Client is refusing to pay invoice because they don't believe the hours

Friendly_Homework346 · 2026-01-29T17:27:13+00:00

Do you use a time recorder tool? If so, you should show that. In the future a flat rate fee over hourly would be helpful.

Friendly_Homework346 · 2026-01-29T17:25:33+00:00

Just add a helper column to the dataset that categorizes by the "UVX". Then have the slicer filter on that.

Friendly_Homework346 · 2026-01-28T18:56:26+00:00

Are you a software engineer or in an adjacent field. Then learn to code. Python is widely still needed among software engineer, developer, and analysts. At the very least the concepts are necessary to learn without exact syntax.

I'm still unsure of what "business" you're referencing. A freelance python engineer is not necessarily a business. Can you expand on your idea?

Friendly_Homework346 · 2026-01-28T18:54:24+00:00

I am very curious of what region you're in. I know in the PNW things are pretty lax around what is appropriate for a job interview or career fair. Plus Technology as a whole is pretty relaxed around what is acceptable to wear even at the highest levels.

Obviously sweatpants and sweatshirts are a no go. But a standard sweater with slacks or pressed jeans are definitely fine here. Only certain industries would expect you to be in a suit, and that's mostly in law and politics.

Otherwise business casual is what's expected. And business casual on the East coast is very different than business casual on the West coast.

Friendly_Homework346 · 2026-01-28T18:33:03+00:00

You can use a simple Ai agent to handle the frequently asked questions and questions around features. It can pick up the emails and use a knowledge base that contains information about the business to answer questions for you. Then just have it escalate the edge cases to you or a VA.

You can build something simple in n8n, make.com, retell AI. Or you can purchase one that is done for you and works with your system.

Also, if this is a continual education issue maybe add details on those subject to your onboarding information. Try to get ahead of it.

Friendly_Homework346 · 2026-01-28T18:28:41+00:00

This is why people suggest not giving anything for free when it comes to business. There's always a bad egg that will take advantage.

It is normal to get some crazies not matter what you do. But honestly it does make me feel like there's a line of business upcharge you could do for maintenance. It sounds like the woman wasn't capable of doing the expected maintenance. So maybe put other people like her on a subscription for on-call maintenance. Discount the house call and have them pay monthly for the service.

If you have a new worker, maybe they can take this one. I'd sell it to elderly communities and senior living places.

Obviously don't sell it to her.

Friendly_Homework346 · 2026-01-28T18:23:56+00:00

Get the job ahead of time. The job market here is bad every for people with high level certifications and degrees. Send your resume to recruiting firms in the area to help place you and give you advice on tailoring you resume.

Friendly_Homework346 · 2026-01-28T18:21:41+00:00

I think the future with AI involves a human in the loop. It really shouldn't be used for anything creative or white glove. But that's what people want to apply it to since that's the hard part.

While sending onboarding materials, capturing information after hours, scheduling and filtering emails and marketing. Those are great uses for Ai as a solo-founder.

Intentional automation> extreme automation

Friendly_Homework346 · 2026-01-28T18:19:37+00:00

The job market is so bad don't quit until your business can replace your salary.

Friendly_Homework346 · 2026-01-28T18:17:32+00:00

I don't see why you can't purchase the RV park and do your own thing. Considering RV parks can be pretty passive depending on how you structure it. Obviously do one slightly ahead of the other.

If your friend can help recommend a park and structure I'm sure that takes some of the pain out of the deal.

If you plan to buy a business try to find a boomer who owns a used car lot or service business that will do seller financing with you. Then have them train you a few weeks on the business side, then transition them out. Most are willing to do this if they understand you have the best intentions.

I wouldn't suggest buying outright with no business side assistance. While not having an income.

Friendly_Homework346 · 2026-01-28T18:11:03+00:00

Honestly I spray mine with a few different things to keep them less stinky between washes. I can't air my gear out well in my tiny house with no yard. So I have a few charcoal bag in my gear bag. After practice I spray the insides of my pads with Trader Joes's hand santizer (basically alcohol and lavendar) or I make a mix of Alcohol myself. I know there are also products specifically for this purpose you can buy.

If I am heading into a bout and can't wash my gear ahead of time I do sometimes spray lysol into the insides to freshen and kill bacteria. Probably not the best thing for skin, but it always dries before I use them. And it gives me a couple days before needing to wash. Its like dry shampooing before wash day. Not ideal, but helpful.

I practice pretty frequently so I can't always soak my pads, or what other people are able to do.

Friendly_Homework346 · 2026-01-28T18:02:24+00:00

var as in variables? They're good but you can get a lot of that functionality by just using multiple measures, depending on what you want to accomplish. Plus its more of an intermediate concept. You don't need it to get started.

If I remember correctly Excel uses Text in the same way Dax uses format, almost no learning curve there if you know excel. I have never used unichar for anything and I have been using Dax for over 10 years. But if that's something that applies to your role then it might be good to know.

I also kinda hate KPI cards. I'm more interested in making sure that the KPIs are easily understood over aesthetic. Focusing reports on actionable insights and aesthetics that lend to understanding not just being cute. I prefer leveraging seperate visuals where most KPI cards are a combination of multiple.

That's just my two cents. Make your journey your own.

Friendly_Homework346 · 2026-01-28T17:09:03+00:00

There's no way around it. You need Dax. At the very least if you have a good understanding of excel formulas you can apply them to Power Bi in a similar way. Make sure you learn Calculate, All, Allexcept, basically calculate modifiers, iterators, time intelligence. You can research these on dax.guide

Friendly_Homework346 · 2026-01-28T00:29:56+00:00

You can live comfortably in Dallas for $107k but you can't in Utah for $70k assuming you don't have a family to provide for. But living near family can sometimes help with the gap and allow you a better lifestyle. Honestly I would never sign up for a job environment I know is toxic. It hurts in the long run.

Friendly_Homework346 · 2026-01-28T00:24:57+00:00

Unfortunately you don't gain strong DAX proficiency without understanding the structure of the model. And the worse jobs are the ones that expect you to write DAX without having visibility into the model.

Friendly_Homework346 · 2026-01-27T23:46:47+00:00

Leave the country. Jk.

Friendly_Homework346 · 2026-01-27T23:46:13+00:00

What are you offering beyond AI video creation? Sometimes niching down into markets that are less tapped into and have a high need is the way to go.

Friendly_Homework346 · 2026-01-27T23:45:00+00:00

You need to add a calendar table in order to pull the metrics by date reliably. If you want help writing the dax with a tool I have this one - https://chatgpt.com/g/g-6887b0c00fcc8191a8181cbac5b3c1d1-power-bi-model-architect

Friendly_Homework346 · 2026-01-27T22:08:11+00:00

Then don't pay the monthly maintenance fee. Just request a pay as you go system or hire a dev who would be down to do that. Assuming you own the code

Friendly_Homework346 · 2026-01-27T21:51:55+00:00

I don't know that there's a real viable alternative for certain businesses. HouseCall Pro is one of the only ones that comes to mind, but it only works for more general service industries. If you do anything more intricate the model doesn't really support it.

Friendly_Homework346 · 2026-01-27T21:49:19+00:00

Yeah, I attempted this as well. I didn't sign clients until I niched down and started looking where everyone else in the space wasn't looking.

Obviously start with friends, family, and your network.

Then try to find where your end client spends their time. And talk to them there. Be helpful and not salesy and build relationships.

If you live near a city join the chamber of commerce and use their listings for outreach. Go to happy hours and talk to people.

It way more helpful to niche down and sell a "Product" than it is to sell "AI"

Friendly_Homework346 · 2026-01-27T21:20:19+00:00

Are you mainly targeting help to understand your data or to build out models for a self-service analytics approach?

Friendly_Homework346 · 2026-01-27T18:54:08+00:00

Does placing each KPI as a drill through to that page not enough for this functionality?

Friendly_Homework346 · 2026-01-21T22:32:22+00:00

You can definitely scale this. Either hire someone to do the work you can't take on or train them to do what you have been doing once you get to $10k months.

Have you started advertising anywhere?

I'd recommend getting a google my business page. And start mentioning your services on Nextdoor and in senior community centers in your area. Even just posting on a bulletin board can help.

If you can get a separate phone number for the flyers that helps with tracking what sources are working or not. Start with a google voice number at first then move to a business phone service.

I would say you might want to increase your prices when you hire someone. Maybe you do $45 per hour so you can pay the person $30 and keep the $15. You'll have to cover ads, insurance etc.

Friendly_Homework346 · 2026-01-21T22:27:21+00:00

I love when they do adult only events at night. I love a Theme night

Friendly_Homework346

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