Moonlighting
Moonlighting is a term used to describe working for yourself, in addition to working at a full time job. The work is done during off hours, usually at night…in the moonlight. How romantic. It can be exciting and profitable if done properly. This post will review some key aspects to keep in mind if you are considering doing a little moonlighting.
Research
Before starting your own full time business, it’s a good idea to get a taste of what you might expect. The best way to test the waters is to do some moonlighting. But, before you start your side business, do some research. You need to do as much information gathering about the business as you can. How do you get clients? What do I charge? Am I knowledgeable enough to do it? What do I charge? How do I get paid? What permits and/or licenses do I need? Where will I work? How will I get paid? Will my boss fire me if they find out? Do I have the stamina to work so much? And, how will I get paid?
All this research can be done before you officially start working on the side. So, do it early. Read as much as you can about your business and about how to get business.
Respect
You might be unhappy at work and moonlighting will help get that spice back in your work life. But, check to see if your full time job has any policies about side work. It would be bad news to lose your job with steady salary and benefits if the moonlighting doesn’t turn full time. Also, you would be surprised at how many employers are fine with moonlighting as long as it doesn’t interfere with your job. You never know, your boss may become your first client…
Responsibility
Side work, moonlighting, work work, whatever you call it, it means you have to be responsible. Your clients will still demand your attention. And, not be so forgiving if you blow a deadline. Proper time management and great lines of communication will help keep your clients happy. Don’t forget, a deadline is still a deadline.
Revenue
You’re working all these crazy hours for a reason and that is to get paid. Even though, this might be sidework, you need to treat it with the same respect as a full time job. Have a contract in place. Get paid. If it’s having a deposit in place or whatever other arrangements, don’t be taken for a ride. You deserve to get paid for your services. Demand it.
Resources
After doing your research and being responsible, you may start to get a reputation and be recommended for more work. That work may multiply faster than you can get it done. See Dave’s post. You may need to bring in the cavalary. So, from day one, begin to identify people who you can hire to help you. The worst thing you can do is turn away work. If you have a team in position, you may be quickly on your way to making your moonlighting business into a full time business.
Good Luck!
photo credit: James Jordan
Not Getting It
As much as we want things to work out and our projects to go smoothly, sometimes it’s just not meant to be. Although this post is about the architect-client relationship, it can easily apply to any other small business-client relationship.
Have you ever had a project where you just want things to finish up before they even start? Maybe the chemistry has died down or was never there. But, no matter what, you want it over. Here are a few scenarios. No matter which one you portray, may they help you work through your projec’s that much better.
Communication Breakdown
An example of communication breakdown would be where either person just doesn’t return calls or e-mails. Whether you are the client, contractor, architect or other team member, communication is key. That would be ALL communication, regardless if it’s bad or good. Keeping the lines open is key to having a smooth project. When you stop returning calls, it says “You’re not that important to me” in a big way. I would rather get a call saying something…anything, than no communication at all.
Size Matters
Some clients must have that big firm working on their project. Maybe they’re concerned with reliability. Worried that a small firm won’t meet deadlines, or doesn’t have the resources to get it done. But, this dilemma can ground a project to a halt. I try to have referrals on hand and previous project history to tackle this issue. But, sometimes that’s not enough.
No Connection
One of the worst ways to have a project die is when interest is lost. On either end, if someone is no longer interested in the project. Completion will be a goal running in the other direction. As the architect, we need to keep the client’s morale up. Keeping them involved in all the project phases has helped them stay connected and tuned into the project’s needs.
Budget
If the budget has been blown or was never established, it can easily be a way to stress out a project. Getting accurate bids and making a realistic budget before work begins can help keep everyone on top your project’s financial goals.
Remember that having agreements between the client and all the project team members is a must. But, make sure you have a provision for if and when you have to end that relationship!
photo credit: AJC1
Knowing your Limits
This past month I learned a valuable lesson about owning my own design company: knowing my limits.
For me, I like to do everything. It’s not that I’m a control freak, I just enjoy working on every facet of a project. I also take a certain amount of pride in working on all aspects and calling it “my own.” There are areas of design that I’m very strong at and there are areas that I struggle with. Knowing these limits can improve the quality of my projects and client relations. There is no shame in admitting your weaknesses and seeking help from those with more talent.
The project that led me to this realization involved a character illustration of a knight. I like to think that I can illustrate, but I can’t hold a candle to guys that do it for a living. It’s a unique talent. Swallowing my pride and acknowledging that my client would get a better illustration if I outsourced was difficult decision to swallow, at first. After seeing the final product, and hearing my clients’ delight over the final product proved my decision was correct.
Another factor to take into considerations is time. While it probably only took the illustrator a few hours to draw the character, it would have taken me days to get it right. I’m out of practice and do not posses that raw talent. This could have eaten into time I should have been spending on other projects or refining the skills that I really am good at. I would have given a proposal for a few hours, and far surpassed that. It’s not an efficient way to work.
(Nerd Alert.)
I remember a scene in The Dark Knight with Alfred and Bruce Wayne. Here’s how it went.
Alfred Pennyworth: Know your limits, Master Wayne.
Bruce Wayne: Batman has no limits.
Alfred Pennyworth: Well, you do, sir.
Bruce Wayne: Well, can’t afford to know ‘em.
Alfred knows that at some point Batman can’t do everything. Of course, this is a movie, and he can do everything and save Gotham City. But, it was a good scene to drive my message home…sort of. Unlike Bruce Wayne refuses to believe, a designer should know their limits. It makes for a more successful company and higher caliber projects overall.
Have you had a similar experience? Have you, as a designer, realized that you just can’t do everything?
Photo courtesy of zimway2k
holdin out
This post talks about the contractor’s payment process. We’ll be focusing on Retainage.
The design is ready to go and you have reviewed the contractor’s bids. The lowest qualified bidding contractor has been interviewed and you are ready to get your contract with them in place so you can start moving forward with the project…
Before finalizing your Owner-Contractor Agreement, you should make sure there is a provision for Retainage.
Retainage is exactly what it sounds like. It is keeping an agreed percentage of every progress payment you make to the contractor, usually each month. So, if a monthly payment request is for $30,000 and your agreed retainage is 10%, you deduct $3000 from the payment. This deducted amount will get released to the contractor once the work is completed at the end of the project. Each payment you deduct retainage so the total withheld compounds until you release it to the contractor. (This is a overly simplified explanation.)
Having retainage on a project is very common in the industry. It keeps a busy contractor interested in your project until it gets completed. And, what’s the most difficult part of the project to finish? Usually, it is the last 10% of the job. So, if a contractor has been working on a $100,000 addition, there is $10,000 of their money out there waiting for them to finish up.
Something to keep in mind is that you can not assume that a contractor will be okay with holding back on a pay application for retainage. This should be discussed before a contract is in place and agreed upon by you and the contractor. This is a great topic for you to discuss with your architect before a miscommunication occurs in the middle of your project.
photo credit: alancleaver 2000
Hiring a Web Designer Pt. 2
This is the follow up to a previous post. The last one was full of questions you as the site owner should know before seeking a designer. Now, we’ll move into some general questions you might want to ask perspective designer. In my opinion, these four request/questions should be considered above all others.
Do you have client references?
A good company will. It tells a lot about the designer/client interaction and can be the best way to find out more about the company.
Do you have a list of clients?
Don’t always check the references. Those are almost always the good clients. Seek a client list and reach out to a company or two who aren’t references and see what they have to say.
Can I see your portfolio?
If for some odd reason, they don’t have an online portfolio, make sure to see it. Make sure that you believe they are capable of the work you are seeking. Some firms only take on small websites while others have the ability to take on large ones. You might want to find a company that performs work with a similar scope of work that you are seeking. This gives you a greater likelihood to receive an accurate quote. A firm that’s used to working on $2500 sites may have trouble estimating the work that’s involved with a $20000 site build.
Do you have examples of how the site you created helped the client?
A good designer will know this. If the objective of the site was to sell products, is it? Do the sites they create get good traffic and search well on Google? A designer is typically given a set of goals or parameters from the client. Knowing that they fulfilled these and knowing how they did it are good traits for a designer to have. You, as the client, want to know that the designer is listening and that they are successful in implementing a client’s desires.
its all in the bounce
One role I play in the construction of my projects is Construction Administrator.
After the design is done and the bids have been reviewed and accepted, I gear up for construction. My role for this next phase of the project has me working closely with the contractors, answering their questions, certifying payment applications and reviewing the overall progress.
The focus of this post is to share a small trick. I learned this highly scientific method for checking vinyl floor tile installations from an old general contractor that I admired a lot. It is definitely NOT the industry approved method, but it gives you a basic idea if the vinyl tiles have been adhered properly to floor’s substrate.
It’s All In The Bounce
My contractor friend taught me to take a golf ball with me on my site visits. When a vinyl floor tile installation is complete, bounce the golf ball on the tile floor. Just as you would a regular ball, drop it from waist high.
If it bounces solidly back up to you, the rule of thumb is that the tile has the proper adhesion and has been installed correctly. If you drop the golf ball and you hear a “thud” or a hollow sound and does not bounce back, there might be a problem. I mainly use this trick as a preliminary way to see if the installation is alright. If it is not, we may need to do the REAL adhesion test or use some other way to check.
The pros to using this test is it is quick. The cons is that it is quick and very localized. You would have to bounce the golf ball on every single tile to really have an understanding if everything was installed properly.
Regardless, I like to use this simple test.
Do you have any tricks to share?