would they have the right to receive such information?" CreationDate="2016-12-11T10:12:21.900" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8602" PostId="6173" Score="0" Text="Are you serious? guru.com?  @Markx: please have a look at guru.com .  Also, I don't feel it warrants an 'answer' but I have an article about freelancing that might help you.  http://qazbot.wordpress.com at the bottom of the articles.  Your question was more website of freelance oriented which was addressed in others' comments and answers so the article might help you." CreationDate="2016-12-11T16:35:26.357" UserId="14793" />
  <row Id="8608" PostId="6334" Score="0" Text="Without any indicator where you are located, you will not get any reliable answer for your location. It might have legal implications you need a lawyer for, it might be common knowledge. Only you can clear that up." CreationDate="2016-12-12T14:31:12.990" UserDisplayName="nvoigt" />
  <row Id="8609" PostId="6334" Score="0" Text="@nvoigt Thanks, I'm in Europe. I'm not sure if it's weird to put arrangements on paper for an acquaintance if we're both freelancers, although I live in an individualistic country." CreationDate="2016-12-12T14:34:12.580" UserId="15668" />
  <row Id="8610" PostId="6334" Score="1" Text="I'm afraid &quot;Europe&quot; is not a single jurisdiction." CreationDate="2016-12-12T14:38:44.827" UserDisplayName="nvoigt" />
  <row Id="8612" PostId="6128" Score="0" Text="I noticed one thing in reading the question, comments and answer.  There are no figures given, not even ballpark estimates, of what a web developer should be charging.  If I had to classify the question and answer I'd write something like:  info web: x$    business web: y$    social media: $  , etc.  This would be a good place to clarify and throw out some numbers of what people should expect as web developers.  Also, in those estimates I'd throw in used tools for creating those sites like ruby, php, html, css, etc." CreationDate="2016-12-12T17:20:25.273" UserId="14793" />
  <row Id="8613" PostId="6173" Score="0" Text="@user6035379 It also contain many spammy post, but you can apply if there is enough description of the project or if he hired someone before, Also you can consider the ratting." CreationDate="2016-12-13T07:19:39.237" UserId="15213" />
  <row Id="8614" PostId="6336" Score="0" Text="Thanks! Helping each other is good, the 'bastards world' is a lonely world in the end. You're right about the insurance, but here most people only have an insurance for breaking their own stuff and the insurance won't pay if you break stuff belonging to others (except for cars)." CreationDate="2016-12-13T07:57:21.920" UserId="15668" />
  <row Id="8615" PostId="6336" Score="0" Text="Which country are you from? Because in NL, BE, LU, DE I'm pretty sure this is mandatory and includes breaking other peoples stuff. E.g. I'm in a friend's house and drop his laptop by accident, that's insured." CreationDate="2016-12-13T08:29:46.110" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8616" PostId="6328" Score="0" Text="Yes, it means they can't get the VAT back but you still need to charge it. It is possible yours is a very specific and exceptional case where this rule would not apply, so perhaps you could expand your question with more relevant info?" CreationDate="2016-12-13T08:32:26.500" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8617" PostId="2917" Score="0" Text="Not a real answer but spending a lot of time on test mockups is never a good idea. You have a portfolio, and if they like your work they can hire you. If they want to try out, they can pay for a test mockup. Never work for free in these cases!" CreationDate="2016-12-13T08:36:30.010" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8618" PostId="6336" Score="0" Text="I'm in one of those countries :) But it depends on the insurance and also if something happens outside of the house or not. Most insurances have 'nasty' conditions and will only pay a small amount or nothing at all. I'm quite sure he wouldn't get paid, also because my camera is a few years old (so the value is less)." CreationDate="2016-12-13T08:37:05.847" UserId="15668" />
  <row Id="8619" PostId="2924" Score="0" Text="This is not correct as a default rule of thumb.. Often it may not be a problem but depending on the contract, NDA or even specific local laws you may or may not do this." CreationDate="2016-12-13T08:39:35.277" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8620" PostId="6336" Score="1" Text="True, and probably lending stuff to a friend who then takes it with him is one of those exclusions. Unless you both say it happened at your place of course, but I suppose that is insurance fraud..." CreationDate="2016-12-13T08:44:22.573" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8622" PostId="6336" Score="0" Text="It is indeed. I know a lot of people who lie to insurance companies. Drowning iPhones because they want a new one. That's why the insurance fees are getting expensive as well. I don't want to be one of those people. :)" CreationDate="2016-12-13T08:49:09.117" UserId="15668" />
  <row Id="8624" PostId="6336" Score="1" Text="It might be related to the fact that most people have come across an insurance firm that found some obscure clause in the contract to deny their claim even though it would be reasonable to expect the insurance to cover it :)" CreationDate="2016-12-13T08:51:53.210" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8626" PostId="6328" Score="0" Text="I wonder if there's a way to rephrase the question to any country that has VAT and likewise the answer to benefit others besides the UK." CreationDate="2016-12-13T17:11:43.757" UserId="14793" />
  <row Id="8627" PostId="6334" Score="0" Text="Really not certain what this has to do with freelancing either.  Borrowing between friends is not really business related. You wouldn't loan *anything* to some other freelancer that asked, you're merely considering it because its a friend." CreationDate="2016-12-13T17:16:10.930" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8628" PostId="6322" Score="0" Text="how did you get those first clients for word of mouth? I've got a few good ones but no referral work yet and need to find more." CreationDate="2016-12-13T18:47:31.157" UserId="12183" />
  <row Id="8630" PostId="6128" Score="0" Text="@user6035379 as I posted in my comment above... it's *impossible* to even guess without full specifications of the site. In addition, a developer with 15 years experience isn't going to charge the same as someone in high school just starting. *That* is why there are no &quot;figures&quot; provided. **No one** can price **anything** for someone else." CreationDate="2016-12-14T02:26:56.090" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8631" PostId="6318" Score="0" Text="@scott I agree. To have completed 5 projects successfully and be rated towards the top of the pile says a lot about the platform. Upwork for me is a necessity rather than something I use by choice." CreationDate="2016-12-14T03:49:41.480" UserId="15631" />
  <row Id="8633" PostId="6340" Score="0" Text="Where are you based?" CreationDate="2016-12-14T06:31:02.290" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8634" PostId="6340" Score="2" Text="Possible duplicate of [How can experienced contractor survive outside Elance/oDesk/Freelancer?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/2848/how-can-experienced-contractor-survive-outside-elance-odesk-freelancer)" CreationDate="2016-12-14T06:35:12.077" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8636" PostId="6334" Score="0" Text="@Scott Read my main question. I asked advice on what arrangements are reasonable to propose when lending tools to a friend that will use it for freelancing. Since I'm a freelancer as well and the camera will be used for his work, I suppose it has something to do with freelancing" CreationDate="2016-12-14T07:44:48.940" UserId="15668" />
  <row Id="8637" PostId="6334" Score="0" Text="Not really... would you loan me the camera never having met me? I am also a freelancer. You may consider *renting* me equipment, but you don't know me so a &quot;loan&quot; is probably out of the question. That's my point. The *only* reason you're even considering it is because of the personal relationship you have. I don't mean to insinuate that that's a problem. But honestly. remove &quot;freelancing&quot; from the question entirely and it's just asking about loaning important items to friends, that's all." CreationDate="2016-12-14T08:14:02.590" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8638" PostId="6334" Score="0" Text="@Scott I understand your reasoning. But I would probably lend out my camera to friends if they just want to take a new LinkedIn profile picture, or something like that. The fact he'd be using it for freelancing and that we can be competitors since we're in the same field, makes it relevant." CreationDate="2016-12-14T08:17:58.260" UserId="15668" />
  <row Id="8639" PostId="6334" Score="0" Text="@Scott They (the mods) moved it to freelancing, so I think it should fit here.. Wouldn't know where else" CreationDate="2016-12-14T08:19:15.147" UserId="15668" />
  <row Id="8641" PostId="6334" Score="0" Text="Mods hate closing stuff.. especially for lower rep active users, just because it was moved, that doesn't necessarily mean it's a good question for Stack. Clearly workplace thought it didn't fit their stack... I'm just saying I don't think it fits this stack either.  But in the end, this is all just my opinion :) Nothing more." CreationDate="2016-12-14T08:28:55.567" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8643" PostId="6340" Score="0" Text="@Scott That was precisely the point I was making. They will only succeed my sourcing clients away from Upwork" CreationDate="2016-12-14T08:48:55.060" UserId="15631" />
  <row Id="8644" PostId="6340" Score="0" Text="Oh.. sorry. I must have misinterpreted that paragraph.. thinking &quot;that's&quot; was referring TO upwork. I'll remove that comment :) Sorry.." CreationDate="2016-12-14T08:50:42.380" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8645" PostId="6340" Score="0" Text="No worries mate " CreationDate="2016-12-14T08:51:49.690" UserId="15631" />
  <row Id="8650" PostId="6340" Score="2" Text="I could only repeat myself answering your question, maybe you can read for example [this](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/a/6180/7486) and [this](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/a/5986/7486) post, but you can find many others with good advices. The main thing is: be known in your area (and beyond) as a reliable and trusted professionist in your field, people will look for you and suggest you to others." CreationDate="2016-12-14T16:31:16.970" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="8652" PostId="1983" Score="0" Text="if its been ages since you worked there and its a big firm, who do you need to ask?" CreationDate="2016-12-14T18:37:47.080" UserId="15694" />
  <row Id="8653" PostId="6342" Score="0" Text="While it is certainly polite to respond.... there's no &quot;requirement&quot; for anyone to do so." CreationDate="2016-12-14T18:52:25.420" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8654" PostId="6342" Score="0" Text="For how long have you waited for a reply?" CreationDate="2016-12-15T13:15:53.077" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="8655" PostId="6345" Score="0" Text="Thank you. I wanted to know if can specifically mean something in american/english world, and as your answer address there are many options." CreationDate="2016-12-15T16:44:42.427" UserId="9910" />
  <row Id="8656" PostId="6346" Score="1" Text="You want to filter on your country, Upwork offers exactly that functionality. How is that not efficient?" CreationDate="2016-12-15T22:33:38.833" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8657" PostId="6352" Score="1" Text="Testimonials aren't just &quot;text the client gives you&quot; though. They are direct quotes, and for that reason, should not be edited if possible." CreationDate="2016-12-16T13:26:56.283" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8658" PostId="6353" Score="1" Text="I have to say, this is one of the most thought out, and well put answers I have read in any stack exchange community. You answered my question perfectly, hit the nail right on the head. Honestly cannot thank you enough!" CreationDate="2016-12-16T13:38:36.340" UserDisplayName="user14891" />
  <row Id="8659" PostId="6353" Score="0" Text="Glad to help @Pipskweak" CreationDate="2016-12-16T13:39:23.497" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8660" PostId="6352" Score="0" Text="@Scott i completely understand your point of view, but I think that globally for the good quality of the work, it's good to finalize a work that doesen't present errors or typos even for testimonials. I added an edit to my original post explaining what I mean." CreationDate="2016-12-16T14:05:52.013" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="8661" PostId="6352" Score="0" Text="Sorry, your edit earned my down vote. Haphazardly placing a client into possible *legal* trouble.. is well.. not good. It is **not** about the &quot;quality of work&quot; it's about being SUED for misrepresentation." CreationDate="2016-12-16T14:06:07.457" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8662" PostId="6352" Score="0" Text="And.. em.. the retaliatory down vote is.. well.. comical :)" CreationDate="2016-12-16T14:08:32.537" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8663" PostId="6352" Score="0" Text="@Scott In my 20+ years of experience I always corrected typos and wrong verbs for testimonials text and other, I always clearly informed the client of that, they always were happy and I never had any problem with clients or testimonials. I understand that maybe in USA people are used to sue anyone for a typo correction......." CreationDate="2016-12-16T14:08:59.357" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="8664" PostId="6352" Score="1" Text="*You're* the professional... just because an uneducated client thinks &quot;oh it's okay&quot; doesn't mean it *actually* is okay. All it takes is one quote that causes litigation.... and attitudes will change rapidly." CreationDate="2016-12-16T14:18:50.263" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8665" PostId="6352" Score="1" Text="@Scott I guess it is a cultural difference. Here in Europe if you go to a court to sue anyone because he changed a text like &quot;this product are wondeful&quot; with &quot;this product is wonderful&quot; in a website, they will kick you back home and not consider it at all worth of losing any time. About the downvote don't look at me, everyone gets downvotes with not much complain ;)" CreationDate="2016-12-16T14:25:40.957" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="8666" PostId="6350" Score="3" Text="As long as you don't alter the main point of the testimonial by changing it, taking a snippet or simply fix some grammar I'm sure it's fine." CreationDate="2016-12-16T16:53:43.373" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8667" PostId="6353" Score="2" Text="Do you have any reference for the legal status of testimonials? Besides general moral principles such as don't lie or twist someone's word, I'm wondering if there is any actual legal reference to the concept of a testimonial and what you can or can't do with them." CreationDate="2016-12-16T21:58:56.747" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8668" PostId="6352" Score="2" Text="I think in Europe as well as the US the same applies: if you change a testimonial to twist words or flat out lie, you will be sued for lying or misrepresentation. These are general legal principles and have nothing to do with the specific status of a testimonial. I strongly doubt changing grammar or spelling mistakes would have any consequences as long as you don't influence the meaning or context of a testimonial. Legal departments are 'cover your ass just in case' departments, not exact reflections of what is or isn't legal." CreationDate="2016-12-16T22:03:15.737" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8669" PostId="6353" Score="1" Text="I'm **not** a lawyer. As I posted, I have worked with many legal departments all of which permitted/denied pretty much the same things. I'm afraid you'll need to ask an attorney (perhaps at law.stackexchange.com) if you want someone to cite legal statutes." CreationDate="2016-12-16T23:41:32.053" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8670" PostId="6357" Score="0" Text="Note that my answer *specifically states* that correcting misspellings is &quot;generally fine&quot;." CreationDate="2016-12-17T01:05:57.627" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8671" PostId="6357" Score="2" Text="This is a really great response to my question, thanks!" CreationDate="2016-12-17T01:25:04.713" UserDisplayName="user14891" />
  <row Id="8672" PostId="6356" Score="0" Text="What has you tried so far? Only emails?" CreationDate="2016-12-17T17:02:31.360" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8673" PostId="6354" Score="0" Text="I'm not sure what the question is.  Are you asking if you should do it?  I think you should.  Have a look at other sites like truelancer.com and guru.com." CreationDate="2016-12-18T14:40:46.687" UserId="14793" />
  <row Id="8674" PostId="6293" Score="0" Text="We should have a reference article about this... I can't count all the &quot;How can I get jobs in  XX&quot; questions." CreationDate="2016-12-18T16:33:27.873" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8675" PostId="5950" Score="1" Text="A the well structured answer. In the end, it was finished with infrastructure changes that were also implemented by myself. Thanks for the tips, some valuable lessons were learned!" CreationDate="2016-12-18T17:54:58.240" UserId="14700" />
  <row Id="8676" PostId="6356" Score="0" Text="@user3244085 yes I email him once in while asking for payments, I also called by phones and asked the same, but he always say he will pay soon but he doesn't do that." CreationDate="2016-12-19T07:21:17.903" UserId="15709" />
  <row Id="8677" PostId="6368" Score="1" Text="You have to start somewhere on any freelancing website. Show off your skills by completing the tests ( upwork has tests ) and write a good cover letter. :)" CreationDate="2016-12-19T09:20:45.133" UserId="15730" />
  <row Id="8678" PostId="6346" Score="0" Text="I see now you can do that with the Internal search (I was trying with Google).  More precisely the country of client is listed and comes up in a keyword search, nothing more precise." CreationDate="2016-12-19T10:39:33.707" UserId="15698" />
  <row Id="8679" PostId="6371" Score="0" Text="this one does look quite genuine, I've had a few replies off them back and forth. They've sent over photos of their products and gone into detail about the work that they need me to do&#xA;&#xA;Also I've just realised they are a registered Ltd company, they have an office based in the UK but the director is based in Asia... they seem pretty legit (although a very new company) but it does seem strange that they've contacted me" CreationDate="2016-12-19T17:34:46.680" UserDisplayName="user15733" />
  <row Id="8681" PostId="6240" Score="0" Text="This question might be better asked on Freelancing Meta" CreationDate="2016-12-19T21:41:13.700" UserId="1018" />
  <row Id="8682" PostId="6356" Score="1" Text="Possible duplicate of [Clients who don't pay their invoices what are your options?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/842/clients-who-dont-pay-their-invoices-what-are-your-options)" CreationDate="2016-12-19T21:59:15.897" UserId="1018" />
  <row Id="8683" PostId="6373" Score="1" Text="I agree, ask for a (significant) payment up front and you'll weed out the serious assignments from the cons." CreationDate="2016-12-20T04:25:55.440" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8685" PostId="6373" Score="0" Text="this is true, I normally ask for 50% too... there was one time however where I asked for 50% upfront and the guy sent me a cheque, but it turned out to be a scam... he said he &quot;accidentally&quot; wrote the full amount on the cheque and wanted me to refund him for it. I ended up ripping the cheque up as apparently it was a common scam where the cheque would bounce after I'd refunded them" CreationDate="2016-12-20T09:14:45.463" UserDisplayName="user15733" />
  <row Id="8686" PostId="85" Score="0" Text="Door to door works for some areas of IT but not all.  I wonder what other options there are for people who do things besides web site design." CreationDate="2016-12-20T17:06:05.190" UserId="14793" />
  <row Id="8687" PostId="6385" Score="0" Text="Either you accept this behavior because they pay the bills, or you don't. If you don't accept this behavior any longer communicatie your delivery times clearly and stick to them. E.g. 48 hours in advance." CreationDate="2016-12-21T20:45:58.550" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8688" PostId="6385" Score="1" Text="I just always say &quot;No. The best I can do is have it to you by XXXXX&quot; if expectations are unreasonable. After a few times, they learn to give me adequate time if they *actually* want things completed." CreationDate="2016-12-22T01:00:41.603" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8689" PostId="6354" Score="0" Text="I don't think you are &quot;crazy&quot;. However, I also don't think you've really thought this through. If you're serious, develop a business plan and strategy detailing *every* aspect rather than just guessing at things. I, personally, can think of at least a dozen &quot;problems&quot; you would have to be prepared for off the top of my head. It's not just about getting something up and running and then found. Remember.. people, in general, don't play well with others. So you shouldn't anticipate that there won't be any disputes. When money is involved, even if not through you, it will take a lot of your time." CreationDate="2016-12-22T14:17:53.500" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8690" PostId="6354" Score="0" Text="@Scott Im sure there will be a lot of what if's, Me im not a lawyer, just a man with a dream of working independently, then realizing those dream were not going to come true and having to get a really good job with a really good salary, and a lot of time to burn. My partner, he is a lawyer, and married, so he is looking for something to do." CreationDate="2016-12-22T14:25:19.390" UserId="5556" />
  <row Id="8691" PostId="6354" Score="0" Text="Okay. Just suggestions. You hopefully do realize that the freelance websites are among the *worst* ways to succeed in freelancing I hope." CreationDate="2016-12-22T14:48:32.207" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8692" PostId="6354" Score="0" Text="Interesting, you say one of the worst, what are some the best?" CreationDate="2016-12-22T14:49:37.880" UserId="5556" />
  <row Id="8693" PostId="6354" Score="0" Text="@Scott you cant just drop that line and then not give any feedback, what are some better way?" CreationDate="2016-12-22T16:31:57.207" UserId="5556" />
  <row Id="8694" PostId="6354" Score="0" Text="http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/2848/how-can-experienced-contractor-survive-outside-elance-odesk-freelancer/2849#2849 http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/1086/best-way-to-get-clients-as-a-freelance-web-developer/1101#1101" CreationDate="2016-12-22T19:15:41.403" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8699" PostId="6393" Score="0" Text="Are you talking about a rate for yourself, or a rate to offer to interested freelancers? Because if it is for yourself, I assume you know what kind of job market it is? Some more context might help to get better answers, although Scott down here seems to have quite some answer worked out already :)" CreationDate="2016-12-25T20:56:45.987" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8700" PostId="6390" Score="1" Text="Have you already spoken to the CEO? Do they actually want an online presence? It may depend on culture of course, but asking for equity for web development is hardly standard, but you never know." CreationDate="2016-12-25T21:01:38.950" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8701" PostId="6392" Score="1" Text="Don't make it more difficult than it has to be. If you have access to the CEO, ask him about it. If there is interest, make sure you have an NDA signed before getting into specifics. Be clear about your intentions and expectations from the start. If something isn't clear, make sure it is regardless of the topic." CreationDate="2016-12-25T21:07:01.220" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8702" PostId="6393" Score="0" Text="Yeah, Scott hit it out the park." CreationDate="2016-12-25T21:16:14.363" UserId="15681" />
  <row Id="8703" PostId="6393" Score="0" Text="@user3244085  What do you mean, What kind of Job Market it is?  Are you referring to some sort of supply/demand characteristic?  Also, is the context to which you refer, about my experience level or other?" CreationDate="2016-12-25T21:27:20.383" UserId="15681" />
  <row Id="8704" PostId="6396" Score="0" Text="Great answer.  I take exception to the use of the word ***fabricated***, however.  The word connotes intentional deception and your answer details a thoughtful, meaningful honest, approach.  I understand what you mean: everyone has a personalized way to get their number. But, I don't think fabricate fits here; in fact it does a disservice to you insightful answer." CreationDate="2016-12-25T21:36:11.060" UserId="15681" />
  <row Id="8705" PostId="6396" Score="0" Text="@grldsndrs -- Fabricate - To construct something from prepared components -- It doesn't automatically *have* to mean or imply *any* deception. I certainly didn't mean to use it to imply deception but rather just &quot;made up from collected data&quot;" CreationDate="2016-12-26T05:44:58.417" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8706" PostId="6392" Score="0" Text="Thank you @user3244085, but the NDA does not help me in this case. Even if he signs it they can &quot;copy&quot; the project." CreationDate="2016-12-26T09:19:05.217" UserId="9910" />
  <row Id="8707" PostId="6396" Score="0" Text="Yes, I take your meaning as it was intended, but when I started reading your answer, after the first sentence, I thought I would find highly subjective and questionable reasoning. I did not!  I already had an inkling of the subjective nature of the question and your opening fed into that. Because you put a not-insignificant amount of effort into your answer, I thought you would want to know how your words came across .  I think when fabricate is used to describe ideas  which are subjective in nature, the ideas described are readily interpreted as deceptive." CreationDate="2016-12-26T11:18:50.297" UserId="15681" />
  <row Id="8708" PostId="6396" Score="0" Text="Fabricate simply means to &quot;make up&quot;. The word itself never indicates collusion or ill intent. It can be used to express things made up for bad purposes &quot;fabricate a lie&quot;, &quot;fabricate evidence&quot;. However, &quot;fabricate&quot; is innocuous on it's own. It can be used for good intent as well --&quot;Fabricate a gift&quot;, &quot;Fabricate a donation&quot;, --- or just innocuously -- &quot;Fabricate a web site&quot;, &quot;Fabricate a machine part&quot;." CreationDate="2016-12-26T16:04:12.940" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8709" PostId="6390" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the replies. I have not yet spoken to the CEO regarding this particular proposal but I have met him previously and he seems very ambitious. I have outlined how the company could grow exponentially over the next few years with my help and expand into additional revenue streams and channels they don't currently have the technology or resources to do. I see no reason why he wouldn't want to move forward and drive growth in his company but I guess I will have to wait and see what he says after my pitch. Thanks" CreationDate="2016-12-26T19:48:57.817" UserId="15783" />
  <row Id="8710" PostId="6392" Score="2" Text="If you say so, but the whole idea of an NDA is to put it into writing that they can't :)" CreationDate="2016-12-26T19:50:34.357" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8711" PostId="6392" Score="0" Text="I will look it again. I understood that the NDA is for not sharing the information. But with the idea and a look at development I guess that he would be able to modify it enough. Nevertheless is much better than nothing. Thank you @user3244085" CreationDate="2016-12-27T10:16:15.647" UserId="9910" />
  <row Id="8712" PostId="6392" Score="1" Text="An NDA, depending on the text of course, usually also covers technology or any other form of commercial information. You are right that an NDA does not physically prevent anything (as is the case with any written agreement), but if you can't trust them to respect a written agreement maybe you don't want to do business to begin with." CreationDate="2016-12-27T12:36:38.250" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8713" PostId="6398" Score="1" Text="`Instead of licensing software, the client asked for a not-disclosure agreement` Exactly what do you mean by 'licensing software' in this context?" CreationDate="2016-12-27T19:21:44.823" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="8714" PostId="6264" Score="0" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because this isn't about Freelancing as described in the help center." CreationDate="2016-12-27T19:26:02.447" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="8715" PostId="6398" Score="0" Text="Instead of signing an EULA, as an example." CreationDate="2016-12-27T19:39:06.573" UserId="15802" />
  <row Id="8716" PostId="6400" Score="0" Text="Yes indeed I would like to protect. However we are negotiating an NDA. An NDA is an agreement where it expressively said that a component is given to be used for evaluation purposes. VS an EULA, it is not discussed how it is released. so my question, which is a common and acceptable practice (als on behalf of client) to accept that code is on my server. JScrambler is interesting but not cheap. Obfuscation and posting via AJAX to my own server - thought about that, but can be removed. A license is not yet be discussed for client is urgency and also on my behalf I need more time to craft it" CreationDate="2016-12-27T20:04:02.967" UserId="15802" />
  <row Id="8717" PostId="6400" Score="0" Text="You are completely misguided as to your first point.  An NDA is a document where the client agrees to not disclose your trade secrets to third parties.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-disclosure_agreement  There's really not much to &quot;negotiate&quot; for an NDA.  However, the topic of licensing will have much more variety in its expression.  And yes, obfuscation can be removed but as the developer if you include other countermeasures to intentionally make deobfuscation difficult to use (such as using &quot;eval&quot; statements), the client is less likely to try and be sneaky." CreationDate="2016-12-27T20:10:26.353" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="8718" PostId="6400" Score="0" Text="an NDA is shaped against a purpose and actions permitted or not related to the disclosed information. There goes the negotiation part. So I wonder if by evaluation is implicit to keep the script on own server. Alternatively, which are common practices to release a software to one single end user? Is script commonly shipped to client or not?" CreationDate="2016-12-27T20:21:11.470" UserId="15802" />
  <row Id="8719" PostId="6400" Score="0" Text="I'd think you'd have to ship a script, because hosting from your servers would become a long-term technical dependency; i.e. a cost to you, and an indirect cost to the client.  I purchased a javascript menuing toolkit once that was obfuscated and locked down to work on a single domain name (or it would inject messy &quot;DEMO&quot; text all over the page).  it worked well, and I had neither inclination nor need to decompile it." CreationDate="2016-12-27T20:49:35.517" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="8721" PostId="6403" Score="0" Text="Now that you mentioned it, is it ethical to ask for a rate &quot;change&quot; if you are in contract? And based on our contract, no they can't it have this &quot;tool&quot; for themselves." CreationDate="2016-12-29T12:29:05.593" UserId="1793" />
  <row Id="8722" PostId="6403" Score="0" Text="Typically for you to justify a rate change in contract, there has to be extenuating circumstances justifying that change. You contract may have rules for rate changes, most however do not. As far as excluding the tool, that is up to your contract with your current client and if the contract says it's their tool then it's up to them to let you keep it." CreationDate="2016-12-29T12:46:50.800" UserId="536" />
  <row Id="8723" PostId="6403" Score="0" Text="It makes sense in future contracts to explicitly exclude any tools developed for your own purpose of automating tasks or reducing work to complete a project except where such tools are an integral part of said project. For example build scripts are an integral part of a project. A tool which can builds an image tile set from sprites may not be." CreationDate="2016-12-29T12:47:13.350" UserId="536" />
  <row Id="8726" PostId="6249" Score="0" Text="I don't really understand the question.  Are you thinking that your work would be worth less and affect your career in the long term or are you asking for possible negative aspects to your decision that you may not have considered? Btw, I do not see the reason for the downvote." CreationDate="2017-01-01T15:15:16.073" UserId="14793" />
  <row Id="8728" PostId="6406" Score="0" Text="&quot;In order to get your competitor's attention&quot;: did you read the OP ??" CreationDate="2017-01-02T17:36:14.290" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="8729" PostId="6406" Score="0" Text="Patenting the software seems disproportionate, if possible at all (in principle, sofware can't be patented in the EU.) Copyright is more accessible, file a copy with a notary or similar. In any case, a protection is only useful as long as you can prove that you were copied, and are in position to sue." CreationDate="2017-01-02T17:37:34.140" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="8730" PostId="6342" Score="0" Text="People not feeding back when they are no more interested is the rule rather then the exception." CreationDate="2017-01-02T17:40:39.557" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="8731" PostId="6402" Score="0" Text="A decrease by 10% is not worth any fuss (unless you mean *by* 90%)." CreationDate="2017-01-02T17:44:03.230" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="8732" PostId="6347" Score="0" Text="Do you charge for these meetings ? If not, it is high time to do it, at the same rate as for programming." CreationDate="2017-01-02T17:52:19.847" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="8733" PostId="6347" Score="0" Text="@HarryCover Well, I do think SOME meetings may be needed, that's why I was asking how do others manage that. But no, I don't charge for the meetings. Since I barely have 3 clients and 1 year of freelancing, charging for meetings may be counterproductive. On top of that, I'm from Latin America so people expect programmers here to be cheaper overall." CreationDate="2017-01-02T18:08:03.417" UserId="12034" />
  <row Id="8734" PostId="6347" Score="0" Text="I didn't say that you should charge all customers. I meant *them*." CreationDate="2017-01-02T18:27:32.157" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="8735" PostId="6402" Score="0" Text="Yes I meant 90%. Sorry I'm not a native english speaker, feel free to edit my answer :)" CreationDate="2017-01-02T23:10:10.980" UserId="1793" />
  <row Id="8736" PostId="6402" Score="0" Text="I know you said 90%, but I still don't know if you *reduced* by 10% or 90%." CreationDate="2017-01-02T23:22:33.780" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="8737" PostId="6402" Score="0" Text="Sorry for the confusion. So, I reduced the work down to 10% taking 90% off on automation. I'll try rephrasing it." CreationDate="2017-01-02T23:28:16.877" UserId="1793" />
  <row Id="8738" PostId="6402" Score="0" Text="This is a funny situation. You are indeed somewhat unfair towards your customer, but lowering your fee would be unfair towards you because you would earn less though you did nothing bad." CreationDate="2017-01-02T23:38:18.403" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="8739" PostId="6402" Score="0" Text="A &quot;happy ending&quot; is by raising your rate (just for this task), while announcing times closer to the truth so that the customer sees a lower price." CreationDate="2017-01-02T23:45:01.647" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="8740" PostId="6412" Score="0" Text="What form? And what's their rationale for asking you to fill it out? You might need to ask them directly." CreationDate="2017-01-03T05:43:21.190" UserId="15859" />
  <row Id="8741" PostId="6410" Score="3" Text="Overall this is true; however it *could* be possible (if the client is not in a hurry and a lot of other provisos) to offer to make the app for a *nominal fee* (or pro bono) as a learning experience for yourself and to expand your résumé/portfolio.  It would depend *a lot* on what your relationship is like with that client, though." CreationDate="2017-01-03T06:27:33.833" UserId="15860" />
  <row Id="8742" PostId="6410" Score="2" Text="Not really. I have some great clients. And much like working for friends, they *may* be amenable at the beginning, but eventually things will get strained and uncomfortable because you aren't delivering what (or when) they want, and they don't know how to bring up the topic... so eventually the relationship suffers. For a client, that means they go elsewhere for work. The simple truth is.. if you don't know to build something when hired, don't do it, don't promise it, and don't agree to it. (Note this is a bit different than learning to adapt to a specific API or or something)." CreationDate="2017-01-03T07:25:29.503" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8743" PostId="6412" Score="0" Text="They are not sure about tax and things either, they just know that they are start up and they need to comply with such things, so they do it regardless" CreationDate="2017-01-03T07:39:55.843" UserId="15858" />
  <row Id="8744" PostId="6412" Score="1" Text="Sounds like *someone* should be speaking (or hiring) an accountant familiar with foreign contractors. Being a &quot;start up&quot; is no excuse for doing things haphazardly." CreationDate="2017-01-03T08:35:06.060" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8745" PostId="6410" Score="1" Text="I suppose I'm thinking of a different scenario, one that would *not* actually work with a pre-existing client for related professional work.  I'm thinking of a scenario wherein the person wouldn't actually be able or inclined to pay a fully professional rate for a rapid and top-notch job—but would be happy to get a *good* product done at a lower rate, possibly on a longer schedule.  As a somewhat relevant point: It's possible to get dental work done by students of some dental colleges for rates much lower than at a typical practice.  Ditto for your tonsorial needs at a hairstyling school." CreationDate="2017-01-03T10:54:47.003" UserId="15860" />
  <row Id="8746" PostId="6412" Score="0" Text="For some reason the 'edit' doesn't work for me so I'm commenting.  The title does not represent the question properly.  The title should be 'how do I' not 'Do I have to'.  If the title remains 'Do I have to' then my answer would be 'if you know a place in the world where they don't pay taxes do let me know.'" CreationDate="2017-01-03T13:17:12.407" UserId="14793" />
  <row Id="8747" PostId="6412" Score="2" Text="There's a difference between 'do i need to pay taxes' and 'do i need to pay taxes in the US if I live in vietnam', the latter is the case here and that is valid question." CreationDate="2017-01-03T13:18:16.457" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8748" PostId="6408" Score="1" Text="Is your work for this client at all related to building iOS apps?" CreationDate="2017-01-03T15:56:30.480" UserId="15878" />
  <row Id="8749" PostId="6410" Score="1" Text="I can see that point. Technology is a bit different though, at least to me. It's a constant learning processes. What you learn today may not be in use in 3-5 years... so you have to learn new things all the time. Things that offer &quot;student rates&quot; (dentists, hairdressers, etc) are typically a single skill set that once learned, merely takes practice to improve craftsmanship. There's no &quot;practice&quot; with technology, either something works correctly or it doesn't. In my experience, tech clients aren't very amenable to learning on their dime -- they can *always* find someone cheaper that knows." CreationDate="2017-01-03T16:42:04.600" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8750" PostId="6415" Score="1" Text="LOL!  A practitioner's practice is so called, because they're just practicing – good one! x'D  In case you're serious: Nono, in this case, to pr***act***ice means to ***act***, perform, carry a profession: http://etymonline.com/index.php?search=practice  Of course you're right in that no-one knows &quot;everything&quot;, particularly not in these times of ever accelerating technological progress.  And always, with everything, the more you do something, the more you gain experience in it, training – practice.^^  (Though typically with *diminishing returns*.)  …" CreationDate="2017-01-03T19:14:31.110" UserId="15882" />
  <row Id="8751" PostId="6415" Score="0" Text="… But physicians' and lawyers' marketing is certainly not designed to emphasize their imperfection. ;)" CreationDate="2017-01-03T19:17:54.273" UserId="15882" />
  <row Id="8752" PostId="6408" Score="0" Text="At first, I built him a finance app to be used in different restaurants. I built that using Ruby on Rails in a short amount of time, with impressive features. Now, he's asked to build another big app from scratch that will require web app as well as mobile apps. I have been involved in iOS in past with only Objective -C, like around iOS 4." CreationDate="2017-01-03T22:43:11.743" UserId="15394" />
  <row Id="8753" PostId="6413" Score="1" Text="Keep in mind, employee / employer relationships are very different from freelancer / client relationships." CreationDate="2017-01-04T11:27:10.617" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8754" PostId="6415" Score="0" Text="Although the 'practice' aspect of this answer makes no sense, I do agree with the fact that very often you need to learn or investigate something to carry out an assignment. Almost every assignment I learn something new because I search around. In that way, the client always pays for me to learn. But that is not something which is communicated to the client, and I make sure to deliver the assignment on time and as requested. This might be what most people call 'experience', the fact that you have done many assignments and learned something from each one." CreationDate="2017-01-04T11:32:56.947" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8757" PostId="6422" Score="15" Text="One very important thing in this answer that every freelancer should take to heart: Business is business. You can have friends that you do business with, but the two are separate, and is one of the reasons why I decided that I either do something for free for a friend, or not at all just to avoid this type of discussions that have cost many friendships (not mine luckily)." CreationDate="2017-01-05T11:13:33.160" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8758" PostId="6420" Score="4" Text="5k would be way over my 'can't be bothered' limit. Take him to court or forget about him and the money. Those are your options I guess." CreationDate="2017-01-05T11:14:42.947" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8759" PostId="6420" Score="4" Text="Relevant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h3RJhoqgK8  NSFW language" CreationDate="2017-01-05T16:20:52.000" UserId="15921" />
  <row Id="8760" PostId="6422" Score="2" Text="I agree @user3244085 -- If I have a &quot;friend&quot; I either refuse to do work for them, or agree to do the work for free. Any other arrangement always ends up &quot;sticky&quot;." CreationDate="2017-01-05T16:34:16.863" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8761" PostId="6420" Score="7" Text="This guy isn't a friend - he's an &quot;Idea Guy&quot; who's using and abusing people to get what he wants, and ultimately cover-up his own incompetence. Do what you have to do to get paid, treat is exactly like any other client/company that you would work with. This guy is only a plague." CreationDate="2017-01-05T19:44:02.467" UserId="15928" />
  <row Id="8762" PostId="6420" Score="1" Text="Also, you may not even need to go to small claims court - just hire a lawyer to write an intimidating letter sent to him certified mail. This usually scares people into compliance - as it indicates you're willing to go the full route. A letter from a lawyer won't cost much compared to what you are owed. Just be prepared for it to get ugly after this, as you likely won't ever do business with this guy again - but you wouldn't want to anyway." CreationDate="2017-01-05T19:47:46.193" UserId="15928" />
  <row Id="8764" PostId="6420" Score="1" Text="If you &quot;don't have the time&quot; to be &quot;bother&quot; by court... you're only option is to then forget the money. Frankly, I'd find time for 5K. if for no other reason to show this &quot;friend&quot; he needs to pay." CreationDate="2017-01-05T21:54:38.420" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8765" PostId="6420" Score="1" Text="What country(ies) is this taking place in? I have experienced this exact scenario." CreationDate="2017-01-06T09:37:11.163" UserId="15952" />
  <row Id="8770" PostId="6420" Score="2" Text="I used to have a lots of friends like this when I was younger...when I wised up strangely they disappeared.  ;-P Last time this happened, when they had a crippling bug in their provisioning page, I told them I would not even would talk with them till the money they owned me was in the bank. That worked ok." CreationDate="2017-01-06T14:35:51.343" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="8771" PostId="6436" Score="0" Text="This is a valid point. I don't ask for a budget ever, but I do quantify clients by general depth of scope. Essentially I specifically never ever ask what they will spend, but I do ask what they were looking to accomplish, which gives a ballpark and I can then let them know they are &quot;looking at a few hundred&quot; or &quot;a few thousand&quot; or &quot;five figures&quot; etc. Same concept while avoiding any hard dollar values." CreationDate="2017-01-06T17:53:44.107" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8772" PostId="6420" Score="1" Text="Your &quot;friend&quot; is playing a psychological game aptly called &quot;try to collect&quot; where the winner is the player who makes the other player incredibly frustrated and angry, as much as possible, over and over again. Plainly you are not the player who is winning at this game. Your choices are (1) continue to choose to play a game you're bad at, or (2) get better at it to the point where you can win, or (3) stop playing. Frankly I would recommend (3)." CreationDate="2017-01-06T21:17:42.153" UserId="15964" />
  <row Id="8773" PostId="6420" Score="1" Text="The question and answer here are long. Did work? Get paid. If you can't, setup an auto reminder to send out an invoice whenever you think of him." CreationDate="2017-01-05T09:30:34.833" UserId="14793" />
  <row Id="8774" PostId="6434" Score="1" Text="You are right, it's a bit subjective, but I like your approach." CreationDate="2017-01-07T04:14:44.963" UserId="15394" />
  <row Id="8775" PostId="6420" Score="2" Text="`In regards to small claims court, I don't have the time...` &quot;Time&quot;? What &quot;time&quot; are you referring to? It should take maybe 4-8 hours total. If you have an actual contract and you have e-mails acknowledging the debt, you should be almost home free, effectively making $600-$1200US/hr for little effort for the currently lost $5000US." CreationDate="2017-01-07T07:59:31.987" UserId="15973" />
  <row Id="8776" PostId="6422" Score="0" Text="The Mike Monteiro talk linked in this answer is really worth watching. If you take his approach on future projects this kind of issue will not get this far again." CreationDate="2017-01-07T10:59:14.890" UserId="15977" />
  <row Id="8777" PostId="6437" Score="0" Text="Via all kinds of freelance websites it makes the client seem serious enough and more reliable. In face to face contact, I have never asked for a downpayment and I havent heard of anyone doing that regarding Time &amp; Material projects (eg hourly based gigs). For fixed price projects downpayments are much more common." CreationDate="2017-01-07T11:45:58.067" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8778" PostId="6439" Score="0" Text="&quot;We have total ownership of the software and hardware&quot; sounds exactly like developing and maintaining? I'm also wondering if this question isn't more suitable for the software stackexchange..." CreationDate="2017-01-07T13:43:51.613" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8779" PostId="6439" Score="0" Text="Yes, but we never hand it over. We retain ownership. So its a partnership. Unlike being asked to develop a solution and at the end of the cycle, hand over the goods to walk away or maintain." CreationDate="2017-01-07T13:45:47.057" UserId="15980" />
  <row Id="8780" PostId="6439" Score="0" Text="I think this is more a question for an attorney." CreationDate="2017-01-07T15:33:15.247" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8781" PostId="6422" Score="0" Text="Oh no, **adult language**! It's almost as if we were being adults and discussing adult things, such as work and contracts and such." CreationDate="2017-01-07T19:15:46.590" UserId="15984" />
  <row Id="8782" PostId="5878" Score="0" Text="Surprisingly someone else has voted this down. I've run my own UK Limited company for 20+ years and I have been self employed in Germany for near five years. I have accredited accountants do my tax filing. In all this time, my UK company has had more than one audit, and my German self employed has had tax audit. All my invoices stood up to scrutiny. It might explain why I'm at a loss why the answer was voted down without comment." CreationDate="2017-01-07T19:17:10.920" UserId="11579" />
  <row Id="8784" PostId="6427" Score="0" Text="At least for intellectual property reasons, you would have tell your employer if you're involving someone else (than they expect) in the project though, (right?)" CreationDate="2017-01-08T18:43:29.090" UserId="15882" />
  <row Id="8785" PostId="6420" Score="1" Text="_&quot;but Yosun - I'm not trying to fight with you&quot;_ You might have wanted to write _&quot;[name]&quot;_ instead of _&quot;Yosun&quot;_ here. If that is the case, then do [edit] your post to remove it then flag your own post for moderator attention, to ask to remove the first revision (effectively deleting any trace of your real name, at least to non-moderators eyes). After the edit you can also flag my own comment as obsolete to have it removed. If not, simply reply to me and I'll delete my comment." CreationDate="2017-01-08T18:57:46.040" UserId="15998" />
  <row Id="8786" PostId="6427" Score="0" Text="No.  At least in the USA, the contractor can absolutely sub contract the work without telling the company they contracted with.  Any IP restrictions ought to be handled between the Employer and original contractor.  Then the contractor and sub-contractor should have their own agreement in place." CreationDate="2017-01-09T00:57:19.143" UserId="15929" />
  <row Id="8789" PostId="739" Score="1" Text="i will like to add be releastic and thank you by help of  these adivce i got my first project" CreationDate="2017-01-09T07:55:41.273" UserId="16001" />
  <row Id="8791" PostId="6442" Score="0" Text="Questions about Freelancing Website services for finding or working with clients are off topic. We are not the website's support channel, they have policies that dictate how they run, and they are typically better equipped to provide support. For more information, see the [help center](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/help/on-topic)." CreationDate="2017-01-10T12:15:37.173" UserId="15276" />
  <row Id="8792" PostId="6449" Score="0" Text="You may find some answers in quite a few similar, if not identical, topics on this site: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/search?q=freelance+writer" CreationDate="2017-01-10T17:55:03.237" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8793" PostId="6449" Score="1" Text="Possible duplicate of [How to be a freelance creative writer?](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/3559/how-to-be-a-freelance-creative-writer)" CreationDate="2017-01-10T17:56:11.757" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8794" PostId="6450" Score="0" Text="You're kind of misreading.. an &quot;employee&quot; is NOT a &quot;contingent worker&quot;  that is the point. It's the misclassification that can be a violation of tax laws. Employers could face tax penalties for classifying &quot;employees&quot; as &quot;contingent workers&quot; (Freelancers/Independent Contractors)." CreationDate="2017-01-10T22:27:47.797" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8795" PostId="6450" Score="0" Text="@Scott Okay so the title of the question is bad; I'm trying to figure out how one knows if a worker is classified as an employee or contingent worker, and on which laws this is based on." CreationDate="2017-01-10T22:54:05.193" UserId="14777" />
  <row Id="8796" PostId="6450" Score="0" Text="@Scott Because we can't figure out if the employer has mis-classified them or not until we can classify them according to the law. correct?" CreationDate="2017-01-10T22:54:37.920" UserId="14777" />
  <row Id="8797" PostId="6450" Score="1" Text="https://www.acf.hhs.gov/css/resource/the-difference-between-an-independent-contractor-and-an-employee -and https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/independent-contractor-self-employed-or-employee - Correct. The short answer is.. if you are told when, where, how, on what, and provided equipment... you're an employee." CreationDate="2017-01-10T22:55:47.750" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8798" PostId="6451" Score="0" Text="I am not sure what you are asking. First you mention 600 hours (for programming?), then 10, then 30... Make the question more understanding so we can reply." CreationDate="2017-01-11T10:35:27.960" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="8799" PostId="6453" Score="0" Text="I have a friend in the UK that is a freelancer for the USA company. Don't see a reason why you cannot" CreationDate="2017-01-11T10:36:09.847" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="8800" PostId="6451" Score="0" Text="I guess to summarize, I made a lot of concessions lowering the development cost, not charging extra for exclusivity or for access to the source code and I was surprised that they only want to pay 8 hours a month. So the question is were my expectations of receiving 30 hours a month to keep the software running smoothly too high despite those concessions." CreationDate="2017-01-11T20:37:24.050" UserId="16018" />
  <row Id="8801" PostId="6456" Score="2" Text="Thanks for taking the time to respond. I really like the idea of billing at a premium outside the limits because I think it will help motivate the client to renegotiate more realistic limits if they break them too often. This also solves the issue of trying to predict exactly how many hours the project will take to maintain." CreationDate="2017-01-11T21:11:06.107" UserId="16018" />
  <row Id="8802" PostId="6454" Score="0" Text="What kind of topics were you writing about?" CreationDate="2017-01-12T00:24:07.577" UserId="15704" />
  <row Id="8803" PostId="1830" Score="1" Text="The in-depth blog post link no longer seems to be valid.  It would be great to get that updated." CreationDate="2017-01-12T07:27:31.377" UserId="667" />
  <row Id="8804" PostId="6451" Score="0" Text="Take into account that YOU know that you made concessions, but I'm not sure the customer is aware of those. That's why I'll always offer the full package including price, and THEN I'll make concessions. That way, the client is aware that I am already giving them my 'friend, I give you nice price'." CreationDate="2017-01-12T10:21:43.653" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8805" PostId="6432" Score="0" Text="Well, the OP has learned a lesson. But if he drops it he is teaching the other guy a lesson - that he can screw people around &amp; get away with it." CreationDate="2017-01-12T14:07:41.230" UserId="14719" />
  <row Id="8806" PostId="6429" Score="0" Text="Why ever meet him? What's in it for the OP (apart from afair chance of a repeat dose)?" CreationDate="2017-01-12T14:08:27.997" UserId="14719" />
  <row Id="8807" PostId="6429" Score="0" Text="@Mawg I don't know.  That's why I put the last paragraph there.  Maybe there is something to this guy's crazy business idea that's worth paying attention to.  There's definitely a lot to interpersonal relationships not written into the question." CreationDate="2017-01-12T15:15:16.183" UserId="15934" />
  <row Id="8808" PostId="6429" Score="0" Text="I would tend to dismiss him as &quot;just an ideas guy&quot; - and many's the guffaw that I have had after I signed the NDA and read “just like FaceBook, but better”.  Whatever happens, take his donkey to court. The only reason to see him ***after you have been paid*** is that you say that the first project “won a few industry awards”, so maybe he does have good ideas. BUT … how’s that gonna get you paid? Or would you sue for$50k this time around? An alternative is to get a lawyer to draft an airtight contract where you work for a percentage.  ***ON NO ACCOUNT TRUST THIS GUY***" CreationDate="2017-01-12T15:22:00.743" UserId="14719" />
  <row Id="8809" PostId="6429" Score="0" Text="@Mawg I felt there were enough solutions that recommended just walking away; I wanted another option on the table.  Of course, I agree about the trust issue.  To quote a list of rules I love: &quot;A little trust goes a long way.  The less you use, the further it will go.&quot;" CreationDate="2017-01-12T15:40:33.070" UserId="15934" />
  <row Id="8810" PostId="6429" Score="0" Text="There is lot of advice here, but ultimately only you can decide. I am sure that many of us would like ot know how it turrns out." CreationDate="2017-01-12T15:42:40.343" UserId="14719" />
  <row Id="8811" PostId="6458" Score="0" Text="My thoughts exactly! Something that keeps happening though is that after I propose a minimum amount, the client asks for a breakdown of the costs. Should I avoid providing them with this information in the future?" CreationDate="2017-01-12T17:19:20.190" UserId="16018" />
  <row Id="8812" PostId="6451" Score="0" Text="I agree, I think the problem is that the client isn't giving me enough credit because an initial price point wasn't presented to them so they have nothing to compare it to. It's definitely something I will need to improve on in the future. I should have been clearer that the monthly costs would need to justify the concessions." CreationDate="2017-01-12T17:59:42.053" UserId="16018" />
  <row Id="8813" PostId="6460" Score="1" Text="start with consulting the various government resources available to answer exactly these questions: https://www.gov.uk/set-up-business. Afterwards, if any questions remain, better to get professional help in your country e.g. bookkeeper or accountant, rather than an international site on freelancing." CreationDate="2017-01-12T21:17:31.460" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8814" PostId="6451" Score="0" Text="@Jon Check my answer" CreationDate="2017-01-13T09:16:35.813" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="8815" PostId="6454" Score="0" Text="Had to think about this answer, could not believe I forgot it :). I am still not sure, but I remember we had a system with a list of essays that we could pick and write. So I picked those that are IT related and wrote about them." CreationDate="2017-01-13T09:18:43.277" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="8816" PostId="2877" Score="0" Text="The link you have provided for Braintree is no longer usable..." CreationDate="2017-01-13T16:16:40.080" UserId="999" />
  <row Id="8817" PostId="6432" Score="0" Text="That is a valid point, but then the OP needs to ask themselves if their business model is to be Batman for delinquent clients. If you can't make a good business case to justify recovery then you certainly can't do it for &quot;teaching the other guy a lesson&quot;, as tempting as it might seem. And I understand that impulse too." CreationDate="2017-01-13T17:24:41.080" UserId="15952" />
  <row Id="8818" PostId="6432" Score="0" Text="I totally agree with that. But maybe the OP will make an exception because he considers this guy to be &quot;a friend&quot;" CreationDate="2017-01-13T17:26:49.063" UserId="14719" />
  <row Id="8819" PostId="1101" Score="0" Text="straight up - the web wont put $ in your pocket." CreationDate="2017-01-14T09:00:54.330" UserId="16049" />
  <row Id="8820" PostId="1611" Score="0" Text="you did abc.com? it's abc.go.com now ... but I digress" CreationDate="2017-01-14T09:03:19.840" UserId="16049" />
  <row Id="8821" PostId="6464" Score="0" Text="Would you spend 500k on a team that lives on the other side of the world, that you have never seen IRL? I know I wouldn't, and I can't imagine any of my clients doing that either, including (or especially) the type of clients that have 500k projects to begin with." CreationDate="2017-01-15T19:49:01.257" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8822" PostId="6456" Score="0" Text="I will accept this as the best answer because I will definitely be using this advice in the future." CreationDate="2017-01-16T04:10:17.470" UserId="16018" />
  <row Id="8823" PostId="6467" Score="1" Text="I am not sure I agree. I think it's safe to say that most products and services are competing on price. We probably wouldn't be importing so many goods and services from China if it were otherwise. The question was how could the markets be segregated." CreationDate="2017-01-16T08:00:07.017" UserId="16018" />
  <row Id="8824" PostId="6464" Score="1" Text="@user3244085 Why being remote is an obstacle to meet? I meet each of my client via video conferencing and a few of them actually visited me. Also quality portfolio will make them think of me twice." CreationDate="2017-01-16T08:14:21.943" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="8825" PostId="6468" Score="3" Text="Is it really that simple? Someone from your country offering a cheaper product will probably do a poor quality job for the reason you describe. But someone from a country with a low salary will have a low salary expectation, low cost of living and charges less simply because they can afford to. This is what the OP is asking about, I think." CreationDate="2017-01-16T11:11:24.910" UserId="16067" />
  <row Id="8826" PostId="6466" Score="0" Text="I was told freelancing does not really exist as a full time, only income, viable career." CreationDate="2017-01-16T13:16:15.840" UserId="14793" />
  <row Id="8827" PostId="6467" Score="0" Text="You *can* compete on price, but if you do that you'll have to go live somewhere where you can charge less. OTOH, if you compete on quality, as long as you can produce the quality then you can set your price." CreationDate="2017-01-16T14:39:22.333" UserId="16072" />
  <row Id="8828" PostId="6467" Score="0" Text="@Jon No I think you underestimate your clients. It's not all about price, quality matters. I very much doubt you yourself always choose price over quality, and the same goes for your customers." CreationDate="2017-01-16T15:47:24.980" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8829" PostId="6468" Score="2" Text="I indeed think this answer is too simplistic: if I lived in India and my cost of living is down 400% you bet my prices go down as well. My quality remains the same though. I think it's too easy to assume EVERY offering from countries fat far away is inferior, even though if very often is." CreationDate="2017-01-16T15:50:18.427" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8830" PostId="6467" Score="0" Text="You're right, I don't always choose price over quality, just most of the time. I am pretty sure that most clients use freelance websites in order to pay considerably less for the work." CreationDate="2017-01-16T16:31:30.993" UserId="16018" />
  <row Id="8831" PostId="6468" Score="0" Text="Regardless of differences in salary between countries, quality can still vary a lot. There are a lot of freelancers from richer countries that deliver poor quality. It wasn't my intention to imply that freelance work from low-salary countries will be bad quality, it's just that because their salaries and costs are lower, they have an unfair advantage." CreationDate="2017-01-16T16:41:59.950" UserId="16018" />
  <row Id="8832" PostId="6468" Score="1" Text="It isn't unfair, it's simply an advantage. Your price is based on what you need to make to pay for costs of living, operating and afford some luxury as well, and the same goes for them. Not their fault they live in a cheaper country :)" CreationDate="2017-01-16T16:47:26.590" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8833" PostId="6466" Score="1" Text="Then your were told incorrectly :)" CreationDate="2017-01-16T16:48:07.360" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8834" PostId="6464" Score="1" Text="Companies with million-dollar (or half-million) projects to complete aren't out shopping for agencies. Unlike smaller projects, these types of clients are a commodity and agencies actively market companies for them. There's no need for a service you describe. Agencies market **to the client** and the company chooses between the advertising materials they receive. This is why agencies capable of completing million-dollar projects have a sales team." CreationDate="2017-01-16T17:11:59.280" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8835" PostId="6467" Score="1" Text="@Jon Don't impose your mindset on clients. Just because you would prefer a cheap Chinese import over a more pricey but sound product doesn't give a reliable trend within the market. Many use freelance websites because they need a freelancer, If I need temporary work done, I'm going to go for a freelancer rather than hire someone just to let them go later on. For each person choosing price over quality, there are just as many choosing quality. What's more likely is you just can't find them, you wont find people who prefer quality food whilst looking round a supermarket known for its low prices." CreationDate="2017-01-16T17:17:59.133" UserId="15170" />
  <row Id="8836" PostId="6467" Score="0" Text="My mindset?  You mean the mindset of companies like Apple and other large Western-based companies that outsource materials and labor to other low-salary countries. Had any issues with your bank lately? Chances are you will be forwarded to to a call center in India.  I can hardly take exclusive credit for this point of view." CreationDate="2017-01-16T23:05:06.910" UserId="16018" />
  <row Id="8837" PostId="6466" Score="1" Text="It is the nature of capitalism that vendor prices vary and customers choose what price point they feel a service is worth. Any &quot;segregation&quot; is determined by price. Not sure what you are proposing or *who* would be the judge and jury to decide what workers/companies are worth more, or less, than others. **Everyone** has a competitor at a cheaper price, *everyone*." CreationDate="2017-01-17T03:45:56.717" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8838" PostId="6466" Score="0" Text="Ok but if you go to your local supermarket looking to buy a can of Coke for  50 cents, you probably won't find it. Even if you feel that it should be cheaper, it is set at the **local** market price.  This is what I mean by segregation as I think it makes more sense to consume and offer services at local rates." CreationDate="2017-01-17T08:02:08.840" UserId="16018" />
  <row Id="8839" PostId="6468" Score="0" Text="and it's not my fault that I am from a richer country. My point is, if they need considerably less money to make a living, why not attend local clients." CreationDate="2017-01-17T08:17:18.837" UserId="16018" />
  <row Id="8840" PostId="6466" Score="0" Text="But I can go online and buy a coke for 50¢... so.... It's a global marketplace. Supply and demand. Unfortunately in some online industries there's way more supply than demand and everyone is competing for the same crumbs at times. If you want to only work in your local marketplace.. get off the internet to find clients." CreationDate="2017-01-17T08:27:22.520" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8841" PostId="6468" Score="1" Text="Sorry.. that's &quot;BS&quot; @Jon ... if you could work for clients online in a foreign country for 4-10 times what you make in your hometown.... are you telling me you wouldn't???? So it's only **you** that should benefit from a global client base??" CreationDate="2017-01-17T08:29:43.550" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8843" PostId="6464" Score="0" Text="@Scott But the have to post their &quot;need&quot; somewhere? How else would other companies know that XY company has a need for some service?" CreationDate="2017-01-17T12:11:19.440" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="8844" PostId="6468" Score="2" Text="I speak from my own experience. The bottom line is that most low bidders take 10 or 20 projects in work to earn something, and then deliver them all poorly. I have seen a project of $20k being done for $500. Do you think the quality is the same? Don't think so. I also replied to Jon's fears that he will not be able to find work because his rate is 5 or 10 times larger than of the low bidder's one." CreationDate="2017-01-17T12:14:29.380" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="8845" PostId="6468" Score="0" Text="The point here is to NEVER look at what other's bid. Count your costs, add your salary on the top of it and bid that price. If you are too expensive, either the client is the wrong one or your miscalculated costs+ salary. It's silly to talk that $5 in India is the same as $50 in the USA. It's a fact that has to be accepted." CreationDate="2017-01-17T12:16:35.130" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="8846" PostId="6453" Score="0" Text="I don't understand the question.  Are there restrictions working from anywhere to anywhere?" CreationDate="2017-01-17T14:50:05.067" UserId="14793" />
  <row Id="8847" PostId="6468" Score="0" Text="@Scott that's precisely my point! I am not going to charge based on my cost of living, freelancers will charge as much as they can get away with to maximize their profits. But freelancers from poorer countries have the advantage of being able to drastically undermine the cost of freelancers from countries where the cost of living is considerably higher." CreationDate="2017-01-17T16:13:36.577" UserId="16018" />
  <row Id="8848" PostId="6466" Score="0" Text="But that's why we pay additional fees on imported goods to discourage everyone from buying stuff online from china and destroying the local industries. I don't see anything wrong with implementing safe guards that allow clients and freelancers to compete at local market prices. The original question was to explore how this could be achieved." CreationDate="2017-01-17T16:22:47.680" UserId="16018" />
  <row Id="8849" PostId="6464" Score="1" Text="Why do they &quot;have to post a need&quot;? Doesn't *every* business need IT/Dev services? I mean *every* business. The larger the company the more imperative the need. Chances of you finding a $500k+ company *without* the need are slim. So one can assume, you can cold advertise to these companies - which is what agencies do. Large companies don't need to go &quot;looking&quot; anywhere for services. They get offers then they vet the offers. Much the same way *every* human needs bathroom tissue. You don't go asking companies to sell you... the companies advertise to you directly to sway you to their brand." CreationDate="2017-01-17T17:55:56.450" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8850" PostId="6468" Score="0" Text="@Jon .. that is the nature of capitalism in a global market. Unfortunately, I think you'd have to change professions or get off the internet for work if you don't like it. Watching what others charge *always* leads to frustration (or insecurity). Price what you price. If your work is good, you'll still get clients. You shouldn't try and compete with those you feel are well below your pricing. There will always be clients that want the cheapest they can find... you should strive for **better clients** not limited competition." CreationDate="2017-01-17T18:02:53.693" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8851" PostId="6466" Score="0" Text="Wal-Mart, which is primarily Chinese based imports, has destroyed local mom &amp; pop operations wherever it has sprung up. There's even a movie about it.. Sorry. I think you are exploring the impossible in a capitalistic society. For centuries people have been trying to kill off or stifle their competition. It honestly just sounds as though you are slightly bitter about being underbid." CreationDate="2017-01-17T19:08:10.407" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8852" PostId="6466" Score="0" Text="I am sorry if my original post came across as some kind of rant, but I was merely asking the community about ways that things could be segregated. Try not to take things so personally in the future." CreationDate="2017-01-17T21:16:05.040" UserId="16018" />
  <row Id="8854" PostId="6449" Score="0" Text="Hi Aaron, there's a wealth of information on the Internet about how to succeed as a freelance writer. Take a look at that information, and come back with more specific questions. Our site works best when there is a specific problem to be solved. See [ask] for details. Good luck! :)" CreationDate="2017-01-18T05:48:45.547" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="8855" PostId="2877" Score="0" Text="It works for me? Try https://www.braintreepayments.com/ if the link above isn't working" CreationDate="2017-01-18T16:31:38.377" UserId="5334" />
  <row Id="8856" PostId="6475" Score="1" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because you need country specific tax advice, which you won't find here." CreationDate="2017-01-18T17:34:58.093" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8870" PostId="6464" Score="0" Text="@Scott You may actually be right. Thanks scott" CreationDate="2017-01-19T10:30:51.510" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="8871" PostId="6484" Score="0" Text="That's some useful info for non-VAT entities. Thanks." CreationDate="2017-01-19T11:37:45.810" UserId="15202" />
  <row Id="8872" PostId="6481" Score="1" Text="Why don't you ask the other party instead of an online forum? Nothing wrong or unprofessional to ask them to elaborate on such a clause. Also on a personal note, I would never accept such a clause unless it is some sort of bonus and the main fee already covers my intended revenue." CreationDate="2017-01-19T11:58:34.023" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8873" PostId="6486" Score="0" Text="Thank you, Peter - there are some really helpful comments here.  By your logic, I take it to mean that I should charge a day rate because I will earn £1,000 regardless of how long I am with my client as opposed to if they only need me for two hours at £200ph - is this correct? (Great car seller analogy, by the way!)" CreationDate="2017-01-20T12:26:42.497" UserId="2872" />
  <row Id="8874" PostId="6486" Score="0" Text="You can try, but I doubt they will accept that. So try this first. If they complain or says it's too much, then propose hourly rate approach. Again noone can tell you how much to charge. I can only tell you what to count in. But yes, you can offer higher hourly rate approach if you want. Not bad idea at all." CreationDate="2017-01-20T13:40:36.177" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="8875" PostId="6486" Score="0" Text="I don't think this is true. I have a daily rate that is based on my experience and market prices, nothing random about it. Also: daily rates don't mean you can charge for an entire day even if you don't actually do a day's work. If your daily rate is 800 for an 8 hour day and you only work 6, you charge 600." CreationDate="2017-01-20T18:29:43.290" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8876" PostId="6490" Score="0" Text="edited the generic title to something related to the question. Also, this question has been asked many many times before. Did you search for previous questions?" CreationDate="2017-01-21T20:16:32.553" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8877" PostId="6490" Score="0" Text="You may also want to add some specifics to your question, such as what type of work you would like to do as freelancer and which country or region you are located. So your first lesson as freelancer: clear and precise communication (and that really is something you need to learn as a freelancer, I'm not  flaming)" CreationDate="2017-01-21T20:18:47.997" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8882" PostId="6490" Score="0" Text="I mentioned programming languages . It was quite obvious I would love to work in IT, computer science. Although the question is general, I was looking for a motivational story/ experience which they would love to share." CreationDate="2017-01-21T20:39:09.043" UserId="16125" />
  <row Id="8888" PostId="6490" Score="0" Text="I think this is merely too broad. The general plan.. pay down debt, save money, get necessary software/hardware, find clients. That's pretty much the same for any freelancer." CreationDate="2017-01-23T11:27:06.920" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8891" PostId="6495" Score="0" Text="If you work for a large company, there are hogh chances that you will work on some feature from the very narrow field, and you will earn nothing. Guys of 5+ such experience wanted to shoot themselves when they started doing apps as freelancers." CreationDate="2017-01-23T13:08:41.940" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="8896" PostId="6264" Score="0" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because this isn't about freelancing per what's in the Help Center." CreationDate="2017-01-23T19:42:30.997" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="8897" PostId="6500" Score="0" Text="Yes, it's best to describe and document the setup and technologies you use. Whether free / open source / paid for or otherwise." CreationDate="2017-01-24T20:15:23.233" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8898" PostId="6504" Score="0" Text="I really wish people would find professional assistance for this type of question. This is why many small business get into trouble with administration, tax authorities and so on. Voted to close." CreationDate="2017-01-26T06:58:36.707" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8899" PostId="6504" Score="0" Text="Have a chat with either an accountant or HMRC... Strictly speaking you should pay tax int he UK, but that intermediate PERSONAL spanish bank account is going to complicate matters" CreationDate="2017-01-26T15:44:28.043" UserId="15202" />
  <row Id="8900" PostId="6504" Score="0" Text="I spoke to HMRC today and they advised that should be fine. I will speak soon to Tax Authorities in Spain to find out." CreationDate="2017-01-26T16:21:53.677" UserId="16155" />
  <row Id="8901" PostId="6510" Score="3" Text="They can hire you for whatever you agree to.. how they file their taxes and claim you (as an employee or contractor) is *their problem* not yours. I would caution you against putting all your proverbial eggs in one basket though." CreationDate="2017-01-27T00:20:34.757" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8902" PostId="6507" Score="0" Text="There is no way under any circumstance a freelancer website doesn't charge anything. They need to make money." CreationDate="2017-01-27T01:39:38.257" UserId="15143" />
  <row Id="8903" PostId="6504" Score="0" Text="Just confirmed with &quot;Agencia Tributaria&quot; in Spain which is the relevant HMRC there, and no implications neither, yes, I told them it was a personal account and still no implications. Well, let's see if that works out! Thank you for comments and I hope this post can help someone else with same issue." CreationDate="2017-01-27T13:32:24.287" UserId="16155" />
  <row Id="8904" PostId="6513" Score="3" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it is a question about immigration, not freelancing." CreationDate="2017-01-29T16:41:00.317" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8905" PostId="6513" Score="0" Text="Question is perhaps more suited to the law exchange but I can understand why the OP raised it here." CreationDate="2017-01-29T19:32:10.360" UserId="11579" />
  <row Id="8906" PostId="6513" Score="0" Text="Your question can't be answered here. You need a lawyer. I voted to close it." CreationDate="2017-01-30T00:34:52.657" UserId="15143" />
  <row Id="8907" PostId="6515" Score="1" Text="Do you have a contract with the intermediary, or directly with the end client? I.e. to whom do you address your invoices?" CreationDate="2017-01-30T15:11:02.917" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8908" PostId="6515" Score="0" Text="Invoices are addressed to my intermediary. I have a contract with him directly, not with the end client." CreationDate="2017-01-30T15:15:19.387" UserId="15447" />
  <row Id="8909" PostId="6515" Score="6" Text="Then explain to him that you have a contract with a 30 day payment term, and that it isn't your problem that the end client pays later. This is the reason that I also work with intermediaries form time to time, to make sure I get my money after 30 days as indeed many larger companies pay after 60 days. For me this is a large aspect in the added value of an intermediary." CreationDate="2017-01-30T16:36:26.293" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8910" PostId="6516" Score="0" Text="My contract strictly states that I am to be paid in 30 days max. I like your 2. point." CreationDate="2017-01-30T17:34:07.837" UserId="15447" />
  <row Id="8911" PostId="6514" Score="0" Text="Thanks a lot for you response!&#xA;I will have to double check with the Australian Immigration Department about the conditions of my PR. I do not have any permanent residency card, I have only received an email from them with a document attached saying that my visa application was granted. On that doc there is an expiry date (2020) which gives me the right to leave Australia for few years before coming back if I want to keep my residency. However, I would like to be sure that document is enough to come back.&#xA;In regards to taxes, that makes sense, cause I will send invoices from France." CreationDate="2017-01-30T21:14:21.603" UserId="16193" />
  <row Id="8912" PostId="6516" Score="1" Text="I wouldn't go straight into submission by suggesting a 50% loan for 30 days (because that's what you're doing, you are loaning them money that should be in *your* pocket). Refer to your contract and insist on a 30 day payment term without throwing it in his face. Don't forget: he's already sold you to the end client and you're already working there, so you have a strong negotiating position." CreationDate="2017-01-30T23:47:14.677" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8913" PostId="6514" Score="0" Text="From my understanding, one of the conditions of having a PR Visa is that you must be in the country for a certain amount of time per year. You might loose your PR Visa if you only intend to come back for the odd meeting." CreationDate="2017-01-31T03:08:32.717" UserId="15631" />
  <row Id="8914" PostId="6517" Score="0" Text="&quot;I find it amazing that it has taken your headhunter a month to discover that the end-client would not be signing a document.&quot; =&gt; you're totally right, it's very weird." CreationDate="2017-01-31T09:23:57.073" UserId="15447" />
  <row Id="8915" PostId="6514" Score="0" Text="Fabien - if all good, can you tick the box to confirm right answer to help others? Otherwise I will get a message telling me to edit/remove messages that receive no approvals in a couple of months time. Thanks (and best of luck)" CreationDate="2017-01-31T21:04:45.043" UserId="11579" />
  <row Id="8916" PostId="6514" Score="0" Text="Yes it's all good for me.&#xA;Thanks again for the precious help" CreationDate="2017-02-01T19:22:57.947" UserId="16193" />
  <row Id="8917" PostId="6514" Score="0" Text="You are new here... to the left of my answer there are up down arrows. An Up arrow promotes the value in the answer. Underneath you should see a tick/check mark - if you tick this, it implies the answer is right. Others who read the answer in future can reference it. This is what I was asking you to do =) http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/help/accepted-answer" CreationDate="2017-02-01T22:03:05.430" UserId="11579" />
  <row Id="8918" PostId="6158" Score="0" Text="jobs where the details have not been specified and/or not signed off by all the 'interested parties' result in a constantly changing product, where you will wind up spending all your time implementing changes rather than implementing and testing the product.  I.E. get clients signature (at least) on the UI pages, including the action/color/sizing of each item on each page.  Then you implement per that document.  When they want changes, the client must submit 'change requests' and you charge them for each change request document item.  Once they signoff, changes are not free" CreationDate="2017-02-02T19:02:02.557" UserId="16248" />
  <row Id="8919" PostId="6520" Score="0" Text="Thanks for this complete answer. &quot;You don't state what country you are&quot;: for the info, I'm in France ;)" CreationDate="2017-02-03T14:02:30.147" UserId="15447" />
  <row Id="8921" PostId="5894" Score="1" Text="It's actually against Upwork TOS to skip Upwork as a payment gateway (look up Upwork TOS Non Circumvention Clause)" CreationDate="2017-02-04T09:02:23.190" UserId="16261" />
  <row Id="8922" PostId="6522" Score="0" Text="Do you wants to hire fixed term contractors?" CreationDate="2017-02-04T15:56:40.243" UserId="15143" />
  <row Id="8923" PostId="6522" Score="0" Text="I was looking to hire based on projects rather than term, either by fixed price or an hourly rate." CreationDate="2017-02-04T16:05:25.600" UserId="16265" />
  <row Id="8924" PostId="6520" Score="0" Text="France is a beautiful country - it is more than Paris, and more than fine wine =) I cannot remove risk, but I can reduce it. When I am concerned doing business with someone else, I check how long they are trading. Within the UK, there is high chance of having an audit from the taxman within first three years of trading - so for me, its simple test: If they are going 4+ years, I can 'reasonably' say they pay taxes and are not a &quot;fly by night&quot; (here today, gone tomorrow) business. Basic checks on a company are free in the UK, maybe also in France." CreationDate="2017-02-04T17:41:51.440" UserId="11579" />
  <row Id="8925" PostId="6522" Score="0" Text="Questions about Freelancing Website services for finding or working with clients are off topic. We are not the website's support channel, they have policies that dictate how they run, and they are typically better equipped to provide support. For more information, see the [help center](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/help/on-topic)." CreationDate="2017-02-04T23:33:28.877" UserId="15276" />
  <row Id="8926" PostId="6521" Score="0" Text="100,- wouldn't be worth it for me, if he doesn't show or won't pay you'll end up spending more money or giving up after all. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fees-for-civil-and-family-courts/court-fees-for-the-high-court-county-court-and-family-court#enforcement-proceedings" CreationDate="2017-02-04T23:35:55.870" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8927" PostId="6522" Score="0" Text="Well, you just did.  But since there's no way to contact me here I'd say keep looking.  Other than that I'm not sure what I'd answer your question with since the only thing that would come to mind is a list of web sites you could play with." CreationDate="2017-02-05T15:34:17.107" UserId="14793" />
  <row Id="8928" PostId="6523" Score="0" Text="thank you! that all sounds good but I think the main thing putting me off is having to pay to send bailiffs round etc... because am I right in thinking that, if you win in court, all that grants you is permission to send bailiffs to get the money?" CreationDate="2017-02-06T11:54:03.803" UserDisplayName="user15733" />
  <row Id="8929" PostId="6523" Score="1" Text="@pealo86 Well, first the court orders them to give you the money. If they don't, you apply for an enforcement order. At this point, yes it's bailiffs. Fun fact about bailiffs: in most cases, payment for their services is billable to the debtor." CreationDate="2017-02-06T12:02:30.973" UserId="15202" />
  <row Id="8930" PostId="6522" Score="0" Text="@nyedidikeke I'm unable to specifically find a quote marking asking about websites as off topic within the help center. Whilst there is a note about website specific questions about certain features, being off topic, the actual recommending of websites themselves seems on topic; and is certainly a popular question from freelancers. Though to the OP, I'd suggest looking on Startups SE, to get an answer from the perspective of people within a similar position, rather than asking freelancers in the opposite position." CreationDate="2017-02-06T12:08:19.590" UserId="15170" />
  <row Id="8931" PostId="6522" Score="0" Text="@lewis: The OP is clearly off-topic; there's no half measure about that. It summarises as: *Can anyone suggest where to find good freelancers? Where does a lot of your work come from? Where should I be looking?* Not a quality post." CreationDate="2017-02-06T14:21:44.707" UserId="15276" />
  <row Id="8932" PostId="6522" Score="0" Text="@nyedidikeke Freelance-websites is the second most popular tag within the freelancing SE, suggesting that questions regarding websites are indeed on-topic. the section in which you refer to within the help center specifically targets questions based on specific features of websites, to prevent this site from becoming a simple user guide. There  are a number of questions I've seen from freelancers, asking for advice regarding which freelance websites to use and what they offer. Also, a low-quality question isn't off-topic. A question with low quality should be improved rather than removed." CreationDate="2017-02-06T14:38:57.503" UserId="15170" />
  <row Id="8933" PostId="6523" Score="0" Text="interesting! I'm tempted to keep the small claims court in mind then... although it's only £100, it's the principal of the matter more than anything" CreationDate="2017-02-06T15:38:45.700" UserDisplayName="user15733" />
  <row Id="8934" PostId="6229" Score="0" Text="It really depends on your current and future needs if you can define them. I have tried many Project Planners, To Do Lists and dozen other different way to try to keep things organized but though it would partially do the job - I still was not satisfied due to growing needs and refactoring of my ways of keeping everything organized. Being a full stack developer i went the following route: I do web design - I have clients, leads... e.t.c Each client has one or more projects I do for them. So I wrote it all out and created a database and the frontend and any time I need to add a new feature I do" CreationDate="2017-02-06T23:04:12.723" UserId="16286" />
  <row Id="8935" PostId="6229" Score="0" Text="I used Google Calendar API to implement the Scheduling and Notification functionality. You can buy an Admin theme and customize it to your needs.  I soon realized I need a Credentials feature to store client's usernames, passwords. Soon can To Do list / Per Project so I knew exactly what needed to be done for each project. I even took it further and created an annual goal JS widget where you set how much you want to earn this year and it tells you how much you have coming, already earned, predicted (Project bid sent)." CreationDate="2017-02-06T23:17:18.067" UserId="16286" />
  <row Id="8936" PostId="6229" Score="0" Text="All these work completely my way - so I am supper happy. Hosted Locally - No need to pay anyone. If I ever need any additional functionality - I will simply code it. Google Calendar is hosted with Google so you still get you event notifications and all. Let's say something is going to change - you can adopt it easily. Any other tool tries to be as generic as possible to fit the needs of the most - and that makes total sense." CreationDate="2017-02-06T23:21:21.550" UserId="16286" />
  <row Id="8937" PostId="6229" Score="0" Text="The problem at times is that it never fully fits one. Most of us will be happy if the tool fits us 80%, 70 or even 40%. I know people who pay monthly fee just because app has one feature that they use. Good Luck and hope this information helps!" CreationDate="2017-02-06T23:21:24.760" UserId="16286" />
  <row Id="8938" PostId="6522" Score="0" Text="@KeyBlue India is the country having largest number of developers but due to over population, However 65% of them will not do quality code, including me.&#xA;But LinkedIn is also a nice place i would prefer, but again it takes time to find people. &#xA;you can also pay someone to find you good freelancer, in case you don't have time" CreationDate="2017-02-07T11:50:06.633" UserId="16291" />
  <row Id="8939" PostId="6522" Score="0" Text="As of now, *this question is open ended and primarily opinion based*, which makes for a poor question by SE's standards. I'd suggest changing it to ask for a *process* for finding quality freelancers in the area you're looking, if that makes sense. Either way, Doug's answer is not too bad, so I don't believe I'll delete the question. Can you [edit] to change from &quot;what do you use&quot;-style to &quot;how can I find freelancers with x, y and z qualities&quot;? I believe that would make this a more usable question to be answered by the experts here, and help other people with the same issue." CreationDate="2017-02-07T20:28:27.987" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="8941" PostId="6264" Score="0" Text="Paypal has all kinds of methods for disputes, refunds, insurance, etc. You can look at their web site and get the information you need there." CreationDate="2017-02-07T09:59:38.293" UserId="14793" />
  <row Id="8945" PostId="6264" Score="0" Text="I believe posts such as this are on topic, agreed, the discussion would be suitable as a meta post rather than within the comments of each question from people working with freelancers. Similar sites such as the Workplace SE take questions from all, including those looking for work and hiring managers. a Stack exchange site should encompass an industry or subject as a whole, not just one perspective / job role from it." CreationDate="2017-02-08T10:21:51.350" UserId="15170" />
  <row Id="8946" PostId="6528" Score="0" Text="I am not an expert in German, or European law, and don't have a 100% full understanding of the question. But I would at the very least ask the headhunter for a full explanation of the request, before committing to anything. This doesn't seem normal (though that could be from wording rather than the actual situation). I see specifically requesting your CV as a doc and refusing to accept a PDF as a huge red flag for myself (though coming from the IT / Computing industry, the level of competence to open a PDF is expected, where in other industries it may not be.)" CreationDate="2017-02-08T12:11:35.977" UserId="15170" />
  <row Id="8947" PostId="6523" Score="0" Text="@pealo86 If you didn't enjoy the experience of working with the client, it might be nice to get back at him. but keep in mind it will cost 25% of your profit (though 75% is better than 0% right). In future I'd advise not providing the client with the completed work until paid in full. Depending on the type of freelancing work you do, it might be worth trying to run with the project yourself and issuing copyright / DCMA / whatever you can, to stop the client from using it or competing with you (as whilst unpaid, the work still belongs to yourself legally)." CreationDate="2017-02-08T16:42:12.283" UserId="15170" />
  <row Id="8948" PostId="6522" Score="0" Text="First time using this place so apologies if I've upset anyone! I did look through this forum before posting and noticed similar, although not identical, questions about finding work from a freelancer stand point, so I thought I'd flip it from a client point of view. Very useful tips however, I am now in contact with a local developer! EDIT - I will tweak my question, thank you." CreationDate="2017-02-08T18:34:20.307" UserId="16265" />
  <row Id="8949" PostId="6527" Score="0" Text="Thank you for your answer, Doug. I do have developers here and they have now supplied me with a technical document outlining what they would expect. This is to help gauge quality and so they themselves can edit the work in future." CreationDate="2017-02-08T19:01:58.630" UserId="16265" />
  <row Id="8950" PostId="6527" Score="0" Text="That's ideal! Good luck with your search." CreationDate="2017-02-08T21:46:28.610" UserId="16293" />
  <row Id="8951" PostId="6532" Score="0" Text="Should I include my UTR number on the invoice? *NO!!!* A thousand times *NO!!!* It's not like a NINO, where an employer needs it. Your UTR is solely **your** reference. VAT number would do the trick (they start with GB)" CreationDate="2017-02-09T14:57:18.530" UserId="15202" />
  <row Id="8952" PostId="6535" Score="0" Text="Don't use windows. Use Linux." CreationDate="2017-02-10T06:57:44.367" UserId="15143" />
  <row Id="8953" PostId="6535" Score="0" Text="Use the improved version of Linux. Use macOs." CreationDate="2017-02-10T14:12:08.930" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8954" PostId="6535" Score="0" Text="Just use the common sense and you should be safe." CreationDate="2017-02-10T16:11:16.750" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="8956" PostId="6535" Score="0" Text="A VPN does not mean you won't pick up viruses. It just redirects the &quot;source&quot; that the remote site sees" CreationDate="2017-02-10T17:33:55.760" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="8957" PostId="6547" Score="2" Text="In my experience, if *any* client asks you to spend money which has *never* been necessary before and *may* never be necessary again.... it's just not worth the hassle. I'd rather find a different client." CreationDate="2017-02-10T19:13:06.467" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8959" PostId="6557" Score="0" Text="Also, as an afterthought while proof reading, if he controls hosting and already has the work, utilise things such as DMCA and other legal means to remove or prevent usage of such content, my opinion is that they would take your favour as until paid, the content belongs to yourself (again read up on the laws as IANAL). (I put this as a comment rather than editing, as the answer's getting quite large already)" CreationDate="2017-02-13T10:11:41.967" UserId="15170" />
  <row Id="8960" PostId="6556" Score="0" Text="While in the US it is certainly possible for anyone to sue anyone else over anything... I'd love to see someone actually win because they were miraculously able to prove damages due something which never existed and they were unwilling to pay for construction. I wonder if I could sue a home builder if I do not have a home which they refuse to build even though I tell them I'm not going to pay for it?" CreationDate="2017-02-13T16:25:19.903" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8962" PostId="6537" Score="0" Text="`your IP address is likely to change` &lt;-- Not really.  This only applies to dialup or cell/hotspot service.  FIOS and cable internet addresses are more-or-less static because the modem or router is always connected and it'd be pretty dumb to be changing IP addresses while users might be trying to stream content." CreationDate="2017-02-13T22:44:03.690" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="8963" PostId="6556" Score="1" Text="So you've learned a lesson that somehow, even though there are so many examples online, we all need to experience (I have had this type of client as well). My experience: they'll shout &quot;I'll sue you!&quot; any chance they get but never go through with it because they know they would never win. Next communication, politely reply that you consider the matter closed and will no longer respond. (and stick to it!)" CreationDate="2017-02-14T08:03:12.950" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="8965" PostId="2003" Score="0" Text="Also worth noting what the OP describes is not &quot;work for hire&quot;. It sounds to me like the client wants an out of the box software solution, but one doesn't exist. They're willing to subsidize the development of that solution. (This is fairly common, and this answer gets a downvote from me for obvious ignorance.)" CreationDate="2017-02-15T16:18:25.737" UserId="16365" />
  <row Id="8969" PostId="6569" Score="0" Text="If he tries to negotiate, should I explain why he can't negotiate?" CreationDate="2017-02-16T04:25:43.383" UserId="15143" />
  <row Id="8970" PostId="6568" Score="0" Text="If he tries to negotiate, should I explain why he can't negotiate?" CreationDate="2017-02-16T04:25:45.140" UserId="15143" />
  <row Id="8971" PostId="6568" Score="1" Text="Absolutely. Like @Jon said he's negotiating from a position of weakness. You have the power if _you are_ prepared to walk away from the project. If he wants further support and updates he needs to pay what's owed." CreationDate="2017-02-16T04:38:54.367" UserId="16386" />
  <row Id="8972" PostId="6568" Score="3" Text="Not only tell him he cannot negotiate, also tell him you __won't__ negotiate! Tell him he is in arrears and agreed upon payments is non-negotiable, and that his acts are in bad faith. The AU IP has you covered. Furthermore, when he needs updates or changes to the app enforce that there be a written, binding, contract that includes details, and that _all_ payment is to be made in advance of any work because of his prior bad faith acts." CreationDate="2017-02-16T05:03:26.900" UserDisplayName="user16080" />
  <row Id="8973" PostId="6567" Score="1" Text="I'm usually against the &quot;Let it go and remember this as a lesson&quot; approach. but I'm not sure this money's retrievable. from another user's question, I'm told that emails and strings of written communication do not constitute a legally binding contract in Australia (not sure on the truth of this). You can always try to bluff by sending letters showing an intent to take legal action, but if that fails, i'm not sure there's much else to be done in the short term. In the long term, some other answers mentioning holding the IP and waiting till he needs maintenance / further work, that seems viable." CreationDate="2017-02-16T09:03:37.677" UserId="15170" />
  <row Id="8974" PostId="6562" Score="0" Text="Here are a few more sites: https://talent.hubstaff.com/ and https://crew.co/ and https://workingnotworking.com/" CreationDate="2017-02-16T16:26:25.953" UserId="16365" />
  <row Id="8975" PostId="6562" Score="0" Text="And a bunch of the more automated sites like upwork, odesk, are linked in this question: http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/4759/upwork-taking-20-of-my-money-alternatives" CreationDate="2017-02-16T16:34:14.520" UserId="16365" />
  <row Id="8976" PostId="6569" Score="0" Text="The only thing you should be negotiating is a fine for late payment. Make it clear that you can only engage in further business and negotiations with him after he pays what he owes for your service." CreationDate="2017-02-16T18:11:50.743" UserId="16018" />
  <row Id="8977" PostId="6571" Score="0" Text="I'm 100% sure the other posts about Australian IP law is correct. That's shown on the Australian government IP website." CreationDate="2017-02-16T21:20:56.550" UserId="15143" />
  <row Id="8978" PostId="5894" Score="1" Text="When I use Upwork, I don't have to pay withdrawal fees, currency conversion fees, or bank fees. Maybe you should change your withdrawal method." CreationDate="2017-02-17T01:47:29.167" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="8979" PostId="6547" Score="0" Text="&quot;I build the project, do it well, but they complain and make money off a settlement through the insurance, I'm ruined, the end.&quot;  The point of insurance is so that you *aren't* ruined by a lawsuit." CreationDate="2017-02-17T02:02:03.460" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="8980" PostId="6574" Score="0" Text="I like the &quot;always&quot; positive approach in this. Thumbs up! =)" CreationDate="2017-02-17T09:25:00.493" UserId="16333" />
  <row Id="8981" PostId="6574" Score="0" Text="+1 although I disagree with being grateful for incompetence handing me a steady stream of work, as I'd prefer constructive work over totally avoidable bug-fixing" CreationDate="2017-02-17T09:47:24.833" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="8982" PostId="6574" Score="0" Text="I posted to be grateful for the additional income, not the incompetency :) Minor difference :)" CreationDate="2017-02-17T14:50:49.467" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="8983" PostId="6572" Score="0" Text="I couldn't agree with the last paragraph more; get your experience at a real computer shop, *then* try going out on your own! There is a lot to learn about the industry, including what works and doesn't in the real world, without it costing *you* money to figure it out the first time." CreationDate="2017-02-17T16:46:37.437" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="8984" PostId="6574" Score="0" Text="@Scott I have plenty of work as it is; he's not making me any more money. I'd rather be doing fulfilling work than dealing with this guy's incompetence and wasting the client's money. Also, he works on different sections of the code than I do; I don't have direct access to most of the features he's working on, so I *can't* fix his work by myself; I have to get him to do it." CreationDate="2017-02-17T18:17:45.103" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="8985" PostId="6562" Score="0" Text="Another freelancer specific site: http://gun.io/ Also interesting (although only semi-related to this topic) is the evolution of these companies. I found an article from 2005 about freelancing, and it links to Guru.com, Elance.com, RentACoder.com and GetAFreelancer.com. Of those, Guru.com is the only one still in operation at that domain. RentACoder.com and GetAFreelancer.com both go to Freelancer.com, and Elance.com now points to Upwork.com." CreationDate="2017-02-17T22:31:16.320" UserId="16365" />
  <row Id="8986" PostId="6573" Score="3" Text="It is none of your business to turn your employer against other person. Second, your employer might have a far greater experience with him in another topic you are not aware of, and by saying this your client might feel YOU are the one who is lacking credibility. What you could say is that the colaboration with him is frustrating you and you propose another plan" CreationDate="2017-02-18T10:33:15.780" UserId="11004" />
  <row Id="8987" PostId="6573" Score="0" Text="I have seen your comment on Scotts answer and it is very probable that you come off as an 'arrogant bigotted nerd' by expressing the way you are. This will not do you any good. Maybe you want to rephrase your services as 'quality maintenance' or 'bug fixing' that allow you to express how you see the situation without getting emotional. Or get another client" CreationDate="2017-02-18T10:39:06.783" UserId="11004" />
  <row Id="8988" PostId="4705" Score="0" Text="What do you mean by curriculum?  For teaching?" CreationDate="2017-02-18T23:21:55.137" UserId="16417" />
  <row Id="8990" PostId="6537" Score="0" Text="Your experience differs from mine. ISP's tend to offer fixed IP as an added service in my experience. I have had NTL (UK), DeutscheKabel and 1&amp;1 (Germany) and UPC internet (Czech Republic) - All made frequent changes to my home IP address. My current provider (1&amp;1 Germany) change my IP address at about 1am daily. Streaming of Netflix etc is not interrupted because in most cases, caching occurs and a new IP is assigned in under a minute reducing risk of impact. The IP renewal though has occasionally interrupted Skype calls and web browsing." CreationDate="2017-02-19T15:42:44.420" UserId="11579" />
  <row Id="8991" PostId="6537" Score="0" Text="then europe is very different." CreationDate="2017-02-19T16:08:14.497" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="8997" PostId="5850" Score="0" Text="I highly concur with the suggestion to check with an accountant. While my accountant does my company's annual tax form, the primary value I see in the relationship is getting advice on questions like all of them in this stream as they apply to me specifically. I'll go farther to suggest having a relationship with a lawyer so you can get legal advice when needed (hopefully not often). Be careful with your form of business, too. If a mistake in business can make you lose your kid's college fund or your retirement fund, you need a different business form (maybe an S-Corp or a Corp)." CreationDate="2017-02-21T04:03:24.340" UserId="16435" />
  <row Id="8998" PostId="6155" Score="0" Text="&quot;It's all there, for free.&quot; I'm like you: I like reading everything I can. Often I know there are subtleties I don't know; I need an accountant adviser and a lawyer adviser, they can be indispensable if something crazy happens to me." CreationDate="2017-02-21T04:16:02.453" UserId="16435" />
  <row Id="8999" PostId="6528" Score="1" Text="PDF is almost as easy to edit as DOCX, so I doubt that adds up to much. The biggest problem I see here is that everybody in the chain wants a cut and its not worth their time unless it's a big enough cut. If the final client is willing to pay 100 for you, you may get only 40 and not know about the rest. You could earn a lot more!" CreationDate="2017-02-21T04:34:04.017" UserId="16435" />
  <row Id="9002" PostId="6581" Score="0" Text="Already the time you spent on this is worth well over 100 pounds, are you sure you want to continue?" CreationDate="2017-02-21T16:14:18.407" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9003" PostId="6580" Score="2" Text="Read the license... That's going to be the only source of accurate information" CreationDate="2017-02-21T18:58:45.647" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="9008" PostId="6588" Score="0" Text="I voted to close this quest because it's just too broad. Realize that if you are under 18 years old (in the US) you are not legally an adult, and as such can not be bound by any contract... few will enter into business deals with minors due to this. If you flake out with their money... they'd have a difficult time recovering it." CreationDate="2017-02-22T00:23:35.593" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9009" PostId="6588" Score="0" Text="Could a parent or guardian be tied to the contract in place of the minor?" CreationDate="2017-02-22T00:32:24.443" UserId="16448" />
  <row Id="9010" PostId="6588" Score="0" Text="In most cases yes. But I'm not a lawyer and haven't really had a whole lot of similar dealings. I honestly avoid business with minors if the fees are more than a dinner out." CreationDate="2017-02-22T00:50:52.710" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9011" PostId="6580" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke I did but it's a bit hard to understand 10+ pages of legalese. I was hoping people could point out phrases to look out for." CreationDate="2017-02-22T00:58:27.207" UserId="16436" />
  <row Id="9012" PostId="6583" Score="0" Text="The licence was rather long and I'm not well versed in legal language. Do you have any suggestions of terms to look out for? I scanned the document for &quot;commercial&quot; and the word never appeared." CreationDate="2017-02-22T00:59:07.637" UserId="16436" />
  <row Id="9013" PostId="6580" Score="0" Text="there is no way to know for sure of a method of determining this, unless you read" CreationDate="2017-02-22T00:59:32.407" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="9015" PostId="6580" Score="2" Text="It's the truth though. Like it or not" CreationDate="2017-02-22T01:01:10.037" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="9017" PostId="6588" Score="0" Text="I'd say start doing some pro bono work with charities and foundations to build your experience and resume. By the time you reach 18 you are ready to go." CreationDate="2017-02-22T06:50:42.990" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9018" PostId="5894" Score="1" Text="You can take a client out of Upwork. But you have to pay Upwork certain fees in order to do that. They introduced this recently" CreationDate="2017-02-22T07:27:36.687" UserId="1563" />
  <row Id="9019" PostId="5894" Score="0" Text="@NinoŠkopac Agreed! But there is a legal way to Opt out from the Upwork which ask for Opt out fee. https://www.upwork.com/legal/ (Service section 7)." CreationDate="2017-02-22T07:56:21.647" UserId="9994" />
  <row Id="9020" PostId="6583" Score="0" Text="Try again for professional , or try to see if there's an official forum where you can ask about it" CreationDate="2017-02-22T07:56:28.207" UserId="16308" />
  <row Id="9021" PostId="6588" Score="0" Text="While I agree the question is broad, the comments do actually contain answer-like relevant information." CreationDate="2017-02-22T09:19:28.197" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="9022" PostId="6581" Score="1" Text="@user3244085 indeed it is, but it's the principle of the matter" CreationDate="2017-02-22T09:43:35.453" UserDisplayName="user15733" />
  <row Id="9024" PostId="6580" Score="1" Text="@JamesJay fair enough if you want to give a fairly broad and unhelpful question, but don't criticise others for their 'lack of help' when you provide very little in the way of determining a useful answer. Stack exchange isn't your personal lawyer / reader. If you've read through the licence and can't understand it, contact Balsamiq and ask them. stack exchange isn't just for any question you can't find on the first result of google, SE aims for a higher quality of Q&amp;A that demands effort be put into both: answers, and questions. I personally see little effort put into this one." CreationDate="2017-02-22T12:53:41.943" UserId="15170" />
  <row Id="9026" PostId="6581" Score="0" Text="you're right of course. But even the fact that it's a matter of principle does not make it any less of a loss of time and money i'm afraid :) I decided to let such things slide quite some time ago." CreationDate="2017-02-22T15:51:07.893" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9028" PostId="6585" Score="0" Text="Do you give something up when you start?" CreationDate="2017-02-22T20:35:02.733" UserId="100" />
  <row Id="9029" PostId="5894" Score="1" Text="I was banned (albeit temporarily, until they actually read messages) just for mentioning bitcoin as an alternative to paypal when reimbursing me for expenses. Information only - so a client could avoid paypal fees... Now I only use email, outside upworks messaging system. I do not consider upworks TOS legitimate after this ban (a bot scanning for keywords). I would have no qualms about offering a reduced price to someone if they buy my time outside upwork. It is ethical." CreationDate="2017-02-22T20:55:16.263" UserId="15821" />
  <row Id="9030" PostId="6594" Score="6" Text="36 hours is not a lot of time. It's entirely possible the client has been busy and offline for a day and a half or two. I have some clients that take a week to respond to me." CreationDate="2017-02-22T21:34:07.630" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9032" PostId="6580" Score="0" Text="@lewis I posted the license and a carefully worded question. Answers like &quot;read it&quot; are the low quality part of this site." CreationDate="2017-02-23T09:27:43.323" UserId="16436" />
  <row Id="9034" PostId="6594" Score="3" Text="Relax, I've been on the client side on upwork as well and there have been times when I simply couldn't respond (or didnt want to) within that time frame. Give 'em a day or two!" CreationDate="2017-02-23T09:32:40.543" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9036" PostId="6596" Score="0" Text="I have updated the question about why I think this is not an option. I have a 3 months notice period, and I am under the impression that I can't tell clients to wait for this long." CreationDate="2017-02-23T10:18:49.340" UserId="16441" />
  <row Id="9037" PostId="6580" Score="0" Text="@JamesJay, have you contacted Balsamiq regarding the enquiry (obviously not considering they're nice enough to post on SE)? Have you read the thing fully, using online resources to help understand legal terms better? I agree that 'Read it' answers are low quality, but this question is specific to a set licence. The only answer a third party can provide is to read it. This question is essentially the same as me asking for the rules of UpWork or other Freelance websites on this site, to which the only answer I would get is 'Read them'. That's if someone can answer before the question's closed." CreationDate="2017-02-23T11:16:55.843" UserId="15170" />
  <row Id="9038" PostId="6598" Score="1" Text="I'm unfamiliar with the safety precautions used by these freelance sites, and whether or not you've used them. But as a note for the future, never provide the finished product before payment, you MUST ensure that the desire to pay you is mutual. The client has no reason for interest in paying you if they have the product, regardless of how moral they are. Paying you is not a business priority for them as they have everything they need and can take as long as they want tying up the loose ends for all they care." CreationDate="2017-02-23T17:15:34.710" UserId="15170" />
  <row Id="9039" PostId="6596" Score="0" Text="Is there some stipulation in your current employment that says you can't freelance on nights and weekends? If so, I'm sure there's something you could be doing in those three months, (reaching out to clients, building up some kind of social media presence, etc)." CreationDate="2017-02-23T17:27:01.547" UserId="16463" />
  <row Id="9040" PostId="6598" Score="1" Text="@lewis Some of the freelance sites *require* you to turn in the finished product before payment, and anyone the client asks for advice is going to tell him 'never pay the freelancer until you have the finished product'. The best solution is to use escrow." CreationDate="2017-02-23T21:08:15.450" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="9041" PostId="6596" Score="0" Text="No there isn't. And I am planning to do that in those three months. However, I wonder if I should give my notice now (and so then try to find a job for June) or in 3 months, for a job starting in September." CreationDate="2017-02-23T23:04:51.177" UserId="16441" />
  <row Id="9042" PostId="6599" Score="0" Text="Are you asking about in a start-up situation, or as a freelancer?" CreationDate="2017-02-24T00:33:48.807" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="9043" PostId="6599" Score="2" Text="Possible duplicate of [Client wants to pay a percentage of revenue generated by website](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/917/client-wants-to-pay-a-percentage-of-revenue-generated-by-website) and http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/1115/how-to-manage-project-requests-from-clients-who-offer-partnerships?noredirect=1&amp;lq=1 and http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/4662/what-to-look-for-in-an-overseas-equity-agreement?noredirect=1&amp;lq=1" CreationDate="2017-02-24T01:16:21.130" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9044" PostId="6598" Score="0" Text="The freelancer sites I worked with have a safety feature for exactly this: if you deliver then after X amount of time without reply from the client the funds will be released / transferred." CreationDate="2017-02-24T07:09:58.460" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9045" PostId="6598" Score="0" Text="@user45623 I wasn't aware of that but will keep that in mind when dealing with freelance websites in the future. However payment before product is always the safest of the two transactions (escrow's better than both) as it is much less likely that a freelancer is going to run with the money after doing the work. that isn't an ideal scam, to perform all the work then take the money and trash the work? where as it's much more profitable to lead a freelancer into providing work without paying for it. but yea, as you said an escrow is the best for both parties" CreationDate="2017-02-24T09:15:59.120" UserId="15170" />
  <row Id="9046" PostId="6485" Score="1" Text="I am afraid that if you change per hour, the client will want to watch how much time you spent on the toilett, stopping to drink water and this small things, because he will be aware that all of this small moments added together corresponds to 1.5 hours per day, and might feel tempted to discount that on you. If you charge per week (or day), he is less likely to come with those ideas" CreationDate="2017-02-24T17:29:59.500" UserId="11004" />
  <row Id="9047" PostId="6598" Score="0" Text="@lewis Payment before product is not any safer than product before payment, it just reverses the risk. What if the freelancer just lies and says they have completed the work when they actually haven't? How could the client possibly know for sure that the work is completed if the freelancer hasn't delivered the final version yet?" CreationDate="2017-02-24T21:27:17.243" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="9048" PostId="6606" Score="2" Text="GET A CONTRACT!! Anything, anywhere, if it's about money or business, put that shit in writing. (I edited this ten times to be as polite as possible as I cannot fathom how people can still question whether or not to put this type of stuff in a contract, there are SO many examples of people not putting stuff in writing and getting into trouble... come on people)" CreationDate="2017-02-25T18:29:49.783" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9049" PostId="6606" Score="1" Text="To expand on @user3244085 comment, If it isn't written down it never happened!" CreationDate="2017-02-25T22:10:56.030" UserDisplayName="user16080" />
  <row Id="9050" PostId="6607" Score="1" Text="This is like asking &quot;If I decide to go out to dinner... how much food can I eat?&quot; **No one** is going to have *any* clue what you are capable of. And my guess could be as wildly inaccurate as your own guess, and you *know* your capabilities. Every client and project is different." CreationDate="2017-02-25T23:24:03.047" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9052" PostId="6585" Score="0" Text="Try to get a few gigs before quiting your day job, smaller assignments. Or are you looking for long term single client assignments?" CreationDate="2017-02-27T05:27:22.030" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9053" PostId="6608" Score="0" Text="I think you nail it with that last paragraph, although you should emphasize the equity share will only be discussed 1-on-1, not written down." CreationDate="2017-02-27T07:53:11.240" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9054" PostId="6608" Score="0" Text="@user3244085 the last clause, &quot;until you have time to find a lawyer and investigate an agreement for the same&quot; was an echo of the OPs prospect saying &quot;contract later, work now.&quot;" CreationDate="2017-02-27T07:59:26.337" UserDisplayName="user16080" />
  <row Id="9055" PostId="6608" Score="0" Text="Yeah but why bother right? Surely his word is enough." CreationDate="2017-02-27T11:34:13.707" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9056" PostId="6608" Score="1" Text="Of course it is. The word of every freelancer is gold! We just can't trust the clients. The don't even know what they want, let alone what they mean. :-&gt;" CreationDate="2017-02-27T11:37:28.170" UserDisplayName="user16080" />
  <row Id="9058" PostId="6616" Score="0" Text="I see you're fairly new to StackExchange sites. You should realize that Stack sites are *not* &quot;discussion forums&quot;. They adhere to a direct Question &lt;&gt; Answer format. Based purely on the number of question marks in your post.... you are asking users to essentially create a small novella to answer everything. You may want to think about [editing your question](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/posts/6616/edit) so that it can be answered with direct, definitive answers. As this stands it is merely *way too broad* to be effectively answered." CreationDate="2017-02-28T07:25:07.973" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9059" PostId="6616" Score="0" Text="You may also find taking a look at the [Tour](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/tour) and [Help](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/help) will also be beneficial, specifically [What types of questions you should avoid asking](http://freelancing.stackexchange.com/help/dont-ask)" CreationDate="2017-02-28T07:26:08.683" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9060" PostId="6616" Score="0" Text="okay i have reduced the question to essentially one or two and asked it at the end." CreationDate="2017-02-28T08:08:31.873" UserId="16522" />
  <row Id="9061" PostId="6616" Score="0" Text="Front end requires a design eye.... and Bootstrap is really not a great &quot;crutch&quot; to depend upon." CreationDate="2017-02-28T09:04:36.073" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9062" PostId="6616" Score="0" Text="I think your biggest weakness is that as an Indian freelancer you are competing with tens of thousands of other Indian freelancers. Especially this aspect &quot;completely online freelancing beginner web programmer &quot; is not going to make it easier. Try getting some experience first, offline might be the way to go." CreationDate="2017-02-28T20:19:13.557" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9063" PostId="6617" Score="0" Text="Define 'hiring manager', are you talking about HR responsibles at random companies or recruitment firms?" CreationDate="2017-02-28T20:22:37.660" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9064" PostId="6537" Score="0" Text="Well not my Europe :) Here 'dynamic' IPs from ISPs are almost static. They offer static IP as an added service because they can, and because the one time a year it changes is still cumbersome if you want to run a web service. Other than that, I'm not even sure my IP changed in the past year." CreationDate="2017-02-28T20:25:51.930" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9065" PostId="6598" Score="0" Text="So eh... did the client get in touch? Come on, don't leave us hanging like this!" CreationDate="2017-02-28T20:28:07.837" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9067" PostId="6616" Score="0" Text="Any suggestions on how to do that?I know I need to show a good portfolio online so building websites freely for small businesses locally comes to mind but I am not sure how to get content for them." CreationDate="2017-03-01T03:34:11.360" UserId="16522" />
  <row Id="9070" PostId="6625" Score="1" Text="Do the remote workers know each other? If not, you could perhaps ensure that no one gets all the system code" CreationDate="2017-03-01T11:20:51.100" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="9071" PostId="6625" Score="0" Text="I don't think they will know each other." CreationDate="2017-03-01T11:40:06.993" UserId="16538" />
  <row Id="9072" PostId="6599" Score="1" Text="&quot;Equity in the revenue&quot; does not make sense to me.  **Royalties** are payments based on revenue.  **Equity** is ownership of the company/asset, even if no revenue is generated." CreationDate="2017-03-01T11:52:01.003" UserId="13016" />
  <row Id="9073" PostId="6324" Score="0" Text="They may be able to tell you are receiving another income from your tax code, but they won't know why." CreationDate="2017-03-01T12:31:53.950" UserId="16538" />
  <row Id="9074" PostId="6625" Score="0" Text="What about NDA?" CreationDate="2017-03-01T18:13:13.970" UserDisplayName="user16080" />
  <row Id="9075" PostId="6623" Score="0" Text="Have you tried freelancing sites like Upwork? They take a percentage of your pay (I think 10% is average), but if you're spending huge amounts of time networking then it might be worth taking the cut in order to have easier access to more clients. And you can always set your rate on the freelance site 10% higher than you would otherwise." CreationDate="2017-03-01T21:44:44.230" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="9076" PostId="6617" Score="0" Text="Have you tried freelancing sites like Upwork? These sites usually take around a 10% cut of your pay, but if you're spending more than 10% of your business hours trying to network with new clients, that might well be worth it." CreationDate="2017-03-01T21:47:45.650" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="9077" PostId="6628" Score="0" Text="@terry Also important in general conditions with multiple developers, especially when working in isolation, as in remote, is clearly defined interfaces and standards. Having them in place before deploying the team will help in segmentation of the project to aide in protecting your code base from them as well." CreationDate="2017-03-02T03:04:58.780" UserDisplayName="user16080" />
  <row Id="9078" PostId="6631" Score="0" Text="Great advice, but how can i find clients? On sites it's difficult because there is a lot of competition. Is there anyway to find clients even if i lower my rates?" CreationDate="2017-03-02T07:22:52.127" UserId="14413" />
  <row Id="9079" PostId="6631" Score="0" Text="As i said you have to be connected with the community, for example if you are a software developer you can connect with the community like **codeproject** or **stackoverflow**. And create your profile better among community there you can get better opportunities. or you can contact your known friends already working in the same area." CreationDate="2017-03-02T07:25:48.407" UserId="16547" />
  <row Id="9080" PostId="6625" Score="0" Text="Not about freelancing, might be more suitable for http://security.stackexchange.com" CreationDate="2017-03-02T10:27:07.907" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9081" PostId="6630" Score="1" Text="Agreed.  I'm changing my stuff to &quot;Freelance Software Engineer&quot;.  How's that sound." CreationDate="2017-03-02T18:45:09.723" UserId="16524" />
  <row Id="9083" PostId="6625" Score="1" Text="@user3244085 I think this question falls under the scope of freelancing; for example, NDAs are a valid answer to this question but NDAs aren't really a relevant topic at the security SE (as far as I know)" CreationDate="2017-03-02T21:41:29.257" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="9084" PostId="6625" Score="0" Text="@user45623 of course they are, confidentiality clauses are basic security measures." CreationDate="2017-03-02T22:19:53.577" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9085" PostId="6630" Score="0" Text="Better :)  ( random extra text so comment submits)" CreationDate="2017-03-02T22:24:35.923" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9086" PostId="6641" Score="0" Text="I rejected the claim and now my client must pay m again for the source code." CreationDate="2017-03-03T00:33:12.340" UserId="15143" />
  <row Id="9087" PostId="6641" Score="0" Text="Source code should not be given out because that would change the pricing. Giving out source code require more payment." CreationDate="2017-03-03T00:34:08.323" UserId="15143" />
  <row Id="9088" PostId="6607" Score="0" Text="'most any language'!! the world is continually coming out with new languages and new/revised features in those languages.  I would be very careful about making the claim." CreationDate="2017-03-03T00:49:45.397" UserId="16248" />
  <row Id="9089" PostId="6607" Score="1" Text="Some very important documents need to be written and signed off before any estimate of time can be made.  Of particular interest with web pages is the complete design (with comprehensive usage scenarios) of the data base.  The next critical item is the design of each and every web page (colors, fonts, layout etc etc) and of  web pages depend heavily on the specific application and the workflow and data flow through the application of each kind of user.  Unless these details are in writing and signed off, you will spend all your time in meetings while the client nick picks the design." CreationDate="2017-03-03T00:55:12.330" UserId="16248" />
  <row Id="9090" PostId="6588" Score="0" Text="I don't claim to be a developer but I think Flash is &quot;long ago&quot; for websites. Thankfully I have good backend coders now but when I look for people I need graphics (photoshop), HTML5, CSS, Angular, JS things like that. None of the people I have used recently do any Dreamweaver or Flash." CreationDate="2017-03-02T23:51:42.893" UserId="16558" />
  <row Id="9091" PostId="6586" Score="0" Text="No, you do not." CreationDate="2017-03-03T08:53:48.107" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="9092" PostId="6643" Score="1" Text="In 90% of pubs in Shoreditch? But seriously, try advertising on freelance job boards" CreationDate="2017-03-03T15:02:25.987" UserId="15202" />
  <row Id="9094" PostId="6607" Score="0" Text="@user3629249 That last sentence I have experienced many, many times.  It never ends." CreationDate="2017-03-03T16:38:48.423" UserId="16417" />
  <row Id="9095" PostId="6567" Score="1" Text="The same already happened to me. When they had a major problem I told them I would not even talk about the problem without having the full payment. A couple of months forward their lawyer sent me an email asking the source code, I ignored the email and it was the last I heard of them" CreationDate="2017-03-04T23:19:47.847" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="9096" PostId="6569" Score="0" Text="Quite by the contrary, it is guaranteed you wont ever see your money if you hand the source code." CreationDate="2017-03-04T23:53:26.530" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="9097" PostId="6641" Score="0" Text="Quite wrong. If I am developing an app, I will charge you x, with the source code included, x  times  5. Your choice. By law, if the crontact does not mention source code, the source code as a contractor is mine. Now, it I am a regular employee it is yours. The thing is, you have to mention upfront the app and source code will be yours, as the price surely is not the same. If you fail to ask it/put it in the contract, the law is not in your side in most countries, and it is not the obligation of the consultant to remind you of that." CreationDate="2017-03-04T23:56:38.113" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="9098" PostId="6641" Score="0" Text="As for having bugs corrected for a certain period of time, that should again be mentioned in the contract. I do agree that if it was a fixed price, that should be a time of &quot;guarantee&quot;, however if the consultant was paid by hour, that is not to be expected." CreationDate="2017-03-05T00:00:24.103" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="9099" PostId="6641" Score="0" Text="I would advise you to get down of your high horse. What you are describing are the obligations of a permanent employee. All other situations have to be negotiated before hand, and any decent consultant either will not accept the project, or will factor your demands in the price." CreationDate="2017-03-05T00:02:21.247" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="9100" PostId="6561" Score="0" Text="Fortunately it is quite easy to change mobile numbers..." CreationDate="2017-03-05T00:47:15.277" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="9101" PostId="6556" Score="0" Text="Nobody has to work for free, cut your losses, and tell him to get lost. The guy is toxic." CreationDate="2017-03-05T00:48:28.110" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="9102" PostId="6567" Score="0" Text="I would like also to pinpoint, that unless the contract says otherwise, the client is able to open a court process in Europe, and not in Australia." CreationDate="2017-03-05T01:02:26.290" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="9103" PostId="6567" Score="0" Text="@RuiFRibeiro I don't think so. I don't even have an European passport." CreationDate="2017-03-05T01:08:09.683" UserId="15143" />
  <row Id="9104" PostId="6567" Score="0" Text="I am not saying he will do it, I am saying he can do it. The law lets me open a court case in my home town to settle any dispute unless otherwise stated *by a standing contract* ; the fact that you do not have an European passport is inconsequential. I know, because I already used that prerogative in the past." CreationDate="2017-03-05T01:43:42.027" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="9105" PostId="6567" Score="0" Text="@RuiFRibeiro I don't think he will as well. But my point, it's not possible at all because he was buying from oversea, and I'm bounded only by the local law." CreationDate="2017-03-05T01:44:54.537" UserId="15143" />
  <row Id="9106" PostId="6567" Score="0" Text="Do you have any clause in your contracts: &quot;Any dispute deriving from this contract will be settled in the city  of xxx/according to the laws of Australia?&quot;" CreationDate="2017-03-05T01:55:51.043" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="9107" PostId="6567" Score="0" Text="@RuiFRibeiro No. But the client knew I was an Australian business, and I was exporting my service." CreationDate="2017-03-05T01:56:26.160" UserId="15143" />
  <row Id="9108" PostId="6567" Score="0" Text="As far as I am aware of our local laws, that does not prevent me from suing you here, supposing my business is based here....but I am not a lawyer. e.g. the clausules limiting the place where you can be sued from in software you buy are there for a reason, usually. In the past I was an expat, and also had such clausules in my contract - you can only sue us in the city of xxxx" CreationDate="2017-03-05T01:57:32.480" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="9109" PostId="6641" Score="0" Text="&quot;Setting aside legal this and that I'll give you what I believe to be an honorable expectation.&quot;" CreationDate="2017-03-05T12:03:34.437" UserId="16558" />
  <row Id="9110" PostId="6641" Score="0" Text="@RuiFRibeiro I don't know why you'd expect a developer giving out source code when it's not necessary. The client paid for my time in developing a new app for him, and I did that. That didn't mean source code is free." CreationDate="2017-03-05T12:33:05.613" UserId="15143" />
  <row Id="9111" PostId="6641" Score="0" Text="@RuiFRibeiro &quot;High Horse&quot; someone is angry with something from their past. I am pointing out that a freelance client that wants an app is far from a corporate raider trying to exploit someone and that a client who wants a project of such a small magnitude is not a client that would know to ask these types of questions before contracting the work." CreationDate="2017-03-05T12:36:18.270" UserId="16558" />
  <row Id="9112" PostId="6641" Score="1" Text="@StudentT I was suggesting that the client may have had the expectation of having the source code not necessarily that is is owed to him. Obviously it would cost more to provide it but as a professional yourself, I would have expected you to bring it up in your negotiations rather than assume he did not want it.  $500 without $1500 with.  Both sides of the deal are responsible (not legally) for omissions if they are aware of them. That is how you have a good result in the end for both parties.  That is how we used to do things." CreationDate="2017-03-05T12:45:29.217" UserId="16558" />
  <row Id="9113" PostId="6641" Score="0" Text="@studentT I think your client is being very unreasonable. But you are in a situation now where the client will likely bad mouth you across the net simply because these details were not made clear to him in the beginning.  Everyone and their brother wants to &quot;make an app&quot; so you can expect further situations like this in the future unless you &quot;teach&quot; each client  the right questions to ask and things to know. You will get more clients and more return clients and be able to charge more as your reputation for being honest and forthright grows. It will be good for your karma as well." CreationDate="2017-03-05T12:54:00.240" UserId="16558" />
  <row Id="9114" PostId="6641" Score="1" Text="@EntrePreneur It's true he's not very happy, but the only delivery was only $1400 USD for a new custom app. That was how much he had for me. Now, you know why I'd rather fire him? There's no way source code is included in a $1400 USD delivery without prior agreement." CreationDate="2017-03-05T13:01:31.243" UserId="15143" />
  <row Id="9115" PostId="6641" Score="0" Text="@EntrePreneur It's the buyer's responsibility to ask for details for a deal. He should have done some research. But in that case, I wouldn't accept a $1400 USD with source code delivery." CreationDate="2017-03-05T13:03:21.610" UserId="15143" />
  <row Id="9116" PostId="6641" Score="0" Text="Let put this clear, while i have had people asking me for 500USD projects in the past, I did never picked them up. And 1500 USD is really a pittance to ask for both an app and source code. IT is not happening. Also 500-1500 again, are not values for any type of consulting work, and much less for complex apps in the 1st world. As I said, it wont happen. Someone proposed to put together a firewall (and secure their network) 20 years ago for 500 USD and I told him flatly, &quot;you need a student, not a consultant&quot;." CreationDate="2017-03-05T15:44:34.410" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="9117" PostId="6641" Score="0" Text="However, I am curious, when you buy an app, you write a message to the Apple Store demanding the source? Let me put bluntly, someone that even talks about paying 500 USD for an app does not respect people or their work, and again it only reenforces what I said previously that someone here does not distinguish between salaried personnel, and consultants." CreationDate="2017-03-05T15:50:56.490" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="9118" PostId="6641" Score="0" Text="I agree with @StudentT that it is better to manage the expectations of the customer. I would also add for instance, that I have seen in upwork the sorry display of a customer asking for a complete ISP provisioning solution for 1500 USD *without knowing technically what they were asking*, and many lowly consultants telling them *yes, I would do it* (no comments), and upwork did not let me bid with a much higher value. I I have done in the past, and it is a well solid 2 or 3 months of work, and has the potential to generate 50k-100k extra-revenue per month for the customer if done right..." CreationDate="2017-03-05T16:02:24.667" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="9119" PostId="6641" Score="0" Text="@RuiFRibeiro don't get hung up on $500, it could have been $50,000 it is an example of one price vs another price. It was not literal." CreationDate="2017-03-05T17:03:07.417" UserId="16558" />
  <row Id="9120" PostId="6641" Score="0" Text="And if you rely on the defense of &quot;buyer beware&quot; will make for a poor reputation. That will not get you far in a world full of reviews." CreationDate="2017-03-05T17:10:55.253" UserId="16558" />
  <row Id="9121" PostId="6641" Score="0" Text="@EntrePreneur Client review is only important for something like upworks. I'm doing the works directly, and thus I don't care client review. In any case, the client in the question will not bring me any new money, I'm sure." CreationDate="2017-03-05T22:21:52.097" UserId="15143" />
  <row Id="9122" PostId="6651" Score="2" Text="I've heard of contractors charging for the time while sitting there and waiting for programs to install." CreationDate="2017-03-05T22:43:46.840" UserDisplayName="dfundako" />
  <row Id="9123" PostId="6651" Score="0" Text="If the waiting time is significant, you could do other parts of the job, e.g. writing documentation" CreationDate="2017-03-05T22:46:14.463" UserDisplayName="Simon" />
  <row Id="9125" PostId="6651" Score="0" Text="Yes. I certainly am" CreationDate="2017-03-05T23:16:13.267" UserId="16590" />
  <row Id="9126" PostId="6651" Score="0" Text="Oops .. I just re-read the question and saw where you said you did charge by the hour." CreationDate="2017-03-05T23:16:57.470" UserId="7557" />
  <row Id="9127" PostId="6651" Score="0" Text="No Dramas @PeterM :)" CreationDate="2017-03-06T04:11:47.083" UserId="16590" />
  <row Id="9128" PostId="4655" Score="0" Text="This seems like a reasonable answer; whoever -1'ed it, owes us some explanation, imho." CreationDate="2017-03-06T04:46:15.563" UserId="156" />
  <row Id="9129" PostId="6655" Score="1" Text="Can you pay by milestone?" CreationDate="2017-03-06T10:20:44.803" UserId="15143" />
  <row Id="9130" PostId="6655" Score="1" Text="I see no reason why not. That's something I completely overlooked." CreationDate="2017-03-06T11:22:39.427" UserId="16538" />
  <row Id="9131" PostId="6657" Score="0" Text="Should I think about prosecuting them, since their &quot;No&quot; sounds non-negotiable? What would you do ...?" CreationDate="2017-03-06T16:50:04.380" UserId="15447" />
  <row Id="9132" PostId="6575" Score="0" Text="Edit suggestion: scratch &quot;limited or no complains&quot; and replace it with &quot;and no complaints&quot;  IMHO that would be a great improvement to this already good answer. :-)" CreationDate="2017-03-07T04:03:11.647" UserId="16569" />
  <row Id="9135" PostId="6575" Score="0" Text="@ElderGeek suggestion approved ;) The meaning was that... if you really really want to complain do as little as possible or not at all which is even better." CreationDate="2017-03-07T07:54:02.697" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="9137" PostId="6575" Score="0" Text="Bravo Well done." CreationDate="2017-03-07T12:54:49.077" UserId="16569" />
  <row Id="9138" PostId="6574" Score="0" Text="Excellent. Well stated although I personally would never mention John and steer the conversation towards the work if the client asked me pointed questions (which the client is unlikely to do)" CreationDate="2017-03-07T12:58:05.047" UserId="16569" />
  <row Id="9139" PostId="4718" Score="1" Text="This is a great answer to @Mario question. &quot;Ending the relationship gracefully&quot; is excellent advice in this context. Customers often try the competition on for size and more often than not come back provided you maintain a professional demeanor and do quality work. Often it's not that they are unhappy with your work, but some slick salesman has convinced them that they are getting a bargain. Once the true cost sinks in, They'll be back on bended knee." CreationDate="2017-03-07T14:02:22.260" UserId="16569" />
  <row Id="9140" PostId="6574" Score="0" Text="Exactly, the client *is entirely* unlikely to ask you about &quot;john&quot; directly. Which is why *only* in that case should you ever (respectfully and professionally) make your *opinions* known. Don't lie if asked. But you probably won't be asked." CreationDate="2017-03-07T17:59:41.533" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9141" PostId="6640" Score="0" Text="Thanks for your feedback. Those showcases are not paid work, more hobby projects. Only one of them I am comfortable sharing (see my updated profile), but I'm working on the other two. Feel free to contact me if you are happy with what you see." CreationDate="2017-03-07T19:42:11.580" UserId="16441" />
  <row Id="9142" PostId="6574" Score="0" Text="Although I have apparently painted myself as a gigantic asshole, I am completely open to (and even somewhat expected that) the answer would be &quot;don't bring this up to the client&quot;. My goal first and foremost is to make sure that the client gets his money's worth and ends up with a quality product. That is very difficult to do when another developer is actively (if unintentionally) sabotaging the project at every step. While I can't take solace in the idea that another developer's incompetence is giving me job security, I can accept that it's not my place to say anything." CreationDate="2017-03-07T22:33:30.827" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="9143" PostId="6574" Score="0" Text="@Scott I marked your answer as helpful immediately and will probably accept it; the only thing that stopped me from accepting it a week ago is that a large portion of it assumes that I can edit or rewrite John's code, which isn't true due to the way that our responsibilities and code access are segmented. I would be interested to hear your advice on how to handle the situation, even if it just means politely asking John to fix things every time he makes a mistake. However, please do not feel obligated to answer if you have already said all you want to say." CreationDate="2017-03-07T22:36:56.500" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="9144" PostId="6574" Score="1" Text="@user45623 First, I don't think you're an asshole. I can tell a bit &quot;frustrated' perhaps though :) If you don't have a hand in &quot;John's&quot; work, then first I'd ask John --- &quot;hey, I ran into a bug with X, [detail bug], any chance you could get this corrected? I need to move on with Y but can't until this is addressed.&quot; If the *client* asks, politely explain that &quot;There's an issue with the X script that needs to be fixed before Y will function. Unfortunately, i can't rewrite X. I've asked John to address the issue.&quot;" CreationDate="2017-03-07T22:41:21.860" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9145" PostId="6574" Score="0" Text="@Scott Ok, thanks for the input. That's pretty much how I've been handling things so far, so I guess I'll just keep that up." CreationDate="2017-03-07T22:48:43.253" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="9146" PostId="6574" Score="1" Text="@user45623 I do feel your pain. Been in many similar situations. My experience tells me the BEST thing is to just grin and bear it. Doing anything else (which I've tried many times) only leads to *you* being seen as a problem." CreationDate="2017-03-07T22:52:04.473" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9149" PostId="6564" Score="1" Text="[Polyas approach to problem solving](http://web.mnstate.edu/peil/M110/Worksheet/PolyaProblemSolve.pdf) has served me very well over the years. Perhaps it will help you as well. Expansion isn't all it's cracked up to be when good help is hard to find. Been there, feel your pain." CreationDate="2017-03-08T03:12:12.973" UserId="16569" />
  <row Id="9151" PostId="6642" Score="0" Text="Creative. I like it!" CreationDate="2017-03-08T03:50:42.813" UserId="16569" />
  <row Id="9153" PostId="6635" Score="0" Text="This is good info. Thank you. The only freelancing sites I'm familiar with are Upwork (formerly elance) and Freelancer.com. Are there other sites? Better? Thanks again." CreationDate="2017-03-08T21:28:17.173" UserId="16555" />
  <row Id="9154" PostId="6652" Score="0" Text="when working in a group, time spent at the water cooler and/or at another persons' desk is time well spent for improving moral, motivation, exchange of ideas, discussion of how to approach a problem, etc etc.  I.E. it is not wasted" CreationDate="2017-03-09T17:53:29.863" UserId="16248" />
  <row Id="9155" PostId="6651" Score="1" Text="First thing I would be doing is getting a signed contract, that spells out all the details of the project, including many of the delays. like wait time for downloads.  Without that contract, you will spend more time hashing the details of the project with the client, as the client will always want to change things and you will need to have that time be chargable by already having specified the details in the contract." CreationDate="2017-03-09T17:58:59.223" UserId="16248" />
  <row Id="9156" PostId="6665" Score="1" Text="no contract, very bad idea.   Strongly suggest a contract, then, you can sign a non disclosure agreement which will relieve the client of their worry that you would steal his ideas." CreationDate="2017-03-09T18:03:34.747" UserId="16248" />
  <row Id="9157" PostId="6652" Score="2" Text="@user3629249 So does that mean when I am working at home in my office that I can also bill for the time I spend playing with my cat because its also improves my moral, motivation and exchange of ideas?" CreationDate="2017-03-09T19:53:57.447" UserId="7557" />
  <row Id="9158" PostId="6665" Score="1" Text="Sounds like an 'idea man', stay away from them. They'll ask for other people's help to make their ideas happen but don't want to pay for it. And when the idea doesn't work out, as it never does, you will not receive compensation for your effort. Don't do it." CreationDate="2017-03-09T20:43:56.510" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9159" PostId="6652" Score="0" Text="'water cooler' and 'at another persons' desk' implies a company, not a single person at home." CreationDate="2017-03-10T01:51:51.710" UserId="16248" />
  <row Id="9160" PostId="6652" Score="0" Text="@user3629249 But your rationalization of &quot;wasted&quot; time was that it improved overall productivity.  That does not just happen in companies." CreationDate="2017-03-10T02:24:40.540" UserId="7557" />
  <row Id="9161" PostId="6678" Score="0" Text="Do you have a contract with this client? If so, what does it mention about breaking the contract early? Once we know that, I can offer some advice that is hopefully helpful." CreationDate="2017-03-10T17:27:58.900" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="9162" PostId="6678" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke there's no contract signed between me and the employer. The only connection between me and the employer is that we met at the Freelancer.com marketplace and that we conducted our business there." CreationDate="2017-03-10T17:32:32.433" UserId="16636" />
  <row Id="9164" PostId="6573" Score="0" Text="@user9589 Did you consider how _you_ come across when you call another user an &quot;angry bigoted nerd&quot;? That's hardly helpful or constructive. Stack Exchange isn't my workplace and I won't be as formal here as I would when communicating with a client; what I say in a comment on an answer here does not necessarily reflect my professional attitude. Obviously I wouldn't go to the client raving and name-calling." CreationDate="2017-03-10T19:49:55.997" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="9167" PostId="6682" Score="0" Text="That's funny, I've actually seen someone use that contract before and didn't know where it was from. Now I know why they had sections in &quot;their&quot; contract that were completely irrelevant to the work that they were being hired for...   I personally find jokes in a professional contract to be _very_ offputting, but they can put some clients at ease, particularly ones who are new to contracts." CreationDate="2017-03-11T08:44:11.333" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="9168" PostId="6522" Score="0" Text="You tried Elance? Elance that shut down a year ago?" CreationDate="2017-03-11T08:46:52.130" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="9169" PostId="6573" Score="0" Text="Well, good that you dont express yourself as you did then. Because I know people who would do it, and would be perceived as I told you. But anyway, I am sorry if I ofended you" CreationDate="2017-03-12T00:28:57.443" UserId="11004" />
  <row Id="9170" PostId="6682" Score="0" Text="Clearly just copy pasting without reading it is silly, but if you have no contract and don't want to hire a lawyer to write one for you, this is a great starting point." CreationDate="2017-03-13T07:58:12.767" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9171" PostId="6686" Score="1" Text="Disagree on this @Scott (doesnt happen often), at least half of my projects are invoiced on an hourly / daily rate. Over the years, my rate has simply gone up." CreationDate="2017-03-13T08:00:35.073" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9172" PostId="6689" Score="0" Text="Forgot: Look if the guy has the technology you want advertised in his title. If the title says PHP only, and he says he can do Laravel - there are chances that he will learn laravel on your project." CreationDate="2017-03-13T10:05:31.727" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9173" PostId="6686" Score="0" Text="Disagree all you want :) My hourly invoicing is reserved for maintenance updates and &quot;fixes&quot; never for projects on the whole.. I think in general working for hourly pay...makes you a slave to a timeclock.. not why I freelance." CreationDate="2017-03-13T10:36:51.870" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9174" PostId="6686" Score="0" Text="I don't see how I'm a slave to a clock: I work whenever, wherever I want and I invoice that time. No matter what you do, I assume you'll still need to work." CreationDate="2017-03-13T16:36:16.123" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9175" PostId="6686" Score="0" Text="Read the link I posted int he answer above... Hourly-based pricing actually penalizes you the faster you work. So.. the better you get at your job.. the less money you make, unless you continually raise your rates until you eventually price yourself out of the market." CreationDate="2017-03-13T18:03:10.853" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9176" PostId="6686" Score="0" Text="I looked at it, but it's just a link to a search query? Anyway, I assume you don't work in consultancy, as I can imagine your point applies to web development, graphic design or similar. But there are more types of work out there :)" CreationDate="2017-03-13T18:23:15.953" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9177" PostId="6686" Score="0" Text="Second link above, not the first." CreationDate="2017-03-13T20:46:42.377" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9189" PostId="6651" Score="0" Text="Yes, definitely charge for waiting. This is standard. Obviously, it's your duty to find some other busy work in the meantime, but if you can't, you can't. I have a friend who does IT freelance and he's very explicit about charging for his waiting time." CreationDate="2017-03-15T08:44:24.947" UserId="14434" />
  <row Id="9193" PostId="2208" Score="0" Text="Your answer has almost no relevance to the question." CreationDate="2017-03-15T21:58:12.657" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="9197" PostId="713" Score="2" Text="It is all part of any programming job to have to research the details of how to implement what the customer wants.   Therefore, I would bill for my time.  As I see it, that research time (just like design time, testing time, and documentation time) is all billable" CreationDate="2017-03-17T03:06:22.300" UserId="16248" />
  <row Id="9200" PostId="6573" Score="0" Text="My answer remains even after your edit here. -- Yes it sucks.. but it's not your place to complain about other workers. Just raise your rates." CreationDate="2017-03-17T22:19:40.910" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9201" PostId="1714" Score="0" Text="I like #2, it's easy and fast." CreationDate="2017-03-18T09:36:39.233" UserId="15143" />
  <row Id="9202" PostId="6522" Score="0" Text="@keyblue are U still looking for freelancer. I'm interested. Let me know if the position still open." CreationDate="2017-03-18T11:40:09.127" UserId="2419" />
  <row Id="9203" PostId="6522" Score="0" Text="@KeyBlue I am 7+ years PHP experience. If you are interested to know more details then you can also email me here - cluster.phase@gmail.com." CreationDate="2017-03-18T12:09:00.657" UserId="2419" />
  <row Id="9212" PostId="6703" Score="6" Text="Start by searching this site for the same question." CreationDate="2017-03-20T19:05:53.970" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9213" PostId="6704" Score="2" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because this is a legal question, not a freelance question. Try Law.stackexchange.com" CreationDate="2017-03-20T22:51:23.547" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9214" PostId="6704" Score="0" Text="I think it's appropriate given that it should be common knowledge for most business owners." CreationDate="2017-03-21T21:48:53.560" UserId="12482" />
  <row Id="9215" PostId="6706" Score="0" Text="If you're paid and this is something you know how, do it." CreationDate="2017-03-22T07:35:36.160" UserId="15143" />
  <row Id="9216" PostId="6705" Score="0" Text="Unless, by forming the LLC, you &quot;purchase&quot; the business (brand name, assets, etc) from yourself... Not sure how legal that is in your country, but is absolutley fine in some." CreationDate="2017-03-22T10:54:29.910" UserId="15202" />
  <row Id="9218" PostId="6705" Score="0" Text="Sounds like you're referring to registering the DBA individual / proprietor under the new LLC (with a new EIN number) which is totally fine but doesn't really factor into the liability question" CreationDate="2017-03-22T12:33:55.423" UserId="12482" />
  <row Id="9219" PostId="2205" Score="0" Text="For quick jobs I ask for a set amount based off of my estimated time (padded by an hour or so, depending)." CreationDate="2017-03-15T15:21:33.037" UserId="16674" />
  <row Id="9221" PostId="2208" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke The question is about how to bill rush jobs. &quot;Make sure the client pays you first&quot; isn't an answer to that question. Abstracting more, the question is &quot;how much do I charge&quot; and the answer codenoir gave is &quot;make sure the client pays you&quot;." CreationDate="2017-03-23T08:32:53.350" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="9222" PostId="6573" Score="0" Text="@Scott And your answer is still accepted." CreationDate="2017-03-23T08:34:01.577" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="9223" PostId="6708" Score="0" Text="Impossible. Nobody would give you free lunch. Finding works is always hard." CreationDate="2017-03-23T09:54:12.563" UserId="15143" />
  <row Id="9224" PostId="2208" Score="0" Text="@user45623 actually says, &quot;What would you do in my shoes?&quot; before the other questions.  Did you miss that?  It's funny how you can surmise that my response has no relevance to the question, when you obviously didn't read the entire question." CreationDate="2017-03-23T13:19:13.517" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="9226" PostId="6708" Score="0" Text="You realize you are somewhat asking your competition for their marketing secrets, right?" CreationDate="2017-03-23T15:21:32.603" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9227" PostId="1348" Score="1" Text="That pacode link referencing sales tax is for the Computer Services Tax which was repealed in 1997.  So not currently true, but proposed to return for the 2017-2018 budget: http://www.pghtech.org/no-tech-tax-in-pa.aspx" CreationDate="2017-03-23T20:44:13.640" UserId="16747" />
  <row Id="9228" PostId="2208" Score="0" Text="@codenoir I did read the entire question. My opinion is that your answer is not relevant to the question. Did you _only_ read the sentence &quot;what would you do in my shoes&quot;? He obviously does not mean &quot;give me any piece of advice you can think of related to getting paid&quot; when he says &quot;what would you do in my shoes?&quot; &quot;Payment first&quot; is general advice; it doesn't have any specific relevance to rush jobs." CreationDate="2017-03-23T22:15:41.000" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="9230" PostId="2208" Score="0" Text="Look at it this way. The question contains _&quot;They say they want it, but they need it tomorrow. Well obviously my schedule for next day is full already.&quot;_ How does &quot;payment first&quot; help that problem? It doesn't suddenly open up room in his schedule the next day." CreationDate="2017-03-24T00:35:52.707" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="9231" PostId="6713" Score="0" Text="I agree with the spirit of this answer, but it seems a little silly to say that if one programmer lowers his rates, rates for the entire industry will drop by 40%. He's not even freelancing full time." CreationDate="2017-03-24T01:32:17.413" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="9232" PostId="2420" Score="0" Text="Releasing the app is a pretty good form of marketing... if he's almost done with it, he might as well finish it." CreationDate="2017-03-24T01:36:36.390" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="9233" PostId="6713" Score="0" Text="40% was a random figure.. although.. again.. ask photographers what happens when many sources all lower pricing. Sure 1 person isn't going to have that great of an impact... but if many do this.. there's impact. And there's no way of knowing you are part of a rising problem until it's too late.  the gist is that if you want to work in the industry, you should support others in the industry, not undercut pricing so much it hurts everyone. Stay within a reasonable range." CreationDate="2017-03-24T01:42:13.873" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9234" PostId="6685" Score="0" Text="Please don't forgot to accept an answer, if you feel that any of them satisfy your question." CreationDate="2017-03-24T01:42:43.973" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="9235" PostId="6713" Score="0" Text="Photography isn't the best example because there's no real software analog for 'stock photos'. You can buy simple ready-made apps from some sites, but they aren't having a big impact on the industry. Wordpress is probably most the most applicable analogy, but even then a lot of people who buy a $30 template end up hiring a developer to customize their page anyway." CreationDate="2017-03-24T01:46:07.780" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="9236" PostId="6713" Score="0" Text="Photography is *absolutely* a good example if you compare the industry 15 years ago to today. And as stated, the writing industry is going through the same thing now." CreationDate="2017-03-24T01:47:03.843" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9237" PostId="6708" Score="0" Text="Yes, but I'm in Thailand, I doubt I will step on the turf of local guys around the world...;) I would give &quot;some&quot; tips to someone who asks as long as they don't directly compete with me. Isn't that what all these help forums are all about? Open source? Getting power with sharing?" CreationDate="2017-03-24T03:38:39.753" UserId="10058" />
  <row Id="9238" PostId="6713" Score="0" Text="I'm sure that the prevalence of stock photos has caused a decline in pay or at least opportunities for some categories of photographer (presumably not wedding photographers), but I don't think that has much relevance to the software industry because it's a ready-made good. An ad exec might be able to buy a stock photo and slap the company logo on it instead of hiring a photographer, but a software publisher usually can't go buy a stock app and slap the company logo on it instead of hiring a developer. There are exceptions, but they aren't impacting the industry. Writing is a better analogy" CreationDate="2017-03-24T04:12:34.573" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="9239" PostId="6713" Score="0" Text="@user45623 A stock photo is usually &quot;good enough&quot; and is cheap. A high volume software shop in India is usually &quot;good enough&quot; and is cheap. I think the analogy is valid." CreationDate="2017-03-24T08:50:43.407" UserId="15202" />
  <row Id="9240" PostId="6635" Score="0" Text="Did you get your plugin built? If not, I can have my developer do it for you.  We have an authorize.net development account to test it before delivery. Not free of course but if you need someone let me know." CreationDate="2017-03-24T22:48:23.687" UserId="16558" />
  <row Id="9241" PostId="6719" Score="0" Text="I mean like business card design, flyers, brochures, reformat windows etc..." CreationDate="2017-03-26T00:32:19.017" UserId="10058" />
  <row Id="9242" PostId="6720" Score="0" Text="Hi Entre, I have the same query, and having angular experience. Any advice/suggestions ? Thanks." CreationDate="2017-03-26T13:19:18.143" UserId="15240" />
  <row Id="9243" PostId="3073" Score="0" Text="You approach clients with exactly the story you just wrote down here: Lots of work, extra help, junior so lower fee but you monitor quality. Client get more done, and pays equal or maybe even less." CreationDate="2017-03-26T14:28:33.160" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9244" PostId="6719" Score="0" Text="Put up a website, create some designs from start to finish and use some freelancer sites. Until you show someone  what you can do, it will be difficult to get any work.  What does &quot;reformat windows&quot; mean?  And what software are you proficient at for design?" CreationDate="2017-03-26T16:26:31.007" UserId="16558" />
  <row Id="9245" PostId="6720" Score="1" Text="Build something and put it on your website. If you don't have your own website, up to date, and  displaying either the work for other clients or your own projects, you are not going anywhere." CreationDate="2017-03-26T21:22:05.857" UserId="16558" />
  <row Id="9247" PostId="6726" Score="0" Text="Is this a service based contract? Or will you be shipping them a product?" CreationDate="2017-03-27T13:40:07.073" UserId="15202" />
  <row Id="9248" PostId="6726" Score="0" Text="@JohnHC It's a service based contract." CreationDate="2017-03-27T14:46:37.847" UserId="16763" />
  <row Id="9249" PostId="6291" Score="0" Text="If you take a look at http://www.shouldiworkforfree.com/ (I get the work is paid, but 60% discount is ridiculous considering they approached you and not vice versa) it mentions that 'startup' is a thrown around buzzword, therefore I'd suggest not considering anything particularly special because of it, let alone accepting discounted work on their terms. The majority of startups should have enough money to accommodate a decent rate, and any that don't should be avoided anyway, as they can become problematic." CreationDate="2017-03-27T15:42:09.470" UserId="15170" />
  <row Id="9250" PostId="6727" Score="0" Text="i've never had an income, I am a victim of the recession not being able to find work since people with 2 or 3 degrees suddenly started working in places where a new high school graduate should have been working and, in turn, started to entertain the idea of working online and starting my own freelance business. So that first paragraph does not involve me at all.&#xA;&#xA;And thanks for the second paragraph I will look into the 1040 forms immediately." CreationDate="2017-03-27T18:19:55.637" UserId="10262" />
  <row Id="9251" PostId="6729" Score="0" Text="Can you tell me more about tort law? How would it apply in this situation?" CreationDate="2017-03-27T20:59:46.687" UserId="16763" />
  <row Id="9252" PostId="6264" Score="0" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because OP needs to contact Paypal." CreationDate="2017-03-27T21:15:21.040" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="9253" PostId="6730" Score="0" Text="Do you have a recommendation for how the money is transferred? Do you use EFT (electronic funds transfer) with your bank(s)?" CreationDate="2017-03-27T21:17:17.983" UserId="16763" />
  <row Id="9254" PostId="6730" Score="0" Text="Any means used between two different countries with two different currencies is going to create an overhead cost.  You have to factor this overhead cost into your price OR agree that said cost, which might even vary over time according to the method you use, will be a distinct line item.  Checks, wire-transfer, and Western Union might be a red-flag for your client as they offer little chance of recovery if you were to &quot;disappear&quot;.  Paypal (or similar) will keep things simple." CreationDate="2017-03-27T21:24:57.523" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="9255" PostId="6730" Score="0" Text="Is Paypal what you usually use? Paypal's fee is 2.9% + 0.30 which is pretty ridiculous just for transferring money. If it was a flat fee I'd be happier with that but that's not what it is. Anyone else have opinions on this?" CreationDate="2017-03-27T21:36:35.530" UserId="16763" />
  <row Id="9256" PostId="6730" Score="0" Text="If you had a merchant account - allowing your client to give you a credit card # to process - then you'd pay basically the same rate for ANY card-not-present transaction." CreationDate="2017-03-27T21:43:55.303" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="9257" PostId="6730" Score="0" Text="I guess the risk is 50-50 right? I mean I could do the work and they might not pay. Paypal's fee isn't going to protect me with this. So it's a matter of trust on both party's part. I can't imagine that asking for a wire transfer is going to be a huge red flag bc of it." CreationDate="2017-03-27T21:44:37.957" UserId="16763" />
  <row Id="9258" PostId="6727" Score="1" Text="It's good to hear you do not owe any taxes, that said bad you have not found work. If you have not earned any income yet, you don't need to figure out the tax forms yet and for you they will be very simple anyway.They will not be due until April 15th 2018 for income received in 2017. Just keep records of how much you earned and the expenses for your business.  And you may well fall under the income required to file taxes in 2018 but let's hope for better luck.  I would not be worried about this at all right now and focus the energy on getting work." CreationDate="2017-03-27T21:45:18.280" UserId="16558" />
  <row Id="9259" PostId="6730" Score="0" Text="You'd be surprised how many businesses AND freelancers get &quot;burned&quot;.  If you ask for wire xfer, you're asking your client to go stand in line at the bank for every single payment to you.  Think this through." CreationDate="2017-03-27T21:47:20.647" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="9260" PostId="6730" Score="0" Text="Well you can just log on to your bank account online and do the EFT. It takes about 3 mins and is free." CreationDate="2017-03-27T21:48:12.367" UserId="16763" />
  <row Id="9262" PostId="6730" Score="0" Text="From the comments on this article: millo.co/getting-paid-as-a-freelancer it seems like a lot of freelancers recommend what I'm suggesting. There's no such thing as a risk-less transaction but I'm confident that the form of payment isn't going to cost me the project." CreationDate="2017-03-27T22:00:04.883" UserId="16763" />
  <row Id="9263" PostId="6727" Score="0" Text="Ok thanks. I'm just afraid of making money, not reporting it how i am supposed to and then getting hit with something unforseen. I'm literally a newbie to taxes, accounting, etc. You said I might fall under the income required to file taxes? What is that minimum there?" CreationDate="2017-03-27T23:48:11.517" UserId="10262" />
  <row Id="9264" PostId="6727" Score="1" Text="If you make under 10,350, you do not have to file taxes.  https://www.irs.gov/publications/p17/ch01.html" CreationDate="2017-03-28T13:08:55.263" UserId="16558" />
  <row Id="9265" PostId="6727" Score="0" Text="wow thank you for the link i really appreciate it" CreationDate="2017-03-28T14:28:09.500" UserId="10262" />
  <row Id="9266" PostId="6734" Score="0" Text="I didn't mean that I was going charge interest.  I meant that if I finance the purchase with my CC, and I get charged (say) $100 in interest by the CC company then my markup should be at least $100." CreationDate="2017-03-28T22:10:14.397" UserId="7557" />
  <row Id="9267" PostId="6734" Score="1" Text="And my point was.. the interest payments are *your fault* due to *how* you are using your money.. they aren't the client's responsibility. So you shouldn't factor that in when determining cost of goods." CreationDate="2017-03-28T23:52:20.210" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9269" PostId="4655" Score="0" Text="This is a valid comment, I have removed the -1 there are many more items involved in HIPAA compliance than just the code and that reflects on the initial question. You need a HIPAA compliant datacenter, SSLs, encryption, all kinds of good things well beyond the code. This comment is pertinent to the discussion." CreationDate="2017-03-30T21:08:51.887" UserId="16558" />
  <row Id="9270" PostId="6743" Score="1" Text="I am no longer with company A indeed. So far they haven't threatened legal action and I can't imagine they would. I don't feel intimidated, but I am bothered by the possibility that I am being a jerk to them :)" CreationDate="2017-03-31T05:10:43.403" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9271" PostId="6744" Score="0" Text="Good answer. It's not what a freelancer (like myself) 'wants' to hear, but +1 for pointing out that the template at the very least is a collaboration with company A" CreationDate="2017-03-31T07:05:11.160" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="9272" PostId="6623" Score="0" Text="Agreed - even though I have gotten one contract via LinkedIn, that actually seems like the exception rather than the rule." CreationDate="2017-03-31T07:07:55.447" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="9273" PostId="6742" Score="0" Text="Did you sign an NDA with Company A ? If yes, then that template probably falls in the scope of confidential information." CreationDate="2017-03-31T09:33:32.587" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="9274" PostId="6743" Score="1" Text="You can open a new excel spreadsheet and create that template again, yes?  Then there is nothing proprietary there. You got some experience and knowledge at the company and you can't be expected to leave that experience/knowledge behind. If that were the case there would be no reason for a resume/cv to exist because no one would ever have any experience. I have been the manager that left a company and the one that ran a 60 employee $10M company and people come and go. I have been on both ends of the stick.  This is not uncommon, nor is your situation. It should be looked at from both sides." CreationDate="2017-03-31T14:50:52.103" UserId="16558" />
  <row Id="9275" PostId="6741" Score="0" Text="I was going to write the same exact thing. When I resigned my web designer/developer job in the late 90's I just informed the employer's clients that shortly I would not be anymore available and they would have to talk to someone else. In a period of a few months many of these employer's clients found me by my new website and we kept a long good work relationship, still now (at the time I even refused some of them because I already knew they were problematic)." CreationDate="2017-03-31T15:12:59.090" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="9276" PostId="6733" Score="0" Text="Personally happened to me that I paid some client's costs with my money and I never saw them returning back to me. So if I were you I would just pretend that the client would buy the necessary hardware and provide it to me." CreationDate="2017-04-01T08:45:27.540" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="9277" PostId="6742" Score="0" Text="Who owns everything else you did as projects for Company A? If they own that, because of contract terms, or &quot;understanding&quot;, or local legal conditions, then they could reasonably expect to own that as well. If you own, and continue to own, the work you did on their projects, then they shouldn't have any expectation that the template would be _somehow_ different." CreationDate="2017-04-02T01:42:54.317" UserDisplayName="user16080" />
  <row Id="9278" PostId="6739" Score="1" Text="This is the difference between marketing and sales. The clients can look you up if they want to, you can then sell to them if they do (or not, if they are b3ll3nds). All of it is a natural progression, with no reason for resentment from the former employer. Also, direct poaching makes you look like a tw@, and you never know when you might cross paths with your former employer" CreationDate="2017-04-03T14:31:17.493" UserId="15202" />
  <row Id="9279" PostId="6749" Score="0" Text="Yes, free market solves many/every things. Vietnam is an emerging market, as they mature and gain experience and reputation their costs/fees will increase, as happened with coders in Eastern Europe and Philippines." CreationDate="2017-04-03T14:54:37.263" UserId="16558" />
  <row Id="9280" PostId="6745" Score="0" Text="Yup, that's what I was looking for. What I am missing in the answers is the attention to the fact that additions by company A were done on my instruction. Also, I feel that the fact I am not selling the template but making it available for free should matter..." CreationDate="2017-04-03T19:32:27.807" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9281" PostId="6751" Score="0" Text="based in Europe. And I was more hoping for an opinion and moral standpoint, I'm confident I have nothing to fear from a legal stand point." CreationDate="2017-04-03T19:34:22.107" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9282" PostId="6742" Score="0" Text="Contract I signed contained no IP or copyright clauses." CreationDate="2017-04-03T19:35:23.290" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9283" PostId="6742" Score="0" Text="@Harry Cover: NDA's do not by default cover IP or copyright but confidentiality. So any NDA in itself cannot be enough, it will always depend on the content. In this case there is only a generic contract which contains confidentiality clauses, but nothing on IP or copyright of material." CreationDate="2017-04-03T19:36:12.603" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9284" PostId="6752" Score="2" Text="Don't raise the rate with that client. Raising you rate on work you've already agreed to will likely get you more &quot;bad&quot; publicity than the extra money is worth. Consider it as 1) a lesson learned, and 2) goodwill marketing for your services. You should always be able to count on their goodwill, and future word-of-mouth references once they are satisfied with your work and it is added to your portfolio. You could also consider the extra 45 AUD as your &quot;admittance fee&quot; into the market in your area." CreationDate="2017-04-04T02:31:58.083" UserDisplayName="user16080" />
  <row Id="9285" PostId="6752" Score="0" Text="I so didn't want to give this a +1, but it's very sensible advice!" CreationDate="2017-04-04T03:11:12.357" UserId="15631" />
  <row Id="9286" PostId="6752" Score="0" Text="You seem to be &quot;beginning&quot; your own business as well. You might find it worthwhile to browse the [StartUps](http://startups.stackexchange.com/) stack as well." CreationDate="2017-04-04T03:15:48.260" UserDisplayName="user16080" />
  <row Id="9288" PostId="6739" Score="1" Text="I actually did this very thing when I worked at a contract development company and I kept in touch with a couple of past clients that I had a good relationship with. I had a two year non-compete but I kept contacts on LinkedIn and some of those clients reached out to me when I began soliciting my services years later. Once you leave a company, it's good to keep in contact professionally and build a relationship as it'll help your business prospects down the line. As an old career advisor told me, &quot;Always be networking.&quot;" CreationDate="2017-04-04T15:48:15.410" UserId="48" />
  <row Id="9289" PostId="6753" Score="0" Text="Very similar to what I did; my good, old clients got an email blast that I was keeping their rate as-is for the next 3 months, new clients would get the new increased rate immediately. Worked great for me!" CreationDate="2017-04-04T18:10:46.913" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="9290" PostId="6742" Score="0" Text="You should just comply with their exclusivity demands . . . just as soon as they pay you the $50K development fee." CreationDate="2017-04-04T20:31:31.893" UserId="737" />
  <row Id="9291" PostId="6753" Score="0" Text="Out of curiosity, how many clients you lost in percentage? In my case, at least 50% of them complained and maybe 35% left me." CreationDate="2017-04-05T08:34:26.113" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9293" PostId="6753" Score="0" Text="I only lost one flaky client. Every other one still uses my services" CreationDate="2017-04-05T16:30:10.423" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="9295" PostId="6755" Score="1" Text="I really don't know how this can effectively be answered with anything other than opinion. Ultimately the answer to each of your three questions is... &quot;Whatever you negotiate with your colleague&quot;." CreationDate="2017-04-06T05:07:24.840" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9297" PostId="6753" Score="0" Text="Hm that is good or the raise was not much. I made rate raise 56%. Before that, had the same rate 3-4 years. I know this was much, but I am not sorry. Maybe I could have kept those clients and outsourced their projects, but I was not so smart at that time." CreationDate="2017-04-06T15:56:20.640" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9300" PostId="6753" Score="0" Text="Wow! I upped mine by 33% - $60 to $80 per hour - and just lost the one. I'm not able to freelance full time right now, but this happened a while ago. I may raise my rates again soon though." CreationDate="2017-04-06T18:19:42.497" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="9302" PostId="6759" Score="1" Text="This might be simplistic of me... but if you own shares, you'll be a shareholder and therefore get visibility of their profits to check you're being paid the right amount per month or year. Is that correct? There'll also be a contract in place, won't there? If they say you're getting 10% but you find out you're actually receiving 5% (for example), then that's a breach of contract and they'll be subject to a pretty huge fine." CreationDate="2017-04-07T09:49:08.023" UserId="5334" />
  <row Id="9303" PostId="6759" Score="0" Text="Ask to sign a contract." CreationDate="2017-04-07T11:04:46.390" UserId="15143" />
  <row Id="9304" PostId="6759" Score="0" Text="@DanWilson Please check an edit. About other things, it's not company share, just profit share from this specific application." CreationDate="2017-04-07T11:36:13.463" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9305" PostId="6759" Score="0" Text="What country is the company based in?" CreationDate="2017-04-07T13:04:30.643" UserId="16204" />
  <row Id="9306" PostId="6759" Score="0" Text="It doesn't make sense to me that you want to ensure a client is held accountable in some way, but do it without a contract. I don't see how that's possible unless the client were to give you collateral or something, but even they *they'd* want a contract." CreationDate="2017-04-07T21:39:38.243" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9307" PostId="6759" Score="0" Text="@Metis There is a contract but I do not believe in them. Each time I have to solve some issue, it requires a long procedure and more money to pay all the costs. So I am looking for a practical solution to be a step ahead" CreationDate="2017-04-08T07:10:44.287" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9308" PostId="6761" Score="0" Text="This is new to me as well. I am not new to this business and this does not look like a fake offer. He simply wants to share some portion of the profit from this application so he is sure that I am 150% dedicated to it and to easily avoid future offers from other clients. It makes sense to me. So aside of my regular costs, he offers a bonus for my extra dedication, exclusivity, thinking beyond the scope of my work, etc." CreationDate="2017-04-08T07:14:55.563" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9309" PostId="6249" Score="0" Text="Do you have a sense of the range of market prices: where, between $180 and $500 do most other people's designs sell? Is there a difference in quality they expect versus what you deliver in a $500 design? Are they doing some of the thinking and prep work that you normally do, when you work off their design brief?" CreationDate="2017-04-08T11:23:01.757" UserId="16878" />
  <row Id="9310" PostId="6759" Score="0" Text="Okay. I get the hassle.. contract should state that client is responsible for all legal/filing fees if you win though." CreationDate="2017-04-08T13:35:55.160" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9312" PostId="6763" Score="0" Text="How well does `company` know you, your work, and your work ethic? It's possible they brush it under the rug and ignore it, if they know you are an awesome worker. It's possible they ignore you too, in which case, I'd still talk to `randomGuy` sooner, rather than later, about the potential effects and possible legal ramifications (if what he said is not true, and affects your ability to make money)" CreationDate="2017-04-10T17:11:38.660" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="9313" PostId="6763" Score="1" Text="@CanadianLuke `company` knows me rather well, in the periods when I wasn't in the project, it didn't have any progress, so modesty apart, I think I did a good job.&#xA;So I'm not wrong in thinking that `randomGuy` wasn't professional? I'll have to work with him the next months but yes, it's in my plans to let him know today that what he did wasn't the best way to do it.&#xA;Thanks for taking the time to comment!" CreationDate="2017-04-10T17:47:26.507" UserId="12034" />
  <row Id="9314" PostId="6763" Score="0" Text="Is `randomGuy` working with `company` as you were working with `company`?" CreationDate="2017-04-12T18:19:38.263" UserId="15276" />
  <row Id="9315" PostId="6753" Score="0" Text="I like the basic idea, of warning people ahead of time, but I wonder if a more personal email to the key clients (or at least a mail merge that makes it look more personal) might help reduce the negative reaction." CreationDate="2017-04-13T01:02:22.110" UserId="7710" />
  <row Id="9316" PostId="6774" Score="0" Text="Are you planning to be &quot;on-call&quot; for these clients, or just do regular updates, upgrades, and maintenance for them. The latter is easier to estimate your time, hence your price. The former can be harder, and is often higher because it can mean dropping everything and going to their site for emergency repairs." CreationDate="2017-04-13T02:05:35.487" UserDisplayName="user16080" />
  <row Id="9317" PostId="6774" Score="0" Text="Good question. Honestly I'd love to hear a response for both as I'm still exploring the options. Thanks for that!" CreationDate="2017-04-13T02:07:13.847" UserId="16590" />
  <row Id="9318" PostId="6774" Score="0" Text="If its too broad for this site please let me know and I'll narrow it down" CreationDate="2017-04-13T02:08:33.320" UserId="16590" />
  <row Id="9319" PostId="6775" Score="0" Text="Thanks for your answer Peter! What exactly do you mean by '80% of hourly rate'? Like in what sense is that applied? Is it applied at a few hours bundled together? I'm not quite understanding that facet though i really appreciate your response!" CreationDate="2017-04-13T08:02:05.133" UserId="16590" />
  <row Id="9320" PostId="6775" Score="0" Text="Well if your rate is 100 for programming, then you think of computer maintenance that is 50% simpler work (or 20% simpler), and then you set hourly rate to 50 or to 80. The problem here is how to evaluate at what percentage maintenance is easier or more complex than programming. Because I am pretty sure they will not pay your programming rate for computer maintenance. Does this make it clear?" CreationDate="2017-04-13T12:30:16.653" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9322" PostId="6775" Score="0" Text="I don't provide these services, so forgive me if this sounds completely ignorant... but it seems to me that possibly a flat *retainer* for a given number of support hours (with a quantity discount) would be the optimum pay scale - 3hrs @$100/per - 5hrs@$100/per with 10% quantity discount - 10hrs@$100/per with 25% quantity discount, etc.....Not certain I understand the reduced hourly rate logic in general.. an hour of my time is an hour of my time regardless of what I'm doing during that hour. If I can make $100 an hour.. why would I sell my time for $50/hr?" CreationDate="2017-04-13T18:09:37.327" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9323" PostId="6780" Score="0" Text="Yup, payment upfront for each milestone was my security feature." CreationDate="2017-04-14T07:34:56.503" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9324" PostId="6781" Score="0" Text="I stated above, I planned to work on &quot;pay in advance&quot; principle. So financing is covered on my side. So this is purely &quot;is this fair&quot; and &quot;should I be fair to colleague or look only on my business and profit&quot;." CreationDate="2017-04-14T07:40:41.260" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9325" PostId="6781" Score="0" Text="Other part of the problem &quot;who knows if he will pay the next milestone&quot; is situations I had in the past. I inform them in advance that they need to load another milestone so the project is not stalled. If they don't load, I can work for a few days ONE TIME only, but if this happens again, I stop work until the milestone has been loaded. If these issues start to repeat (like work 1 week, wait 1 week, work 2 weeks,...), I then inform them to find another guy. But your comments are on the place, I think the same for each line... except not being sure for the cool guy" CreationDate="2017-04-14T07:44:32.747" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9326" PostId="6775" Score="0" Text="@Metis In programming, we are often asked to provide technical support which may eventually grow to the permanent task aside of programming. If the client is the one who suggest this, then it's easy and you simply tell him that you will work under the same rate. But if you are offering this service to earn extra, then client will hardly accept your programming rate because support is usually 3-4 times cheaper. In such case you have to provide discounted rate. It really depends who initiates this request first. OK?" CreationDate="2017-04-14T07:47:27.680" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9328" PostId="6759" Score="0" Text="If the client's business is a legal, as in incorporated, etc., business, then reread the comment from @DanWilson. Just the first sentence. Even if it is a single share, as a share holder you have access to all the financial numbers, and can verify your true percentage. As a legal business he has to file papers with the government, and you can view those. That has nothing to do with contracts. Secondly, per the answer from @​Entre Preneur, get, and keep, access to the backend where the numbers are generated. Compare them to the client's claims, and you can verify percentages that way too." CreationDate="2017-04-15T03:03:36.033" UserDisplayName="user16080" />
  <row Id="9330" PostId="6788" Score="0" Text="This question has nothing to do with Freelancing..." CreationDate="2017-04-17T16:22:06.523" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9331" PostId="6788" Score="3" Text="Belgium is way cheaper, Luxemburg is comparable to Switzerland. Every day there are traffic jams in the morning to come into the country and in the evening to get out of the country because you can make a much higher wage in Luxembuourg than Belgium, France of Germany and as long as you don't live in Luxemburg that can make a big difference." CreationDate="2017-04-17T20:48:13.183" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9332" PostId="6786" Score="0" Text="you have that risk any day when you open and read your email. Getting files from upwork is no different." CreationDate="2017-04-17T20:49:06.857" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9333" PostId="6786" Score="0" Text="What's the difference when you receive files via email???" CreationDate="2017-04-18T07:35:01.110" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9334" PostId="6790" Score="0" Text="in my experience, stress is a very personal thing. A specific job does not cause stress, the way a person handles the job causes stress. As a freelancer, the whole idea is you control when you have work and when you don't. If you don't stress out from working odd hours, then by all means offer them to your client. If you do stress out and prefer office hours, then only promise office hour support." CreationDate="2017-04-18T15:48:08.170" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9336" PostId="6788" Score="1" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it is not actually about freelancing" CreationDate="2017-04-19T10:46:30.077" UserId="15202" />
  <row Id="9339" PostId="6799" Score="1" Text="Just for a fact, I tried the `if you are not desperate for work`. I said that `I can tell you many free services which can contribute to the project once we start the work`. At least I got the project." CreationDate="2017-04-21T12:17:54.250" UserId="5298" />
  <row Id="9345" PostId="6799" Score="0" Text="Good. Now just do the good work and build long-term relations and you have 1 worry less on your mind." CreationDate="2017-04-24T14:37:37.577" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9346" PostId="6264" Score="0" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because this is not about freelancing" CreationDate="2017-04-25T18:17:53.990" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="9348" PostId="6813" Score="0" Text="You should be given extra perks if you're going to be working onsite may it be in the form of accommodation, transport, etc. And with regards to your hourly charge, I feel that it depends entirely on the agreement between the contractor and the freelancer. Some might agree to pay less since they're providing you with the perks, some might agree to pay you the same rate as your remote work rate and some might agree to pay more. It all depends on how the negotiation goes beforehand." CreationDate="2017-04-26T19:09:25.207" UserId="7364" />
  <row Id="9350" PostId="6816" Score="0" Text="...&quot; I was fired with cause&quot;.... which means you aren't sharing the entire story here. Not that it would help. But if there was legitimate cause... **you** may be in breech of any contract." CreationDate="2017-04-27T18:05:10.713" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9352" PostId="6816" Score="0" Text="Most freelancers will experience something along these lines when they first start out. If I were you (and I understand this hurts) I would try to see this as an expensive lesson. Learn from it, move on, do not repeat whatever mistakes that were made. At least they paid you for the time you worked. Ask yourself &quot;what should I have done, what could have I done better/smarter/securer?&quot; The money you lost, was the price you paid to learn this lesson. Some people pay far more for the same lesson. You got it cheap. Learn-&gt;Move on." CreationDate="2017-04-27T20:01:10.417" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="9353" PostId="6816" Score="1" Text="Possible duplicate of [Handling a client that doesn't pay after services are delivered](https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/3766/handling-a-client-that-doesnt-pay-after-services-are-delivered)" CreationDate="2017-04-27T21:13:34.567" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="9354" PostId="6817" Score="0" Text="In client understanding I did bad work. I tried to use spring and new technologies but it seems like they didn't like that but I did my best." CreationDate="2017-04-27T22:42:43.990" UserId="17026" />
  <row Id="9355" PostId="1579" Score="0" Text="I drafted a cold 'call' email template in this blog post (below), as well as the process for tailoring the email to the person you're contacting, so it doesn't come across as spammy: [How to build client relationships from scratch part 2: Overcoming the cold call](http://rlwinks.com/client-relationships-cold-call/)" CreationDate="2017-04-22T18:57:59.117" UserId="16990" />
  <row Id="9357" PostId="6816" Score="0" Text="Posted updates." CreationDate="2017-04-28T00:01:36.260" UserId="17026" />
  <row Id="9359" PostId="6820" Score="1" Text="I would say the best option is to refuse the work, or subcontract to someone who *does* know how to build an app. It is *too much* to try and accomplish for client-driven services for your first venture into app building." CreationDate="2017-04-28T16:48:42.457" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9360" PostId="6820" Score="1" Text="Learining while building a real life example is a great idea. However, like Metis above said, if you really are completely at a loss to begin with (never even having produced a hobby app of any sort) in all good conscience you have to turn it down. You will produce something for them but it will not be good. You cannot possibly take payment to do something over which you know nothing and have 0 experience. Do not underestimate the complexity of the task. Spend your time earning money doing what you can do properly, and learn new stuff in your spare time." CreationDate="2017-04-28T18:35:15.777" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="9362" PostId="6819" Score="0" Text="I think you may need to explain what *you* mean by &quot;umbrella company&quot;." CreationDate="2017-04-29T22:04:15.620" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9363" PostId="1690" Score="0" Text="And here I am at the 2 month point waiting for a payment for a website." CreationDate="2017-04-30T14:56:04.413" UserId="17055" />
  <row Id="9364" PostId="6817" Score="0" Text="Did you try to talk to a lawyer based in the USA? Like I proposed." CreationDate="2017-05-01T07:21:36.897" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9365" PostId="6816" Score="0" Text="UPDATE comment: Are you a child who wants a revenge or you want your money? What was your thinking: I will write bad about them, they will then pay me to stop writing and I can delete bad comments? Grow up! I have been threatened by a few clients that they will post bad things about me because I did not want to do free work for them (when I was starting freelancing). I told them to do that, and look at me now - it did not affect my business at all." CreationDate="2017-05-01T07:23:32.090" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9367" PostId="6825" Score="0" Text="This makes perfect sense, thank you. I went back to the contract and it says  &quot;Payment will be made on a monthly basis upon receipt of Contractor's invoice.&quot; I interpreted that as paying upon receipt, but perhaps in the future I need to make sure that's more clear." CreationDate="2017-05-01T20:49:33.210" UserId="17061" />
  <row Id="9368" PostId="6825" Score="0" Text="There are also other accounting advantages... you can see what your monthly end balance is.. then subtract all payments at the end of the month. This makes it much easier to track profit/loss than dealing with shifting balances during the month itself." CreationDate="2017-05-01T20:52:59.597" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9369" PostId="6813" Score="0" Text="In response to your edit: Yes you are saying you are more valuable in person. That's because you _are_ more valuable in person. 1) They now have a &quot;resident expert&quot; on-site, not just another worker. 2) They now have exclusive access to you for that part of the day. 3) They can now make instant updates to the project (possibly leading to scope creep as well), rather than having to submit requests for changes through better documented channels. 4) If they didn't think you were more valuable on-site, they wouldn't be asking for it." CreationDate="2017-05-02T03:05:35.630" UserDisplayName="user16080" />
  <row Id="9370" PostId="6826" Score="0" Text="Am I correct in assuming that you setup one main email account for *all* your vendors, and you are having issues sorting it out?" CreationDate="2017-05-02T22:40:56.663" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="9371" PostId="6826" Score="0" Text="There was a single email that was originally meant for inbound NOC alerts (firewall logs, outage notices, etc). It later became the default mailbox for new account registrations also. Now I am trying to assign people to monitor/manage these accounts, so I'd like to compartmentalize them. I just know that, regardless of what solution I choose, I am unlikely to get another chance like this so I wanted to get some input so I can do it right the first (possibly only) time. (note: this is IMAP email &gt;_&lt; no shared folders)" CreationDate="2017-05-02T22:45:59.820" UserId="17075" />
  <row Id="9372" PostId="6820" Score="0" Text="If they are aware it's not an area you have experience in you could work at a heavily discounted or fixed rate." CreationDate="2017-05-03T05:02:46.710" UserId="2391" />
  <row Id="9373" PostId="6826" Score="0" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because this is not about freelancing." CreationDate="2017-05-03T07:28:59.833" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9374" PostId="6826" Score="0" Text="I looked for stack related to business operations, but couldn't find any." CreationDate="2017-05-03T13:23:31.077" UserId="17075" />
  <row Id="9380" PostId="6830" Score="0" Text="What *kind* of tax are you assuming you should be paying?" CreationDate="2017-05-06T14:13:52.647" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="9381" PostId="6837" Score="4" Text="Can't hurt to try. It would probably help to emphasize all the &quot;savings&quot; they get by not hiring a new employee - benefits, insurance, matching taxes, HR department paperwork to process new employees, loss of productivity from someone else having to train the new employee, regular review meetings, etc. Add to that the benefits of a contractor - no long-term commitment, payments based on performance, all the tools to do the tasks are operational and configured for maximum productivity, etc. Create a proposal, formally, and present it to them. The practice can be good, even if it don't work." CreationDate="2017-05-07T02:45:51.790" UserDisplayName="user16080" />
  <row Id="9382" PostId="6830" Score="0" Text="Clarification for those unfamiliar: **Oregon has no SALES TAX** it is not a &quot;no tax&quot; state. There are still property taxes, federal taxes, state taxes, etc." CreationDate="2017-05-07T04:49:56.093" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9383" PostId="6835" Score="1" Text="I knew this wasn't the answer you *wanted* to hear :)" CreationDate="2017-05-08T18:52:34.613" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9385" PostId="4684" Score="0" Text="it is the same. Theres only a couple of forms a year and you can do it all online." CreationDate="2017-05-09T21:00:25.250" UserId="17119" />
  <row Id="9386" PostId="6837" Score="2" Text="Thanks Gypsy Spellweaver for your response! I applied for the job and they contacted me back within the hour. I have my interview tomorrow and I will present my consulting services and hope all goes well. This is definitely taking me out of my comfort zone but the practice will do me good." CreationDate="2017-05-10T01:59:52.267" UserId="17105" />
  <row Id="9387" PostId="6837" Score="1" Text="Go get 'em! You're future awaits. :D" CreationDate="2017-05-10T02:01:01.590" UserDisplayName="user16080" />
  <row Id="9388" PostId="6773" Score="0" Text="As the two completely opposite answers below illustrate: get some proper tax advice, don't ask this stuff on a freelancer forum." CreationDate="2017-05-10T04:13:27.433" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9389" PostId="6453" Score="0" Text="The UK is on a Trump Embargo List (so called TELs, there are many of those), no one from the US is allowed to work for UK based companies. Find some American clients, America First!" CreationDate="2017-05-10T04:16:24.530" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9390" PostId="6835" Score="0" Text="It's good advice, but it doesn't actually answer the question.  It more explains why there are few suggestions out there that *do* answer the question." CreationDate="2017-05-10T20:21:50.537" UserId="17094" />
  <row Id="9391" PostId="6835" Score="1" Text="Fair enough :) I think it answers &quot;what to do when I haven't prepared&quot; pretty well :) You can chase after everything other answer across several questions suggest, it'll work eventually, bit it will take time... and I highly suspect the actual solution will be to find another job until you have enough freelance clients." CreationDate="2017-05-10T21:32:48.110" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9394" PostId="6845" Score="0" Text="You mean social security number? And who is asking for it, your Indian employer or the US company? An Indian employer should be asking for your indian SSN, not a US one. You don't get a US SSN for working a remote contract job: you would need to live and work in the US to get one." CreationDate="2017-05-12T12:45:56.763" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9395" PostId="6846" Score="0" Text="What sort of liability would you have?" CreationDate="2017-05-12T14:16:03.157" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9396" PostId="6838" Score="0" Text="Thanks Ewan. I've contacted the UK tax authorities and they tell me I do **not** need to charge VAT if I am supplying a UK business (please see my answer above). Turns out the rules are different if you are supplying a consumer versus a business. Your link relates to consumers. Thanks for taking the time to answer." CreationDate="2017-05-12T15:38:54.790" UserId="16906" />
  <row Id="9397" PostId="6838" Score="0" Text="no prob, thanks for posting your answer! v informative!" CreationDate="2017-05-12T15:40:22.353" UserId="17119" />
  <row Id="9398" PostId="6846" Score="0" Text="a general policy probably has a whole load of covers relating to workplace accidents and the like. presumably you have a home office or something in which you work?" CreationDate="2017-05-12T15:43:54.370" UserId="17119" />
  <row Id="9399" PostId="6845" Score="0" Text="@user3244085 Indian company is asking for US SSN.. I think that there is some misinformation with my new company that i went to US for contract. Telling them, that i worked from India only should solve the issue ?" CreationDate="2017-05-13T07:34:44.303" UserId="17147" />
  <row Id="9400" PostId="6848" Score="0" Text="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retainer_agreement" CreationDate="2017-05-13T15:55:01.457" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9401" PostId="6835" Score="0" Text="Great answer IMHO. Without preparation it will just all go wrong. You cannot allow external pressures to make the decision to go freelancing for you. You should positively decide to do it, start in your free time and pick a date to go full time, with enough financial savings to see you through not only a possible failed attempt (3-6 months) but also the time it takes to get a job again afterwards. I would say you need 6 months covered at least. If you have to get another job in the meantime, do it. It can only help with your experience and knowledge." CreationDate="2017-05-14T20:51:55.950" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="9402" PostId="6849" Score="1" Text="Just like 2nd and 3rd opinion from doctors." CreationDate="2017-05-15T07:51:35.213" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9404" PostId="730" Score="0" Text="the first paragraph is misleading. claiming ownership over a contribution to a Free Software project is NOT a violation of the license. the license states under what conditions the software may be used, modified and shared, it does not define who is to own the modifications, nor do Free Software licenses require contribution to upstream or sharing with anyone who is not a user, so it is perfectly fine for an employer to claim ownership over a modification. and they may also control how to share the modification." CreationDate="2017-05-16T04:20:23.890" UserId="15870" />
  <row Id="9405" PostId="730" Score="0" Text="in work done for hire, the company, and not you, is the licensee, and they decide how to share the modifications. if the modified product is only used in-house then they may prevent any employee from sharing it outside the company" CreationDate="2017-05-16T04:20:28.680" UserId="15870" />
  <row Id="9406" PostId="4705" Score="1" Text="@johnny the poster means CV - Curriculum Vitae" CreationDate="2017-05-16T04:29:55.200" UserId="15870" />
  <row Id="9408" PostId="6863" Score="0" Text="What's your contract state about cancellation?" CreationDate="2017-05-16T09:50:03.100" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9409" PostId="6863" Score="0" Text="I am nit sure i just got that from upwork." CreationDate="2017-05-16T09:52:55.623" UserId="17184" />
  <row Id="9410" PostId="6862" Score="1" Text="Thanks for your answer. My contract with the agency is directly with myself- I am currently working as a sole trader. The first mention they made of having to send my invoices through an umbrella was after I had sent them the invoice for the second day's work... I don't really want to go down the route of having to threaten them with legal action- as much because it would be a pain/ waste of time as it would be expensive. When I queried them as to why they wanted me to invoice them through an umbrella rather than directly, they said it was to cover their liability regarding my tax..." CreationDate="2017-05-16T10:12:40.273" UserId="15209" />
  <row Id="9411" PostId="6862" Score="1" Text="But since I am working as a sole trader, I am currently responsible for paying my tax and NI contributions myself, and have been since I first went self-employed in October last year... Is there anything other than threatening legal action that I can do to get them to pay me?" CreationDate="2017-05-16T10:14:12.880" UserId="15209" />
  <row Id="9412" PostId="6862" Score="0" Text="Other than bargain with them, not really. If it's the 4 letter company that sounds like a list of grasses that horses eat, it should be fairly easy to get them to pay with just a reminder letter." CreationDate="2017-05-16T10:19:27.010" UserId="15202" />
  <row Id="9413" PostId="6860" Score="0" Text="I've seen a specific forum for thouse who is looking for participation. Just forget the name and now trying to remember it. I thought maybe someone here can help me with that." CreationDate="2017-05-16T10:31:28.943" UserId="17181" />
  <row Id="9414" PostId="6861" Score="0" Text="Umbrella company? I thought this was some parent company of your client. But it seems that you are talking about finance service in the cloud like Freshbooks. What is umbrella company exactly?" CreationDate="2017-05-16T10:52:31.107" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9415" PostId="6861" Score="1" Text="As I understand, the umbrella company would automatically deduct the tax &amp; NI from the pay I am to receive from my client, essentially handling what is usually paid through PAYE for an employee, so that I wouldn't have to pay my tax &amp; NI contributions for the money received for this work myself... An example of an umbrella company would be: http://azebra.co.uk/" CreationDate="2017-05-16T10:57:43.533" UserId="15209" />
  <row Id="9416" PostId="6861" Score="0" Text="Hm, seems odd that they are requesting to use this service. The are forcing you to pay to this company to handle finances? Incredible!!!" CreationDate="2017-05-16T11:00:07.483" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9417" PostId="6861" Score="0" Text="Well that's exactly why I don't want to sign up with the umbrella company... particularly given that I only did three days' work for my client, so I am not invoicing them a huge amount... It seems ridiculous to have to pay a fee to an umbrella company to handle the tax I will pay on three days' work, when I am in the process of filling out a tax return for all of the work I have done since going self employed about 6/7 months ago..." CreationDate="2017-05-16T11:05:53.193" UserId="15209" />
  <row Id="9419" PostId="6859" Score="2" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it is not about freelancing but an online collaboration platform." CreationDate="2017-05-16T15:25:27.167" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9420" PostId="6832" Score="0" Text="Find a new job, make the nest egg, start freelancing." CreationDate="2017-05-16T15:26:55.500" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9421" PostId="6859" Score="0" Text="suggest the sulotion then. Everyone can downvote" CreationDate="2017-05-16T20:02:37.110" UserId="17181" />
  <row Id="9422" PostId="6859" Score="1" Text="Go to the correct forum then, anyone can randomly post somewhere and expect an answer." CreationDate="2017-05-17T07:30:42.750" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9423" PostId="6861" Score="0" Text="Then stop working for them if it is not crucial for your life and ask them to review the agreement and payment terms." CreationDate="2017-05-17T08:00:53.660" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9424" PostId="6861" Score="0" Text="I have stopped working for them- as I mentioned in my OP, this was work that I did for a few days between finishing working for my first client, and starting working for my current one..." CreationDate="2017-05-17T09:09:26.833" UserId="15209" />
  <row Id="9425" PostId="6872" Score="0" Text="Well, I do not agree. Using your words, my question was `what if the client is not a businessman?` and just collecting some data to use with another person. Just like it will be wrong to expect client to trust you in first meeting, it is wrong to trust the client when we're first talking." CreationDate="2017-05-18T01:47:03.393" UserId="5298" />
  <row Id="9426" PostId="6872" Score="0" Text="You're making all kinds of assumptions about the person in front of you. Besides that, can't see anywhere in your question where you mention: &quot;what if the client is not a businessman?&quot;. If I don't trust a client, or it doesn't feel good for any reason, I won't even sit down at the table. You ask an opinion based question, I oblige and give you an opinion. Why ask it in the first place if you only going to overrule it with a statement of fact? I do not know where you're from, but clearly we have a very different set of norms and values. In business and polite discussion it seems." CreationDate="2017-05-18T02:05:13.277" UserId="17173" />
  <row Id="9427" PostId="6871" Score="1" Text="I already work full time, but I need extra experience. I'm an Andorid dev. Thank you btw, I'll try looking for some open source things." CreationDate="2017-05-18T06:45:34.827" UserId="17181" />
  <row Id="9428" PostId="6866" Score="0" Text="Why the downvotes? He asks for tips? It's a legit question." CreationDate="2017-05-18T17:04:43.393" UserId="17173" />
  <row Id="9429" PostId="6876" Score="0" Text="So you basically mean starting a company?" CreationDate="2017-05-18T19:58:53.710" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9431" PostId="6877" Score="0" Text="Ditto on the networking." CreationDate="2017-05-19T05:14:19.890" UserId="11789" />
  <row Id="9432" PostId="6876" Score="0" Text="Sounds like you're more interested in a start-up than freelancing. Try the https://startups.stackexchange.com website instead." CreationDate="2017-05-19T05:49:48.370" UserDisplayName="user16080" />
  <row Id="9433" PostId="6876" Score="0" Text="Not necessarily a company. Many freelancers starts offering services as a team without having a company. They take the work, outsource it and monitor its progress." CreationDate="2017-05-19T11:33:46.013" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9435" PostId="6883" Score="0" Text="What does vendor license agreement says? I suspect there is some 'no warranty and no liability' clause." CreationDate="2017-05-20T09:43:06.343" UserId="484" />
  <row Id="9437" PostId="4411" Score="1" Text="Hey, would really appreciate if you have more projects than you can handle to contact me and see if we can come to agreement! Thank you!" CreationDate="2017-05-21T14:49:24.063" UserId="17257" />
  <row Id="9439" PostId="6420" Score="0" Text="added an update." CreationDate="2017-05-23T01:05:19.027" UserId="15906" />
  <row Id="9440" PostId="6867" Score="0" Text="Do note that the US company is only obligated to withold taxes on us-sourced income. Counterintutively, this is *not* us-sourced income in this case, because the income source is tied to the contractor location. (see https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/nonresident-aliens-source-of-income). In the case of personal business services, income is only us-sourced if the work is physically performed in the USA. As such, NO witholding tax is necessary and NO W-8BEN is required. If this person were to travel to the USA and work there for a few weeks, then they'd need this paperwork." CreationDate="2017-05-23T09:47:12.633" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="9441" PostId="1046" Score="0" Text="@Thomas, see here: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/nonresident-aliens-source-of-income Non-resident aliens are only taxed on their us-sourced income. By definition,  the income source is tied to the contractor location. If the contractor is outside of the USA, then the income is NOT us-sourced and no witholding tax is required. Additionally, according to the w8-ben instructions, the W8-BEN is only applicable to non-resident aliens who have us-sourced income. If the contractor remains outside of the USA, none of this paperwork is necessary." CreationDate="2017-05-23T09:56:17.290" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="9442" PostId="2858" Score="1" Text="&quot;The source of your earned income is the place where you perform the services for which you received the income.&quot; Proof to back this up: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/nonresident-aliens-source-of-income (see personal services)" CreationDate="2017-05-23T09:58:30.737" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="9443" PostId="3063" Score="1" Text="&quot;The big question is whether your income qualifies as originating from the USA. &quot; It does not. The income source is tied to the contractor location. See https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/nonresident-aliens-source-of-income (&quot;personal services&quot;). As such, this is not us-sourced income and no taxation at all is applicable." CreationDate="2017-05-23T10:00:42.830" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="9444" PostId="1046" Score="0" Text="Even for salaries and wages, this is applicable. The same site has another entry in the table for salaries." CreationDate="2017-05-23T10:02:09.183" UserDisplayName="user152" />
  <row Id="9446" PostId="6420" Score="1" Text="If it's such a successful product, take him to court and take your work back. It's work unpaid, so technically still yours." CreationDate="2017-05-25T00:27:18.883" UserId="17173" />
  <row Id="9450" PostId="6420" Score="0" Text="Some friend.  I hope you don't have any enemies." CreationDate="2017-05-25T07:52:00.440" UserId="11789" />
  <row Id="9452" PostId="6264" Score="1" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because not freelancing" CreationDate="2017-05-25T19:57:56.077" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9453" PostId="6878" Score="0" Text="I guess the question is exactly about &quot;how to make it right&quot; lol" CreationDate="2017-05-26T03:42:17.327" UserId="17289" />
  <row Id="9454" PostId="6869" Score="0" Text="the discussion on responsibility is interesting but not exactly what the OP asked..." CreationDate="2017-05-26T03:44:22.183" UserId="17289" />
  <row Id="9455" PostId="255" Score="0" Text="I guess #3 is for when the job is to create something similar, like &quot;create a blog for me&quot; and you've already made other blogs." CreationDate="2017-05-26T03:48:28.137" UserId="17289" />
  <row Id="9456" PostId="562" Score="1" Text="#6 seems to be the most important one to me. You _must_ be able show you can do that, either through past projects or sample/pet projects." CreationDate="2017-05-26T03:55:17.810" UserId="17289" />
  <row Id="9457" PostId="101" Score="0" Text="There are a couple of different freelancing websites that allow you to pick/be selected to projects purely based on your skill, instead of the carnivore run of the lowest bid. They do require higher quality work and, usually, fluent or near-fluent English. Some examples are [Toptal](https://www.toptal.com/developers/join/#obtain-only-eye-opening-coders-now), [BairesDev](https://www.bairesdev.com/)." CreationDate="2017-05-26T04:00:04.817" UserId="17289" />
  <row Id="9458" PostId="1837" Score="0" Text="As comments said, that software was quite old. So old the website is now parked." CreationDate="2017-05-26T04:05:35.403" UserId="17289" />
  <row Id="9459" PostId="2709" Score="0" Text="glad to know I'm not stupid by not being able to get 8 productive hours per day. that was driving me nuts." CreationDate="2017-05-26T04:35:00.413" UserId="17289" />
  <row Id="9460" PostId="2710" Score="0" Text="It might be an overstatement to say &quot;don't use hourly&quot;. Even though you don't track your work minute-by-minute, having a fixed hourly rate helps you calculate how much you're going to charge on different projects: be that a part-time you're going to charge weekly, a biweekly full-time or a one-week bug-fix project." CreationDate="2017-05-26T04:37:07.230" UserId="17289" />
  <row Id="9461" PostId="1377" Score="1" Text="what is &quot;a 1099&quot;?" CreationDate="2017-05-26T04:53:50.480" UserId="17289" />
  <row Id="9462" PostId="1047" Score="1" Text="bottom-line seems to be: a) don't worry about hours and instead work towards deliverables or milestones; b) worry a bit about it and try to create a schedule to fit your day in, so you have a fixed plan on how to pass your days.&#xA;Sounds correct?" CreationDate="2017-05-26T05:12:06.450" UserId="17289" />
  <row Id="9463" PostId="6896" Score="0" Text="@Glorfindel i understand minor mistake but don't need to give minus. :(" CreationDate="2017-05-29T10:32:23.897" UserId="17305" />
  <row Id="9464" PostId="6896" Score="0" Text="that minus is not mine (proof: I don't have the necessary [125 reputation](https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/help/privileges/vote-down) to vote down), so there's nothing I can do about it." CreationDate="2017-05-29T11:15:28.937" UserId="15235" />
  <row Id="9465" PostId="6086" Score="0" Text="Obviously you can't have any part of doing something illegal, and DMCA is very dangerous to play around with.  Have you tried searching with terms like &quot;Alternatives to ...&quot; ?" CreationDate="2017-05-29T20:10:47.807" UserId="11789" />
  <row Id="9466" PostId="6087" Score="2" Text="That's potato, Mr. Quayle.  But I agree with you 100%" CreationDate="2017-05-29T20:11:47.390" UserId="11789" />
  <row Id="9467" PostId="6103" Score="0" Text="Good answer.  Your second paragraph is as good as the first.  DMCA has very stiff penalties.  Remember Neurenberg - they still hung the guys who said they were just following orders.  The Nazis documented everything so the orders were very clear." CreationDate="2017-05-29T20:14:30.333" UserId="11789" />
  <row Id="9468" PostId="4069" Score="0" Text="Whatever the market will bear.  If you can find comparables then use them to help you find your price point." CreationDate="2017-05-29T20:17:11.270" UserId="11789" />
  <row Id="9469" PostId="6897" Score="0" Text="This may be more on topic at law.stackexchange.com even though it does related to freelancing." CreationDate="2017-05-30T19:13:09.560" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9470" PostId="6899" Score="1" Text="The client is the person who was my first employer and I have a good amount of trust in them and the work they do. Just wanted to know the &quot;what if's&quot;. Thanks." CreationDate="2017-05-31T05:24:36.247" UserId="17153" />
  <row Id="9471" PostId="6903" Score="0" Text="Welcome Debaterdev! StackExchange sites may not be like the sites you are accustomed to. Stack sties adhere to a strict question &lt;&gt; answer format. Seeing definitive answers to targeted questions. This seems far more like a discussion than a question/answer.  I think this is just too broad to be answered effectively." CreationDate="2017-06-01T22:32:39.070" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9472" PostId="6904" Score="0" Text="Hi PaulD, thanks for the information, really appreciate it! Helps a lot. Actually by tools, I meant apps that are used to help in freelancing like task management, billing etc." CreationDate="2017-06-01T22:52:22.503" UserId="17337" />
  <row Id="9475" PostId="6876" Score="0" Text="To be more precise, I have a few people that I currently work with and we all want to continue to work together.  We have been consulting at the same client for a very long time and would like to continue to do consulting together as a &quot;logical&quot; company as we all have our own corps.  Build up clients base interested in hiring consultants." CreationDate="2017-06-02T02:44:23.123" UserId="17226" />
  <row Id="9477" PostId="6749" Score="0" Text="in short, what is just evident...there is no such authority, especially in the SouthEast Asian region !! did I conclude right ??" CreationDate="2017-06-06T00:54:05.617" UserId="8574" />
  <row Id="9478" PostId="6876" Score="0" Text="The answer to &quot;does anyone have any experience&quot; is... probably. However, I'm not entirely sure this is a good fit for this site as-is; it's asking for a broad opinion/advice, without a specific, answerable question. For that reason, I'm closing this as too broad." CreationDate="2017-06-06T16:40:32.080" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="9480" PostId="6240" Score="0" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because this belongs on [meta]" CreationDate="2017-06-06T17:01:11.640" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="9481" PostId="6911" Score="0" Text="Thanks John - a clarification on my original question - what %age should the finder's fee be? Or what metrics shall we use to determine that?" CreationDate="2017-06-06T17:46:44.037" UserId="17370" />
  <row Id="9482" PostId="6909" Score="0" Text="So the answer is no, this sort of thing is not expected of freelancers in this industry, it just depends. Appreciate the thoughts." CreationDate="2017-06-09T02:55:55.343" UserId="17366" />
  <row Id="9483" PostId="6912" Score="0" Text="The question boils down to this: Is this sort of thing expected of freelancers in this industry? Clearly no web developers who aren't freelancers would ever have to think about this, so I don't see how it's off topic." CreationDate="2017-06-09T02:59:21.133" UserId="17366" />
  <row Id="9484" PostId="5894" Score="0" Text="https://outsource.com requires you to pay 19$/month for just applying to jobs." CreationDate="2017-06-11T21:51:55.460" UserId="5161" />
  <row Id="9489" PostId="6919" Score="0" Text="Maybe under the &quot;Fair Use&quot; it could be ok when I just use them as a reference?" CreationDate="2017-06-13T11:21:07.997" UserId="5568" />
  <row Id="9491" PostId="6926" Score="1" Text="What does Forge's EULA state? Is it part of their acceptable use policy? How about the privacy policies? There are too many variables in order to properly answer this question as-is" CreationDate="2017-06-19T17:11:07.107" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="9492" PostId="6929" Score="0" Text="Okay. That seems weird to me. I mean, with employers for permanent positions, that makes sense. But for freelancers, I am almost certain German companies just pay the salary and the tax stuff is the freelancer's problem." CreationDate="2017-06-19T20:58:39.657" UserId="17440" />
  <row Id="9493" PostId="6929" Score="0" Text="It's more or less the same in the US.  Companies can pay consultants directly as &quot;1099&quot; contractors, who in turn are supposed to pay their own taxes.  If the contractor doesn't pay, the gov't can go after the client.  To avoid this, big companies don't allow the 1099 approach and require the contractor to use a fictitious business entity (corporation or similar) to protect the company from the taxation." CreationDate="2017-06-19T21:02:42.217" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="9494" PostId="6929" Score="0" Text="It's not illegal (though scrutinized) for a company to pay 1099 contractors, but there is an inherent risk!" CreationDate="2017-06-19T21:03:38.083" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="9495" PostId="6927" Score="0" Text="Doesn't make sense, payroll by its definition is regarding employees, not freelancers. How would they even know how much taxes you need to pay? All they get is an invoice." CreationDate="2017-06-19T22:58:46.310" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9496" PostId="6929" Score="0" Text="The UK term is IR35" CreationDate="2017-06-20T13:31:46.950" UserId="15202" />
  <row Id="9497" PostId="6927" Score="0" Text="Check who will pay for the payroll company? Somehow I think it will be you ;)" CreationDate="2017-06-20T14:58:15.630" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9498" PostId="6931" Score="0" Text="Check if the NDA covers silence only until the release or it says something like &quot;6 months after release blahblah&quot;. If the product is released, you may putit." CreationDate="2017-06-21T14:44:47.093" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9501" PostId="6932" Score="1" Text="The NDA may, or may not, have a specific time frame that covers what can be disclosed. Reading the specific NDA is the only way to know as it can go either way." CreationDate="2017-06-22T04:49:47.717" UserDisplayName="user16080" />
  <row Id="9503" PostId="6938" Score="2" Text="Be warned, with non-technical clients, just cause you are right doesn't mean they believe you are right. Ensure the tone is not &quot;I'm right, fix your sh*t&quot;, and don't use lots of technical jargon." CreationDate="2017-06-22T16:58:48.797" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="9508" PostId="6942" Score="0" Text="IANAL, but if I was a client, I'd expect an app developer to have the knowledge to obtain app store approval. If I request something that would prevent approval, I would want to be told." CreationDate="2017-06-23T13:52:04.557" UserId="2672" />
  <row Id="9509" PostId="6942" Score="0" Text="True. I've never had this issue before, tbh, but I came across a contract template recently that had this as a clause and thought there may be merit to include in my future contracts. But for the life of me I can't find this template again!!" CreationDate="2017-06-23T15:16:48.720" UserId="17417" />
  <row Id="9510" PostId="6917" Score="0" Text="Just wanted to update that I started with the range as you suggested, they sent me their specs, we went through a few rounds of revised estimates and today they have agreed to move forward with signing a contract. It's a big contract, I didn't sell myself short, and I'm super excited to get started. Thank you for your advice!" CreationDate="2017-06-23T15:25:15.827" UserId="17417" />
  <row Id="9511" PostId="6917" Score="0" Text="@ryd3r congratulations man!" CreationDate="2017-06-23T16:57:32.483" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9514" PostId="6950" Score="0" Text="doesn't help you now, but why on earth would you work on a project when the pricing/invoicing hasn't been discussed yet? What if they sent a PO for the lower limit of your estimate?" CreationDate="2017-06-29T11:26:35.860" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9517" PostId="6956" Score="0" Text="are you alone or part of a larger group? If alone, this is risky stuff... and did you define all the &quot;mission critical&quot;  features? SLA is all about defining and scoping." CreationDate="2017-07-03T11:52:41.927" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9518" PostId="6959" Score="0" Text="Possible duplicate of [How can I start freelancing and get online projects to work on?](https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/707/how-can-i-start-freelancing-and-get-online-projects-to-work-on)" CreationDate="2017-07-03T12:04:51.830" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9519" PostId="6959" Score="0" Text="Just read top questions." CreationDate="2017-07-03T12:05:09.773" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9520" PostId="6960" Score="0" Text="Have you pushed them the code ever? Or they do not have it at all? I am also interested to hear what to do in case he pushed the code already." CreationDate="2017-07-03T12:05:57.160" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9521" PostId="6960" Score="0" Text="I did push the code, yes." CreationDate="2017-07-03T12:10:42.543" UserId="17443" />
  <row Id="9522" PostId="6960" Score="2" Text="Ouch. Then we will wait for someone to say something smart. But I suggest you try to find legal advise asap." CreationDate="2017-07-03T12:14:38.127" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9523" PostId="6959" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV Yes and no, because the OP of the question you cited wants to do freelance jobs in the field they already specialize in whereas I want to change specialization a bit and thus face a double challenge." CreationDate="2017-07-03T12:22:53.620" UserId="17612" />
  <row Id="9524" PostId="6958" Score="1" Text="The provider has an SLA for 99.9% uptime, but I don't think their definition of &quot;uptime&quot; is what the client is looking for. I think the client is probably also looking for &quot;availability&quot; -- for example, if the website goes down due to a bug in the code or some other reason." CreationDate="2017-07-03T16:26:35.963" UserId="17608" />
  <row Id="9525" PostId="6959" Score="1" Text="No matter of your previous history, if you are starting in a new field, you are a beginner. It means you will have to go through all those steps that any beginner undertakes. Choose wisely and choose the field you like most. In your case, I would stick to web development as it is easier than mobile one." CreationDate="2017-07-04T08:07:19.863" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9526" PostId="6950" Score="0" Text="I didn't start work until I received the PO and was happy that I could finish the job within that timeframe, had it gone otherwise I would have raised it as an issue" CreationDate="2017-07-04T17:16:23.450" UserId="17575" />
  <row Id="9527" PostId="3246" Score="0" Text="the question link would work wonders" CreationDate="2017-07-04T18:05:37.600" UserId="17628" />
  <row Id="9528" PostId="6962" Score="0" Text="Great points.  Auto sales contracts, at least here in California, specifically do not offer a &quot;cooling off&quot; period to assauge that old fashioned Buyer's Remorse." CreationDate="2017-07-05T22:15:37.123" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="9529" PostId="6956" Score="0" Text="to achieve 99% availability, your server must have automatic 'fall back' to a backup server and any databases, etc must be updated and available in (at least) 2 different places (not on the same computer." CreationDate="2017-07-06T22:31:57.250" UserId="16248" />
  <row Id="9530" PostId="6966" Score="1" Text="I'm pretty sure that a term stating &quot;if you don't send an invoice within 30 days we get everything for free&quot; is not legal. At least in the EU I'm quite confident you would win that in court. But of course: IANAL" CreationDate="2017-07-07T11:48:34.303" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9531" PostId="4326" Score="0" Text="Good point.  But what does a freelancer need a CV for?  Certainly a web presence that shows the various capabilities that can be brought to bear upon hiring the OP would be a start.  But if this is for te purpose of quitting the freelancing in lieu of getting a normal job, then that would e off-topic here." CreationDate="2017-07-07T16:17:42.183" UserId="11789" />
  <row Id="9532" PostId="6966" Score="0" Text="So they ignore an email for a couple of days and get a free service. Sweet. Consider it an expensive lesson you should not sign away your rights. It is far less expensive and easier to show a contract to a lawyer before signing it than after the fact. In some parts of the world that contract may be void." CreationDate="2017-07-07T16:30:24.227" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="9533" PostId="6966" Score="0" Text="FWIW, I am in the US. Today I wrote an Email to my contact's superior challenging the situation. I got a reply saying that the contract is &quot;standard practice&quot; and that they require all IT development freelancers to sign it. I can't prove that either, but obviously they have no intention to pay. I'm quite steamed that they're walking off with free work and even wonder who else they may have done this to. I can't find any info online about whether such a clause is legal, all I have been able to find is stuff about people not receiving *payment* on time, not invoices." CreationDate="2017-07-08T02:42:56.130" UserId="17647" />
  <row Id="9534" PostId="6966" Score="0" Text="I'm not really certain what you envision any answers being. Few, if any, here are attorneys and frankly, that's what you need to dispute a contract you signed and agreed to. Ultimately it seems to me it comes down to you **proving** they received the invoice before the deadline. After all you **agreed** to that clause of the contract and it was your responsibility that to see they *received* the invoice before the deadline, not that you sent it before the deadline." CreationDate="2017-07-08T17:59:07.727" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9535" PostId="6966" Score="0" Text="@metis I think you got it backwards. At the end of day, it boils down to when he sent it... it is not his responsability they take 1,2,3 or 7 days to read emails. I would had never signed such contract." CreationDate="2017-07-08T21:00:04.577" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="9536" PostId="6966" Score="0" Text="what you should be disputing is that you send in the 29h day. What is signed, is signed." CreationDate="2017-07-08T21:00:59.423" UserId="11069" />
  <row Id="9540" PostId="6966" Score="0" Text="I suppose my bigger question is if I do pursue some sort of legal action, how can I prove I sent the E-mails? Let's assume for a moment that the company did legitimately not receive the messages - we all know how E-mail can be flaky (spam folders, SMTP servers down, etc.) If the contract states &quot;submitted&quot; then to me that means I sent it, it doesn't necessarily mean they received it. But in my dialogue with the company, they interpreted &quot;submit&quot; as &quot;received&quot;. In other words, &quot;if it's not on our desk, it's not submitted.&quot;" CreationDate="2017-07-10T13:59:59.257" UserId="17647" />
  <row Id="9541" PostId="6970" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the reply. I suppose I'm only concerned with how I would prove I sent the Emails. I can certainly print out copies of the original messages, but let's assume the Email actually did not reach the company. In my dialogue with the company they said they interpret &quot;submit&quot; as &quot;received&quot;, so &quot;if we don't have it, it's not submitted.&quot; The guy explained that &quot;people could lie about having sent an Email they didn't.&quot; That's also when he said &quot;if you submit earlier, there's more time to work those bugs out, so it's still on you because we can't prove whether you actually sent it.&quot;" CreationDate="2017-07-10T14:02:17.630" UserId="17647" />
  <row Id="9542" PostId="6966" Score="0" Text="@Metis I think I'm just looking to see if others have had similar negative experiences with companies they've worked with and how they resolved it. If this were a couple hundred bucks I'd eat the cost and move on, but the amount in question is in the thousands." CreationDate="2017-07-10T14:05:35.553" UserId="17647" />
  <row Id="9543" PostId="6970" Score="0" Text="Also the main reason I wanted to maintain a positive relationship is that the company has a large presence in my community and I suppose I fear negative publicity or outright retaliation from the company. It's easy to say retaliation is illegal but it's all but impossible to *prove* it is occurring, say, if I suddenly stop getting work from other organizations or if subjective opinionated negativity suddenly starts &quot;spreading&quot;. I know of other freelancers who have been put out of business by this, so yes, that's also a fear of mine. :P So hard to weigh the money versus the rep." CreationDate="2017-07-10T14:11:26.150" UserId="17647" />
  <row Id="9546" PostId="6966" Score="0" Text="How much money is involved?" CreationDate="2017-07-10T15:52:39.853" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="9547" PostId="6976" Score="0" Text="thanks, that sounds about right... we did discuss in the meeting ways to achieve doubling the time spent, so I'll just state in the proposal that I will take those measures in hope that we will be successful, but can't guarantee it" CreationDate="2017-07-10T18:12:53.527" UserDisplayName="user15733" />
  <row Id="9548" PostId="6970" Score="0" Text="Your print out showing you used the correct address, the one that worked days later, would count for a lot.  The absence of a delivery failure report does, too.  The ISP can provide logs of messages delivered, too, provided they see a subpoena.  They have no dog in this fight, so are much more inclined to be unbiased.  After their attorney sees the evidence and requests for evidence in the disclosure phase, the client will likely realize they are wrong and unlikely to win." CreationDate="2017-07-10T20:51:22.453" UserId="13016" />
  <row Id="9549" PostId="6970" Score="0" Text="In my case, the company had counter-sued me for $1.2 million, which really startled me.  But I knew I was right, and after that became obvious in the deposition, they dropped it quietly." CreationDate="2017-07-10T20:51:28.680" UserId="13016" />
  <row Id="9550" PostId="6970" Score="0" Text="The company's big presence in the community is also a reason they would seriously consider their reputation, should they continue cheating you.  You are not the first, most likely, but as long as you stick to objective facts, it's good to hold them accountable." CreationDate="2017-07-10T20:53:30.073" UserId="13016" />
  <row Id="9554" PostId="6978" Score="0" Text="To give you a better sense of the value perception problem; I'm a real estate agent. The better skilled I am at evaluating a propertie's value, and convincing the seller to set the asking price close to that, the better the chances the property will sell, in a reasonable or short amount of time. The more skilled I am at designing an effective marketing campaign, the faster the property is going to sell. I don't charge by the hour worked, but for the result of my work. When things go really well, I get the result, without having to work many hours. Some people have a hard time accepting that." CreationDate="2017-07-11T12:35:26.330" UserId="17614" />
  <row Id="9556" PostId="6984" Score="0" Text="no contract - all I had was a purchase order and emails confirming the work had been delivered. As I say - I have no plans to charge interest" CreationDate="2017-07-12T14:16:21.717" UserId="17575" />
  <row Id="9557" PostId="6984" Score="0" Text="No-one has plans to start charging fees and interest till the relationship goes sour. But at the end of the day its up to you if you want to charge late fees and interest if they don't pay on time" CreationDate="2017-07-12T15:07:45.217" UserId="4271" />
  <row Id="9558" PostId="6978" Score="1" Text="Well, this is kind of what I'm talking about. Even if things go well and quickly in a sale, an extra hour or two, maybe helping your client get comfortable with turning the property over to the buyer (as an example) can make quite a difference in the ultimate perceived satisfaction. Depending on how you approach it, customers will appreciate it and be less likely to start second-guessing the fees. This kind of thing can be done in a way that makes problems worse, of course. That's why you want a third person or two to talk about it with." CreationDate="2017-07-13T00:18:58.927" UserId="17675" />
  <row Id="9559" PostId="6984" Score="0" Text="I have never, ever seen anyone pay a late fee or interest when they paid one or two months too late. You can put it on the reminder invoice but it is ignored. (disregarding lack of payment for half a year or something, but that usually goes to court anyway)" CreationDate="2017-07-13T04:16:33.670" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9560" PostId="6989" Score="1" Text="If you have contract questions an attorney is generally the best person to ask, not other freelancers." CreationDate="2017-07-13T10:59:04.017" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9561" PostId="6989" Score="0" Text="Say something happens, will you go to the UAE to go to court? I know I wouldnt, so I wouldnt be too worried about that paragraph. Unlimited liability is odd though." CreationDate="2017-07-13T12:48:44.937" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9562" PostId="6991" Score="2" Text="not true. read my answer." CreationDate="2017-07-13T15:50:04.637" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9563" PostId="6993" Score="0" Text="Spin it around - if you were the client, what would you expect to be asked?" CreationDate="2017-07-13T16:58:11.073" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="9564" PostId="6986" Score="0" Text="Thanks for your answer. The title of the question is intentionally worded ask if it is common to have a non 1:1 ratio between hourly and daily billing and, if so, by how much? As per the detailed context I provided, yes I feel like I've been overly generous and am asking this question to objectively verify if I'm right in thinking that the client has overstepped a rather generous offer." CreationDate="2017-07-13T17:17:15.160" UserId="16611" />
  <row Id="9565" PostId="6986" Score="0" Text="I think the answers clearly indicate 1:1 is common." CreationDate="2017-07-13T17:43:58.283" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9566" PostId="6994" Score="1" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because this is a legal question, not a freelance question. You may do better asking at law.stackexchange.com where legal professionals hang out." CreationDate="2017-07-13T17:44:49.700" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9567" PostId="6991" Score="0" Text="I get the impression you have first hand experience with this behavior on upwork, but that doesn't exclude other possibilities." CreationDate="2017-07-13T20:02:45.570" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9568" PostId="6996" Score="0" Text="I went 3 weeks past when the client was contractually obligated to pay me. (invoicing every 2 weeks, client has 10 business days to pay). Hopefully somebody reading this will learn from my mistake (or hopefully not... i'm not sure how to word that...)" CreationDate="2017-07-14T03:09:49.017" UserId="16611" />
  <row Id="9569" PostId="6991" Score="0" Text="Think like this: if you have history of freelancing site and good rates, are you really be so stupid to risk account ban? or you will think of a way to ensure that you get only good rating? I think the later is more realistic." CreationDate="2017-07-14T08:04:12.783" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9570" PostId="7002" Score="0" Text="I don't think they'll give you a photo of their signature. A scan of the contract would be nice though. But if you assume that you will never take legal action anyway, why bother? Just send an email and ask for confirmation / reply." CreationDate="2017-07-14T09:54:38.590" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9571" PostId="7011" Score="0" Text="Start by asking your clients why they cancel? How can we possibly know? :)" CreationDate="2017-07-17T14:14:17.103" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9572" PostId="7011" Score="0" Text="They answer like &quot;we don't feel like we need tutoring&quot; when I ask them. The contradictory part is, there are some tutoring centers, located in a building with super crammed and dimly lighted classrooms, employing teachers so incompetent that they are unable to find a proper job at a school, charging $2000 up front per year and these families choose to send their kids to these tutoring centers. The work I do is ultimately more customized and suitable for the student's needs as I **actually** answer the questions the students ask. I'll edit this into the main post" CreationDate="2017-07-17T14:24:55.383" UserId="17728" />
  <row Id="9574" PostId="7011" Score="0" Text="Is there any benefits the students receive from the centers that they cannot get from you? Preferential treatment from instructors, advanced notice of special test questions, connecting with other students in the same class to solve problems and study together are some possibilities." CreationDate="2017-07-18T04:13:48.910" UserDisplayName="user16080" />
  <row Id="9575" PostId="7015" Score="0" Text="I managed to remove that paragraph and replace it with:&#xA;XXXX hereby indemnifies and agrees to defend and hold harmless Consultant from and against any and all claims, demands and actions, and any liabilities, damages or expenses resulting there from, including court costs and reasonable attorneys' fees, arising out of or relating to the services performed by Consultant under this Agreement only in case such damages arise from non-voluntary actions on behalf of the Consultant, and in case Consultant has taken all reasonable actions to prevent such errors from happening.&#xA;What do you think?" CreationDate="2017-07-18T07:30:57.067" UserId="17687" />
  <row Id="9576" PostId="7014" Score="0" Text="This is as important in Board meetings as it is with these parents: reporting, metrics, showing progress." CreationDate="2017-07-18T08:56:15.807" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9577" PostId="7014" Score="0" Text="Thanks a lot for the answer. Most families are actually aware that private tutoring is more beneficial compared to sending their kids to tutoring centers where higher scoring students are treated well and lower scoring ones are almost completely neglected (I also went to those centers myself a couple of years ago, so I know it). But the professional and corporate-ish approach tutoring centers are taking is apparently what attracts the families to them (not students), as I take the role of an &quot;elder brother&quot; to the students which undermines my professionalism." CreationDate="2017-07-18T09:00:33.623" UserId="17728" />
  <row Id="9578" PostId="6510" Score="0" Text="You mention that you had other plans for the other 20 hours of the week. First decide yourself whether you will be able to do what you had planned in that time, if you can manage that while doing additional hours of work then agree to it. Remember the agreement should work for both sides" CreationDate="2017-07-18T14:21:08.843" UserId="17729" />
  <row Id="9579" PostId="7014" Score="0" Text="@Psydia Just because smokers are aware that smoking is bad, doesn't make all of them want to quit. They need a visual of &quot;what is this doing to my body&quot; for many of them to *choose* to quit. You need to sway the decision, which is where you &quot;market&quot; yourself. Showing quantitative stats (i.e. actual numbers, backed by data, that is measurable) on the progress of the customer's child with your service will help entice them to believe you're doing a great job!" CreationDate="2017-07-18T16:46:44.027" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="9580" PostId="7023" Score="0" Text="That's good feedback. There wouldn't be a conflict of interests competitively in the sense that I'm an individual freelance designer and my agency only works with multibillion dollar companies." CreationDate="2017-07-19T02:58:50.160" UserId="12333" />
  <row Id="9582" PostId="7019" Score="1" Text="Possible duplicate of [Can I use screenshots of my development works in a huge organization in my personal portfolio?](https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/2264/can-i-use-screenshots-of-my-development-works-in-a-huge-organization-in-my-perso)" CreationDate="2017-07-19T06:10:22.537" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9583" PostId="7023" Score="0" Text="I understand you @Peacockerie. Having read your comment and recent post update, I still recommend you **do not** (not even use the logo of companies the agency where you've once/still works delivered). Whether any of such companies knows you as an individual having worked on such projects or not, it is still not the best. Just stay away from that. You may find this [post](https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/a/2272/15276) helpful as well." CreationDate="2017-07-19T14:13:27.873" UserId="15276" />
  <row Id="9584" PostId="7023" Score="0" Text="That post only mentions it shouldn't be done for NDA purposes, which do not apply when the clients themselves are publicly acknowledged by the employer for which that work was done. I think the difference is going to be in the way the clients are presented, either as &quot;my clients&quot; or &quot;people I've worked with&quot;." CreationDate="2017-07-19T14:20:43.087" UserId="12333" />
  <row Id="9587" PostId="7024" Score="0" Text="Possible duplicate of https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/3740/billing-time-for-learning-specialty-api and https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/713/hourly-billing-is-it-appropriate-to-include-time-to-research-if-you-dont-know/4449#4449" CreationDate="2017-07-19T21:35:24.147" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="9588" PostId="6879" Score="1" Text="This assumes the contract itself is legally valid. If provisions in the contract violate the law, some or all of the contract may become void if brought to a court." CreationDate="2017-07-19T21:41:03.157" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="9589" PostId="6978" Score="0" Text="@neoflash  You should have included your industry in the question; it is likely to effect people's answers." CreationDate="2017-07-19T21:48:18.347" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="9590" PostId="7031" Score="0" Text="That is why I didn't want to specify the industry. I didn't want people's answers to be biased by what they THINK they know about how it works.&#xA;&#xA;A skilled agent will set an asking price that reflects the fair value of the property. When a property is on the market at an asking price that is close to fair market value, it always sells relatively fast, at a fair price for the buyer and the seller. So, in the vast majority of cases fair price and fast sale are not mutually exclusive, quite the opposite." CreationDate="2017-07-19T23:28:39.043" UserId="17614" />
  <row Id="9591" PostId="7031" Score="0" Text="&quot;Did the client specifically direct you to sell as quickly as possible/to prioritize speed over profit?&quot;&#xA;&#xA;No he didn't, but I also didn't force him to accept the offer that was presented. If he felt the price was low and that it was too fast and that if he waited some more he could get a higher price he could have refused the offer. I certainly didn't force his hand." CreationDate="2017-07-19T23:30:22.823" UserId="17614" />
  <row Id="9592" PostId="7031" Score="0" Text="Remember that most of your technical insight into the industry is totally meaningless to a typical customer. Your seller might not care what the &quot;fair market value&quot; is if they think they can get more for the property or disagree that the market value is &quot;fair&quot;. Looking at it another way - a property that sells fast at market value is going to sell even faster *under* market value." CreationDate="2017-07-20T01:35:55.623" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="9593" PostId="7031" Score="0" Text="If you can give the client a meaningful explanation of why you performed the service better than someone else, then do that. If you can't say with confidence that you sold the property faster or for a higher price than one of your competitors would have done for a lower fee, then you'll have a hard time convincing them to be satisfied." CreationDate="2017-07-20T01:38:36.760" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="9594" PostId="7031" Score="0" Text="That's the problem. I can say it with confidence. But it still remains intangible. We'll never know for sure. All I can do is show my track record and how it compares to my competitor." CreationDate="2017-07-20T02:09:31.513" UserId="17614" />
  <row Id="9595" PostId="6961" Score="1" Text="Abstain from repaying anything, as the signal would be: &quot;haha, we got you, you paid so much that we don't care giving back a part, and after all our work wasn't so good!&quot;. What you can do instead is to propose a (reasonable) rebate on the next job, &quot;to reward loyalty&quot;." CreationDate="2017-07-20T07:40:20.227" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="9596" PostId="7024" Score="0" Text="@user45623 My question is `how to ask a client` and not `should I bill the client`. So I don't think it's duplicate to those questions." CreationDate="2017-07-20T10:44:50.120" UserId="15456" />
  <row Id="9597" PostId="7035" Score="0" Text="Aren't &quot;I have to put food on the table&quot; and &quot;I have free time&quot; enough? :)" CreationDate="2017-07-20T11:06:25.380" UserId="15456" />
  <row Id="9598" PostId="7036" Score="0" Text="I totally agree with you but my portfolio is quite limited and I don't have solid references. To be frank, I'm quite desperate at the moment." CreationDate="2017-07-20T11:27:22.970" UserId="17140" />
  <row Id="9599" PostId="7035" Score="0" Text="Possible duplicate of [Am I supposed to be paid even though my work isn't used?](https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/4534/am-i-supposed-to-be-paid-even-though-my-work-isnt-used)" CreationDate="2017-07-20T16:24:41.837" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="9600" PostId="7036" Score="0" Text="I understand that. I've been there. Following up from Metis above, I think you should look at this way: this company wants you to do three days of work for free (which is a bad sign)." CreationDate="2017-07-21T11:48:06.603" UserId="17757" />
  <row Id="9601" PostId="7036" Score="0" Text="I agree with Metis: this company sounds like a bad client. If you want to apply, consider informing them that you will bill them for the time done doing the spec work. &#xA;Alternatively, as Metis said, you could spend those three days doing other things to help you get paid work.&#xA;If you want to beef out your portfolio and get references, you could do some design work for a local charity. Or search for a non-designing job to get money while doing design work when not at that 'day job'. I work in schools when freelancing is quiet." CreationDate="2017-07-21T11:57:21.480" UserId="17757" />
  <row Id="9602" PostId="7041" Score="0" Text="The user claims to be in India... US law probably means nothing to them" CreationDate="2017-07-21T15:55:00.690" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="9603" PostId="7040" Score="0" Text="Even if &quot;Works for Hire&quot; is written, if the payment is not received, the contract doesn't have legal power and thus OP owns the source. Think like this, if this isn't the case everybody would sign a contract, not paying and get the code for free." CreationDate="2017-07-22T17:29:32.593" UserId="15143" />
  <row Id="9604" PostId="6266" Score="1" Text="***Call*** PayPal, if there's anything that can be done, you will find out by speaking to a real person - as you've noticed, PayPal's documentation is &quot;less than complete&quot; and very often &quot;less than helpful&quot;" CreationDate="2017-07-24T05:32:58.010" UserId="17662" />
  <row Id="9607" PostId="1375" Score="2" Text="Bathroom breaks seem pretty imperative to productivity. I personally would accept them with an employee. If anything they aren't useful when trying to gauge the scope of a project but I think it's fine to charge for it." CreationDate="2017-07-24T20:46:52.743" UserId="17793" />
  <row Id="9608" PostId="1373" Score="0" Text="Seems there are very different opinions here." CreationDate="2017-07-24T20:47:27.623" UserId="17793" />
  <row Id="9609" PostId="7038" Score="0" Text="I routinely roll &quot;time to figure X out&quot; into my estimates. It's not as if you can be expected to know everything! Most tasks require at least a bit of research. If it's a larger task, with significant unknowns, I might call that out, especially because it will impact my estimate. (Usually my estimates are ranges, and these usually have a larger range.)" CreationDate="2017-07-25T19:32:37.740" UserId="16365" />
  <row Id="9610" PostId="7025" Score="0" Text="I almost always give detailed estimates to my clients before working on a project. These do take significant effort, (usually 2-4 hours), but I've found the effort pays off because a) it shows I'm the expert, in that I now how to get done what they're asking, b) it helps solidify that the client and I are on the same page with the expected tasks, and c) helps the client understand what they will be getting (sometimes these get copy/pasted into a &quot;statement of work&quot; in the contract). Note that I'm usually fairly certain I'll get the work before doing this, but not always." CreationDate="2017-07-25T19:37:22.403" UserId="16365" />
  <row Id="9611" PostId="4088" Score="0" Text="I think this is the right approach. Unless a task is COMPLETELY out of my wheelhouse, and I have no idea (in which case, I probably wouldn't be considering the gig in the first place), I'll almost always just roll time spent researching into my estimates, and absolutely bill those hours." CreationDate="2017-07-25T19:46:20.460" UserId="16365" />
  <row Id="9612" PostId="7053" Score="0" Text="does it include every letter of code or just the application as a whole?" CreationDate="2017-07-26T04:45:51.667" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9613" PostId="7053" Score="0" Text="@user3244085: I am not sure this makes a difference, but yes, every letter." CreationDate="2017-07-26T07:25:51.017" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="9614" PostId="7053" Score="1" Text="Can anyone care to explain the downvote ?" CreationDate="2017-07-26T07:26:10.463" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="9615" PostId="7059" Score="0" Text="Yes, working through websites has its benefits as well. There is no replacement for hard work put in the realising the project goals." CreationDate="2017-07-26T07:36:22.917" UserId="17309" />
  <row Id="9616" PostId="7058" Score="1" Text="I start trusting after one project done. Had some bad experiene with paid-after-delivery as well. I think I would go for website option for this first time work." CreationDate="2017-07-26T07:41:30.007" UserId="17309" />
  <row Id="9617" PostId="7058" Score="0" Text="@PDPro Good. I think you have the answer." CreationDate="2017-07-26T07:42:43.857" UserId="15143" />
  <row Id="9618" PostId="7059" Score="0" Text="@PDPro: there is some &quot;bad manner&quot; in bypassing the freelancing site but some of them exaggerate. UpW**k takes 20% on the first $500, which I find too much." CreationDate="2017-07-26T07:45:01.000" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="9619" PostId="7059" Score="0" Text="Yes, this is the main issue." CreationDate="2017-07-26T07:47:41.700" UserId="17309" />
  <row Id="9620" PostId="7053" Score="0" Text="it makes a difference: if you can reuse some of the code you used in other applications there is less need to increase your price." CreationDate="2017-07-26T09:33:49.157" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9621" PostId="7053" Score="0" Text="downvote may be because some may consider this a software dev question, not freelance. I think it's applicable in a wider context so relevant." CreationDate="2017-07-26T09:40:01.490" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9622" PostId="6993" Score="0" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it's about development specifically. When will people learn..." CreationDate="2017-07-26T09:42:39.383" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9623" PostId="7035" Score="0" Text="Never ever spend time doing &quot;test designs&quot;. First, it's a big red flag regarding the type of client, second you simply shouldn't work for free." CreationDate="2017-07-26T09:43:47.177" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9628" PostId="7053" Score="0" Text="Why would you ever resell the client's project to other parties? I see no meaning in this clause." CreationDate="2017-07-26T12:20:12.567" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9629" PostId="7053" Score="1" Text="@PeterMV: I am developing image processing functions which are in a way &quot;standard&quot; and there is a true opportunity for selling to others. And this customer is right to ask for exclusiveness against their competitors." CreationDate="2017-07-26T12:21:46.793" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="9630" PostId="7053" Score="0" Text="@HarryCover I see." CreationDate="2017-07-26T12:25:05.427" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9633" PostId="7063" Score="0" Text="Yep, my main concern is to know what coefficients are practiced. In my case I guess that 5 would be a no-go, but it is good to know. Thanks." CreationDate="2017-07-26T12:30:31.663" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="9634" PostId="7060" Score="0" Text="I am more looking for typical coefficients met in the practice (a reasonable figure would be x2 or x3 in my case, but I have no idea how this would be appreciated by the customer)." CreationDate="2017-07-26T12:34:24.610" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="9635" PostId="7063" Score="0" Text="@HarryCover As in every business, try to get as much as you can. Of course, set the minimum you are not ready to go below and try to get as much as above it." CreationDate="2017-07-26T13:08:13.437" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9636" PostId="7063" Score="0" Text="Setting too high a price causes blocking situations. Because the buyer won't buy and you need to lower. But then trust is broken because you were asking a the higher price &quot;for no reason&quot;." CreationDate="2017-07-26T13:13:12.437" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="9638" PostId="7064" Score="0" Text="The idea is similar: granting exclusiveness means that you will/may miss other sales, and this must be compensated. As x3/x4 seems a lot to me (I doubt my customer will find this attractive), I am thinking of a yearly fee as long as exclusiveness lasts." CreationDate="2017-07-26T17:13:30.633" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="9639" PostId="7064" Score="1" Text="@HarryCover that's a very viable option... a usage fee for the length of use would be fine with me. And *many* clients do balk at the multiplier. However, that doesn't mean you, and the work, aren't worth it." CreationDate="2017-07-26T17:16:09.450" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9644" PostId="7066" Score="1" Text="If your attorney is unsure you need a new attorney. That said, Freelancing is not the site you want for this question. You might get opinions on [law.se], though I doubt they are willing to run where your attorney fears to tread." CreationDate="2017-07-29T01:58:23.647" UserDisplayName="user16080" />
  <row Id="9645" PostId="7072" Score="0" Text="This answer works well for contracting though in my case I have been an employee of a company contracted to do the work." CreationDate="2017-07-31T07:57:21.210" UserId="2586" />
  <row Id="9646" PostId="7068" Score="0" Text="Communicate this with a client. But you should be paid for any on-call time." CreationDate="2017-07-31T08:39:10.317" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9648" PostId="7077" Score="0" Text="Just to add, I am the only person developing the system on site and I am not fully dependent on this project." CreationDate="2017-08-01T11:38:04.943" UserId="3047" />
  <row Id="9649" PostId="7085" Score="0" Text="Or possibly fire him/her.  Not that that's always a bad thing." CreationDate="2017-08-02T22:16:00.593" UserId="17890" />
  <row Id="9650" PostId="7085" Score="0" Text="&quot;find a way out of working with me&quot; -- That includes termination. But if there's a contract... him/her breeching it is preferred, especially for these reasons." CreationDate="2017-08-03T00:28:06.023" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9651" PostId="7089" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the help @morsor  project is critical and and gave me only 20 days of time. I feel pay is low according to importance of that project. Any way thanks for the answer" CreationDate="2017-08-03T10:03:11.370" UserId="17892" />
  <row Id="9653" PostId="7085" Score="0" Text="Without going to too much details, the company provides rental of machines, I don't work on something that I would have personal problem with. The system will help people there and relieve them from the burden of manual administration. That's a good thing. &#xA;As I am a solo developer, I have certain power, but don't want to misuse it. I can openly disagree and I am doing that, sometimes I take whole situation as a test..&#xA;Leaving is always an option, though it seems unfair to me, it would be good to have the job finished." CreationDate="2017-08-03T19:01:47.463" UserId="3047" />
  <row Id="9654" PostId="7085" Score="0" Text="It really all comes down to your personal mental health. If it's merely an annoyance, then it may be worth it to just deal with it until the project is finished. If situations tend to ruin your overall outlook on life every day...then it may be worth it to leave." CreationDate="2017-08-03T19:20:40.530" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9657" PostId="4319" Score="0" Text="I see in &quot;milestone/project is complete to his satisfaction&quot; a way to enter again in this kind of situation. Honest customers doesn't take advantage on this sentence... not honest customers will never be satisfied and project will never be 'completed'... &quot;you have only to do this and we have done! now it miss only that and it's over. Just this little change and I will pay...&quot; (boiled frog story)." CreationDate="2017-08-07T16:55:38.233" UserId="2839" />
  <row Id="9658" PostId="7098" Score="0" Text="I experienced just that: &quot;an even bigger problem receiving payment&quot;. &#xA;I think jedd.ahyoung had been lucky. I ended writing &quot;We cannot work togheter since you want me to work for free and without contract. The software will end working on [date]&quot;. They immediately pay me... in following years I lost a lot of time with this customer, never satisfied, always asking for more (and for free). I had to sued him to get annual fees. I lost more money, payed a lawyer... I learned if things start 'strange' it's a good signal to change customer immediately. Leave him to your competitors." CreationDate="2017-08-07T17:08:24.393" UserId="2839" />
  <row Id="9659" PostId="7103" Score="1" Text="Yes. Documentation wasn't included with the original agreement I assume. If they want you to work more hours, they should pay extra. Heck, them breaking their website and expecting you to fix it for 'free' is another item I would address! That's not considered maintenance, in my opinion." CreationDate="2017-08-08T18:05:23.333" UserId="737" />
  <row Id="9660" PostId="7101" Score="0" Text="Single-member LLCs aren't handled the same in terms of tax status as other LLCs. I'm not certain of the accuracy of this answer given that fact." CreationDate="2017-08-09T09:56:23.587" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9662" PostId="7101" Score="0" Text="They are taxed as a sole proprietorship, to curtail tax evasion of the 150% tax (synical jk), but the employer status remains." CreationDate="2017-08-11T02:28:52.713" UserId="17927" />
  <row Id="9663" PostId="7114" Score="0" Text="Good answer. Even if there was a contract, nothing could the client do. Anything not in the contract shouldn't be part of delivery." CreationDate="2017-08-11T09:47:59.100" UserId="15143" />
  <row Id="9664" PostId="7118" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the input. Since it is WP docs, there is not a lot of code to teach, but maintaining partial custom code and general functions still take a time to learn. They know that their plan does not include that much documentation. I have sent them an updated price sheet, so next time they need documentation, they will know the prices.&#xA;&#xA;I did remind them, that they hired me because they want me to take care of the website and they should let me the do the job." CreationDate="2017-08-13T20:11:34.060" UserId="17928" />
  <row Id="9665" PostId="7117" Score="0" Text="I agree, the contract is worth in a sense that it is fixed income, which is hard to have when freelancing. I will see what they will do when a contract needs to be renewed in 2 months." CreationDate="2017-08-13T20:13:23.520" UserId="17928" />
  <row Id="9666" PostId="7117" Score="1" Text="Wishing you the best of luck and easy breadwinning " CreationDate="2017-08-14T01:38:41.437" UserId="17966" />
  <row Id="9667" PostId="7105" Score="0" Text="Thank you for reaching me out.&#xA;The reason why I have asked you for the following reason.&#xA;&#xA;1.I would not make a permanent contract prospective clients.&#xA;  Therefore, the portfolio is preferable than CV, I think.&#xA;2.Here is the example of the portfolio , which is the person who has not related the web, or rather he/she is an admin.&#xA;&#xA;Awaiting　for your further comments or suggestions." CreationDate="2017-08-14T02:25:36.313" UserId="17637" />
  <row Id="9668" PostId="7110" Score="0" Text="Thank you for reaching me out.&#xA;Please refer to my comment as I have replied for Mr. John HC." CreationDate="2017-08-14T02:28:12.067" UserId="17637" />
  <row Id="9669" PostId="7105" Score="0" Text="Sorry, I forgot to put the URL.&#xA;https://workshift-sol.com/users/view/15354" CreationDate="2017-08-14T02:34:46.097" UserId="17637" />
  <row Id="9670" PostId="7104" Score="0" Text="Hi Omaruko, welcome to Freelancing.SE! I am having a hard time understanding what your question is that you are asking. Can you [edit] to clearly mark a *question* you need answered? For more information, please refer to [ask]. Thanks!" CreationDate="2017-08-14T17:15:34.567" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="9671" PostId="7122" Score="0" Text="I doubt why reference letters have anything to do with my question.Your reply is off the point." CreationDate="2017-08-15T02:32:51.153" UserId="17637" />
  <row Id="9672" PostId="7120" Score="0" Text="Good suggestions, I recently revised my billing chart and have something of this sort implemented" CreationDate="2017-08-15T03:33:18.593" UserId="17928" />
  <row Id="9673" PostId="7129" Score="1" Text="Why would you want to take care of the hosting and be responsible for it? Just let them take a contract with a hosting company and charge them for supporting it." CreationDate="2017-08-15T08:41:23.810" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9674" PostId="7125" Score="0" Text="Got it. But I'm not sure if I should write how my job is right now, or how I would like it should be. The current one is actually written in the &quot;quoted&quot; sentence in my post. But I don't like it, and I want to improve it." CreationDate="2017-08-16T06:35:17.137" UserId="17965" />
  <row Id="9675" PostId="7125" Score="0" Text="@Mark Then expand on it! What areas do you not like? Change it up, try it out for a month and see if it works. If not, then change it again! The point of the plan is just that - it's a *plan*. It may not always work, but you can always change plans if needed, especially if better rules come up" CreationDate="2017-08-16T16:25:16.627" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="9676" PostId="7125" Score="0" Text="Ok, but where and how I can find new ideas? Example: I don't want to be paid proportionally to the hours spent. That limits the gain. But i don't know HOW should I change the b.p. I'm not asking this to you, indeed - I'm asking how or where I might find different models that right now I cannot imagine at all..." CreationDate="2017-08-16T20:40:17.457" UserId="17965" />
  <row Id="9677" PostId="7125" Score="0" Text="Unfortunately, I don't know how to answer that part better... It's something that adapts and changes over time, and if you are looking to change something specifically, look at other successful businesses, and try to follow their business plan as best as possible." CreationDate="2017-08-16T22:12:14.683" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="9678" PostId="7134" Score="0" Text="What is a silverback?" CreationDate="2017-08-17T16:55:02.360" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="9679" PostId="7134" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke a silverback is the leader of a group of gorillas in the jungle, I guess this is the intended meaning..." CreationDate="2017-08-17T17:06:10.593" UserId="15709" />
  <row Id="9680" PostId="7134" Score="0" Text="Almost with silverback I meant old guy successful freelancers having lots of experience (also with coordinating and managing big projects)." CreationDate="2017-08-18T00:00:12.297" UserId="17529" />
  <row Id="9681" PostId="7136" Score="1" Text="NB : Though [Approaching a company with an idea](https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/2291/approaching-a-company-with-an-idea) partially addresses this issue, the context is significantly different enough IMO for it to qualify as a new question." CreationDate="2017-08-20T20:42:28.943" UserId="18036" />
  <row Id="9682" PostId="7138" Score="0" Text="I &quot;smelled a rat&quot; about the time he asked for my Skype ID, and the first time he commented about the job not being available, I was certain it was some sort of scam.  I just led him along to investigate the situation so I could report it." CreationDate="2017-08-21T13:34:17.320" UserId="17662" />
  <row Id="9683" PostId="7140" Score="0" Text="There's a lot of validity in your advice re. being unmemorable. While I continued the conversation with the intent of &quot;giving him enough rope to hang himself&quot; that was also an *expense* with little or no return on the &quot;investment&quot; - I spent time on the chat, then reporting it, and on the follow-ups..." CreationDate="2017-08-22T03:47:51.297" UserId="17662" />
  <row Id="9684" PostId="7140" Score="0" Text="Even *if* they were to &quot;hang themselves&quot; you can't do anything about it. Protect yourself... don't try and play &quot;policeman&quot;." CreationDate="2017-08-22T04:15:41.413" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9685" PostId="7136" Score="0" Text="What value is this &quot;feature&quot; to you if it is dependent upon someone else's IP? In other words, how is protecting it worth anything. If they don't want it, is it still valuable?" CreationDate="2017-08-22T05:03:58.993" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9686" PostId="7139" Score="0" Text="Why wouldn't you be able to do that? VAT on an item has nothing to do with that item being a valid business expense or not." CreationDate="2017-08-22T12:05:15.367" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9687" PostId="6960" Score="0" Text="I advise you to look for legal help, we would need to see the contract but chances are you surrendered your IP rights the moment you took money from them (this happened to a fellow photographer) if not then small claims court might be an option" CreationDate="2017-08-22T15:52:07.950" UserId="18050" />
  <row Id="9688" PostId="7146" Score="0" Text="The thing about that is that I don't want to look too &quot;serious&quot; or too corporate because I want normal medium-small size owners to require my services. &#xA;But I also don't want to look like a hippy unreliable kid (I'm 25)&#xA;&#xA;its quite a fine line but I want to incline on a more converting one." CreationDate="2017-08-22T18:31:51.623" UserId="17836" />
  <row Id="9689" PostId="7146" Score="0" Text="then be clean, creative and professional ;)" CreationDate="2017-08-22T19:35:12.080" UserId="18050" />
  <row Id="9690" PostId="7139" Score="0" Text="I don't do VAT because I'm small. That might be tangential, but I added it just in case it makes a difference. Regarding my original question, what I'm worried about is if I got the goods into the country without paying VAT, they might look as if I tried to &quot;smuggle&quot; them into the country, and if I then declare them as business expense, I don't want Lizzie's Customs to fine me for that. I don't mind to not declare £20 in wires from ebay as business expenses, but what if it is something more expensive, like a piece of hardware or a power-tool?" CreationDate="2017-08-23T09:04:59.540" UserId="18020" />
  <row Id="9691" PostId="7139" Score="0" Text="Do you report every expense in detail? It's in your bookkeeping, but only if they audit your books would that be found. And even then the audit will not be done by Customs. Don't think you should worry too much." CreationDate="2017-08-24T11:21:24.543" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9693" PostId="7149" Score="0" Text="It was a quote." CreationDate="2017-08-25T18:19:02.357" UserId="18074" />
  <row Id="9694" PostId="7149" Score="0" Text="Then you're probably stuck. I mean, you can bring up pricing, but I'd expect to get shut down." CreationDate="2017-08-25T19:55:21.890" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9695" PostId="7065" Score="0" Text="This might deserve a whole new post, but in that case, how do you find clients to directly communicate with?" CreationDate="2017-08-26T05:43:53.573" UserId="18078" />
  <row Id="9696" PostId="7065" Score="0" Text="@BozhidarStoinev https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/2848/how-can-experienced-contractor-survive-outside-elance-odesk-freelancer/2849#2849" CreationDate="2017-08-27T16:50:51.207" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9697" PostId="7154" Score="0" Text="Definitely true, he keep adding additional tasks." CreationDate="2017-08-30T18:56:56.930" UserId="18074" />
  <row Id="9698" PostId="7158" Score="0" Text="so, the problem is there are several people on the project, including some associates on the client's side.. file confusion seems to add up to a lot of time and the client has a limited budget." CreationDate="2017-09-01T04:45:59.707" UserId="15906" />
  <row Id="9699" PostId="7158" Score="0" Text="Well I'd then request all the clients associates use one method, whatever that method is. I'd express that in order to properly organize and track files everyone needs to transfer files using the same method so nothing is overlooked. The problem with Dropbox for some is that it's software installation and configuring. That's above and beyond what some clients want to do. Things like Bitbucket.com may be a better alternative since it's more of a straight signup without software installation. (of course, nature of the files makes a difference)." CreationDate="2017-09-01T05:06:02.747" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9700" PostId="7158" Score="0" Text="so, i've mentioned several times, please let's choose a centralized cloud storage - how about dropbox. Nth time, client finally responds with message above. &#xA;&#xA;files are misc images and text. this is a non-technical client. (when is dropbox not automagical works-out-of-the-box?)" CreationDate="2017-09-01T05:08:02.447" UserId="15906" />
  <row Id="9701" PostId="7158" Score="0" Text="Okay.. well arguing with me rather than your client isn't going to help you. If the client doesn't want to use Dropbox.. you can't force them to." CreationDate="2017-09-01T05:09:16.687" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9702" PostId="7158" Score="0" Text="i guess my question is about how to instruct a client to use cloud storage - preferably a link/tutorial i could send them" CreationDate="2017-09-01T05:10:46.420" UserId="15906" />
  <row Id="9703" PostId="7158" Score="0" Text="(surprised there is not an easily google-able standard resource)" CreationDate="2017-09-01T05:11:03.267" UserId="15906" />
  <row Id="9704" PostId="7148" Score="0" Text="Heya @Blacksun, I heavily edited your question to remove many of the technical nitty-gritty; I think it was adding too much noise to the heart of the question." CreationDate="2017-09-01T15:58:21.843" UserId="9" />
  <row Id="9707" PostId="7157" Score="0" Text="why the downvote?" CreationDate="2017-09-04T00:15:54.243" UserId="15906" />
  <row Id="9708" PostId="7172" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the reply, actually the problem is solved. He accepted another quote since scope of work has changed." CreationDate="2017-09-04T00:21:04.503" UserId="18074" />
  <row Id="9709" PostId="7175" Score="0" Text="Possible duplicate of [Unexpected additional work](https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/7148/unexpected-additional-work)" CreationDate="2017-09-04T05:07:30.140" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9710" PostId="7175" Score="0" Text="Does the fact I haven't been paid anything not change possible answers to my question from the answers to &quot;Unexpected additional work?&quot;" CreationDate="2017-09-04T06:13:11.707" UserId="18146" />
  <row Id="9711" PostId="7175" Score="1" Text="Not really. If you haven't been paid, and there's no written agreement, there's nothing keeping them from merely walking away leaving you holding the bag, jsut as there's nothing preventing you from walking away. Bad word of mouth travels like wildfire though." CreationDate="2017-09-04T06:37:02.183" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9712" PostId="7176" Score="0" Text="One example: the work have been completed 6-12 month ago and the customer does not respond regarding the question. I could assume the code is not sesitive: there is no special &quot;know-how&quot; which a business is based on. Or this still may turn away prospective clients?" CreationDate="2017-09-04T10:35:22.323" UserId="17697" />
  <row Id="9713" PostId="7176" Score="1" Text="@VladimirLenin Personally I'd be pissed off if I see my contractor posted source code from his past projects. Because if you can do that to someone else, you can also do that to me. I wouldn't mind you write a description of what you've done. A resume is also ok. But not source code. I don't want source code from your old projects (I can't use them), I want an overview what you've achieved." CreationDate="2017-09-04T11:34:28.547" UserId="15143" />
  <row Id="9714" PostId="7176" Score="0" Text="@VladimirLenin If you really want to do it. Why not just publish under your name? No reference to your client? Just an idea." CreationDate="2017-09-04T11:38:27.337" UserId="15143" />
  <row Id="9715" PostId="5909" Score="0" Text="If it is a big corporation, they usually want more than one guy.  If you get run over or the site blows up, what would the Manager say?  They'd be strung up for picking A) letting the site get to a decrepit state and B) letting one guy do it instead of a company.  It just sounds bad.  May be or not be smart but true." CreationDate="2017-09-04T17:29:10.627" UserId="16417" />
  <row Id="9716" PostId="3311" Score="0" Text="Sometimes people like brutal honesty." CreationDate="2017-09-04T17:35:56.550" UserId="16417" />
  <row Id="9717" PostId="7177" Score="2" Text="I agree 100%. Let this be a learning lesson for you, and finish your work so you have your integrity for your next clients." CreationDate="2017-09-04T17:43:32.547" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="9718" PostId="7177" Score="0" Text="There is no NDA (it's not their data, it's public data). I know, it's weird but that's the situation. Nothing is binding me to delivering other than I said I would - I've been given no money, I have no NDA, I have no other obligation to give up my hard earned data for a fraction of its value." CreationDate="2017-09-04T18:23:53.433" UserId="18146" />
  <row Id="9719" PostId="7177" Score="0" Text="Not to undermine your reply (I'm genuinely  thankful you've taken the time to answer - really, thank you), but is that actually [blackmail](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackmail)? My raised demand couldn't possibly cause an effective loss (since the deliverable would be a huge gain for them), and they don't actually loose anything (other than some time) if they don't get the deliverable because they haven't paid for anything. The only one with a lot to loose is me and the only one with a ton to gain is them." CreationDate="2017-09-04T18:48:00.227" UserId="18146" />
  <row Id="9720" PostId="7180" Score="7" Text="While I mostly agree with the point you are making, I think your example is a bit off. Of course people might be insulted for the reasons you mention. But opposed to a hair cut, which is a matter of personal taste, pointing someone to technical issues in their website has another quality (i.e. with a lower chance of insulting someone). And not every small business owner does have a relative taking care of their website." CreationDate="2017-09-04T19:05:00.757" UserId="12794" />
  <row Id="9721" PostId="7177" Score="0" Text="Though I do like your idea of creating an overview of the work and costs and propose a new compensation, while not in any way holding back on delivering what you promised (slightly cringing)." CreationDate="2017-09-04T19:10:14.137" UserId="18146" />
  <row Id="9723" PostId="7178" Score="1" Text="Simple fixed width site is better than lousy responsiveness... I actually enjoy if I can see the full site and then zoom wherever and however i want instead of site adjusting itself to my screen size." CreationDate="2017-09-05T00:57:19.417" UserId="18152" />
  <row Id="9725" PostId="7180" Score="3" Text="@code_onkel 	My point is you **won't know** if the owner had a friend/family member work on things. So you can't start from a premise that they didn't. Some people take their web site very, very personally. It **is** a matter of *personal taste* for **many** small business owners. Remember you may deal with this stuff all day long, but many people don't." CreationDate="2017-09-05T02:54:45.060" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9726" PostId="7180" Score="5" Text="Your point is valid. But the possibility to insult people is just one thing to consider. And often you can tell whether a web designer/agency was involved because it is advertised on the site (&quot;This site was created by...&quot;). Imho, there is still a difference between. &quot;Your hair is ugly&quot; and &quot;Hey Buddy, I tried to visit your site on my mobile device and had some trouble.&quot;" CreationDate="2017-09-05T05:10:44.110" UserId="12794" />
  <row Id="9727" PostId="7177" Score="1" Text="It's not blackmail in the way that you'll publish nude photos if they don't pay, but saying &quot;I withhold my end of the deal because I want more money&quot; still is blackmail. And if the data is public data than I don't see any reason why you couldn't reuse the data and recuperate your losses that way." CreationDate="2017-09-05T12:06:25.383" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9728" PostId="7180" Score="1" Text="The problem with the first phrasing is indeed that it can be insulting, but the problem with the second phrasing is that it's too vague and general - why would anyone be interested in &quot;better&quot; if they don't know there's a problem in the first place? For some problems you just need to be upfront about it to even get them interested in your services, for others you can focus on the improvements you can make without focusing on the negative, e.g. &quot;I can make your website X times faster&quot; instead of &quot;your website is so horrible slow. I can fix it&quot;." CreationDate="2017-09-05T13:57:17.003" UserId="18166" />
  <row Id="9729" PostId="7178" Score="4" Text="This is how many successful businesses get started." CreationDate="2017-09-05T14:53:12.233" UserId="18168" />
  <row Id="9730" PostId="7178" Score="0" Text="@Strawberry That was what I thought too.  I get cold calls, so I figured it couldn't be that wrong." CreationDate="2017-09-05T18:06:52.237" UserId="16417" />
  <row Id="9731" PostId="7185" Score="1" Text="I don't know.  I can be pretty convincing." CreationDate="2017-09-05T18:07:52.663" UserId="16417" />
  <row Id="9732" PostId="7180" Score="0" Text="You know, I choose my hairstyle for its economy of time and money - it's a buzz cut I can do in my own bathroom in about 2 to 4 minutes, depending on how tired I am. It takes virtually no additional time to wash and is very fast to dry, so I spend much less time and money than most of my peers. If someone told me they could give me a haircut that saved me either more time or money, I would switch. Instantly - tell me how much I can save and what I can do to save it. The same is true for the website - if the website's problems cost me money, give me a CBA and we'll get it fixed." CreationDate="2017-09-05T20:30:08.070" UserId="5572" />
  <row Id="9733" PostId="7185" Score="3" Text="I don't know if I'd consider this a *fatal* flaw. If the problem is as obvious as OP claims, it should be easy to give them reproduction steps and they can see for themselves that there's something that needs to be fixed." CreationDate="2017-09-05T20:32:07.603" UserId="5572" />
  <row Id="9734" PostId="7185" Score="1" Text="This answer addresses (in a round-about way) the need to carefully build and maintain a public professional presence, and a healthy relationship with a client, without actually answering the question at all." CreationDate="2017-09-05T21:00:55.627" UserId="1923" />
  <row Id="9735" PostId="6822" Score="1" Text="This sounds exactly like a headhunter script - I'd hang up by the 2nd pause." CreationDate="2017-09-05T21:06:26.433" UserId="1923" />
  <row Id="9736" PostId="7173" Score="0" Text="Why downvote? Please explain so i can improve my questions :)" CreationDate="2017-09-05T23:44:50.373" UserId="16590" />
  <row Id="9737" PostId="7183" Score="3" Text="But you *are* offering your own services.  And it is not unprofessional to do so.  You've gone out of your way to make it clear that they **should not** contact you, even if they have no one currently handling their IT (which is likely).  I don't have the rep to downvote this; wish I did." CreationDate="2017-09-06T03:33:38.853" UserId="15860" />
  <row Id="9738" PostId="7183" Score="0" Text="There is a chance that somebody interpretes the message in another way than it was intended. The implication, that they *should not* contact you is actually not part of it. It says *should contact the maintainer* and *not expecting contact in return*. If the receiver ignores both suggestions, he didn't do anything you objected to. Please see my edits." CreationDate="2017-09-06T06:26:31.407" UserId="12794" />
  <row Id="9739" PostId="7183" Score="1" Text="Exaggerated version of your statement: &quot;Don't take this as an offer for help.  I have no expectation of you ever desiring or needing to talk to me.  If you want help, talk to somebody who already works for you.&quot;  Can you really not see how clearly implicit it is that the recipient *should not* contact you?" CreationDate="2017-09-06T06:32:45.467" UserId="15860" />
  <row Id="9740" PostId="7183" Score="0" Text="I do not see it as clearly implicit. But any message is interpreted by the receiver, so this Is (as I added to my answer) another thing to consider when you decide to contact the website owner." CreationDate="2017-09-06T06:52:39.140" UserId="12794" />
  <row Id="9741" PostId="7188" Score="0" Text="Amazingly, I wrote this entire answer without realizing what site it was on.  I thought this was &quot;Interpersonal Skills.&quot;  :D  I think it applies nonetheless, so I'm leaving it in place." CreationDate="2017-09-06T06:59:36.253" UserId="15860" />
  <row Id="9742" PostId="7188" Score="1" Text="I like your answer because it clarifies what it means to approach people with honesty and integrity. The less I understand why you dislike my answer so much that you want to downvote it. Essentially, I am trying to express the very same thing." CreationDate="2017-09-06T07:45:00.047" UserId="12794" />
  <row Id="9743" PostId="7188" Score="2" Text="@code_onkel, thanks for that; I appreciate it!  :)  I think your disclaimer about non-native tongue is the key; &quot;expectation&quot; in the context you use it comes across a bit different than what I now understand you meant to convey (though you used it correctly for its literal meaning).  I think saying &quot;please do not see this as me offering services&quot; is likewise offbeat.  I'll suggest an edit to your answer and see if I can make the meaning come through clearly; feel free to accept or reject it." CreationDate="2017-09-06T08:31:50.333" UserId="15860" />
  <row Id="9744" PostId="7183" Score="0" Text="I've suggested an edit for you based on our discussion in the comments.  When you combine &quot;please don't see this as me offering my services&quot; with &quot;I have no expectation of you contacting me in return&quot; you've doubly reinforced that they *shouldn't* contact you, so I adjusted that part.  The other thing is that if the letter is well-written according to the real situation, it would never occur to them that you're just &quot;touting your wares&quot; so you're better off not bringing that idea up, not even to explicitly deny it.  You don't create a positive impression by explicit denial of a negative.  :)" CreationDate="2017-09-06T08:42:23.913" UserId="15860" />
  <row Id="9745" PostId="7165" Score="2" Text="No, no, no! Definitely not! You are professional even if there is no formal contract between you and your client. He paid you in full, so remain professional. you can indeed put some excerpts of interesting parts for your new clients. Just make sure you hide all sensitive details." CreationDate="2017-09-06T10:50:37.980" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9746" PostId="7185" Score="0" Text="**This is true of *any* sysadmin.**  So it's not really a &quot;fatal flaw.&quot;  It's like the &quot;fatal flaw&quot; that a surgeon is &quot;indistinguishable&quot; from some guy cutting you up to sell your liver.  Also see [&quot;7 Things Your Sysadmin Probably Won't Tell You&quot;](https://askleo.com/7_things_your_sysadmin_probably_wont_tell_you/)" CreationDate="2017-09-06T10:57:34.680" UserId="15860" />
  <row Id="9747" PostId="7176" Score="0" Text="@VladimirLenin if a client doesn't respond, assume the answer is no; you can only post it with an explicit okay from the client (and make sure you look into copyright laws around that as well), unless it's your own creation and wasn't paid for." CreationDate="2017-09-06T12:11:04.233" UserId="58" />
  <row Id="9748" PostId="7188" Score="0" Text="@code_onkel I knew what you meant.  Thanks.  It was the most constructive.  I probably would have given an edge to Wildcard, but you beat him/her to it." CreationDate="2017-09-06T12:32:36.983" UserId="16417" />
  <row Id="9749" PostId="7189" Score="0" Text="Can you clarify what you mean by picking up jobs online?" CreationDate="2017-09-06T14:23:12.913" UserId="18180" />
  <row Id="9750" PostId="7189" Score="0" Text="@DuncanXSimpson Use one of the many freelancer job sites out there. Freelancer.com, Upwork, Gumtree, craigslist, even reddit" CreationDate="2017-09-06T15:13:51.130" UserId="15202" />
  <row Id="9751" PostId="7189" Score="0" Text="I see. I didn't know about most of those. Thanks!" CreationDate="2017-09-06T15:14:48.547" UserId="18180" />
  <row Id="9754" PostId="7193" Score="0" Text="Did you really have to ask this? Was it really not clear? If I connect you and a client where you will earn $10k, don't you think I deserve to take finder's fee?!" CreationDate="2017-09-07T12:58:18.803" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9756" PostId="7193" Score="0" Text="nah man you dont. its like the tinder's ceo will come and say  &quot;hey i deserve a handjob as finder's fee&quot; @PeterMV" CreationDate="2017-09-07T14:32:10.540" UserId="18191" />
  <row Id="9757" PostId="7193" Score="0" Text="You still have to learn a lot about business. BTW. can you give you your email so that I can see if you can find some clients for me? As I am safe from you asking for finders fee, I would gladly use your time and services to get new clients for my business." CreationDate="2017-09-07T16:26:43.260" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9758" PostId="7193" Score="0" Text="@PeterMV slimshadybriandeadlikejimbrady@gmail.com" CreationDate="2017-09-07T16:56:11.157" UserId="18191" />
  <row Id="9759" PostId="7193" Score="0" Text="Lol, using a platform to get projects that you make money on, and then complain that the platform takes a %. It's right because you decided to use that platform. Don't like the %? Don't use the platform. Every single middle man service in the world takes a %, this is no different." CreationDate="2017-09-09T10:27:40.870" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9761" PostId="6682" Score="0" Text="Out of curiosity are contracts them self copyrighted? For example can you just copy a contract you like and use it yourself?" CreationDate="2017-09-10T07:07:59.343" UserId="16436" />
  <row Id="9762" PostId="6682" Score="0" Text="The open source one, yes. Other contracts: I've seen firms spend thousands of euros on lawyers to make a decent contract and I do think there is copyright on that. What I have done in the past is borrow some paragraphs or copy and rewrite, i.e. not a verbatim copy. (Not saying that is legal, but the odds of getting caught are negligible)" CreationDate="2017-09-10T14:54:27.147" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9763" PostId="7210" Score="0" Text="Should I accept this? Is it standard?" CreationDate="2017-09-11T01:45:32.400" UserId="18209" />
  <row Id="9764" PostId="7210" Score="0" Text="Clause 4 and 5 here look much more &quot;friendly&quot;: http://www.docracy.com/7079/development-service-contract" CreationDate="2017-09-11T01:46:47.693" UserId="18209" />
  <row Id="9765" PostId="7210" Score="0" Text="I can't offer legal advice as to whether or not you should sign a contract. The term &quot;work-for-hire&quot; would seem to directly contradict clauses 4 and 5 there. However, &quot;work for hire' doesn't appear in that agreement." CreationDate="2017-09-11T01:51:52.077" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9766" PostId="7210" Score="0" Text="Yeah, just saying that I'm thinking of proposing those instead of &quot;work for hire&quot; that appears in my contract." CreationDate="2017-09-11T01:58:02.870" UserId="18209" />
  <row Id="9767" PostId="7210" Score="0" Text="Well, you're asking the client to license from you rather than own outright. For an app, I imagine that won't be easy." CreationDate="2017-09-11T02:06:33.173" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9768" PostId="7210" Score="0" Text="But effectively it's the same thing (I assign all rights to them) but I can the functions developed to use in another project (not exactly the same project). Is that not correct?" CreationDate="2017-09-11T02:52:05.950" UserId="18209" />
  <row Id="9769" PostId="7210" Score="0" Text="It's **not** the same thing. That was my point. A *license* does not equate to *ownership*." CreationDate="2017-09-11T02:53:12.137" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9770" PostId="7210" Score="0" Text="If there is a non-exclusivity clause, would that be a license?" CreationDate="2017-09-11T02:54:34.107" UserId="18209" />
  <row Id="9771" PostId="7210" Score="1" Text="&quot;But now, looking over it, you see four words that you’ve been told are bad news: “work made for hire.” You’ve heard that a “work made for hire” is a big no-no, the copyright equivalent of signing away your first born.&quot; http://contently.net/2013/07/09/find-work/work-made-for-hire-what-it-really-means/" CreationDate="2017-09-11T02:55:16.693" UserId="18209" />
  <row Id="9772" PostId="7210" Score="0" Text="Not sure what your point is.. isn't that what my answer states essentially? -- &quot;as if you never existed&quot;." CreationDate="2017-09-11T03:25:43.807" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9773" PostId="7212" Score="0" Text="What industry? How many people work under you? What is the minimum charge? What have you agreed to in the past?" CreationDate="2017-09-11T17:06:14.997" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="9774" PostId="7212" Score="0" Text="I'm a software developer. 0 people work under me. I don't know. It's the first job." CreationDate="2017-09-11T17:23:24.993" UserId="18209" />
  <row Id="9775" PostId="7207" Score="0" Text="What about the time spent to email that specific client? Or providing estimates for that specific client? Does that account as billable hours and if yes, should I specify this in the contract?" CreationDate="2017-09-11T19:18:06.847" UserId="18209" />
  <row Id="9776" PostId="7212" Score="0" Text="I suggest you do. Many clients seem to think communication is free." CreationDate="2017-09-11T19:58:14.103" UserId="18223" />
  <row Id="9777" PostId="7207" Score="0" Text="General emails are merely client relations and not billable. Emails related to a project *may* be billable. It depends upon the content. Quite honestly I've **never** even considered billing anyone for emails - it seems like overkill and would be clearly trying to squeeze every last dime out of a client." CreationDate="2017-09-11T20:45:12.200" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9778" PostId="7201" Score="0" Text="Due dates are fine, and you should always put them in your invoice as well as decide on them in a contract. In the end it doesn't matter what you call it, just make sure you and your client have decided on payment terms." CreationDate="2017-09-12T10:05:45.163" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9782" PostId="7219" Score="0" Text="I think the second one sounds a bit cocky." CreationDate="2017-09-12T15:18:46.347" UserId="18209" />
  <row Id="9783" PostId="7219" Score="0" Text="I trust you find the right words according to you clients lingo to rephrase that." CreationDate="2017-09-12T16:42:31.567" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="9784" PostId="7220" Score="0" Text="I wish I had known this sooner. Especially for small projects, clients seem to get afraid of contracts, let alone ones with legal jargon." CreationDate="2017-09-13T07:31:13.827" UserId="16436" />
  <row Id="9785" PostId="7220" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the info, though you don't actually answer the question." CreationDate="2017-09-13T07:32:21.647" UserId="16436" />
  <row Id="9786" PostId="7220" Score="0" Text="Ok ... so what was the question?" CreationDate="2017-09-13T08:15:25.000" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="9787" PostId="7220" Score="0" Text="@JamesJay: I would not even think of delivering any piece of software without a contract. Software has such a great potential for costly errors, that I want to be absolutely clear on liabilities! Anything else strikes my as truly unprofessional." CreationDate="2017-09-13T08:20:49.043" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="9788" PostId="7210" Score="0" Text="Isn´t that the same as any employee-contract would do in effect. Here in Europe this is absolutely the norm." CreationDate="2017-09-13T09:08:34.030" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="9789" PostId="7220" Score="0" Text="@JamesJay - depending on your location then agreeing a specification and delivering an app would usually create an implicit contract and licence for the software, but I'd strongly agree on getting a written contract with explicit licence terms for the software as a matter of course." CreationDate="2017-09-13T09:22:02.963" UserId="14621" />
  <row Id="9790" PostId="7208" Score="0" Text="It is normal if you are a Limited company to include Company Incorporation number and VAT number if registered, even if client is in a different company law and tax jurisdiction." CreationDate="2017-09-13T11:10:29.230" UserId="14621" />
  <row Id="9791" PostId="7222" Score="0" Text="Thanks Scott, this is very helpful! Btw, I am voting but my votes don't get registered because I don't have sufficient karma yet." CreationDate="2017-09-13T11:36:13.720" UserId="18209" />
  <row Id="9793" PostId="7222" Score="0" Text="James, I don't believe that's true." CreationDate="2017-09-13T15:36:11.293" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9794" PostId="7210" Score="0" Text="@Daniel Yes. In the US employees are all considered to be in a work-for-hire situation -- the employer owns everything." CreationDate="2017-09-13T15:37:10.040" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9795" PostId="7222" Score="0" Text="https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/288051/what-happens-with-votes-cast-with-rep-15-exactly" CreationDate="2017-09-13T18:09:40.440" UserId="18209" />
  <row Id="9796" PostId="7220" Score="0" Text="@Daniel the question was, how do you physically give a license to a person or company? Can you simply send an email to them with the license or does the software itself have to have the license built into it? In other words, after you know what you want the license to be, how do you actually grant it to someone?" CreationDate="2017-09-14T05:23:30.397" UserId="16436" />
  <row Id="9797" PostId="7222" Score="0" Text="Fair enough @JamesKroning Looks like they just recently implemented that this year. I was unaware. Apologies." CreationDate="2017-09-14T06:51:01.453" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9798" PostId="7175" Score="0" Text="Have you perhaps thought about the possible gains from this client of yours for future work? example being more work from their sister business, etc." CreationDate="2017-09-14T14:07:59.013" UserId="15286" />
  <row Id="9800" PostId="7210" Score="0" Text="@JamesKroning You may want to point out the California caveat there to OP as that's where they're located." CreationDate="2017-09-14T19:53:45.180" UserId="14728" />
  <row Id="9805" PostId="7222" Score="0" Text="@Scott A lot of your reasoning only applies to fixed-price contracts. For example, &quot;additional 10 hours to build A&quot; isn't really relevant when negotiating an hourly rate. In fact, you shouldn't bring it up. &quot;I want to charge you a higher rate per hour because this is going to take more hours than I thought&quot; isn't a good argument." CreationDate="2017-09-15T19:17:20.700" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="9806" PostId="7222" Score="0" Text="Agreed. But *most* estimates or pricing discussions are finalized into at least a general ballpark amount... i.e. I estimate X hours at $x per hour for an estimated total of $xx.  So you'd revisit by discussing time.. extra 10 hours to build Y... amounts to 10 times $x per hour = Additional cost." CreationDate="2017-09-15T19:34:39.450" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9810" PostId="6934" Score="0" Text="This question is a perfect fit for the Accounting site (currently a proposal in Area 51: https://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/113560/accounting?referrer=FNOG9_mXNYnhlAdnl9FE8w2 )" CreationDate="2017-09-20T01:14:54.540" UserId="18281" />
  <row Id="9812" PostId="7238" Score="0" Text="What do you write in your copyright? Can I write for example that I share the ownership of the code with a client?" CreationDate="2017-09-20T08:51:49.817" UserId="17697" />
  <row Id="9813" PostId="7238" Score="0" Text="###code Copyright © 2010 by Bill Shakespeare  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law." CreationDate="2017-09-20T15:40:52.393" UserId="18280" />
  <row Id="9814" PostId="7245" Score="1" Text="`&lt;sarcasm&gt;` And let Google track your business as well :)" CreationDate="2017-09-21T16:05:49.593" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9815" PostId="7233" Score="0" Text="My experience with freelancing websites has been very positive. I have good clients and get paid well." CreationDate="2017-09-22T08:49:59.413" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="9820" PostId="7175" Score="0" Text="I'd just include the extra work in your invoice as out of scope and list what you did and I'm pretty sure they'll pay, you can only try. Don't expect the worst " CreationDate="2017-09-06T20:42:05.653" UserId="18188" />
  <row Id="9821" PostId="7270" Score="0" Text="I would think giving the client 20 free hours on a 40 hour project would set unrealistic expectations" CreationDate="2017-09-29T00:50:33.540" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="9822" PostId="7271" Score="0" Text="Why do you HAVE to service all clients at the same time when they came? Can't you spread out work over a few weeks (indicate to clients you have a planning) and balance the load that way? Clients expect to be helped straight away only when you keep doing it, it's very normal to have to wait a week or similar." CreationDate="2017-09-29T05:31:56.363" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9823" PostId="7270" Score="0" Text="Comparing pros and cons, you're better off giving the impression you did this project in the allotted time and just make more accurate estimates in the future." CreationDate="2017-09-29T12:17:33.987" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9824" PostId="7268" Score="0" Text="Don't make it more difficult than necessary: just mention your opportunity as you have described it here. Indicate you want to make a nice transition and ask your client about this. And take it from there." CreationDate="2017-09-29T12:19:50.773" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9825" PostId="7271" Score="0" Text="@user3244085 Faster service means happier clients, and I'm _usually_ able to complete work at approximately the same rate it's coming in. I do balance my work; I typically work on projects for several different clients each day so that nobody's work gets &quot;put off&quot; for weeks." CreationDate="2017-09-30T02:35:06.143" UserId="7717" />
  <row Id="9829" PostId="7040" Score="0" Text="@SmallChess: I think you are wrong on this one. If not specified in the contract (like: this is only valid upon reception of payment). You´d still have to fulfill your side - only you´d be able to sue them for the money. And that is why not paying is not such a great idea." CreationDate="2017-10-05T11:16:59.250" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="9831" PostId="7288" Score="0" Text="Thanks Daniel. Do you think it would be wise to charge per item basis. Like if in iOS week 1 there are 5 assignments then each assignment will cost $150. If there is a video lecture for each item then video lecture will be $250. What do you think?" CreationDate="2017-10-05T14:52:52.677" UserId="11681" />
  <row Id="9833" PostId="7293" Score="3" Text="@Valli you should produce some &quot;case studies&quot; of real life scenarios (or projects that you have developed), then explain them in the most proper way to hilight your skills and knowledges, so people (experts or not) will be able to see what you can do for them. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Case_study" CreationDate="2017-10-06T10:53:25.257" UserId="15709" />
  <row Id="9834" PostId="7288" Score="1" Text="Part of beeing a freelancer is figuring that out for yourself. We don´t know you market or you financial background! If you are good at  your craft but bad at the business-end, I recommend to find fixed employment." CreationDate="2017-10-06T15:21:35.850" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="9835" PostId="7299" Score="2" Text="look at your contract, what does it say about Intellectual property? Do they own the code or you? I assume this is included in the contract, if not there will always be room for discussion and you shouldn't: damn right the client might feel unhappy for paying for something you just released for free :'D" CreationDate="2017-10-08T04:43:05.880" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9837" PostId="7307" Score="0" Text="Hi SmallChess, thanks for your reply. What you're saying suggests there is little chance I will be at the receiving end of some unfortunate legal situations, which was a big concern of mine. This makes me think I don't have much to lose in persisting if he's unlikely to actually hire a lawyer? I know its good to know when to quit but I'm not inclined to letting this guy just get away with it!" CreationDate="2017-10-10T17:32:51.917" UserId="18427" />
  <row Id="9838" PostId="7307" Score="0" Text="@Harry As a professional, you're wasting your time. You get nothing, and I doubt the amount is significant. You might be taken into court for personal harassment (but not for the project!). Do this: take the client to court yourself or find a new project." CreationDate="2017-10-11T02:18:58.350" UserId="15143" />
  <row Id="9839" PostId="7302" Score="1" Text="Very calculated answer..." CreationDate="2017-10-11T13:26:44.433" UserId="17309" />
  <row Id="9840" PostId="237" Score="0" Text="First point of this answer essentially means I shouln't read it..." CreationDate="2017-10-11T15:15:35.170" UserId="18443" />
  <row Id="9841" PostId="6966" Score="0" Text="I would also think, in the EU this 30 Day limit would not stand before court." CreationDate="2017-10-12T12:52:54.037" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="9842" PostId="7316" Score="0" Text="The hour-cap is a good idea ! Thanx for it. Can you think of a reasonable price I could set in this situation ? Knowing that they paid me 40€/h during the mission and now I understand their needs and the techs, I can ask for a bit more." CreationDate="2017-10-12T15:00:10.307" UserId="18448" />
  <row Id="9843" PostId="7316" Score="0" Text="I really don´t know what is appropriate in your area and field. I always found that such an arrangement should get a discount from my base-rate, as it is pre-sold. You have no acquisition costs and it is nice to have some fixed income, maybe the´ll not even use up the hours. On the other hand, you can steer you customer with your pricing, so this ultimately depends on where you want to go with this." CreationDate="2017-10-12T15:07:48.843" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="9844" PostId="7302" Score="0" Text="@Daniel, if a freelancer gets ill, or a contractor goes on holidays, they don't earn any money. However as an entrepreneur, your business keeps running and billing. All you have to do is delegating tasks and keep an eye. As a freelancer, you're basically trading life for money. But at the end of day you can't go to the supermarket and buy life." CreationDate="2017-10-12T16:10:28.197" UserId="18271" />
  <row Id="9845" PostId="7302" Score="0" Text="I want to see that startup where the founder can go on holiday in the startup-years!&#xA;As a Freelancer, if your sick and holiday time is not factored in, your are doing something seriously wrong. You should find an employment.&#xA;And **NO** you are not trading life for money, you are trading your time for money - same as any employee would, just with a slightly different economic approach." CreationDate="2017-10-12T16:14:36.650" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="9846" PostId="7302" Score="0" Text="Ah the ... keep running and billing: its actually the return of investment (time=money). Startup is kind of a high-risk, high-yield investment. It can as well bankrupt you, especially if you are not skilled in this kind of &quot;investment&quot;" CreationDate="2017-10-12T16:16:51.243" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="9848" PostId="7307" Score="0" Text="You state that the payment is dependent on the magazine being published.   That is what you signed up to.   Well, it wasn't published.  So the terms of the contract have not been completed.   Next time get paid on a upfront retainer + predetermined deliverables." CreationDate="2017-10-12T18:44:43.483" UserId="16248" />
  <row Id="9850" PostId="7302" Score="0" Text="@Daniel, as a contractor in the UK never got any money when sick. Time is life, because time is not a renewable resource. My bosses were at home with their families or travelling and come to the office once a week. When a limited company is declared bankrupt, it is the company that is bankrupt and not the persons behind the business. My savings are safe as I'm not liable for the company's debts." CreationDate="2017-10-13T11:16:39.790" UserId="18271" />
  <row Id="9851" PostId="7302" Score="0" Text="As a freelancer your rate should be high enough to factor in Holidays and shorter sick times. For longer sick times you should have an insurance, which has also be covered by your rate. If you do not collect this money from you customers, you are hurting yourself financially and making dumping prices. You are not fit as a business man, your calculation is off. You should seek normal employment, where somebody else does this calcualtion for you!" CreationDate="2017-10-13T13:40:56.383" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="9852" PostId="7302" Score="0" Text="A limited Company does not run on air, it takes time and money (probably your personal saving) to get it started. This time and money is lost when you bankrupt. An if you do something wrong they can even still get to your personal savings through coourt." CreationDate="2017-10-13T13:42:52.500" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="9853" PostId="7302" Score="0" Text="@Daniel, thank you for your advices but as I've mentioned before I do have my own limited company and here in the UK this costs nothing. My daily rate are not &quot;dump prices&quot;, I charge £350+VAT or £500 inside IR35. I see lots of assumptions about me in your comments and not surprisingly all were wrong. Never heard about a contractor being paid when sick in the UK, though this may be different in your country. I expect not to get another permanent position in my life, I hate them and my CV is not a good fit for a perm. Anyway, thanks for your advices." CreationDate="2017-10-14T14:22:29.750" UserId="18271" />
  <row Id="9854" PostId="7302" Score="0" Text="@derloopkat: Just wantet to clarify I was not making any assumptions about you, just talking about freelancing vs entrepreneur in general here. And no you dont get paid while you are sick as freelancer. You should earn enough to pay youself or pay for sick-insurance while you are working. Thats part of why a freelancer has earn more per hour than an employee." CreationDate="2017-10-14T21:20:38.907" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="9855" PostId="7328" Score="0" Text="Possible duplicate of [What's the smallest unit of time I should charge for when clients request minor changes?](https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/926/whats-the-smallest-unit-of-time-i-should-charge-for-when-clients-request-minor)" CreationDate="2017-10-17T03:11:41.010" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9856" PostId="7236" Score="0" Text="Google calendar works really well for multiple projects... I use it with mulitple calendars/projects and any chargeable time I add to calendar automagically goes into my invoicing system as well, so it almost covers everything." CreationDate="2017-10-18T04:25:55.753" UserId="12904" />
  <row Id="9857" PostId="7245" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the suggestion, by the way that's an amateur solution compared to professional others we can find on the web like Scoro, Humanity, etc!" CreationDate="2017-10-19T18:36:22.330" UserId="18276" />
  <row Id="9858" PostId="7254" Score="0" Text="This is awesome!!! All the feature I asked!!! And also at the best cost ever! Should make a monument to the author." CreationDate="2017-10-19T20:43:42.527" UserId="18276" />
  <row Id="9859" PostId="7254" Score="0" Text="Also other options on the site are evaluable." CreationDate="2017-10-19T21:18:50.347" UserId="18276" />
  <row Id="9861" PostId="6879" Score="0" Text="This is incorrect. Depending on the nature of the work performed and the relevant laws, most jurisdictions will consider you to be an employee if you are effectively acting as one." CreationDate="2017-10-21T20:27:54.727" UserId="18504" />
  <row Id="9862" PostId="6879" Score="0" Text="Microsoft got around that by hiring &quot;temp&quot; workers for 360 days at a time.  Firing them, then rehiring the ones they wanted to keep.  They did that for years.  Maybe they still do." CreationDate="2017-10-22T03:03:05.203" UserId="11789" />
  <row Id="9865" PostId="7336" Score="0" Text="People generally choose the one with the best freelance history. Bad luck for you. No matter how many you do, you'll have significant disadvantage." CreationDate="2017-10-24T04:53:11.017" UserId="15143" />
  <row Id="9866" PostId="7336" Score="0" Text="@SmallChess I know a person who start without any freelance experience or working experience. Now he is doing quite well. Yes beginning is hard. If people who always pick people with best freelance history, they will be no opportunity for new ones." CreationDate="2017-10-24T04:59:24.493" UserDisplayName="user18473" />
  <row Id="9867" PostId="7336" Score="0" Text="You might want to add in your question where you want to find customers?" CreationDate="2017-10-24T05:01:28.303" UserId="15143" />
  <row Id="9868" PostId="7336" Score="0" Text="@SmallChess You are suggesting to make a post on a freelancing platform?" CreationDate="2017-10-24T05:03:31.853" UserDisplayName="user18473" />
  <row Id="9869" PostId="7336" Score="0" Text="No. I meant how'll you want to find your first customer, important for a good answer. Upwork? Personal network? Local newspaper? Meetup? If you try on Upwork, without history will kill you." CreationDate="2017-10-24T05:04:30.880" UserId="15143" />
  <row Id="9870" PostId="7336" Score="0" Text="@SmallChess I updated the question. My goals is to find clients locally and on freelancing platforms" CreationDate="2017-10-24T05:10:55.217" UserDisplayName="user18473" />
  <row Id="9871" PostId="7337" Score="0" Text="It seems to be finally it boils down to the quality over quantity principle. Thank you for reminding me that." CreationDate="2017-10-24T05:27:57.193" UserDisplayName="user18473" />
  <row Id="9875" PostId="501" Score="1" Text="Don't work at home. I work in a co-working office, it's a great productive space to be in, plus loads of networking/collaboration opportunities." CreationDate="2017-10-20T08:58:17.000" UserId="18493" />
  <row Id="9876" PostId="7338" Score="2" Text="Then I guess you have also seen that every single one of those questions includes a &quot;get an accountant, don't ask this stuff on a forum, too important to rely on shoddy advice&quot; answer?" CreationDate="2017-10-24T17:37:39.917" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9877" PostId="7338" Score="0" Text="Never saw one of those. I saw a whole bunch of actual answers though." CreationDate="2017-10-24T17:38:56.180" UserId="18180" />
  <row Id="9878" PostId="7339" Score="0" Text="Okay, so to clarify New Zealand doesn't charge the employer any taxes on my income? That's what seemed odd." CreationDate="2017-10-24T20:24:02.967" UserId="18180" />
  <row Id="9879" PostId="7339" Score="0" Text="Huh? Employer?? What's that got to do with Freelancing?? Freelancing doesn't have &quot;employers&quot;." CreationDate="2017-10-24T20:24:59.627" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9880" PostId="7339" Score="0" Text="Employer, client, in freelancing it's the same thing, or so I thought? This company is employing me as a contractor to do XYZ work." CreationDate="2017-10-24T20:25:55.537" UserId="18180" />
  <row Id="9881" PostId="7339" Score="0" Text="No &quot;Employer&quot; is **not** the same as &quot;client&quot;  in the eyes of the law (and taxes [US]). In addition, &quot;employers'  generally **must** offer things like health benefits, vacation days, sick leave, etc. And **all your work** for an &quot;employer&quot; would be &quot;work-for-hire&quot; and you may not wish to relinquish your intellectual property under that arrangement." CreationDate="2017-10-24T20:28:00.637" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9882" PostId="7339" Score="0" Text="Alright. But back to the point, New Zealand wouldn't want to claim any taxes based on the fact that my client is there?" CreationDate="2017-10-24T20:30:09.480" UserId="18180" />
  <row Id="9883" PostId="7339" Score="0" Text="Who cares? If the NZ company needs to pay taxes in NZ that's their issue. You, not living in NZ, would never owe NZ taxes." CreationDate="2017-10-24T20:31:06.737" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9885" PostId="7341" Score="0" Text="I like the idea of self branding. Best option is Video Blogs. I guess? or any other option available? Conferences are not so common here." CreationDate="2017-10-25T08:22:47.740" UserId="18530" />
  <row Id="9886" PostId="7341" Score="0" Text="I don´t know if video is the right medium for (I am assuming software?) development. You can start with simply answering stack-overflow questions. Blogs, tutorials and open-source work would be my next bet. If you have enough material maybe a book?&#xA;&#xA;But you have to decide for yourself. Maybe I´m just old-fashioned ;)" CreationDate="2017-10-25T08:31:23.537" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="9887" PostId="7341" Score="0" Text="You are right. But for all that (other then answering question) You need another skill to master which is technical writing. I am not good at that as well but working on it. May be at that stage we could hire some content writer to write what I want to deliver right? It is kind of slow process but still does not guaranty the quality work. No supervision only the noise of feedback which may or may not be correct. :(" CreationDate="2017-10-25T08:35:01.603" UserId="18530" />
  <row Id="9888" PostId="7341" Score="0" Text="You don´t need technical writing skills for open source work. I agree publishing blogs or a book is not for everyone." CreationDate="2017-10-25T08:39:52.297" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="9889" PostId="7339" Score="0" Text="This thread just shows you really do need an accountant. Not just to be flippant, you'll think back on this thread in a few years when you are either fucked because you didnt get an accountant, or very happy because you did and he helped you out." CreationDate="2017-10-25T09:53:03.797" UserId="2265" />
  <row Id="9890" PostId="7322" Score="0" Text="If there is nothing in the contract, it does not mean you can do what you want. There may still be (trade)laws or the reasonable assumption of a different inherent meaning of the contract that kick in, even if there is nothing specified in writing." CreationDate="2017-10-25T12:23:13.677" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="9891" PostId="7298" Score="0" Text="Good Answer. For bigger projects that should still be fixed-price, I like to break it down into smaller parts that are priced individually. Also I make sure to have at least some sort of exit clause that limits my losses if complexity keeps exploding." CreationDate="2017-10-25T12:36:25.847" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="9892" PostId="6886" Score="0" Text="Simple rule in the eu: The service always &quot;takes place&quot; in the country where the client sits. Not tricky at all." CreationDate="2017-10-26T05:51:52.333" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="9893" PostId="6830" Score="0" Text="There are services that do that international payment and taxing process for you - at a fee of coursr. Client can still pay PayPal (through them) If this is a one-time job consider this. Otherwise I suspect you need to register vat in eu." CreationDate="2017-10-26T05:54:46.887" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="9894" PostId="7342" Score="0" Text="What is your advice in the case, where existing development company hiring some freelancers to do a project which should be done using particular framework?" CreationDate="2017-10-26T08:42:39.503" UserDisplayName="user18473" />
  <row Id="9895" PostId="7342" Score="0" Text="My experience is, if a customer requests me to do work using a specific technology and I say I have experience in this technology, it is never questioned. I did not ever experience any customer who wanted to see proof/ examples where I did apply this specific technology. But I didn´t freelance in web development myself but business application, so things may be different on your end." CreationDate="2017-10-26T08:47:06.717" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="9896" PostId="7342" Score="0" Text="If you search for freelancing platforms, there are job postings stating that they need some one with experience in this tech and that tech. And for starters like me, I think projects with those tech are valuable." CreationDate="2017-10-26T08:54:50.630" UserDisplayName="user18473" />
  <row Id="9897" PostId="6886" Score="0" Text="Also, on the corporate tax evasion strategies you are mixing up things. These are decreasing taxation on **profit** in one country by charging internally for *services* from another country, where taxation on profit is lower. OP will be taxed for his profit in the US. He has to deal with **VAT** in the EU." CreationDate="2017-10-26T10:07:25.803" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="9898" PostId="7344" Score="0" Text="I appreciate what you said. I think may be the question reflects that. But my point is not about having real world problems. Client normally needs output. Normal programmer can do a job without following any design patterns even without following standard rules. Real world experience is not my point. my point is about not following the coding standards which have been developed now days." CreationDate="2017-10-26T10:43:46.170" UserId="18530" />
  <row Id="9903" PostId="7350" Score="0" Text="Thanks for your response, Scott. That was the impression I was getting. I asked him why his private consultant wouldn't use PayPal and he didn't have an answer. I also asked if I could speak to this person and so far there has been no response." CreationDate="2017-10-28T21:25:13.590" UserId="2964" />
  <row Id="9904" PostId="7350" Score="3" Text="He's not going to answer your questions. Just break contact and forget about him. He's **only** trying to rip you off. It's a play on the *&quot;Nigerian Prince wanting to send you $5 Million, but you need to pay the $500 processing fee first.&quot;* If you don't believe me, feel free to send me $200 and I'll email you proof. :)" CreationDate="2017-10-28T21:29:59.717" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9906" PostId="7352" Score="0" Text="I would disagree that &quot;most&quot; freelancers use third party platforms. They aren't really required and they focus on only *specific* tasks or projects related to web development in most cases. That's not all freelancing is." CreationDate="2017-10-28T23:29:03.217" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9907" PostId="7350" Score="0" Text="Okay, I already said I wasn't going to do this favor. I told him that immediately, as I also stated in my question above." CreationDate="2017-10-29T00:38:04.217" UserId="2964" />
  <row Id="9908" PostId="7350" Score="1" Text="Just to clarify: PayPal is not available in many countries such as Pakistan and others. You can't have a PayPal account if you live in Pakistan. I had face that problem when had to pay a freelance collegue from that country." CreationDate="2017-10-29T09:38:49.497" UserId="15709" />
  <row Id="9911" PostId="7355" Score="0" Text="@Scott But not every hour as freelancers need to bid, no guarantee they win." CreationDate="2017-10-29T15:07:33.940" UserId="15143" />
  <row Id="9912" PostId="7355" Score="2" Text="You are looking at everything as if *everyone* was in the US or a developed country. There are a TON of people using those horrible middleman crowdsourcing sites that have no other opportunity for income." CreationDate="2017-10-29T15:41:06.560" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9913" PostId="7352" Score="0" Text="I agree freelancing is much more than doing small graduate level assignments. Just that these websites are really popular for such jobs." CreationDate="2017-10-30T00:06:27.823" UserId="18555" />
  <row Id="9915" PostId="7352" Score="0" Text="@Hustlepreneur i quite disagree on that, yes freelance is depend on goals you focused in life and the path you choose as career. but as university or graduation assignment are big deal, mini projects always open doors to free thinking and imagination but only obstacle is that resource material is you have to decide as an beginner or intermediate member." CreationDate="2017-10-30T11:58:18.897" UserId="18548" />
  <row Id="9916" PostId="7357" Score="1" Text="Very interesting Daniel, thank you for your reply. I'm just curious what would you do if the project is under nda and the client don't want to give you the credentials unless he accept your quote. Would you put a blank / flexible amount of hour in the setup/environment cell?" CreationDate="2017-10-30T13:12:22.653" UserId="18556" />
  <row Id="9917" PostId="7357" Score="1" Text="No problem to sign a NDA before even starting to talk. Other than that, before knowing exactly what to do, I can only ever give a hourly quote. Even then, I prefer not to give fixed prices and if I do, I´ll add from +20% to +100% on top of my estimated hours for unforeseen additional work -&#xA; depending on how complex the work is." CreationDate="2017-10-30T15:35:26.683" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="9918" PostId="7349" Score="0" Text="What is your advice in the case, where existing development company hiring some freelancers to do a project which should be done using particular framework?" CreationDate="2017-10-30T16:30:21.933" UserDisplayName="user18473" />
  <row Id="9919" PostId="7357" Score="0" Text="Interesting, thx" CreationDate="2017-10-31T04:48:48.213" UserId="18556" />
  <row Id="9921" PostId="7352" Score="0" Text="Such assignments are a great way to learn. Once I had a student project which ran for whole year, so yeah they are a big deal for sure. What kind of obstacles are you facing exactly? Which website do you use ?" CreationDate="2017-10-31T12:18:01.553" UserId="18555" />
  <row Id="9922" PostId="7355" Score="0" Text="@Scott How do you source your jobs? I've (very) limited programming knowledge but am getting better and there's still room for the likes of scheduling web-scraping workflow and automation using VBA in excel and Outlook but like the OP, I find sites like fiver to be crowed and it's hard to stand out" CreationDate="2017-10-31T15:21:54.380" UserId="16204" />
  <row Id="9924" PostId="7353" Score="0" Text="Thx for your comment. I'm actually freelancing successfully for the past 4 years. It's more a general question about web environment in a rare occasion. I never had this kind of issue in the past years." CreationDate="2017-10-29T12:39:36.730" UserId="18556" />
  <row Id="9925" PostId="7355" Score="1" Text="@Jeremy https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/2848/how-can-experienced-contractor-survive-outside-elance-odesk-freelancer" CreationDate="2017-10-31T18:01:59.687" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9926" PostId="7350" Score="0" Text="If someone is asked to send money other than via *known, respectable* payment gateways  I would suspect a scam even more so. If you can't use Paypal because of your location, how is the money to be sent? And does that method cost me anything more? is that method secure? Are there chargeback options for that method? Most importantly . . *Why can't the original requestor send money to the third party using that method?* Paypal not being available is a *week* excuse at best." CreationDate="2017-10-31T19:05:13.937" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9927" PostId="7365" Score="0" Text="Are you talking from the perspective of a software freelancer? I think most of the answer applies, but I'm mostly asking about books that are specific for the needs of each client. I will be giving several examples in the original post." CreationDate="2017-10-31T21:28:58.717" UserId="10604" />
  <row Id="9928" PostId="7365" Score="1" Text="No it's about resources and business overhead. If you need &quot;tools&quot; which may be books... then those &quot;tools&quot; should be factored into overhead. Not invoiced to each and every client." CreationDate="2017-10-31T21:53:33.433" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9929" PostId="7349" Score="0" Text="In that case, if they're requesting a specific framework then you should use it." CreationDate="2017-11-01T03:51:26.227" UserId="2964" />
  <row Id="9931" PostId="7367" Score="0" Text="Some feedback from the downvoter would be appreciated." CreationDate="2017-11-02T15:52:10.653" UserId="12982" />
  <row Id="9932" PostId="7367" Score="0" Text="This is really the same question here: https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/7364/what-are-legal-options-of-accessing-books-needed-for-freelance-translating -- Operating expenses are not invoiced directly to clients. They are part  of your **overhead** and factored into hourly rates. You need electricity to work... heat... a computer... a chair.. a desk.. would you expect your client to pay for those outright? (not my down vote by the way)" CreationDate="2017-11-02T17:26:01.910" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9933" PostId="7367" Score="0" Text="@Scott: I agree the question you linked id really similar in nature. But I can´t follow you rule: There are operating expenses of your business and special expenses for your clients specific projects - and then a lot of grey in between - and that is where these questions come from." CreationDate="2017-11-02T23:41:15.847" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="9934" PostId="7367" Score="0" Text="Actually there is no &quot;grey in between&quot; -- Either I need something regularly for multiple clients (operating tool) or I need something once for one client and will never need it again. No grey whatsoever. These questions are driven by a fear of spending money (or inability) on the business for tools people *know* or at least suspect the client should **not** be paying for. In short... a plumber doesn't charge you for his/her wrench... but they may charge you for a part *your house* and only *your house* needs. You can't ethically pass off &quot;tools&quot; as of they were &quot;parts&quot;." CreationDate="2017-11-03T00:56:08.763" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9935" PostId="7352" Score="0" Text="@Hustlepreneur there is Freelancer, Fiverr are good lancing websites, you will get some advance level university assignments well only you are solving problem to get reasonable solution so whatever data,info you collected from web are based on your own thinking if you are solving  by yourself. I had one assignment it was related with physics,math but somehow my assumptions got wrong as i only dependent on data available and info what i got while searching and there was large margin of error as there is no any other solved problem which will be similar so at least you can match your answers." CreationDate="2017-11-03T11:38:38.960" UserId="18548" />
  <row Id="9936" PostId="7352" Score="0" Text="@Hustlepreneur working in group and solving individually bring lots of challenge. So its bit risky as these problems are tough but as you learn lot of other things related with it which is great way of critical thinking. As in long running process it becomes quiet stressful to ,well that's only my opinion as im quiet beginner and with average IQ." CreationDate="2017-11-03T11:45:30.570" UserId="18548" />
  <row Id="9938" PostId="7113" Score="1" Text="For hundreds of years people have met face to face. There's no more danger in that today, especially in *business*, than there has been for hundreds of years. It's a misnomer to think you **must** hide behind technology to communicate and &quot;be safe&quot;. And often face-to-face meetings garner **better** clients that are **more willing** to respect you, your time, and your payment demands. I would meet at a public location not my home, but being afraid to meet people just means your'e afraid of finding **great** clients." CreationDate="2017-11-08T19:48:27.553" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9941" PostId="7369" Score="0" Text="Develop a niche expertise, become the best at it and sell your services to large enterprises. Don't enter in those scams ran by some nobodies, this won't work. Study hard and put a lot of efforts in a &quot;job&quot; that you can do remotely. You can easily make $200 before eating your breakfast if you work hard enough." CreationDate="2017-11-13T20:21:26.467" UserId="18223" />
  <row Id="9944" PostId="7326" Score="0" Text="Hi Rishi, what about the contract?  Do you have information you can add to back this answer up as the correct one?" CreationDate="2017-11-14T09:27:19.577" UserId="64" />
  <row Id="9947" PostId="7392" Score="1" Text="As a freelance there are a lot of stuff you have to consider. Not the least the taxes you have to pay, pension you have to collect yourself, loss of benifits you do not have as a freelancer and have to account for (health insurence for example). Calculate all that, set a reasonable margin and use that, regardless of what your previously charged. Offcourse what the margin is, depends on how hard you need the job. Not a full answer as I have never been a freelancer, at best this is an &quot;educated&quot; opinion." CreationDate="2017-11-15T15:37:01.370" UserDisplayName="Jeroen" />
  <row Id="9948" PostId="7392" Score="1" Text="We would just be guessing or giving opinions here, try to do a thorough research of the market and the specific project we are talking here, break it down into tasks and then estimate how much time/money it will take." CreationDate="2017-11-15T15:46:01.780" UserDisplayName="DarkCygnus" />
  <row Id="9950" PostId="7395" Score="0" Text="Great advice. Only, the rate should be adjusted by OP to a realistic number in his domain. Also be sure to include the scope into your contract, else you can end up investing much more then the planned 5-7 days extra!" CreationDate="2017-11-16T10:03:11.637" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="9951" PostId="7395" Score="0" Text="Thanks Uzair. I actually ended up going with that exact price before reading your answer. I don't have the slightest idea on how to prepare a contract. Do you have any resources that could help me with this aspect?" CreationDate="2017-11-16T18:09:43.817" UserId="18680" />
  <row Id="9952" PostId="2242" Score="0" Text="suggest you give the client your backup for free.  Then you get paid for organizing an effective backup.  You might also want to modify their system (for a price) to greatly help them reject spam posts." CreationDate="2017-11-16T21:10:12.430" UserId="16248" />
  <row Id="9954" PostId="7381" Score="1" Text="I prefer this answer to the accepted one, which to me comes across as pushy and no one wants to work with someone who is pushy. My quotes are valid for one month. Some companies just take ages to make a decision. Respect that, give them time. Finish each call with an agreed call back timescale. Even if that is in four weeks time. Do not badger them. They usually have other more pressing or important things to do." CreationDate="2017-11-18T13:10:09.293" UserId="14455" />
  <row Id="9955" PostId="7395" Score="0" Text="Hey @AnonProgrammer, here is a contract that I based my initial contract on :) https://gist.github.com/malarkey/4031110" CreationDate="2017-11-18T15:37:38.917" UserId="18609" />
  <row Id="9956" PostId="7398" Score="0" Text="A contract can have any (legal) clause all parties agree upon. Not really sure what your'e asking. And W2 has *nothing* to do with freelancing, that's employment." CreationDate="2017-11-20T20:35:50.037" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9957" PostId="7398" Score="0" Text="Without getting into the semantics of 'freelancing', of course the possibilities are endless. My question is about probabilities, however. Is adding this type of clause uncommon, rare, or not unheard of, or...?" CreationDate="2017-11-20T21:42:39.640" UserId="18705" />
  <row Id="9959" PostId="7404" Score="0" Text="I really don't understand what you are asking..  too much superfluous information. All I can tell you is that if you are &quot;waiting for domains to expire&quot; in order to grab them, you may be in for quite the wait." CreationDate="2017-11-24T14:37:01.437" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9960" PostId="7404" Score="0" Text="Summarizing: I started to brand myself with that name but only the local TLD was free. And it will be an obstacle in growing. Should I rename the brand or keep the old as a &quot;main name&quot; and under the main name there would be the new brand name and my girlfriend's brand name, too?" CreationDate="2017-11-24T17:29:32.370" UserId="18725" />
  <row Id="9961" PostId="4672" Score="0" Text="@Memj How can you even give a general bid if you don't know the details?" CreationDate="2017-11-28T00:43:15.443" UserId="16417" />
  <row Id="9964" PostId="7409" Score="0" Text="This is most probably in relation to employment. Not when conducting your own business." CreationDate="2017-12-01T16:32:58.923" UserId="1105" />
  <row Id="9965" PostId="2354" Score="0" Text="Hi, could you please tell me what is more common for native Irish freelance developers? Do they typically work as employees, sole traders or limited companies? For example, here in Czech Republic is employment rather uncommon if you freelance (3 to 12 months-long contracts)." CreationDate="2017-12-03T14:23:40.673" UserId="17968" />
  <row Id="9968" PostId="7421" Score="0" Text="I'm sorry but that sounds very bad. If this was me. I would be at their office and wouldn't leave until I got a cheque in my hand. After that. They have to pay in advance." CreationDate="2017-12-05T00:12:04.107" UserId="18868" />
  <row Id="9970" PostId="7430" Score="0" Text="Not completely certain this is related to freelancing in any way. I mean.. yeah freelancers hate late payments.. but they often don't ask or *care* why payment is late, just that it gets made." CreationDate="2017-12-06T18:25:53.257" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9974" PostId="2354" Score="0" Text="@Samuel I'm not Irish but typically freelance implies that you are not employed by the company and therefore are trading as either a sole trader or limited company." CreationDate="2017-12-07T15:52:49.723" UserId="4556" />
  <row Id="9977" PostId="7436" Score="0" Text="Oh, to be clear, I build software - I'm not a lawyer. Like, I'm upfront about the cost my attorney bills for NDA lookovers. And people get angry about that. I guess the thing I don't understand is why they think they are entitled to legal protection and I don't?" CreationDate="2017-12-09T00:06:12.750" UserId="15906" />
  <row Id="9978" PostId="7436" Score="0" Text="Some people are just self-involved and see the implication that you want an attorney to review a *contract* as some inference that they are being dishonest. It makes *no sense*, but it happens." CreationDate="2017-12-09T01:29:58.017" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9979" PostId="7436" Score="0" Text="How would you be politically sensitive in dealing with such a situation" CreationDate="2017-12-09T02:21:43.047" UserId="15906" />
  <row Id="9981" PostId="7436" Score="1" Text="This isn't really a discussion forum. StackExchange sites adhere to the Question &lt;&gt; Answer format. I'm afraid this is venturing into discussion. Truth of the matter is, if someone's going to be upset that you ask to be paid for your services, or more so, that you expect to NOT pay for legal services they want to &quot;borrow&quot;, well, they are going to be upset. I don't think you can be &quot;politically sensitive&quot; with those types of individuals. *&quot;It costs me $xx to have my legal team look over an NDA. All I ask is that you over that fee.&quot;* If that's met with argument... I'd just exit the conversation." CreationDate="2017-12-11T17:56:38.787" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="9982" PostId="7436" Score="0" Text="@ina &quot;why they think they are entitled to legal protection and I don't?&quot; They have already paid their lawyer to right he NDA for their legal protection, if you want your own protection, you need to pay for it yourself." CreationDate="2017-12-11T19:22:07.980" UserId="1818" />
  <row Id="9989" PostId="7439" Score="0" Text="Fear: What if the client is possibly a penniless startup whose backup goal is to just enslave or sue you? It happens a lot in 1-person software contracting that the client doesn't exactly have their finance figured out. For larger clients, I eat the lawyer fee, but for this type of penurious client, I feel like this is one way to filter through whether they are legit or not by asking them to pay the fee." CreationDate="2017-12-14T10:35:50.543" UserId="15906" />
  <row Id="9990" PostId="7439" Score="0" Text="also, the NDA they typically send looks generic. also, badly formatted. etc." CreationDate="2017-12-14T10:37:05.823" UserId="15906" />
  <row Id="9992" PostId="7439" Score="0" Text="Regardless of the state of the client, this review is for your benefit not theirs. You should not be charging clients for items or actions that are for your benefit. After all, there is no requirement from their side that you have a lawyer review the NDA.  Their only requirement is that you sign it" CreationDate="2017-12-14T11:27:08.410" UserId="1818" />
  <row Id="9993" PostId="7449" Score="0" Text="You can work this way, of course, until someone asks you to prove your identity. You will not be able to create accounts on freelancing services and will not be able to get credit cards, paypal account, etc. But yes, you can work incognito. I also sometimes worked incognito with a specific people." CreationDate="2017-12-14T16:04:24.617" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="9998" PostId="7454" Score="1" Text="Yes I just realized there's this loophole lol, I'll ask her. It's no big deal, thanks" CreationDate="2017-12-15T22:28:39.157" UserId="18960" />
  <row Id="9999" PostId="7454" Score="1" Text="I think we've all done things like this. :) I had to learn the hard way to include long lists of assumptions when agreeing to freelance work." CreationDate="2017-12-15T22:30:01.577" UserId="12926" />
  <row Id="10000" PostId="7439" Score="0" Text="I've updated my question to reflect the circumstances. Note, these are not people whom I would want to take on as clients, primarily because I am uncertain if they can pay. If they really want me to do work for them, then I don't feel that asking for a lawyer lookover fee for their &quot;generic NDA&quot; is amiss." CreationDate="2017-12-16T02:14:18.947" UserId="15906" />
  <row Id="10001" PostId="7439" Score="0" Text="I guess I should also add as an addendum, there are people who seem to want to extort me to work for them. (High demand for software development in the expertise field I am known for I guess)" CreationDate="2017-12-16T02:16:52.773" UserId="15906" />
  <row Id="10002" PostId="6890" Score="0" Text="Can you provide more guidance here?" CreationDate="2017-12-16T02:20:23.057" UserId="15906" />
  <row Id="10003" PostId="7455" Score="3" Text="The police do **not** handle payment matters. You would have to sue in civil court." CreationDate="2017-12-16T03:30:56.617" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10004" PostId="7458" Score="2" Text="Based on your contract with the client and work provided to the client, you should ask gently for the payment due." CreationDate="2017-12-15T21:48:10.720" UserId="16013" />
  <row Id="10005" PostId="7458" Score="0" Text="@DanPichelman It was down voted there for some reason so I assumed it was bad. No idea" CreationDate="2017-12-15T22:20:02.500" UserId="18960" />
  <row Id="10006" PostId="7458" Score="0" Text="@GC13 Thank you for advice, had to post this in like three places for an answer lol" CreationDate="2017-12-15T22:20:38.260" UserId="18960" />
  <row Id="10007" PostId="7458" Score="0" Text="Amon - please do not post on multiple sites." CreationDate="2017-12-15T22:52:13.907" UserId="4972" />
  <row Id="10009" PostId="6890" Score="0" Text="I am in the US and that's the legal system I'm familiar with. I'm not a lawyer, but I've had to deal with some things in the past. Registered mail is more legal and official than email. You should also remind him about the contract terms. &#xA;&#xA;My advice was: send a letter via Registered Mail. threatening him with legal action within a specified time frame. If that doesn't get him to pay you, (and the amount he owes you is under the small claims court limits) you can file a lawsuit in small claims court." CreationDate="2017-12-18T19:54:02.413" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="10010" PostId="6890" Score="0" Text="If the amount he owes you is greater than the upper limit for small claims court (this varies by state), you'd have to sue in Civil Court, and you'd very likely need a lawyer for that, which then starts to cost a LOT of money. Sometimes people will pay up under the threat of a lawsuit." CreationDate="2017-12-18T19:59:07.383" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="10011" PostId="6890" Score="0" Text="If a threatening letter from you won't do the trick, the next step is to get a lawyer to write a letter." CreationDate="2017-12-18T19:59:45.857" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="10015" PostId="7469" Score="0" Text="thanks for your answer. I edited my question, as to say that I am freelancing in the area of software engineering &amp; webdesign." CreationDate="2017-12-26T16:22:08.863" UserId="19022" />
  <row Id="10018" PostId="7474" Score="0" Text="By specification I'm assuming you are asking me to provide the software requirements specification. If so, the requirements are quite clear at this stage, just with the client's brief for this phase. Problem is with their inter-dependency and way of implementation." CreationDate="2017-12-29T04:12:03.387" UserId="8703" />
  <row Id="10019" PostId="7474" Score="0" Text="The problem is, I'm not sure if the client would value the `specification` for the *actual* cost it takes to make one. Also, they are more inclined towards the end product. They still understands and respects the process, but that doesn't mean he is ready to pay for all of it. Other providers haven't proposed such an approach. While that's a surprise to me, it also tells about what the client is exposed to right now and where I should stop so I'm not termed as *over-doing* for a project." CreationDate="2017-12-29T04:12:09.283" UserId="8703" />
  <row Id="10020" PostId="7481" Score="0" Text="I'm uncertain anyone else could make this decision for you." CreationDate="2018-01-04T04:59:03.880" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10021" PostId="5894" Score="0" Text="https://github.com/engineerapart/TheRemoteFreelancer has a longer list of alternative sites" CreationDate="2018-01-05T03:46:26.067" UserId="19077" />
  <row Id="10022" PostId="7484" Score="0" Text="Your profile says you're a freelancer. What are some sites that you work at?" CreationDate="2018-01-09T14:49:34.687" UserId="19101" />
  <row Id="10023" PostId="7484" Score="0" Text="I'm a freelance contractor, meaning I work full-time at one large corporate client at a time. Basically, I get work by being contacted by consultancies whom I bill even though I'm on-site at the end client." CreationDate="2018-01-10T08:10:19.423" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="10025" PostId="7487" Score="0" Text="Do you work for upwork.com?" CreationDate="2018-01-13T06:47:17.167" UserId="19101" />
  <row Id="10027" PostId="7490" Score="0" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because this is a legal immigration question, not a freelance question." CreationDate="2018-01-13T15:14:19.140" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10034" PostId="7487" Score="0" Text="yup, quite long time" CreationDate="2018-01-17T19:41:51.947" UserId="166" />
  <row Id="10037" PostId="7492" Score="0" Text="They can't sue him. he was a minor at the time. They could try to make his parents financially responsible though. At the same time a court could just say the contract was invalid therefor nothing can be done." CreationDate="2018-01-21T18:26:50.260" UserId="19187" />
  <row Id="10038" PostId="7491" Score="0" Text="Just have your parents claim you as a dependent (like they're going to do) and have them include it in &quot;other income&quot; for you. You don't necessarily have to have a W2 from an employer to file taxes. The IRS doesn't really care that much that you broke some sites TOS. They just care that you declare it if required." CreationDate="2018-01-21T18:27:24.920" UserId="19187" />
  <row Id="10039" PostId="7492" Score="0" Text="You **can** sue a minor.. you just may not be able to collect anything until they are an adult. Sometimes the parents will take care of it, but they aren't obligated to do so. And if fraud caused damage.... then that's damage, contract terms are irrelevant. True, he/she can't be bound by the contract, but negligence is another matter." CreationDate="2018-01-21T18:55:26.100" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10040" PostId="7492" Score="0" Text="your'e going to need to show me one single instance of a minor being sued that the parents weren't the ones held liable." CreationDate="2018-01-22T00:14:32.600" UserId="19187" />
  <row Id="10041" PostId="7492" Score="1" Text="You *might* want to consider changing your username... http://boards.answers.findlaw.com/topic/228170-laws-on-suing-teens-under-the-age-of-18/ -- https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/free-books/small-claims-book/chapter8-8.html" CreationDate="2018-01-22T01:54:45.963" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10042" PostId="7506" Score="1" Text="This would all depend on how proprietary any information is you may be sharing, and what consequences there would be if it were shared." CreationDate="2018-01-22T08:22:15.853" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10043" PostId="7492" Score="1" Text="Guys... This was all completely unintentional. It's not like I am unreliable, I actually do do great work for clients. I find it little dumb for me to be penalized by wanting to make money in a different way from the rest of my peers. I understand why it's a problem though. I'm just a little upset that it was all on accident lol" CreationDate="2018-01-22T19:19:24.880" UserId="19135" />
  <row Id="10044" PostId="7492" Score="0" Text="I wan't meaning to imply any malice on your part @MrStank -- just the facts of your situation. I understand your motivations completely. Unfortunately with or without malice, you are in the spot you are in." CreationDate="2018-01-22T19:26:10.080" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10045" PostId="7492" Score="0" Text="Yeah. Thanks for helping out @Scott. I suppose I will end my current Upwork contract and wait till 18 to use Upwork again." CreationDate="2018-01-22T19:33:57.363" UserId="19135" />
  <row Id="10046" PostId="7409" Score="0" Text="Depends on. It is written in the visa conditions and it is strongly related to taxation, health insurance and retirement payments as they have to be made in Germany in the second when you earn money." CreationDate="2018-01-23T21:35:39.257" UserId="16327" />
  <row Id="10047" PostId="3578" Score="0" Text="Some German resource on that - https://www.gulp.de/knowledge-base/recht-und-steuern/auslaendische-it--engineering-selbststaendige-in-deutschland.html" CreationDate="2018-01-23T21:41:48.880" UserId="16327" />
  <row Id="10048" PostId="7511" Score="0" Text="really appreciate your stories and your time. after reading your stories, I guess my main concern is I'm a female. Client is an older male." CreationDate="2018-01-24T15:15:09.197" UserId="19156" />
  <row Id="10050" PostId="7511" Score="2" Text="I can see that concern, @AngelaPan I would merely agree to meet in a public location.. local coffee shop or diner. Assuming you work from home and he has an *established* business office, I'd meet at his office. I wouldn't invite him to my home, and I wouldn't go to his home either." CreationDate="2018-01-24T15:38:01.337" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10051" PostId="1339" Score="2" Text="The client is merely using a *negotiating tactic*. And apparently it's working." CreationDate="2018-01-27T17:34:29.070" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10052" PostId="7499" Score="0" Text="oh no its not a wordpress, I just asked as rehortical question or maybe even literally, 'how do you expect this News to work?? with Wordpress?? Or maybe update the html with a new paragraph every day? That's what I meant. For the record, its MVC" CreationDate="2018-01-29T14:58:45.730" UserId="19139" />
  <row Id="10053" PostId="5789" Score="0" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it´s about career advice, not freelancing." CreationDate="2018-01-30T10:58:19.690" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10054" PostId="1790" Score="0" Text="Whatever effort you spend to retrieve these $100, odds are high that it will cost you more, in money, in time and in stress. Keep sending mails saying the you are comfident they are honest and will respect their commitment. And move on." CreationDate="2018-01-31T19:29:32.770" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="10055" PostId="1343" Score="0" Text="There's another old saying as well ... *&quot;If you win every bid, you're priced too low.&quot;* :)" CreationDate="2018-01-31T19:35:47.070" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10060" PostId="6543" Score="0" Text="Yes, force quite rather than click anything if you get trapped on a site." CreationDate="2018-02-01T18:03:55.683" UserId="19273" />
  <row Id="10061" PostId="7524" Score="1" Text="Possible duplicate of [Can I show clients I've worked with at my agency on my personal portfolio site?](https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/7019/can-i-show-clients-ive-worked-with-at-my-agency-on-my-personal-portfolio-site)" CreationDate="2018-02-02T17:31:54.173" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10062" PostId="7528" Score="0" Text="Thanks for your reply @Canadian Luke! As remote freelancer, I always explain all of the requirements either through email or video call yet they still don't meet me half way in terms of meeting deadlines. I am always completely devoted to giving my clients the best experience they can possibly have by working with me and have a steady freelancing business purely driven by referrals that reflects it....." CreationDate="2018-02-04T06:29:55.927" UserId="12282" />
  <row Id="10063" PostId="7528" Score="0" Text=".... As a graphic and front end designer, I think they expect me to cover all basis and under estimate the work they have to do despite me outlining it both on a visual and written timeline. I am going to try referring them to other people for the areas I don't do such as copy writing. It seems like it might really hammer the point home that it is not my job requirement." CreationDate="2018-02-04T06:30:26.150" UserId="12282" />
  <row Id="10064" PostId="7528" Score="0" Text="All it takes is one customer who thought you are an expert at EVERYTHING seeing you fail at ONE part, and your reputation could take a hard hit. That's why I make it very clear what my skills are, and what the client needs to outsource for me to complete the parts I am good at" CreationDate="2018-02-04T19:23:02.160" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="10065" PostId="7524" Score="0" Text="No. It is not. I have edited the question. Please check. Thank you." CreationDate="2018-02-05T05:17:29.780" UserId="4338" />
  <row Id="10067" PostId="1343" Score="0" Text="&quot;The only thing you can do is to lower your hourly rate&quot;: nothing has ever been so untrue. There are milion other things to do, such as to modify the content of the offer. Especially in a way that will make the offer impossible to compare to others." CreationDate="2018-02-06T13:48:13.973" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="10074" PostId="7524" Score="0" Text="I fail to see how it's different." CreationDate="2018-02-06T17:04:34.980" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10085" PostId="2550" Score="0" Text="&quot; try to never work 40hrs &quot; meaning?" CreationDate="2018-02-07T10:42:14.527" UserId="1998" />
  <row Id="10086" PostId="2573" Score="0" Text="Re &quot;big projects&quot;; The whole point of this question; if he was that size he wouldn't be asking this question.." CreationDate="2018-02-07T10:43:25.750" UserId="1998" />
  <row Id="10087" PostId="7530" Score="0" Text="Comments are not meant for extended arguments. If you feel the user is incorrect, use [chat]. If you feel the answer is correct, upvote." CreationDate="2018-02-07T17:47:59.947" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="10089" PostId="7535" Score="1" Text="I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because this is seeking *legal* advice In addition, most crowd-sourcing sites have terms of service regarding this. This is **not** a support community for crowdsource freelancing sites." CreationDate="2018-02-08T18:09:20.850" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10091" PostId="7548" Score="0" Text="US but may be helpful: https://www.seak.com/expert-witness-fee-study/" CreationDate="2018-02-11T20:55:12.250" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10092" PostId="7550" Score="0" Text="Haven't you **asked** them for a copy of it signed?" CreationDate="2018-02-12T02:36:13.387" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10093" PostId="7548" Score="0" Text="User resides in France. In the future, you can submit an [edit] to the question, and other users can vote to allow it in or not" CreationDate="2018-02-12T18:04:13.420" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="10095" PostId="7553" Score="0" Text="Why the downvote?" CreationDate="2018-02-15T08:30:30.660" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10097" PostId="7525" Score="0" Text="It depends on many factors. Do you represent a legal entity or are you an individual? Is the Brazilian company operating legally in the EU? How do they pay taxes? How do they operate? You need to provide more details." CreationDate="2018-02-15T15:20:35.600" UserId="2546" />
  <row Id="10098" PostId="7550" Score="0" Text="Until both parties will sign a contract, none of the parties can reinforce that contract even if one of the parties signed. It is up to you to decide if you will wait for them or move on with your life and in case they will do sign, make sure you can either still provide the service (or goods) or that you let them know ahead of time (before them signing) that your agreement with them is voided given their delay." CreationDate="2018-02-15T15:22:53.747" UserId="2546" />
  <row Id="10100" PostId="7529" Score="0" Text="No, you don't have to pay tax in the UK. I don't know the rules in Vietnam but probably you will be asked to pay tax in there. It is your client's responsibility to justify the expense." CreationDate="2018-02-15T15:27:34.457" UserId="2546" />
  <row Id="10101" PostId="7541" Score="0" Text="Licensing is specific to many factors. In what regards your example, I recall that Envato has multiple licensing options. You can do whatever you want as long as you stay in the boundaries of the licence. If the licence is per project or per developer make sure you are the only developer that uses it or that you are using it for only one project." CreationDate="2018-02-15T15:31:37.417" UserId="2546" />
  <row Id="10102" PostId="7552" Score="0" Text="Many things are done good or right. As a general rule, when it is too easy to be good or you find clients giving you free advice, better look somewhere else." CreationDate="2018-02-15T15:33:35.760" UserId="2546" />
  <row Id="10103" PostId="7548" Score="0" Text="It is your civil responsibility to stay withing the boundaries of the law and pay your taxes. As long as you pay tax on your extra income, the state has nothing to say. Are you allowed to invoice companies without being firstly registered? This you have to check by yourself. In terms of money, you should be paid at least 600 Euro/day + Travel/Accommodation." CreationDate="2018-02-15T15:39:16.023" UserId="2546" />
  <row Id="10104" PostId="7254" Score="0" Text="I want to precise that after some months of use of the specific tool I'm back to Google Cal and Asana" CreationDate="2018-02-16T10:23:06.940" UserId="18276" />
  <row Id="10105" PostId="7552" Score="0" Text="@AvramCosmin, I eventually reached the same conclusion. Better to look for traditional employment." CreationDate="2018-02-16T16:56:03.063" UserId="19361" />
  <row Id="10106" PostId="7557" Score="1" Text="You are free to ask for anything.. just as you are free to find another contract and leave. I'm not really sure what your'e asking here. Sounds like (with a W2) you **are** an employee and the company is miscategorizing you to save on taxes/benefits. The IRS is cracking down on that behavior." CreationDate="2018-02-16T18:01:05.070" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10107" PostId="7557" Score="0" Text="Hi Scott. I meant that I am W2 with the agency, but that it's C2H. I am expecting / promised conversion to FTE with the client but this has not happened, and there is no end-date in my contract. That's the issue really." CreationDate="2018-02-16T20:03:43.720" UserId="19385" />
  <row Id="10108" PostId="7557" Score="0" Text="Well technically you are an employee for whomever is providing W2s." CreationDate="2018-02-16T20:25:36.140" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10110" PostId="7562" Score="0" Text="The contract has been signed, that is why we proceeded with the project.&#xA;&#xA;I have tried looking into freelancers from my country but barely anyone showed up in the major freelancing websites, so this option is not available even though it seems to be the best way to get our work done easily.&#xA;&#xA;As for an international legal team, I doubt that it is possible.&#xA;&#xA;So from my understanding, there is nothing wrong that I did, and its all a hit or miss when it comes to online freelancers?" CreationDate="2018-02-19T08:33:09.310" UserId="19397" />
  <row Id="10111" PostId="7539" Score="1" Text="3. The lawyer will cost you more than the amount at stake." CreationDate="2018-02-19T19:57:02.113" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="10112" PostId="7539" Score="1" Text="OP did not state the amount in question, but having a lawyer write a stern letter should not cost a fortune. Besides, that was not the OP's question." CreationDate="2018-02-20T00:03:15.683" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10113" PostId="7578" Score="0" Text="thanks @scott he said that he wasn't sure if I would need his SSN, but that since the sole prop was registered in his name, I probably wouldn't need his social, just need to put down his name on my taxes? Does that sound right? Doesn't sound right to me, so figured I would follow-up." CreationDate="2018-02-22T08:59:45.647" UserId="19427" />
  <row Id="10114" PostId="7578" Score="0" Text="You need his TAX ID. That is often a person's SSN, but it can also be an EIN. (Employer Identification Number)" CreationDate="2018-02-22T17:06:09.477" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10116" PostId="7499" Score="0" Text="Oh I see. One question though, was the MVC necessary? Could it has been done with Wordpress? (I'm not a WP evangelist btw, just asking... I too prefer to code my stuffs manually). I'm asking because I find it much more profitable to use WP with end customers because they always ask for more, more, more." CreationDate="2018-02-23T16:28:25.223" UserId="18223" />
  <row Id="10119" PostId="7499" Score="0" Text="Great question. The simple answer is..  I'm not at all familiar with WP haha" CreationDate="2018-02-26T11:49:31.607" UserId="19139" />
  <row Id="10120" PostId="7560" Score="0" Text="yea, you're right. I have and did put a lot of time in that project, way more than what he paid for. I did give him a tutorial in viewing his analytics, but it was brief. And I did write a document but it basically said this is it, if you want more work you pay for it. etc. I would suggest anyone in my position to not bother with a closing interview." CreationDate="2018-02-26T11:53:33.790" UserId="19139" />
  <row Id="10121" PostId="7499" Score="0" Text="@user6950100 give it a shot. Not that it is a pleasant framework or anything but from a business point-of-view, it'll allow you to give more and work less while making much more profit." CreationDate="2018-02-26T13:49:55.153" UserId="18223" />
  <row Id="10126" PostId="7590" Score="0" Text="Hrm. I may need to clarify the question a bit. I specifically took the courses intending to open the business." CreationDate="2018-02-26T20:30:48.783" UserId="15440" />
  <row Id="10127" PostId="7590" Score="0" Text="Doesn't matter.. if the business isn't formed, the courses aren't a write off. But I am not a tax professional.. and that's really what you need. Just because I studied for an MBA with complete intention of opening a business, that doesn't make my MBA a write off." CreationDate="2018-02-26T20:32:22.837" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10128" PostId="1970" Score="1" Text="At worse, he'll never pay. At best he will pay a little. If you fix the bugs for free, your sure to fall in the worst case. Demand at least half of the payment before making any move." CreationDate="2018-02-27T08:12:35.080" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="10129" PostId="1970" Score="0" Text="You're right. But he doesn't want to pay anything before the bug is fixed. Nothing changed in the meantime. :/" CreationDate="2018-02-28T12:59:17.390" UserId="2839" />
  <row Id="10135" PostId="796" Score="0" Text="This doesn't answer the question" CreationDate="2018-03-02T22:11:45.560" UserId="19139" />
  <row Id="10137" PostId="6249" Score="0" Text="Less work and more money. So why hesitate ??" CreationDate="2018-03-04T18:10:03.220" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="10141" PostId="7607" Score="0" Text="This looks like a comment, not a full-featured answer." CreationDate="2018-03-07T21:20:01.970" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="10143" PostId="188" Score="0" Text="Some people want dirt cheap services and some want better services. People are people no matter where you go." CreationDate="2018-03-09T18:13:40.363" UserId="19537" />
  <row Id="10144" PostId="7610" Score="0" Text="Thanks. This makes a lot of sense. I need to rethink my hourly rates." CreationDate="2018-03-10T23:39:33.900" UserId="19545" />
  <row Id="10145" PostId="7612" Score="1" Text="This is not a support site for Upwork. Contact Upwork i you have an issue on their site." CreationDate="2018-03-12T02:09:43.440" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10146" PostId="7612" Score="1" Text="Also be aware general, non-descriptive, scare tactics are a common ploy for BAD clients. That doesn't *necessarily* mean their threats have any merit or they have *any* grounds for a lawsuit." CreationDate="2018-03-12T06:00:43.393" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10147" PostId="7612" Score="1" Text="If a client told me I'll get hurt, I'd report it to the RCMP right away, and let them deal with it. Sounds like a threat to me, and no amount of money will help me sleep if someone threatens to hurt me or my family (even indirectly, through my business)" CreationDate="2018-03-12T16:18:59.033" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="10148" PostId="7613" Score="0" Text="I think the question is just a horrible question that can't be answered. However, I think this answer is perfect for practically **all** client relations." CreationDate="2018-03-13T21:21:41.597" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10152" PostId="7622" Score="0" Text="What is your greater strategy?" CreationDate="2018-03-17T17:51:14.697" UserId="16327" />
  <row Id="10153" PostId="7622" Score="0" Text="I have done much rearach and the above 2 models are what I have been able to find.  At this point I am only thinking of finding a way to put the product on sale with a selling model that makes the most sense and clear to the user.." CreationDate="2018-03-17T20:37:16.713" UserId="19595" />
  <row Id="10154" PostId="7622" Score="0" Text="This question is unanswerable - it really depends on your goals, who your clients are, your distribution channel, your product (updates, how frequently ...) etc. etc. ... In the end it will still be opinion-based, even if we have all information." CreationDate="2018-03-19T12:22:54.100" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10155" PostId="7624" Score="0" Text="Great. This is very informative. Thanks. Do I have to indicate a list of possible clients as a freelancer? For example, at the time that I am writing the business plan, the client I plan on first working with is not yet sure that we will proceed with the work." CreationDate="2018-03-19T12:29:17.280" UserId="19606" />
  <row Id="10156" PostId="7624" Score="0" Text="Yes, opportunities/existing business is usually a part of the plan, as well as risks. If this is a official requirement there ought to examples of successful plans." CreationDate="2018-03-19T12:49:09.980" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10158" PostId="1892" Score="0" Text="I do this exact same thing whenever the job sounds like it might be something I'm interested in, but it has (that I recall) never actually resulted in a gig. This is out of literally hundreds of recruiter responses. Once or twice, it has led to a conversation. In general, I get somewhere between 2-10 recruiter emails a week, mostly via linked-in. I've had a higher success rate outside of linked-in, but very few come in that way. (Maybe 1 in 20.) Anyway, I do think this is a good practice, just thought I'd respond with a slightly different set of (anecdotal) data." CreationDate="2018-03-20T21:39:06.337" UserId="16365" />
  <row Id="10159" PostId="1892" Score="0" Text="I should clarify... I'm speaking (above) specifically about recruiters not recruiting for the company they work for. 3rd party recruiters, I guess you'd call them. Re-reading the answer I'm commenting on, I think they are also lumping in recruiters that work for the company they are recruiting for. I have gotten a few gigs responding to those, but they are also in the minority of &quot;cold&quot; messages. (And I don't usually think of them as recruiters. Usually they are hiring managers, or otherwise involved in the team they're recruiting for.)" CreationDate="2018-03-20T21:42:00.080" UserId="16365" />
  <row Id="10160" PostId="7622" Score="0" Text="put your library into private space and charge them one time for the project. But then again it really depends on what you want." CreationDate="2018-03-21T17:39:35.387" UserId="87" />
  <row Id="10161" PostId="7627" Score="1" Text="Very small disagreement on the register-printouts or receipts: many of them are designed to satisfy the requirements for small expenses under 150€, for example in bookstores. But always check and if in doubt ask for a &quot;full&quot; invoice." CreationDate="2018-03-21T18:33:31.167" UserId="16059" />
  <row Id="10162" PostId="7627" Score="1" Text="@mschuett you are right, and the document I linked also mentions it - edited." CreationDate="2018-03-22T08:32:20.053" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10163" PostId="7632" Score="0" Text="There is way too little context to be able to tell you, but $5-10k per week sounds huge." CreationDate="2018-03-26T20:08:02.247" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="10164" PostId="7506" Score="0" Text="Anecdotically (don't take that for an answer nor a generality), all projects I worked on that started with an NDA stopped abruptly two days after." CreationDate="2018-03-26T20:12:16.030" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="10165" PostId="7632" Score="3" Text="No one here knows anything about you, your skills, your experience, your region/location, the market demand for your particular skill set, your overhead. Not to mention the project, the size of the client, the area of client services/products.... How on earth could anyone here price ANYTHING for you?" CreationDate="2018-03-26T21:33:18.587" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10166" PostId="7632" Score="1" Text="Maybe I should rephrase the question. What I'm really asking is &quot;how do I find the nerve to ask for 40-70k when my biggest project so far has been 10k&quot;.." CreationDate="2018-03-26T22:57:04.910" UserId="18209" />
  <row Id="10167" PostId="7632" Score="1" Text="If you never ask for 40k, you'll never earn 40k.  :) There is *always* a risk you may lose the job regardless of what you price. You should really avoid bidding any job with the &quot;I have to ask for less so I can be certain I get the work&quot; mentality. You end up undercutting yourself more and more and more..." CreationDate="2018-03-27T09:02:42.060" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10168" PostId="1346" Score="0" Text="Great answer @Blaze-Core. Also very important: after the project is done make sure you know if the support is free and if so for how long. You don't want to pay put of your own pocket especially if you work with a small margin" CreationDate="2018-03-27T13:21:00.583" UserId="2962" />
  <row Id="10169" PostId="7632" Score="1" Text="Make sure you and the client know how long that fixed price will take you. Don't fall into that trap. How about fixed price per week? I have a project that was fixed price and was supposed to take one year (2 week sprints). We're on the 3rd year now. We changes to fixed per week after the 1 year deadline. The client wasn't willing, but we told him to take the project elsewhere. In any case MAKE SURE you set a timeline when the money should run out." CreationDate="2018-03-27T13:22:31.420" UserId="2962" />
  <row Id="10171" PostId="7619" Score="0" Text="I would talk to an accountant, but I don't see why that would be an issue. Just go and declare your earnings to your local financial institution. You might have to move the money in country A though. Being in the EU means you can pretty much open an account in any EU currency depending on your local banks so with that consideration in mind I think you can declare revenue in any currency" CreationDate="2018-03-27T13:31:54.360" UserId="2962" />
  <row Id="10172" PostId="7632" Score="0" Text="What do you mean by &quot;set a timeline when the money should run out&quot;? Do you mean when he pays me? If I do fixed price every week, should I get paid every start of the week? Every 15 days? What is the standard?" CreationDate="2018-03-27T15:42:09.953" UserId="18209" />
  <row Id="10173" PostId="7632" Score="0" Text="I am in a position of great leverage (client cannot find the service I'm offering elsewhere easily or on time, time constraints, niche area, project is of great value to the client) but I don't know what is a big enough number. &#xA;Also I don't know how to &quot;structure&quot; payment (when payment is due etc, get paid hourly or weekly fixed etc.)." CreationDate="2018-03-27T15:50:06.027" UserId="18209" />
  <row Id="10174" PostId="7632" Score="0" Text="Be aware, using &quot;leverage&quot; as a pricing factor can often ensure the client feels you are taking advantage of them. Figure your hourly rate, figure the scope of the project and time needed to complete it and quote based on your rates. It's bad practice to try and price based on client's desire. If your skills are a commodity in this particular area, your standard hourly rates should reflect that." CreationDate="2018-03-27T17:43:10.050" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10176" PostId="7637" Score="4" Text="I'd rather spend $10 to buy a high-quality ads-free app that is somehow useful to my kids' education, than use free apps full of spam, uncontrolled ads and brainwashing marketing. You should look at develop an high quality product that parents are happy to pay the right price." CreationDate="2018-03-28T14:12:47.427" UserId="15709" />
  <row Id="10177" PostId="7623" Score="0" Text="A business plan shouldn't be understood as some formality to please the &quot;approving body&quot;. The main recipient is yourself, your livelihood depends on it !" CreationDate="2018-03-28T16:44:44.323" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="10179" PostId="7637" Score="0" Text="You should probably edit the answer to remove invitation for opinionated answers. &quot;Thoughts and feedback&quot; is offtopic here." CreationDate="2018-03-29T01:15:15.823" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="10180" PostId="7637" Score="0" Text="Kids do not only have a lot of purchasing-power these days, the may also be view as influences (of their parents) and have been the targets of advertisements for a long time. You know the saying *get them while their young*" CreationDate="2018-03-29T13:36:59.587" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10181" PostId="7642" Score="0" Text="Thanks! What about the due date?" CreationDate="2018-04-01T14:26:50.450" UserId="18209" />
  <row Id="10182" PostId="7642" Score="1" Text="@JamesKroning I generally don't put due dates directly on invoices. I put &quot;Payment is due upon receipt&quot; and my contract states payment is due Net 15 (Many use Net 30 though). So the invoice would also have &quot;Net 15 days&quot; on it. The date of the invoice itself serves as a &quot;start of the clock&quot; essentially." CreationDate="2018-04-01T18:01:59.987" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10183" PostId="7644" Score="0" Text="What kind of licensing options do I have?" CreationDate="2018-04-01T21:31:06.290" UserId="18209" />
  <row Id="10184" PostId="7644" Score="1" Text="@JamesKroning whatever you and your client agree upon. Licenses can be absolutely anything both parties agree to. However if there is an agreement in place stating the client owns all work, or that you are under a &quot;work-for-hire&quot; contract, you have no options other than to try and renegotiate with the client. That generally does not go well." CreationDate="2018-04-02T01:17:33.790" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10187" PostId="7646" Score="1" Text="I tried to give some general advice. You could improve your question and get much better answers if you go a little bit more into detail though." CreationDate="2018-04-03T12:04:22.430" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10188" PostId="7647" Score="0" Text="3. Can you list some factors?&#xA;4. I'm asking whether this is something rare or standard." CreationDate="2018-04-03T12:45:12.510" UserId="18209" />
  <row Id="10189" PostId="7647" Score="0" Text="Depends on the business model: Do you have a frame contract, and then bill hourly with an agreed rate, then you should make provisions for that. Do you just have a price list, just state *subject to change* Do you make individual offers: Price would usually be fixed until offer is completed. To 3, I don´t even really know what you are thinking of there..." CreationDate="2018-04-03T12:56:32.883" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10190" PostId="7647" Score="0" Text="3. I worked for another client to complete component A for 2 months. That component/knowledge should be used in this project as well. I could &quot;configure&quot; it in 2 days for the new case, but that would be a punishment for my efficiency. Therefore I'm thinking of charging an extra for this component specifically. I want to know if this is common practice or an outlandish thing to do." CreationDate="2018-04-03T13:07:00.093" UserId="18209" />
  <row Id="10191" PostId="7647" Score="0" Text="Depends on the usage rights. If the previous client payed me the 2 month in full, he usually got the usage rights and I have to do a rewrite which I will need ~3 weeks, which is what I would bill. If I am lucky and are allowed to recycle, sure charge a fixed price + the 2 days of work. How expensive the fixed part depends on how often you intend to sell it. In principle you can do anything that you client agrees to, so it is hard to give you a specific answer." CreationDate="2018-04-03T13:13:13.363" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10192" PostId="7647" Score="1" Text="If you edit all this information into your original post (+ little bit more?), it will improve your question and maybe you´ll get rid of those down votes." CreationDate="2018-04-03T13:14:24.013" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10193" PostId="7649" Score="0" Text="Ask the client to provide you a list of what he wants to work on and review the wording. Unfortunately this happens quite often. We recently had a client leave after getting tons of free advice from us. He told us he went for a cheaper option. So just try reviewing the list from the client; ask them to provide a list f what they expect you to work on and if you meet them face to face have them draft the list and send it to you for review. Giving them advice is cool and you should continue to do so, just let them work for it." CreationDate="2018-04-04T13:52:38.060" UserId="2962" />
  <row Id="10194" PostId="1901" Score="0" Text="I charge differently depending on length and difficulty of the project as well as the person I'm working with. For example if I get a long project from a committed client I might be more prone to offer a discount  then say a 20-60h project, but I agree 6k sounds ridiculous from the description of the work done." CreationDate="2018-04-05T20:12:13.973" UserId="2962" />
  <row Id="10195" PostId="7644" Score="0" Text="Is there a template for licensing code to a client?" CreationDate="2018-04-05T23:17:23.077" UserId="18209" />
  <row Id="10196" PostId="7644" Score="0" Text="Is the proposal different from a contract?" CreationDate="2018-04-05T23:17:50.423" UserId="18209" />
  <row Id="10197" PostId="7644" Score="1" Text="Yes. Proposal = Here what we can do and what we would like to charge.... Contract = Here's what you agree to have us do and what you will pay us. They can be very similar but a Proposal is a one-sided description of fees/work.. the contract is BOTH parties agreeing to terms. You can, in some cases, have a client sign a proposal indicating they agree to all your terms.. in which case the proposal *becomes* a contract. I *really* don't want to come off as snarky, but based upon your questions here, you may benefit from some basic books on business in general." CreationDate="2018-04-05T23:26:26.600" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10198" PostId="7644" Score="0" Text="Should my proposal end with a signatures section or not? Yeah, I am a newcomer to this." CreationDate="2018-04-06T00:14:25.533" UserId="18209" />
  <row Id="10201" PostId="7662" Score="0" Text="How do you charge a markup? Do you include it in the total charging price or mention that this is worth an extra $X amount? Do you offer them a license for it? &#xA;&#xA;I'm also worried that this is potentially valuable to a lot of companies, but the IP will go to this client and I will be giving this away for not much (in the grand scheme of things). Any advice on this?" CreationDate="2018-04-12T00:53:49.973" UserId="18209" />
  <row Id="10202" PostId="7662" Score="0" Text="@JamesKroning I cannot correlate my pricing with yours. We surely have different jobs and different clients. What is acceptable to me and my clients may not be to you and your clients. It's kind of up to you to determine a pricing structure you and your clients can live with." CreationDate="2018-04-12T02:37:38.750" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10203" PostId="7662" Score="0" Text="Just asking about what you do.." CreationDate="2018-04-12T09:07:18.993" UserId="18209" />
  <row Id="10204" PostId="7663" Score="3" Text="&quot;Sorry, only the initial consultation is free. You'll need to make an appointment.&quot;" CreationDate="2018-04-12T14:58:14.200" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10205" PostId="7662" Score="0" Text="I understand @JamesKroning I merely can't answer specifics. I probably don't do what you do.. and I surely don't have the same clients." CreationDate="2018-04-12T16:19:41.580" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10206" PostId="1849" Score="0" Text="I don't have trouble with motivation as a freelancer, but keeping regular hours is a challenge. Your approach makes sense." CreationDate="2018-04-12T19:25:50.953" UserId="19273" />
  <row Id="10208" PostId="3980" Score="0" Text="Funny you mention being on the other side... There would be opportunities for me to do that, but I feel really uncomfortable doing it. I'm okay with just putting people in contact, leaving the money out of it." CreationDate="2018-04-15T05:42:58.123" UserId="10646" />
  <row Id="10209" PostId="6912" Score="0" Text="That's a fair point. I think the OP is right." CreationDate="2018-04-18T14:31:46.757" UserId="19139" />
  <row Id="10210" PostId="7667" Score="0" Text="Your question is unclear (or the title doesn't match the content). What do you call a &quot;bad client&quot; ?" CreationDate="2018-04-23T06:29:49.437" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="10211" PostId="7667" Score="0" Text="@HarryCover Any of the behaviour that is described in the `difficult-client` tag here." CreationDate="2018-04-24T02:38:13.250" UserId="16157" />
  <row Id="10212" PostId="7667" Score="0" Text="Ok. Then be easy to work with, understand the technologies you are working on and be very punctual in paying..." CreationDate="2018-04-24T06:33:47.383" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="10215" PostId="7563" Score="0" Text="Good question! I will be doing business travel in France soon, and also wondered how I could freelance legally if I ever moved there." CreationDate="2018-04-29T20:28:08.217" UserId="19873" />
  <row Id="10220" PostId="7686" Score="0" Text="I can agree on your first point. I often am a &quot;yes&quot; person and too nice, and i get anxious if im not on top of things. It also doesn't help this woman is still on email, and texting me, and admits she doesnt know how to &quot;not work&quot; and she'll be &quot;bored on maternity leave&quot; so i feel like she'll be constantly over my shoulder." CreationDate="2018-05-06T15:44:48.993" UserId="19919" />
  <row Id="10225" PostId="7697" Score="0" Text="Things are a little difficult. I don't want to sell them the source code for the moment, but they need to have a fallback solution in case I disappear." CreationDate="2018-05-11T15:47:40.617" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="10226" PostId="7697" Score="1" Text="*You* should have a fallback.. a trusted colleague that will merely store a back up for you of all client files, a wife, a husband, whatever, that knows where files are and has instructions in case something happens. Clients don't need actual files in many cases, they just want reassurance that you have taken steps to ensure they wont' lose access forever should something unfortunate happen to you. And obviously if you were merely to quit working, you'd still have the files which could be sold at that time." CreationDate="2018-05-11T18:00:40.160" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10227" PostId="7698" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the suggestion.&#xA;&#xA;I am not selling the libraries to just this customer and I want to avoid the source code going into the wild. (Though I acknowledge that the risks are low.)" CreationDate="2018-05-14T15:08:41.870" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="10228" PostId="7700" Score="0" Text="Well, they would be permitted to evaluate it for the purpose of deciding whether to make the final payment yet." CreationDate="2018-05-15T22:56:52.380" UserId="19897" />
  <row Id="10229" PostId="7700" Score="1" Text="I, personally, fail to see how that's a viable business model -- &quot;Here's everything you need... by the way pay me now.&quot; Clients customarily *pay* before delivery, then evaluate. You don't eat at a restaurant, dislike the food and THEN decide you aren't paying. You pay either way." CreationDate="2018-05-15T23:23:47.737" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10230" PostId="7700" Score="0" Text="But you *do* test drive a car before paying for it." CreationDate="2018-05-16T12:46:42.330" UserId="19897" />
  <row Id="10231" PostId="7700" Score="0" Text="And clients can &quot;test drive&quot; an app/web site/whatever **without** source code." CreationDate="2018-05-16T14:10:09.370" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10232" PostId="7700" Score="0" Text="Maybe. If deployment is not part of the contract, and if it's entirely front-end with no obfuscation step in the build, then that's not really true. (Both true in this case.)" CreationDate="2018-05-16T14:17:05.893" UserId="19897" />
  <row Id="10237" PostId="7675" Score="0" Text="I'm looking for the changes which apply since january 2018, do you have documentation about it?" CreationDate="2018-05-18T12:32:07.897" UserId="17155" />
  <row Id="10238" PostId="7587" Score="0" Text="Thank yo ufor the information! I have another question about the status: if I make applications for people, do I need to declare my company as &quot;Commerce&quot;?" CreationDate="2018-05-18T12:33:57.160" UserId="17155" />
  <row Id="10240" PostId="7539" Score="0" Text="&quot;Threatening to sue is free&quot; - Arrested Development, paraphrased." CreationDate="2018-05-22T13:10:13.320" UserId="20008" />
  <row Id="10241" PostId="7699" Score="0" Text="What jurisdiction are you from? Also, common to me is part in advance and part after delivery, would that work for you also?" CreationDate="2018-05-22T15:48:46.270" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10242" PostId="7700" Score="0" Text="Car is a good example. Usually you have to pay before starting using it. Depends highly on jurisdiction and industry though!" CreationDate="2018-05-22T15:50:14.270" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10243" PostId="7700" Score="0" Text="Well I've never heard of anything like that in the US. In fact &quot;test drives&quot; are very, very common before purchasing a vehicle. Almost to the point of them being *mandatory*." CreationDate="2018-05-22T15:55:03.510" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10244" PostId="7699" Score="0" Text="Australia. Yeah, I think I will start doing that, too." CreationDate="2018-05-23T01:31:03.377" UserId="19897" />
  <row Id="10245" PostId="7710" Score="0" Text="thanks a lot, this first thing is actually amazing, but I don't really understand this second thing, could u explain?" CreationDate="2018-05-23T10:58:11.867" UserId="20009" />
  <row Id="10246" PostId="7712" Score="0" Text="This is primarily opinion based, and highly depends on your targeted customer *(I´d say in the maker-scene a &quot;diy-look&quot; could actually be a pro)*. Can you reword the question to define a specific goal we can address?" CreationDate="2018-05-23T12:36:11.133" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10247" PostId="7712" Score="0" Text="@Daniel Im planning on selling mostly gifts and cool toys etc. I ordered a nice photobooth ish thing today so Ill see if I can make some better pictures anyway." CreationDate="2018-05-23T12:44:50.960" UserId="20021" />
  <row Id="10248" PostId="7712" Score="0" Text="You can also do a lot in post-processing. Invest some time to learn about filters in GIMP or Photoshop. Still, if you ask *How to make a better impression* instead of *is this good* you may get some pointers. Have a look in the graphics-stack also" CreationDate="2018-05-23T12:56:53.953" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10249" PostId="7716" Score="0" Text="Are you still getting paid as a contractor?" CreationDate="2018-05-24T16:11:21.777" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="10252" PostId="7712" Score="0" Text="@Daniel I invested in a nice photobooth kit, which came with 2 spot lights and 4 different colors of backdrops. The pictures already look better and ill try to edit the pictures in photoshop :)" CreationDate="2018-05-25T12:59:53.837" UserId="20021" />
  <row Id="10253" PostId="7713" Score="0" Text="Cool! Thanks for the great reponse! ill see what I can accomplish with some photoshop or lightroom :)" CreationDate="2018-05-25T13:00:24.133" UserId="20021" />
  <row Id="10254" PostId="7714" Score="1" Text="do you have a written contract?" CreationDate="2018-05-25T16:00:23.070" UserId="5893" />
  <row Id="10257" PostId="7721" Score="0" Text="I have mutliple photographer near me and ill have a talk with them. Thank you :)" CreationDate="2018-05-28T06:49:19.570" UserId="20021" />
  <row Id="10258" PostId="7728" Score="0" Text="Great advice. Note that in some jurisdictions you´d also have legal backing to renegotiate on the grounds that this contract is economically unbarable (Germany for instance)" CreationDate="2018-05-30T13:59:22.373" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10259" PostId="7730" Score="0" Text="Hmm. So that makes me think better to increase my rate by 50% or so. Or set a minimum billable time unit, like 4 hours." CreationDate="2018-05-31T19:51:08.937" UserId="20067" />
  <row Id="10260" PostId="7730" Score="0" Text="Now you *do* invoice for... time to create [A].. client decides to change.. you invoice for time to create [A.rev2]... client wants another change... you invoice for time to make [A.rev3]. etc. So you don't work for free.. but you don't charge the client for the time between changes. Increasing rates by 50% either means you are willing to lose clients, or you are *considerably* underpriced. And a minimal billable unit is acceptable .but close to .25 or .5.. never more than that in my experience. The key word being **minimal**. You can't charge everyone for 4 hours of work in *many* instances." CreationDate="2018-05-31T19:54:16.943" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10264" PostId="7730" Score="2" Text="I´d say this +1, but bill minimum times to allow for costs of task-switching (i.e. you always round up to the next full 15 minutes) That´s quite customary at least in the field of software and IT-Services" CreationDate="2018-06-04T08:46:47.370" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10268" PostId="2487" Score="1" Text="I'm based in the midwest, and would agree with these numbers with one caveat: anyone working on the 40-50 / hr end either doesn't know what they are worth, or they have been really unlucky, or have some aversion to contract negotiation. I have a couple of friends who occasionally bill this little, and I'm always aghast. I would expect someone with NO experience (but maybe tangential experience, or some apps in the store?) to bill at least $40 / hr." CreationDate="2018-06-12T19:21:47.077" UserId="16365" />
  <row Id="10269" PostId="7708" Score="1" Text="Ask your friends to disseminate a message for you, telling in a pleasant but honest way what services you want to provide. Ask only to people you know well, and tell them to specifically send to contacts likely to be interested." CreationDate="2018-06-13T08:17:17.423" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="10270" PostId="7708" Score="0" Text="You can register with freelance websites such as Upwork or Fiver. Then, in your profile on the sites, have a link to a portfolio page." CreationDate="2018-06-13T09:51:29.107" UserId="20137" />
  <row Id="10271" PostId="7729" Score="0" Text="How many clients do (or can) you have at a time?" CreationDate="2018-06-14T17:48:22.377" UserId="1323" />
  <row Id="10272" PostId="7730" Score="0" Text="-1.  At what point should the OP start (or keep) charging for their work?  If they are generating or giving something of value, they should be paid for their advice - especially if communication is done in such a way that they can't give any of their time or attention to another project at the same time." CreationDate="2018-06-14T17:52:22.157" UserId="1323" />
  <row Id="10273" PostId="7730" Score="0" Text="@David you seem to be referring to consulting.. which does not appear, to me, to be what this question is about. Yes as a *consultant* you charge for communication. However, as a services/product creator you typically don't charge communication fees like a consultant would because 99% of communication is about creating, editing, or correcting a *product* and not the &quot;advice&quot; a consultant would be providing." CreationDate="2018-06-14T20:48:53.770" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10275" PostId="1572" Score="0" Text="I wish I had known this before freelancing at a prominent hospital in NYC.  Not only did they have a habit of paying on the 90th day due to their 90 day net terms, but even when I'd agree with my direct report about a start date, they'd take more than 90 days to get a contract through.  I ended up having to file bankruptcy over this as someone forgot to renew my contract and I wasn't able to get onto a new one for months, and by the time I finally got a pay check it was more than 1/2 a year later.   Moral of the story: Always set your own payment terms, and never work exclusively for 1 client." CreationDate="2018-06-16T06:33:48.687" UserId="1452" />
  <row Id="10276" PostId="1199" Score="0" Text="I've been personally burned on that 90 turns into 6 months thing, and learned the hard-way I should never be billing only 1 client at a time." CreationDate="2018-06-16T06:41:26.163" UserId="1452" />
  <row Id="10277" PostId="7748" Score="1" Text="I hope someone can answer you. However, I don't understand the context. SFAIK, I pay taxes (in the US) only on income. Lacking income (Paypal or otherwise), I expect to pay no taxes. Do you have indication otherwise?" CreationDate="2018-06-18T15:40:23.247" UserId="16435" />
  <row Id="10280" PostId="7738" Score="0" Text="Not even $15 for the first year :). You can get them $1.99 for the first year." CreationDate="2018-06-19T11:37:02.027" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="10281" PostId="7748" Score="0" Text="I was told by upwork I don't need to pay taxes if I can't any project  on upwork I was told." CreationDate="2018-06-19T16:50:22.063" UserId="20083" />
  <row Id="10283" PostId="7752" Score="0" Text="It *is*/has been a haven for degenerates and predators, which is why successful public sites have been pushing for greater transparency." CreationDate="2018-06-24T07:40:40.617" UserId="17674" />
  <row Id="10284" PostId="7758" Score="0" Text="I like this question, but I recon you´ll get much better answers in law.se, at least for the first 3 bullet points..." CreationDate="2018-06-27T09:39:48.113" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10285" PostId="7758" Score="0" Text="@Daniel Probably, and I hope cross-posting this is okay, since I am specifically interested in feedback from fellow freelancers too." CreationDate="2018-06-27T10:56:52.067" UserId="20212" />
  <row Id="10286" PostId="7758" Score="0" Text="Yeah I think it's far more a legal question than a freelance question. It is unethical and damaging. Someone else, anyone else, using your information as &quot;currency&quot; is never &quot;okay&quot; without permission. I'd be up for legal action here. I don't know what input freelancers in general will have other than if it does or does not concern them." CreationDate="2018-06-27T16:22:45.623" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10287" PostId="7760" Score="0" Text="I would not advise the partnership/profits solution, and certainly not as a workaround. Because if there are profits, this will be in the long term, or never. Not counting that they will refuse." CreationDate="2018-06-28T21:03:52.483" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="10288" PostId="7767" Score="1" Text="I disagree that it takes &quot;hours&quot; to administer a domain. It take me literally 1 0 minutes whenever the domain is up for renewal, that's it. So that can be 10 minutes every year or 10 minutes every 5 years, or 10 minutes every decade... not what I see as &quot;hours&quot; at all." CreationDate="2018-07-01T16:32:47.777" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10289" PostId="7770" Score="0" Text="I’m curious – what is the case for charging VAT to the countries you know about, like Australia and US?" CreationDate="2018-07-04T10:41:13.740" UserId="9924" />
  <row Id="10290" PostId="7770" Score="0" Text="No, there is no case - from what I read you should not charge VAT to those countries, if invoicing from an EU country...I assumed South Africa would be the same but could not find specific info confirming it." CreationDate="2018-07-04T13:03:15.093" UserId="20254" />
  <row Id="10291" PostId="7771" Score="1" Text="Thank you - to your knowledge should the same rules apply for all EU states (i.e., the same would likely be true in Germany)?" CreationDate="2018-07-04T13:03:55.723" UserId="20254" />
  <row Id="10292" PostId="7771" Score="1" Text="@JosephCLawrence: I would imagine so, but am not an accountant - merely a one-man freelance shop having billed clients in Sweden and the UK" CreationDate="2018-07-04T13:05:19.907" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="10293" PostId="7770" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the info. I work with some clients in Vietnam, and my accountant advised that for that country I do need to collect VAT (I am based in Germany). So it seems to be something related to tax treaties or something like that." CreationDate="2018-07-04T15:46:43.377" UserId="9924" />
  <row Id="10296" PostId="7788" Score="0" Text="To add, use the time before you're an adult to a) be a kid, and b) get your skills up. This also includes building a portfolio so that when you're an adult, you can show that you've been doing the work you prescribe to be doing for a long time." CreationDate="2018-07-12T16:49:46.277" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="10297" PostId="7788" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke &quot; a) be a kid&quot; lmao, it got me bad, but at the same time, i'm a little pissed xD&#xA;&#xA;Some &quot;kid&quot; nowadays cant be kids that you usually. Because, as a kid, we would want a lot of things, like a new Graphics for rendering videos, CPU for doing complicated processes. But parents wont, and cant buy these things, making the &quot;kid&quot; try to get it on his own.&#xA;&#xA;Sometimes, a kid could surpass a work adults do, because they're creative in their own ways. (But it doesn't mean every kid is)&#xA;&#xA;Last thing is, working is also counted as &quot;get your skills(or exp)&quot; which you can write in your CV." CreationDate="2018-07-12T19:03:07.093" UserId="20306" />
  <row Id="10298" PostId="7788" Score="0" Text="To add more, yes, in america, underage's are not legally bound, but is there's a way, that you can work under a name of parent, or an adult friend, so that you can earn?&#xA;&#xA;In some country in the world, kid can be allowed to work &quot;Part-time&quot;, and for sure they need skill for the work. Which is why I am asking, if you have the skill, is it possible to get a work &quot;freelance&quot; (Because obviously, you can't work full time) ." CreationDate="2018-07-12T19:09:53.010" UserId="20306" />
  <row Id="10299" PostId="7788" Score="0" Text="@SazeimSaheem I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend. There are obviously differences in our cultures/countries. If you want me to, I can delete that comment and re-write it fresh" CreationDate="2018-07-12T20:28:07.730" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="10300" PostId="7785" Score="0" Text="I think the reason you've gotten no response here (and why I voted to close this question) is that it's far, far too opinion-based. A) How would anyone here know if any company would or would not respond? B) How would anyone here know a companies standing on outsourcing work? C) How to contact would depends upon the company preferences, which would require research on *that* company. and D) How can improvement suggestions be made since you haven't even attempted any of this to see what reactions may be?" CreationDate="2018-07-13T22:18:18.623" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10301" PostId="7785" Score="0" Text="Most here probably do not work for free. So it's pretty difficult to give ideas on &quot;here's how you can undercut my services and get them for yourself.&quot;  In General working fro free is a very, very **bad** idea. By so blatantly undervaluing your work, you give clients the *distinct* impression of *&quot;if they don't think the work is good enough to get paid, I doubt the work is good enough for us to use.&quot;* If you want to do free work to build a portfolio, then do work on your own which is not client-related." CreationDate="2018-07-13T22:20:35.923" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10302" PostId="7788" Score="0" Text="No need... You're opinion about this matter is not wrong after all ;) @CanadianLuke" CreationDate="2018-07-14T08:24:42.893" UserId="20306" />
  <row Id="10303" PostId="7788" Score="0" Text="Wow! Very detailed. That means that underage's have to lie to get their jobs somehow then. The other way is making commission, but I'll keep that to myself for the moment. Thanks anyway @Scott&#xA;&#xA;By the way if you ask about what's specific in my mind, its actually programming and drawing (maybe music composing too, but that will come a bit later)" CreationDate="2018-07-14T08:29:13.127" UserId="20306" />
  <row Id="10304" PostId="7791" Score="0" Text="Do you have any tips for navigating the bureaucracy of a big, old company to increase the chances of my application being considered or even accepted? For example, speaking to certain kinds of people" CreationDate="2018-07-18T00:27:13.077" UserId="20305" />
  <row Id="10305" PostId="7791" Score="0" Text="@Dopapp: haha, life would be so easy :-) Focus on the people's functions if you know them." CreationDate="2018-07-18T06:53:35.133" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="10309" PostId="7785" Score="0" Text="Doing work for free is not only unprofessional and illegal in a lot of jurisdictions (minimum wage) - It is also anti-social because you´ll out compete any competition that actually needs to make a living from their time. I hope you have considered that..." CreationDate="2018-07-18T12:32:43.140" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10310" PostId="7779" Score="1" Text="If the videos are just complimentary to the lessons, where is the potential harm? Wouldn´t it be better to just release them publicly once you´ve gone to the effort of creating them - getting the publicity as advertising effect for the real product (the lessons)?" CreationDate="2018-07-18T13:06:15.313" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10313" PostId="7779" Score="0" Text="@Daniel this is a good point and we've thought of it though its hard to call as a judgement if its an all or nothing decision. The market is for face to face lessons with local students. Its an unusual musical instrument though there certainly is a market. The ideal would be to release some videos publicly and hold back some others and so this question is about how to manage the latter." CreationDate="2018-07-19T12:21:32.357" UserId="20290" />
  <row Id="10314" PostId="7779" Score="0" Text="You still have the legality on your side to deter anyone to make a profit from your work. Other than that, the DRM-Topic is complicated and even major companies are struggling with it. Sorry I have no good answer other than this." CreationDate="2018-07-19T12:28:17.037" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10315" PostId="7796" Score="0" Text="I really liked your suggestion in the last paragraph. Thanks!" CreationDate="2018-07-19T14:31:24.107" UserId="20305" />
  <row Id="10316" PostId="7796" Score="0" Text="I´d also recommend, once you have a foot in the door and really want to secure the deal, to present reasonable high rates but offer a discount on that. It´s better than to offer a cheap price right away and the client will see what bargain thy are actually making." CreationDate="2018-07-19T14:35:21.560" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10317" PostId="7798" Score="0" Text="So far I've been doing exactly what you suggest.  I try to figure out what they need and then taylor my pitch towards that.  As long as I know what they want ahead of time, it works almost every time.   What I'm having trouble with is introducing myself to brand new clients.  &#xA;First impressions count, so if I pitch myself as a cybersecurity consultant then they will remember that and won't contact me for virtualization work - or vice versa.  Even though I like being generalist, it's very unmarketable.  It's almost derogatory given the whole &quot;jack of all traded master of none&quot; concept" CreationDate="2018-07-19T17:17:23.273" UserId="20334" />
  <row Id="10318" PostId="7798" Score="0" Text="Do you have an example of generalist consultants that are proudly promoting themselves generalists? (now I'm hiding it) How have they build their brand and turn the mostly negative &quot;generalist&quot; label into something positive?   (I know about: T shaped skills, generalizing specialist, and specializing generalist thing, but I haven't seen a pure generalist angle ... probably because there is no meat to it.   Anyone can be a pure generalist.  What's the difference between a veteran generalist or someone fresh from high school who happens to have a pretty sharp mind but almost no experience?)" CreationDate="2018-07-19T17:30:07.010" UserId="20334" />
  <row Id="10319" PostId="7804" Score="1" Text="Do you believe I should make a full e-commerce website for $250?" CreationDate="2018-07-21T22:45:50.190" UserId="20352" />
  <row Id="10320" PostId="7804" Score="0" Text="@EdwardSeverinsen absolutely not. Not even close. That figure is missing *at least* one zero. But then, I wouldn't ever agree to do so either. It's up to you to decide if the repercussions of failing the agreement are more severe and damaging than the doing such a large amount of work for so little pay. For me... I'd suffer the consequences and decline to work further. Actually, I would have never started work." CreationDate="2018-07-22T02:21:09.323" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10321" PostId="7809" Score="1" Text="After talking with them I proposed that the first week of work would be $250 and the rest would be my hourly rate. They said that was fair then told me they would see how things went after the first week and wanted to know how much I could get done. I think they want to pay as little as possible, which is understandable but not fair to me. I'm not working for peanuts. So I think I will have to close the project and respectfully decline to offer my services for so little money." CreationDate="2018-07-23T15:05:34.783" UserId="20352" />
  <row Id="10322" PostId="7809" Score="0" Text="You probably did the right thing, correcting a mistake as soon as possible. In addition, nothing kills the will to be a freelancer as working for nearly free - so some projects or clients should simply be avoided." CreationDate="2018-07-24T06:50:22.210" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="10323" PostId="7810" Score="0" Text="Please add your jurisdiction - it may be helpful in answering your question!" CreationDate="2018-07-24T08:55:39.667" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10324" PostId="7807" Score="0" Text="My client is super stingy, and is paying me way less than what I would normally ask for, for one reason and another. With that being said, he was the one to determine the budget on images. He was grumpy about spending ~$40 and refuses to pay any more money on anything on the site. I dont see why it should be me footing the bill. In the end, he just said he will stick with the images we have and wont be buying more." CreationDate="2018-07-24T17:45:23.243" UserId="19139" />
  <row Id="10326" PostId="7807" Score="0" Text="Any client *&quot;paying you less than you would normally ask for&quot;* is **not** at fault for what they are paying. No one forced you to take a project at less than you feel you are worth. if anything it is *your* fault for not charging appropriately. Shifting blame to the client is completely illogical. All clients, **ALL clients**, want to pay as little as they can." CreationDate="2018-07-25T05:38:10.707" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10327" PostId="7822" Score="0" Text="Was there **any** discussion or agreement surrounding the refund of payment at any time? Was the word &quot;deposit&quot; ever used? Or terms such as &quot;payment for work thus far&quot;? Basically what grounds can you, as the worker, see they client may interpret which would allow them to believe they are entitled to a refund? Especially if **any** of your time was used regarding their project. Some (bad) clients do not seem to grasp they are paying for your time, not for an end product." CreationDate="2018-08-01T21:05:10.437" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10328" PostId="7777" Score="0" Text="Just to clarify, have you been paid already?" CreationDate="2018-07-18T09:36:23.033" UserId="20078" />
  <row Id="10329" PostId="7777" Score="0" Text="No, but I also haven't delivered them any software yet, just sample inputs and outputs." CreationDate="2018-07-18T19:18:08.227" UserId="20280" />
  <row Id="10330" PostId="7822" Score="0" Text="Have you signed a contract or other form of agreement? If so, what does that say regarding payment?" CreationDate="2018-08-03T06:23:34.240" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="10331" PostId="7822" Score="0" Text="No agreements signed. Just had telephone discussions, as they are not moving forward they need the money back." CreationDate="2018-08-04T08:39:06.673" UserId="20104" />
  <row Id="10333" PostId="6535" Score="0" Text="A VPN is just another security-hazard, as long as you don´t control the VPN-server! Best to ask this kind of questions in security.stackexchange.com as it does not really has anything to do with freelancing. You´ll get much better answers there." CreationDate="2018-08-07T12:12:06.363" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10334" PostId="7831" Score="0" Text="I had the same issue.  The coder created something that didn't solve the problem.  Quite a technical solution to a non-problem.  It was useless, he was very unhappy and he DID demand payment.  In the end I asked him how much he wanted and asked him to be truthful about how much work he had done.  I worked out a way to find a use for the software in some other capacity.  I paid him nowhere near the full amount.  I asked a friend to review and he said although it was clear to me what I wanted, it was not clear to the developer, so that swayed me somewhat." CreationDate="2018-08-14T19:20:47.770" UserId="20486" />
  <row Id="10335" PostId="7804" Score="0" Text="I think it's fair to go back to a client early on and tell them that you had misjudged the project and give them a new quote.  Explain that you are sorry about the mistake and tell them you are happy to withdraw if they wish to go with someone else.  The fact of the matter is, if you get someone else to do this work for you, you will have to pay them.  I would 100% start by telling them it was a mistake and try to withdraw or offer them the correct price." CreationDate="2018-08-14T19:24:19.913" UserId="20486" />
  <row Id="10336" PostId="7804" Score="0" Text="Well it would be fine to reevaluate costs during exploratory conversations. That is *often* the norm. However, to accept the project, complete some work, and then to ask for more compensation is a bit unprofessional. If you are going to ask for more, it should be before any work is started or when the client is requesting items above and beyond what has been agreed upon. It really shouldn't be mid-way between completing what has been agreed upon." CreationDate="2018-08-14T19:28:56.590" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10337" PostId="7587" Score="0" Text="Sorry for the response delay ;), No you don't, you're considered as a liberal activity and thus not a regular commercial one needing to be registered in the [RCS](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Registre_du_commerce_et_des_soci%C3%A9t%C3%A9s_(France))" CreationDate="2018-08-16T11:40:53.580" UserId="18448" />
  <row Id="10340" PostId="7800" Score="0" Text="While it's great you answered your own question, Link-Only answers are highly discouraged. Instead, please summarize the information you found, and provide the link as a reference of where you got the information. Please [edit] to include the relevant information. Thanks!" CreationDate="2018-08-19T18:07:21.977" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="10344" PostId="7828" Score="0" Text="Possible duplicate of [How do I invoice my client correctly in the UK?](https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/590/how-do-i-invoice-my-client-correctly-in-the-uk)" CreationDate="2018-08-21T08:01:29.117" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="10347" PostId="7844" Score="0" Text="As a sole trader, you can use your personal bank account. However, I wouldn't recommend it. You could, however, use a cheaper alternative personal account for your business, but if your business has a high amount of transactions, you might be breaching the T&amp;C's of your account." CreationDate="2018-08-24T13:31:24.017" UserId="20545" />
  <row Id="10348" PostId="7828" Score="0" Text="I wouldn't class that as a duplicate. Although the person states they are not registered, the question is about how to charge clients and invoices, which in my opinion is a separate question." CreationDate="2018-08-24T13:36:23.410" UserId="20545" />
  <row Id="10352" PostId="7850" Score="1" Text="Most VPS owners sell hosting." CreationDate="2018-08-30T20:31:33.427" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10353" PostId="7852" Score="5" Text="You can't really judge *anything* by what *clients* **want** to pay. Many don't have any clue about real costs." CreationDate="2018-08-31T15:09:29.820" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10354" PostId="7852" Score="1" Text="@Scott: true... in my defense: when you follow the links, there is always more than one freelancer who actually makes an offer for that price. I cannot imagine anyone to build a decent chat application for 100$. It will take more than 1 day just to nail the requirements." CreationDate="2018-08-31T16:19:42.457" UserId="20582" />
  <row Id="10355" PostId="7852" Score="1" Text="Exchange rates and hobbyists. What appears to be $100 US may equate to much, much, more than that for local currency. Reality is, I find $35/hr horrifically low for a skilled trade. And I didn't follow the links. I find the crowdsourcing sites to be pretty unrealistic in terms of earning market-level income." CreationDate="2018-08-31T16:45:37.980" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10356" PostId="7852" Score="1" Text="@Scott: yes, $35 is way too low. It was just a theoretical example, a lower bound: if I work like an employee, am never sick, and instead of a salary I get 35$/h, I have the same amount of money in my pocket as an employee. The assumption that I can work like an employee and that I am never sick and that there is no overhead is wrong though." CreationDate="2018-08-31T16:50:50.377" UserId="20582" />
  <row Id="10357" PostId="7857" Score="0" Text="Possible duplicate of [Project owner is asking for refundable deposit](https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/7571/project-owner-is-asking-for-refundable-deposit)" CreationDate="2018-09-01T19:28:47.760" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10359" PostId="7858" Score="1" Text="thank you very much. you saved me I was about to pay for this job because I needed the payment .... but thanks ... I did not understand why I had to pay a contract ..... but you saved me ... thanks for helping me ... I will be eternally grateful for your time that you took to answer me and help me" CreationDate="2018-09-01T20:09:42.103" UserId="20597" />
  <row Id="10360" PostId="7770" Score="0" Text="As far as I know, for an invoicer in the EU, the rule is to charge VAT to a local invoicee, reverse VAT for a EU invoicee and no VAT outside EU." CreationDate="2018-09-03T19:10:09.317" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="10362" PostId="7858" Score="1" Text="No problem. Most of the time you can sort of stuff like this by merely thinking of how you do business yourself with others/contractors. If you hired someone to mow your lawn.. would *you* expect *them* to pay you anything for any reason???" CreationDate="2018-09-04T16:16:40.710" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10367" PostId="7867" Score="0" Text="Thanks. Well, I understood what you mention but no one will just throw their idea in public without understanding consequences... Even on Open source there is a licensing scheme available. My question is how this is handled in freelance world..." CreationDate="2018-09-05T15:34:24.973" UserId="20599" />
  <row Id="10369" PostId="7859" Score="0" Text="Fun fact: Ideas or often less unique an less valuable than you think. Execution is mostly the problem ..." CreationDate="2018-09-06T09:03:23.520" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10373" PostId="7831" Score="1" Text="@Eoin: There is a saying: *Weeks of Programming can save you hours of Planning* - unfortunately this is quite true in a lot of cases. So when you employ remote freelancers, always make sure you you invest some time on initial planning with them, even if it seems an extra burden at first." CreationDate="2018-09-06T09:31:53.807" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10374" PostId="7831" Score="0" Text="I do, I thought I had been very clear. I my example case I wanted a responsive iFrame, which I now know is impossible. But he made the width responsible. Somehow he used s tonne of JS for this. I usually achieve the same with CSS only. I'm not sure if he was deliberately shafting me but the code was pointless. His question was &quot;should I work for free&quot; my thinking was &quot;what have you actually done here?&quot; Honestly, if that was me, I would probably have accepted it was my own lack of knowledge that caused me all that work. I just deleted all his JS and did something else with the container." CreationDate="2018-09-06T09:51:40.883" UserId="20486" />
  <row Id="10375" PostId="7830" Score="2" Text="My hint: Get counsel from a professional! This can have a huge impact on your financial future! I mean, thanks for the trust you put in us, but do you really want to make these decisions based on advice from random strangers on the internet?" CreationDate="2018-09-06T11:22:19.230" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10376" PostId="7867" Score="1" Text="@Saya: Open source licensing is about the actual code, the idea you are mostly free to copy unless otherwise protected! As anything that is considered *generally available to the public* is not protectable and therefore excluded in any nda." CreationDate="2018-09-06T11:28:25.947" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10377" PostId="7860" Score="0" Text="Depending on the setup, you could add a non-compete agreement to that..." CreationDate="2018-09-06T11:29:13.623" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10380" PostId="7830" Score="0" Text="Thanks Daniel, I already did this and ended up deciding to change my country of residence before making the move. My status in France is very restrictive, and would need a year before I can change it... a change that would have other limiting restrictions. I'm avoiding the details but I can elaborate if needed." CreationDate="2018-09-06T15:52:44.070" UserId="7368" />
  <row Id="10383" PostId="7870" Score="0" Text="Thanks, but I'm not actually looking to increase my net income as the job is relatively secure and is actually a contract-to-hire situation. I just want to cover any potential additional costs (e.g. increased tax burden). I'm just wondering if there is a general rule-of-thumb calculation (multiple w2 by x) to cover most situations." CreationDate="2018-09-07T12:44:01.917" UserId="20621" />
  <row Id="10384" PostId="7870" Score="0" Text="@WarrenPayne Ermm... That's *exactly* what I posted.. current hourly wage x 3." CreationDate="2018-09-07T15:48:45.053" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10385" PostId="7870" Score="0" Text="No, that would triple my gross pay, wouldn't it? What am I missing here?" CreationDate="2018-09-07T15:49:55.497" UserId="20621" />
  <row Id="10386" PostId="7870" Score="0" Text="@WarrenPayne If you earn $20/Hr.. the freelance rate would be $60/hr. It **is** higher because, as you mention in the question, your employer will *not* be paying for all the overhead. it will fall upon you to pay for electricity, water, sick days, retirement, insurance, equipment, supplies, etc. There are all sorts of overhead costs employers cover. If you are a contractor, **you** must cover those costs, rates increase due to that." CreationDate="2018-09-07T16:38:17.693" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10388" PostId="7861" Score="0" Text="Oh, great! Thanks for the info, but I don't really get what is this &quot;SCORE chapter&quot; you're talking about. .-." CreationDate="2018-09-09T04:51:10.407" UserId="20306" />
  <row Id="10389" PostId="7872" Score="0" Text="I would find an addition 20% to be inadequate. But to each his (or her) own." CreationDate="2018-09-09T19:12:25.750" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10390" PostId="7872" Score="0" Text="The only additional burden for me is tax-related. No utilities, travel etc." CreationDate="2018-09-09T19:27:49.473" UserId="20621" />
  <row Id="10391" PostId="7872" Score="0" Text="Health Insurance? Vacations? Sick Days? And the tax burdens can be considerable. Remember you'll pay Social Security, self-employment, etc. all yourself. I think 1.2 is a bit short-sighted. But again, if it works for you, that's great!" CreationDate="2018-09-09T20:46:23.600" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10392" PostId="7872" Score="0" Text="Nope don't need to worry about any of those, hence how I worded my question. All that was already built into my w2 rate, which is why I was focused on the additional tax aspect of 1099.." CreationDate="2018-09-09T20:50:08.163" UserId="20621" />
  <row Id="10393" PostId="7872" Score="0" Text="Oh I wish I could impart 30 years of experience to you in order to save you so much surprise and headache later... but.. as the saying goes.. you can lead a horse to water..... &quot;all that&quot;  **was NOT** &quot;built into the w2 rate&quot; There are additional taxes your employer pays which are not reflected on your paycheck. In your attempt to not appear &quot;greedy&quot; you are going to cut yourself short, undoubtedly." CreationDate="2018-09-09T21:12:38.833" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10394" PostId="7861" Score="0" Text="https://www.score.org/ they are an organization that can help with your question in more detail. They provide business mentoring for people in america." CreationDate="2018-09-09T23:46:11.590" UserId="20604" />
  <row Id="10395" PostId="7877" Score="1" Text="I didn't think beforehand, but I think the region depends a lot. I am from India so $20 would be a bit too much for my client, at the same time Rs 20-100 is basically worth nothing here" CreationDate="2018-09-12T17:02:37.473" UserId="20647" />
  <row Id="10396" PostId="7878" Score="1" Text="This seems like the correct way to go about it.. Thanks" CreationDate="2018-09-12T17:04:25.807" UserId="20647" />
  <row Id="10397" PostId="6319" Score="1" Text="I have not spent time on a website for my freelancing business and I'm doing pretty well, though perhaps I'd do even better if I had a good website. I'm more technical and less on the creative side of things so my work doesn't require a portfolio. So I'd say it depends on what you do. If it's design or even software dev, you probably should have a good website showing off what you can do and a portfolio." CreationDate="2018-09-13T19:15:26.067" UserId="19273" />
  <row Id="10398" PostId="6319" Score="1" Text="People might not FIND you through your website but they'll decide whether to hire you partially based on it, especially in your line of work. Web Dev you need to make a good website a priority, I would think." CreationDate="2018-09-13T19:16:28.447" UserId="19273" />
  <row Id="10399" PostId="7779" Score="0" Text="Anyone care to offer a reason for the -2 received this week?" CreationDate="2018-09-14T10:22:36.873" UserId="20290" />
  <row Id="10400" PostId="7879" Score="0" Text="Uhhh, what? I don't understand what the dilemma is?" CreationDate="2018-09-14T17:09:00.950" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="10402" PostId="7883" Score="1" Text="You would be better served by narrowing your questions down to one topic rather than a catch-all for anything and everything related to freelancing. In addition, *many* of these questions may already have answers here if you use the search feature." CreationDate="2018-09-16T21:00:28.287" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10403" PostId="7887" Score="0" Text="Thanks for your response. I have, nevertheless just sent an email to my current client explaining the situation politely. If they choose to let me go, so be it. I'll find something else. Honesty is the best policy I suppose. This way, noone can say I didn't try to find the best solution." CreationDate="2018-09-18T18:46:56.590" UserId="20690" />
  <row Id="10404" PostId="7850" Score="0" Text="Tell you the truth the outcome is endless owning lots of servers." CreationDate="2018-09-15T14:27:10.983" UserId="20669" />
  <row Id="10405" PostId="7887" Score="0" Text="@user1841243 Why don't you wait until you have a new offer?" CreationDate="2018-09-19T00:30:25.880" UserId="15143" />
  <row Id="10406" PostId="7887" Score="0" Text="@SmallChess because it's a good offer. Freelancing jobs usually have an end date, these 2 jobs both do not have an end date." CreationDate="2018-09-19T05:11:46.587" UserId="20690" />
  <row Id="10408" PostId="1024" Score="0" Text="Related question recently asked at the Personal Finance &amp; Money StackExchange: [How is a non-resident Sole Trader in Australia taxed on freelance work?](https://money.stackexchange.com/questions/100039/how-is-a-non-resident-sole-trader-in-australia-taxed-on-freelance-work)" CreationDate="2018-09-19T19:25:48.903" UserId="120" />
  <row Id="10410" PostId="7879" Score="0" Text="I just number mine from YYMM01, so that this month I have 180901, 180902 ... but I only have one client. If I had more, I would probably add a unique client Id at the start, but my method as it stands works even for multiple clients." CreationDate="2018-09-24T14:09:06.203" UserId="14719" />
  <row Id="10412" PostId="7890" Score="0" Text="Would be nice to know the reason for the downvote .." CreationDate="2018-09-24T15:31:56.350" UserId="20705" />
  <row Id="10413" PostId="7893" Score="0" Text="Thanks, this is very helpful, and the answer you linked to is great as well. I will look for some small jobs I can take on 'on-the-side', and see if that will help me get a feel for the market." CreationDate="2018-09-24T15:33:38.790" UserId="20705" />
  <row Id="10415" PostId="7897" Score="4" Text="Be warned that the fee is 20% on the first $500, then 10%." CreationDate="2018-09-26T12:34:37.523" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="10416" PostId="7896" Score="1" Text="Reason for -1? So I know what to fix?" CreationDate="2018-09-26T15:36:10.997" UserId="20549" />
  <row Id="10417" PostId="3141" Score="0" Text="Why &quot;***university*** library&quot;? I have worked out of my local, non-uni, library before now, often for weeks on end." CreationDate="2018-10-01T13:24:37.487" UserId="14719" />
  <row Id="10418" PostId="7851" Score="0" Text="Blog, podcast, YouTube, FaceTweet, GitHub projects,a  few freeware apps, perhaps; try to get them mentioned in periodicals, maybe even win an award." CreationDate="2018-10-01T14:34:34.210" UserId="14719" />
  <row Id="10419" PostId="7758" Score="0" Text="&quot;I hope cross-posting this is okay&quot; - cross-posting is, alas, ***never*** okay on any Stack Exchange sites." CreationDate="2018-10-01T14:35:51.267" UserId="14719" />
  <row Id="10420" PostId="7830" Score="1" Text="What does E-Residency in Estonia get you for your Eur 50 to 99/month? And, be aware that their FAQ clearly states &quot;`It’s your own responsibility to pay the relevant personal taxes in your actual location in your country of residence `&quot;. In fact, that will be the case no matter what solution you adopt.  Where you live is where you pay your taxes, no matter where you earn your money (unless you are Google, of course :-)" CreationDate="2018-10-01T14:41:39.063" UserId="14719" />
  <row Id="10421" PostId="7851" Score="1" Text="@Mawg thank you for your comment, but it's too broad in my opinion. You cant blog/podcast/youtube/tweet/GitHub in a significant way all at once + have a full-time job :) I'm asking about narrow approach with one of them, and would like to hear any success stories :)" CreationDate="2018-10-01T17:24:40.597" UserId="20536" />
  <row Id="10422" PostId="7851" Score="0" Text="There are two on my current team of ten who manage it. maybe you have to want it enough ;-)" CreationDate="2018-10-02T06:29:17.310" UserId="14719" />
  <row Id="10423" PostId="7830" Score="0" Text="E-residency gives you the right to open a company in Estonia. The monthly fee is for service providers (eg. LeapIn) which would take care of all the paperwork for company creation, accounting and tax filing in Estonia. Unfortunately those services come with the limitations I stated in my post. You mentioned taxes are to be paid in my country of residence... not true. The company and owner are 2 separate entities, taxes on revenue made by the company must be paid in the company's country not the owner's." CreationDate="2018-10-02T16:19:32.563" UserId="7368" />
  <row Id="10424" PostId="7851" Score="0" Text="@Mawg Exciting! Could you share their profiles? :)" CreationDate="2018-10-02T16:52:49.067" UserId="20536" />
  <row Id="10425" PostId="7851" Score="0" Text="I would - if I had not said that they are on my team. But, since I don't share their  desire for publicity, this account is anonymous &amp; naming them would lead to me" CreationDate="2018-10-02T20:26:40.000" UserId="14719" />
  <row Id="10426" PostId="7905" Score="0" Text="I am stressing &quot;the invoice is worth more than the cost of hiring&quot;." CreationDate="2018-10-03T13:59:26.103" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="10428" PostId="7830" Score="0" Text="Pay the taxes in the country you are receiving services from and owe something to." CreationDate="2018-10-03T14:08:20.040" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="10434" PostId="7911" Score="0" Text="Great advice, in particular the first bullet point.  Best answer so far IMO, I'm accepting it." CreationDate="2018-10-07T08:55:19.753" UserId="18036" />
  <row Id="10436" PostId="7917" Score="0" Text="is there a valid contract between the customer and the seller?" CreationDate="2018-10-10T08:58:50.130" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="10438" PostId="7914" Score="0" Text="Do you agree with the other answer that it is a good idea to go to the tax office and ask in person? I wanted to do this, but in *some* countries at least this would not be a good idea. They would simply give the most conservative answer possible just to avoid any liability, and possibly even suggest reclassifying me as Gewerbe immediately, even though I have not yet done any of the activities I am not 100% sure about. Now maybe in Germany this is not the typical attitude. Hopefully/probably it's not. But I would like some confirmation that they're indeed helpful before going there in person." CreationDate="2018-10-10T09:13:31.277" UserId="20795" />
  <row Id="10439" PostId="7914" Score="0" Text="While a tax consultant is obviously a good idea in the long run, at this moment I am simply testing the waters and looking whether I can extend a hobby into something more. This is also why I want to stay as  Freiberufler. Just try the simplest thing first, be conservative about activities to make sure I fit into this class, and see where it goes. The entire profit of the venture may be comparable to a tax advisor's fee so I don't want to do that yet." CreationDate="2018-10-10T09:16:32.700" UserId="20795" />
  <row Id="10440" PostId="7914" Score="0" Text="@Carina: There are a lot of things to consider **before** you start. I met a riding instructor who was under the impression he did not have to pay VAT and then hat to repay for 3 years past ... don´t save 200€ on counseling now to make expensive mistakes which will hurt you down the road. If you expect to earn less than that you will probably have luck just declaring it a &quot;Privatverkauf&quot; which is tax exempt up to 600€/pa" CreationDate="2018-10-10T09:32:26.547" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10441" PostId="7914" Score="0" Text="Also, counsleing at the IHK, Finanzamt and Arbeitsamt are free, so if you find something there you don´t even have to invest anything but your time." CreationDate="2018-10-10T09:33:52.230" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10442" PostId="7917" Score="0" Text="Yes it was but he reviewed order then cancelled" CreationDate="2018-10-10T09:33:53.950" UserId="20754" />
  <row Id="10443" PostId="7852" Score="1" Text="@Michael I live in India, in the capital of the country and am a mobile developer myself. the thing is 15$/hr is a lot of money here. I end up getting around 150,000 INR per month whereas I'm still single and the cost of living including dinners and outings comes to around 20,000 INR per month. That's still a lot of savings every month. I do however agree with $140 and $10-$30 projects are by technically noob people who have no idea about their tech or stuff." CreationDate="2018-10-10T12:51:50.097" UserId="20805" />
  <row Id="10444" PostId="7918" Score="0" Text="What country? I feel this is a location-specific question..." CreationDate="2018-10-10T16:53:13.593" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="10445" PostId="7918" Score="0" Text="Sorry. This is in the UK" CreationDate="2018-10-10T19:53:22.997" UserId="19139" />
  <row Id="10446" PostId="7918" Score="0" Text="People can sue for practically any reason That doesn't mean they'll win. And in 99.9% of cases, it's a hollow threat to scare you, nothing more." CreationDate="2018-10-10T20:21:57.960" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10447" PostId="7917" Score="0" Text="If he &quot;got the work&quot; then he didn't &quot;cancel&quot; anything. Sue." CreationDate="2018-10-12T14:48:18.943" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10449" PostId="7918" Score="0" Text="Did you agree to any terms of payment and delivery?" CreationDate="2018-10-16T14:44:48.573" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10450" PostId="7921" Score="0" Text="+1, Also make sure you put clear terms of payment and delivery in any future contracts." CreationDate="2018-10-16T14:46:15.073" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10452" PostId="7917" Score="0" Text="Do you have any evidence of all this ?" CreationDate="2018-10-17T08:27:46.523" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="10453" PostId="7918" Score="0" Text="Was it clear in the agreement if you had an obligation of results or an obligation of means ?" CreationDate="2018-10-17T08:42:04.063" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="10454" PostId="7918" Score="0" Text="will update my post to answer properly" CreationDate="2018-10-17T21:04:23.333" UserId="19139" />
  <row Id="10455" PostId="7896" Score="0" Text="it is legit, but you will end up paying more fees to upwork, e.g. upwork charges 20% of your profits" CreationDate="2018-10-19T09:02:24.573" UserId="2585" />
  <row Id="10456" PostId="7917" Score="0" Text="I don't recommend this. You can't take him to court unless you've mentioned about charges for the same before ordering." CreationDate="2018-10-16T08:07:01.553" UserId="20831" />
  <row Id="10457" PostId="6420" Score="0" Text="In the latest update: how do you deal with such a company when they happen to be exhibiting at the same community expo (Makerfaire) that you are at? What I did was: complete ignorance of their existence. When friends mentioned their company, I brushed them off as contract client who didn't pay, also launched a failed kickstarter. Also: beat them by winning a best of makerfaire award in the same area." CreationDate="2018-10-26T03:17:43.213" UserId="15906" />
  <row Id="10462" PostId="7776" Score="1" Text="Surely it is the hosts job to maintain the server? Or did you choose a poor quality host? Personally, I would move them to a VPS with good support so they do not need your services. I do very little on my server and it's very deliberate." CreationDate="2018-08-14T19:27:57.730" UserId="20486" />
  <row Id="10464" PostId="7945" Score="0" Text="Yeah, makes sense, but my country is kinda stupid. But thanks nevertheless." CreationDate="2018-10-28T14:42:43.453" UserId="20647" />
  <row Id="10465" PostId="7948" Score="1" Text="Maybe even go a step further, and generate Lorem Ipsum text?" CreationDate="2018-10-28T17:32:30.457" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="10466" PostId="7954" Score="2" Text="What does your contract state?" CreationDate="2018-11-03T07:27:16.587" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10467" PostId="7956" Score="0" Text="Thank you for your valuable Answer But how i wil sue them as there is no legal contract between us" CreationDate="2018-11-03T16:59:21.340" UserId="20754" />
  <row Id="10469" PostId="7956" Score="2" Text="No emails? no texts? No instant messages? Nothing in writing whatsoever? No way to prove you created the artwork? If that's true, then you learn from the experience and move on. There's nothing you *can* do." CreationDate="2018-11-03T17:00:38.507" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10470" PostId="7956" Score="0" Text="No, i  have his chat where i get his  requirements but is this enough to take him to court?" CreationDate="2018-11-03T17:05:43.673" UserId="20754" />
  <row Id="10471" PostId="7956" Score="1" Text="Location matters. In the US, sometimes *any* written evidence that he requested work and that you completed that work may be favorable to a court judgement. At times even verbal agreements *may* be enough for small claims court with some evidence to back things up. **I am not a lawyer**. and I *am not* giving any legal advice other than to point out if you want to get paid, you have to prove you are owed. You may wish to speak to an attorney. I'm uncertain what you anticipate anyone here posting. There's no &quot;magic&quot; button to force a client to be suddenly honest and forthright with payment." CreationDate="2018-11-03T17:12:34.150" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10472" PostId="7959" Score="1" Text="Possible duplicate of [Junior Graphic Designer here. Am I being low-balled by a client who I've worked with for the past 3 years? How to remedy the situation?](https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/7931/junior-graphic-designer-here-am-i-being-low-balled-by-a-client-who-ive-worked)" CreationDate="2018-11-06T15:23:54.490" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10473" PostId="7959" Score="1" Text="You shouldn't repost the same question." CreationDate="2018-11-06T15:24:07.263" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10475" PostId="7968" Score="0" Text="its not about not having time to do some project.. its the unrealistic timeline that sometime client put forward... sometime clients are more focused on features rather then quality, but it become hell for a developer to extend or change poorly written code in initial phase of the project." CreationDate="2018-11-08T14:27:29.830" UserId="20970" />
  <row Id="10476" PostId="7968" Score="1" Text="Well, there's nothing stating you **must** accept an unrealistic timeline. As a freelancer **I** dictate the time I need, not the client." CreationDate="2018-11-08T14:28:14.967" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10477" PostId="7968" Score="0" Text="Dictating the timeline is not really upto you sometime.  Sometime clients are tougher." CreationDate="2018-11-08T16:10:23.500" UserId="20970" />
  <row Id="10478" PostId="7968" Score="0" Text="I guess that depends upon the freelancer. I've never had a client dictate a timeline. They have *requested* a timeline, but ultimately I'm the only one who is capable of determining if a timeline is feasible." CreationDate="2018-11-08T16:51:59.753" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10479" PostId="7968" Score="0" Text="then you are lucky i guess Asians clients are tougher to handle" CreationDate="2018-11-08T17:07:29.253" UserId="20970" />
  <row Id="10480" PostId="7971" Score="1" Text="In the United States, the IRS has limitations as to what can be classified as a &quot;home office&quot;. In most situations it is difficult to claim rent/mortgage payments as a legitimate *business* expense since you'd be paying it anyway --- again, in the US." CreationDate="2018-11-12T02:24:07.457" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10483" PostId="7932" Score="0" Text="Thank you Scott for your detailed and insightful response. I tried following your advice and your proposal. Client has only one issue: he cannot verify the hours I put in—which could mean he does not fully trust me (yet). He wants me to give him another proposal or in his words &quot;formula&quot; to charge him. He wants an easy-to-understand rate that we can agree on. The work I do for him isn't relatively difficult, meaning I could spend an hour to 2 finish a packaging design. Unless it's a new project which means I have to make studies. Hourly doesn't seem 'fair' to me but I'm running out of options." CreationDate="2018-11-16T07:28:56.440" UserId="20860" />
  <row Id="10484" PostId="7932" Score="0" Text="Hourly is industry standard. If the client doesn't &quot;trust&quot; you to report hours correctly, then the client is a bad client. Doing business with people is *all about trusting them*. I'd personally be slightly offended by being called a liar and/or a thief in such a manner. This just sounds like a bad client to me. There's FAR too much discussion.. give pricing. If he/she doesn't want to pay it... then move on. Don't work for them then. This client is being unrealistic." CreationDate="2018-11-16T15:15:58.490" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10485" PostId="7355" Score="0" Text="For some people, this is a fortune. Welcome to the World. https://www.worlddata.info/average-income.php" CreationDate="2018-11-16T17:01:39.183" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="10486" PostId="7983" Score="0" Text="Thanks, that makes sense. I will probably not say anything this time but it's good to know to sort things like that out as early as possible for the future." CreationDate="2018-11-16T21:36:10.600" UserId="21016" />
  <row Id="10489" PostId="7102" Score="0" Text="@KJO I charged for the documentation with minimum of 1 hour charge" CreationDate="2018-11-19T00:05:04.213" UserId="17928" />
  <row Id="10495" PostId="7995" Score="0" Text="Thanks. Just trying to get an idea if its necessary to ask them. I left the job 3 years ago. So, feeling a bit uncomfortable. BTW, it was not contractual work, I'm talking about my previous workplace. Thanks again, for your suggestions  :)" CreationDate="2018-11-21T21:06:57.733" UserId="2626" />
  <row Id="10501" PostId="6406" Score="0" Text="Patenting is the last thing I would do. 1) You'll have to invest time and money to obtain the patent; 2) getting the patent requires you to publish and explain what you have done, in fact easing the copying; 3) you'll never know who is infringing the patent nor will be able to collect evidence; 4) and even so, you won't be able to afford a trial against the offenders; 5) last but not least, you will lose." CreationDate="2018-11-27T14:17:03.340" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="10502" PostId="6392" Score="2" Text="If you don't intend to keep developing the baby, then don't see this company as a competitor but as a customer." CreationDate="2018-11-27T14:20:18.527" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="10505" PostId="8010" Score="0" Text="No, customers will see no difference. I'm talking about what I pay the contractors who bring me customers." CreationDate="2018-11-30T21:26:45.997" UserId="21092" />
  <row Id="10506" PostId="8010" Score="0" Text="Wouldn't it merely be a one time finder's fee?" CreationDate="2018-12-01T13:38:01.353" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10507" PostId="7954" Score="1" Text="Well, it states a lot of things. But nothing about cancellation or a &quot;kill fee&quot; or anything like that because I never in a million years would have guessed she was going to do this to me. I'm a sucker, I've been duped a lot! I just don't have a radar for this stuff I suppose. I've done tons of research and moving forward I'll be much better prepared, but what's done is done. I'm going to take her to small claims court. Pro se of course. Paying a lawyer wouldn't make sense." CreationDate="2018-12-03T16:30:17.490" UserId="20937" />
  <row Id="10508" PostId="7958" Score="0" Text="Thank you so much for your detailed response! I really appreciate your support, it's reassuring to know you're not alone. I will surely not make this mistake again. I've been doing a lot of research on my own, but thank you for the additional resources! I'm basically reading everything I can find. I've been planning out my steps, and would like to get a demand letter out today - thank you for the suggestion of a notary! I know that I deserve to get paid. I've got tons of documentation to back up my claim. The contract we signed did not plan for this, but in the future.. I'll be bulletproof :-)" CreationDate="2018-12-03T16:50:40.047" UserId="20937" />
  <row Id="10509" PostId="8010" Score="0" Text="Yes I guess so. I'm looking for what is the common practice and legal terms to use in the contract." CreationDate="2018-12-04T05:11:01.660" UserId="21092" />
  <row Id="10511" PostId="8008" Score="0" Text="I guess I should comment this: this client is more of an “employer” - they recruited me for part-time work 5 years ago and I’ve been doing 10-30 hours/week depending on my school/other work schedules. So they’ve always set the pricing. Perhaps it was a poor choice to include them in my other pool of clients (where I actually do control the pricing). Given that update, how does that change your answer?" CreationDate="2018-12-06T06:41:57.503" UserId="17858" />
  <row Id="10512" PostId="8008" Score="1" Text="If they aren't providing vacation pay, sick pay, equipment, software, deducting taxes, providing you with a W2 (if in the US), etc.. then they are **not** an employer. They may want you to *think* of them as an &quot;employer&quot; because it is in their favor if you feel beholden to them.. but you aren't. If they've set pricing, it is only because *you have allowed them to do so.* If they *are* providing all the &quot;employer&quot; benefits, then it would come down to asking for a raise or finding a new employer. From the sound of things, they are merely a crafty client that has got you fooled perhaps." CreationDate="2018-12-06T08:11:13.043" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10513" PostId="8008" Score="0" Text="Great points Scott, I'll definitely bring this up in my discussion with the CEO. In this case they are definitely not an employer (when I was hired, I was 21 with no experience so I never saw the difference). This will be very helpful in negotiations. I really do like this client but they're the most difficult work with the least pay, so I have to make some decisions very soon. Thank you so much for your help!" CreationDate="2018-12-06T08:13:29.687" UserId="17858" />
  <row Id="10514" PostId="8008" Score="0" Text="Glad to help Chris. It's not uncommon for some clients to try and pass off freelance or contract work as &quot;employment&quot; when nothing could be further from the truth. It's beneficial to the client to use freelancers/contractors because they *avoid* all the taxes, healthcare, 401k, workman's comp insurance, etc that way. In the US, the IRS has started cracking down on this behavior." CreationDate="2018-12-06T08:18:56.337" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10515" PostId="8008" Score="0" Text="But at the same time the client *wants* the freelancer to think of themselves as an &quot;employee&quot; so they are fearful of losing their &quot;job&quot; and wont' ask for a &quot;raise&quot; and will consider their position a very, very weak negotiation position. -- the long and short of it is in the US... if you get a **W2 and use the equipment of the &quot;client/employer&quot; then yes  you are an employee**. If you get a **1099 or nothing, and use your own equipment** you are **absolutely *not* an employee** in any way." CreationDate="2018-12-06T08:19:58.990" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10516" PostId="8008" Score="0" Text="I definitely understand that, and he exclusively hires freelancers, so I'm not surprised at all at this revelation, to say the least. I'll be a lot tougher in my negotiations in the coming weeks given this information (this is my first year fully freelance with multiple clients). I am in the U.S. and receive a 1099 every year, so indeed I am far from being an employee! I asked a question about payments in [chat] if you don't mind spending a few more minutes helping me navigate this crazy (and new) world ;)" CreationDate="2018-12-06T08:25:37.840" UserId="17858" />
  <row Id="10517" PostId="8015" Score="0" Text="Thanks Luke, but maybe there's a slight missunderstanding here. This is more about how to reach a targeted audience with the use of only one website. I have a site that I can use as a portfolio for written mork, photography, music, art, etc, but my problem is that all niches will be shown in the same place, where local events / people photography/articles will be mixed in with more NSFW content such as horror &amp; fetish. Without owning multiple social accounts, how can you freely communicate with a wide audience who will no doubt like some areas of your work, but possibly be offended by others?" CreationDate="2018-12-07T08:14:47.707" UserId="21137" />
  <row Id="10518" PostId="8016" Score="1" Text="Thanks Ivan. I do see my range of interests as an advantage, and the website/portfolio that I have built will effectively allow me to showcase exactly what I can do in all areas. So the main problem I have isn't so much the wesbite, but how to run a single social media presence, which can be seen by potentially every single person who follows me. On the one hand, people interested in my nature photos may have an interest in my fetish work, but on the other hand, followers who I work with at local events may change their oppinion of me for doing adult themed work." CreationDate="2018-12-07T10:43:17.703" UserId="21137" />
  <row Id="10519" PostId="8016" Score="0" Text="In this case, it makes sense to divide your portfolio and your social contacts into two groups: &quot;nude/erotic/fetish/bdsm&quot; and &quot;everything else&quot;. It seems to me that everything outside the first group will be compatible with each other." CreationDate="2018-12-07T10:52:01.140" UserId="20911" />
  <row Id="10520" PostId="8016" Score="1" Text="Thanks Ivan. It seems like that will be the way to go, but I was hoping to reduce my number of hours switching between accounts and personalities so I can focus more on actually producing quality work and content. - I've asked a similar question at https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/8017/social-networking-as-a-multi-niche-freelancer which explains things better" CreationDate="2018-12-07T10:54:51.327" UserId="21137" />
  <row Id="10521" PostId="8016" Score="0" Text="@WayneFA, good luck with that!" CreationDate="2018-12-07T10:58:15.853" UserId="20911" />
  <row Id="10522" PostId="8018" Score="0" Text="Thanks Ivan. In theory this works well, but twitter and facebook are the two major players in social networking, and the places you're most likely to pick up local clients. DA is a great place to showcase your own and comment on others work, but it's just not that effective on a local scale. Plus, it's become a joke over the past year or so, with selfies and photomanipulations galore, and art that looks great if done by a 3 year old. Unfortunately." CreationDate="2018-12-07T12:17:57.777" UserId="21137" />
  <row Id="10523" PostId="8020" Score="3" Text="Has he **asked** why he was being invoiced without any agreement? Sounds to me like the freelancer is trying to charge for what initially they saw as a loss-leader. One teh work wasn't moving forward, they weren't willing to take the loss, but it was their choice to put in 16hrs of work to write a quote. I wouldn't pay it.. regardless of small claims or word-of-mouth. And I would respond **in writing** (email, text) as to WHY it was an unfounded invoice which would not be paid." CreationDate="2018-12-07T19:45:28.277" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10524" PostId="8020" Score="0" Text="He was mostly just dumbfounded that they were doing it and so hasn't responded at all yet. Making sure he responds in writing is a good idea although I'm pretty sure he would anyways." CreationDate="2018-12-07T19:52:56.347" UserId="21141" />
  <row Id="10525" PostId="8006" Score="0" Text="What does your contract say? Are you paid per hour, per job of work or how?" CreationDate="2018-12-13T12:55:54.353" UserId="14719" />
  <row Id="10526" PostId="8006" Score="1" Text="@Mawg per hour. I essentially participate in several ongoing projects, whatever needs development, on an hourly basis. I generally have a maximum I *can* work, i.e. 40 hours per month (due to the budget). Lately I’ve been working closer to 10/month instead of my average of 30, simply because this client pays a lot less per hour than my other 2 clients." CreationDate="2018-12-13T13:25:33.713" UserId="17858" />
  <row Id="10527" PostId="7946" Score="0" Text="Replace their text by [Lorem ipsum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorem_ipsum). Which you should be doing for ALL text" CreationDate="2018-12-13T14:40:14.480" UserId="14719" />
  <row Id="10528" PostId="939" Score="0" Text="Agreed. The PO was being exploited, which his to be expected on such sites." CreationDate="2018-12-13T14:51:02.520" UserId="14719" />
  <row Id="10529" PostId="8030" Score="3" Text="Interesting. My *first* thought would be *you* were the hacker looking to stir up (blackmail) clients to make some money." CreationDate="2018-12-16T03:23:15.723" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10530" PostId="8030" Score="0" Text="Yes, no doubt this is probably what most email recipients would have thought. I was able to clarify this for the people that replied. This might not be the best example but hopefully you can see how the response / conversion rate can be improved by relating to something specific about the target website." CreationDate="2018-12-16T05:24:02.150" UserId="1018" />
  <row Id="10532" PostId="3983" Score="0" Text="@David rush fees are probably something that you should consider employing into your agreements.  If the idle time is an issue, it sounds like it should also be negotiated before starting work.  Usually, if you're not working full-time for the client, then you can't just bill them for waiting for their feedback.  If you have an agreement for billing full-time, then you can obviously bill for all downtime and bench time as well." CreationDate="2018-12-29T00:35:16.763" UserId="156" />
  <row Id="10533" PostId="8045" Score="0" Text="Is there any good way to establish this?  Basically, it seems that the communication is exactly the problem in this situation: it would seem that the client hopes that they'll be able to resolve the issues by themselves, and delay getting external help until the last minute, at the same time, they're leading me on, on a weekly basis, that this matter is urgent, and we need do one more step &quot;today&quot; to establish relationship, only to have something else come up and some other change to happen on their side, delaying my onboarding further on.  Basically, I'm getting uncompensated bench time." CreationDate="2018-12-29T22:39:15.957" UserId="156" />
  <row Id="10534" PostId="8045" Score="0" Text="Can you add any sort of comments on how do you word a contract to bill for the bench hours?  Because so far I'm getting the impression it's usually considered to be bench hours, and are non-billable to the client for non-full-time work; and part of the reason why consultants are billed at $200/h to the client, whereas the pay is more like $50/hour to the person.  The problem arises when you get a client that may or may not use you at all, yet still wants to have you available on the bench, hence, increasing the rate to account for bench time would simply make it less likely to get picked up." CreationDate="2018-12-30T21:52:59.090" UserId="156" />
  <row Id="10536" PostId="8036" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the answer. Any suggestions for good freelance opportunities with python and C++ (or MATLAB)?" CreationDate="2018-12-31T02:36:03.507" UserId="21193" />
  <row Id="10539" PostId="8047" Score="4" Text="Exactly this. Serve your client. Bill your time." CreationDate="2018-12-31T23:47:19.180" UserId="21271" />
  <row Id="10540" PostId="8047" Score="0" Text="Exactly what Kim said, but I would also put in a little work to do a  gap-fit chart comparing their requirements, the current product and what you would be doing.  If there are ANYTHING that the current one does highlight that point.  I would also mention that if you build it you can make further extensions and customisations (if that is normally part of your plan). Let the customer decide. You will get points for being honest and maybe future business." CreationDate="2019-01-02T04:10:49.413" UserId="21092" />
  <row Id="10541" PostId="8052" Score="0" Text="Are you actually **paying** customers (i.e., **sending** money) or receiving money from them?" CreationDate="2019-01-02T12:05:39.570" UserId="21271" />
  <row Id="10542" PostId="8052" Score="0" Text="Yes in some cases I would send money to a customer" CreationDate="2019-01-02T16:20:49.857" UserId="21092" />
  <row Id="10544" PostId="8062" Score="0" Text="Is e-transfer a service or a general term?" CreationDate="2019-01-04T06:46:53.863" UserId="21092" />
  <row Id="10545" PostId="8062" Score="0" Text="It's a service, but all banks in Canada offer it. There are limits to the amount of money that can be transferred per day and per month. I would assume there is something similar available in the US." CreationDate="2019-01-04T06:52:03.057" UserId="21297" />
  <row Id="10547" PostId="8069" Score="0" Text="It's important to realize that for **direct mail**, if you spend $5k creating a campaign to sell a $300 product/service and mail it to 75,000 people... a 4% response is 3,000 people. If then even just 1% of those (30 people) then purchase, that's a $9k return on your $5k investment. Almost DOUBLE your investment. It's easy to look at raw response rate numbers and devalue Direct Mail.. but once you look at **profits** you'll see there's a *very valid reason* it's still in use, even in this &quot;digital age&quot;." CreationDate="2019-01-09T21:06:25.130" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10548" PostId="8069" Score="0" Text="Now, direct mail to 50 people selling something for $300 would be a *bad campaign* to run. Only some campaigns are suitable for direct mail. Primarily if the mail list is substantial." CreationDate="2019-01-09T21:20:20.047" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10556" PostId="8076" Score="0" Text="Big +1 for the disclaimer." CreationDate="2019-01-15T14:56:54.103" UserId="21271" />
  <row Id="10558" PostId="8060" Score="0" Text="Whilst this may theoretically answer the question, [it would be preferable](//meta.stackoverflow.com/q/8259) to explain how exactly the references resource helps addressing the OP's problem." CreationDate="2019-01-22T13:59:44.263" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="10559" PostId="6175" Score="0" Text="What country / cultural background are we talking about?" CreationDate="2019-01-23T11:20:20.000" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10560" PostId="8078" Score="0" Text="Thanks Luke, I will go after something like this. This would be nice if I got my support part covered and focus only on selling the solution. Another thing that came in my mind, though I think it would be subject for another question, on how can I, as a small firm, protect my code from being leaked or copied by any possible employee or developer?" CreationDate="2019-01-25T02:53:15.393" UserId="21388" />
  <row Id="10561" PostId="8078" Score="0" Text="Short answer, you can't... Use NDAs, and trust the people who would potentially have access to it." CreationDate="2019-01-25T06:11:39.933" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="10562" PostId="3205" Score="0" Text="Also always offer the ability to use encrypted email, if required." CreationDate="2019-01-26T16:52:48.037" UserId="5172" />
  <row Id="10565" PostId="8085" Score="0" Text="Definitely possible in most parts of Europe with standard terms. It would help if you state your location." CreationDate="2019-01-27T10:51:28.483" UserId="21271" />
  <row Id="10566" PostId="8085" Score="0" Text="I'm in EU but consult remotely for clients globally." CreationDate="2019-01-27T10:53:53.283" UserId="21409" />
  <row Id="10567" PostId="8081" Score="0" Text="Thank you very much for your detailed explanation and  advises. To be honest, my knowledge about copyright laws is poor. So I think I need to learn about copyright laws and YouTube terms.  So far I have worked with more than 275 clients around the globe. I did all this work via freelancing websites. And lots of these application were custom made according to my clients requirements." CreationDate="2019-01-27T18:51:38.230" UserId="21401" />
  <row Id="10568" PostId="8081" Score="0" Text="However I will not share the links to download the files from YouTube video descriptions or any other place. I will only upload the demonstration videos about the applications. So no one can get that actually files but only thing they can do is creating some similar app using those ideas. However I need to  check YouTube TOS regarding what kind of right they get if I upload a video to the channel." CreationDate="2019-01-27T18:51:58.373" UserId="21401" />
  <row Id="10569" PostId="8082" Score="1" Text="Thank you Very much for your answer and great suggestions. I get work from freelancing websites. Sometimes new employers want to see my previous work before they hire me. So I thought to create a channel to show my previous work I have done, So whenever a new employer asked for sample work I can send them links of video demonstrations of applications I have done which are similar to what they want. Also they can watch other work I have done if they want." CreationDate="2019-01-27T19:16:56.813" UserId="21401" />
  <row Id="10570" PostId="8082" Score="0" Text="Actually I have a blog where I teach Excel for free.  Currently I don't have my own ads there. But a  year ago I placed ad on their so I got a work from it. And yes I am planning to create a youtube channel for Excel tutorials as well." CreationDate="2019-01-27T19:17:06.520" UserId="21401" />
  <row Id="10571" PostId="8081" Score="0" Text="@coderH **Any** video on Youtube can be downloaded. If your web browser displays something, it can be grabbed. It doesn't matter if you &quot;allow&quot; the download or not." CreationDate="2019-01-27T19:57:37.150" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10572" PostId="8082" Score="0" Text="@coderH, if you want to give a new employer a link to the video with a demonstration of your previous work, it does not matter what is the name of the channel on which this video is located, it is only important how the video itself is called. If you want to split the demo of your previous work into several clips and give a link to the channel containing them, then this is not a good idea. Most potential employers, seeing the need to choose several videos, most likely will not watch any of them." CreationDate="2019-01-27T21:02:29.920" UserId="20911" />
  <row Id="10573" PostId="8090" Score="0" Text="1. The reason is that it's a specialized area that I have years of experience in.&#xA;2. Do you mention something to the client at the start of the project? Do you give them the names of the subcontractors? If they have access to the code on github they can see who is doing what. Business people will not care but technical teams might care. Do you mention anything to your subcontractors (i.e. for any issues I'm responsible for communicating them to the client)?" CreationDate="2019-01-28T13:20:15.750" UserId="21409" />
  <row Id="10575" PostId="8090" Score="0" Text="Yeah, I mention to my client that I use subcontractors and will also mention the subcontractors by name. I'm always up front and open -- both with the client and the subcontractor. It's clear to both client and subcontractor that I'm the interface for commnication. This keeps it simple and well organized." CreationDate="2019-01-28T21:55:05.990" UserId="21416" />
  <row Id="10576" PostId="8090" Score="0" Text="How is it &quot;clear&quot;? Is it implied by being upfront or do you mention it at the start of every project (both to clients and subcontractors)? How does one deal when the data is under NDA and the subcontractor needs to access it?" CreationDate="2019-01-28T21:58:47.813" UserId="21409" />
  <row Id="10577" PostId="8090" Score="0" Text="Yes, I mention it explicitly to both client and subcontractor at the start of the project or when I bring on a subcontractor." CreationDate="2019-01-28T22:02:04.687" UserId="21416" />
  <row Id="10578" PostId="8090" Score="0" Text="May I ask what's the actual phrasing you use or how you communicate that? I'm thinking of several versions but they all sound a bit like they could be mistaken as raw or aggressive." CreationDate="2019-01-28T22:05:58.717" UserId="21409" />
  <row Id="10579" PostId="8090" Score="0" Text="I mean, I just talk to them. I have long-term relationships with my subcontractors, but when I started, I just told them, for example: hey, I need your help on a project with a client, I'll be managing the communication with the client and you can focus on the engineering work." CreationDate="2019-01-28T22:37:38.380" UserId="21416" />
  <row Id="10580" PostId="8090" Score="0" Text="I meant how to communicate it to new clients." CreationDate="2019-01-28T22:49:51.813" UserId="21409" />
  <row Id="10581" PostId="8090" Score="0" Text="&quot;In this project, I'll most likely get help from a number of trusted and experienced sub-contractors. I'll be your point of contact and will handle all communication.&quot;" CreationDate="2019-01-29T05:59:43.623" UserId="21416" />
  <row Id="10582" PostId="2517" Score="1" Text="Should I ... always tends to be a bit Opinion-based." CreationDate="2019-01-29T11:22:29.470" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10583" PostId="8086" Score="0" Text="Do you want to take the responsibility here? What if you do fixed price offer and the Developer does not deliver/ needs more time/money ...?" CreationDate="2019-01-29T11:25:55.167" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10584" PostId="8086" Score="0" Text="I do want to take the responsibility. My idea is that I'll wing it, either get someone else or make sure I find some solution. It hasn't happened yet so if anyone knows any strategies on how to mitigate this, let me know." CreationDate="2019-01-29T17:46:27.270" UserId="21409" />
  <row Id="10588" PostId="8089" Score="0" Text="This information is easily searchable and discoverable. - https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/one-participant-401k-plans" CreationDate="2019-01-30T02:03:11.890" UserId="21435" />
  <row Id="10590" PostId="8093" Score="0" Text="Are you going to monetize/commercialize this endeavor at some point in the future? If so, will you be giving these freelancers an equity stake? If not, then you should not ask people to work on this for free." CreationDate="2019-01-30T04:50:33.353" UserId="21435" />
  <row Id="10591" PostId="8097" Score="2" Text="Without invoices how will clients know when payment is due?" CreationDate="2019-01-30T11:11:14.957" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10592" PostId="8097" Score="0" Text="They are told via an email what is due." CreationDate="2019-01-30T13:34:40.510" UserId="21437" />
  <row Id="10593" PostId="8097" Score="1" Text="Invoice and receipts *can* be emails." CreationDate="2019-01-30T18:24:09.130" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10595" PostId="8098" Score="0" Text="Many thanks indeed, I am only a small one man band and have had it confirmed with HMRC that an invoice or receipt is not required, However I do agree it comes across more professional." CreationDate="2019-01-31T16:42:37.807" UserId="21437" />
  <row Id="10600" PostId="8089" Score="0" Text="My problem is that I don't fully understand the IRS information. For example, they write: &quot;Elective deferrals up to 100% of compensation (“earned income” in the case of a self-employed individual) up to the annual contribution limit&quot; --- so if my business made $8k and I want to put money into my 401k, do I have to give myself $4k income and can then put $4k into the 401k? Or can I give myself $0k income and put the entire $8k into the 401k?" CreationDate="2019-02-02T10:50:08.747" UserId="21416" />
  <row Id="10601" PostId="8089" Score="0" Text="Any information you get here shouldn't be assumed to be correct or authoritative. My suggestion would be for you to reach out to a tax professional." CreationDate="2019-02-02T15:30:24.947" UserId="21435" />
  <row Id="10602" PostId="8089" Score="0" Text="Well, the reason I come here with questions is that talking to a tax professional is very expensive. That's the whole point of stack exchange -- provide crowd-sourced/community-sourced advice, isn't it?" CreationDate="2019-02-02T20:53:26.193" UserId="21416" />
  <row Id="10603" PostId="8089" Score="0" Text="`Well, the reason I come here with questions is that talking to a tax professional is very expensive. That's the whole point of stack exchange -- provide crowd-sourced/community-sourced advice, isn't it?` - Not for what amounts to legal and/or tax advice. Unless someone here is an actual tax professional or legal attorney then I wouldn't take any tax information gleaned here as authoritative. The IRS isn't going to accept &quot;But on StackExchange they told me it was OK&quot; as an acceptable reason for your income tax errors." CreationDate="2019-02-02T21:22:03.400" UserId="21435" />
  <row Id="10604" PostId="8102" Score="0" Text="I really appreciate you taking the time to answer this! Thank you for validating that I'm not crazy by asking to be paid for my time, especially if something is mandatory. I responded to the client echoing this and hope that it does not burn bridges." CreationDate="2019-02-04T17:53:57.387" UserId="21459" />
  <row Id="10605" PostId="8104" Score="0" Text="Hi CryptoBird, welcome to Freelancing.SE! Who is asking for this, and for what purpose? As it stands right now, without knowing *why*, this question is likely to get closed as Off Topic or Unclear what you're asking. Please see [ask] for more information, and please [edit] your question to improve it" CreationDate="2019-02-04T22:53:24.063" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="10606" PostId="8104" Score="0" Text="Thanks @CanadianLuke I'll update the question." CreationDate="2019-02-04T23:27:29.643" UserId="21465" />
  <row Id="10620" PostId="8130" Score="0" Text="No one can price anything for you. For more info [see here](https://freelancing.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/285/it-is-valid-to-ask-how-and-how-much-to-charge-for-some-things)" CreationDate="2019-03-04T04:25:35.873" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10621" PostId="8130" Score="0" Text="Thank you for that information, @Scott. I figured there would be many different variables at play that would make it difficult to answer my question properly." CreationDate="2019-03-04T04:27:55.080" UserId="21603" />
  <row Id="10622" PostId="8130" Score="0" Text="Price is so very *specific* to an individual that no one can feasibly just give you **accurate** rates. Anyone claiming they know, doesn't. Although in a slightly different field, if you look [here](https://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/a/959/3270) at the highly up voted answer (which was never accepted), that's how you price essentially - via a formula based upon *your* expenses and overhead, then *your* experience and skills." CreationDate="2019-03-04T04:42:46.670" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10623" PostId="8132" Score="3" Text="This will depend heavily on what was agreed in the contract regarding payment terms. Can you provide a little more detail about this, as well as a summary what you have already discussed with them?" CreationDate="2019-03-04T14:06:44.627" UserId="15202" />
  <row Id="10626" PostId="8135" Score="1" Text="Why would it matter if yo're self-employed or not? Do you think that copyrights, trademarks, etc. are only valid for companies and not individuals? My suggestion would be that you speak to an attorney who specializes in intellectual property law." CreationDate="2019-03-06T04:24:14.057" UserId="21435" />
  <row Id="10628" PostId="7767" Score="0" Text="@Scott if it takes you 10 minutes you must have a very long account number, super complicated password and five-factor authentication over dial-up internet connection. It takes me more time to read the emails reminder than doing the renewal for domain and hosting combined (different provider for each)." CreationDate="2019-03-08T02:35:55.860" UserDisplayName="user16080" />
  <row Id="10629" PostId="7737" Score="0" Text="Aside from the assertion that the OP isn't able to get a domain, I find this a very valid question, and one I ponder repeatedly. I still have mixed opinions myself." CreationDate="2019-03-08T02:39:50.023" UserDisplayName="user16080" />
  <row Id="10631" PostId="8140" Score="0" Text="Thank you for the info. I will take this further with an certified accountant but your information was really helpful." CreationDate="2019-03-11T12:36:18.317" UserId="21612" />
  <row Id="10632" PostId="8135" Score="0" Text="Thank you for your time and I will take this further with an accountant and attorney." CreationDate="2019-03-11T12:37:09.043" UserId="21612" />
  <row Id="10634" PostId="8146" Score="0" Text="Thanks. That's a good final point. I just want to make sure I'm getting paid the full day, not portions of the day. One of the issues I have is that companies essentially want to hire me to augment their staff, on an on-going basis, not to work on a specific project. (To be honest, they should be hiring full-time staff...) Anyway I'm really not incentivized to work any faster, even though I can work fast, as I don't see any extra money from doing so. So ultimately, I'd still be getting $274/hour, just billed per hour. It' just ends up being a full-time freelance salary." CreationDate="2019-03-12T20:34:28.680" UserId="11018" />
  <row Id="10635" PostId="8146" Score="0" Text="Seems to me if you have no &quot;desire to work faster&quot; then I'd bill hourly. You'd make more money that way - perhaps with a *minimum* based upon the type of work to be done in general. As a client though, I'd probably replace you either way if I ever discovered you have no desire to work faster. Sounds more like you are seeking a **retainer** not a day rate - a flat fee they pay you and you work on whatever they provide. Retainers can be good, but they are an entirely different animal. Specifics need to be ironed out." CreationDate="2019-03-12T20:38:21.817" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10636" PostId="8146" Score="0" Text="I like doing good work, but there's no incentive tied to profit to work any faster. I don't know much about retainer pay or flat-fees. In practice, that's what they want: a freelancer on retainer, for whatever project they get in, but paid at an hourly rate." CreationDate="2019-03-12T20:45:16.567" UserId="11018" />
  <row Id="10637" PostId="8146" Score="0" Text="That is illogical. If they want a retainer, they pay a premium for the retainer. But that's not an hourly rate. If it were me, I'd be firm with pricing.. retainer costs X/month, hourly is X. Hourly is on *my schedule*. Retainer provides priority for any work. But, admittedly, I'm not one to cow tow to clients at this stage of my career. They either pay me what I ask, or find someone else." CreationDate="2019-03-12T20:47:43.140" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10638" PostId="8146" Score="0" Text="Hmm, do you have any resources you can share for learning about retainer pricing and how to come up with it?" CreationDate="2019-03-12T20:49:58.077" UserId="11018" />
  <row Id="10639" PostId="8146" Score="1" Text="There are questions here if you merely search for &quot;retainer&quot;" CreationDate="2019-03-12T20:50:53.943" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10640" PostId="8146" Score="0" Text="Thanks! This answer sums it up well: &quot;Basically, you are just a full-time employee without the benefits, commitment to professional development, etc.&quot;  https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/a/7417/11018" CreationDate="2019-03-12T21:04:25.690" UserId="11018" />
  <row Id="10641" PostId="8146" Score="0" Text="Let us [continue this discussion in chat](https://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/90965/discussion-between-user70848-and-scott)." CreationDate="2019-03-12T21:04:41.703" UserId="11018" />
  <row Id="10643" PostId="8150" Score="0" Text="Thanks. Can you explain how you came up with 24 payments?" CreationDate="2019-03-14T01:38:57.960" UserId="11018" />
  <row Id="10644" PostId="8150" Score="0" Text="6 * 4 / 24 weeks in 6 months. I guess it depends upon the months, It could be another week or two, give or take, depending upon the *actual* months." CreationDate="2019-03-14T07:03:19.787" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10647" PostId="8154" Score="1" Text="It's often not about prejudice due to age. Minors can't enter contracts in the US. Therefore minors cant be held *legally* responsible in business. You can't &quot;market&quot; your way out of that. You're better off sticking to working for friends and family until you are 18." CreationDate="2019-03-15T03:21:02.720" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10648" PostId="8155" Score="0" Text="This is a different dimension now, You are right sir, Now teenager can work if they are willing to. (Indirectly if different country rules are there)" CreationDate="2019-03-15T12:36:20.747" UserId="21676" />
  <row Id="10649" PostId="2997" Score="0" Text="So true facts, I've faced same things some times recently." CreationDate="2019-03-15T12:54:47.423" UserId="21676" />
  <row Id="10650" PostId="8150" Score="0" Text="I guess you could also say there are 52 weeks in a year, minus 4 weeks of vacation/holidays = 48 weeks. Half of that is 24." CreationDate="2019-03-15T16:53:11.683" UserId="11018" />
  <row Id="10651" PostId="8155" Score="0" Text="Well, if you reside in the US, working remotely is still working and there are child labor laws. Minors can work, with a guardian's permission, but they still can't enter contracts. You generally have to adhere to the laws where you reside, same as taxes -- you pay where you live, not where clients are located." CreationDate="2019-03-15T21:03:07.577" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10652" PostId="8156" Score="0" Text="Thanks. This is in the US.  Some employers that offer gigs like this do not always intend to extend the tax burden to the contractor, though some will withhold taxes, and they don't want to pay extra to cover lack of benefits." CreationDate="2019-03-18T14:31:11.933" UserId="11018" />
  <row Id="10654" PostId="8156" Score="0" Text="@user70848, that does not sound good, had a little Google, and I'm not sure it's legal: https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/independent-contractor-self-employed-or-employee - if you treat them like an employee, they *are* an employee appears to the be the basic idea." CreationDate="2019-03-18T23:46:26.583" UserId="21685" />
  <row Id="10655" PostId="7632" Score="0" Text="I really don´t understand the question. Weekly is just a variant of hourly. Fixed price is fixed price, no time factored in. If I do fixed price I usually do: **my estimate** x **my rate** + **safety margin** and make sure the **boundaries** are defined **really well!**" CreationDate="2019-03-19T02:04:03.140" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="10656" PostId="8156" Score="1" Text="No, it’s not legal. You can have the IRS determine for employment status for you, you can inform on them anonymously, or you can sue them in court. Or you can ignore it and avoid the situation in the future." CreationDate="2019-03-19T03:45:11.077" UserId="11018" />
  <row Id="10657" PostId="8158" Score="0" Text="Did you sign any contract with super-client ?" CreationDate="2019-03-19T08:23:03.077" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="10659" PostId="4229" Score="1" Text="Waste of time, make sure to get paid for full-hour or nothing." CreationDate="2019-03-19T10:57:30.817" UserId="21702" />
  <row Id="10660" PostId="4229" Score="1" Text="Sadly, I agree.  All of these by-the-minute consulting firms keep sending these requests, but never any actual offers for consulting, so, even if you get paid for a full-hour, it's kind of meaningless if there's no actual hour/minute to be paid for — only the waisted unbillable minutes to keep sorting their plentiful emails." CreationDate="2019-03-19T16:05:48.357" UserId="156" />
  <row Id="10661" PostId="8158" Score="0" Text="@HarryCover no, just IRS paperwork for contractors.  (I can't never keep the form numbers straight, but it's the W9 that feeds into a 1099 MISC, right?)" CreationDate="2019-03-20T23:36:38.250" UserId="21686" />
  <row Id="10662" PostId="8168" Score="1" Text="I can understand why you pad a few days extra to each project. But when it comes to indecisive clients, you don't know when they will make up their mind and you may not have the time for them when they are finally ready. From the client's perspective, they paid you a fee and they don't expect surprises like &quot;oops okay i've waited for you x months so I can't do for you now until y monhs later&quot;. But on the other hand, you can't pad a few months to every project for indecisive clients too, can you? Also, I'm not paid during the time spent waiting for the client's approval." CreationDate="2019-03-21T15:20:46.627" UserId="21708" />
  <row Id="10663" PostId="8168" Score="0" Text="I &quot;weave&quot; project in and out of each other. During a given week, I may work on 1, 3,  5 *different* projects. As one project is waiting for approval, I move on to the next project. When approval comes in, I go back to the fist project, send for approval again, and go back to working on project 2. To this end, if approval is delayed by the client, I may need a few *days* to get back to it, but never &quot;months&quot;. Maybe it's just me...." CreationDate="2019-03-21T15:28:56.230" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10667" PostId="8168" Score="0" Text="If it's just a few days or a couple of weeks, that's fine. But to context switch between projects after months, I think that's a little too &quot;expensive&quot; to do that frequently. Consider the time needed to re-understand the code and specs after a few months, that can be quite disruptive. :(" CreationDate="2019-03-22T08:27:48.057" UserId="21708" />
  <row Id="10669" PostId="8168" Score="0" Text="I'm not disputing that. But you're either a client-friendly business or you're not. Some clients will *always* take extra consideration. If you simply refuse to adjust or demand they do things differently, well, you may not be in business as long as you'd like. Word of mouth can be a good or bad thing." CreationDate="2019-03-22T08:50:24.690" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10672" PostId="8172" Score="1" Text="This seems apropos - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEa6PdOG2ts" CreationDate="2019-03-26T03:37:31.737" UserId="21435" />
  <row Id="10674" PostId="8177" Score="2" Text="Did you have a contract with an exit clause?" CreationDate="2019-03-27T15:59:51.190" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="10683" PostId="1962" Score="2" Text="I used to get business calls and texts of various kinds on my phone from clients in Sunday mornings, 11pm, Christmas eve, holidays, vacation periods, etc... I couldn't really find a way to don't get annoyed until I got a second phone! One is for work and I turn it off when it's not work hours. Sometimes I leave it in the office for weekends or overnight. The other is for family and friends and I don't even have emails or the business related services configured in that second phone. I feel free now from stressing client." CreationDate="2019-03-30T18:26:58.843" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="10684" PostId="8189" Score="0" Text="`how does an hourly rate even work because the cost will surely blow up into a 5-digit figure if I really count every single hour I spent on it.` - OK. You're doing it wrong. Why would you quote 16 hours if it will take you more than 16 hours? When I quote a client a number of hours then that's the estimate of &quot;every single hour&quot; I expect to work on the project to completion." CreationDate="2019-04-02T02:10:50.860" UserId="21435" />
  <row Id="10685" PostId="8189" Score="0" Text="@joeqwerty Depending on your rates, counting exactly by the hour will likely end up undercharging or overcharging in some tasks." CreationDate="2019-04-02T07:18:14.237" UserId="21708" />
  <row Id="10687" PostId="8192" Score="0" Text="Possible duplicate of [How to deal with indecisive clients?](https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/8167/how-to-deal-with-indecisive-clients)" CreationDate="2019-04-03T18:10:55.740" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10688" PostId="8198" Score="0" Text="As with so many questions here, what does the contract actually state? What are the terms in regards to the deliverables and payment for said deliverables? You're best bet is probably to contact a contract lawyer." CreationDate="2019-04-03T23:13:14.547" UserId="21435" />
  <row Id="10689" PostId="8198" Score="0" Text="You could always invoice for 90%.. see what they pay.. go to court if you want more than they paid. I'm not *really* sure what else could be done, other than merely acquiescing to their desires." CreationDate="2019-04-04T00:35:19.517" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10690" PostId="8198" Score="0" Text="@joeqwerty The contract covers multiple reports and requires full payment on completion of each report. There are no intermediate deliverables specified, and as I said, it has no kill clause. It can be terminated by either party at any time." CreationDate="2019-04-04T10:59:06.877" UserId="21773" />
  <row Id="10691" PostId="7436" Score="0" Text="well, they're the ones coming at you to join their thing... you'd like to help, but they're putting unnecessary doors around. there are always many asking for your help - so, just let them go?" CreationDate="2019-04-08T14:33:34.113" UserId="15906" />
  <row Id="10692" PostId="8206" Score="0" Text="Upload the whole project onto one of their computers or how so? Also how would I create a feature for selling the app's services if all the services are there already?" CreationDate="2019-04-09T01:15:42.013" UserId="21801" />
  <row Id="10693" PostId="8206" Score="0" Text="In Apps Purchases (IAP), this how I would do it. In my splash screen, will check with the IAP service if the current logged account has purchased the use of the application features. If so ignore next screen and the app will be full open, if not then it redirct to a screen where it would ask for pay for the use of the app using IAP, kind of like a license. The will be uploaded to Play Store and then set up the IAP service there, documentation available at adndroid development console support." CreationDate="2019-04-09T02:11:36.623" UserId="12865" />
  <row Id="10694" PostId="8206" Score="0" Text="Also using play store test release of the app you can make it private so only people you add will be allowed to use. Another way you can add a type of api service on the app so that you can control its functionality if they dont pay you. Kind of: api.allowUseOfApp() == false -&gt; showWarningAndLRestrictUse();" CreationDate="2019-04-09T02:21:15.050" UserId="12865" />
  <row Id="10702" PostId="8216" Score="0" Text="It depends... if you are in EU there are certain laws that regulates intellectual property and copyright. For example I know that if you worked as employee for that company (for instance you had no VAT ID and did not produce invoices for payments received from that company), the intellectual property is owned by the company and you are not legally allowed to say anything about your productions unless the company gives you a written and signed permission. If you worked for that company as freelance, then you could. You should see in your country how it is the law  about that." CreationDate="2019-04-18T09:01:37.510" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="10703" PostId="8216" Score="0" Text="Related topic: https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/6742/who-owns-the-excel-template-i-made-not-legally-ethically/6745#6745" CreationDate="2019-04-18T09:06:17.947" UserId="7486" />
  <row Id="10704" PostId="8216" Score="0" Text="You shouldn't list any of your clients or display their logo on your website or any other material unless you have their express permission to do so." CreationDate="2019-04-19T17:59:32.080" UserId="21435" />
  <row Id="10705" PostId="8216" Score="0" Text="Additionally, these weren't your clients. These were clients of the marketing agency you worked for. Saying that you worked for them isn't entirely honest nor accurate. Listing them on your website implies that they are or were your direct clients, which they weren't." CreationDate="2019-04-20T15:07:20.850" UserId="21435" />
  <row Id="10706" PostId="8221" Score="3" Text="This is impossible to answer without knowing *both* sides of the story. I understand you feel your position is the correct position. However, it's not really possible to know the *actual* accounting of things. The clients' position *could* very well be *&quot;I told him/her I didn't like blue when we met initially... and everything I'm shown has blue in it.&quot;*" CreationDate="2019-04-22T17:10:43.293" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10707" PostId="8224" Score="1" Text="It looks like this answer simply re-states the OP's problem and stresses the need of communication. What is your suggested approach on solving the problem?" CreationDate="2019-04-24T08:39:48.237" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="10708" PostId="8224" Score="1" Text="The poiint was that yes she should drop the client. Sorry I didn't make it clear." CreationDate="2019-04-24T08:45:52.380" UserId="21887" />
  <row Id="10710" PostId="9226" Score="0" Text="I'm not doing photography, I do programming, but thanks for the answer anyway. Also, I have a pretty large portfolio website with examples of my previous work. My current problem is expanding into less niche markets." CreationDate="2019-04-25T13:03:16.900" UserId="21674" />
  <row Id="10715" PostId="9241" Score="2" Text="Great advice! I already talked to him and now they are thinking about ti. Better than doing it for free, thanks!" CreationDate="2019-04-29T05:01:58.753" UserId="21841" />
  <row Id="10716" PostId="9239" Score="0" Text="`How can I tell my client that we are already out of scope for the agreed payment amount and that implementing this new things means that I'll have to charge him for it?` - &quot;Dear client, this work is out of scope of our original agreement and is billable. Please let me know how you want to proceed. Thank you.&quot;" CreationDate="2019-04-30T11:47:50.477" UserId="21435" />
  <row Id="10717" PostId="7660" Score="0" Text="Are you a freelancer or a remote worker?" CreationDate="2019-04-27T05:50:35.063" UserId="21901" />
  <row Id="10718" PostId="9230" Score="1" Text="fahim nirob - The question is very vague, can you please provide more information? ex. What type of freelance? &lt;Photography, graphic design, writing papers for other students?&gt; As a student in computer Science, what is your passion?" CreationDate="2019-04-26T22:39:45.377" UserId="21893" />
  <row Id="10719" PostId="9245" Score="1" Text="Excellent answer; that's a good an diplomatic email. I might say, when talking about 'scheduling issues' that they would be 'scheduling issues with another upcoming project' to make it clear that the reason you're trying to chivvy this along is so that you can meet your obligations to them and also another client, which makes your professionalism clear." CreationDate="2019-05-02T12:49:29.097" UserId="8459" />
  <row Id="10720" PostId="9241" Score="0" Text="A line that's stuck with me from that Batman movie in 2012 --&quot;If you're good at something, never do it for free,&quot; This is a chance to get at that semi-fictitious &quot;more work.&quot; I'd let them know it's out of scope, then add some time estimates. They know your hourly rate, right?" CreationDate="2019-05-02T12:52:03.683" UserId="8459" />
  <row Id="10722" PostId="9245" Score="1" Text="@MichaelMcPherson While there'd be no *problem* with using `scheduling issues with another upcoming project`, I feel it's more detail than is necessary. What other scheduling conflicts would there be if not with &quot;upcoming projects&quot;? I feel it's kind of superfluous overall. But.. to each his/her own `:)`. My answer is merely a suggestion." CreationDate="2019-05-02T17:36:28.067" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10723" PostId="9249" Score="0" Text="As an aside, I do offer my clients a &quot;block hours&quot; agreement, which is essentially a retainer. The larger the block of hours they commit to, the deeper I'll discount my hourly rate for those hours. The benefit to the client is that they get an increasing discount for making a larger commitment. The benefit to me is that I have a more predictable income stream from month to month." CreationDate="2019-05-03T02:32:52.430" UserId="21435" />
  <row Id="10724" PostId="9249" Score="0" Text="I do allow a client to &quot;roll over&quot; some portion of unused hours from one month to the next. I do this because I've found that the biggest obstacle to selling these types of agreements is the client's reticence to pay for hours that they may not use. At the end of the day, I always know how many hours I &quot;may&quot; need to commit to the client in any one month. There's never a risk of my performing work for which I won't be paid." CreationDate="2019-05-03T02:32:58.813" UserId="21435" />
  <row Id="10725" PostId="9249" Score="0" Text="Understandable. I would consider a &quot;roll over' if all the work was essentially in the same area. A perhaps poor example, would be web mastering or social media management. If the tasks remain consistently the same in overall workflow, then a &quot;roll over' would perhaps a be a little wise. However, if one is conceptualizing and creating new branding. processes, visuals, marketing materials, etc for different items every month - and *nothing* is really the same task as the previous task. I'm not so certain a &quot;roll over&quot; would be wise for the freelancer. Ultimately it's up to the freelancer. `:)`" CreationDate="2019-05-03T02:54:01.660" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10728" PostId="8224" Score="0" Text="thanks, yeah seems like the only way to go about it really... there were a number of alarm bells early on in the project that I shouldn't have ignored - live and learn anyway!" CreationDate="2019-05-04T09:27:17.303" UserDisplayName="user15733" />
  <row Id="10729" PostId="9252" Score="1" Text="https://freelancing.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/285/it-is-valid-to-ask-how-and-how-much-to-charge-for-some-things" CreationDate="2019-05-12T22:45:41.957" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10730" PostId="6562" Score="0" Text="You can check out https://adevait.com. Developers focused community, pretty transparent throughout the process." CreationDate="2019-05-16T19:07:55.677" UserId="22009" />
  <row Id="10731" PostId="9256" Score="0" Text="Thanks Scott. It's not so much that I *Want to do* more risque stuff, more a case of it being related to my overall goal - Doing work for bands and festivals who use glamour/fetish models in their marketing. The way I see it, these girls could potentially be a great future client, so I don't see why I shouldn't connect with them, all be it on a NSFW version of my accounts. I guess primarily I'd like to use my account as a micro-lifestyle-blog, picking up clients and advertising what I've done for others. It may be that I need a dedicated account for people who are just interesed in projects." CreationDate="2019-05-17T09:51:37.077" UserId="21704" />
  <row Id="10732" PostId="9256" Score="0" Text="Markets may simply vary. My experience has been that any individual who sees my work and wants me to do something, while pleasant, doesn't provide a *sustainable* business model in most instances. Sometimes it can if they own a company, but as a single person, often not. I don't target &quot;models&quot; hoping they'll want my work - I'll certainly work for them if approached though. I target the *agency* the model works for which results in *much,* more work than a single individual. And the agency isn't necessarily interested in my &quot;lifestyle&quot; they are interested in my work and professionalism." CreationDate="2019-05-17T15:08:27.643" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10733" PostId="9256" Score="0" Text="The problem I see is that a lot of people I want to work with are independent and are not represented by an agency or a label. That's the point of me wanting to work with them - And I feel that having too many individual accounts would limit the posts I make getting out to the broader audience. I guess it comes down to the fact that I know it's possible to work in this way ( as many lifestyle bloggers / influencers are doing ), I just don't know the best way to configure my social networks in order to do it as effectively as possible." CreationDate="2019-05-17T15:36:48.173" UserId="21704" />
  <row Id="10734" PostId="9256" Score="0" Text="&quot;Lifestyle bloggers and influencers&quot; are *not* trying to get anyone to hire them for some specific ability. They seek someone to pay them for what they would be doing anyway with or without compensation. It's a completely different market as I see it." CreationDate="2019-05-17T15:47:16.917" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10735" PostId="9256" Score="0" Text="Yeah maybe `freelancing` isn't the best stack to ask this on, but it seems logical as its about showcasing work that has been done. Long story short, I know I can run social networks, I have a good business idea in there and a website to showcase my work on - I just have no idea how to get the ball rolling" CreationDate="2019-05-17T15:51:04.170" UserId="21704" />
  <row Id="10736" PostId="9256" Score="0" Text="A chef and a food critic can't market themselves the same. Kind of sounds like you're a &quot;chef&quot; but want to use marketing models of &quot;food critics&quot;. Good luck with it. I simply feel you may be inadvertently targeting a market that may not be the best for business prospects." CreationDate="2019-05-17T15:54:27.587" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10737" PostId="9256" Score="0" Text="Actually it's more the other way round - I used to own a music magazine, but had a lot of call from tattoo artists and writers who wanted to be featured. I realised that my potential for who I could feature was bigger. Now, I want to do more serious ( written and photographic ) work, but to also keep a presence online to make sure people know of my existence. If that makes sense." CreationDate="2019-05-17T16:03:00.663" UserId="21704" />
  <row Id="10739" PostId="9260" Score="2" Text="I tend to fake my own death... man, I'm tired of moving `:)`" CreationDate="2019-05-21T03:55:57.443" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10740" PostId="9273" Score="0" Text="Welcome to Freelancing.SE! This post may help other users, not only the OP, so I have removed the intro paragraph. Also, signatures belong to your profile and add no practical value to answers, so removed it as well." CreationDate="2019-05-31T09:44:10.087" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="10741" PostId="7372" Score="0" Text="translation services?what is that?" CreationDate="2019-06-01T06:11:03.753" UserId="22072" />
  <row Id="10742" PostId="8179" Score="0" Text="I'm a bit confused - how do you not know when your contract is expiring?" CreationDate="2019-06-01T07:55:33.403" UserId="22073" />
  <row Id="10743" PostId="9284" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the answer. &quot;Which in turn means that you should give your client a license&quot; apparently the client really wanted to own everything, so it would be easy for them to sell it without having exceptions to ownership. Are there any potential problems to transferring all ownership to them but having them agree to give you a perpetual license? To me it seems having a broad perpetual license is the same thing as being the owner." CreationDate="2019-06-03T23:17:35.220" UserId="16436" />
  <row Id="10744" PostId="9284" Score="0" Text="With software this is a bit tricky. Since you can make virtually unlimited copies the concept of ownership does not really apply - enter IP. In Germany we have the concept of the &quot;Urheberrecht&quot; which translates to &quot;Creator's Rights&quot; and which cannot be transfered. Here I would grant the other party a non-revokable license with all rights of usage whatsoever. If the license is non-exclusive you can do the same. If you transfer the IP to the customer (depending on your local law) you in turn need the license. The result is the same if you exclude derivative work from the client's ownership." CreationDate="2019-06-04T05:17:20.873" UserId="22073" />
  <row Id="10745" PostId="9284" Score="0" Text="I don't think I follow what you're saying about derivative works. Are you saying that even if you have a license to use the source code, anything made from it could (arguably) belong to the person who granted the license? For example Person X licenses source code to Person Y, person Y uses part of the source code in a new project, person X would own that new project? This seems absurd to me..." CreationDate="2019-06-04T09:36:13.160" UserId="16436" />
  <row Id="10746" PostId="9284" Score="0" Text="When you license work under the GPL and someone uses that code they are required to release the derived work under the same or a compatible license. Usually libraries have a more lenient license. You can basically have anything in the license including a paragraph which gives you the IP of all works using your code. I guess nobody will be happy to use it, then. Look up Netscape to learn more about this " CreationDate="2019-06-04T10:02:11.923" UserId="22073" />
  <row Id="10748" PostId="9282" Score="0" Text="Thank you for your answer, Canadian Luke!&#xA;I have thought about it a lot. I think, I will elaborate this idea of the professional network (and common communication) in my existing network and we will figure out, how to present ourselves and how to let this network grow without need to kick someone out (this seems rude). I think, we can communicate, who is in this network and who can join (so similar to the rules or charter you have mentioned). Maybe I can post an answer to that question afterwards to complete this :) Your last sentence seems the right thing to do." CreationDate="2019-06-05T16:06:48.217" UserId="22069" />
  <row Id="10749" PostId="9285" Score="3" Text="It sounds to me as though you ere need to hire an **assistant**, not an agent." CreationDate="2019-06-06T18:05:57.550" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10750" PostId="9285" Score="1" Text="@Scott It came to my mind but it is very hard to find an assistant with superb negotiation skills." CreationDate="2019-06-07T16:00:57.377" UserId="5696" />
  <row Id="10751" PostId="9285" Score="0" Text="Well, searching for an assistant with a strong sales background may be beneficial." CreationDate="2019-06-07T18:04:32.267" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10752" PostId="9285" Score="1" Text="@rsp You won't be able to afford an assistant with superb negotiation skills :)" CreationDate="2019-06-08T13:41:59.010" UserId="2672" />
  <row Id="10753" PostId="9281" Score="0" Text="Re *&quot;sensitive way&quot;*: Don't you mean *&quot;[sensible](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sensible#Adjective) way&quot;*?" CreationDate="2019-06-12T09:52:50.660" UserId="845" />
  <row Id="10754" PostId="9282" Score="0" Text="(&quot;[LinkedIn](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LinkedIn)&quot;)" CreationDate="2019-06-12T09:55:25.937" UserId="845" />
  <row Id="10755" PostId="9291" Score="0" Text="What kind of service do you offer? For example, Front End Designer would have a different marketing possibility to Plumber" CreationDate="2019-06-18T16:59:38.837" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="10756" PostId="9293" Score="0" Text="I do not understand. You state *&quot;he paid me...&quot;* So, why would you be invoicing him again?" CreationDate="2019-06-18T18:34:54.823" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10757" PostId="9293" Score="0" Text="He transferred me the money, but I didn't give him a proper bill/invoice at the time, as we agreed I will do it at a later time(lack of knowledge on how things work from both of us)." CreationDate="2019-06-18T18:42:20.083" UserId="22149" />
  <row Id="10758" PostId="9293" Score="0" Text="Okay. I'm in the US. So, I don't know about UK laws/taxes. (or I'd post this as an answer) In the US, just send *any* invoice and mark it as &quot;PAID&quot;. He would merely need a **record of the money he paid** and it would make absolutely no difference if it was paid to an individual or to a company *for him*. It *might* matter to you though. Income as an individual can be seen as *different* than income for a company - but again, to him... makes no difference." CreationDate="2019-06-18T19:56:52.210" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10760" PostId="9293" Score="0" Text="If they've already paid you why do you need to send them another invoice at all? Is this for tax reporting purposes?" CreationDate="2019-06-21T21:25:27.080" UserId="21435" />
  <row Id="10761" PostId="9290" Score="1" Text="It only takes a single &quot;client&quot; to be unhappy and to file a lawsuit or claim against you or your work. I wouldn't perform work for any client without having Professional Liability Insurance and General Liability Insurance." CreationDate="2019-06-21T21:32:56.077" UserId="21435" />
  <row Id="10762" PostId="9305" Score="0" Text="Thanks, but what I'm owed is over 5k, under 50k." CreationDate="2019-06-23T15:31:52.787" UserId="22170" />
  <row Id="10763" PostId="9303" Score="0" Text="Just gonna leave this here.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVkLVRt6c1U" CreationDate="2019-06-23T17:00:51.473" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="10764" PostId="9309" Score="2" Text="Agree - the client should not pay 100% of the price for 90% of the product. You owe the client either a lower price or a completed product." CreationDate="2019-06-24T20:57:41.797" UserId="19521" />
  <row Id="10765" PostId="9308" Score="1" Text="How are you measuring 90% of 100%? Listed features? Weighted features? Bullet points on a spec sheet? Work time? Depending on how you measure that 10%, it can account for a lot more than just 10% of the purpose of the application." CreationDate="2019-06-25T11:21:18.510" UserId="21528" />
  <row Id="10766" PostId="9308" Score="4" Text="If you *know* you failed to meet all specifications, why argue with the client? Negotiate a refund you can both be happy about." CreationDate="2019-06-25T17:50:08.493" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10769" PostId="9281" Score="0" Text="i guess so :) @PeterMortensen" CreationDate="2019-06-29T06:21:09.463" UserId="22069" />
  <row Id="10770" PostId="9282" Score="0" Text="@PeterMortensen, thanks! but linkedin does not work for my concept. it is more like this: freelancers who sometimes work together have a joint platform where they present their work to others." CreationDate="2019-06-29T06:25:57.473" UserId="22069" />
  <row Id="10774" PostId="9308" Score="0" Text="Can you be more specific about why you couldn't do the other 10%? say for example you failed the milestone but you can complete the task in another month for a partial discount etc" CreationDate="2019-07-01T18:56:14.410" UserDisplayName="user22215" />
  <row Id="10775" PostId="9319" Score="0" Text="Thanks John, sending in tranches makes sense. I did include taxes in the costs. I believe they will be paying me to interpret the results but one of their local employees will be stuffing the envelopes and printing the packages. The $500 is supposed to cover labour costs but I may just ask them to estimate how much they will have to pay someone to stuff the envelopes -- it's hard for me to estimate how quickly their employees can scan surveys or stuff envelopes. My fee is not part of this calculation but will be added to the final costs" CreationDate="2019-07-04T14:17:20.037" UserId="22230" />
  <row Id="10776" PostId="9319" Score="1" Text="@jdavid05 I managed around 4/minute once I had the system down, with self adhesive envelopes (slightly more expensive)" CreationDate="2019-07-04T14:19:02.447" UserId="15202" />
  <row Id="10777" PostId="9319" Score="0" Text="I'll probably estimate 2 a minute. Seems reasonable when you account for breaks, coffee, washroom, etc. They still have to fold the surveys and make sure the packages are complete" CreationDate="2019-07-04T15:13:31.617" UserId="22230" />
  <row Id="10782" PostId="9325" Score="0" Text="Thank you for your answer. My client is willing to pay a large percentage of the contract up front, so hopefully this isn't an issue." CreationDate="2019-07-09T13:48:51.093" UserId="22252" />
  <row Id="10783" PostId="9324" Score="0" Text="This question asks for an open list hence it looks too broad. Do you have a more specific trouble in mind?" CreationDate="2019-07-09T15:58:32.727" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="10785" PostId="9308" Score="0" Text="If you fail to provide, don't be greedy. 10% refund is your best case. Usually a client would want more since the new person hired to do this small project will cost more than 10%." CreationDate="2019-07-15T22:23:45.783" UserDisplayName="user22286" />
  <row Id="10786" PostId="9325" Score="1" Text="@Sub6Resources Yes keep milestones. Only submit work if milestone is paid." CreationDate="2019-07-15T22:30:42.943" UserDisplayName="user22286" />
  <row Id="10787" PostId="9307" Score="0" Text="Can you check with them if they are happy with your tax id alone? I freelanced for my German employer, and they were fine with just tax id." CreationDate="2019-07-15T22:32:10.193" UserDisplayName="user22286" />
  <row Id="10788" PostId="6556" Score="0" Text="It's unfortunate he was exploiting you like this." CreationDate="2019-07-15T22:35:37.670" UserDisplayName="user22286" />
  <row Id="10790" PostId="9312" Score="0" Text="The point with an LCC is to reduce liability and come out on top in terms of taxes that are usually higher for personal taxes. You are most likely required to be paid by accepting a salary and once you have enough money to pay salary the remainder that is not used for operation can be paid out as a yearly dividend. However, It's best to ask a tax accountant in your country. Laws vary country to country and it depends on what you're doing. Where I'm from companies are obligated to pay a salary to their owners if they're doing work for the company. Owners/investors then get dividend." CreationDate="2019-07-16T16:18:16.467" UserId="22294" />
  <row Id="10791" PostId="9334" Score="0" Text="You were right. He is proven a scammer. Never texted back when I asked for sending me all site assets." CreationDate="2019-07-17T03:48:12.483" UserId="21411" />
  <row Id="10792" PostId="9349" Score="0" Text="When you walk into a local store and ask them to give you stuff for free, what do you think they will tell you?" CreationDate="2019-07-20T23:45:55.380" UserId="10464" />
  <row Id="10793" PostId="9349" Score="0" Text="&quot;Not ideal&quot; and &quot;This doesn't meet the original criteria&quot; are two *very* different things, as are &quot;what he wants&quot; and &quot;what he agreed to&quot;." CreationDate="2019-07-21T16:55:46.963" UserId="22321" />
  <row Id="10794" PostId="9353" Score="0" Text="thanks for the input. So when you invoice a client, you include a line item for project management? billed hourly or as a surcharge based on total hours?" CreationDate="2019-07-22T03:08:44.643" UserId="22310" />
  <row Id="10795" PostId="9355" Score="0" Text="I always find it helpful when a client sends things like logins/passwords, I take 5-10 minutes and test those immediately, even if I'm not going to do the work at that time. That way I can respond immediately letting them know they don't work. That 10 minutes inevitably saves 2-3 days." CreationDate="2019-07-22T04:41:21.403" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10796" PostId="9353" Score="0" Text="I bill hourly. I would add it as a line item for Project Management. It doesn't matter if you are a Project Manager or not. If that's what you call this task then call it out as such. I'm not a groundskeeper but if I mow my clients lawn I'm going to bill him for groundskeeping... to make a somewhat absurd analogy." CreationDate="2019-07-22T11:41:50.693" UserId="21435" />
  <row Id="10797" PostId="9358" Score="0" Text="What do you use for tracking and managing a single project? Use the same tools and methods for multiple projects." CreationDate="2019-07-22T11:42:57.187" UserId="21435" />
  <row Id="10798" PostId="9356" Score="0" Text="Billing by the hour would be the simplest method." CreationDate="2019-07-22T11:43:43.580" UserId="21435" />
  <row Id="10799" PostId="9358" Score="0" Text="For issue tracking I use `GitHub Issues`. For time-tracking `Kanbanflow` and `WakaTime`. The problem is that it's not always possible to use the same tool because projects are in `Bitbucket`, `Stash`, `GitHub` and it's not always up to me to decide which tools to use." CreationDate="2019-07-22T13:42:13.730" UserId="21254" />
  <row Id="10800" PostId="9359" Score="0" Text="I agree with the below answer. Also, try to make routine or/and use pomadora timer to make things happen. Also, try analyzing yourself. Sometimes, you have internal disturbs that prevent you from being focused." CreationDate="2019-07-23T13:54:21.037" UserId="21254" />
  <row Id="10801" PostId="2053" Score="1" Text="Exactly. Bill them for every second you use your brain thinking about their needs. You aren't flipping burgers." CreationDate="2019-07-23T18:20:24.223" UserId="10464" />
  <row Id="10802" PostId="9359" Score="0" Text="@DmytroChasovskyi Pomadora?" CreationDate="2019-07-23T20:45:31.277" UserId="22327" />
  <row Id="10803" PostId="9360" Score="1" Text="I think she actually makes more than me, but a very valuable answer nonetheless." CreationDate="2019-07-23T20:49:18.523" UserId="22327" />
  <row Id="10804" PostId="9359" Score="0" Text="[Pomadora technique](https://www.marinaratimer.com/). I found it useful when procrastinate myself. I am personally using Kanbanflow (not ad) but anything similar should be sufficient." CreationDate="2019-07-24T08:00:20.443" UserId="21254" />
  <row Id="10805" PostId="9359" Score="0" Text="@DmytroChasovskyi Ah, PomOdoRO. No wonder I couldn't find it. Never heard of it before. Doesn't quite feel like it would work for me as I generally prefer to maintain flow for several hours straight--this isnt programming we're talking about here." CreationDate="2019-07-24T09:30:29.187" UserId="22327" />
  <row Id="10806" PostId="9333" Score="0" Text="Cheque is a red flag" CreationDate="2019-08-03T06:39:19.477" UserId="22379" />
  <row Id="10807" PostId="3318" Score="0" Text="Was a good move adding this answer, this effectively answers show to fill in your info, as opposed to &quot;just register yourself on x site&quot;. Kudos!" CreationDate="2019-08-03T07:22:34.623" UserId="22379" />
  <row Id="10809" PostId="9252" Score="0" Text="Appreciate all the  answers, ended up closing my Upwork account, because I had to work on other things and had a in person job that was in line with things I was interested and had skills for. Was really just confused on how to use the site." CreationDate="2019-08-07T17:28:58.013" UserId="21981" />
  <row Id="10810" PostId="9371" Score="0" Text="This is good advice, once got a dataentry gig that really underpaid and the person basically tried to get a workhorse." CreationDate="2019-08-07T17:30:40.823" UserId="21981" />
  <row Id="10811" PostId="9378" Score="1" Text="Hi Dwwarf, welcome to Freelancing.SE! This question is quite off topic, as it is not talking about Freelancing. For learning programming functions, check out Stack Overflow; for programming theories, please check Programmers.SE." CreationDate="2019-08-09T16:38:51.567" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="10812" PostId="9378" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke sorry if this is off topic. I thought it does not belong on SO because its not a technical question. I thought its the right place to ask, because its concerning the freelancer career. However, I also noticed that there were no matching tags. Maybe there is no forum for this kind of questions on stackexchange." CreationDate="2019-08-09T18:50:12.927" UserId="19071" />
  <row Id="10813" PostId="9378" Score="0" Text="You'll need to check with the `/help/on-topic` pages of each of those sites. In a crunch, you could also try on SE Chat, as many people will answer these kinds of questions there instead." CreationDate="2019-08-09T20:48:41.263" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="10814" PostId="9378" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke thx for the hint with the chat, I try that." CreationDate="2019-08-09T22:08:26.960" UserId="19071" />
  <row Id="10816" PostId="7968" Score="0" Text="@Scott I've seen clients (who aren't paying much) try to dictate time but the freelancer needs to push back (as needed) or refuse to do the job." CreationDate="2019-08-14T14:00:26.487" UserId="10464" />
  <row Id="10817" PostId="9390" Score="0" Text="But how do I get an insurance for working on Freelancer.com, there is absolutely no contract between me and the employer, I just set a bid, get approved, do the job and get paid. and I also provide the code under &quot;Mozilla Public License 2&quot;" CreationDate="2019-08-19T21:58:57.217" UserId="22452" />
  <row Id="10818" PostId="9390" Score="1" Text="It doesn't matter how or where you work or through what agency or website. If a client wants to sue you they'll sue you. Whether or not they have cause. That's what insurance is for. There are many companies that sell PLI and GLI insurance." CreationDate="2019-08-19T23:54:24.357" UserId="21435" />
  <row Id="10824" PostId="9393" Score="0" Text="I am facing the same situation. what I did is, I have discuss the things with client and gave them transparency about developers availability within team. this way I also convey them about to stick with billing date and not be delay as I have also hired some additional resources to work on their project." CreationDate="2019-08-22T10:20:29.563" UserId="12443" />
  <row Id="10825" PostId="9393" Score="0" Text="@Radhe Did they insist they interview the other devs in the team? Do you do fixed price or hourly? If its hourly do they ask you split the invoice and charge a different rate to other devs? If its fixed price, do you quote less since you wont be spending 100% of the time on the project?" CreationDate="2019-08-22T14:20:53.437" UserId="22249" />
  <row Id="10826" PostId="9388" Score="0" Text="I like your last sentence. The hotel room can be a daunting place to try to work when the TV and bed are *right there*. With the WiFi and desk facilities that are usually available it probably makes for the best bet though." CreationDate="2019-08-22T15:42:25.330" UserId="12477" />
  <row Id="10828" PostId="9393" Score="0" Text="I have pretend my self as TL in front of client and about interviewing other resources, it's up to me to hire resources who are the best within my network. I had never revel their identity even. if still client wants then I was arranged group call for their technical discussion with my team. at the same time I also make sure none of the resource can direct approach to client without my permission. it is totally trust factor within my team." CreationDate="2019-08-23T04:13:54.023" UserId="12443" />
  <row Id="10829" PostId="9393" Score="0" Text="about my charges/development cost! its depends on many factors like scope of the project, features , front/back end technology what client wanted to use etc. so I charge them fixed cost and hourly basis (in case of maintenance/support) both. my charges are very chipper compared to other freelancers." CreationDate="2019-08-23T04:19:24.057" UserId="12443" />
  <row Id="10830" PostId="9356" Score="0" Text="The ONLY real answer to &quot;how much should I charge&quot; is... as much as you can get away with...." CreationDate="2019-08-28T08:52:35.880" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10832" PostId="9401" Score="0" Text="Actually, I want to refund the amount if the contract is declined. Why would I take payment for nothing... Yeah its definitely taking advantage. I dont intend to do that." CreationDate="2019-08-29T18:33:26.747" UserId="1303" />
  <row Id="10833" PostId="9401" Score="0" Text="But working that way also ensures me that the client is authentic and trusty. Because here generally I get low paying clients, and few of them just doesn't like entering into any legal agreements. They neither understand this is needed in Web development and nor do they want to. So these few clients reject after all my efforts in even drafting an agreement." CreationDate="2019-08-29T18:36:24.163" UserId="1303" />
  <row Id="10834" PostId="9401" Score="3" Text="If anyone won't sign your contract, walk away **always**." CreationDate="2019-08-29T19:07:20.647" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10836" PostId="3246" Score="0" Text="Here it is: [How can experienced contractor survive outside Elance/oDesk/Freelancer?](https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/2848/how-can-experienced-contractor-survive-outside-elance-odesk-freelancer)" CreationDate="2019-08-30T07:10:51.013" UserId="22501" />
  <row Id="10843" PostId="9405" Score="3" Text="This is probably the most inexperienced and outdated answer I have ever seen here. With all due respect, no they are not always right. At least not abrasive and abusive clients who would continue to take advantage of your offerings and assume you are liable to respond to them anytime. For them, I think being direct is the straight answer. And blunt rejection. That's what I did today and my client has not even made a single disturbance till now. He is politely replying using just WhatsApp and I am now at peace of mind and able to focus in other projects." CreationDate="2019-09-01T12:41:01.503" UserId="1303" />
  <row Id="10844" PostId="9408" Score="0" Text="Okay. So this has to be mentioned in the agreement right? Can I mention these clauses in an agreement and send in the midst of this project?" CreationDate="2019-09-03T03:43:58.510" UserId="1303" />
  <row Id="10845" PostId="9408" Score="0" Text="I was just say that as the project is wrapping up you are sending over the agreement for future maintenance work as well as the work that has already been completed. It's a contingency to the website going live. just be matter of fact about it in the beginning as though this is just a normal part of the process." CreationDate="2019-09-03T03:55:17.423" UserId="22524" />
  <row Id="10846" PostId="9408" Score="0" Text="Okay...  I will make sure to do this now. Thanks so much Lijo" CreationDate="2019-09-03T03:59:10.070" UserId="1303" />
  <row Id="10847" PostId="9407" Score="0" Text="Haha... This is a great response. I did block him during off hours, but he still continues to call through WhatsApp. Now I am unable to block him there. But yeah, I decided to put my phone in silent mode for his contact. :)" CreationDate="2019-09-03T04:21:17.547" UserId="1303" />
  <row Id="10848" PostId="9356" Score="0" Text="I would always go for a daily rate instead of an hourly rate, since it's hard to explain time spend debugging, testing and uploading to the customer. A daily rate lets you define the task your doing on a given day, without having to explictly mention the time for miscellaneous stuff." CreationDate="2019-09-03T12:50:59.513" UserId="22530" />
  <row Id="10849" PostId="9411" Score="0" Text="Thanks so much :) This is so helpful" CreationDate="2019-09-04T03:41:30.417" UserId="1303" />
  <row Id="10850" PostId="8171" Score="0" Text="This is why you get into a partnership only with people you know really well, and people who share your views of development. You can't convince him you're right or he's wrong, you both just have different opinions. One option is to fork the code and do it all by yourself." CreationDate="2019-09-07T12:36:53.237" UserId="22549" />
  <row Id="10852" PostId="9432" Score="0" Text="Thanks for your answer. Sadly, there is no contract (I edited my question). Do you think it changes something about what you answered ?" CreationDate="2019-09-16T08:38:17.203" UserId="23595" />
  <row Id="10853" PostId="9432" Score="0" Text="*Without* a contract or a minimum of written details regarding work to be done.. well, your'e hosed and it's all a matter of negotiation." CreationDate="2019-09-16T09:58:17.020" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10854" PostId="9433" Score="0" Text="As a Back-End developper, I show the dev environment but no need to hide scripts. In France I always heard that SMS have no legal value, that's why everyone should use emails. Obviously, my client did not write a single email... Thanks for your answer" CreationDate="2019-09-17T07:43:54.320" UserId="23595" />
  <row Id="10866" PostId="9453" Score="1" Text="Hi. I have the same question. Do you think that this one is helpful for you [How to get paid and figure out if I want to keep this client](https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/q/479/15099)?" CreationDate="2019-10-13T20:26:50.330" UserDisplayName="user15099" />
  <row Id="10867" PostId="9453" Score="1" Text="Really not certain what you are asking. No one knows if someone *will* pay. And if they intend not to a contract *rarely* changes that. Get payment up front.. that's really the only way to ensure you are paid." CreationDate="2019-10-15T20:45:53.250" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10868" PostId="9448" Score="1" Text="related: 1) [Starting freelance career as a programmer](https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/q/6703/15099) 2) [Getting started as a freelance programmer](https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/q/6959/15099)" CreationDate="2019-10-16T02:13:09.570" UserDisplayName="user15099" />
  <row Id="10869" PostId="9453" Score="0" Text="@Scott I am getting 50% in advance 50% after completion" CreationDate="2019-10-16T06:12:09.020" UserId="23700" />
  <row Id="10870" PostId="9456" Score="0" Text="I am getting 50% in advance but another problem is I need to push all the changes to git repository. My question is can I take legal actions if my payments is not made." CreationDate="2019-10-16T06:16:37.217" UserId="23700" />
  <row Id="10871" PostId="9460" Score="0" Text="Why would it be unethical? What ethical standards do you think this would break?" CreationDate="2019-10-21T04:30:10.617" UserId="21435" />
  <row Id="10873" PostId="9456" Score="0" Text="Yeah, of course, you can. But you have to be ready to pay all the fees that go along with doing that. The laws where you live will have an effect on the outcome. Make sure you have a good contract and keep track of all your invoices, emails, and call-log if you make phone calls, as it helps your argument if you do end up having to go to court." CreationDate="2019-10-23T17:36:30.353" UserId="21825" />
  <row Id="10875" PostId="9463" Score="0" Text="Thanks, that sounds about right... my method is by looking for local businesses on Google and putting together a list of names &amp; email addresses. Can I just check which freelancing websites you're referring to? As I've always found the likes of People Per Hour etc to have shockingly low budgets" CreationDate="2019-10-23T20:08:00.650" UserDisplayName="user15733" />
  <row Id="10876" PostId="9463" Score="1" Text="@Pel some of what you said about freelancing websites is true, and like most jobs you certainly have to work hard in the beginning to get new clients and your ratings up to get better jobs (not unlike the real world actually). Upwork and Freelancer.com seem to be the two that many people talk about, Fiver and others are typically known for simple and low-end type of work. I haven't heard of People Per Hour :p" CreationDate="2019-10-23T21:38:20.700" UserId="4278" />
  <row Id="10881" PostId="666" Score="0" Text="My thoughts are that this has changed since the original question &amp; answer. If you look at remote-only sites like weworkremotely the **majority** of remote jobs are advertised as US-only. This is really frustrating for someone who is a native English speaker with a 4-5 hour overlap with  the West coast." CreationDate="2019-10-30T20:46:22.760" UserId="12274" />
  <row Id="10884" PostId="6101" Score="1" Text="+1 Never surprise a client with an unexpected charge" CreationDate="2019-11-03T15:30:51.570" UserId="2839" />
  <row Id="10886" PostId="9474" Score="0" Text="According to Google, &quot;midlancing&quot; seems to be a Dutch term. It's difficult from the little context to evaluate how legitimate it is." CreationDate="2019-11-06T10:58:06.487" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="10887" PostId="9483" Score="1" Text="Thanks for the feedback. I did communicate with the client and we came up with a suitable compromise. I will continue with the written technical content and send those to the client. The client will then look for someone who can create the videos and edit them. He also agreed to pay 50% of the original contract because I will not longer be creating the videos and is willing to include my name as co-author." CreationDate="2019-11-08T20:08:37.710" UserId="19508" />
  <row Id="10888" PostId="9484" Score="0" Text="If your company is British, will you not be taxed in Britain? (at least pre-Brexit)" CreationDate="2019-11-11T09:43:17.143" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="10890" PostId="9484" Score="0" Text="Not if resident in Germany for more than 93 days in any given year" CreationDate="2019-11-17T11:20:47.387" UserId="23834" />
  <row Id="10891" PostId="9497" Score="0" Text="I think the idea is sellable since it seems there are others who sell an Advanced version of what i'm planning to create and sell. That's my way of &quot;creating a Minimum Viable Product and seeing how that goes&quot;.&#xA;If i try to cooperate with the company they might try to take control of the idea, that's why i prefer to wait until having a full functionning product to present.&#xA;Now it's more about how should i approach the client, who to talk to ? how to present the product to maximize my chances, via demonstration ? which arguments ? etc." CreationDate="2019-11-18T11:13:04.763" UserId="23878" />
  <row Id="10892" PostId="9497" Score="0" Text="Who to contact depends on who you know. If you have access to a decision-maker, that should be your target." CreationDate="2019-11-18T11:16:10.620" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="10893" PostId="9293" Score="0" Text="I'm not sure if it's legal to generate an invoice under a company for services rendered during a historical period when that (invoicing) company didn't yet exist.  Even if the client accepted the invoice, the money can't actually enter the companies bank account until that bank account exists.  Given that it was only for a few hundred dollars and this might cause you a headache if/when you get audited, is it really worth the bother?" CreationDate="2019-11-19T23:44:38.457" UserId="23850" />
  <row Id="10895" PostId="9500" Score="0" Text="Indeed it did. Edited now. Thanks." CreationDate="2019-11-21T09:19:20.927" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="10899" PostId="9507" Score="1" Text="....sounds merely like &quot;Consulting&quot; to me." CreationDate="2019-11-22T20:38:52.127" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10900" PostId="9507" Score="0" Text="That's what I've heard before, but I can just imagine the conversation  - Me: &quot;High, I saw you were looking for a consultant, I'm offering my services.&quot; Them: &quot;Oh, what's your area of expertise?&quot; M: &quot;I don't have one.&quot; T: &quot;What do you mean?&quot; M: &quot;Yeah, I just...generally make everything better.&quot; T: &quot;...&quot;. I promise I'm not trying to be flippant, this is just an area that I know precisely zero about." CreationDate="2019-11-22T21:34:20.153" UserId="20549" />
  <row Id="10904" PostId="9514" Score="0" Text="Possible duplicate of [How to make the jump from normal employee to higher level freelancing](https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/913/how-to-make-the-jump-from-normal-employee-to-higher-level-freelancing) and [possibly helpful](https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/2848/how-can-experienced-contractor-survive-outside-elance-odesk-freelancer)" CreationDate="2019-12-01T19:22:21.417" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10905" PostId="9512" Score="0" Text="When I perform that Google job search, just look up &quot;clarity consultant&quot;?" CreationDate="2019-12-01T23:47:32.133" UserId="20549" />
  <row Id="10907" PostId="9512" Score="0" Text="I think you'd need to search for &quot;Creative Consultant&quot; then work out which people want designers and which want consultants. The problem with shifting in to this deliberately is I think the key to getting work in this area is having a good network of people who recommend you in to projects. So, you probably need to find a way of pulling other work you're doing in to a shape where you get to do the sort of work you want, then you can write it up and start publicising yourself as someone who does that." CreationDate="2019-12-05T10:52:33.237" UserId="12838" />
  <row Id="10909" PostId="9439" Score="0" Text="You should contact an accountant in you country if you are unsure what to include on your invoice. I expect you are a self employed or have company as you are issueing invoices." CreationDate="2019-12-07T14:32:29.720" UserId="23972" />
  <row Id="10910" PostId="9511" Score="0" Text="I expect she cannot charge VAT on invoice as she is not VAT registered." CreationDate="2019-12-07T14:33:39.450" UserId="23972" />
  <row Id="10912" PostId="9520" Score="0" Text="The way that you worded this, that you are now supporting the application rather than writing it, makes it seem (to those of us who do this regularly) like you are &quot;done&quot;, and probably (hopefully) have been &quot;done&quot; with writing the application for some time. You should make it clear to the client that support is not the same as development, and you expect to be paid for your time supporting the application." CreationDate="2019-12-10T17:45:39.967" UserId="16365" />
  <row Id="10913" PostId="9520" Score="0" Text="If the application is still not finished, that's another issue. In that case, you have a scope change. (I'm assuming the original project scope was not meant to be more than a year of work!) Since you have a day job, I think you can be fairly cavalier, and just say &quot;what we've done already was the scope of what I'm willing to finish for the original X money. To continue adding Y features will cost Z.&quot; If they don't want to pay Y, and you really want to keep them happy, maybe offer to give back some money but you certainly deserve it." CreationDate="2019-12-10T17:51:32.697" UserId="16365" />
  <row Id="10914" PostId="9520" Score="0" Text="Thanks @livingtech - You're right - I did the work for another consulting company who engaged with the end client. From their analysis it was initially 4 weeks work, which was fine, but once I began the work, it quickly became clear that this was a much larger undertaking and the consulting company basically just left me to engage with the customer directly.  The project is &quot;done&quot; and I was paid, but there are still bugs coming up which i've felt obliged to fix. Then there was a stack of additional work which the consulatancy just left me to engage with the customer directly again" CreationDate="2019-12-11T12:35:27.803" UserId="23965" />
  <row Id="10915" PostId="9520" Score="0" Text="In this case, maybe it would work to tell them your contract was with the original company, and you need a new contract to continue to do work for them." CreationDate="2019-12-11T22:52:57.970" UserId="16365" />
  <row Id="10916" PostId="9520" Score="0" Text="FWIW, I always continue to charge (but I try to work hourly whenever possible) for bug fixing. It's a part of the job. No free fixes here." CreationDate="2019-12-11T22:53:50.173" UserId="16365" />
  <row Id="10918" PostId="3239" Score="0" Text="Have a strong presence on social media regarding your work. Be a bit friendly in communication &amp; yes just as the first answer use video call when having a meeting with clients." CreationDate="2019-06-21T08:18:16.507" UserId="22159" />
  <row Id="10919" PostId="6737" Score="0" Text="What does &quot;jeapordise&quot; mean?" CreationDate="2019-12-19T10:07:04.130" UserId="24036" />
  <row Id="10921" PostId="9542" Score="2" Text="I ended up started negotiating about the prices with the new client before approaching the old one. We couldn't reach any agreement. Glad I didn't bother my first client before." CreationDate="2019-12-22T12:03:36.533" UserId="24046" />
  <row Id="10922" PostId="9543" Score="3" Text="It's more of a rant than an actual answer. And I like that you assumed that I have made my mind already." CreationDate="2019-12-24T19:39:19.897" UserId="24046" />
  <row Id="10924" PostId="9485" Score="0" Text="There are plenty of facebook groups related to freelancing and especially for Fiverr. You can share your gig there in different groups. Also, to your social networking sites." CreationDate="2019-12-25T11:59:38.947" UserId="24067" />
  <row Id="10932" PostId="6556" Score="0" Text="How'd that work out?" CreationDate="2020-01-03T16:59:47.457" UserId="13016" />
  <row Id="10933" PostId="9542" Score="1" Text="Good. Glad things didn't get completely messed up" CreationDate="2020-01-06T07:46:20.387" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="10935" PostId="9563" Score="0" Text="Hey there. You might get a bit more of a response if you edit your question to include a question (other than &quot;what should I do&quot;)." CreationDate="2020-01-15T14:53:01.720" UserId="15202" />
  <row Id="10939" PostId="9579" Score="0" Text="Are  you part-owner of this group - or are you essentially giving your new employer your freelance clients for free?" CreationDate="2020-01-24T13:00:30.213" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="10940" PostId="9579" Score="0" Text="I'm not part-owner though there may be that potential down the road. Or maybe up front that could be how my &quot;stake&quot; is introduced. But yeah if I just questioned nothing, it sounds like they'd be getting these clients for free." CreationDate="2020-01-24T21:26:56.700" UserId="24206" />
  <row Id="10941" PostId="9579" Score="0" Text="You sure you're doing the right thing? Long ago, I made the reverse move, from an employee of a consulting company to an independent contractor. Never looked back. Way better overall compensation as an independent. But you do want a substantial financial cushion to fall back on when on the beach/bench. As long as you've got that, and aren't living hand-to-mouth, I'd recommend carefully re-thinking and re-calculating your decision, to make sure it's clear in your mind exactly what the expected outcome is most likely to be." CreationDate="2020-01-25T05:16:22.287" UserId="21687" />
  <row Id="10942" PostId="9588" Score="2" Text="I don't understand the question. Did you perform some work for them? Did you deliver some kind of work? Do you have a contract? What exactly are you asking?" CreationDate="2020-01-27T00:53:52.710" UserId="21435" />
  <row Id="10944" PostId="9579" Score="0" Text="I'd imagine becoming part-owner only happens when you have leverage - which seems to be now and not later." CreationDate="2020-01-27T07:46:07.593" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="10945" PostId="9593" Score="0" Text="Welcome to Freelancing! Whilst this may theoretically answer the question, it would be preferable to back it with references to credible sources and/or academic research. Unbacked posts attract downvotes and disputes." CreationDate="2020-01-28T12:04:47.653" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="10946" PostId="9600" Score="0" Text="Yes indeed - at least the 2 owners pooled together their freelance stuff, of course they're owners. But that's the case they made is that they're all in the same boat pretty much and nobody so far has gotten commissions or anything for bringing in business. Yeah keeping my client on the side is an option at least for the time being. In the long term my employer doesn't want my focus divided too much but in the long term a lot will be clearer." CreationDate="2020-01-30T23:23:57.607" UserId="24206" />
  <row Id="10947" PostId="9601" Score="0" Text="Right - better situation in terms of what we can do together, and at this point I'm missing the teamwork aspect. I think I found a good group of folks but yeah it will take some time for trust and just seeing if it works out. Benefits are not so hot, but it's a work in progress. For instance they're all doing their own healthcare until they can find a group plan that works, but they do have paid leave." CreationDate="2020-01-30T23:34:09.353" UserId="24206" />
  <row Id="10948" PostId="9604" Score="0" Text="You pay taxes where **you live** not where clients live." CreationDate="2020-02-03T19:12:10.123" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10951" PostId="9606" Score="0" Text="The agreement was monthly, X amount for 2-4 projects. I'm hesitating because they might raise the mistake I did in the last project, which happened to be the last straw before I decided to cut the relationship off. Would it make sense for me to go after the money owed, even if, I made a mistake for that one? I mean I had accepted that I wasn't going to get the money when I made that decision... but since the brand manager has opened the communication again, it made me think twice." CreationDate="2020-02-04T08:31:20.667" UserId="20860" />
  <row Id="10952" PostId="9606" Score="1" Text="I can't possibly give any advice since I have little to no idea what the situation actually may be. All I know is that if someone owes me money.. I don't freely fulfill their requests." CreationDate="2020-02-04T09:57:49.957" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10953" PostId="9610" Score="0" Text="Perhaps it was not so clear in the question. Saying &quot;I make PCB on customer's designs&quot; implies I *cannot* sell them to any others but the owner. This is clearly stated in the NDA." CreationDate="2020-02-04T19:04:57.707" UserId="17965" />
  <row Id="10954" PostId="9610" Score="0" Text="This customer represents about the 30% of my yearly incoming. I'm not afraid to lose him as long as I recover the investment already made." CreationDate="2020-02-04T19:06:13.463" UserId="17965" />
  <row Id="10955" PostId="9610" Score="0" Text="Ahhh, that's going to change my stance then..." CreationDate="2020-02-04T20:33:08.383" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="10956" PostId="9616" Score="0" Text="Was there a question? This is exceptionally broad without any targeted question. You seem familiar enough with the Stack model to understand questions need to be objective in nature." CreationDate="2020-02-06T05:00:20.643" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10957" PostId="9616" Score="0" Text="good point, I'll reduce the scope" CreationDate="2020-02-06T06:05:03.537" UserId="24279" />
  <row Id="10958" PostId="9618" Score="1" Text="https://freelancing.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/285/it-is-valid-to-ask-how-and-how-much-to-charge-for-some-things" CreationDate="2020-02-06T16:31:50.970" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10959" PostId="9618" Score="0" Text="@Scott Do you want me to update the question?" CreationDate="2020-02-06T16:34:45.460" UserId="24285" />
  <row Id="10960" PostId="9618" Score="0" Text="Doesn't matter.. no one can price anything for you. Please read the meta question I linked to above." CreationDate="2020-02-06T16:38:12.570" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10961" PostId="9618" Score="0" Text="I did. That's why I asked. And obviously I'm not asking for anyone to price anything out for me. I just want a point of reference." CreationDate="2020-02-06T17:12:00.160" UserId="24285" />
  <row Id="10963" PostId="9618" Score="1" Text="I understand you &quot;hate this site&quot;,Michael.But the point is even giving a &quot;point of reference&quot; is nearly impossible and ultimately just a random number unless you do the *exact* same work with the *exact* same skill level and the *exact* same experience as someone else. Figure out what your overhead is per hour... how many hours you think the project with take you.. multiply overhead by project hours, there's your **base** amount you must make in order to not *lose* money working. Anything more is profit." CreationDate="2020-02-06T19:39:33.700" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10964" PostId="9618" Score="0" Text="My point is.. what if someone answers &quot;$700&quot;... but you *could* have made $5,000?  Or if someone answers $700 but your overhead would be $900 -- you'd be paying $200 to work. This is why no one else can even &quot;ballpark&quot; pricing for you." CreationDate="2020-02-06T19:56:22.047" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10966" PostId="9618" Score="0" Text="Hi, I'd suggest you to edit your question and provide precise details like, where is/would be your client from? Where do you live (country)? Would they be small, medium or large companies? Etc. If your questions are more precise, we can give you some hints." CreationDate="2020-02-07T10:55:42.623" UserId="24291" />
  <row Id="10967" PostId="9621" Score="0" Text="Thank you! A significant part of my work is doing calculations with a pan and a paper, or reading literature or doing some thinking. So tracking would work only at the advanced stages of projects, where it comes to coding." CreationDate="2020-02-07T12:22:37.173" UserId="23884" />
  <row Id="10968" PostId="9621" Score="1" Text="@Vadim, that's how I generally handle the requirements gathering &amp; architectural design stages of my projects also. Some clients are willing to pay for this, whilst others are not. I remember getting particularly annoyed with government projects where I spent odious amounts of time that some employee barely glanced over. Generally people bill this in after the fact. Never forget the 80/20 rule. 80% of your income comes from 20% of your clients. Focus on clients that don't eat all of your time with little or no compensation. Firing isn't a one way street. Of times, clients must be fired. :)" CreationDate="2020-02-07T12:30:35.690" UserId="21318" />
  <row Id="10969" PostId="9621" Score="0" Text="Thank you, again! Billing in after the fact makes sense, although I am not sure how I could incorporate it into my current situation, where I am paid a fixed amount every week." CreationDate="2020-02-07T12:48:09.573" UserId="23884" />
  <row Id="10970" PostId="9620" Score="0" Text="The question is not exactly about pricing. However this is one of the advantages of billing per project - it allows value-based pricing." CreationDate="2020-02-07T13:51:09.483" UserId="23884" />
  <row Id="10971" PostId="9628" Score="0" Text="I don't intend on working in web-tech. I am good at Qt and wish to continue in this field. Could you please describe the scope for Qt freelancers? Most of the successful guys post their freelance experience to draw more customers. Something I don't have." CreationDate="2020-02-12T10:34:13.593" UserId="24279" />
  <row Id="10972" PostId="9631" Score="4" Text="The guy is simply ripping you off. Stop responding to him and let the matter go. Forget about any money he may owe you, you'll **never** see it. Block him if necessary. Any threats of a lawsuit are hollow and unsubstantiated from what you've posted here. He's merely trying to scare you. Suing people across international borders is **exceptionally** difficult, costly, and time consuming. He's not going to do anything." CreationDate="2020-02-12T21:32:57.407" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10973" PostId="9628" Score="0" Text="There are multiple Qt related jobs on freelancing platforms and you can easily get a job if you are good at that. So to gain experience as a Qt freelancer just start with low pricing and offer good services to clients." CreationDate="2020-02-13T06:58:24.517" UserId="24078" />
  <row Id="10974" PostId="9631" Score="1" Text="As mentioned by @Scott, just try to avoid these type of guys. And if you still get encountered with such sorts of issues, try to get out of these situations asap. Respect your work and your time. &#xA;&#xA;In this case, just leave the money and just block him." CreationDate="2020-02-13T07:04:26.490" UserId="24078" />
  <row Id="10976" PostId="9628" Score="0" Text="@Bhoot if still any queries, please feel free to ask. :)" CreationDate="2020-02-17T08:12:20.803" UserId="24078" />
  <row Id="10977" PostId="9628" Score="0" Text="No, nothing more. I was hoping to figure out a way to make my brand quickly, but seems like I'll have to start from the bottom and work my way up slowly." CreationDate="2020-02-18T05:58:57.233" UserId="24279" />
  <row Id="10983" PostId="9635" Score="2" Text="It's almost a certainty that FontAwesome includes information in their license agreement as to what you can and cannot do with their product. Have you read the license agreement?" CreationDate="2020-02-21T02:13:14.540" UserId="21435" />
  <row Id="10984" PostId="9640" Score="2" Text="the hard part here is the requirement for anonymous payment. You need a bank account of some sort to recieve money. If its just lack of photo Id you could try using an unregistered paypal account or something" CreationDate="2020-02-22T10:44:53.977" UserId="17119" />
  <row Id="10985" PostId="9643" Score="0" Text="How does one find **any** worker locally? Ads, temp agencies, etc." CreationDate="2020-02-25T18:31:15.743" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10986" PostId="9514" Score="1" Text="Note that being &quot;freelancer&quot; means being programmer, salesman, accountant, etc in a one man software development company" CreationDate="2020-02-25T20:26:20.700" UserId="2450" />
  <row Id="10987" PostId="9640" Score="2" Text="&quot;interacting with people...&quot; If you can't interact in person or face-to-face, would you be open to interacting with people by email, text chat, phone, Web forum, etc.?" CreationDate="2020-02-25T21:57:51.550" UserId="22501" />
  <row Id="10988" PostId="9643" Score="0" Text="@Scott right but I am wondering what are some good methods to actually scout for some talent that is useful for some small entrepreneurs like me. I have a growing business but I need to find talent that is not too expensive to help me grow my business as I have come to a point where work is overload. Some methods like Ads are too big of a scale and cost inefficient on many cases as well as agencies. Finding photographers are a challenge, but I was thinking of going to an arts school locally and actually have a flier or something to catch students who are able and want some freelance side job" CreationDate="2020-02-26T10:10:09.663" UserId="24368" />
  <row Id="10989" PostId="9640" Score="1" Text="Also, are you able to receive payments through a bank account, Paypal, Venmo, or other payment services? If so, you'll have more options for making money than if you accept Bitcoin only." CreationDate="2020-02-26T21:05:04.013" UserId="22501" />
  <row Id="10995" PostId="9649" Score="1" Text="No one here has any clue what it is you may actually do, or wish to do, for a living." CreationDate="2020-02-28T23:25:41.717" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10996" PostId="9649" Score="0" Text="@Scott Why comment without having read the question?" CreationDate="2020-02-28T23:29:28.000" UserId="24395" />
  <row Id="10997" PostId="9649" Score="1" Text="ermm... I **did** read the question. There is **no mention** of **what** you are trying to market only that you seem to be failing at marketing whatever it is. &quot;a newsletter signup&quot; is hardly descriptive." CreationDate="2020-02-28T23:30:40.503" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10998" PostId="9649" Score="0" Text="Perhaps, and this is just a guess, you are as unclear in your marketing as you are in this question. No one signs up for something when they don't understand *what* it is they are signing up for." CreationDate="2020-02-28T23:38:50.757" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="10999" PostId="9651" Score="0" Text="Of course I should not have put myself in this situation. Anyway I cannot deliberately increase the cost unless there is a board revision (see the paragraph &quot;the customer does not accept:&quot;). Well, actually I can but just few $ yearly, that of course does not recover the huge investment done." CreationDate="2020-03-02T07:27:34.730" UserId="17965" />
  <row Id="11000" PostId="9563" Score="0" Text="hey, generally many web developers are familiar with many different tools and technologies - web kind of requires that. I'd say try to find what you want to specialize in... you mention wordpress and eth, so maybe get deeper into PHP or solidity. What do you enjoy doing and what are your goals?" CreationDate="2020-03-02T23:37:08.917" UserId="15906" />
  <row Id="11001" PostId="9652" Score="0" Text="Why close? This is a freelancing problem when you can do everything to try launching an product/app yourself but don't exactly have the capital to do beyond" CreationDate="2020-03-03T00:00:40.010" UserId="15906" />
  <row Id="11002" PostId="9652" Score="0" Text="Hasn't it worked explaining you're just yourself? Or are you looking to completely avoid these conversations?" CreationDate="2020-03-03T06:58:52.723" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="11003" PostId="9652" Score="0" Text="So I've had these conversations. The most common case is it's met with misunderstanding. It ranges from drama to next week, same spam." CreationDate="2020-03-03T07:47:18.437" UserId="15906" />
  <row Id="11004" PostId="9652" Score="0" Text="There's just no way someone these studios are *advertising to* is going to convince them to essentially reverse the relationship they are trying to establish. They want your money.... they aren't going to be interested in giving *you* money. This is *especially* true for marketers using &quot;spam&quot; as a tactic." CreationDate="2020-03-03T07:54:33.537" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11005" PostId="9649" Score="1" Text="Why can't you get a social media account? Are you banned from them? If you are, why were you banned? Maybe this is a clue as to why no one apparently likes your products? Without knowing what you are doing or wanting to do, this Question is more of a rant than an actual question. Also, it's very opinion based." CreationDate="2020-03-04T17:20:50.037" UserId="24415" />
  <row Id="11006" PostId="9652" Score="0" Text="This is what https://www.spamcop.net/ is for." CreationDate="2020-03-04T18:04:17.853" UserId="20786" />
  <row Id="11007" PostId="9631" Score="0" Text="If this guy does sue, simply counter sue for the lost expenses and time due to him not paying for the work you've done." CreationDate="2020-03-04T18:28:33.057" UserId="24415" />
  <row Id="11008" PostId="9645" Score="0" Text="This is a good idea, but it's tough to do, since most of these options require the ability to have a good app to piggyback on. And that's hard enough to come up with when you have time to make it and are interacting with people who want the app and can tell you what it needs, what it doesn't, and do alpha and beta testing for you. Even if you hire testers, which the OP sounds like they can't afford, it's still requiring interactions with people." CreationDate="2020-03-05T17:30:12.860" UserId="24415" />
  <row Id="11009" PostId="9660" Score="0" Text="You need to hire an attorney, not ask a bunch of other freelancers." CreationDate="2020-03-09T09:58:07.960" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11010" PostId="9660" Score="1" Text="This will depend upon jurisdiction, so cannot be answered here.  You could look at https://law.stackexchange.com/ to see if it is on-topic there, but you will have to state your jurisdiction." CreationDate="2020-03-09T11:00:28.817" UserId="20786" />
  <row Id="11011" PostId="9290" Score="0" Text="Doing lessons on paper won't help anyone learn a piece of software. That's just counterproductive, since they'll just want to either continue to do their accounting (or whatever) on paper or simply won't understand what &quot;=Sum(B1:B13)&quot; really means." CreationDate="2020-03-09T22:19:26.010" UserId="24415" />
  <row Id="11012" PostId="9299" Score="0" Text="While that sentence/clause might not 100% stand up in court, it could cause a frivolous lawsuit to be outright rejected by a judge or at least cause someone to reconsider suing in the first place, not realizing it's not exactly enforceable. Having a clause like that is definitely better than not having it, since you are still stating that you don't agree to be liable for everything that happens." CreationDate="2020-03-09T22:23:31.320" UserId="24415" />
  <row Id="11013" PostId="9304" Score="0" Text="I know of many people who wanted to learn *their* version of the software, even if it was +10 years out of date. Sure, you can not take them as a student, but you lose out on the fee, too. Teaching them on their own computer, in their own familiar surroundings is a solid way to keep people mostly comfortable with only the software being their problem, rather than an unfamiliar room and computer. You can also charge more for a on-site class than if they come to you." CreationDate="2020-03-09T22:27:56.853" UserId="24415" />
  <row Id="11014" PostId="9660" Score="0" Text="This would be closed as off-topic for asking for specific legal advice on Law.SE. I think that unless we have an industry expert, this will also be off topic for Freelancing, due to not being able to answer it specifically and correctly" CreationDate="2020-03-10T20:17:51.657" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="11015" PostId="9304" Score="0" Text="If you do it on their software , their machine (yes very comfortable for them) you need a clear written instruction that you are not liable for any damage to machine or software. Also you will need insurance." CreationDate="2020-03-11T17:25:48.090" UserId="22171" />
  <row Id="11016" PostId="9670" Score="0" Text="There are a ton of cash apps out there. Almost every bank has their own version." CreationDate="2020-03-11T22:36:59.847" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11017" PostId="9670" Score="0" Text="@Scott Can you please mention some of them that can do the same thing like Paypal, but has smaller fees? Also, that has the option to convert from USD to EUR right in the platform and then send to my local bank account." CreationDate="2020-03-12T11:26:26.733" UserId="8781" />
  <row Id="11018" PostId="9670" Score="0" Text="Talk to your bank.. check out it's website. But practically *every* payment processor will have a fee. Paypal's 4% is not that bad in reality. If you can't afford that 4% you aren't charging enough." CreationDate="2020-03-12T11:50:31.950" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11019" PostId="9670" Score="0" Text="What is the advantage of using Paypal as opposed to a direct bank transfer? Assuming that you are going to pay taxes anyway." CreationDate="2020-03-13T13:38:15.107" UserId="23884" />
  <row Id="11020" PostId="9653" Score="0" Text="Upvoted both current answers, but I prefer the succinctness of this one." CreationDate="2020-03-16T10:04:17.527" UserId="24437" />
  <row Id="11021" PostId="9677" Score="0" Text="I just checked and found out that three sites are not allowing to create accounts from Iran. However, there are few other sites like 99designs.com, which do not belong to US and you can create account while being an Iranian" CreationDate="2020-03-18T08:39:53.173" UserId="24078" />
  <row Id="11022" PostId="9677" Score="0" Text="You can try 99designs.com. I just updated my answer." CreationDate="2020-03-18T08:40:25.427" UserId="24078" />
  <row Id="11023" PostId="9678" Score="2" Text="Iran, Fiverr, and Freelancer *all* do not permit Iranians or will ban them soon after joining. Each of them (especially Upwork.com, Freelancer.com, and Guru.com) will eventually *force* you to verify your identity in order to be paid." CreationDate="2020-03-18T11:38:48.660" UserId="21318" />
  <row Id="11024" PostId="9678" Score="0" Text="@coderpro.net Yes, that's what I have mentioned above!" CreationDate="2020-03-18T12:01:14.303" UserId="24078" />
  <row Id="11025" PostId="9680" Score="0" Text="You'll probably get a variety of answers here.  I wouldn't charge for work I haven't done yet -- what happens if you get sick and can't do the work you've already invoiced for &amp; been paid for?  Having consulted for 20 years, the general approach most successful consultants use is (1) have multiple clients / projects that are staggered, (2) try to negotitate different payment terms (e.g. net 15, etc.)  These are easier said than done, one of the reasons most people aren't cut out for freelancing (not talking about you specifically)" CreationDate="2020-03-20T18:29:09.793" UserId="7823" />
  <row Id="11026" PostId="9682" Score="0" Text="&quot;if you add something such as 'net 15', 'payable on receipt'...&quot; - true, but this would need to be agreed beforehand by both parties" CreationDate="2020-03-30T11:53:32.197" UserId="20689" />
  <row Id="11027" PostId="9682" Score="1" Text="Not necessarily. Especially where Net 15 is concerned. &quot;Payment when services are rendered&quot; is the default position for most transactions. Net 30 is simply how *most* accounting departments treat things." CreationDate="2020-03-30T18:32:41.243" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11028" PostId="9689" Score="1" Text="Welcome to Freelancing.SE! This post looks like a personal recommendation, not a full-featured answer. Admittedly, the question itself is poorly worded as it looks like asking for a personal (hence opinion-based) recommendation. **A good answer** to this question should, nevertheless, contain [**objective criteria**](https://stackoverflow.blog/2010/09/29/good-subjective-bad-subjective/) helping freelancers to choose their long-term strategy and short-term tactics. Best if such answer contained references to reputable sources, not just your personal feeling which may not apply for all." CreationDate="2020-04-04T23:39:40.790" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="11029" PostId="9687" Score="0" Text="`I invoiced them a couple weeks ago and they've gone pretty quiet ever since.` - Have you reached out to them since you sent your invoices? What are your payment terms? What's in your contract regarding payment?" CreationDate="2020-04-08T01:54:08.580" UserId="21435" />
  <row Id="11030" PostId="9687" Score="0" Text="I'd ring them and have a chat, even just to check they're physically okay (why would that be a bad thing?). If they're having real problems then unless you're tight for money it's probably best for your long term business with them to let it slide for a bit, and probably your conscience if they do hit the wall. Considering there's a lot of government backing for businesses though, you'd be within your rights to chase them." CreationDate="2020-04-08T04:38:18.813" UserId="18820" />
  <row Id="11031" PostId="9682" Score="0" Text="@Scott where is this normal? I always received payment within a week or so, working in German for small businesses. Except for one case, where I didn´t receive payment at all and client got bankrupt after some month." CreationDate="2020-04-10T23:20:46.357" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="11032" PostId="9682" Score="0" Text="@Daniel it really depends upon the company (client). The larger the company, there's a higher probability that they treat everything as Net 30. They don't have to... but it's very, very common with larger corporations." CreationDate="2020-04-10T23:22:13.360" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11033" PostId="9682" Score="1" Text="For some companies standard is pay immediately. For others it's Net 15, and for others still it's net 30. If you want to specific payment terms, do so in a contract. Otherwise you will be subject to their standard procedures." CreationDate="2020-04-10T23:37:47.687" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11038" PostId="9651" Score="0" Text="@Mark you are missing the point of his comment. He's basically saying that your only option is to raise your prices to a level that is fair. If they refuse to pay, then you will walk away with a loss but so will they. The situation escalated to a point where there's no path of least resistance unfortunately." CreationDate="2020-04-14T20:38:19.510" UserId="24572" />
  <row Id="11039" PostId="9670" Score="0" Text="crypto like bitcoin might be an option also" CreationDate="2020-04-13T19:08:02.023" UserId="24562" />
  <row Id="11040" PostId="9696" Score="0" Text="thank you so much it really helped me :)" CreationDate="2020-04-16T07:49:38.077" UserId="24577" />
  <row Id="11041" PostId="1159" Score="0" Text="May I ask what are your skill in web development?" CreationDate="2020-04-20T05:19:58.377" UserId="24598" />
  <row Id="11042" PostId="7410" Score="0" Text="+1 Love your opening line!" CreationDate="2020-04-21T14:59:45.130" UserId="24609" />
  <row Id="11049" PostId="9707" Score="2" Text="Was it an *advance* or a *deposit* or something different? What did your contract state? You have a contract, right?" CreationDate="2020-04-29T19:34:37.257" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="11050" PostId="9707" Score="0" Text="The contract was never signed , he called it an advance, i dont know the difference between advance and deposit. But there was no contract , now he wants me to sign the contract. We just had verbal agreement. In the contract he sent, its stated as advance and rest of the money on delivery of product" CreationDate="2020-04-29T20:20:59.350" UserId="24652" />
  <row Id="11051" PostId="9707" Score="1" Text="I hate to say it, but you need to start signing contracts and getting the deposit/advance *before* starting the work. This may be a lesson, depending on how things turn out..." CreationDate="2020-04-29T21:10:37.237" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="11052" PostId="9708" Score="0" Text="I agree to the point that , no more working with friends. But if i refund him completely , what about all the time I've spent, also in anticipation of work and payment. I used up the money , since he knows that I cant pay him back, he is asking to sign... Also, even if hypothetically i pay him back , there wont be any friendship... after the fight we kind of agreed to our mutual friends who suggested not to ever talk to each other again. It was an ugly fight." CreationDate="2020-04-29T21:30:36.300" UserId="24652" />
  <row Id="11053" PostId="9708" Score="0" Text="Also, im looking at this , in a company-employee relationship way. Tbh he hired me on behalf of his the company he works for and he fired me. So ,if u hire somebody and they arent working, you fire them , but you dont ask him to pay back his salary right? thas the way im looking at it.. idk, am i wrong, i feel at loss here.. since i didnt had any other job, i really was counting on that project." CreationDate="2020-04-29T21:53:53.373" UserId="24652" />
  <row Id="11054" PostId="9708" Score="0" Text="You didn't mention you did pre-work. Unfortunately, if you want to maintain your professionalism, the way the question is written, I'd have to stand by what I stated already - no work, no contract = no money" CreationDate="2020-04-30T00:03:47.877" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="11056" PostId="9708" Score="0" Text="@includerequired if you expect the same protection as an employee, Freelancing is not for you! Forget the employee perspective and start thinking about risk management for yourself. That´s why you get those big hourly rates as a freelancer, because you take all the risk yourself." CreationDate="2020-05-01T20:10:20.953" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="11057" PostId="9692" Score="0" Text="So what do **you** want? Do you want to be a partner in the company or do you want to keep thing strictly seperated?" CreationDate="2020-05-01T20:49:07.777" UserId="18230" />
  <row Id="11059" PostId="9720" Score="0" Text="thanks, I used to used Freshbooks the last time I was freelance and also found the invoice reminders to be very helpful! need to get back on there once I get more busy!" CreationDate="2020-05-05T21:07:57.063" UserDisplayName="user15733" />
  <row Id="11060" PostId="9719" Score="0" Text="Welcome to Freelancing! Whilst this may theoretically answer the question, it would be preferable to back it with references to credible sources and/or academic research. Unbacked posts attract downvotes and disputes." CreationDate="2020-05-05T22:37:45.567" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="11061" PostId="9717" Score="0" Text="You mean you don't protect your PDF invoices against being edited in this illegal way?" CreationDate="2020-05-06T09:56:55.683" UserId="20786" />
  <row Id="11063" PostId="9717" Score="0" Text="Pdf protection prevents editing the original file which will deter the unskilled schemer; there's really no way to prevent someone from taking a screenshot of whatever page(s) and editing the file as an image or a new pdf..." CreationDate="2020-05-06T10:09:02.383" UserId="24667" />
  <row Id="11064" PostId="9717" Score="0" Text="You could use a digital watermark I guess; personally I havent reached that level of security for my business, it's not a bad idea though." CreationDate="2020-05-06T10:09:30.377" UserId="24667" />
  <row Id="11069" PostId="1377" Score="2" Text="@igorsantos07: it's the tax form code for freelancers in the United States. Here, he is comparing a regular employee to a freelancer." CreationDate="2020-05-13T14:17:56.680" UserId="24720" />
  <row Id="11070" PostId="9734" Score="0" Text="First of all, figure out your market value. What would be the maximum price a student would pay for your teaching (online teaching in your case). Then, any discount above it would be fine since it is based on your generosity." CreationDate="2020-05-12T20:10:53.463" UserDisplayName="CoderInNetwork" />
  <row Id="11071" PostId="9734" Score="0" Text="Remember, with telelessons there's an ability to record and retain the lesson for later review. So, is that not *added* value? (Assuming you record them)" CreationDate="2020-05-13T18:36:02.483" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11072" PostId="4416" Score="0" Text="Startups Stack Exchange is no longer exist." CreationDate="2020-05-16T14:28:26.300" UserId="24738" />
  <row Id="11073" PostId="9740" Score="0" Text="T.b.c the amount I received was 50% of the full deal, I already returned 25%... should I return the other 25% or I keep it?" CreationDate="2020-05-18T01:30:50.550" UserId="24632" />
  <row Id="11074" PostId="9740" Score="1" Text="What's your contract state?" CreationDate="2020-05-18T04:34:15.297" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11075" PostId="9740" Score="0" Text="There was a receipt in those 50% that they are for the finished work" CreationDate="2020-05-18T06:24:24.267" UserId="24632" />
  <row Id="11076" PostId="9682" Score="0" Text="I would like to highlight the _&quot;sounds like you manage money poorly&quot;_ paragraph. That's how I read the question - usually, unless you agree at the beginning of the gig what's going to be the payment schedule, it's up to the client how/when to pay it - and I too discovered this the hard way. The best solutions are 1. turn that idea into a retainer; 2. organize a savings account that can even out those late payments from your money schedule." CreationDate="2020-05-24T05:37:33.087" UserId="17289" />
  <row Id="11083" PostId="9752" Score="0" Text="I'm sorry but I'm afraid you misunderstood my question. Moreover you provide an answer with questions that might have better been a comment :) To answer your questions: `Surely you can find direct contact info for these potential clients` no and that's my problem! `What's stopping or preventing you from doing that?` for some reason the client prefers to pay an agency **a lot** more than go out and look for developers. So if I knew the answer to this, I wouldn't be seeking for answers here :)" CreationDate="2020-05-26T16:53:56.583" UserId="24776" />
  <row Id="11086" PostId="9752" Score="0" Text="In Denmark, many of the largest clients (banks and so on) require going through one of their 'consultant providers'. Even when they could hire directly, they insist on using this middle man." CreationDate="2020-05-27T08:28:30.673" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="11087" PostId="9753" Score="0" Text="Thanks Massimo I hope that myself :) I wish I could upvote but... SE and its rules. Although I strongly disagree with the beginning and the end of your post: `Agencies have this expertise`. Unfortunately they don't. They are trying to place someone to one position as quickly as possible. That's my experience `A big customer may pay 100[...]A small customer [...] 60` I've witnessed both cases (direct and through agency) _in the same company_ and people leveraged that 60 to 100 margin pretty well. I hope you don't mind to wait for additional answers before I choose. :)" CreationDate="2020-05-27T13:17:33.333" UserId="24776" />
  <row Id="11088" PostId="9752" Score="0" Text="@morsor not only in Denmark. The thing is that in a seller's market like the one in software development, these banks just make it better for me to go to the next job ad -just like they'd do with my CV. They can keep their agencies." CreationDate="2020-05-27T13:22:03.510" UserId="24776" />
  <row Id="11089" PostId="9403" Score="0" Text="Comments should be about improving posts. Personal bickering is not welcome on SE; comments removed" CreationDate="2020-05-27T16:37:03.267" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="11090" PostId="9753" Score="0" Text="Ok, let me say: &quot;professional agencies have this expertise&quot;. I agree that some agencies are not very professional...." CreationDate="2020-05-28T09:21:12.103" UserId="24786" />
  <row Id="11091" PostId="9753" Score="0" Text="Regarding the 100/60, it's not a general rule. I said &quot;it's not uncommon&quot;. Doesn't mean it's frequent, but may happen. It was just an advice to be prepared. Regarding working in the same company where you worked through agency, I think is not ethical. In my country is even illegal if done within 2 years from agency exit. It's classified as unfair competition." CreationDate="2020-05-28T09:31:48.117" UserId="24786" />
  <row Id="11092" PostId="9758" Score="1" Text="Okay but here's the thing, the client knows that I've never work on the platform he provided before, and sometimes my mistakes are lack of experience with the platform's logic, not coding itself." CreationDate="2020-05-28T20:47:22.453" UserId="24791" />
  <row Id="11093" PostId="9758" Score="3" Text="And that's the nature of our work, much of our time is spent on patching stuff together and debugging issues, it's not always coding" CreationDate="2020-05-28T20:50:29.537" UserId="24791" />
  <row Id="11094" PostId="9758" Score="2" Text="I guess that's your call then as to what's inexperience and learning and what's simply an error. I don't think anyone else can answer that for you." CreationDate="2020-05-29T07:24:44.993" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11095" PostId="9762" Score="0" Text="Thank you for your answer, it really is something to consider, I just wanted to make sure all of the possibilities are covered before getting to that but I'm sure it's the most effective way." CreationDate="2020-06-03T22:17:58.357" UserId="24812" />
  <row Id="11097" PostId="9767" Score="1" Text="I’m voting to close this question because it has no specifics related to freelancing. This question is about general software project management, so it may fit at [softwareengineering.se]" CreationDate="2020-06-11T18:36:31.887" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="11098" PostId="9772" Score="0" Text="What you are proposing is flat-out illegal.  Don't forget that an unsolicited telephone call is also illegal in most cases.  And yes, I, in the UK, report every single unsolicited email that gets through to me to the ICO and every phone call and SMS to OFCOM.  It is up to them to prosecute, rather than the individual.  Occasionally I receive confirmation that prosecution has successfully taken place." CreationDate="2020-06-17T09:33:28.233" UserId="20786" />
  <row Id="11099" PostId="9772" Score="0" Text="Wow, thanks for filling in some gaps in my knowledge! This is tough stuff. So I could also be prosecuted for sending an ('unsolicited') letter by post with similar content (-not to speak of calling a tel. number by error)? And someone who needs a good service, and who hears mine is good, could by law not even send me an email to get in contact? Talk about the 'nanny state'. And what about all the new freelancers (what with the pandemic) who have something to offer but can't even try to get new clients (except through rip-off platforms)?" CreationDate="2020-06-17T16:11:46.070" UserDisplayName="user24862" />
  <row Id="11100" PostId="9754" Score="0" Text="Would I charge my clients for time I spent working for them due to my own lack of being thorough and my inattentiveness? No, I wouldn't." CreationDate="2020-05-28T17:06:43.463" UserId="21435" />
  <row Id="11101" PostId="9771" Score="0" Text="*Employees* are quite different than *freelancers*." CreationDate="2020-06-18T05:37:37.880" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11102" PostId="9771" Score="1" Text="You got a point but the very topic we are currently involved in is about the basic work ethics - which shouldn't be differentiated by contract types." CreationDate="2020-06-19T02:49:27.690" UserId="24861" />
  <row Id="11103" PostId="9769" Score="0" Text="Well, he went quiet since that day. Yesterday I charged his credit card on Stripe since he already agreed to pay. I guess hopefully that will be the end of it." CreationDate="2020-06-20T12:59:46.813" UserId="24851" />
  <row Id="11104" PostId="9777" Score="0" Text="Welcome to Freelancing! Whilst this may theoretically answer the question, it would be preferable to back it with references to credible sources and/or academic research. Unbacked posts attract downvotes and disputes." CreationDate="2020-06-21T13:18:04.497" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="11105" PostId="9777" Score="0" Text="Thanks for that, I would do that from next time." CreationDate="2020-06-21T15:16:44.697" UserId="24877" />
  <row Id="11106" PostId="9776" Score="0" Text="Got it. Including the year is a really good idea. Though I'd probably put the year first, as `#00202001`, `#00202002`, `#00202003`...and so on." CreationDate="2020-06-22T05:07:14.697" UserId="24854" />
  <row Id="11107" PostId="9776" Score="0" Text="@Anon year fist doesn't work as well... #0205056 and #1205056 tend to look too similar. In addition, you go from #020500 to #021500. And if you hit more than 1000 invoices in a year then you've got #201001 which isn't inline at all.  If you put year first you *will* hit a point that the actual numbers are the same as the year. Granted the difference between numbers should be vast. But it's like heading of the Y2K problem in advance `:)`. But.. you are fee to use whatever you find works best." CreationDate="2020-06-22T05:17:56.233" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11109" PostId="9779" Score="1" Text="Welcome to Freelancing.SE! Unfortunately, this is an important lesson as well to learn - you need to keep ALL copies of ALL communication between your employer and yourself, on YOUR own controlled system." CreationDate="2020-06-30T15:33:13.423" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="11110" PostId="9779" Score="0" Text="What do you think about my actions that I plan to do?" CreationDate="2020-06-30T15:37:37.400" UserId="20542" />
  <row Id="11111" PostId="9779" Score="0" Text="At this point, not much. Unless you're willing to hire a lawyer in their country to represent you, the client knows they got their money back and your product." CreationDate="2020-06-30T17:56:35.787" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="11112" PostId="9782" Score="1" Text="Welcome to Freelancing.SE! We do not allow blatant advertising on our sites within the answers. If you wish to advertise, please use the Contact Us link at the bottom of any Stack Exchange page." CreationDate="2020-07-01T17:53:23.927" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="11113" PostId="9779" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke is it okay if I make the product public this time?" CreationDate="2020-07-01T18:23:18.470" UserId="20542" />
  <row Id="11114" PostId="9779" Score="0" Text="I am not the kind of person to do that. Be careful about what you say publicly, in case it comes back to bite you in the future. I make my business decisions based on &quot;what are the consequences of this action? What would other potential clients think if they heard or saw this?&quot;. That guides me to be very cautious." CreationDate="2020-07-01T19:51:53.903" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="11119" PostId="1188" Score="0" Text="I honestly feel if personal emotional and mental issues are affecting how or if you work.. you need to seek professional psychological help. Asking random people on the internet won't be any assistance." CreationDate="2020-07-13T18:00:32.293" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11120" PostId="9787" Score="0" Text="Thanks, @primateer! Your suggestion could definitely work if this ever happens again. I handled it slightly differently, which thankfully also worked out. I wrote about the same topic from a slightly different angle for the first two blogs, which took less time than two totally different articles because I used the same research for both. It was a bit challenging, but doable. And, the third one I simply gave them the frame I could manage, which they were fine with." CreationDate="2020-07-16T08:09:13.007" UserId="22384" />
  <row Id="11121" PostId="9723" Score="0" Text="Really? Like never ever? You cannot see any situation at all where doing unpaid work can be seen as an investment?" CreationDate="2020-07-16T08:44:22.723" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="11122" PostId="9791" Score="1" Text="Does the client have any access to what you produced in a way that they could have taken it and ran away? Do you have proof you followed through on the agreed-upon terms that would let the escrow release the funds to you?" CreationDate="2020-07-17T16:02:01.887" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="11124" PostId="9791" Score="0" Text="The client can't access the files as they are placed at my server. Secondly, I have worked with her on multiple projects and she was happy with the progress of this one too. The website has been reviewed by her and was considered fine." CreationDate="2020-07-18T06:30:33.573" UserId="24078" />
  <row Id="11125" PostId="9794" Score="0" Text="thanks for the suggestion. So in my case the client isn't active from the past three months. If I submit the work, it'll automatically get accepted after 14 days and I'll get all the amount. But this isn't what I want. And there isn't any way to get a partial amount. Either total amount, or cancel the contract and get nothing. That's the two choices I have" CreationDate="2020-07-20T06:39:36.307" UserId="24078" />
  <row Id="11126" PostId="9794" Score="1" Text="@MurtazaAhmad Get the total amount. You are only abiding by the rules of the marketplace that the client agreed to. It is not your fault that they chose to stop communicating. It is not your problem why they did it. Most likely this client has deep pockets and the amount of money involved is so small to them that they don't care." CreationDate="2020-07-20T13:26:38.873" UserId="10464" />
  <row Id="11127" PostId="9794" Score="0" Text="HenryM thanks once again for the suggestion, but do you think it is ethical? Coz if this isn't unethical or illegal, I'll close the contract and get the total amount" CreationDate="2020-07-21T06:55:54.907" UserId="24078" />
  <row Id="11128" PostId="9794" Score="1" Text="Don't think it's unethical in this particular instance. Look at it this way.. originally you agreed to work for what amounted to $X/hour (if you convert your project cost into hours). Now you will be getting 2 x $X because the client broke the terms of the agreement and they are fully aware of the consequences. You didn't defraud them because you were honest and worked in good faith.  You might want to check what is considered ethical/unethical by other providers in that marketplace however. But I imagine they would agree with me given your description of the contract options." CreationDate="2020-07-21T15:31:02.810" UserId="10464" />
  <row Id="11129" PostId="9798" Score="1" Text="Erm.. Quicken? There are a ton of accounting applications out there." CreationDate="2020-07-21T23:24:16.263" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11130" PostId="9794" Score="0" Text="With the above comments, I think I should close the milestone and get the total amount. Please update your answer with the comments that you mentioned so that I can mark it as accepted. Thanks once again!" CreationDate="2020-07-22T10:35:51.883" UserId="24078" />
  <row Id="11132" PostId="9794" Score="2" Text="If the client wants, after noticing the full payment, he can send images and texts... reading what you said, I bet you will complete the work. The work is not completed, you can think you are still waiting the missing pieces, but if the client send you nothing I think it doens't metters to him (e.g. he has a lot of money has @HenryM said in comment). Maybe you can comunicate a discount for a future project if the client doesn't want to complete that website and maintain good relationships." CreationDate="2020-07-23T10:12:10.927" UserId="2839" />
  <row Id="11133" PostId="9794" Score="0" Text="@Fil Thanks for the comment, anything else you want to add?" CreationDate="2020-07-24T09:51:43.080" UserId="24078" />
  <row Id="11135" PostId="9801" Score="0" Text="1. Did you give the client advanced warning that the deadline was going to be missed? 2. Did you introduce the subcontractor to the client or did they find the subcontractor on their own? 3. What exactly was the original project timeframe and how much over the deadline are you now?" CreationDate="2020-07-29T16:10:41.803" UserId="10464" />
  <row Id="11136" PostId="9801" Score="0" Text="it was a super-quick turn-around, although the vendor said they'd have no problem making it. It wasn't until the night before deadline when nothing was delivered that we knew for sure we weren't going to make it. They kept saying &quot;don't worry, it's coming&quot;... final product never delivered. I found the vendor for the company, so that's on me. The timefame was a 2 week turnaround on some animation. it was an all or nothing kind of thing where we had to submit by the deadline or they would not be showcased where we were advertising. So the fact that we're a week past deadline now is irrelevant" CreationDate="2020-07-30T21:06:05.670" UserId="22310" />
  <row Id="11138" PostId="9807" Score="2" Text="Use an invoice template. There are probably a bazillion of them available free on the internet." CreationDate="2020-08-07T02:45:51.540" UserId="21435" />
  <row Id="11139" PostId="9798" Score="0" Text="Quicken, QuickBooks, Sage, etc., etc. Try Googling." CreationDate="2020-08-07T02:48:21.470" UserId="21435" />
  <row Id="11140" PostId="9807" Score="1" Text="Although in most countries it's not necessary to set up a company to be a freelancer, it often is a good idea. Sooner or later, you will need to understand how to file your taxes correctly." CreationDate="2020-08-07T16:13:05.823" UserId="24789" />
  <row Id="11141" PostId="9807" Score="1" Text="Also, the bigger the project, the more important it is to have a written agreement before even starting work and sending an invoice." CreationDate="2020-08-07T16:13:34.633" UserId="24789" />
  <row Id="11142" PostId="9722" Score="0" Text="What do you mean by &quot;built into your hourly rate&quot;? Do you mean that you don't bill hours spent learning on the job, but you make sure that your billable hours are priced high to compensate?" CreationDate="2020-08-07T16:34:23.393" UserId="24789" />
  <row Id="11145" PostId="9809" Score="0" Text="Hi Flimm, welcome to Freelancing.SE! The question is confusing, as you seem to be asking for a word other than retainer that means what you mean... What do you mean? can you [edit] your question to clarify what you are trying to achieve?" CreationDate="2020-08-08T02:11:07.010" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="11147" PostId="9809" Score="0" Text="Bullet 1 - Advance Payment against future invoices | Bullet 2 -  [Retainer](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/retainer-fee.asp) or Deposit | Bullet 3 - Reoccurring Monthly Fee/Subscription Fee ---- I do *not* see your 3 bullets as referring to a &quot;retainer&quot;. Only the second bullet describes a retainer in the common understanding of the word. Retainers are non-refundable. If you are refunding a retainer fee, then it's *not really* a &quot;retainer&quot;. The difference between retainer and deposit for item 2 would be a one-time agreement (Deposit) or ongoing relationship (Retainer)." CreationDate="2020-08-08T21:14:35.723" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11148" PostId="9809" Score="0" Text="@Scott [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retainer_agreement) seems to understand the word retainer in a different way than you: &quot;Absent an agreement to the contrary, a retainer fee is refundable if the work is not performed.&quot; The fact that different people mean different things by a retainer is the reason why I'm looking for alternative terminology." CreationDate="2020-08-09T21:07:36.733" UserId="24789" />
  <row Id="11149" PostId="9809" Score="0" Text="Well, wikipedia is edited by *anyone* so.... It's no different than asking a crowd and a baseball game for a definition.. you'll get different opinions on just about everything. Wikipedia is not *really* a valid source for *definitive facts* in my opinion - it's only good for a &quot;general clue&quot;." CreationDate="2020-08-09T21:14:49.053" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11150" PostId="9809" Score="0" Text="But... much like deposits.. retainers *can* be refunded. Just like with deposits, the *default* position held by many courts is that they are not refundable, but an agreement *can* state a retainer is refundable. I do not believe there's a *specific* name due to this matter. Other than &quot;refundable retainer&quot; or &quot;non-refundable retainer&quot;." CreationDate="2020-08-09T21:33:18.530" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11151" PostId="9812" Score="0" Text="My role requires physical presense in the US. Only partly though, I would be working remotely from Germany.&#xA;&#xA;OK, doesn't sound very much, that it's wanted that foreigners freelance in the US ..." CreationDate="2020-08-12T15:13:54.723" UserId="25053" />
  <row Id="11152" PostId="9809" Score="0" Text="We cannot answer this question without you explaining what you mean or what you plan to offer the customer. So what exactly are you offering them? And which industry are you in?" CreationDate="2020-08-13T15:36:49.193" UserId="10464" />
  <row Id="11153" PostId="9809" Score="0" Text="@HenryM I work in IT and offer IT services. For some clients, I would like to offer the first type of retainer. For some other clients, I would like to offer the third type of retainer. Are there more specific words than &quot;retainer&quot; to distinguish between the different types?" CreationDate="2020-08-15T08:36:16.057" UserId="24789" />
  <row Id="11154" PostId="9809" Score="0" Text="@Flimm Okay, please add this detail to your question. Meanwhile I will provide my answer." CreationDate="2020-08-15T14:42:27.990" UserId="10464" />
  <row Id="11156" PostId="9823" Score="2" Text="According to that survey over 70% of respondents are **employed full time**. In fact, the *overwhelming majority* of respondents are employed in some manner, not freelancers. Using employee salaries has never been an adequate measurement of a *freelancer's* rate in my personal opinion. &quot;Employees&quot; in my field (not iOS development) earn *substantially less* than I do as a freelancer... they simply have more *steady, predictable* income." CreationDate="2020-08-25T02:26:32.263" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11158" PostId="9823" Score="0" Text="Do you mean that the survey would be a conservative metric for freelance, given that benefits and stability are factored into full-time employee salaries?" CreationDate="2020-08-25T07:04:41.800" UserId="21615" />
  <row Id="11159" PostId="9823" Score="0" Text="It would be a *very* conservative estimate. But that's merely my opinion." CreationDate="2020-08-25T07:16:56.467" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11161" PostId="9453" Score="1" Text="I advise you to set contract only on upwork or on freelancer.com. Upwork also allow you to set contract even if the client does not have upwork account. This will save you horrible head ache if the client wouldn't pay you coz the platform admins will be your lawyer in case of. This is not an advertisement of x or y, I am talking from my several years experience." CreationDate="2020-08-24T19:28:13.790" UserDisplayName="user25163" />
  <row Id="11163" PostId="9453" Score="0" Text="I agree with you but it was not my intention. I worked on several freelance paltforms and from my experience the only 2 ways to protect your hard work is to work only on well known freelance platforms such as freelancer.com and upwork." CreationDate="2020-08-25T10:13:40.997" UserDisplayName="user25163" />
  <row Id="11164" PostId="9823" Score="0" Text="So the potential client told you the &quot;2 months&quot; time frame? Until you look at the requirements you don't know if you can do this job by yourself in that time or if you will need additional developer(s). And I guarantee you that if you add a guy you will want a guy who is super reliable and he's not going to low-ball himself so you providing any numbers to the client before you know all of the details is not a good idea." CreationDate="2020-08-26T16:26:33.110" UserId="10464" />
  <row Id="11165" PostId="9823" Score="0" Text="@HenryM Currently figuring out the time frame. It doesn't look like I'll need additional developers, since this specifically UI app development in the scope and he's been writing the lower level code himself." CreationDate="2020-08-26T21:19:33.017" UserId="21615" />
  <row Id="11166" PostId="9826" Score="0" Text="Welcome to Freelancing! Whilst this may theoretically answer the question, it would be preferable to back it with references to credible sources and/or academic research. Unbacked posts attract downvotes and disputes. Also, if the suggestion appears to be wrong, it may incriminate someone who follows the advise." CreationDate="2020-08-29T15:35:07.023" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="11167" PostId="7660" Score="0" Text="If you are going to physically work in France this website will probably help you best: https://www.expatica.com/fr/employment/employment-law/work-in-france-guide-to-french-work-visas-and-permits-101098/ You could also ask legal experts here: https://law.stackexchange.com/" CreationDate="2019-08-05T01:42:05.600" UserId="22386" />
  <row Id="11168" PostId="9829" Score="0" Text="Just a thought.. not *everyone* here may do what you do for a living. There's no real description of what &quot;project&quot; means. I can assume some sort of web/app dev.. but who knows. Freelancing is **not** only about web/app development. In my field, design, changes are expected and anticipated and price quotes relayed accordingly. Additions are **always** priced above any quote/estimate." CreationDate="2020-08-31T22:18:55.073" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11170" PostId="9829" Score="0" Text="Yes sorry about that, this is software development, primarily helping clients build websites." CreationDate="2020-09-01T16:46:23.383" UserId="25191" />
  <row Id="11171" PostId="9830" Score="0" Text="Hi morsor, this would be a great solution (I've heard from others that they're transitioning into a more agile development as a freelancer), but seems like the clients I run into still want fixed price. Perhaps I need to find better clients...." CreationDate="2020-09-01T16:48:00.817" UserId="25191" />
  <row Id="11172" PostId="9830" Score="0" Text="I have successfully used as an argument that a fixed price quote could be many times more expensive, as I will need to take on financial risk - which the client must pay for. On the other hand, with the pay-as-you-go hourly rate, I promise the client I will keep the code in a well-documented state so they can end our relationship anytime and find another partner." CreationDate="2020-09-02T06:52:57.987" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="11173" PostId="9833" Score="0" Text="In other words you would become a spammer.  Apart from being a criminal offence in many jurisdictions, you would pretty much guarantee being blacklisted." CreationDate="2020-09-03T12:11:50.920" UserId="20786" />
  <row Id="11174" PostId="9830" Score="0" Text="So almost all clients I see just have a budget, like &quot;I have allocated $5000 for this.&quot; Without knowing exactly what will happen in the project (no one can predict the future), how do you make the case that, yes, with an agile development method, we will stay under budget? Or perhaps I should just ditch clients who operate on strict budgets..?" CreationDate="2020-09-03T16:48:45.433" UserId="25191" />
  <row Id="11175" PostId="9832" Score="1" Text="That's a super interesting field you're in! Yes you're completely right that if my clients just agree to use a Trello or a Jira then 99.9% of these confusion problems will go away... but they don't, and I can't blame them, it does take a lot of effort to use these tools. I myself have more abandoned Trello boards than I can count." CreationDate="2020-09-03T16:50:42.340" UserId="25191" />
  <row Id="11176" PostId="9740" Score="0" Text="Did you already deliver the finished full work to the client? Please, add on your post if you did or didn't." CreationDate="2020-09-11T17:58:00.823" UserId="25169" />
  <row Id="11177" PostId="9307" Score="0" Text="Have you explained to your client that you are exempt from VAT registration? It may be that the client is unaware of this (some EU countries require **all** self-employed persons to be VAT-registered)." CreationDate="2020-09-11T02:12:24.437" UserId="25237" />
  <row Id="11178" PostId="9843" Score="0" Text="Get 100% payment up front. Trying to collect on diligent accounts across international borders is a nightmare." CreationDate="2020-09-11T18:46:39.767" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11179" PostId="9740" Score="0" Text="@jluizsouzadev *I did not give him his money back* I just gave him part from the project worth what I got from him... Never work for free." CreationDate="2020-09-11T19:23:08.460" UserId="24632" />
  <row Id="11180" PostId="9843" Score="0" Text="Welcome to Freelancing.SE! Can you describe what you would qualify as &quot;best&quot;? Please [edit] the question to include some measurable details we can authoritatively answer for you." CreationDate="2020-09-11T22:58:41.907" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="11181" PostId="9844" Score="0" Text="So, out of freelancer platforms as the ones you cited above not even thinking, right?" CreationDate="2020-09-12T00:47:53.927" UserId="25169" />
  <row Id="11182" PostId="9844" Score="2" Text="never start working or accept a freelancing job outside a protected environment. Else your client will have the possibility to not pay you and you could do nothing about that rather than prepare some thousands to hire a lawyer which doesn't sound a good idea." CreationDate="2020-09-12T09:53:25.873" UserDisplayName="user25163" />
  <row Id="11183" PostId="9849" Score="0" Text="sounds far. I might go this route; however, I heard due to COVID-19 most jobs are thinking of keeping a few of their employees as permanent work-from-home employees; and making them buy VoIP phones everything connected remotely. But you still make a valid point." CreationDate="2020-09-14T07:47:23.940" UserId="11625" />
  <row Id="11184" PostId="9849" Score="0" Text="You are aware that Skype is essentially a VOIP phone." CreationDate="2020-09-14T17:16:45.700" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11185" PostId="9849" Score="0" Text="Skype is a VoIP phone, as long as you buy a DID." CreationDate="2020-09-15T04:25:42.933" UserId="7740" />
  <row Id="11186" PostId="9855" Score="0" Text="One example - it's not available everywhere (i.e. not in Canada) :)" CreationDate="2020-09-16T19:51:07.717" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="11187" PostId="9855" Score="0" Text="@CanadianLuke Good point!" CreationDate="2020-09-17T19:52:03.423" UserId="9845" />
  <row Id="11190" PostId="9859" Score="3" Text="Sometimes the freelancing sites like Upwork and Fiverr behave in this way, and their support team is also very slow with the replies&#xA;So what you can do is you need to keep contacting the support team, that's the only way you can retrieve your money back" CreationDate="2020-09-23T08:36:08.440" UserId="24078" />
  <row Id="11192" PostId="9754" Score="0" Text="@joeqwerty Most of freelancers advice to not charge per hour but for product and or service. At least in my experience it never works out with me." CreationDate="2020-09-28T00:35:26.807" UserId="25169" />
  <row Id="11194" PostId="9865" Score="0" Text="The customer re-appeared, he is still friendly and we agreed a final step. Probably everything will be okay. Should I delete this question?" CreationDate="2020-09-29T18:23:22.290" UserId="25311" />
  <row Id="11199" PostId="9867" Score="1" Text="1) What does being a Veteran have to do with this?? I mean, thanks for the service, but using it here *seems* like you want to gain favor due to it. and B) &quot;Equity Shares&quot; equates to 0 dollars in *many* cases. In fact, I'd wager ALL freelancers are approached with this type of offer regularly. If you actually *believe* in your business, hire someone and *pay them*. - in short, [**see here**](https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/917/client-wants-to-pay-a-percentage-of-revenue-generated-by-website/923#923)" CreationDate="2020-09-30T05:42:19.143" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11200" PostId="9867" Score="0" Text="Any equity stake could be a bonus or addition to payment, but not the *only* form of return. This is the reason you *can't* find web sites offering such structures. They are *commonly* used to, well, take advantage of freelancers. I'm not saying that is your intention -- but look at it from the freelancers perspective.. they put in all the necessary work.. and MIGHT earn *nothing* because your other business model areas are poor or ill-conceived." CreationDate="2020-09-30T05:43:26.277" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11201" PostId="9865" Score="0" Text="Yes, you can close the question!" CreationDate="2020-09-30T06:37:12.503" UserId="24078" />
  <row Id="11202" PostId="9867" Score="0" Text="Why the vote-to-close? I agree that the 'US veteran' part is irrelevant - but the question and comment-answer seem reasonable to me" CreationDate="2020-09-30T10:29:12.893" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="11203" PostId="9865" Score="0" Text="@MurtazaA I can not close, at most I can flag it for closure. I asked about its deletion." CreationDate="2020-09-30T10:45:06.567" UserId="25311" />
  <row Id="11204" PostId="9865" Score="0" Text="Sure, just delete it if you think your problem is solved!" CreationDate="2020-09-30T10:48:58.640" UserId="24078" />
  <row Id="11205" PostId="9865" Score="3" Text="Be aware that deleting a lot of your own questions will earn an automatic question ban after a while." CreationDate="2020-09-30T16:37:22.960" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="11207" PostId="6602" Score="0" Text="In response to morsor's answer, if Facebook had offered you an equity freelancer contract to network and advertise for their start-up you would potentially be much better of now accepting the extra work than if you had turned them down because the tech giant hadn't turned profit yet. If you have the time and believe in the idea of the company then being a supporter providing services for equity could be very lucrative. One thing is for sure, equity is never worth less than zero and if you believe in the idea then you could profit from your support in the future if they are a sucess or even if" CreationDate="2020-09-29T23:35:59.030" UserId="25312" />
  <row Id="11208" PostId="6602" Score="1" Text="If &quot;Friendster&quot; or even &quot;My Space&quot; offered you equity you'd be broke. Using a successful company as an example is somewhat ridiculous. Hindsight *always* results in favorable outcomes. The reality is 99.9% of &quot;equity&quot; deals for a start up end in zero or low return. And these successful companies... don't actually *start* based solely on equity. They actually *pay* much of the time, perhaps at a reduced rate with equity as an incentive to accept the lower pay. Paint the &quot;rosey&quot; picture all you want -- reality is much different." CreationDate="2020-09-30T17:37:58.643" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11210" PostId="6602" Score="0" Text="@Charles - I would like to challenge the claim that 'equity is never worth less than zero', as working for free mostly brings in nothing and at the same time prevents you from pursuing other (potentially) profitable quests" CreationDate="2020-10-01T10:49:30.587" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="11212" PostId="9867" Score="0" Text="I labeled it with U.S. Veteran in attempt to find persons understanding of a Veterans sense of duty, mission-oriented drive, and law abiding nature. Second I can not at this time have payroll employees as I do not have that amount of funding. I live on government subsidy and blue collar work. Loans require payments I do not have and I was not born to a middle class level inheritence. Citizen is my inheritence. Feedback from VC's and others state a need for Cofounder members, not myself solemente. This is my first using this forum. My apologies for offenses interpreted. Thank you for any reply." CreationDate="2020-10-01T15:57:58.287" UserId="25312" />
  <row Id="11213" PostId="9872" Score="0" Text="Hi Cice, welcome to Freelancing.SE! Do you have a contract with your client? What kind of exit claus is there? Is the website hosted on your server / a server you pay for? Are you keeping up with your bills? Are you doing any extra work for them? Please [edit] your question to include some of this information to help us answer it well for you." CreationDate="2020-10-02T22:24:41.310" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="11215" PostId="9872" Score="4" Text="`1.` **NEVER** enter a business arrangement with a client without a contract. `2.` **NEVER** perform any work for a client without a contract. `3.` Consult an attorney on what your legal rights are in this situation." CreationDate="2020-10-02T23:48:18.130" UserId="21435" />
  <row Id="11216" PostId="9872" Score="0" Text="Related, but not exact duplicate: https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/a/618/75" CreationDate="2020-10-03T02:15:18.067" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="11217" PostId="9872" Score="2" Text="Would not a &quot;buyout&quot; mean you give them the site... how could you then (legally) take it down? This is impossible to answer. You haven't detailed what the &quot;buyout&quot; is to include. But.. without a **contract** you are somewhat out of luck. But then, so are they. You need an attorney." CreationDate="2020-10-03T07:03:40.657" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11218" PostId="9877" Score="0" Text="https://github.com/Hipo/university-domains-list" CreationDate="2020-10-06T04:35:32.930" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="11219" PostId="9877" Score="0" Text="If you'd like to make than an answer, I'll mark it." CreationDate="2020-10-06T17:01:00.713" UserId="19545" />
  <row Id="11220" PostId="9881" Score="0" Text="Yes. Basically OP isn't acting like he respects himself as a professional and bad clients will eat him for dinner. Being nice is only a good idea when dealing with people who pay 100% of the time and never try to talk down your pricing. Even then you have to not give them the idea that you work for free tho unless you're fixing your own mistake." CreationDate="2020-10-07T23:45:29.687" UserId="10464" />
  <row Id="11222" PostId="9806" Score="0" Text="As a foreigner, you cannot (legally) work in the US without a visa, and you cannot sponsor your own working visa. You would be allowed to attend training &amp; meetings to plan work on a B1 business visa (or B1/B2 business/tourism visa) which you can apply for on your own, but you cannot use this visa to actually work in the US and you'd likely need good supporting documentation from the company to justify the purpose of your travel to the US." CreationDate="2020-10-12T19:45:23.020" UserId="25371" />
  <row Id="11223" PostId="9887" Score="3" Text="Note that when you ask for something tangible in a barter deal, take into account that they purchase their goods at a lower price than they sell them. If you ask for $6000 of that dog food, it would still be a discount for them. I don't know what the margins on dog food are, but some products may have massive margins and getting stuff at market-price would still be a massive discount for them, not you. Then again, it also depends on whether you're free anyway and happy enough with market-price dog food. If you're free and looking for work, maybe you're happy enough with the market-price deal." CreationDate="2020-10-12T23:13:40.947" UserId="21528" />
  <row Id="11224" PostId="9887" Score="2" Text="By using a what *you* would pay for dog food, you are giving the client, presumably, a discount. Because they, in all likelihood, pay wholesale, while you pay retail. Ultimately you earn what you would spend in dog food.  Now storing $6k worth of dog food may be another matter." CreationDate="2020-10-12T23:18:07.023" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11225" PostId="9887" Score="0" Text="The thing is that in general, concrete stuff is less useful than money. Okay, the odds of something else happening to you whereby you get plenty of dog food (e.g. some lottery winning a lifetime supply) are tiny, but the general principle is that even for an astronomically small chance of this happening, $6000 in cash is still a non-zero amount better than $6000 in dogfood. But here's where you make your own decision. If you really want the commission, accepting dog food instead of money might matter enough for you (considerations like that hinge on how much other work you have availlable)." CreationDate="2020-10-12T23:22:46.927" UserId="21528" />
  <row Id="11226" PostId="9887" Score="0" Text="@Flater It's not meant to be a real offer. It's meant to get the person to realize how rude asking someone to &quot;work for exposure&quot; is." CreationDate="2020-10-12T23:24:20.130" UserId="25374" />
  <row Id="11228" PostId="9887" Score="2" Text="I don't disagree, @Flater . My point was.. if you were to ask *them* for an relatively equal &quot;freebie&quot; on their part, chances are they will **immediately** feel you are overstepping and asking for too much. A *legitimate* barter deal would be **negotiated**." CreationDate="2020-10-12T23:24:35.660" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11229" PostId="9887" Score="0" Text="@Schwern: I get that point, but then you're still giving a discount in response to being haggled for _no_ money offered at all. That's not really conducive to making this sort of behavior stop. They're still getting a discount and will assume that offering exposure first caused it." CreationDate="2020-10-12T23:25:34.170" UserId="21528" />
  <row Id="11230" PostId="9887" Score="1" Text="It's unlikely **any** client asking for free work, at least those I've encountered, would entertain *any* barter deal whatsoever even for a moment. Most will balk instantly as if it were a gag reflex." CreationDate="2020-10-12T23:27:00.280" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11232" PostId="9886" Score="9" Text="Exposure? People die from exposure." CreationDate="2020-10-13T12:46:00.340" UserId="25383" />
  <row Id="11233" PostId="9889" Score="5" Text="Nice. If they are indeed paying in exposure, you need to know the value of what you are getting. So the ball is in their court." CreationDate="2020-10-13T14:25:06.337" UserId="25387" />
  <row Id="11235" PostId="9886" Score="1" Text="I don't imagine it would be the best communication but you could always ask for a top dollar sponsorship of one of your projects, &quot;for exposure.&quot;" CreationDate="2020-10-13T16:00:54.027" UserId="25390" />
  <row Id="11236" PostId="9886" Score="0" Text="Is the potential client non-profit ?" CreationDate="2020-10-13T17:16:08.817" UserId="25385" />
  <row Id="11238" PostId="9886" Score="0" Text="good info here as well: http://www.nospec.com/articles" CreationDate="2020-10-13T17:42:46.397" UserId="25392" />
  <row Id="11239" PostId="9886" Score="2" Text="One note: Several people have said that someone who asks you to work for exposure, *unprovoked*, is a jerk and a bad customer. However, I would like to clarify that sometimes pro bono work is desirable: several people have told me that a [Taproot](https://taprootfoundation.org) gig is a wonderful opportunity for professional advancement. And you have received comments and answers on &quot;for exposure&quot; terms on this forum. But work pro bono because you sought out pro bono work on terms that make sense to you, and not because a cheap client wants your work product to be un-compensated." CreationDate="2020-10-13T18:27:56.067" UserId="25390" />
  <row Id="11240" PostId="9890" Score="1" Text="While this would be an ideal arrange, the odds of anyone who comes to you asking for you to work for them for &quot;exposure&quot; actually agreeing to something like this seem infinitesimally small. More likely, they'll just look for someone else to do it for them for free." CreationDate="2020-10-13T22:39:27.833" UserId="25398" />
  <row Id="11241" PostId="9887" Score="0" Text="I would disagree somewhat with saying that this indicates a &quot;bad client.&quot; Though, it's not the 'bad' part I'd disagree with, but rather the 'client' part. ;) I don't think someone asking for a hand-out really counts as a 'client.'" CreationDate="2020-10-13T22:42:33.943" UserId="25398" />
  <row Id="11242" PostId="9891" Score="3" Text="This tactic works well for eg. webstores who get requests to send free stuff to &quot;influencers&quot;, since you can give the influencer a promo-code to use on the store. I'm not sure it would work as well for freelancers, though." CreationDate="2020-10-14T00:24:27.297" UserId="25399" />
  <row Id="11243" PostId="9886" Score="1" Text="i don't have enough reputation to post an answer but just wanted to say advertising does obviously have a value if you can agree something specific and tangible e.g. they will provide a written recommendation, post details of your work on the news feed on their website, share your page on their social media accounts (if they have enough followers to make it worthwhile). Once you have some specifics like that its easier to quantify the value because you would obviously have to pay to put an advert on facebook to reach a specific number of users so have something fro comparison..." CreationDate="2020-10-14T11:05:43.467" UserId="25407" />
  <row Id="11244" PostId="9886" Score="1" Text="and just one other thing. you need to consider the opportunity cost e.g. what other paying jobs could you be missing out on while doing that job. If you are literally waiting for work to come in then obviously the advertising could have more value to you than if you already had a lot of paying jobs" CreationDate="2020-10-14T11:06:53.947" UserId="25407" />
  <row Id="11245" PostId="9888" Score="1" Text="A variation of this is &quot;If you don't think my work is worth paying for now, why would anyone you show it to think otherwise?&quot;" CreationDate="2020-10-14T15:51:27.663" UserId="25411" />
  <row Id="11246" PostId="9660" Score="0" Text="I guess it might help if you include a country or list of potential countries to look at - the EU's privacy laws are different compared to say (most of) the US' so a more targeted scope would be required" CreationDate="2020-10-14T16:35:29.203" UserDisplayName="anon" />
  <row Id="11247" PostId="9890" Score="0" Text="@reirab sure, I agree majority will not go for such deal - and that is because majority of such offers are total waste of your time - they're set to leeching from others, without paying anyone *or* providing any valuable exposure. So you *want* to be rid of such entities with minimal fuss - there is no way you'd ever make a dime working with/for them." CreationDate="2020-10-14T21:14:06.633" UserId="15985" />
  <row Id="11248" PostId="9886" Score="2" Text="@MechMK1 Or get arrested for it." CreationDate="2020-10-15T10:38:45.373" UserId="25421" />
  <row Id="11249" PostId="9888" Score="0" Text="I whole-heartedly agree with that last paragraph (well, all of it really). It can be hard, but it is ultimately the best course of action." CreationDate="2020-10-15T11:05:07.170" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11251" PostId="9886" Score="0" Text="Generally speaking, don't respond at all. Just delete the mail. It's a waste of time." CreationDate="2020-10-15T15:45:44.817" UserId="25424" />
  <row Id="11252" PostId="9888" Score="0" Text="As an aside, people who work in unpaid internships also think their value is less, and for the same reasons. https://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2014/01/16/why-your-unpaid-internship-makes-you-less-employable/#7b7339bc7501 and https://www.fastcompany.com/90388911/how-the-unpaid-intern-economy-feeds-income-inequality" CreationDate="2020-10-15T16:43:23.250" UserId="24415" />
  <row Id="11253" PostId="9886" Score="0" Text="Why does it not depend on the circumstances? If you've been working in a field for a while, you should come to know whether it's worth putting your work &quot;for exposure&quot; in Gasworks Gallery, or not. Aren't art college graduation shows partly &quot;for exposure&quot;? Aren't internships in commerce and industry as much &quot;for exposure&quot; as for experience?" CreationDate="2020-10-15T19:47:50.123" UserId="25426" />
  <row Id="11254" PostId="9531" Score="0" Text="OP probably asked for access to code." CreationDate="2020-10-15T23:10:13.203" UserId="25424" />
  <row Id="11255" PostId="9867" Score="0" Text="Then you do not have the necessary tools to create a business." CreationDate="2020-10-16T01:17:36.730" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11256" PostId="9888" Score="0" Text="@computercarguy - Good point. Hadn't thought of that comparison" CreationDate="2020-10-16T07:12:33.090" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="11257" PostId="9891" Score="0" Text="this appears to be similar to affiliate programs." CreationDate="2020-10-16T09:23:08.217" UserId="25367" />
  <row Id="11258" PostId="9888" Score="0" Text="@morsor, most people don't understand just how damaging an unpaid internship is. They go with the historical precedent that's it's good, or they are an employer that likes the negatives. I did an unpaid internship, and I learned quickly just how bad they are." CreationDate="2020-10-16T15:34:10.947" UserId="24415" />
  <row Id="11259" PostId="9531" Score="0" Text="@ZsoltSzilagyi asking a prospective client for access to their website's source code, good luck with that!" CreationDate="2020-10-17T19:55:29.027" UserId="23850" />
  <row Id="11260" PostId="9531" Score="0" Text="&quot;how I will access their pre-existing website to make changes&quot; -&gt; once he has the task to make changes, the client is prospective no more. Relax, it's just a misunderstanding." CreationDate="2020-10-17T19:57:33.303" UserId="25424" />
  <row Id="11261" PostId="9904" Score="1" Text="No one can possibly price anything for you. There are far too many variables which play a role when considering the price of anything conceptual in nature. The best answer is.. whatever someone's willing to pay for it." CreationDate="2020-10-19T12:42:13.543" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11262" PostId="9904" Score="0" Text="To close-voters. I think the question is fully answerable; I've just edited out a section that invited to opinionated answers." CreationDate="2020-10-19T16:05:49.690" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="11263" PostId="9905" Score="0" Text="I don't see how this is related to freelancing other than the alleged thief may have been hired n a freelance basis. Seems like more a question for law.stackexchange .. but they won't give specific legal advice." CreationDate="2020-10-19T18:16:09.217" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11264" PostId="9886" Score="0" Text="College students aren't earning a living and dependent upon that living. Internships are merely further education. I'd point out that Taproot seeks to aide in pro bono work (For the good of all) not to assist for-profit ventures. If you plan to *earn a living* at whatever you do and are no longer seeking *education* in a field, working for free is *always* a bad idea. If exposure is the goal, one can volunteer/donate services to a charity. Most charities will gladly accept such an offer and the exposure will be 100 times more sweeping than some specific work for a specific start up venture." CreationDate="2020-10-19T20:18:16.587" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11268" PostId="9904" Score="0" Text="@bytebuster  I wasn't &quot;fighting&quot; honestly.  If anything I was explaining my position as to why this question should be closed and why I think there's no real answer to this - no way to calculate pricing, no pricing model to follow, etc. But I have formatted my comments into an answer." CreationDate="2020-10-19T21:16:41.403" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11269" PostId="9904" Score="0" Text="@Scott I forgot that I've asked this question on Meta.SE eight years ago. Time flies! :) [Is “there's no answer” an answer?](https://meta.stackexchange.com/q/149429/187133)" CreationDate="2020-10-19T21:34:40.827" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="11270" PostId="9904" Score="0" Text="Fair enough `:)`" CreationDate="2020-10-19T21:46:04.753" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11274" PostId="9911" Score="0" Text="Assuming that it won't hurt to include it, why not just include it and remove all ambiguity?" CreationDate="2020-10-24T14:48:50.793" UserId="21435" />
  <row Id="11275" PostId="9908" Score="1" Text="This is a great answer and would be (have been? should be?) entirely appropriate for Arts &amp; Crafts. We have a hard time there with edge cases like this being about money, more abstractly and not directly involved in the process of craft. Probably why it got pushed this way." CreationDate="2020-10-28T00:13:02.133" UserId="25475" />
  <row Id="11276" PostId="9908" Score="0" Text="It was migrated because we don't deal with the pricing of items (see [here](https://crafts.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/156/are-questions-about-the-business-side-of-selling-your-craft-art-on-topic)) (yet?). Questions should not be judged by their answers, so this should not change a thing." CreationDate="2020-10-31T07:43:14.917" UserId="25435" />
  <row Id="11279" PostId="9922" Score="0" Text="That is so unlike in Europe :o. I guess EIN in the USA seems to be more like a social security number (In Europe our own type of SSN is confidential). Over here, Company ID and VAT ID are public domain. And I have never heard that someone misused it. Thanks!" CreationDate="2020-11-02T09:12:55.190" UserId="517" />
  <row Id="11280" PostId="9922" Score="0" Text="EIN is often used in place of an SSN in the US. Although, reportedly the EIN is not *suppose* to be such a secretive number. The EIN is really *only* a tax identification for the IRS - it has no other purpose - unlike a individual's SSN." CreationDate="2020-11-03T00:22:42.653" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11281" PostId="9926" Score="2" Text="Thanks for replying. The task they want me to solve takes 5 days. When I asked for their company details so I can send an invoice for 5 days work, they treat me like I'm the devil." CreationDate="2020-11-04T12:40:18.043" UserId="25205" />
  <row Id="11282" PostId="9926" Score="2" Text="I'm not desperate. I told them I'm currently booked for 1 more month, and can't start their project until I finish the current project." CreationDate="2020-11-04T12:41:20.800" UserId="25205" />
  <row Id="11283" PostId="7852" Score="0" Text="Did you get an answer that was worth accepting? Or are you still waiting for an answer? If so, can you tell us what you are after? Thanks" CreationDate="2020-11-04T13:11:37.627" UserId="14719" />
  <row Id="11285" PostId="7852" Score="0" Text="My Motto: If you pay with bananas you get monkeys! Reputable clients know that." CreationDate="2020-11-04T12:37:54.033" UserId="25505" />
  <row Id="11288" PostId="9931" Score="1" Text="Does this answer your question? [How to setup client ownership of domain name and hosting](https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/2022/how-to-setup-client-ownership-of-domain-name-and-hosting) -- After years of experience, I choose **not** to do anything but *recommend* a hosting provider to clients. They are responsible for paying for it and merely sending me FTP access." CreationDate="2020-11-05T18:32:30.337" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11290" PostId="9886" Score="0" Text="@RichardWard .. or a date..." CreationDate="2020-11-06T15:29:42.653" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11291" PostId="9921" Score="0" Text="This isn't a job. It's a project and contract between two business entities." CreationDate="2020-11-09T00:37:35.397" UserId="21435" />
  <row Id="11293" PostId="9935" Score="2" Text="I don't think **anyone** can answer this for you, we do not know your life situation. I will say, putting your livelihood in the hands of ONE client is often a mistake." CreationDate="2020-11-11T04:51:02.903" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11294" PostId="9935" Score="1" Text="I agree with @Scott that we cannot evaluate what you should or can do. However, if the question is rephrased to something like 'Which factors should I consider when starting out on my own', it would be more useful. I have written an answer under that assumption." CreationDate="2020-11-11T10:32:48.777" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="11295" PostId="9935" Score="0" Text="You didn't inform in your post what the your kind of job you're *currently*currently doing. Is it *Web Development*?" CreationDate="2020-11-13T11:09:48.127" UserId="25169" />
  <row Id="11300" PostId="9887" Score="0" Text="After reading your answer, it made me think of the comparison to unpaid internships, where you effectively work for free for the &quot;exposure&quot;.  It may be that the requests to work for exposure are influenced by the existence of such internships." CreationDate="2020-11-19T18:28:00.707" UserId="7557" />
  <row Id="11301" PostId="9887" Score="0" Text="@PeterM Internships are not supposed to be about &quot;exposure&quot;. They are *supposed* to be about &quot;**learning** on the job&quot;. The point of an internship is to practice the skills you learned during education in real-world scenarios so one gains practical experience. Exposure is *rarely* the point of an internship, in fact, just the opposite." CreationDate="2020-11-19T18:38:41.007" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11302" PostId="9887" Score="0" Text="@Scott I know what internships are *supposed* to be about, but what they *actually* are about can be different." CreationDate="2020-11-19T18:41:37.693" UserId="7557" />
  <row Id="11303" PostId="9887" Score="0" Text="Good point.... :)" CreationDate="2020-11-19T18:42:31.320" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11304" PostId="9905" Score="0" Text="Since you have his details, have you considered filing a police complaint against him? If you need help with the contact details / emails of the concerned police station available in public domain, let me know." CreationDate="2020-11-21T19:07:45.733" UserId="25571" />
  <row Id="11307" PostId="9947" Score="1" Text="I am the company, they are the client. I am not taking an interview at Google. They came to my shop asking me to do a coding challenge." CreationDate="2020-11-26T18:22:45.070" UserId="25205" />
  <row Id="11308" PostId="9947" Score="0" Text="I understand, and I along with others answered your question that yes, people do experience.this. Google is just an example as I mentioned. This is the Freelance Exchange and although Google may hire freelancers, like you said it's not Google. Since you came to an arrangement already your interest is there. The money must be acceptable to.some degree .  If it's enough to to.warrant satisfying your potential customer perhaps do it. Otherwise move on." CreationDate="2020-11-27T12:29:51.630" UserId="25590" />
  <row Id="11309" PostId="9948" Score="2" Text="Simply state you aren;t interested in employee positions but are available for contract positions." CreationDate="2020-11-29T23:34:30.447" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11310" PostId="9951" Score="1" Text="Why have you tagged the question [tag:difficult-client]? Is the client difficult indeed? Did you have any written agreement on the project? What's in it? Is the project for fixed price or does it have some kind of scope-based basis (time-and-materials)? Please clarify, because your question may have different answers depending on these aspects." CreationDate="2020-11-30T16:08:14.913" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="11312" PostId="9951" Score="0" Text="Yes, it's a fixed price project and it has a strict timeline. He didn't talk about this payment integration before. He just gave me the link to a website and asked me to build it and told me to pay a fixed amount which was of course negotiated by me. And when we did the deal I clearly mentioned the pages and time I will make and he agreed to that. Now, after doing some work, I asked him what more is left and he repeated the list along with Payment integration. Which I reminded him was not there in the deal. To which he said, of course, it's by default there on a shopping website." CreationDate="2020-12-01T16:44:19.243" UserId="25607" />
  <row Id="11313" PostId="9951" Score="1" Text="And yes, the website I am making is kind of a shopping website." CreationDate="2020-12-01T16:46:34.157" UserId="25607" />
  <row Id="11314" PostId="9954" Score="0" Text="Thank you! That's a factor I hadn't considered. I would think that while a simple transfer through Paypal would be harmless and legally benign, I didn't think what could possibly happen outside of such a simple transaction." CreationDate="2020-12-02T20:06:42.947" UserId="25574" />
  <row Id="11317" PostId="9951" Score="0" Text="@Blatzo Please update your question with the new information from your comments." CreationDate="2020-12-08T13:13:24.667" UserId="10464" />
  <row Id="11318" PostId="9960" Score="0" Text="I'm not *entirely* certain this is on topic. It seems you are asking about possibly hiring a **personal assistant**. You, obviously, *can* do that. But I don't know what that has to do with freelancing." CreationDate="2020-12-09T18:34:18.980" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11320" PostId="9935" Score="0" Text="@JorgeLuiz, not exacty. i am a QA automation specialist and in the business of software Quality Assurance." CreationDate="2020-12-10T05:10:28.603" UserId="25527" />
  <row Id="11327" PostId="9956" Score="0" Text="I did the same thing, I politely told him that it was not ever mentioned to me before while making the deal. And that, he should asked about it while making the deal because only then I would have told him if it's possible for me or not to add it in the given timeframe and price. For now, I simply told him I won't be able to do it." CreationDate="2020-12-10T07:03:31.527" UserId="25607" />
  <row Id="11328" PostId="9960" Score="0" Text="Well, I expose the tasks I had on mind, and &quot;rent a house&quot; may be personal, or not if your bussiness is about rent houses, but all other tasks are tasks that I need to do because I'm freelance. This is the burocratic part of beeing LEGAL freelance. So for me it is all about freelancing." CreationDate="2020-12-10T21:40:06.180" UserId="25634" />
  <row Id="11329" PostId="9962" Score="0" Text="Any ideas on where to start looking? I said some webs about assistants but there are easy tasks mainly, like any other call center" CreationDate="2020-12-10T21:42:18.333" UserId="25634" />
  <row Id="11330" PostId="9962" Score="0" Text="@danirebollo I'm sorry, I don't understand your question?" CreationDate="2020-12-11T00:03:00.073" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="11331" PostId="9957" Score="1" Text="Why the close-vote? While the OP might not be a freelancer, the situation is one freelancers can easily find themselves in." CreationDate="2020-12-11T08:14:20.167" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="11334" PostId="9973" Score="1" Text="can I contact you via chat please and ask a few more questions?" CreationDate="2020-12-19T10:01:16.683" UserId="25699" />
  <row Id="11335" PostId="9973" Score="2" Text="Sorry I don't really &quot;chat&quot; I don't have the time. Not sure what other questions you would have. **Nothing** anyone offers who suggest this type of arrangement is worthwhile. **Nothing** the tell you about how you'll &quot;make money&quot; or &quot;get ahead&quot; is true. They are merely lying to you in the hopes you'll fall for their scam. Just ignore these offers. Anyone proposing such an arrangement is merely looking to use and take advantage of your gullability." CreationDate="2020-12-19T17:41:44.383" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11343" PostId="9978" Score="1" Text="I agree that its important to work together with the client on what the final product should be - but i dont feel comfortable if they are starting in a position where they want to decide what programming language should be used and what kind of tools to use for development. If this is important for them, they can just hire a developer inhouse and tell that person how to do the job" CreationDate="2020-12-22T01:54:48.427" UserId="25716" />
  <row Id="11344" PostId="9978" Score="1" Text="@SmallDev Maybe I missed that part about what language and tools you must use. Yes, that seems a bit much - one would not tell a plumber which wrench to use, or a mechanic which screwdriver to use, etc." CreationDate="2020-12-22T02:02:41.573" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11345" PostId="9981" Score="0" Text="Thank you for your answer. If you had to send, I want to know what would you do?" CreationDate="2020-12-22T15:46:31.873" UserId="25718" />
  <row Id="11346" PostId="9981" Score="0" Text="What do you want to send? A request for payment?" CreationDate="2020-12-22T20:44:50.120" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="11348" PostId="9978" Score="0" Text="I agree with @SmallDev, it's too complicated to work with a client which will decide what programming language we'll work with over that one which we mastered absolutely well. I were in your shoes, I'd only accept proposes which have to do with my skillset. In my humble opinion it makes more sense at the end from any freelancer propose." CreationDate="2020-12-26T23:46:07.093" UserId="25169" />
  <row Id="11349" PostId="9980" Score="1" Text="Always demand from your client upfront payment for any project, else is almost 100% of chances from you don't get paid, it's what I've heard from any freelancer which I've talked with." CreationDate="2020-12-26T23:51:55.933" UserId="25169" />
  <row Id="11354" PostId="9989" Score="0" Text="Since the project is ending, won't the client relationship end anyway?" CreationDate="2021-01-04T12:33:38.427" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="11355" PostId="9989" Score="0" Text="@morsor There is a 6 months techinal support added to the agreement" CreationDate="2021-01-04T14:27:46.837" UserId="1477" />
  <row Id="11357" PostId="4537" Score="0" Text="Whilst this may theoretically answer the question, it would be preferable to back it with references to credible sources and/or academic research. Unbacked posts attract downvotes and disputes." CreationDate="2021-01-12T09:49:19.620" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="11361" PostId="10002" Score="0" Text="These seem like agencies for very big companies, as usually freelancers can't get there unless they work with the agency first. Right?" CreationDate="2021-01-13T19:49:53.320" UserId="25804" />
  <row Id="11362" PostId="10002" Score="0" Text="True. I find getting a freelancing contract at a small company quite difficult; it almost needs to happen by chance." CreationDate="2021-01-14T09:12:46.147" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="11365" PostId="10004" Score="1" Text="For goods, the UK HMRC is insisting that UK VAT is charged at source - in the EU.  This is imposing a ridiculous load on EU businesses.  For services, the situation is unclear." CreationDate="2021-01-18T10:57:34.183" UserId="20786" />
  <row Id="11366" PostId="10004" Score="0" Text="@Chenmunka May I ask you to provide a source for this information?" CreationDate="2021-01-18T19:38:34.657" UserId="25815" />
  <row Id="11368" PostId="10016" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the opinion.  I thought maybe it was expected behavior even though it seems unreasonable to me." CreationDate="2021-01-26T21:41:18.997" UserId="25857" />
  <row Id="11370" PostId="10016" Score="0" Text="Fees should be equitable. You should not be responsible for *all* fees, only fees due to *your* payment processor. Client pays an extra $15 due to their processor... then you pay $x due to your processor. You both &quot;feel the burn&quot; a little. No one party is inflicted with all fees. Chances are, your client would be unhappy if you invoiced for an extra $15 to cover your processing fees (especially since they are trying to get you to pay for their processing fees). In all fairness though, it may not be malicious on the client's part. They may simply be unaware." CreationDate="2021-01-26T21:49:48.020" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11371" PostId="10016" Score="0" Text="Your fees should include all your overheads - including relevant taxes and payment processing costs you are liable for. It is worth clearly stating in your terms of trade or your contract that a client is responsible for paying costs they are liable for (like wire transfers costs or customs charges for accepting a delivery), and deducting them from a payment to you is a form of non-payment. Best case, it will avoid a client getting confused over who pays what; worst case, it allows you to say the client breached their contract with you by failing to pay in full." CreationDate="2021-01-27T10:58:47.113" UserId="17757" />
  <row Id="11372" PostId="10016" Score="0" Text="Actually... it's a long-standing battle between merchants and processors. Some processors will stop processing for you if they discover you are raising your fees to cover their processing. They see it as bad practice and expect you to eat their processing fees since *you* are their customer. Can't say I agree with it at all. But places like PayPal will frown heavily upon you raising invoices 4% to cover their 4% processing fee." CreationDate="2021-01-27T20:10:04.583" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11373" PostId="10016" Score="0" Text="Don’t charge extra on specific invoices for payment processing. Processing fees, like bank fees, are a cost of doing business. So calculate how much they are over a financial period - same as with with utilities, bank fees, wages etc - and factor that amount in when working out what to charge customers or clients. Providers probably don’t like separate charges because people can see how much the provider is ripping the downstream off for." CreationDate="2021-01-27T20:31:46.603" UserId="17757" />
  <row Id="11374" PostId="10020" Score="0" Text="This s not a support channel for freelance crowd sourcing sites. If you have a question about such a site, you need to ask *them* or review their terms of service." CreationDate="2021-01-29T06:37:33.703" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11375" PostId="10020" Score="0" Text="@Scott How is the question different than: https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/1619/what-to-do-with-code-after-odesk-job-completion" CreationDate="2021-01-29T06:38:41.193" UserId="25873" />
  <row Id="11376" PostId="10020" Score="0" Text="**6 years** of site growth and changes. **Often** with stack sites, what is acceptable at one time becomes untenable. If questions regarding crowd source sites were allowed here they would quickly take over the entire stack." CreationDate="2021-01-29T06:39:37.243" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11377" PostId="10020" Score="0" Text="@Scott I see. What if I just leave this part of the question: &quot;So this means the Freelancer can unveil an exact replica of your site to compete with you if he so wishes&quot; and remove the Freelancer.com part. Would that be acceptable?" CreationDate="2021-01-29T06:41:07.927" UserId="25873" />
  <row Id="11378" PostId="10020" Score="0" Text="Sure.. remove **all** aspects referring to crowd sourcing sites." CreationDate="2021-01-29T06:41:51.823" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11379" PostId="10020" Score="0" Text="@Scott OK updated the question hope it is good now" CreationDate="2021-01-29T06:46:31.083" UserId="25873" />
  <row Id="11380" PostId="10020" Score="0" Text="Better `:)` Thanks for the consideration." CreationDate="2021-01-29T07:11:22.233" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11383" PostId="10021" Score="0" Text="What if the employer played a big role in shaping the function, vision, direction and success of the entire program - wouldn't that give the employer a good chunk of the IP? I mean software isn't written in a vacuum.. It's not like asking someone to write a book and then sitting back on the couch until the guy finishes his work.. it's like someone who plays an active and critical role in character / story development.. are you so sure that in this case the guy who writes the book (or software) owns the whole IP?" CreationDate="2021-02-01T04:46:16.947" UserId="25873" />
  <row Id="11384" PostId="10021" Score="0" Text="@S.O.S input, suggestions, ideas, feature requests are all not &quot;when&quot;, &quot;what&quot;, and &quot;how&quot; to work... Of course a client must provide some direction, but the idea or desire alone does not constitute ownership. One **cannot** copyright any *idea*. It's only the *implementation* of an idea which can be copyrighted and owned." CreationDate="2021-02-01T07:29:07.740" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11385" PostId="10021" Score="0" Text="Hire me to paint a picture of a turtle... sure it's your idea... but I do the painting on my time, with my tools.. and it's *my* artwork. I can then choose to either sell you the rights to the artwork or not. But you don't own *anything* other than what I'm willing to sell you - which may be merely *usage* rights, not ownership." CreationDate="2021-02-01T07:36:36.580" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11386" PostId="10021" Score="0" Text="A good example of all this is Zuckerbrg and Facebook... He took an idea from someone else, built it with their input along the way, then decided to keep it. Sure there were legal settlements later (but no definitive wrongdoing on Zuckerberg's part). Ultimately, who owns Facebook now?" CreationDate="2021-02-01T08:54:31.487" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11387" PostId="10021" Score="0" Text="1) According to ndtv.com the twins accused Mark Zuckerberg of &quot;intellectual property theft&quot;, saying he &quot;illegally used source code intended for the website he was hired to create.&quot;&#xA;&#xA;&quot;Mark Zuckerberg, who said he hadn't used a single code meant for Harvard Connection in Facebook, finally had to agree to an out of court settlement.&quot;" CreationDate="2021-02-01T18:11:18.693" UserId="25873" />
  <row Id="11388" PostId="10021" Score="0" Text="2) (continued) It seems your comparison to FB is misconstrued. Mr. Zuckerberg argued that he did NOT use even a &quot;single line&quot; of code that was intended for the website he was hired to create. Even in this case the twins recieved some settlement (albeit insignificant). Now imagine the opposite scenrio: Suppose mark had handed over the entire source code to the twins (after receiving payment) and the twins launched FB (not Mark). A few months later (perhaps after seeing the succes of the website) Mark decides to launch an exact replica of the site (or sell it to someone else who does)" CreationDate="2021-02-01T18:11:58.433" UserId="25873" />
  <row Id="11389" PostId="10021" Score="0" Text="3) (continued) I'm pretty certain the outcome would have been very different. I think you're comparing apples to oranges. Moreover, in the example I gave there's clear proof of communication/direction between the &quot;employer&quot; the developer for each step of the way - which clearly shaped the direction and essence of the site. This is the opposite of the winklevoss twins case against Zuckerberg." CreationDate="2021-02-01T18:13:04.513" UserId="25873" />
  <row Id="11390" PostId="10021" Score="0" Text="4) (continued) A NY Times article put it like this &quot;But instead of following through on the verbal agreement, Mr. Zuckerberg delayed work on Harvard Connection and instead worked on his own project. When pressed for answers, he stalled, according to the Winklevosses&quot;. It is clear that at some point (early on in the development) Mark decided to go his own way and work on &quot;his own project&quot;. Once again,  I think the example I gave is probably the exact opposite of what happened in Zuckerberg's case" CreationDate="2021-02-01T18:13:07.807" UserId="25873" />
  <row Id="11391" PostId="10019" Score="3" Text="I think you should acctualy look for a lawyer that can answer that question, either in Philippines or in Germany.&#xA;Also, you could maybe contact a helping center of the government? I don't know how it works there... Or maybe ask the company about it, there's no shame in not knowing something you aren't supposed to know." CreationDate="2021-02-01T10:16:07.453" UserId="25888" />
  <row Id="11392" PostId="10021" Score="0" Text="A settlement is **not** an admission of guilt. The settlement was.. in all likelihood... to simply get rid of the issue rather than spend years in the courts. I knew you may bring up the settlement, but in a legal sense.. a settlement merely means &quot;I'll pay you to go away&quot; not &quot;I'm guilty&quot;. It's not my intention to argue the merits of the Facebook lawsuit. Point is Zuckerberg created it, he owned it.. sure other's argued that point... but does he not still own it?" CreationDate="2021-02-01T20:35:39.090" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11393" PostId="10021" Score="0" Text="My main point was not the settlement issue (as I said in my comment it was a relatively insignificant amount). My point was that **1)** If you look at the way the NY Times portrayed it, the crux of Mr. Zuckerberg argument was that he was NOT working for the Winklevosse. True, they hired him but he backed out pretty early on. It would be a completely different story had Mark delivered the entire source code of FB to the twins and **then** launched an identical site   2) As ndtv.com put it Zuckerberg  argued that he did not use a &quot;single line of code&quot; that he wrote for.." CreationDate="2021-02-01T21:03:02.230" UserId="25873" />
  <row Id="11394" PostId="10021" Score="0" Text="(cont) the Winklevosses. In my example, the entire code base is being used. I think you are oversimplifying the link." CreationDate="2021-02-01T21:04:01.550" UserId="25873" />
  <row Id="11395" PostId="10029" Score="1" Text="Couldn't you just upload your scripts to GitHub with the relevant license that suits you? Then it's like any other 3rd party library. Or include a list of 3rd party libraries, including yours along with the license terms with the project. Basically what I'm saying is apply a license to your code, then make sure its stated that those libraries are covered by a specific license" CreationDate="2021-02-03T01:04:38.177" UserId="25900" />
  <row Id="11396" PostId="10013" Score="0" Text="I understand why you didn't keep track of this. I would say the best thing to do is disable manual hour logging, check every week what they achieved and in how much time. Sometimes it could help to set a smaller weekly limit on hours early on, say 20 and when they hit that review what they achieved. You can then increase the weekly hours limit if you're happy to continue, a good way to see what they can produce and how quickly before letting them rack up the hours" CreationDate="2021-02-03T01:09:43.610" UserId="25900" />
  <row Id="11397" PostId="10029" Score="0" Text="Thanks @DanHarris for the respones. Yes I could for a lot of it. Although there are parts which are more dynamic - tweaks I might come up with on the spot. Even though I cam up with it while doing the work for the client, it's still highly generic and stuff I would reuse later." CreationDate="2021-02-03T08:28:53.710" UserId="25892" />
  <row Id="11398" PostId="10031" Score="0" Text="This was a both kind of helpful and a bit accusatory..." CreationDate="2021-02-03T14:01:49.877" UserId="25892" />
  <row Id="11399" PostId="10030" Score="0" Text="Whenever I have so much work that the thought of subtracting enters my mind... I increase my rates. Projects will decrease a bit because some clients won't want to pay the rates. I, personally, would rather earn more with less work than deal with headaches subcontracting can bring." CreationDate="2021-02-03T23:41:31.207" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11400" PostId="10031" Score="1" Text="Accusatory? In which way?" CreationDate="2021-02-04T06:55:49.700" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="11401" PostId="10030" Score="0" Text="_&quot;Isn't society better off if I leave the work to someone else and cut myself out as a middle man?&quot;_ Most jobs, and the reason for doing these jobs, do not prioritize society's benefit, they prioritize the means of the person doing the job. I'm not telling you how to prioritize your life, but keep in mind that most people won't cut their own income for society's good and their advice will likely reflect that." CreationDate="2021-02-08T03:42:03.723" UserId="21528" />
  <row Id="11403" PostId="6886" Score="0" Text="The &quot;services&quot; **always** take place where the **work is performed**. Client location means *nothing*. You are incorrect, Daniel." CreationDate="2021-02-14T23:48:04.440" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11404" PostId="10034" Score="0" Text="I think you'd need to contact the Embassy for this." CreationDate="2021-02-16T03:03:14.037" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11405" PostId="10034" Score="0" Text="Thank you @Scott, I have got information about the Employment Reference letter from the Immigration consultant. But I want to know if there any other documents which are important and I am missing?" CreationDate="2021-02-16T07:26:37.057" UserId="340" />
  <row Id="11406" PostId="10034" Score="1" Text="Like any business, one should really keep records of everything.. communications, transactions, accounting, taxes, etc." CreationDate="2021-02-17T07:24:31.773" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11408" PostId="9938" Score="1" Text="Good input.  I am retired so I have a consistent, steady retirement income.  I just want to freelance or part-time contract for some extra income, to keep current with the technology should I need to go back to work and to keep busy.  With all this in mind, how would you approach freelance or part-time work?" CreationDate="2021-02-22T16:07:41.947" UserId="17372" />
  <row Id="11409" PostId="10012" Score="1" Text="Good input.  I am retired so I have a steady income. Why do you suggest WordPress/WooCommerce over other web dev stacks?  Would not being a JavaScript Full Stack developer or Python Web developer work as well?" CreationDate="2021-02-22T16:12:21.970" UserId="17372" />
  <row Id="11412" PostId="10012" Score="1" Text="Because almost any hosting provider tends offering mainly WP based hosting plans but you could also get good opportunities going with Python. But in that latter, a little bit less when compared against WP related ones." CreationDate="2021-02-23T21:30:31.090" UserId="25169" />
  <row Id="11413" PostId="9938" Score="1" Text="[Making it in way as informal as possible. Try beginning to build your own blog and portfolio for marketing your services as freelancer. There are several articles on the internet teaching how to begin in right way.](https://www.codingdojo.com/blog/how-to-become-a-freelance-web-developer)" CreationDate="2021-02-23T21:39:32.730" UserId="25169" />
  <row Id="11414" PostId="4106" Score="0" Text="It's 2021 and another company that has regularly sent me 1099's decided without telling me that they weren't issuing a 1099 for FY2020.  So I came back here, and searched for 1099 and ended up on my own question .. lol" CreationDate="2021-02-25T16:26:02.980" UserId="7557" />
  <row Id="11415" PostId="10044" Score="0" Text="Hi Jason, welcome to Freelancing.SE! I had to close this question as it is impossible to answer in a definitive manner. Please check [help] for more information. If you can [edit] it to bring it on topic, then it will go back into the Reopen Queue. This type of list-based or opinion-based question is more suited for [chat]." CreationDate="2021-02-26T23:45:34.037" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="11416" PostId="1659" Score="0" Text="@PhilHaigh  thank you for helping understand what is the common practice. Just for a double check since I am not in London and should work remotely : are this rates VAT included or NOT ? To your knowledge, are these values and web source reflecting reality ? &#xA;https://www.itjobswatch.co.uk/contracts/uk/data%20scientist.do" CreationDate="2021-02-28T20:15:06.600" UserId="15802" />
  <row Id="11417" PostId="1659" Score="0" Text="If you are working through a limited company, all rates discussed will be exclusive of VAT. Agencies won't event pay you VAT until you've given them a copy of your VAT registration certificate. If your turnover is high enough, using a limited companyand registering for VAT is a legal requirement." CreationDate="2021-03-02T10:09:57.430" UserId="2689" />
  <row Id="11418" PostId="1659" Score="0" Text="If your turnover is below the VAT registration threshold and you're genuinely self employed (eg small web developer business) then you won't have a limited company or be charging VAT." CreationDate="2021-03-02T10:13:57.947" UserId="2689" />
  <row Id="11419" PostId="1659" Score="0" Text="As for the link you've posted - yes these numbers look to be in the ballpark, bearing in mind that this would be the rate for somebody clearly qualified to take the role (has enough relevant experience). If you have a more appropriate CV and longer/deeper experience then you can command a better rate. Conversely if you're at the bottom end of the experience the client is looking for, expect to command a lower rate." CreationDate="2021-03-02T10:16:25.017" UserId="2689" />
  <row Id="11420" PostId="1659" Score="0" Text="In general remote working commands a lower day rate although this isn't a philosophy I personally agree with, since my ability to do the job hasn't changed and the client doesn't have the expense of providing a physical working area for me." CreationDate="2021-03-02T10:18:53.480" UserId="2689" />
  <row Id="11421" PostId="10044" Score="0" Text="Ok, will move over there" CreationDate="2021-03-03T05:22:47.187" UserId="25988" />
  <row Id="11422" PostId="10051" Score="0" Text="No luck so far with PayPal after following your advice! https://imgur.com/a/ShWk0cs" CreationDate="2021-03-04T20:39:44.737" UserId="8361" />
  <row Id="11423" PostId="10051" Score="0" Text="Do you have a business or personal PP account? You can &quot;request payment&quot; and send yourself an email.. or an email to an account you have access to. That email will have a link to make a payment, which you can do with a CC without any need to log in. I believe you need a PP Business account though. PP assumes &quot;friends and family&quot; aren't randomly sending CC payments without an account. You don't want to be logged into PP when you send the payment." CreationDate="2021-03-04T21:07:30.617" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11424" PostId="10051" Score="0" Text="I don’t think it’s doable in my situation then. Thanks though!" CreationDate="2021-03-04T21:12:12.117" UserId="8361" />
  <row Id="11425" PostId="10051" Score="0" Text="It is.. Paypal's just made it more convoluted because they want you to sign up.. See [**here**](https://wise.com/us/blog/how-to-pay-someone-with-paypal) , scroll down to the &quot;without an account&quot;. -- Really I use Square for this.. it's been a number of years since I used Paypal this way. For PP I actually have a page on my site using PP's API to generate the payment button and allows for payment without a PP account (i.e. a CC). Kind of a bit more work, but it's possible to set this up on your own site for your own use. One input field (amount) and a continue to PP button...." CreationDate="2021-03-04T21:13:39.157" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11428" PostId="10056" Score="0" Text="Thank you for your answer. If I find this kind of job, what should I do?" CreationDate="2021-03-12T07:37:27.547" UserId="25718" />
  <row Id="11429" PostId="10056" Score="0" Text="I can't really explain how to get hired. I don't know you, your abilities, skills, experience.. etc. I would merely encourage you *not* to waste energy if a client has clearly expressed that they do not wish to work with you or if they've been unduly insulting." CreationDate="2021-03-12T19:44:14.293" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11431" PostId="10055" Score="0" Text="Why the close vote? It seems a reasonable question" CreationDate="2021-03-15T10:05:10.650" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="11432" PostId="10063" Score="1" Text="Thanks for the input. Many issues could arise, from having to prove I am her with a ZIP code or text message code sent to her phone... Also, these seem to be &quot;hacks&quot; that are borderline legal, and I don't think there's a very legal solution to this so I'll just have to be better at having her pay me the way I want her to... Someone mentioned Square which might be a more acceptable way to do it. Anyways, I appreciate your time and upvoted you." CreationDate="2021-03-17T23:49:05.657" UserId="8361" />
  <row Id="11433" PostId="10064" Score="0" Text="Welcome to Freelancing! Whilst this may theoretically answer the question, it would be preferable to back it with references to credible sources and/or academic research. Unbacked posts attract downvotes and disputes." CreationDate="2021-03-19T01:15:29.867" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="11435" PostId="664" Score="0" Text="The price of the proiect!!! Ah this is one of the key! If the price is high it means the company is big. That means there arw middle managers and personal interest which can be very different than the company interest. &quot; I buy you software if you give me cash&quot; but not via wire transfer!!! This is valid eveywhere not just USA." CreationDate="2021-03-19T15:21:44.853" UserId="744" />
  <row Id="11445" PostId="10073" Score="0" Text="See https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/a/10072/26181 . In your case, you might need to hire a top notch sales person who can travel to those companies and have booths at the trade shows those companies go to." CreationDate="2021-04-15T18:04:57.110" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="11447" PostId="10072" Score="1" Text="A key point is that when we are building this sales team, we often have to pay for the sales and marketing expenses BEFORE we get the clients and get paid. Upwork takes their fee after we get paid. Also, the sales team expects to make a lot of money. It is rare to find one that will take only 20% of what you make. They want 20% of what 8-10 programmers make. So, building a sales team takes a bunch of investment." CreationDate="2021-04-25T13:37:42.293" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="11448" PostId="9904" Score="0" Text="In the absence of the original artwork (OP no longer has an account, the picture has lapsed), I don't see how this is reasonably answerable." CreationDate="2021-04-27T09:14:49.590" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="11449" PostId="10087" Score="0" Text="Thank you for the reply! I was in ambiguous: this isn't about me bypassing HR to apply to the *same* job post. It's &quot;this job post has red flags that suggest an underlying issue that's more pertinent than filling the role—a problem the company probably doesn't even realize they have. I'd be the perfect person to solve that problem for them.&quot;&#xA;&#xA;*continued below*" CreationDate="2021-04-28T18:41:20.257" UserId="26325" />
  <row Id="11450" PostId="10087" Score="0" Text="e.g., (humor me on this, I know it's subjective) they have multiple postings about manual QA and I can see on their programmer postings that automated tests aren't a consideration. I could teach the programmers how to write automated tests.&#xA;&#xA;Is this another fool's errand? If not, what would that email look like?" CreationDate="2021-04-28T18:41:29.980" UserId="26325" />
  <row Id="11451" PostId="10088" Score="0" Text="If you're finding that all of the jobs that are on offer are &quot;below market value&quot;, you may need to rethink what you consider the market value to be." CreationDate="2021-04-28T21:55:15.160" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="11452" PostId="10088" Score="0" Text="@Valorum Maybe I should've been more specific there: The vast majority of the fixed priced projects are below market value of what one would be paid to do the same as an employee. But also a large part of the hourly-rated projects are below market value. As subjective as that may sound, I know for sure some of the projects were quite involved and the project value was very low compared to the number of work hours required (even if you have wide expertise on the specific problem domain the projects were refering to)" CreationDate="2021-04-28T22:01:38.077" UserId="26330" />
  <row Id="11453" PostId="10088" Score="0" Text="&quot;*How should I find clients outside of these online job markets, preferably with a steady stream of projects, and communicating with them directly?*&quot; - Well, that's the dream isn't it. If just anyone could do that, we'd all be millionaires." CreationDate="2021-04-28T22:08:36.597" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="11454" PostId="10088" Score="0" Text="I think there's enough fees, charges, taxes and hours wasted to keep us safe from becoming that. Even weaker goals than those outlined in the question (just finding clients/contracts) seem very hard to achieve.." CreationDate="2021-04-28T22:17:43.693" UserId="26330" />
  <row Id="11455" PostId="10072" Score="0" Text="thanks for the tip very helpful." CreationDate="2021-04-29T05:07:03.763" UserId="26196" />
  <row Id="11456" PostId="10087" Score="0" Text="@ConsultingNewb - That's an entirely different question, but in short if your scope is that wide, what you probably need to do is to invite the manager for a meeting to discuss their current platform and tools (over lunch is always a good hook). It's unlikely that they're *unaware* of the things you're suggesting, btw." CreationDate="2021-04-29T07:00:30.357" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="11457" PostId="10088" Score="0" Text="I've flagged this as &quot;too broad&quot;. You're asking about five different questions here and narrowing it down would allow us to answer you more effectively." CreationDate="2021-04-29T08:35:00.887" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="11458" PostId="10088" Score="0" Text="This is the same problem *all* businesses have if they rely on customers. You advertise. Effectively doing that can require due diligence based on your target audience (clientele). [**THIS**](https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/2848/how-can-experienced-contractor-survive-outside-elance-odesk-freelancer/2849#2849) is very related, if not an overall duplicate. No one can really tell you how to advertise your skills for your clientele unfortunately. You'll need to determine that yourself. As for the crowdsource sites... yeah.. they are pretty *horrible*. Never used one myself." CreationDate="2021-04-29T11:33:01.963" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11459" PostId="10087" Score="2" Text="@ConsultingNewb In my experience, it never works to try to sell a solution to a problem that the prospect does not know that they have. Successful selling means finding a prospect who already knows they have a problem - one that you can solve. Marketing is letting people know that if they have X problem, you have a solution to it." CreationDate="2021-04-29T14:08:49.953" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="11460" PostId="10088" Score="0" Text="Welcome to the business world. What you describe are the issues that nearly every business faces. Recently, I read that of 10 prospects that say they have a problem, only 2-3 of them are able to pay what it takes to solve that problem. So, you need to verify their ability and willingness to pay. This is normal for business." CreationDate="2021-04-29T14:11:43.183" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="11461" PostId="10088" Score="0" Text="@DavidR - In most cases finding *potential* clients isn't too hard and speaking to them directly is merely a matter of research. The hard part is convincing them to part with their cold hard cash :-)" CreationDate="2021-04-29T14:20:05.027" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="11462" PostId="10088" Score="0" Text="@DavidR I find verifying ability/willingness to pay to be fundamental. If it's absent, the entire time spent analyzing requirements, reading project specs, or communicating is wasted. What are some ways of doing this verification?" CreationDate="2021-04-29T15:23:32.537" UserId="26330" />
  <row Id="11463" PostId="10088" Score="0" Text="@Valorum There are multiple points above. Tackling all or a subset of the questions qualifies as an answer from my point of view. If you feel it's too broad, you can just handle a more narrow version of the question that you feel comfortable with. I'd still find it very valuable to read answers to more specific versions of the questions posted." CreationDate="2021-04-29T15:32:54.033" UserId="26330" />
  <row Id="11464" PostId="10091" Score="0" Text="https://www.iamexpat.de/career/entrepreneur-germany/going-freelance" CreationDate="2021-04-29T19:03:06.843" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="11465" PostId="10091" Score="0" Text="Thank you for the link @Valorum. Although I cannot see my doubts being answered in there." CreationDate="2021-04-29T20:51:58.090" UserId="25495" />
  <row Id="11467" PostId="10095" Score="0" Text="Thank you. Personal assistance work is very optional and not a requirement of the job. It's up to them if you want to do it or not. I am trying to figure out the best way to know if they are okay with it or prefer not to do such work. I just don't want them to say yes to personal assistance work and resent for asking them to do it." CreationDate="2021-04-30T16:47:34.107" UserId="26074" />
  <row Id="11468" PostId="10095" Score="1" Text="If it's entirely optional, you might want to go with a more casual approach such as dropping them an email to say *&quot;Hey, are you ok doing a few PA type things for me?&quot;*, perhaps with a small incentive if they agree to it." CreationDate="2021-04-30T17:19:56.163" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="11469" PostId="10096" Score="0" Text="https://www.guidemehongkong.com/business-guides/supporting-a-business/hong-kong-tax-rates-and-income-tax-system#:~:text=Taxes%20in%20Hong%20Kong%20are,income%20sourced%20outside%20Hong%20Kong.&amp;text=No%20tax%20is%20levied%20on,are%20remitted%20to%20Hong%20Kong." CreationDate="2021-05-02T07:40:43.100" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="11470" PostId="10096" Score="1" Text="I'm no expert in Hong Kong taxes, but it certainly appears as though you're correct. Services provided from outside the EU to a non-EU country don't attract VAT and the link above suggests that profit derived from outside Hong Kong is taxed at a zero rate." CreationDate="2021-05-02T07:41:53.177" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="11471" PostId="10096" Score="0" Text="I've consulted a few more sources that are confirming the same (one source is from Europe itself, so it couldn't get any more credible):&#xA;https://europa.eu/youreurope/business/taxation/vat/cross-border-vat/index_nl.htm and &#xA;https://www.quaderno.io/blog/what-you-must-know-about-vat-if-you-have-customers-in-europe  The latter source describes the counterintuitive feeling I had about Europe VAT being exempt for non-EU, but it is really that way for some reason.  The European client still needs to mention it on their VAT declaration, but does not need to pay it." CreationDate="2021-05-02T10:33:14.337" UserId="26342" />
  <row Id="11472" PostId="10087" Score="0" Text="@DavidR That advice is as enlightening as it is disheartening; it shows how little I know. I'm the type that reads between the lines whenever it's possible to do so, so I have a few questions. 1) With only job postings to go on, should I *assume* this company/client doesn't realize there's a problem? 2) &quot;Successful selling means finding a prospect who already knows they have a problem.&quot; Isn't there something to be said about offering a *need* the client doesn't realize they *want*? Henry Ford's car vs faster horses argument." CreationDate="2021-05-02T19:49:01.833" UserId="26325" />
  <row Id="11473" PostId="10101" Score="0" Text="You will need to define &quot;exploitation&quot; as you see it. Otherwise, this question makes little sense." CreationDate="2021-05-03T05:34:15.557" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11474" PostId="10087" Score="0" Text="@ConsultingNewb With a job listing, the company knows that they have a problem, but they have already decided on a solution - hiring someone. To sell my freelancing, I have to catch them before they make that decision (and sell at a higher level than a &quot;hiring manager&quot;). Secondly, Henry Ford was selling a solution to &quot;transportation&quot; which was a need everyone knew about. He never sold to someone who simply wanted faster horses. He sold to people who wanted a different solution to their transportation needs." CreationDate="2021-05-03T14:11:22.507" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="11475" PostId="10087" Score="0" Text="@DavidR `To sell my freelancing, I have to catch them before they make that decision (and sell at a higher level than a &quot;hiring manager&quot;)` Damn, another dead end. I guess it's a good thing I didn't read that article yet. Sorry for drawing these comments out, but I'm kind of feeling around in the dark to figure out what my actual question is... maybe it's this: is there an effective way to &quot;cold call&quot; potential clients? If there is, what is that protocol? Clearly, I'm going about it the wrong way." CreationDate="2021-05-03T19:56:14.803" UserId="26325" />
  <row Id="11476" PostId="10087" Score="1" Text="@ConsultingNewb The effective way to &quot;cold call&quot; is any way that works. Cold calling is some of the toughest selling there is, but it does work. People who do cold calling know that they have to call 100-200 potential clients to get one project. Another way is to start by mailing/emailing potential clients and doing a follow up call. That is less &quot;cold&quot; than just calling. The challenge is when we want a client contract NOW. Then, cold calling is the only way. Talk to someone at the &quot;C&quot; level and let them tell the manager to talk to you. Often, you want a smaller company." CreationDate="2021-05-03T20:59:06.203" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="11477" PostId="10082" Score="0" Text="This is a good idea." CreationDate="2021-05-04T10:52:02.330" UserId="24854" />
  <row Id="11478" PostId="10107" Score="0" Text="That's an interesting strategy. In my experience, the majority of interviews have a stage—a late stage, often the last—where you talk to someone high-level. In startups, this can be the CEO. Assuming you'll be able to talk to someone higher than the hiring manager, does that change your answer? It still feels smarmy to get to the end of the interview process and say, &quot;Gotcha! I don't want to be a FTE after all.&quot; (Paraphrasing)" CreationDate="2021-05-05T19:57:47.473" UserId="26325" />
  <row Id="11479" PostId="10107" Score="0" Text="If the &quot;hiring manager&quot; doesn't have the authority to hire, but someone higher up has to approve, then that higher up is the real &quot;hiring manager&quot;. I still doubt that you will be effective in going through that process. It would be far better to contact the CEO directly and make the case to bring you in instead of going through the manager." CreationDate="2021-05-05T20:47:55.000" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="11480" PostId="10107" Score="0" Text="For my thorough understanding, can you explain why that would be better?" CreationDate="2021-05-05T21:01:31.683" UserId="26325" />
  <row Id="11481" PostId="10107" Score="1" Text="You always want to sell to as high of a level as you can. Let them tell the lower manager to take you on. Managers have to live within a budget. The top people set the budget and have the power to change it. So, the top people can choose to bring in a consultant / freelancer when a manager can't. When you sell to the CEO, you can ask for a lot higher price than when selling to a manager." CreationDate="2021-05-05T22:29:47.313" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="11482" PostId="10087" Score="0" Text="One more comment. Selling to the &quot;C&quot; level is mostly done by selling solutions to business problems, not selling &quot;X&quot; programming skills. &quot;When you bring me on to work on your business problem, I will help you get that solved with fewer problems, faster time to get a stable solution, more profit, and happier users.&quot; - and back that up with references." CreationDate="2021-05-05T23:04:43.330" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="11485" PostId="10108" Score="0" Text="Kinda think you need to ask company mangers/CEOs/COOs this question.. not other freelancers. All freelancers can do is give you a freelancer perspective, not a CEOs perspective." CreationDate="2021-05-09T06:33:29.940" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11487" PostId="10117" Score="0" Text="I'm not looking to avoid all taxes in the US, but wouldn't want to have to pay Social Security and Medicare in the US (services I would never use) and then pay their equivalents again in my country of residence. Would it be possible to pay just federal income tax in the US?" CreationDate="2021-05-12T17:15:15.020" UserId="26390" />
  <row Id="11488" PostId="10117" Score="0" Text="@hbot You need a tax professional. I can't answer those types of questions." CreationDate="2021-05-12T17:40:05.370" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="11489" PostId="10118" Score="0" Text="I definitely agree that talking with them is essential. I think you're perhaps too pessimistic about them saying &quot;yes&quot;. After all, money is money and they may not really care how they earn it." CreationDate="2021-05-12T19:31:00.407" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="11490" PostId="10114" Score="0" Text="While this is generically good advice, I think the final sentence leaves a bit to be desired. If he negotiates, then what *are* the tasks he should be including?" CreationDate="2021-05-12T19:33:13.957" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="11491" PostId="10108" Score="0" Text="@Scott That makes sense. While I agree, I would think that every successful freelancer has to understand this to sell their services to people at that level. Is there a stackexchange for C-level employees or startups? it didn't seem like it to me." CreationDate="2021-05-14T21:14:47.420" UserId="26325" />
  <row Id="11492" PostId="10114" Score="0" Text="@Valorum - fair enough point. I have added to the answer; perhaps it's still too non-specific?" CreationDate="2021-05-15T12:04:43.267" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="11493" PostId="10114" Score="0" Text="Definitely an improvement. I don't think that &quot;everything&quot; is necessarily billable. Small changes I would think could be made for little or no charge." CreationDate="2021-05-15T12:22:05.047" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="11495" PostId="10123" Score="1" Text="Welcome to Freelancing.SE! This answer doesn't really answer the question the poster has asked. I would suggest you [edit] it to try to answer the question." CreationDate="2021-05-16T15:19:31.033" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="11496" PostId="10125" Score="0" Text="Pretending to be a customer of your own service is a good idea? Common thing i have heard is if you dont like your own app no one is going to like it either.So if i got customer aswell i feel satisfied.am i on right path?" CreationDate="2021-05-17T20:38:05.627" UserId="26440" />
  <row Id="11499" PostId="10125" Score="0" Text="Using your own software for your own purposes is good, but doesn't change the question about success. Making something that everyone uses but doesn't pay you for is not a success. Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin. Nearly everyone stole his idea and he got almost no payments for that invention. He vowed never to invent something quite so valuable that nobody would pay him for. His next invention was manufacturing interchangeable parts which is the basis for much of modern manufacturing. He got paid for that." CreationDate="2021-05-18T19:07:37.830" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="11503" PostId="10139" Score="0" Text="It is easier to tell a new client a higher rate than it is to raise a rate on an existing client. But, you can have an &quot;annual status meeting&quot; with an existing client and inform them at that time." CreationDate="2021-05-28T14:07:37.407" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="11504" PostId="10141" Score="0" Text="This question is not clear. Are you saying that you do not know the English terms and have to translate them into your own language or are you saying that you do not know the what the technical meaning of those terms are and are looking up code that others have written to that term?" CreationDate="2021-05-28T22:17:09.353" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="11505" PostId="10141" Score="0" Text="I don't know if I fully understand what the client wants and I try to search for a better understanding, but from what I see other freelancers don't even read the job description and they just submitted their proposals and try to figure out what the client wants after they get accepted for the job @DavidR   the site is upwork and its my first ever time trying to work as online freekancer" CreationDate="2021-05-29T01:22:28.663" UserId="26509" />
  <row Id="11506" PostId="10143" Score="0" Text="Thank you for the advice.ill try to  improve my communication skills to get better chances" CreationDate="2021-05-29T23:03:13.967" UserId="26509" />
  <row Id="11508" PostId="10144" Score="0" Text="Isn't this a bit of a [Catch-22](https://examples.yourdictionary.com/simple-catch-22-examples.html) situation? Part of what I'd like to invoice for is helping the client decide what features the website must or should have. So how would I have the client sign a contract before the work starts that would specify what features the website would have?" CreationDate="2021-05-30T07:44:37.670" UserId="26378" />
  <row Id="11509" PostId="10144" Score="0" Text="Your contract and Scope of Work (SoW) are two different documents. If you're concerned they won't end the agreement when you believe it should be, then it needs to be spelled out **completely** in your contract. You can always have additional contracts for the actual work portion, vs the consulting portion, if you wish." CreationDate="2021-05-30T16:50:10.340" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="11510" PostId="9772" Score="0" Text="@Chenmunka - What they're proposing is perfectly legal, as long as they avoid making reference to specific individuals" CreationDate="2021-05-31T10:38:13.917" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="11514" PostId="10152" Score="0" Text="Is it only you that finds the situation untenable? Is the client happy to pay for you being available on-site, as it seems you tend to find tasks that are useful to them" CreationDate="2021-06-15T05:26:50.040" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="11515" PostId="10152" Score="0" Text="thanks for your comment @morsor. Yes, I find the situation untenable. Sure, I have found tasks that are usefull, but this is not something I see working on the long term." CreationDate="2021-06-15T06:26:28.573" UserId="20690" />
  <row Id="11516" PostId="10152" Score="0" Text="Another skill that can help you is to be able to talk to the marketing department and ask them what types of problems they are facing - and to be able to see opportunities where your technical skills can help them with those problems. I have found that sales and marketing often have a lot of problems they don't know how to solve, but I can." CreationDate="2021-06-18T14:15:03.877" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="11519" PostId="10156" Score="0" Text="Hi Ajay, welcome to Freelancing.SE! I recommend reading through the [help], including [ask]. This will help you write a high-quality question that can be properly answerable on our platform." CreationDate="2021-06-19T15:34:31.197" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="11520" PostId="10156" Score="0" Text="We can not answer this question. How much to learn depends on what the customers ask you to do. In short, the real answer is: get a client and let them tell you what they need you to do." CreationDate="2021-06-20T14:00:11.953" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="11521" PostId="10158" Score="0" Text="Have you tried to build an invoice in Excel? That is what I did for a number of years." CreationDate="2021-06-22T14:20:34.263" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="11522" PostId="10158" Score="0" Text="Yes, I am using an Excel spreadsheet as an invoice but it’s pretty plain vanilla. You wouldn’t happen to have or know where I can find a more sophisticated Excel spreadsheet invoice, would you?" CreationDate="2021-06-22T14:31:40.103" UserId="17372" />
  <row Id="11523" PostId="10158" Score="0" Text="Your needs are likely to be quite different from mine. So, I recommend that you keep expanding your spreadsheet to meet your needs. What macros would you need to keep a history, receive payments, keep an outstanding balance, etc. - as you need them? As a software developer, I expect that you can write those macros fairly easily." CreationDate="2021-06-22T15:20:58.597" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="11525" PostId="10150" Score="0" Text="lol. I'm trying to envision what you're working on that you don't **anyone you know** to find out about. Porn, I assume :-)" CreationDate="2021-06-23T22:55:19.360" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="11526" PostId="10139" Score="0" Text="The general rule, you should increase as high as you think you worth, and if you increased too much, you would know, no one will knock on your door. By increase, you are saying knock on my door but beware that it's because of the value I provide, not because of the price. When it comes to existing customers, you should get a yearly inflation adjustment, which is easier to do once per year. Sometimes, when customers aren't ready to increase the price for your service, it's because you grow over them or they undervalue you." CreationDate="2021-06-28T14:54:21.983" UserId="21254" />
  <row Id="11527" PostId="10159" Score="0" Text="Hrm. I'm having trouble following what's for what. Instead of &quot;first&quot; / &quot;second&quot; LLC, can you word it as &quot;Hobby Project LLC&quot; / &quot;Freelance LLC&quot;?" CreationDate="2021-06-28T22:37:56.383" UserId="26325" />
  <row Id="11528" PostId="10159" Score="0" Text="@ConsultingNewb - Better?" CreationDate="2021-06-28T22:59:02.273" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="11529" PostId="10161" Score="2" Text="An excellent answer. The only things I'd probably also mention are the **cost of transition** (e.g. loss of bankable revenue in the period between losing the old client and starting work with the new client) and an **increased risk factor** (e.g. if the new client turns out to be a deadbeat or a pain in the arse)." CreationDate="2021-06-28T23:06:07.943" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="11530" PostId="10139" Score="0" Text="A great question. Frankly it's worthwhile having an open conversation with the old client before you decide on a rate. Ask them what they think they'd pay not to lose you. You may find that they're willing to go higher than you're planning on asking." CreationDate="2021-06-28T23:08:22.110" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="11531" PostId="10159" Score="0" Text="Better, but which of the two LLCs in this case is considered to be the anonymous one? The hobby one, right? If so, I'm confused by the last paragraph. Your article says Delaware is anonymous, but I keep finding other articles saying you have to make a public annual report (last section): https://www.upcounsel.com/delaware-llc-members-anonymity Should I look into *how* to create an anonymous LLC in Delaware in another question?" CreationDate="2021-06-28T23:26:53.710" UserId="26325" />
  <row Id="11532" PostId="10159" Score="1" Text="@ConsultingNewb - My understanding is that in both states you can pay a solicitor to be the nominated person on the paperwork; https://wyomingcompany.com/wyoming-incorporation-prices/ It's not *infallible* (because the IRS will still need to know where the money ultimately came from), but it puts the records out of reach of anyone without a court order. All they can see is that your Freelance LLC billed an anonymously-owned company. Of course, in reality you own and control both of them." CreationDate="2021-06-28T23:29:59.903" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="11534" PostId="10164" Score="1" Text="Where abouts are you based, and is your client in the same country or elsewhere?" CreationDate="2021-06-29T22:09:30.647" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="11535" PostId="10164" Score="1" Text="The fact that they're asking for perpetual rights for their other company would strongly suggest that regardless of what's in your contract *as worded*, that they think they need to get the licencing fixed with you in order to start and then keep using it. That stands very nicely in your favour" CreationDate="2021-06-29T22:12:12.237" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="11536" PostId="10164" Score="0" Text="thanks! in nyc -usa. I'm wondering if me having installed it on their system, implies a license of some type/term?" CreationDate="2021-06-30T00:10:39.237" UserId="26647" />
  <row Id="11537" PostId="10165" Score="0" Text="thanks David - I was thinking a hybrid of license and support, They asked for perpetual license and the source code (and me not selling it to any of their competitors. I countered with a yearly license ( or lump sum buyout) as well as a monthly retainer for maintenance/support." CreationDate="2021-06-30T16:16:50.640" UserId="26647" />
  <row Id="11538" PostId="10166" Score="1" Text="What is the question you want answered here? This is simply a listing of the situation." CreationDate="2021-07-03T14:04:52.767" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="11540" PostId="10166" Score="0" Text="As far as I can see, In short, you're assuming all of the client-side risk here. If the client chooses not to pay you (or disputes the bill), you'll have to sue them for the cash. If they go broke or simply disappear from view, you'll have spent x months working on a project for no return. This sort of arrangement is generally referred to as &quot;*You setting yourself up for a fall*&quot;" CreationDate="2021-07-03T23:21:36.173" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="11541" PostId="10166" Score="0" Text="@DavidR - I'm guessing the implicit question is &quot;Was this wise?&quot;, to which the answer is &quot;No! What are you, a glutton for punishment?&quot;. It does, however, feel very opinion-based in its current configuration. I've edited to make what I think the question is (e.g. *&quot;Can I bill early and what will the likely fallout be?&quot;*) a bit more explicit" CreationDate="2021-07-04T06:55:58.757" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="11542" PostId="10099" Score="0" Text="A complex (or detailed) task that's claimed to be *easy for an expert* yet requires micromanagement (oversight of you, *really*  you teaching them) and a lot of back and forth with both a rush deadline and apparently a history of stalling to get started (many previous people said no) - can seldom pay enough and often involves many additional things that they thought would be free or included (accommodated for / expected). -- A nuisance who won't part with their money." CreationDate="2021-07-04T18:40:24.087" UserId="21562" />
  <row Id="11544" PostId="10168" Score="0" Text="I did some extra work. The buffer amount was very less only a 2K difference from the agreed amount." CreationDate="2021-07-05T14:28:03.957" UserId="23700" />
  <row Id="11545" PostId="10169" Score="0" Text="I was things I should use the same invoice details like invoice number, and description etc, And only change the date and add a small note that the previously raised Invoice is invalid. The main thing is can the client misuse the invoice and show as if he paid me 2 times?" CreationDate="2021-07-05T14:32:42.440" UserId="23700" />
  <row Id="11546" PostId="10169" Score="0" Text="@RajendranNadar - No, he can't misuse the invoice like that. I was initially worried that he was going to pocket the difference between the agreed amount and the invoice amount but that can't be the case if he's paying you the buffer as well." CreationDate="2021-07-05T14:42:40.777" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="11547" PostId="10169" Score="0" Text="Hey sorry I should have mentioned the currency it is 2K INR = 30$ as a buffer amount." CreationDate="2021-07-05T14:50:34.960" UserId="23700" />
  <row Id="11548" PostId="10169" Score="0" Text="I have a call with the client he told me to drop an email as a reply in which I send the old invoice. And told me to mention that the prev Invoice is cancelled." CreationDate="2021-07-05T14:55:10.197" UserId="23700" />
  <row Id="11549" PostId="10169" Score="1" Text="Lol. $30 is very different from $2000!" CreationDate="2021-07-05T15:06:43.390" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="11550" PostId="1656" Score="1" Text="Does this answer your question? [How should I deal with a client who refuses to pay after receiving the finish product?](https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/a/2096/21562)" CreationDate="2021-07-09T17:05:12.103" UserId="21562" />
  <row Id="11551" PostId="610" Score="0" Text="The [link in this answer](http://freelanceswitch.com/rates/) redirects to [this site](https://studio.envato.com/freelance-switch/), which no longer offers a rate calculator; and makes this Not An Answer." CreationDate="2021-07-09T18:26:24.230" UserId="21562" />
  <row Id="11552" PostId="606" Score="0" Text="Expecting to bill for 160 hours per month is optimistic. See for example [this Q&amp;A](https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/q/2042/21562); to do eight billable hours takes more than eight hours. --- An employer must pay employees for time spent at work, regardless of the *value* of what they are doing; but if you are interrupted by non-paying emails and phone calls, don't charge for invoicing, hit dead ends and need to redo work, that subtracts from those 160 hours - you'll be working 10-12 hours to bill for 8. --- Also you rent the office 24/7, so it can be shared 2 or 3 ways." CreationDate="2021-07-09T18:38:13.757" UserId="21562" />
  <row Id="11554" PostId="10171" Score="1" Text="If it's not intended to be legally binding, then how does this make it official? :-)" CreationDate="2021-07-10T16:31:16.443" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="11555" PostId="4059" Score="0" Text="It says &quot;in progress&quot;, 5 ½ years later. The other options appear to be &quot;open&quot; and &quot;completed&quot;." CreationDate="2021-07-11T03:38:02.993" UserId="21562" />
  <row Id="11557" PostId="6380" Score="0" Text="Linked site went down sometime after Oct 2019, last Archive.Org capture: https://web.archive.org/web/20191022131616/http://freelance-survivor.com/freelancing-sites-how-can-you-get-your-first-job/" CreationDate="2021-07-12T12:01:08.077" UserId="21562" />
  <row Id="11558" PostId="10175" Score="1" Text="Can you address whether OP (as a recent graduate) is likely to have the skills to pay the bills with their present level of knowledge?" CreationDate="2021-07-14T22:03:02.883" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="11561" PostId="10178" Score="1" Text="What is the concern here? That it's too long or too short? Or just that it seems weird that they've put in a notice period at all?" CreationDate="2021-07-17T16:25:23.087" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="11562" PostId="10178" Score="1" Text="No concern really, just a first time contractor trying to determine what is the usual practice." CreationDate="2021-07-17T17:33:08.763" UserId="26756" />
  <row Id="11564" PostId="10178" Score="1" Text="In that case, welcome to the wonderful world of freelancing. If you have any other questions, you know where to come :-)" CreationDate="2021-07-18T16:06:33.710" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="11567" PostId="10175" Score="0" Text="@Valorum that's what I've explained. As a fresh graduate, you don't have enough skills to dive into proper freelancing. There's always space for improvement." CreationDate="2021-07-20T07:59:30.943" UserId="24078" />
  <row Id="11568" PostId="10166" Score="0" Text="Hi guys, so the person did come through. We'll see how regular the work is. It's supposed to be a long-term thing. So.. since they insist on paying end of project, I've insisted on 20% down on estimated work." CreationDate="2021-07-20T17:41:30.447" UserId="26690" />
  <row Id="11569" PostId="1504" Score="1" Text="I will never forget Sam Walton's 2 rules.&#xA;&#xA;Rule 1 - The Customer is Always Right&#xA;Rule 2 - See rule 1&#xA;&#xA;The asking &quot;why&quot; is a good determination.  If they're not listening to your reasons for using another tool.  RUN" CreationDate="2021-07-20T17:53:53.873" UserId="21837" />
  <row Id="11570" PostId="10182" Score="0" Text="mmm...we have been somewhat chatting for 5 days though there is a time difference and somewhat of a language barrier. This person came recommended on the site we are using too (from one of the site's staff). This is a bit of a complex job, but I used a different site for the simpler ones and getting the work done wasn't an issue then." CreationDate="2021-07-22T02:19:42.167" UserId="26772" />
  <row Id="11572" PostId="10125" Score="0" Text="Great point! Having a good idea or good software IS NOT ENOUGH on its own. You need to identify a need in a market that your software targets, otherwise you will have a hard time attracking customers." CreationDate="2021-07-23T03:47:36.650" UserId="26778" />
  <row Id="11573" PostId="10184" Score="0" Text="This answer is very insightful. My takeaway is having the freelancer give a breakdown of their services. The contractor I went with didn't make one, despite my asking for a write-up. They didn't seem to want to do it or didn't understand. They had questions but didn't ask them. In hindsight, I shouldn't have chosen them as I was rushing for the project." CreationDate="2021-07-24T09:10:23.583" UserId="26772" />
  <row Id="11574" PostId="10184" Score="0" Text="I'm a bit guilty on point 1 as well. I provided some documentation and a description but I could have put more into it. Had an extra item which was more of a &quot;if we have time and budget&quot; that I could have left for a later job." CreationDate="2021-07-24T09:15:16.683" UserId="26772" />
  <row Id="11575" PostId="10184" Score="1" Text="@ConductedForce Rushing for a project is a very good way to have a project failure. It often leads to overlooking needed parts, skipping on the quality control, and/or production being rushed. I've had to toss out stuff that was done in those situations and had to start over. It is far better to start with what are your quality goals and see what can be done with the budget you have but meet those goals. That is a process that can get you something you can use instead of junk." CreationDate="2021-07-24T13:46:14.083" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="11576" PostId="10184" Score="1" Text="Yup, the bulk of the work surrounding a project never changes. You need a business analyst, a project manager, and the actual project workers. You're paying for all the roles you're not executing. If I have to talk to you and gather the requisites, that's work, if I have to organize and breakdown the tasks, that's also more work. Most people want freelancer professionalism but they either don't post the full scope of work and don't want to pay someone to do it. I've had problems with clients that would always ask for a quote, then get my project breakdown and use it as a description for others" CreationDate="2021-07-25T15:08:02.917" UserId="25830" />
  <row Id="11577" PostId="10187" Score="0" Text="Off the top of my head, logging in to their systems remotely would make the licensing issue their problem whereas cloning one of their devices and using the software at home (independent of their systems) would make it *your* problem." CreationDate="2021-07-26T12:16:54.820" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="11578" PostId="10185" Score="0" Text="Hi, I noticed that Toptal is based in your hometown. Pure coincidence or are you connected to them in some way?" CreationDate="2021-07-28T18:31:09.670" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="11579" PostId="10185" Score="0" Text="my hometown? No idea where you got that information. If you got it from my IP access somehow, it's a VPN, if you got from my profile, I've probably faked it. English is not even my native language hahaha. I've got no relation with neither toptracker or toptal, I'm just a happy user." CreationDate="2021-07-28T20:16:06.733" UserId="25830" />
  <row Id="11580" PostId="10185" Score="0" Text="You listed your location in [your profile](https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/users/25830/magus). It seemed weirdly coincidental." CreationDate="2021-07-28T20:29:56.643" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="11581" PostId="10188" Score="1" Text="The MSDN subscription would be nice but it is quite expensive.  Seems like it is unnecessary when there are free developer licenses for sql server/ssis/ssrs.  How is SSRS often an extra expense?" CreationDate="2021-07-28T23:57:42.590" UserId="26785" />
  <row Id="12581" PostId="10185" Score="0" Text="I see, my location is correct. Still, either you got my location wrong or Toptal's. We're not even in the same country. What are you seeing?" CreationDate="2021-07-29T16:00:13.617" UserId="25830" />
  <row Id="12582" PostId="10175" Score="0" Text="I beg to differ, as a fresh graduate you have enough knowledge to acquire experience, so he should be freelancing. He obviously won't be able to develop a banking software, but he's good enough to deliver websites with some added features." CreationDate="2021-07-29T16:20:45.967" UserId="25830" />
  <row Id="12583" PostId="10188" Score="0" Text="@Jason Yes, you can get developer editions for free. Just keep in mind that your customers need to purchase the production version. If you host any customers, then you are in production and need to buy the production licenses." CreationDate="2021-07-29T17:12:58.917" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="12584" PostId="10191" Score="0" Text="Milestones and whole project bids are for fixed price. In my experience, I can only do fixed price when I have fully completed a similar project and all I am doing is some minor customization. Are you sure you are able to do the project for a fixed price and manage all the customer &quot;can you change this a little?&quot; which will eat up all your profit? When I haven't done this exact project before, I'm only bidding hourly - no fixed price." CreationDate="2021-07-30T20:09:24.800" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="12585" PostId="10191" Score="0" Text="So if I am taking a new project which I haven't done before, I should choose the milestone option and not the charge for whole project one? Makes sense. You wanna set this as your answer so that i can accept it?" CreationDate="2021-08-01T05:50:23.090" UserId="26826" />
  <row Id="12586" PostId="10191" Score="0" Text="If I haven't done that  project before, I wouldn't even bid milestones. The problem is that we can't forecast what the client wants in each milestone. Yet, the client wants a full project price. This is a simple Risk-Reward calculation. The client wants us to take on unlimited risk for a fixed reward. To me, that makes no financial sense. Places that can do that both have deep pockets for when they make a wrong bet AND charge a whole lot for what they do." CreationDate="2021-08-01T15:13:10.467" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="12587" PostId="10191" Score="0" Text="Few business people understand what it really costs to get fully custom software. I've seen fixed prices listed on this platform that were as low as 1% of what I thought the effort would cost. On other platforms, I've seen fixed prices that were far lower than that. When I select my clients better, I get better prices and they are happier." CreationDate="2021-08-01T15:41:29.387" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="12588" PostId="10191" Score="0" Text="ok so milestones are the way to go. Got it! But the problem comes when I have to describe each milestone in advanced when bidding. How can I know what the client wants @ each milestone when all that the client gave was a few lines of description about the project!" CreationDate="2021-08-01T15:44:24.140" UserId="26826" />
  <row Id="12589" PostId="10191" Score="1" Text="You don't have enough information to describe the milestones - means that you don't have enough information to bid." CreationDate="2021-08-01T18:00:59.517" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="12590" PostId="10019" Score="0" Text="I don't know which country it is, but as far as I know, freelancers don't need to register anywhere" CreationDate="2021-08-02T03:56:12.947" UserId="26836" />
  <row Id="12591" PostId="10197" Score="0" Text="I see, just to clarify the &quot;life balance in music&quot; I mean I need to have balance between work and free time to do music (not life balance for a rockstar full time musician)" CreationDate="2021-08-04T15:47:09.293" UserId="26857" />
  <row Id="12592" PostId="10201" Score="1" Text="It sounds like you've had a fantastic idea for a product that no-one is going to sell you. How would someone create an escrow service with minimal fees *and* superior support without making a loss?" CreationDate="2021-08-06T23:16:17.137" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="12599" PostId="10212" Score="0" Text="Can you tell me me what specific part you dont understand of my question? for fix it. I understand this practic is common in the industry but is different $60 than $2k ( the ratio is : 1:5 , 3:5). I dont want that my work will be a chain or &quot;pyramid&quot; of projects managers subcontracting, devaluating the work and moreover being difficult clients. thk u for the terminology." CreationDate="2021-08-20T00:17:48.793" UserId="23754" />
  <row Id="12600" PostId="10212" Score="0" Text="@rubengavidia0x There are a few sentences with some grammatical errors. Too many to list in a comment. If you'd like I'll edit your question to correct what I feel needs correcting. You can always roll back if you think I'm incorrect." CreationDate="2021-08-20T01:15:15.213" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="12601" PostId="10212" Score="0" Text="sure you can do it thank you and sorry I am not native" CreationDate="2021-08-20T01:19:36.740" UserId="23754" />
  <row Id="12602" PostId="10212" Score="0" Text="@rubengavidia0x Okay, edited. Your English is good. I WAS able to figure out what you meant. It just read like a non-native English writer, that's all. You'll see my changes were relatively small. I'd also reiterate that what you are describing is not a &quot;scam&quot; or anything like that. You are free to *turn down projects* at any time if you feel you aren't paid enough. (That's the joy of freelancing.)" CreationDate="2021-08-20T01:37:36.157" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="12603" PostId="10212" Score="0" Text="@rubengavidia0x Unfortunately, this situation (pyramid) is very common and is to be expected in many places. If you want to work directly with the end user, you need to learn how to determine the situation in the bid and interview and only bid and accept projects that you are comfortable with." CreationDate="2021-08-20T15:02:05.933" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="12604" PostId="10211" Score="0" Text="The real issue here is not how the project came to you, but that the client is devaluing your efforts and shaming you. That is what makes this client a bad client for you." CreationDate="2021-08-20T15:04:08.350" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="12605" PostId="9640" Score="2" Text="Does this answer your question? [Can you perform/receive freelance work anonymously?](https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/7449/can-you-perform-receive-freelance-work-anonymously)" CreationDate="2021-08-21T08:29:09.033" UserId="26927" />
  <row Id="12607" PostId="10217" Score="1" Text="We can't answer as the situation depends on the school, your capabilities, and numerous other factors. The only way to find the answer is to ask the school and to actually try." CreationDate="2021-08-23T22:25:09.247" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="12608" PostId="9917" Score="0" Text="How to set a price as man/hour for myself? What factors should I consider?" CreationDate="2021-08-24T06:33:45.893" UserId="25447" />
  <row Id="12609" PostId="9917" Score="0" Text="Evaluate what the absolute minimum you will work for is - and make an educated guess at what the client might realistically pay. Somewhere in between lies your answer; if you are financially desperate, it's close to your minimum - whereas you could be more aggressive if you don't need the job and believe the client could potentially pay well" CreationDate="2021-08-24T07:46:43.503" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="12610" PostId="10219" Score="0" Text="What is the refund claim based on? Is there a contract with a refund clause?" CreationDate="2021-08-25T10:15:34.067" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="12611" PostId="10219" Score="0" Text="@morsor No, there was no refund clause mentioned. And he cleared only payments of the milestones completed. And asking refund of those cleared milestones." CreationDate="2021-08-25T11:25:58.030" UserId="26943" />
  <row Id="12612" PostId="10220" Score="0" Text="Did she have a contract in place that explained how she was going to be paid?" CreationDate="2021-08-25T18:16:41.310" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="12613" PostId="10221" Score="2" Text="Agreed. They're trying their luck in the hopes that OP just gives them their money back. He should tell them that he'll see them in court and that'll be the last he ever hears from them. Any competent solicitor will tell them that milestone payments can't be claimed back *at the end of a contract*." CreationDate="2021-08-25T18:24:45.203" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="12615" PostId="439" Score="0" Text="I liked the fact you tell them in the contract and verbally that you put in a backdoor. It equalises the balance of power from the start and sets the tone for how the relationship goes forward." CreationDate="2021-08-26T11:20:03.850" UserId="247" />
  <row Id="12616" PostId="10223" Score="0" Text="Are you planning to disclose the name of the client (and the website address) as well?" CreationDate="2021-08-28T07:15:49.553" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="12617" PostId="10223" Score="0" Text="Yes, as that client is a pretty big deal it works great as a reference. At the end I ended up saying &quot;thousands of dollars&quot; instead of specifying any kind of number. But I'm still curious" CreationDate="2021-08-28T07:26:44.130" UserId="21841" />
  <row Id="12618" PostId="10223" Score="2" Text="It seems to me that the easiest way to clear up your own personal discomfort is to talk to your reference client and ask them if they're happy to share their sales data." CreationDate="2021-08-28T07:48:39.693" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="12619" PostId="10223" Score="3" Text="One of the best ways to share without numbers is to use percentages. &quot;I helped them grow their sales by 20%.&quot; Or to say that &quot;I created a new sales channel for them.&quot;" CreationDate="2021-08-28T14:06:10.693" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="12620" PostId="10226" Score="0" Text="Hi, thank you for your answer firstly. Secondly, I really am aware that machine translator do not do the job, and I also recognise that translation is more than simple changing sentences onto an other language, but as far as I am concerned, I want to build some experience. That's it." CreationDate="2021-08-30T10:40:25.007" UserId="26965" />
  <row Id="12621" PostId="10225" Score="1" Text="Are you fully fluent in those three languages (e.g. spoken *and* written)?" CreationDate="2021-08-30T18:14:19.423" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="12622" PostId="10226" Score="0" Text="For building experience, you can try to translate some random documents from the internet, and you can also share them with your clients if they ask for any previous work" CreationDate="2021-08-31T11:27:45.837" UserId="24078" />
  <row Id="12623" PostId="9640" Score="3" Text="Are you a self-aware AI? Is that why no one will give you a photo ID? Are you located in North Korea? Are you trying to avoid creditors? Are you trying to avoid alimony payments? Are you suffering from agoraphobia? There are many viable solutions for all kinds of scenarios, but without knowing exactly why these particular constraints are affecting you, it's almost impossible to suggest something that can work for you in our current society." CreationDate="2021-08-31T23:32:41.373" UserId="14434" />
  <row Id="12624" PostId="10229" Score="0" Text="I would always suggest being formal about making money. If you want to be informal, simply do projects for friends without money." CreationDate="2021-09-04T14:18:55.977" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="12625" PostId="10229" Score="0" Text="Did you mean friends without much money right?" CreationDate="2021-09-05T01:50:58.263" UserId="25169" />
  <row Id="12626" PostId="10231" Score="2" Text="Well, it depends on the scope of the project. Let's say a project is going to take 6 months, then updating the client after every week, or every two weeks would be a better practice. And if there's a project with a deadline of a week, it'll be better to update the client every one or two days." CreationDate="2021-09-07T14:11:34.647" UserId="24078" />
  <row Id="12627" PostId="10231" Score="1" Text="As a thought, when certain milestones in the project are complete there should be communication with the client." CreationDate="2021-09-07T17:44:18.923" UserId="25400" />
  <row Id="12629" PostId="10197" Score="0" Text="Basically. When I was doing freelance full-time I spent maybe 90% of my time just doing marketing. After many years I had lots of repeat customers but it if you feel like it's easy to earn $1 working for an employer, it's 10 times harder earning that $1 working for yourself until you really grow your business." CreationDate="2021-09-08T13:07:45.790" UserId="10464" />
  <row Id="12630" PostId="10236" Score="2" Text="You can design a dashboard and send a screen shot to show them the design. A screen shot does not give them what they need to run without paying you. If they can build a web site off of a screen shot, they are not the type of client you want." CreationDate="2021-09-08T22:48:57.283" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="12631" PostId="10239" Score="0" Text="I believed that I have a potential project. I think I need to find some platforms like Upwork or Fiverr but that focus on providing blockchain freelancer. Btw, this is the first time I post a question and I don't expect to get an answer this quickly. Thank for your comment." CreationDate="2021-09-09T01:42:27.900" UserDisplayName="user26999" />
  <row Id="12632" PostId="10239" Score="0" Text="Haha, you're welcome !" CreationDate="2021-09-09T01:44:05.017" UserId="20896" />
  <row Id="12633" PostId="9644" Score="0" Text="I start working in freelance being anonymous and without the skills, English and portfolio that said @Jamey in his Question. it's hard, that method not build trust on clients but is not impossible." CreationDate="2021-09-09T03:28:09.717" UserId="23754" />
  <row Id="12635" PostId="10237" Score="1" Text="**This 100 times over!** `:)`" CreationDate="2021-09-11T22:03:10.340" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="12637" PostId="10242" Score="1" Text="There are a ton of questions here regarding pricing, many exceptionally similar to this - as in: https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/questions/191/fixed-price-or-per-hour-for-a-web-developer You should search. Or just look at the &quot;related&quot; list on the right side of this page." CreationDate="2021-09-12T20:09:32.187" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="12643" PostId="10250" Score="0" Text="The removal of 3rd party help reduce transaction cost" CreationDate="2021-09-15T23:35:18.780" UserId="27000" />
  <row Id="12644" PostId="10261" Score="0" Text="&quot;money can make a micro-management bearable&quot; That is a nice statement. for add more information to this answer I think is a good idea talk about the task and the expectations when you contact the client you have to know all the details so in that way you will have a clause that says this is out of my contract, you asked me to only do this or &quot;the time is fixed&quot;" CreationDate="2021-09-17T04:25:03.197" UserId="23754" />
  <row Id="12645" PostId="10261" Score="0" Text="If you want to know more about what to do maybe this post in [workplace.stackexchange](https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/21665/how-to-work-with-a-micro-manager) They have 44 questions related to [micro-management](https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/micro-management) but in freelance is different so try to select and apply this answers." CreationDate="2021-09-17T04:26:52.200" UserId="23754" />
  <row Id="12646" PostId="10213" Score="0" Text="This is an amazing answer, I didn't know about those sites. But here's a caveat, crypto trades are traceable, so it's possible to track the money from your client to your exchange and into your bank account. So you should pay your taxes to avoid getting into trouble later. In my country, exchanges have to require and report your net transactions. None of that is not public information, so you get the privacy but not anonymity" CreationDate="2021-09-18T13:58:53.760" UserId="25830" />
  <row Id="12650" PostId="10229" Score="0" Text="To elaborate a bit more about what @David R said. Even if you want to charge your friend for a small or a symbolic amount of money. You should always, consider the formality. Cause, that's something that will protect you as a freelancer in case something goes wrong. Besides that, formality provides trust, and trust --&gt; long time costumer relationships." CreationDate="2021-09-27T09:03:14.517" UserId="26121" />
  <row Id="12651" PostId="10268" Score="0" Text="I think you described [Harvest](https://www.getharvest.com/features). For solo or small teams it's great." CreationDate="2021-09-27T01:26:47.253" UserDisplayName="user27077" />
  <row Id="12652" PostId="10276" Score="0" Text="Is this problem primarily because of the principle of writing bad checks or is the amount the problem?" CreationDate="2021-09-30T09:35:41.860" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="12653" PostId="10282" Score="0" Text="That is very, very interesting. I’m going to look into this suggestion. Thank you for your time and response." CreationDate="2021-10-05T14:47:07.837" UserId="17372" />
  <row Id="12654" PostId="10279" Score="0" Text="wow bad clients always come back... scary!!! did they ever pay up?" CreationDate="2021-10-08T07:52:03.600" UserId="15906" />
  <row Id="12655" PostId="10278" Score="0" Text="yeah i reported it to the FTC but they did not have a form to upload photos and evidence." CreationDate="2021-10-08T07:52:25.127" UserId="15906" />
  <row Id="12656" PostId="10277" Score="0" Text="what if the jurisdiction is in a different state or country" CreationDate="2021-10-08T07:52:52.940" UserId="15906" />
  <row Id="12657" PostId="10277" Score="0" Text="to be honest, i don't know where my client is based. it's online. somewhere. i think they might have forged the entire check, including business address." CreationDate="2021-10-08T07:53:33.850" UserId="15906" />
  <row Id="12658" PostId="10277" Score="0" Text="For filing a police report? Do it to your local station. They'll guide you if there is anything that can be done. Otherwise, like I said, stop communications with this &quot;client&quot;." CreationDate="2021-10-09T17:18:51.327" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="12659" PostId="10268" Score="0" Text="Do you have other software that this must interface with?" CreationDate="2021-10-11T21:58:08.023" UserId="21562" />
  <row Id="12661" PostId="10227" Score="0" Text="Could you look at [search results of what you are asking for](https://www.google.com/search?q=time%20tracking%20software%20with%20screenshot%20and%20activity%20monitoring%20free) and choose a few that seem to meet your needs, then ask if anyone has experience with any of those; an open question leaves us guessing at what might be best for you." CreationDate="2021-10-11T22:19:45.217" UserId="21562" />
  <row Id="12662" PostId="10108" Score="0" Text="You could also try [searching for an answer on The Workplace.SE](https://workplace.stackexchange.com/search?q=consultant+full+time), it's best to not repost this question there, as posting the same question on multiple sites is discouraged; but if you do be certain to link to your question here." CreationDate="2021-10-11T22:31:43.740" UserId="21562" />
  <row Id="12664" PostId="10268" Score="0" Text="If you are making a website use [Wordpress](https://wordpress.org/) or [Laravel](https://laravel.com/)&#xA;If making a mobile app use [NativeScript Framework](https://nativescript.org/)" CreationDate="2021-10-12T23:12:00.140" UserId="27135" />
  <row Id="12665" PostId="10243" Score="0" Text="Good point regarding &quot;Working for past employers can be tricky&quot;. The previous relationship must indeed evolve" CreationDate="2021-10-14T07:40:38.587" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="12666" PostId="10290" Score="1" Text="I think that an executive summary would be customized for the specific audience the plan is intended for." CreationDate="2021-10-14T14:33:22.070" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="12667" PostId="10275" Score="1" Text="I think this is mainly because **clients think that freelancers who bid quickly will be quick to respond in the future**.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;There is a _sort by bid time function_, but it's not so important.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;The first thing I said is most important reason." CreationDate="2021-10-09T12:45:03.947" UserId="25718" />
  <row Id="12668" PostId="10295" Score="1" Text="Do you have a web site with a portfolio?" CreationDate="2021-10-20T12:19:47.660" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="12669" PostId="10295" Score="0" Text="I made one using one of those no-code website builders." CreationDate="2021-10-21T00:06:50.260" UserId="27180" />
  <row Id="12670" PostId="10295" Score="0" Text="Does the website contain a company name or an address or anything identifiable?" CreationDate="2021-10-21T05:47:15.443" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="12671" PostId="10295" Score="0" Text="I dont have any contact info listed, I just use it when I apply for a job." CreationDate="2021-10-21T06:02:07.837" UserId="27180" />
  <row Id="12672" PostId="10296" Score="0" Text="Thank you @morsor,it was good to hear that not everyone is caring about ones social media status and sharing all their private info online for public to see (and Like, or comment), my service will be in graphic design, I will be providing my real ID to the client when I am working with them , I don't have company and just a one man show.My plan is to have all social media accounts with my screen name to market myself ." CreationDate="2021-10-21T11:44:57.777" UserId="27180" />
  <row Id="12673" PostId="10297" Score="0" Text="Perfect, thank you very much David for your help, that is a great idea." CreationDate="2021-10-21T15:33:24.720" UserId="27180" />
  <row Id="12674" PostId="10303" Score="0" Text="Doesn't your retainer mention an hourly rate? What is your alternative to an hourly rate - fixed price?" CreationDate="2021-10-28T07:05:07.920" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="12675" PostId="10303" Score="0" Text="@morsor Well a monthly retainer/fee could be broken down to hours/hourly rate, yes, but it's not necessarily based on tracking hours." CreationDate="2021-10-28T14:30:01.473" UserId="13035" />
  <row Id="12676" PostId="10304" Score="0" Text="Yeah I was trying to build into the proposal how it would be advantageous to them in a few ways. But I'm trying not to get stuck on a particular number or anything else until we come to an agreement." CreationDate="2021-10-28T14:33:03.117" UserId="13035" />
  <row Id="12677" PostId="10304" Score="1" Text="So I guess work on the &quot;how&quot; to start with before heading to the &quot;how much&quot;." CreationDate="2021-10-28T14:35:25.780" UserDisplayName="user27210" />
  <row Id="12678" PostId="10303" Score="0" Text="Can you share or refer the great arguments against hourly rate?" CreationDate="2021-10-28T19:34:37.900" UserId="23754" />
  <row Id="12679" PostId="10303" Score="1" Text="@rubengavidia0x here's one discussion about it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1b7QlQILRo&amp;t=441s" CreationDate="2021-10-28T19:39:43.403" UserId="13035" />
  <row Id="12680" PostId="10307" Score="4" Text="It may indicate that the client does not know what the market price of what they want is.   You are then saving them money and they may be happy or may not notice.  It may indicate that you are underpricing the market.  You would need to decide if you want to do that.  This may indicate that the client is expecting something more substantial than what you are intending to deliver.  This would probably lead to a dissatisfied client.  Maybe you can deliver what they want but have to do more work to do so.  Maybe you cannot deliver what they want.  You need to figure out what is going on." CreationDate="2021-10-30T04:37:25.607" UserId="4155" />
  <row Id="12681" PostId="10307" Score="0" Text="Consider this: Even if you and the client have a mutual understanding of what your client wants, it may be wise for the client to budget for MORE than you quoted them for. Estimates are, quite often, WRONG. &#xA;At the VERY least, you and the client should probably have a mutual understanding of what is to happen if &amp; when the project goes over budget or projected to do so. For example, stopping the work, renegotiating project requirements, the client agreeing to pay more than was originally budgeted, etc." CreationDate="2021-11-01T00:20:19.930" UserId="27237" />
  <row Id="12682" PostId="10307" Score="1" Text="Perhaps the client has requirements which you have not considered, and therefore expects to pay more to have those requirements honored. For example, hospitals and government agencies have extra requirements, such as HIPAA or reporting requirements." CreationDate="2021-11-01T02:53:37.627" UserId="27238" />
  <row Id="12683" PostId="10310" Score="2" Text="Well said! It's tempting to think of the client as a novice to one's trade; but the client could as easily be more knowledgeable about aspects of the project which are specific to that client." CreationDate="2021-11-01T02:57:33.793" UserId="27238" />
  <row Id="12684" PostId="10316" Score="1" Text="This is a good point.  However priority can be a justification.  If two clients want similar work and one budgets 10K and the other budgets 5K, then it is reasonable to complete the 10K project before starting on the 5K project." CreationDate="2021-11-01T11:40:47.547" UserId="4266" />
  <row Id="12685" PostId="10307" Score="0" Text="Is this a one-time client or could more work be forthcoming?" CreationDate="2021-11-01T13:27:46.583" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="12686" PostId="9859" Score="1" Text="@MurtazaA There might be another option: Sue them." CreationDate="2021-11-01T13:38:34.643" UserId="20776" />
  <row Id="12687" PostId="10298" Score="0" Text="Do you need to do either? Why not just work on a 1099 basis?" CreationDate="2021-11-01T21:04:56.007" UserId="21435" />
  <row Id="12688" PostId="10303" Score="0" Text="What are these great arguments against hourly billing?" CreationDate="2021-11-01T21:06:10.647" UserId="21435" />
  <row Id="12689" PostId="10318" Score="2" Text="I don't have the reputation to nominate alongside you, but I certainly have enough to vote for you. Thank you for taking the time to get the required reputation and stepping up. Your tenure as a mod on The Workplace is well-known to me and I think Canadian Luke would be very happy to have someone with your talents on the team!" CreationDate="2021-11-01T21:23:41.513" UserId="25082" />
  <row Id="12690" PostId="10318" Score="2" Text="Many thanks for the kind comments, very much appreciated! I don’t know whether there will be any other candidates, but at least I am giving the site a chance of not being retired. I will do what I can to support this site because in my opinion, it’s worth saving." CreationDate="2021-11-01T21:59:01.467" UserDisplayName="user27210" />
  <row Id="12691" PostId="10318" Score="3" Text="Aye. Glad to see someone has stepped up to the plate. With any luck there'll be enough choices to make a real election out of it" CreationDate="2021-11-01T22:03:30.790" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="12692" PostId="10307" Score="0" Text="@morsor this is a client with forthcoming jobs" CreationDate="2021-11-01T22:10:48.927" UserId="27220" />
  <row Id="12693" PostId="10319" Score="0" Text="That means in my example, a 5-6k (preferred price) + 1.5-2k (Retainer) is the way to think about it?" CreationDate="2021-11-02T08:36:55.013" UserId="27220" />
  <row Id="12694" PostId="10319" Score="1" Text="If you want a relationship with the client and they want one with you, a larger retainer seems possible" CreationDate="2021-11-02T09:01:05.373" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="12695" PostId="10303" Score="0" Text="@joeqwerty here's one discussion about it: youtube.com/watch?v=B1b7QlQILRo&amp;t=441s" CreationDate="2021-11-02T13:36:20.210" UserId="13035" />
  <row Id="12696" PostId="10328" Score="4" Text="**Thank you for stepping forward**. It's great to see someone with some great contributions, as well as some activity in the review queues, nominate themselves for this very important election." CreationDate="2021-11-03T12:08:40.013" UserId="25082" />
  <row Id="12697" PostId="10328" Score="1" Text="Thank you, I've read many of your contributions here and also appreciate them. Hopefully you'll drum up a lot more support come election time than either Spe and myself did in the past few months." CreationDate="2021-11-03T12:42:00.173" UserId="21562" />
  <row Id="12698" PostId="10328" Score="0" Text="@Rob - I wouldn't hold out much hope for this to become an election. So far we've got one candidate for two spaces." CreationDate="2021-11-03T19:50:29.653" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="12699" PostId="10328" Score="1" Text="@Valorum - In the interest of not clogging this candidate's nomination with a discussion I invite anyone interested to [The Tavern](https://chat.meta.stackexchange.com/transcript/message/9053187#9053187) where someone might have something to add to this thoroughly discussed subject. We've been reopening the discussion more than weekly for a few months." CreationDate="2021-11-03T21:00:57.383" UserId="21562" />
  <row Id="12709" PostId="10335" Score="2" Text="Could you provide more details? What is Refund Consulting and why would it not be legal?" CreationDate="2021-11-10T12:35:15.197" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="12711" PostId="10337" Score="2" Text="Great to see you nominated for this. Hopefully at least one other will stand, making this into an election rather than a coronation. For the record, I upvoted a few of your answers a couple of days ago. I want to stress that I did so because I genuinely feel like you've been making an effort with the quality of your answers and your recent participation in the site rather than to just push you over the line needed to get a nomination (noting that you were pretty close and would have gotten there well before the cutoff period anyway)." CreationDate="2021-11-13T01:48:48.413" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="12712" PostId="10337" Score="0" Text="And obviously given the friction over the other nomination, to stress to anyone else who happens to be looking that **Spevacus didn't solicit any votes from myself or, to the best of my knowledge, from anyone else.**" CreationDate="2021-11-13T01:52:21.893" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="12713" PostId="10335" Score="1" Text="@morsor - I've explained what it is in my answer below." CreationDate="2021-11-13T01:53:32.477" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="12714" PostId="10337" Score="1" Text="@Valorum I, too, would like to see this as an actual election rather than a straight appointment, so I'm with you in hoping for someone else to step forward. Thank you for your remarks about my answer quality (and the votes!) - The answers I give reflect how I genuinely think/feel about the questions at hand, and I do hope they can benefit readers at the time of posting and for years beyond then." CreationDate="2021-11-13T01:59:41.573" UserId="25082" />
  <row Id="12715" PostId="10337" Score="1" Text="Also, yes, the circumstances surrounding the withdrawn candidate are concerning... I did not expect to get enough reputation to nominate myself during the nomination period (even with the extension), and I made sure to wait for the serial voting script to run its course before stepping forward, doing my best to ensure the votes were legitimate. - But enough of that, thanks again for your kind words! :)" CreationDate="2021-11-13T02:00:50.540" UserId="25082" />
  <row Id="12716" PostId="10337" Score="2" Text="I made certain that I a) Only upvoted answers I genuinely agreed with and b) in a small enough quantity that it wouldn't cause alarm to the vote-monitoring system" CreationDate="2021-11-13T02:02:06.650" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="12717" PostId="9865" Score="0" Text="I know the question is related to a personal problem but you should keep it open and choose an answer, or answer it yourself so that others can use this as a source of knowledge when that happens to them." CreationDate="2021-11-13T20:16:46.980" UserId="25830" />
  <row Id="12718" PostId="10338" Score="1" Text="Thanks for nominating! Now we have a true election on our hands!" CreationDate="2021-11-14T01:57:56.443" UserId="25082" />
  <row Id="12719" PostId="10338" Score="1" Text="I notice that you've been on Stack Overflow for almost a decade. Thanks for stepping forward here." CreationDate="2021-11-14T07:14:49.463" UserId="21562" />
  <row Id="12720" PostId="10338" Score="1" Text="I notice that your candidate score is zero. Are you planning to make any effort to improve that in the next nine days?" CreationDate="2021-11-14T18:54:39.903" UserId="26318" />
  <row Id="12721" PostId="10338" Score="0" Text="yes I will. I noticed the score after the submission and got a little embarrassed, hahaha" CreationDate="2021-11-14T19:03:57.137" UserId="25830" />
  <row Id="12722" PostId="10236" Score="0" Text="It's nice to add that the screenshot should be low resolution, if you're going to send one" CreationDate="2021-11-14T19:09:34.730" UserId="25830" />
  <row Id="12723" PostId="9865" Score="0" Text="@Magus I could write an answer: upwork.com knows that some customers are... &quot;heavy&quot;, furthermore they happen with roughly equal probability among the freelancers. Thus, the chance of that you will have bad luck multiple times, is very low. In my personal case, this customer, although wasted a week for me, but ultimately paid, offered new projects and probably gave a good feedback. But I was not so lucky with another one. The result is that I still have a quite good, although not exceptional rating here. Today I do not use them (my current job forbids it) but I could get projects any time." CreationDate="2021-11-14T20:34:30.103" UserId="25311" />
  <row Id="12724" PostId="9865" Score="0" Text="@Magus Probably there is no way to delete a contract on the upwork.com, but probably it can be closed in good standing (and with good feedback), but very likely it requires the cooperation of the customer, too. So there is no way to silently leave out, but some bud luck is tolerated by the company. I could summerize these into a self-answer, should I?" CreationDate="2021-11-14T20:38:58.087" UserId="25311" />
  <row Id="12725" PostId="9865" Score="0" Text="You should! This is all good information about upwork and for freelancing in general, I'm sure someone will benefit from it." CreationDate="2021-11-15T01:25:04.863" UserId="25830" />
  <row Id="12728" PostId="10338" Score="1" Text="thank you @Rob!" CreationDate="2021-11-15T07:56:26.050" UserId="25830" />
  <row Id="12735" PostId="10268" Score="0" Text="Thanks @Dario, Harvest is solving that for me. Unfortunately Freshbooks does not import timesheets, so I have to solve that another way." CreationDate="2021-11-18T18:44:53.470" UserId="20058" />
  <row Id="12736" PostId="10354" Score="0" Text="This needs to be answered by a tax professional in the country where you live. Allow me one wording change. If you are freelancing, then you don't have a salary. You are receiving payments for service which is not salary, but business transaction." CreationDate="2021-11-25T15:21:35.423" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="12738" PostId="10360" Score="0" Text="The 4 steps you mentioned are excellent. I will include in my contracts going forward." CreationDate="2021-12-01T21:52:25.877" UserId="27355" />
  <row Id="12739" PostId="10365" Score="0" Text="Thank you for your reply. Is it a good idea to make the first upfront payment (25% in your example) non-refundable?" CreationDate="2021-12-10T13:52:21.573" UserId="1303" />
  <row Id="12740" PostId="10365" Score="0" Text="Absolutely! You have other paying clients, right? As a freelancer, you go where the money is" CreationDate="2021-12-11T04:22:53.740" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="12741" PostId="10357" Score="0" Text="Contracts are there to deal with matters when things go wrong..." CreationDate="2021-12-14T09:30:18.880" UserId="85" />
  <row Id="12742" PostId="10370" Score="3" Text="The only difference I would add between 'agency' and 'consultancy' is that the 'consultancy' is often just one person or one person and some employees whereas the 'agency' is often 'placing' consultants that are not current employees." CreationDate="2021-12-16T15:27:03.387" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="12743" PostId="10370" Score="1" Text="@DavidR: I agree. That is a useful distinction" CreationDate="2021-12-17T06:22:43.870" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="12744" PostId="9771" Score="0" Text="I agree with the sentiment of this post (although maybe not the middle paragraph about employees). I'll add that the alternative is to charge a fixed price for the work - which in most cases the freelancer will have calculated the *real* time to do something, not the most optimum time a super-human could do it. As such, fixed price charging includes some &quot;faffing about&quot; time, so why can't charge-by-the-hour? That said, if I've wasted time on something stupid, I'll reduce the quoted hours on the task, because that seems the right thing to do." CreationDate="2021-12-17T09:33:40.827" UserId="27429" />
  <row Id="12745" PostId="9758" Score="1" Text="Inexperience is often built in to the rate, so if a client is getting &quot;cheap&quot; resource, then they can expect a bit less productivity than a more experienced, higher rate freelancer. As I said elsewhere, the alternative is a fixed price contract, where the freelancer will have set the price based on the *real* time to do the task, not the time someone better than them might be able to do it. Thus, fixed price contracts have some &quot;fluff&quot; built in, why can't hourly charges too? That said, I would reduce the hours worked if I'd wasted a lot of time on something I should have known." CreationDate="2021-12-17T09:37:22.243" UserId="27429" />
  <row Id="12748" PostId="10373" Score="0" Text="It appears that you are looking for arguments as to why to do open source. Follow both the money and your heart. We can't answer questions about your own motives." CreationDate="2021-12-25T15:59:13.680" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="12749" PostId="10373" Score="0" Text="@DavidR You definitely cannot but what you can, add arguments to why open-source may be beneficial compared to other alternatives. It isn't the question about motivation etc. but rather what else didn't I include into consideration or don't know about the subject?" CreationDate="2021-12-25T16:38:31.530" UserId="21254" />
  <row Id="12750" PostId="10373" Score="0" Text="I suggest editing the question to ask what are the benefits of doing open source for people in your position (and add some information about where you are in your career). There are different benefits for single freelancers starting out, experienced ones mid or late career, and for corporations. Asking what are the benefits makes a better question for this board instead of asking us to make a judgement call for your life." CreationDate="2021-12-26T00:50:34.727" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="12751" PostId="2043" Score="0" Text="I've used the Pomodoro technique and it works for a while.   But then it's hard to control people calling me, sending emails, etc. I think I'll go back to it but only have 6 hours to work.  I usually spend an hour three times a day checking email, searching for work, etc.  It should be easy to figure out how to handle this but I can't stick to a schedule." CreationDate="2021-12-27T19:47:26.457" UserId="21837" />
  <row Id="12752" PostId="2913" Score="0" Text="You might want to check out Freelancers Union (https://www.freelancersunion.org/)  they are all about getting paid and they have a lot of information on this subject." CreationDate="2021-12-27T19:52:45.290" UserId="21837" />
  <row Id="12753" PostId="10370" Score="0" Text="That might change from country to country, in Brazil, we usually refer to agencies as places that do some IT work, but are stronger in the design and marketing side of things. You would call an agency to build your website and social media and a consultancy to help you scale you AWS deployments, for example. And both would send you one or more employees, which may or may not be called consultants. The way it seems is that an agency makes decisions on your behalf and the consultancy would assist you in making decisions providing supporting knowledge and experience." CreationDate="2022-01-02T21:29:20.533" UserId="25830" />
  <row Id="12754" PostId="10367" Score="0" Text="&quot;For that I will need their credit card info&quot; - Are you implying that you will then use &quot;their credit card info&quot; to pay/subscribe to these services on their behalf? In what locales are you expecting to do business?" CreationDate="2022-01-02T22:38:35.093" UserId="822" />
  <row Id="12755" PostId="10380" Score="0" Text="Thank you for sharing some extremely useful tips. This is exactly what I have been looking out for. I don't want to go too far off topic of the original question but a simple clarification for hourly payments. How do we handle hourly rates when working outside of a platform. For example Upwork has a hourly tracking mechanism and how it is done manually?" CreationDate="2022-01-03T06:57:31.657" UserId="27500" />
  <row Id="12756" PostId="10380" Score="0" Text="I'll edit the question" CreationDate="2022-01-03T11:49:59.677" UserId="25830" />
  <row Id="12757" PostId="10380" Score="1" Text="Thank you so much for putting tons of effort into explaining this matter. I found exactly what I wanted and this is gem of an information for people who are searching for this. Thank you once again!" CreationDate="2022-01-03T14:33:30.413" UserId="27500" />
  <row Id="12758" PostId="10380" Score="0" Text="No problem buddy! Glad you found it useful and I hope you don't have to take the same falls I did :D Best of luck!" CreationDate="2022-01-03T16:43:50.123" UserId="25830" />
  <row Id="12759" PostId="10380" Score="0" Text="Hi, I'm a new user here with only 101 rep. I wondered why this question appeared to have 0 upvotes yet it seemed worth it for people to write such time-consuming answers. Then after scrolling all the way down, I found you it was answered by a diamond mod. I wonder what the reason is, why this question has a net score of 0? I just upvoted it, so now it has +1." CreationDate="2022-01-08T03:43:36.110" UserId="25010" />
  <row Id="12760" PostId="10380" Score="0" Text="probably because of the title and because this site doesn't get that much traffic, thanks for upvoting!" CreationDate="2022-01-08T03:48:33.097" UserId="25830" />
  <row Id="12761" PostId="10391" Score="0" Text="For Upwork the major thing is commission. It is 20% for each payment." CreationDate="2022-01-12T22:08:20.693" UserId="23700" />
  <row Id="12762" PostId="10391" Score="0" Text="@RajendranNadar They charge you based on lifetime earnings with each client: 20% for the first $500 you bill your client. 10% for total billings between $500.01 and $10,000. 5% for total billings over $10,000." CreationDate="2022-01-13T00:40:19.297" UserId="27541" />
  <row Id="12763" PostId="10392" Score="0" Text="Thank you, Can invoices be backdated?" CreationDate="2022-01-14T15:18:34.143" UserId="27540" />
  <row Id="12764" PostId="10380" Score="0" Text="Great answer.. but careful with those late fees. 1% a **day** is considerably *outside* legal limits, at least in the US. That's 7% a week, 30% a month, 365% a year... a la &quot;usurious&quot;. Typically 1.5% a **month** is more within legal limits." CreationDate="2022-01-18T20:19:27.083" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="12765" PostId="10365" Score="0" Text="In the US, the default legal position is that a &quot;deposit&quot;, by name, is **non**-refundable unless otherwise stated in an agreement." CreationDate="2022-01-18T20:29:36.180" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="12766" PostId="10380" Score="0" Text="damn, you're probably right! When I wrote it I was thinking more in terms of fines than interest rates, do you think it could be something like '1% a day up to 15% o total project value as a late payment fine, then 1.5% interest rate on top for each month' ?" CreationDate="2022-01-18T23:50:36.630" UserId="25830" />
  <row Id="12768" PostId="10397" Score="0" Text="I agree. Maybe it is best to create a &quot;persona&quot; profile based on my client's requirements and collect some references or examples of logos that they like. Then I would have a better idea of the design type that my client is looking for." CreationDate="2022-01-22T13:07:37.533" UserId="1303" />
  <row Id="12769" PostId="10397" Score="1" Text="And it is important for the client to ask for examples of prior work. If I am looking at a graphics designer's portfolio and don't see anything I like, it is best to look for a different designer. On the designer's side, it can help to show the portfolio and ask if the prospect likes anything they see. Unfortunately, there are clients who will glance at a portfolio, say they like it all, but then not like anything provided." CreationDate="2022-01-23T15:26:42.950" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="12770" PostId="10398" Score="0" Text="How would you plan on getting paid? I believe most clients want to know where you're based if they're spending company money on something..." CreationDate="2022-01-23T21:06:27.147" UserId="75" />
  <row Id="12771" PostId="10398" Score="0" Text="This is unclear to me. &quot;Non-EU country for UK clients&quot; then &quot;my UK home&quot;. So where you *actually* reside and pay tax is exceptionally ambiguous. (I realize the UK is no longer part of the EU and that may be adding to the confusion.) If you are working for UK clients and reside in the UK... Nothing in the question seems to lean towards &quot;abroad&quot;... so, well.. clarity wouldn't hurt." CreationDate="2022-01-26T20:11:11.740" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="12775" PostId="4212" Score="0" Text="https://sevajothi.myinstamojo.com/" CreationDate="2022-02-16T16:54:30.463" UserId="18733" />
  <row Id="12779" PostId="9926" Score="1" Text="@r3dm4n Asking you to do a coding challenge when you are not in the hiring process - red flag. Coding challenge that takes 5 days to solve - big red flag. Not treating you well when you want to send an invoice for a work - another big red flag. Even if you get the contract afterwards it will be a nightmare to communicate with that client. I would suggest avoiding that client if you can afford doing so (and it seems you can)." CreationDate="2022-02-20T15:54:53.330" UserId="2450" />
  <row Id="12783" PostId="10392" Score="0" Text="It's generally not okay to backdate an invoice if it can be avoided. Issuing an invoice before payment is what you want" CreationDate="2022-03-04T08:45:06.157" UserId="27777" />
  <row Id="12785" PostId="8205" Score="2" Text="I don't understand the downvotes. Here's an upvote or you." CreationDate="2022-03-08T10:23:12.697" UserId="27784" />
  <row Id="12786" PostId="10423" Score="0" Text="In many cases, we find clients through personal interactions - I know someone who knows someone with a problem. Marketing is very different from programming in that it is indeterminate. We take actions and they don't produce results. Yet, if we don't take actions, we don't get results. When we take marketing actions, results come from nothing we did. The marketing you do that gets results will often be different from what I do." CreationDate="2022-03-08T15:29:52.220" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="12787" PostId="3579" Score="0" Text="This does not echo the previous responses. You have it backwards. Unless otherwise stated, the IP stays with the author/creator/developer." CreationDate="2022-03-10T00:33:35.300" UserId="27801" />
  <row Id="12789" PostId="10299" Score="1" Text="Keep in mind the liability protection is going to depend on the State you are filing in. Many don't allow for asset protection anymore for Single Member LLCs." CreationDate="2022-03-18T12:46:31.177" UserId="25228" />
  <row Id="12790" PostId="10427" Score="2" Text="If you are a freelancer, its you who are the seller and its you who defines the contract, not the customer. Imagen you went in to car dealer and demand them to accept your contract if they want to sell a car to you. So when you are a freelancer, its you who defines the contract and the customer can accept it or not." CreationDate="2022-03-22T06:26:43.173" UserId="25604" />
  <row Id="12791" PostId="10428" Score="1" Text="Thank you sir for your input. I am also thinking the same thing... I am not even a company, I am just a single self employed developer..." CreationDate="2022-03-22T11:13:49.843" UserId="27834" />
  <row Id="12792" PostId="7075" Score="0" Text="Don't cheat, there is no need to." CreationDate="2022-03-22T11:16:41.477" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="12793" PostId="10425" Score="0" Text="&quot;I have informally agreed to help with the YC video as founding CTO, but it has become clear that our standards for making a competitive pitch are at a mismatch&quot;: can you explain ?" CreationDate="2022-03-22T11:20:59.667" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="12794" PostId="10411" Score="0" Text="Why this downvote ?" CreationDate="2022-03-22T11:31:21.163" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="12795" PostId="10405" Score="0" Text="If the extra documents they are requesting will take a significant amount of time, send them an estimate of time &amp; cost. And claim the due before working anymore. Alternatively, if it is still time, have a frank conversation with the decision maker." CreationDate="2022-03-22T11:36:31.707" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="12796" PostId="10392" Score="0" Text="There is no need to backdate. You can mention the related working periods as evidence for the services, but you can invoice when you want. [The customer asking to backdate would be something different.]" CreationDate="2022-03-22T11:40:31.653" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="12797" PostId="10427" Score="0" Text="This is a clause that one large company will demand from another large company. This is a demand that you carry what is called Errors and Omissions insurance. Yes, that is available but at a price. Make sure that any price you quote covers carrying such a policy (plus significant markup)." CreationDate="2022-03-22T14:12:58.587" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="12801" PostId="10427" Score="0" Text="Yes... I don't know why they do this to a lone independent freelancer." CreationDate="2022-03-23T15:16:00.943" UserId="27834" />
  <row Id="12802" PostId="10427" Score="0" Text="It is just a standard requirement that the company has decided upon for all suppliers. I had one large company ask for that once, but I pointed out that the total project was estimated to be just a few days and they waived that requirement." CreationDate="2022-03-24T14:01:59.360" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="12803" PostId="10423" Score="0" Text="How does **any** company find customers? Advertising." CreationDate="2022-03-26T21:53:02.883" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="12804" PostId="10423" Score="0" Text="@Scott at the Advertising and marketing there is &quot;a thing&quot; named cost: per new client. If I can earn 20k euro from a new client and the cost for that is 50k, than better I go to sleep and do nothing, because it is more profitable :)" CreationDate="2022-03-27T21:42:52.193" UserId="744" />
  <row Id="12805" PostId="10423" Score="1" Text="Gotta spend money to make money. Spin your comment.. if a new client brings 20K.. it's worth the 1K it cost to acquire them... You *may* be doing **nothing** to advertise. No one said you need to *start* with a 50K ad budget. There's an old adage... In bad times one MUST advertise, in good times one SHOULD advertise." CreationDate="2022-03-27T21:47:42.417" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="12806" PostId="10425" Score="0" Text="basically, i kept pushing for improvements to the pitch" CreationDate="2022-03-28T07:24:35.307" UserId="15906" />
  <row Id="12807" PostId="10426" Score="0" Text="Yes, that was my thought. Thanks for the second opinion. I stopped communicating all together when he mentioned lawyer." CreationDate="2022-03-28T07:25:39.140" UserId="15906" />
  <row Id="12809" PostId="10438" Score="2" Text="It might be because many still live 100 years ago where they belive if somebody gets hired, they have them for the rest of their life, but if they use them as a freelancer, they will be gone within 6 month." CreationDate="2022-04-03T07:43:29.280" UserId="25604" />
  <row Id="12810" PostId="10439" Score="0" Text="Yes, Contractors, as a self employment, which legally aren't companies (LLC) they can be re-evaluated as employees in some cases. There are couple of points to check: fixed hours, assests given, paid hollidays and so on. As LLC is different: no paid hollyiday, no assets, you do your daily work and chard if you wrked, with your own assets. But you have an oppinion, upvoted" CreationDate="2022-04-03T17:36:04.267" UserId="744" />
  <row Id="12811" PostId="10440" Score="0" Text="thsanks man, it can be an idea, upvoted!" CreationDate="2022-04-04T19:44:47.777" UserId="744" />
  <row Id="12812" PostId="10438" Score="0" Text="@MrZach I met a local company in this days and they has exactly this vision. And uk UK it says &quot;permanent&quot; job, omg, permanent until? 20 day leave ? or until die? :)" CreationDate="2022-04-04T19:46:36.630" UserId="744" />
  <row Id="12813" PostId="10446" Score="0" Text="Well, I decided to ask for what I want. I used [anchoring strategy](https://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/when-to-make-the-first-offer-in-negotiations) to try to win the advantage and went with 30% and 40%!" CreationDate="2022-04-13T21:12:34.110" UserId="27892" />
  <row Id="12814" PostId="10450" Score="0" Text="Does errors and omissions insurance generally cover the &quot;fully defend&quot; part though? I've seen indemnification clauses before but they don't always have the &quot;defend&quot; part which jumped out at me. Policies generally say they will defend cases against &quot;you&quot; but in this case it would be defending the Company so that wouldn't normally be covered?" CreationDate="2022-04-24T19:24:20.503" UserId="27931" />
  <row Id="12815" PostId="10450" Score="1" Text="@bellsdid When shopping for that insurance, you need to make sure that the policy does cover that. Talk to your agent and insist on that clause. Read through the proposed policy and if it doesn't, keep shopping. It might be more expensive insurance, but the client will be paying for it." CreationDate="2022-04-24T21:24:02.747" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="12820" PostId="10457" Score="0" Text="OK.  What I'm hearing is that the primary concern is one that is basically unavoidable in the course of collective enterprise or any sort of interaction between human beings.  (Ironically, it sounds vastly less sketchy than the current mode of tutoring, which offers very little if any guidance to tutors w.r.t accountability and academic integrity on a systemic level.)  Which is more negligent: being open to hiring third party tutors to help students who are struggling, or digging your head into the sand and pretending that tutors don't exist?" CreationDate="2022-05-09T10:40:47.073" UserId="27972" />
  <row Id="12821" PostId="10454" Score="0" Text="What's the potential risk of what you're going to do for $1500? Could they suffer a $1 million dollar loss from defects in your work?" CreationDate="2022-05-12T00:09:00.173" UserId="27990" />
  <row Id="12822" PostId="10454" Score="0" Text="It's an analytic software program.  So any loss would be based on them making bad decisions after using the software" CreationDate="2022-05-13T12:00:39.067" UserId="25857" />
  <row Id="12823" PostId="10454" Score="0" Text="Well, I spent 20 years doing contract software development and I've worked on software with a hell of a lot of potential loss (life safety), and I've never been asked to provide liability insurance. A quick google says it's probably less than $50 per month in the US, so it's not a big expense, but it is unusual. They're probably using a boilerplate contract that they also use for construction contracts, etc. I've asked for and had weird clauses like that removed from contracts in the past." CreationDate="2022-05-13T18:56:41.670" UserId="27990" />
  <row Id="12826" PostId="332" Score="0" Text="Hi Chris. Could you share more info on which platforms such gigs are available, and how we could verify if the client is reputable? Any pros and cons and precautions would also help." CreationDate="2022-06-05T09:30:57.157" UserId="17153" />
  <row Id="12827" PostId="10472" Score="0" Text="I signed up to serveral to take a look and it did not look like something for me to spend time on. Extremly low prices and a huge provision without providing any services except &quot;we got one job listed for you and other can compete with you to get&quot; im now using a company that is finding jobs and selling me to the customer. They charge only 10% and they provide good services and actually do work for their money." CreationDate="2022-06-06T08:27:17.737" UserId="25604" />
  <row Id="12829" PostId="10472" Score="0" Text="10% is very reasonable. I wonder if we should consider it a red flag if gig platforms refuse to disclose how much they charge the client or if they charge a commission of more than 30% or if they delay payments or if they try to pay based on our experience, regardless of how much they charged the client." CreationDate="2022-06-08T10:33:17.733" UserId="17153" />
  <row Id="12830" PostId="10473" Score="0" Text="It is nearly impossible to educate people who don't know the value of planning. I had a supervisor let me go when I was doing all the design work for the team because &quot;He wasn't doing any coding.&quot;" CreationDate="2022-06-10T14:39:31.190" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="12831" PostId="10472" Score="0" Text="This is an unanswerable question as &quot;fair&quot; is in the eye of the person. For example, I've seen art galleries that took 60% but they sold a lot. The real question is: is this platform producing a lot of clients that pay well? If they are, then the percentage is not a problem." CreationDate="2022-06-17T13:46:33.170" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="12833" PostId="10472" Score="0" Text="The way commissions go, there is indeed a percentage that can be considered fair, based on how much influence or work each party puts in. your art gallery may be an outlier. Google brings in a lot of ad clients, but they take only 30%. The interview-as-a-service platform pays Rs.700 irrespective of what the client pays. Even if the Rupee decreases in value compared to the dollar, the Rs.700 pay stays same. It's an exploitative strategy. Also, many platforms don't disclose what the client pays (more exploitation)" CreationDate="2022-06-17T14:26:53.740" UserId="17153" />
  <row Id="12837" PostId="7699" Score="0" Text="@BCLC wrong site?" CreationDate="2022-06-26T02:16:38.683" UserId="19897" />
  <row Id="12838" PostId="10477" Score="0" Text="I do not believe you are affected by the IRS being you are in the UK. You do not work in the US. Thus, I believe you would be more affected by your local tax codes." CreationDate="2022-07-04T01:49:53.090" UserId="20168" />
  <row Id="12840" PostId="10482" Score="1" Text="Optimize on your business profit model to be not razor thin." CreationDate="2022-07-07T08:16:38.907" UserId="15906" />
  <row Id="12841" PostId="10486" Score="3" Text="Contract negotiations are supposed to be negotiations. This is a demand and not a negotiation.  Have you had your lawyer review their contract and explain to you what the clauses mean? Is this client worth having your lawyer review the contract? Or is it worth your time to walk?" CreationDate="2022-07-07T13:43:20.787" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="12842" PostId="10486" Score="0" Text="@ina: &quot;I'm considering dropping them, but they have been persistent.&quot; So, they are ignoring your threat of leaving?" CreationDate="2022-07-11T05:51:08.000" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="12843" PostId="10489" Score="1" Text="Can you outsource the more tricky work to another freelancer?" CreationDate="2022-07-11T23:09:42.963" UserId="28215" />
  <row Id="12844" PostId="10475" Score="0" Text="I like this answer because it's a bit more charitable towards the founder, and doesn't assume malice." CreationDate="2022-07-11T23:15:11.663" UserId="28215" />
  <row Id="12845" PostId="10489" Score="2" Text="In what way is the work bad? Is it incorrect or sub-standard? Or are you lacking motivation because the tasks are tedious?" CreationDate="2022-07-12T10:23:23.590" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="12846" PostId="10489" Score="0" Text="`They are just assigning me tasks and I solve them`. If that's what they expect from you, that's fine. When you say `They have a lot of work need to be done due to big changes in the laws regulating their industry. I have no idea if we are on track or not. It needs to be done by the end of 2022`, have they suggested that this &quot;big picture&quot; stuff is something they expect you to do? It's nice that you care about the company and you can bring it up, but if it's not work they want from you, don't worry about it." CreationDate="2022-07-13T16:23:29.860" UserId="28223" />
  <row Id="12847" PostId="10486" Score="0" Text="Are they willing to share which law firm this is and allow you to confirm the contract comes from them? If so, you might be able to ask the law firm why there are certain phrases in the contract." CreationDate="2022-07-13T16:25:32.847" UserId="28223" />
  <row Id="12848" PostId="10446" Score="0" Text="Well. forget it. I might consider 5% for a contract with six months payment guaranteed, but 30 to 40% for getting the money a bit earlier? No way." CreationDate="2022-07-18T12:38:36.307" UserId="28286" />
  <row Id="12849" PostId="10427" Score="0" Text="&quot;Personal liability&quot; would mean that I could lose my home, everything. That's why you have limited companies." CreationDate="2022-07-18T12:40:48.573" UserId="28286" />
  <row Id="12850" PostId="3587" Score="0" Text="Einkommensteuer is income tax. VAT would be Mehrwertsteuer. It's not the same thing." CreationDate="2022-07-18T12:49:41.953" UserId="28286" />
  <row Id="12854" PostId="10473" Score="0" Text="This talk is for you, for dealing with this client and all future clients - https://creativemornings.com/talks/mike-monteiro--2/1" CreationDate="2022-08-05T02:37:02.253" UserId="21435" />
  <row Id="12855" PostId="10472" Score="0" Text="**What percentage of a cut is it fair for a freelance platform to take** - There's no concept of fair in a free market. They're free to take whatever cut they choose, regardless of the complexity or duration of the work, and you're free to accept their terms or to not use their platform. Stop thinking in terms of fairness. Set your market price for your services and then decide if you're willing to live with whatever cut they take. If you're not then don't use them." CreationDate="2022-08-05T02:41:36.580" UserId="21435" />
  <row Id="12856" PostId="10449" Score="0" Text="As always, you should have an attorney review and explain the contract to you. In the USA the terms indemnify and defend are defined differently state by state. Some see the term indemnify as implicitly incorporating the term defend, while other states see these two terms as wholly different." CreationDate="2022-08-05T03:05:08.107" UserId="21435" />
  <row Id="12857" PostId="10419" Score="1" Text="There is no such thing as a reverse charge. US invoices **never show** taxes like in the EU with VAT tax." CreationDate="2022-08-05T15:27:33.713" UserId="28337" />
  <row Id="12862" PostId="10472" Score="0" Text="@joeqwerty: I agree, but even in a free market (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_market), there are prohibitions (and for good reason). Salaried people and freelancers know of how pay disparity happens when there's a lack of knowledge of what the median pay is for a job. That's where sites like payscale.com helped. The take-it-or-leave-it concept can be presented by the employer or employee, based on supply and demand. The knowledge of what's fair/reasonable (based on the company or context) helps decide whether to take-it-or-leave-it. That knowledge is what I'm asking for." CreationDate="2022-08-06T05:37:59.023" UserId="17153" />
  <row Id="12863" PostId="6173" Score="0" Text="that extension is not working" CreationDate="2022-08-08T10:34:33.967" UserId="28352" />
  <row Id="12869" PostId="9640" Score="0" Text="Why would websites not be an option for you? You can develop websites anonymously. You can also create your own portfolio website anonymously, because there are hosting companies that accept Bitcoin." CreationDate="2022-08-17T06:11:53.133" UserId="28300" />
  <row Id="12870" PostId="10486" Score="0" Text="Are you able to understand the clauses of their contract and practical implications ? Can you spot clauses that you should not accept ?" CreationDate="2022-08-17T15:21:29.970" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="12873" PostId="10499" Score="2" Text="100% agree. I have been a contract software engineer the majority of my career. I try to keep the mental attitude that tomorrow may be the last day. We signed a 6 month extension with one company and a week later they flushed all contractors including our company. I feel you have to just suck it up and accept it. You don't want to burn the bridge, because they may want you sometime in the future." CreationDate="2022-09-08T17:53:12.587" UserId="28446" />
  <row Id="12874" PostId="10509" Score="0" Text="You make good points. My counter point view is that I participate in an umbrella company of about 10 people I have known for many years. We use an umbrella company, Engineering Designs &amp; Innovations (EDI) to pass around work or share work when appropriate. These people are all people I have known for many years and trust." CreationDate="2022-09-08T18:13:16.460" UserId="28446" />
  <row Id="12875" PostId="6720" Score="0" Text="I got my start (it was a long time ago) putting up signs on campus for tutoring and talking to professors about their needs. Lots of professors need people to write scripts, programs, etc. to crunch their research data." CreationDate="2022-09-08T18:25:24.900" UserId="28446" />
  <row Id="12876" PostId="10489" Score="0" Text="So I had a meeting with them and they basically said &quot;we are satified and you are too strict with your self&quot; so I continue to do the bad work (this is out if my control because they want it that way) and now i just have to make sure this way of working dont become a habit for me." CreationDate="2022-09-13T05:32:07.607" UserId="28214" />
  <row Id="12877" PostId="10511" Score="0" Text="Someone who wants to get a security clearance is not likely to be an adventurous freelancer. Generally speaking, those are two different personality types." CreationDate="2022-09-14T14:12:33.097" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="12878" PostId="10512" Score="0" Text="Thank you, that's very helpful!" CreationDate="2022-09-15T07:15:11.910" UserId="28458" />
  <row Id="12879" PostId="10513" Score="0" Text="Perfect answer. Can you recommend a software or a template for submitting your bills/contract or Kostenvoranschlag in writing?" CreationDate="2022-09-16T12:52:35.607" UserId="7911" />
  <row Id="12881" PostId="10514" Score="1" Text="There's a difference between merely meeting face to face, and meeting in one's home. Read the question again. Frankly I find your &quot;mock conversation&quot; rather ridiculous. **Many** business owners prefer face to face meetings so they can insure **you** aren't meeting with nefarious purposes. I would absolutely *never* do business with someone which *refused* to meet with me (or charged me for it) if we were in the same locale. The **only** reason to refuse a face to face meeting is if the project itself could *never* be worth one's time." CreationDate="2022-09-30T05:27:22.987" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="12882" PostId="10515" Score="0" Text="You are seeking an [Escrow provider](https://www.google.com/search?q=escrow+providers&amp;oq=escrow+provider&amp;aqs=chrome.0.69i59j69i57j0i512j0i22i30l5j0i390l2.2617j0j7&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8). Merely searching the interest will turn up many." CreationDate="2022-10-06T18:25:26.160" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="12883" PostId="10465" Score="0" Text="Thanks for idea, but...Personal professional contracts... well, some see the half empty part of the glass :)) &quot;Some&quot; are not interested, some are not serious, some doesn't want to pay, some would add to infinite change requests and implement new features.&quot;some&quot; have shame to tell me they don't know how to use a smartphone, even if they has a million euro company, so the software is bad and it will reveal this huge shame. &quot;some&quot; thinks they will not able to earn black money using software. &quot;some&quot; managers are stealing from company and a software would reveal it, but the CEO sends me to manager!" CreationDate="2022-10-11T20:59:22.537" UserId="744" />
  <row Id="12884" PostId="10465" Score="1" Text="Everyone encounters bad or inexperienced clients. You have such a large percentage that I have to assume you are looking in the wrong places. It appears to me that you need to find a more technical audience. You need to find a more ethical audience. You can take care of scope creep by putting change orders in the front of a contract. If you are in a country where the overwhelming number of potential clients are unethical you need to look for clients in other countries. Not easy but doable. Hope this helps." CreationDate="2022-10-12T23:12:01.220" UserId="28045" />
  <row Id="12885" PostId="6535" Score="0" Text="MacOS is unrelated to Linux, other than having a shared historical and cultural heritage (MacOS is vaguely descended from the original Unix, Linux is not). Avoiding Windows is great if you can, both because it tends to be the lowest-hanging fruit for intruders (and it pays better for the bad guys to find an exploit which works on most consumer computers) and because it's a nuisance to use." CreationDate="2022-10-25T16:57:42.823" UserId="15296" />
  <row Id="12886" PostId="10527" Score="1" Text="Those are issues that should be addressed with your client, not us. Better yet, they should be spelled out in your contract." CreationDate="2022-10-29T14:03:56.690" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="12887" PostId="10529" Score="1" Text="Why should there be a limit ? From personal experience, three simultaneous daily jobs is heavy." CreationDate="2022-11-15T17:48:46.273" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="12888" PostId="10521" Score="1" Text="Before anything, take a course in marketing." CreationDate="2022-11-15T17:50:57.757" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="12889" PostId="6535" Score="0" Text="If you really fear security issues, reserve a machine to browse the Web with nothing important on it (so that reformatting would not be a problem). And do not allow a direct Web connection of your workstation. Ideally, not even a common LAN (removable drive for transfers ?). Safe and... heavy." CreationDate="2022-11-15T17:56:49.950" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="12890" PostId="10535" Score="0" Text="Could you further clarify your sentence about mastering &quot;self&quot; and niches? It's not clear to me what you meant by that sentence and what you learned there." CreationDate="2022-11-18T16:30:07.440" UserId="25082" />
  <row Id="12891" PostId="10536" Score="0" Text="Hmm, interesting. I like that it's in percentages because that means values will vary depending on how many daily hours you want to commit to your business. But I'm a bit confused about considering myself an employee or a business. I set myself a certain daily amount, but I was thinking more something like &quot;That's how many hours I want to spend daily on my self-employed business.&quot; Is that an improper mindset?" CreationDate="2022-11-18T19:07:35.497" UserId="28667" />
  <row Id="12892" PostId="10536" Score="0" Text="I have heard many business owners say that they are &quot;working on their business&quot;. I can spend 8 hours a day on the business, but perhaps have only 3-4 hours billable. The rest of the time is on marketing, accounting, planning, and other overhead. &quot;The person who does your marketing sets your rate and determines your income.&quot;" CreationDate="2022-11-19T00:43:30.420" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="12895" PostId="10536" Score="0" Text="&quot;The person who does your marketing sets your rate and determines your income.&quot; How so? Is it a saying or is it something that marketers actually do? Shouldn't that be a thing for accountants?" CreationDate="2022-11-22T19:33:59.747" UserId="28667" />
  <row Id="12896" PostId="10536" Score="0" Text="Most times, it is not a conscious decision. It is a consequence of their actions. For example, I read about a consultant who charged $1,000/hr. He spent 80% of his time on marketing his services. When someone suggested that he could cut back the marketing to get more billable time, his response was that it was because he spent 80% of his time on marketing that he was able to get the billable time at that rate." CreationDate="2022-11-22T21:01:34.990" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="12897" PostId="10536" Score="0" Text="Well, yeah. The more billable time you cut, the more you'll have to raise your rates. Secondly, could you expand on your answer? What do you mean when you mention &quot;...on taxes and profit&quot;, &quot;...to sales and marketing&quot; and the other two? I'm trying to put into action what I would do with that 20% on taxes and profit, for example. I'm new to the business side of independent work, so it's kind of ambiguous for me." CreationDate="2022-11-23T19:34:26.800" UserId="28667" />
  <row Id="12898" PostId="10536" Score="0" Text="I suggest thinking the other way: the more time spent on marketing, the more you are able to raise your rate and get customers who will pay that. First commit to doing the marketing and getting the customers. Then, raise your rate when you have enough customers." CreationDate="2022-11-24T16:01:48.620" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="12899" PostId="10536" Score="0" Text="As a single businessperson, you might want to think of vacation time instead of profit. It is possible to adjust how you spend so that the profit reported to tax authorities is small to minimize how much tax you pay. But planning on having the &quot;fruits of your labor&quot; is very important. It is too easy to spend all your time including holidays on the business. Overhead includes the rent on office space. Administration includes all the time spent dealing with getting equipment, filling out government forms, insurance, etc." CreationDate="2022-11-24T16:08:31.010" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="12900" PostId="10536" Score="0" Text="Thank you! I'll keep in mind your insights :)" CreationDate="2022-11-28T01:00:59.303" UserId="28667" />
  <row Id="12901" PostId="10538" Score="0" Text="You probably mean Deel, not Deal?" CreationDate="2022-12-01T11:29:06.527" UserId="28646" />
  <row Id="12902" PostId="10515" Score="0" Text="I think blockchain smart contracts can be leveraged to do that, but there are different ways, depends on the overarching system. I personally think blockchain could be more modern and even convenient. There is one online Escrow tool that looks alright:" CreationDate="2022-12-02T08:27:11.433" UserId="28714" />
  <row Id="12903" PostId="10515" Score="0" Text="https://www.escrow.com/" CreationDate="2022-12-02T08:28:29.670" UserId="28714" />
  <row Id="12904" PostId="2100" Score="4" Text="&quot;Sure, more is always possible&quot;" CreationDate="2022-12-03T08:37:43.543" UserId="676" />
  <row Id="12905" PostId="2100" Score="2" Text="@Carsten Hehe, I wanna put that in my profile's FAQ so badly!!" CreationDate="2022-12-07T05:54:40.407" UserId="28731" />
  <row Id="12907" PostId="4650" Score="0" Text="Your usual occupancy rate should be a hint (I mean only hours that you charge)." CreationDate="2022-12-14T13:38:20.477" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="12909" PostId="10529" Score="1" Text="Do customers tell McDonalds how many hamburgers they are allowed to sell???" CreationDate="2022-12-26T00:06:30.513" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="12910" PostId="2350" Score="0" Text="It's now 8+ years later, and if anybody finds this, here's the current situation:  I completed the work for her.. to an extent, I left some work undelivered and got her unblocked enough where we were able to go years without talking.  Recently, she wanted to reboot the project.  I started doing it to help her out, and now that I'm more experienced, the lack of respect for me and my time is more apparent; and I'm about to refund everything and walk. I've also received exactly zero referrals from her, and other than a learning experience, it's been a gross net loss financially and emotionally." CreationDate="2022-12-28T19:25:11.290" UserId="4837" />
  <row Id="12911" PostId="10543" Score="1" Text="You can't just sell an &quot;idea&quot;. You need to supply a complete, usable solution that implements this idea." CreationDate="2022-12-29T11:28:21.383" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="12912" PostId="10519" Score="0" Text="Be careful, if Paypal sees you are increasing charges to cover their fees, they will be unhappy. It's a long standing battle between merchants and payment gateways. The gateways do not want your customers thinking the gateway is charging more to use them - it reflects poorly on them, even if it's true. They expect you to eat the cost of the gateway. And the reality is.. if Paypal's 4% is too taxing on you, you aren't charging enough to begin with. If you go out to eat, and pay with a Visa, does the restaurant tack on an extra 4% because you handed them a Visa? No, the restaurant pays the fees." CreationDate="2023-01-01T23:24:29.863" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="12918" PostId="9927" Score="0" Text="Many years ago, I was approached for an &quot;exposure&quot; gig. My reply: &quot;No thanks. Exposure is something you die from.&quot;" CreationDate="2023-01-18T18:25:30.900" UserId="28872" />
  <row Id="12921" PostId="10580" Score="2" Text="Are you able to send an email recapping the conversation and include your rate to this prospect?" CreationDate="2023-01-25T15:20:11.243" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="12925" PostId="9520" Score="0" Text="Stop feeling guilty. You have no legal obligations towards them, and they should just be thankful to them for all the free work. It is possible that they will demand some kind of knowledge transfer. Don't fear to charge that." CreationDate="2023-02-13T15:42:06.570" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="12926" PostId="10559" Score="1" Text="In this case, I am aware of when my clients closed their businesses. In the case of one, the owner died. In other cases, they shut down due to the pandemic. I design, build, and host websites, so I have a lot of code, graphics, backups, photos, etc. They take up a lot of space." CreationDate="2023-02-17T15:53:47.907" UserId="9845" />
  <row Id="12927" PostId="10559" Score="1" Text="@LMKWeb: terabyte disks are cheap." CreationDate="2023-02-17T17:33:30.100" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="12929" PostId="10559" Score="1" Text="True! I actually hadn't considered a hard copy backup since most everything is currently in the cloud, but that's a great idea to get them out of my line of sight without deleting entirely." CreationDate="2023-02-21T14:41:45.047" UserId="9845" />
  <row Id="12930" PostId="10592" Score="0" Text="This doesn't seem to specifically be about freelancing, but rather software engineering in a broad sense." CreationDate="2023-02-23T09:00:53.210" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="12931" PostId="10592" Score="1" Text="@morsor For what it's worth, this kind of career advice question is off-topic on Software Engineering SE. So you've got it back :)" CreationDate="2023-02-23T10:36:32.850" UserId="14703" />
  <row Id="12932" PostId="10592" Score="0" Text="Find a programming job in an engineering company or in scientific research, there you will need both kind of skills. Maybe also at an insurance or bank, when you are a fan of statistics (but that may count as data science)." CreationDate="2023-02-23T10:36:37.180" UserId="19127" />
  <row Id="12933" PostId="10592" Score="0" Text="@PhilipKendall: No problem. Perhaps Workplace is a better fit?" CreationDate="2023-02-23T11:15:58.070" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="12934" PostId="10592" Score="0" Text="@morsor Probably also off-topic there to be honest https://workplace.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/2693/custom-off-topic-close-reasons-change#2695" CreationDate="2023-02-23T11:16:55.603" UserId="14703" />
  <row Id="12935" PostId="10592" Score="1" Text="@PhilipKendall: Fair enough. I think I'll attempt to edit it on-topic here then and see if the OP agrees" CreationDate="2023-02-23T11:20:49.917" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="12936" PostId="10592" Score="0" Text="@ahmad popli: I've edited and re-opened your question. Is the edit OK?" CreationDate="2023-02-23T11:25:59.700" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="12937" PostId="10592" Score="0" Text="@morsor no problem ,actually you make it better." CreationDate="2023-02-24T19:39:03.810" UserId="29028" />
  <row Id="12939" PostId="10593" Score="0" Text="thank you for the advice, Ok, can you tell where can I learn about business, I mean what kind of courses do I need to take to become business consultant." CreationDate="2023-02-24T19:49:09.527" UserId="29028" />
  <row Id="12940" PostId="10593" Score="1" Text="There are two ways to learn about business. The first is to take courses such as accounting, personnel management, finance, etc. That is essentially the courses in an MBA program. The second way is to join a small business and learn everything you can about it including all the things that go wrong. Typically, someone who learns just from courses doesn't learn the problems, the headaches, or about so many ways that people can mess up a situation." CreationDate="2023-02-24T23:34:42.983" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="12941" PostId="10594" Score="1" Text="Is your question whether a better approach exists?" CreationDate="2023-02-27T08:56:07.417" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="12942" PostId="10594" Score="0" Text="My question was if I was being too demanding and sensitive and if these situations are common with freelancing and that dev just kind of has to bite the bullet and accept call with difficult client even if they don't want. I get this is subjective and contextual though" CreationDate="2023-02-28T00:27:49.087" UserId="28879" />
  <row Id="12943" PostId="10594" Score="1" Text="I'd say your appraoch seems reasonable - as you use the only leverage you have. In situations like this, one should never give away leverage for nothing." CreationDate="2023-02-28T07:30:55.977" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="12944" PostId="10595" Score="0" Text="Thanks!  I felt I was being fair, firm, yet polite. It's true maybe I overreacted and thought with emotion instead of logic (but again..this is just because how I already felt about the client at this point in time). &#xA;&#xA;Any advice on what to do if he cancels the check because I refused this call? It's only for a few hundred USD and so it's not the biggest deal (i.e. might not be worth time suing over). Just use it as a learning lesson I guess" CreationDate="2023-02-28T14:13:49.200" UserId="28879" />
  <row Id="12945" PostId="10595" Score="1" Text="I know nothing when it comes to payment by check, as that is never used here (Denmark)." CreationDate="2023-02-28T14:34:41.483" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="12946" PostId="10595" Score="1" Text="I don't think you've overreacted - and when used sparingly a rare emotional outburst can demonstrate that you are indeed serious." CreationDate="2023-02-28T14:36:33.660" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="12947" PostId="10596" Score="0" Text="Do you have any work experience as a software developer?" CreationDate="2023-02-28T14:43:48.250" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="12948" PostId="10596" Score="0" Text="@morsor Yes, I have 3 years of experience, both full-time and contract." CreationDate="2023-02-28T14:53:20.133" UserId="29079" />
  <row Id="12949" PostId="10597" Score="1" Text="+1: &quot;Secondly, companies do not want software. They want problems solved.&quot; Absolutely true. Many (new) freelance developers over-focus on software delivery even though most clients could not care less what the tech stack is - as long as it solves problems without introducing new ones." CreationDate="2023-03-01T07:18:39.760" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="12950" PostId="10598" Score="0" Text="Nice point. By the third party, do you mean hiring a person or agency? Would you please elaborate?" CreationDate="2023-03-01T08:14:14.170" UserId="29079" />
  <row Id="12951" PostId="10597" Score="0" Text="Great sentence. By the way, would you please tell me what problems can I solve for the client if they want to offer a contract role?" CreationDate="2023-03-01T08:15:52.507" UserId="29079" />
  <row Id="12952" PostId="10598" Score="0" Text="@MdNazmulHossain: I've added an elaboration" CreationDate="2023-03-01T08:29:34.243" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="12953" PostId="10598" Score="0" Text="Thanks for your help!" CreationDate="2023-03-01T11:21:11.930" UserId="29079" />
  <row Id="12954" PostId="10597" Score="0" Text="@MdNazmulHossain: Only the client knows what problems need to be solved. Your job is to always listen and propose your solutions when able to" CreationDate="2023-03-01T11:51:41.167" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="12955" PostId="10595" Score="0" Text="Thanks so much!" CreationDate="2023-03-01T14:14:33.777" UserId="28879" />
  <row Id="12956" PostId="10601" Score="0" Text="Thanks, good points! I do agree with what you said about freelancing as an employee vs. running a business. For background: I live in France where permanent employment comes with lots of benefits (in terms of unemployment support, guarantees against being fired, employer-supported health insurance, etc.) , so I have always considered that taking long-term full-time projects as a freelancer is a poor choice - it is like permanent employment, but without the benefits." CreationDate="2023-03-03T15:47:27.693" UserId="23884" />
  <row Id="12957" PostId="10602" Score="0" Text="Please keep in mind it could be impossible to achieve such accuracy, not difficult or costly, but plain impossible. It could also be impossible to judge without a preliminary study and even then you could lose money. Your best bet (not from a freelancing point of view) would be to have a look at the literature or market and see if you find any similar application to your specific problem and gauge the results." CreationDate="2023-03-07T10:01:28.117" UserId="29100" />
  <row Id="12958" PostId="10595" Score="0" Text="@morsor...So...looks like client is not sending check. In fact, looks like he's blocked me on Linkedin and through phone. I sent an email to him and his assistant. Gonna give it a few more days and then threaten to sue. (Again..small amount of $ and it's more about the justice) He cannot do this to ppl. Scam artist" CreationDate="2023-03-07T15:56:19.540" UserId="28879" />
  <row Id="12959" PostId="10595" Score="1" Text="@user2402616: Sorry to hear that - even though it isn't really surprising. Depending on your location and situation, I'm not sure I would take it further - but rather focus on avoiding a similar future occurrence. But only you can evaluate whether you can let it go now or need to follow through" CreationDate="2023-03-08T19:52:16.310" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="12960" PostId="10595" Score="0" Text="Appreciate it! Was able to talk with former dev and they said they had similar things happen with this guy and that he acted crazily and threw temper tantrums. So, I'm glad I avoided taking things further and that I made the right decisions in quitting and not accepting his call. Unfortunately, looks like I deleted my signed contract. Was able to find it temporarily but then lost that. I sent an email saying I would sue as a bluff. We'll see where things go. Figure I might at least talk to small claims court to see if it'd be worth it (more for justice)" CreationDate="2023-03-09T00:00:57.623" UserId="28879" />
  <row Id="12961" PostId="9779" Score="0" Text="International collections are not an &quot;easy&quot; or &quot;simple&quot; thing.... prepayment is always required for me." CreationDate="2023-03-09T09:31:46.623" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="12962" PostId="10612" Score="0" Text="Appreciate your insight. &quot;barring clients that have proven themselves to be verbally abusive&quot; ...I found that to be the case and it looks like former devs have confirmed that.&#xA;&#xA;But your points do make sense. I think in a vacuum I probably would've agreed to short call, and I like your points about how to set boundaries while on it.&#xA;&#xA;It's all learning. My bluff about suing worked and he replied with saying check should be on way if I submitted more hours. More immaturity and gaslighting ensued on his part imho" CreationDate="2023-03-09T15:12:54.750" UserId="28879" />
  <row Id="12963" PostId="10612" Score="0" Text="Also, good to know about what you said about small claims. Thankfully, doesn't look like it'll come to that" CreationDate="2023-03-09T15:41:38.523" UserId="28879" />
  <row Id="12964" PostId="10602" Score="0" Text="What is the success rate of a human on this task ? Does it even reach 95% ?" CreationDate="2023-03-10T13:15:37.220" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="12967" PostId="10610" Score="1" Text="MS-SPO, thank you! Unfortunately, I can't yet upvote you answer due to my low reputation. And please could you add a little more point(s) about the main dilemma: to offer upfront work vs to require upfront payment? I read some pages in the internet advising to always get paid before starting a project. But what if a new client would hesitate to send money to me as to an unknown person? Is the cooperation by small milestones of upfont jobs as I described the middle ground? And what if I can't yet sign legal contracts?" CreationDate="2023-03-11T18:04:37.927" UserDisplayName="user29106" />
  <row Id="12968" PostId="10610" Score="0" Text="@freestackuser, thanks+no problem. Please see my add-ons above." CreationDate="2023-03-11T19:08:03.990" UserId="29103" />
  <row Id="12969" PostId="10610" Score="1" Text="MS-SPO, thanks again! Under _&quot;I can't sign contracts&quot;_ I was meant I'm not presently an entrepreneur. Yes, I can sign agreements as a natural person and settle the issue judicially as well. Still, I don't want to turn to such a &quot;3rd party&quot; like court let alone when a client is from another country and or the amount is not worth for. That's why I'm looking for another way to resolve the dilemma how not to lose time and clients at the same time." CreationDate="2023-03-11T22:54:49.200" UserDisplayName="user29106" />
  <row Id="12972" PostId="10616" Score="0" Text="@freestackuser: is it unclear ?" CreationDate="2023-03-12T12:19:56.973" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="12973" PostId="10581" Score="0" Text="It should not be up to the customer to set a rate. When someone asks me a rebate, I can accept, but he'll never know that the yield lowers." CreationDate="2023-03-12T13:36:12.790" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="12974" PostId="10599" Score="2" Text="Rename the freelancer a consultant and all these pitfalls vanish." CreationDate="2023-03-12T15:11:47.290" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="12975" PostId="10609" Score="0" Text="Most web developers and other such artists don't offer something for free _as such_. Instead, they may develop a portfolio to show prospective clients. On larger projects, often they may develop a mockup or model of their proposal in order to show the patron what they are proposing. The client does not get to keep those unless they buy the full project." CreationDate="2023-03-13T14:29:13.483" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="12979" PostId="10619" Score="0" Text="Thanks. What you said about client base gives food for thought." CreationDate="2023-03-15T19:59:06.007" UserId="23884" />
  <row Id="12981" PostId="2100" Score="1" Text="I once accepted a decrease of my rate by 10% upon customer request. But on the next deal with them, I made sure to raise it by 20%." CreationDate="2023-03-23T10:02:36.907" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="12982" PostId="10625" Score="0" Text="Difficult to answer, as it depends on your line of business, experience and whether you are strarting from scratch with zero clients or already have some connections. Try to make your question more specific." CreationDate="2023-03-28T13:00:03.710" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="12983" PostId="10625" Score="0" Text="The difficulty is not in setting up your website, the difficulty is in getting known and attracting customers. Do not believe SEO companies that will promise to rank you high: they'll just suck your money." CreationDate="2023-03-28T13:02:17.417" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="12984" PostId="10625" Score="0" Text="This, I just edited hope make more sense:)" CreationDate="2023-03-28T13:02:36.193" UserId="20083" />
  <row Id="12985" PostId="10625" Score="0" Text="What is your strength ?" CreationDate="2023-03-28T13:05:17.873" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="12986" PostId="10625" Score="0" Text="What you mean by my strength?" CreationDate="2023-03-28T13:49:16.287" UserId="20083" />
  <row Id="12987" PostId="10625" Score="0" Text="Mh, you don't even know what they call strength..." CreationDate="2023-03-29T07:17:10.633" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="12988" PostId="10626" Score="0" Text="You don't capitalize on your weaknesses, they are too numerous. Only your strengths can help you, especially when starting a business." CreationDate="2023-03-29T07:18:16.877" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="12989" PostId="10626" Score="0" Text="@HarryCover I'm not suggesting to capitalize on weaknesses. Instead, we have to be brutally honest about our weaknesses and get other people who have those areas as strengths (or start training ourselves in those areas). Lack of honesty about our weaknesses is the cause of a many a business failure." CreationDate="2023-03-29T14:24:49.207" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="12990" PostId="10626" Score="0" Text="Sorry, I disagree with your advice." CreationDate="2023-03-29T16:29:55.503" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="12991" PostId="10626" Score="0" Text="First I said I  never had client become I was start out with it as a part-time.I try to do some search online before I start one. :)" CreationDate="2023-03-30T11:58:26.907" UserId="20083" />
  <row Id="12992" PostId="10626" Score="0" Text="@HarryCover Perhaps you are misunderstanding my point. You are correct in emphasizing strengths when dealing with customers. My point is to have brutal honesty _with_ _yourself_ - to know what you can and cannot do and where you need outside help." CreationDate="2023-03-30T14:19:55.343" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="12993" PostId="10627" Score="3" Text="I would terminate this project. It is a waste of time and doesn‘t seem to have a future." CreationDate="2023-03-31T05:47:26.243" UserId="29103" />
  <row Id="12994" PostId="10627" Score="1" Text="@MS-SPO I think you are right. Thank you so much for your advice." CreationDate="2023-04-03T08:55:59.577" UserId="1303" />
  <row Id="12995" PostId="10628" Score="1" Text="Thanks! I will do that now. Thank you for your suggestion." CreationDate="2023-04-03T08:56:34.387" UserId="1303" />
  <row Id="12996" PostId="10576" Score="1" Text="Sure , you can." CreationDate="2023-04-05T13:06:04.793" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="13006" PostId="10638" Score="0" Text="Must the (first) clients be generated passively? Typically, getting clients in the beginning is way more difficult, meaning all approaches should be considered. After having built a reputation, attracting clients may require less effort and perhaps even be done passively" CreationDate="2023-04-12T06:07:38.010" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="13007" PostId="10638" Score="0" Text="I know, and so far my clients are from me actively bidding on job posts. I am somewhat established with a few published works, which is why I created the website to begin with. Many writers I know get high-paying clients just by sitting there because they have a website!" CreationDate="2023-04-12T15:18:42.237" UserId="29192" />
  <row Id="13008" PostId="10638" Score="0" Text="What do those writers have that you don't? More experience, wider portfolio or?" CreationDate="2023-04-13T06:19:23.107" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="13009" PostId="10638" Score="0" Text="Passive generating of leads often winds up with a passive income level. My image of such is that of a priest with a begging bowl sitting beside the roadway hoping to get some food from the passing people. I've heard from advertising people that it take 5-7 impressions to get through to someone. Passive doesn't do that unless other people are doing the active passing on of your &quot;passive&quot; work." CreationDate="2023-04-13T14:13:12.783" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="13010" PostId="9765" Score="0" Text="I recall an awful experience with a small company willing to implement things they thought to have seen in scientific papers. The whole project was a complete failure due to their expectations too high, lack of realism on the workload and inability to assess the mathematical methods." CreationDate="2023-04-15T10:27:25.553" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="13011" PostId="9765" Score="0" Text="@HarryCover My best experiences were with the small companies headed by former scientists, knowing what to expect and do not expect from me. I did have negative experience with a company that wanted a scientist, but expected me to function as code developer. Another client asked me to &quot;simply write the formula&quot;, while I was suggesting to do a bit of data analysis to determine what formula may actually be relevant. Then there are those who ask to do literature survey, evaluate feasibility of a project, etc. - this is a reasonable approach, when they agree to pay for the time that you invest." CreationDate="2023-04-15T12:47:33.943" UserId="23884" />
  <row Id="13012" PostId="10643" Score="0" Text="&quot;the platform is very good for freelancers&quot;, &quot;is freelancing on Upwork worth my time ?&quot;, &quot;Which is the best ?&quot;: mh, isn't this contradictory ? And what is the connection to the title ?" CreationDate="2023-04-17T13:27:28.023" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="13013" PostId="10643" Score="1" Text="The question, &quot;is freelancing on upwork worth my time?&quot; is not a question we can answer. That can only be answered by experimenting and see what the results are." CreationDate="2023-04-17T14:21:58.617" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="13017" PostId="10646" Score="2" Text="It looks like an observation. What is your question here?" CreationDate="2023-04-19T16:18:46.613" UserId="61" />
  <row Id="13018" PostId="10646" Score="0" Text="Maintain a TO DO list and stop being anxious." CreationDate="2023-04-20T08:47:51.760" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="13019" PostId="10648" Score="1" Text="Welcome. // Did you start already?" CreationDate="2023-04-30T13:49:29.340" UserId="29103" />
  <row Id="13020" PostId="10648" Score="1" Text="Done on time or done at all ?" CreationDate="2023-04-30T16:33:23.720" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="13022" PostId="10648" Score="0" Text="No I haven't due to client's low budget" CreationDate="2023-04-30T19:50:57.637" UserId="29259" />
  <row Id="13023" PostId="10648" Score="0" Text="It's also my first project as a freelancer" CreationDate="2023-04-30T19:51:52.653" UserId="29259" />
  <row Id="13024" PostId="10648" Score="0" Text="Is it 'fixed price' or 'pay as you go by the hour' ?" CreationDate="2023-05-01T08:15:35.487" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="13025" PostId="10648" Score="1" Text="There are a lot of &quot;clients&quot; who think that what they want won't cost much. I've heard that of 10 people who want something done, only 2-3 can actually afford it. Find those people and let the rest go." CreationDate="2023-05-01T14:06:27.507" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="13026" PostId="10649" Score="1" Text="that's the reply I wanted REFUSE IT" CreationDate="2023-05-01T21:25:34.933" UserId="29259" />
  <row Id="13027" PostId="10648" Score="1" Text="Yea I get it now" CreationDate="2023-05-01T21:29:21.633" UserId="29259" />
  <row Id="13028" PostId="10648" Score="0" Text="It's a fixed price" CreationDate="2023-05-01T21:30:30.347" UserId="29259" />
  <row Id="13029" PostId="10029" Score="0" Text="IMO there is no need to justify nor prove anything. Just state that none of the code you supply can be reused in other contexts and all remains your property, except for parts explicitly designated. Of course, if you use third party components, you have to fulfill their own conditions of use, which usually include at least a copyright notice. I see no difficulty with that." CreationDate="2023-05-02T12:47:54.063" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="13032" PostId="10651" Score="0" Text="How far apart are A and B? Can the client write a check to B and have your bank cash it?" CreationDate="2023-05-06T14:44:12.600" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="13033" PostId="10651" Score="0" Text="When invoicing you have to supply your true identity. I don't think it harms to reveal it on that moment. But maybe is it already obvious that your online name is a pseudo ?" CreationDate="2023-05-06T19:03:21.410" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="13034" PostId="10651" Score="0" Text="@DavidR A and B are pretty far apart, and it is not obvious that the online name is pseudo. For example, my legal name is Bob, and my online name is Alice, both of which are plausible real names. For invoicing, I have a PayPal business account, so I can invoice as Alice." CreationDate="2023-05-06T20:51:15.743" UserId="29192" />
  <row Id="13035" PostId="10651" Score="0" Text="The only reason your true identity would need to be supplied to a client is for tax reporting and so that your bank will cash the checks. Many clients ask for an W9 so that they can report paying you. That form asks for legal name and any business name." CreationDate="2023-05-07T14:10:59.297" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="13036" PostId="10635" Score="0" Text="As an employee or as a freelancer ?" CreationDate="2023-05-08T07:27:38.670" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="13037" PostId="10584" Score="0" Text="Some people just literally watch TV to learn the language, baseball players have successfully done that." CreationDate="2023-05-15T14:21:46.183" UserId="29307" />
  <row Id="13038" PostId="10657" Score="0" Text="In the US, you should be able to simply use Schedule C on your personal taxes to write those expenses for side gigs off." CreationDate="2023-06-03T13:58:26.910" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="13039" PostId="10657" Score="2" Text="I think this is better suited to http://law.stackexchange.com - where they know laws. And it probably relates to your specific state as well." CreationDate="2023-06-03T19:29:54.523" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="13040" PostId="10662" Score="0" Text="What did google show you? What are your search terms?" CreationDate="2023-06-22T06:03:43.003" UserId="29103" />
  <row Id="13041" PostId="10662" Score="0" Text="@MS-SPO I am not asking about pulling stuff from Google - this I can do myself. Do you have some relevant expertise or is this just an attempt at bullying? (No offense - I see that English is not your firsts language, so your comment might be rude unintentionally.)" CreationDate="2023-06-22T10:39:58.670" UserId="23884" />
  <row Id="13042" PostId="10662" Score="0" Text="No bullying, it's an attempt to clarify your question, like we do on https://tex.stackexchange.com/. More often than not new users there leave out important details. // And yes, a question like yours should yield plenty of institutions you look for via a search engine. If so, I wonder what may be missing. So I still think your question is incomplete." CreationDate="2023-06-22T10:44:10.053" UserId="29103" />
  <row Id="13043" PostId="10662" Score="0" Text="@MS-SPO I am not new to stackexchange - only not very active in this community. My question is not about the institutions where one may get education, but about the government certification. E.g., anyone who knows languages can be a translator, but only the translations by certified translators could be accepted by government: in courts, for visa applications, etc. A closer example - quality experts have to be certified to work for certain industries - like avionics, nuclear, etc." CreationDate="2023-06-22T11:02:31.310" UserId="23884" />
  <row Id="13044" PostId="10662" Score="0" Text="Please review your question and add information to it, which might be missing. Having to „wade“ through a long series of comments isn’t welcome by many. Bye" CreationDate="2023-06-22T11:52:28.430" UserId="29103" />
  <row Id="13045" PostId="10663" Score="0" Text="Is the Client's issue the amount of time taken or is the cost more because of the more time? If the issue is the cost, find out what the client will pay, take it, and chalk this project up to a &quot;cheap client&quot;." CreationDate="2023-06-22T13:57:05.123" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="13046" PostId="10668" Score="0" Text="Unless the other party has different requirements, you should commit on the daily number of hours, warn in case you won't perform and of course not charge !" CreationDate="2023-06-30T06:26:53.283" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="13047" PostId="10663" Score="0" Text="Your question is unclear. You are asking for a quote but &quot;Client is refusing to pay because it wasn't completed&quot;. What is the concrete work involved in tagging an asset ? Why do you mention &quot;almost all of which are in use&quot; ??" CreationDate="2023-07-06T07:01:12.157" UserDisplayName="user4521" />
  <row Id="13048" PostId="10670" Score="0" Text="Lifetime earnings or in one year?" CreationDate="2023-07-22T14:26:27.143" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="13049" PostId="10670" Score="0" Text="500k what? $,¥,Rs? What time period? Before or after tax?  The question is too vague to be answerable." CreationDate="2023-07-22T21:24:16.967" UserId="20786" />
  <row Id="13050" PostId="10670" Score="0" Text="$500K, it is a lifetime earning and they are still working." CreationDate="2023-07-23T03:32:43.497" UserId="29530" />
  <row Id="13072" PostId="10648" Score="0" Text="Ask for more money and given itemized reasons why you are asking." CreationDate="2023-05-07T05:41:42.567" UserId="29287" />
  <row Id="13074" PostId="10695" Score="0" Text="Is the contract fixed-price or hourly rate?" CreationDate="2023-09-15T11:21:44.980" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="13075" PostId="10695" Score="1" Text="It sounds like the client is fully ready to do the project. Constantly changing their minds means that they don't have a clear idea of what the problem is that they are trying to solve. One idea might be to say, &quot;I'll come back in six months.&quot;" CreationDate="2023-09-15T14:00:48.610" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="13077" PostId="10696" Score="0" Text="Thanks, really appreciate the answer. I sent an email to the client to follow up on the initial deposit I haven't yet received" CreationDate="2023-09-16T11:52:52.650" UserId="29748" />
  <row Id="13078" PostId="10697" Score="0" Text="Very good perspective, thanks for the elaborate answer. I'll pause the work for now and try to dig deeper into the  &quot;I push so I know why it's not liked. &quot; - although I tried that before and the client still wasn't very clear." CreationDate="2023-09-16T11:54:46.133" UserId="29748" />
  <row Id="13079" PostId="10695" Score="0" Text="@morsor fixed as it's my first contract and wanted to be competitive - probably not the best choice in hindsight. Maybe I'll incorporate an hourly rate if the estimate is exceeded in the next work I do." CreationDate="2023-09-16T11:56:20.943" UserId="29748" />
  <row Id="13080" PostId="10695" Score="0" Text="That should read &quot;the client _isn't_ fully ready to do the project.&quot;" CreationDate="2023-09-16T15:08:48.273" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="13081" PostId="2867" Score="0" Text="This is called &quot;operating as a foreign corporation&quot; and it doesn't necessarily make it such that you avoid paying taxes wherever your business is actually operating.  What you're attempting to do is not new.  For certain business activities, you're going to be required to register in your client's venue as a foreign corporation." CreationDate="2023-09-16T20:49:08.217" UserId="1706" />
  <row Id="13082" PostId="10703" Score="0" Text="We can't answer this question as it depends on the contract you signed with your current employer." CreationDate="2023-09-26T14:13:00.817" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="13083" PostId="10708" Score="0" Text="The reason I'm considering outside work is that my current work isn't stimulating.  I'm aware of marketing it, but that also carries significant risk of basically saying that you're not satisfied with work.  I have adapted myself to work so that I can do the best possible whilst also getting some enjoyment out of it, but it is like expecting a Formula 1 race, but instead you're at a pinewood derby race.  Even after removing the engine and floor, I can still go faster than the others." CreationDate="2023-10-11T16:09:39.190" UserId="29798" />
  <row Id="13084" PostId="10720" Score="0" Text="You also need to consider the economic situation. Many small businesses are hurting - so much so that they have not been posting projects on Upwork. Secondly, a lot of software developers have been let go from contracts as well as fired. The result is that there are a lot of people chasing few jobs on Upwork. The good news is that a few small businesses are starting to post projects." CreationDate="2023-10-16T16:01:25.767" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="13087" PostId="10029" Score="0" Text="You may find my answer here useful: [What should I charge for a custom shirt builder web application?](https://freelancing.stackexchange.com/a/9361/10464)" CreationDate="2023-10-21T22:06:37.717" UserId="10464" />
  <row Id="13088" PostId="10727" Score="0" Text="If you don't have at least a 30% gross margin on subcontracting, it is not likely that you are making a profit for even taking on that project. Your sales and marketing time can chew up that much." CreationDate="2023-10-24T14:00:08.970" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="13089" PostId="10727" Score="0" Text="But your turnover is 10k.  So there's Sales Tax (VAT) to consider." CreationDate="2023-10-25T20:59:53.347" UserId="20786" />
  <row Id="13090" PostId="10719" Score="0" Text="Thanks for the idea, David. &#xA;&#xA;I’ve successfully set up an online store. But that too is time consuming and takes away from making the pictures. &#xA;&#xA;That problem could be solved by having an agent, I think. I’ve looked into this a bit, so it might be the next step I take." CreationDate="2023-10-30T18:36:11.990" UserId="29838" />
  <row Id="13091" PostId="10722" Score="0" Text="Yea, I’ve setup an online store but it turns out that that’s it’s own role. &#xA;&#xA;A previous commenter suggested finding an agent, which is a suggestion I’m partial to." CreationDate="2023-10-30T18:37:54.917" UserId="29838" />
  <row Id="13092" PostId="10739" Score="0" Text="Nobody said anything about ghostwriting.  This is just nonsense spouted by some chatbot." CreationDate="2023-11-14T21:43:26.467" UserId="20786" />
  <row Id="13094" PostId="10744" Score="0" Text="This question needs a location tag as the process might be different in various countries." CreationDate="2023-11-24T16:03:11.903" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="13095" PostId="10662" Score="0" Text="If you want a fancy name for get RRHH/Clients atención maybe data analyst or data scientist but I need to know more about your skills" CreationDate="2023-11-28T12:41:30.430" UserId="23754" />
  <row Id="13096" PostId="10662" Score="0" Text="@rubengavidia0x thanks for the comment. Could you be more specific about the skills that you are asking about - like giving a few examples? Does the background as described in the question sounds too generic (I appreciate the opinion on that.)" CreationDate="2023-11-28T12:45:45.747" UserId="23884" />
  <row Id="13097" PostId="2103" Score="0" Text="Excellent answer.  And when you (as the contractor) really mean it and the prospect senses that, it only strengthens your position.  And the way I look at it, if that's enough to stop the conversation, I've avoided a problem early... that's a win." CreationDate="2023-12-02T00:19:25.697" UserId="7823" />
  <row Id="13098" PostId="10748" Score="0" Text="You say you have a full-time job.  Are you employed or are you contractor?  The answer will be different in each case." CreationDate="2023-12-05T22:01:39.107" UserId="20786" />
  <row Id="13099" PostId="10749" Score="1" Text="Does &quot;the potential to directly harm humans&quot; imply that it might be illegal or merely that there might be liability issues? Or is the problem ethical?" CreationDate="2023-12-06T10:25:30.673" UserId="7858" />
  <row Id="13100" PostId="10749" Score="2" Text="Do you really need to have the cash transaction? Sometimes, it is best to simply give them the source code and operate on a &quot;work for hire&quot; basis as that puts the liability on them." CreationDate="2023-12-06T15:32:32.710" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="13101" PostId="10748" Score="0" Text="@Chenmunka I'm employed, full time." CreationDate="2023-12-06T23:06:13.183" UserId="30063" />
  <row Id="13102" PostId="10749" Score="0" Text="The software is going on to a vacuum system that is in close proximity to humans. I am worried that if a sensor becomes loose or is not adjusted correctly then the operator could be sucked into the vacuum system" CreationDate="2023-12-06T23:08:50.090" UserId="20168" />
  <row Id="13103" PostId="10749" Score="0" Text="The reason I am keeping the software is I was planning to offer a packaged control system since I was the one who developed this without any investment from them.  They are paying to use this so they do not need to hire anyone" CreationDate="2023-12-06T23:11:53.097" UserId="20168" />
  <row Id="13104" PostId="10750" Score="1" Text="I once mentioned clients on my website. A prospect contacted some of them and as they were large, the person the prospect contacted had never heard of me. Since then, I don't mention client names." CreationDate="2023-12-07T15:10:41.120" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="13105" PostId="10749" Score="2" Text="If you plan on offering a packaged control system, then you need to talk to a lawyer about your liability exposure and get appropriate insurance. That liability is far more than standard E&amp;O liability that a software consultant has. Once I was asked if I was carrying 1M$ in E&amp;O insurance just for offering software services as &quot;work for hire.&quot;" CreationDate="2023-12-08T16:04:00.987" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="13106" PostId="10736" Score="0" Text="There might be some useful info on Reddit r\upwork" CreationDate="2023-12-10T00:40:38.197" UserId="22101" />
  <row Id="13107" PostId="10758" Score="1" Text="Thank you Andrew! I'd come to the same conclusion myself but it's great that your answer comes as a confirmation I did the right thing." CreationDate="2023-12-28T12:05:16.740" UserId="30063" />
  <row Id="13108" PostId="10757" Score="1" Text="I have a separate phone for business. The cost is worth clients not having my personal number." CreationDate="2023-12-28T15:10:13.520" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="13109" PostId="10757" Score="0" Text="I'm considering a second phone, but I don't have that much business. So I was hoping to do it on one device. Or just a number through the computer with a headset." CreationDate="2023-12-28T16:58:57.540" UserId="24353" />
  <row Id="13110" PostId="10762" Score="1" Text="Thank you, I have tried to reach local business ( I am from a little town in Madagascar), but they do not even have internet connection and their business do not require too much digital presence, their Facebook page is enough for them. But If you can help, how to get clients on Upwork, I have tried it but no answer...... If someone could find remote job,  that will be very good." CreationDate="2024-01-11T17:17:58.547" UserId="30188" />
  <row Id="13111" PostId="10707" Score="0" Text="Thank you for the thoughtful response. I never considered this as an avenue to reduce tax on the software side, but I absolutely see the red flags now that you spelled them out. If I go forward with music for profit, it would be cleaner to do it with a new LLC." CreationDate="2024-01-11T19:16:38.763" UserId="29357" />
  <row Id="13112" PostId="10762" Score="1" Text="And of corse, before posting this question I have already searched for clients in many freelancing sites as Upwork, Fiverr,.......   and that's were I found my 1st client" CreationDate="2024-01-12T04:37:46.077" UserId="30188" />
  <row Id="13113" PostId="10762" Score="1" Text="Freelancing is tough. It doesn't mean that because you got a client, that same client will remain with you for a long time. It's always looking for clients, because the clients just come and go. There's no 100 percent assurance that a good client will not leave." CreationDate="2024-01-12T19:47:29.440" UserId="30189" />
  <row Id="13114" PostId="3513" Score="0" Text="Get 100% payment up front.. it's nearly *impossible* to collect from a delinquent client if the are in another country." CreationDate="2024-01-14T10:35:13.923" UserId="708" />
  <row Id="13116" PostId="747" Score="0" Text="Super interesting ans." CreationDate="2024-01-17T04:37:42.283" UserId="1998" />
  <row Id="13117" PostId="97" Score="0" Text="++ for &quot;*explain that this initial retainer is anticipated to cover the entire cost of their handling the case that you've asked for their help with, but that unforeseeable circumstances may arise in which circumstance you should expect them to ask for an additional supplementary retainer*&quot;" CreationDate="2024-01-17T04:47:27.713" UserId="1998" />
  <row Id="13118" PostId="97" Score="0" Text="re &quot;*difficult to find fault*&quot;; Incentives aren't aligned as the seller would aim to deplete the retainer even if the work can be done in less hours." CreationDate="2024-01-17T04:47:53.907" UserId="1998" />
  <row Id="13119" PostId="424" Score="0" Text="++for &quot;*if you have a signed contract in place stating that if this sort of thing happened, they would be charged at $XX per hour*&quot;, &quot;*slowly build up the missing income*&quot;, &quot;*cheaper to keep a client*&quot;." CreationDate="2024-01-17T06:51:44.480" UserId="1998" />
  <row Id="13120" PostId="526" Score="0" Text="++for &quot;*submit a bid for a discovery phase*&quot;, &quot;*relationship as a partnership*&quot;." CreationDate="2024-01-17T07:52:30.193" UserId="1998" />
  <row Id="13121" PostId="519" Score="0" Text="++for &quot;*say I think it will be between X and Y hours, but I will have a clearer understanding after Z hours, so let's review it then*&quot;." CreationDate="2024-01-17T07:56:39.620" UserId="1998" />
  <row Id="13122" PostId="542" Score="0" Text="++for &quot;*arrangement with them needs to be sustainable in the long term. You can't do this if you keep eating costs*&quot;." CreationDate="2024-01-17T07:58:41.770" UserId="1998" />
  <row Id="13123" PostId="3135" Score="0" Text="++for &quot;*allow the client flexibility in the scope and direction*&quot;." CreationDate="2024-01-17T08:00:13.233" UserId="1998" />
  <row Id="13124" PostId="2198" Score="0" Text="&quot;piece of string&quot; meaning?" CreationDate="2024-01-17T08:05:49.000" UserId="1998" />
  <row Id="13125" PostId="10768" Score="0" Text="Hi David, thank you for the suggestion. I have **noted down your point** and will try to implement it when I start!" CreationDate="2024-01-19T13:24:20.373" UserId="30187" />
  <row Id="13126" PostId="10770" Score="0" Text="So you're saying I can't charge for the codebase, but should ensure to exclude modules I can reuse for other projects?" CreationDate="2024-01-20T21:53:00.723" UserId="30218" />
  <row Id="13127" PostId="10770" Score="1" Text="The point is to get the client to agree that I get to use parts of the code elsewhere. There are clients who insist on full ownership of all code meaning that you have to start with a blank sheet and develop everything from scratch for them. Yes, that increases their cost." CreationDate="2024-01-21T15:17:19.480" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="13128" PostId="10771" Score="0" Text="That's an interesting idea, but the client wants full control and that if anyone else comes and asks for something similar then I can't reuse the code (even for a totally different project) barring possibly modules from it. He wants the system as a whole to be theirs and no one can reuse even for similar project." CreationDate="2024-01-22T16:06:02.123" UserId="30218" />
  <row Id="13129" PostId="10757" Score="1" Text="I use a virtual phone number, specifically google voice is free.  I can text from my laptop or from my computer.  It automatically transcribes voicemails.  I'm home most of the time so can answer on my computer.  However, I'm not able to answer it on my phone.&#xA;&#xA;Why don't you want a 2nd sim card or an esim card?" CreationDate="2024-01-24T08:42:08.117" UserId="30234" />
  <row Id="13130" PostId="10757" Score="0" Text="@nickalh At the moment, a second sim would mean a new device, as my current phone doesn't have that capability. It would also mean a second phone line through the cell company. Could be a consideration, but I don't have much business right now. That's why I was looking at a virtual number. Thanks for the info on Google voice. I'll take a look at it. I like the ability to answer from a computer. With voicemail, that might be all I need." CreationDate="2024-01-24T17:27:55.293" UserId="24353" />
  <row Id="13131" PostId="10757" Score="1" Text="So my comment could be converted into an answer and then accepted?&#xA;I'm not sure how much I could expand it." CreationDate="2024-01-24T17:51:03.393" UserId="30234" />
  <row Id="13132" PostId="10757" Score="0" Text="@nickalh Sure. I was looking for recommendations. Knowing a little about Google voice, reliability, ease of use, does it do what you expect, have you had any issues...things like that would be helpful." CreationDate="2024-01-24T21:54:18.307" UserId="24353" />
  <row Id="13133" PostId="1255" Score="0" Text="Are you hired primarily for your technical ability to build a website, ability to design a creative eye catching website or both?&#xA;Clients are hard enough to come by.  Me personally, if they are insistent on it, I would simply do it.  Your username is &quot;desperate freelancer&quot;.  My first rule of being employed or getting and keeping customers- &quot;Make sure the boss or customer is happy.&quot;  I've learned the hard way to be customer focused and give them what they want.&#xA;&#xA;Maybe they want to make the cute kitty their mascot or branding?  Geico uses a lizard which has nothing to do with insurance, etc." CreationDate="2024-01-25T00:00:12.140" UserId="30234" />
  <row Id="13134" PostId="10757" Score="1" Text="Ahhh- basically, I've found it very reliable.  Texting works excellently.  I love it because I can touch type and text from my computer, which makes if far faster for me.  The only other  issues- making sure the computer is on, so I can receive a phone call.  And being able to find the window in time before it goes to voicemail.  (I run three monitors, with typically 10 windows open, probably too many things I tell myself I'll get back to all the time)&#xA;&#xA;After initial setup and getting used to it, it's pretty smooth.  Like every program-A few idiosyncracies-group texting, but nothing serious." CreationDate="2024-01-25T03:30:48.150" UserId="30234" />
  <row Id="13135" PostId="10757" Score="0" Text="@nickalh Exactly  what I was looking for! Would you make than an answer instead of a comment?" CreationDate="2024-01-25T03:49:16.100" UserId="24353" />
  <row Id="13138" PostId="10772" Score="0" Text="Exactly, I confirm." CreationDate="2024-02-04T15:28:40.447" UserId="30188" />
  <row Id="13140" PostId="10770" Score="0" Text="I have tried to do precisely this in the past for the same reason. The key thing for readers, is to maintain a crystal-clear division between the application code and the system code. /// An additional consideration is that the immediate client might be fine with a non-copyleft open source license like BSD, but then one day 5 years later they sell their company, and their buyer is a giant corporate with a no-open-source policy (yes it's a thing), and suddenly there's a conflict and it's tempting for them to forget they ever agreed to anything with you." CreationDate="2024-02-08T02:12:04.493" UserId="26917" />
  <row Id="13141" PostId="10702" Score="0" Text="how experienced are you?" CreationDate="2024-02-08T02:31:43.673" UserId="26917" />
  <row Id="13142" PostId="10786" Score="0" Text="Remember that the money is in the building of the object, not in the invention. Ideas have very low value until they are built into something." CreationDate="2024-02-08T14:59:28.267" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="13143" PostId="10785" Score="0" Text="Just a note, google voice can make phone calls from your phone.  What it does is, it requests a forwarding number from google and then calls that number using the phone.  Behind the scenes that forwarding number connects to your number so that's the outgoing number.  &#xA;It's like a company having a single outgoing line but multiple incoming lines.  &#xA;You can also answer calls on your phone if you install the google voice app and specify your cell number in the voice settings." CreationDate="2024-02-08T20:02:23.857" UserId="28533" />
  <row Id="13144" PostId="10785" Score="0" Text="I have the google voice app installed on my phone for 3 years.  I'm not sure I've ever successfully answered or made a phone call with it.  I'll look through the configuration options again.  If anything changes and I have some success I'll add a new comment here." CreationDate="2024-02-10T09:10:52.487" UserId="30234" />
  <row Id="13145" PostId="10793" Score="0" Text="What contract have you signed? What platform are you using (if any)? If you're using a platform, the platform may penalize you if you don't have a good reason for cancelling. You need to read the contract and their terms of services." CreationDate="2024-02-20T10:13:26.320" UserId="14434" />
  <row Id="13146" PostId="10795" Score="1" Text="Are you planning to leave before securing another position? In either case, no, it's not douchy to leave/fire your client after just one year." CreationDate="2024-02-20T10:39:38.200" UserId="14434" />
  <row Id="13147" PostId="10795" Score="0" Text="No, I'm planning to work through the interview process and finding another job. The pay vs effort is grossly mismatched but it's some income vs nothing. I might give it another month and plan an exit as I'm in the process of finding full-time regular work as an employee." CreationDate="2024-02-20T12:37:37.097" UserId="30331" />
  <row Id="13148" PostId="10795" Score="0" Text="Thank you. I'll look through the platform here for some ideas on reasons to give when I let them go. Probably that I got a full time job and an offer that's too good and unfortunately can't manage both" CreationDate="2024-02-20T12:46:28.563" UserId="30331" />
  <row Id="13149" PostId="10795" Score="2" Text="I think the situation you describe is not uncommon. The root cause seems to be not fully realizing the amount of work involved, at the time both parties got into the relationship. Since it's a prix-fixe situation, you'd be leaning on there being some norms about what's a reasonable amount of work per market price of your labor. (but don't use that word with customers unless you're already in an argument, its sounds lawyer-like). I'd explain the hours spent (or effectively rendered unavailable to you) and you can't afford to continue doing that. You obv have empathy for them, let them know it" CreationDate="2024-02-21T13:48:22.197" UserId="26917" />
  <row Id="13151" PostId="10795" Score="0" Text="Thank you so much everyone, really appreciate your collective wisdom. Hope this also helps others in a similar conundrum." CreationDate="2024-02-22T02:14:05.203" UserId="30331" />
  <row Id="13152" PostId="10793" Score="0" Text="Using Upwork. I was just asking because technically canceling is possible.&#xA;and all the contract's public details will be erased after refund." CreationDate="2024-02-27T09:15:50.503" UserId="30327" />
  <row Id="13153" PostId="10793" Score="0" Text="Yeah, you really need to read the Upwork terms." CreationDate="2024-02-27T12:55:10.693" UserId="14434" />
  <row Id="13154" PostId="10801" Score="0" Text="This is very broad. You might want to break this up into multiple questions that can be answered here." CreationDate="2024-03-09T15:05:20.947" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="13155" PostId="10803" Score="0" Text="David, thank you so much for such an amazing answer." CreationDate="2024-03-15T15:44:26.297" UserId="30415" />
  <row Id="13156" PostId="10803" Score="0" Text="Could you clarify this: “ The &quot;knowledge&quot; that they have shared with you is most likely &quot;generally known or available&quot; by &quot;third parties&quot; and thus, is not &quot;protected company secrets.&quot; ?" CreationDate="2024-03-15T15:44:54.993" UserId="30415" />
  <row Id="13157" PostId="10803" Score="0" Text="You are right; zero payment so far. I am taking the risk to spend all this time without any financial risk on their part. If I wasn’t successful, I didn’t receive anything." CreationDate="2024-03-15T15:46:25.657" UserId="30415" />
  <row Id="13158" PostId="10803" Score="0" Text="@F.Zer When I sign an NDA, most include phrases like that for information that is not protected by the NDA. The point of that sentence is to say that they most likely did not share any information on those video calls that puts you under any obligation. They might have shared some hopes and dreams, but that is not hard company information that needs protection. I've signed a lot of NDA's and gotten extremely small amounts of hard company information. Most information was readily available or was a hope that might never happen." CreationDate="2024-03-15T15:52:06.980" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="13159" PostId="10803" Score="0" Text="Thank you, David. Yes, what they have shared fall into the category of “dreams and hopes”. Nice way to put it. Sorry for the follow-up question, but I am not familiar with this. When you say: “ I've signed a lot of NDA's and gotten extremely small amounts of hard company information.” if I understand correctly, even though you signed an NDA, they didn’t tell you really confidential information. Even in that context, confidential info wasn’t disclosed. So, without an NDA I should suppose the chances are even smaller." CreationDate="2024-03-15T15:59:53.993" UserId="30415" />
  <row Id="13160" PostId="10803" Score="0" Text="Hi David, I spoke with the client. Even though he didn't make any upfront payment he said: &quot;Ideas are the important thing; if I didn't tell you that, this wouldn't have happened. Otherwise, you would have done that already. I want to pay for the software and then always share 50/50 any future income about this&quot;." CreationDate="2024-03-28T14:38:31.353" UserId="30415" />
  <row Id="13161" PostId="10803" Score="0" Text="&quot;I pushed you to do this, and that was important to move this forward.&quot; I explained that I can't split the license with him, and replied: &quot;Ok, I will learn from that in the future. I will make written contracts everytime. At least, I expect you to make a discount to me&quot;. &quot;You could make so much money from this in the future&quot;" CreationDate="2024-03-28T14:39:46.210" UserId="30415" />
  <row Id="13162" PostId="10803" Score="0" Text="I do realize that the fact that he wanted that so hard pushed me to think above and beyond, but giving half of the rights to my license for 30 days of work...He didn't take any risk upfront. About that he said: &quot;You wouldn't pursue that if you didn't think that was possible&quot;." CreationDate="2024-03-28T14:42:24.507" UserId="30415" />
  <row Id="13163" PostId="10803" Score="0" Text="The last thing he said: &quot;I did mention briefly that I wanted to share 50/50 while we were discussing&quot;. Yes, but you didn't ask me properly about that, I replied." CreationDate="2024-03-28T14:44:41.100" UserId="30415" />
  <row Id="13164" PostId="10803" Score="0" Text="@F.Zer Ideas are a &quot;dime a dozen.&quot; The value is not in an idea, but in the implementation. That is why so many patents are paid for with &quot;one dollar and other valuable considerations.&quot; I have the dollar bill I was given for the patent. Western civilization has piles and piles of inventions created but which never made any money for the inventor. Ideas are NOT the important thing. The crucial thing is that others get convinced that what you make is worth spending money on." CreationDate="2024-03-29T14:23:04.107" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="13165" PostId="10803" Score="0" Text="@F.Zer Let me also flip the discussion around. Something that has only 30 hours of development in it is not something that can be easily protected from someone else developing it. Someone else could see what you developed and recreate it easily. The point is that it might be hard for you to make a lot of money off of it yourself. Why should someone pay you when they could pay another developer and make it? Learn as much as you can from this process as that might be all the compensation you get." CreationDate="2024-03-29T14:30:50.970" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="13166" PostId="10803" Score="0" Text="Such a privilege to receive your replies, @David R. Thank you. Could you please clarify: &quot;Something that has only 30 hours of development in it is not something that can be easily protected from someone else developing it. Someone else could see what you developed and recreate it easily. The point is that it might be hard for you to make a lot of money off of it yourself.&quot; If something has more than 30 hours of development is easier to protect ?" CreationDate="2024-03-29T20:09:08.003" UserId="30415" />
  <row Id="13167" PostId="10803" Score="1" Text="@F.Zer When trying to sell something to someone, one of the considerations that the buyer has is &quot;is it cheaper to buy this or cheaper to make it myself?&quot; 30 hours is something that another developer will say, &quot;I can make it.&quot; and not buy from you. 3,000 hours is a lot harder for the in-house development team to make - especially if sold at 10% of the price to develop. When we can sell to multiple people at a cost lower than they could build it, it is a lot easier to sell. The &quot;protection&quot; of your product is in the cost to recreate. Large cost = large protection." CreationDate="2024-03-30T15:09:53.003" UserId="26181" />
  <row Id="13168" PostId="10803" Score="0" Text="Wow, thank you so much David ! That is really insightful. By the way, I should note that this client is not a developer, but he can certainly ask another developer for a quote on the same project." CreationDate="2024-03-30T18:44:48.913" UserId="30415" />
</comments>