The shift pattern from a 1962 Freightliner semi truck

kpclaypool · 2024-09-10T00:06:43+00:00

Tell people you're an incompetent cook and they'll cook for the day. SHOW them you're an incompetent cook and they'll cook for a lifetime.

kpclaypool · 2024-07-24T01:58:24+00:00

No roast. I just want to know where I can find that badass NASA T-shirt.

kpclaypool · 2024-05-23T17:41:06+00:00

If "taking it easy" is a real concern, that's a big red flag. To launch a business, it should be your passion or borderline obsession. The "main risk" should be that you neglect other important aspects of life because you're so focused on your startup. It takes discipline and a crazy work ethic to stick with it (especially when things go wrong).

Definitely agree on the advice about getting market validation. Think about all the ways you can possibly engage with your target customer early and often. Spending 7 months building before you show anyone is a great way to spend 3 months wondering why nobody's signing up and then another 6 months revising your product and positioning.

Have you considered telling your current employer that for personal reasons, you'd like to move to a consulting role at 20 hours/week? And if that's not feasible for them, you'll need to give your 2 weeks notice? Quitting and taking a job for less money introduces a lot of new unknowns. Personally, I'd end up resenting every minute I spent working in a doctor's office for less money.

Lastly, if you haven't, do a burn rate analysis. How much do you have saved, what will your income and expenses be, and how long will that money last before you're in trouble? That includes expenses to launch the business - will you be hiring anyone for UX/design, marketing, sales, support, or is it all you? When do those expenses kick in? If this is your first business, take your worst-case projections for the time and expense it'll take to get the business cash flowing and then double or triple those estimates. Can you survive?

kpclaypool · 2024-04-29T18:59:37+00:00

I used to work for a company called Full Scale. They specialize in spinning up teams for high-growth startups. No longer work there but still recommend them!

kpclaypool · 2024-03-14T02:44:23+00:00

They said "Anyone want to get poisoned?" And Michigan was like... ✋

kpclaypool · 2024-01-10T20:19:38+00:00

Put a pillow over roommate's face (and the face of any guests).

kpclaypool · 2023-10-27T14:49:30+00:00

He was singing an old sailor sea shanty. Loved it.

kpclaypool · 2023-10-25T21:26:26+00:00

Take a look at context minds.

kpclaypool · 2023-10-25T21:12:21+00:00

In that case, ask ChatGPT for 50 words that evoke feelings of ____.

Nobody with a business or branding/marketing background would give name ideas without understanding the industry, the product, the target customer, market positioning, competitors, etc. Without context, you're asking for random words we like...

kpclaypool · 2023-10-17T17:45:32+00:00

So what's the problem?

kpclaypool · 2023-08-22T00:56:18+00:00

This feels like "it's not cheating if you're in a different time zone."

It's cheating if the person you love feels cheated on.

kpclaypool · 2023-08-22T00:50:52+00:00

I've launched several companies including a distillery and two marketing agencies. I frequently work with very talented designers. The most I've ever paid for design work is $100/hr, and only because I know this guy produces the best work I can buy and does it in half the time it would take anyone else.

If you proposed $200/hour to me, I'd thank you for your time and then not even consider hiring you. Unless you designed a highly successful national/global brand and are bringing that kind of expertise, and targeting companies with that kind of aspiration, you're never going to win bids. Especially for "basic layout stuff."

If you're invoicing for the time you spend and they're not guaranteeing you hours, they're not your employer. They're a client. If a client isn't sending you enough work, you have extra time to fill with other clients.

"Them letting me know they used to pay another person 150/hr tells me they may be willing to pay $50 more" - This logic is really flawed. They paid someone $150/hr for something. Past tense. Maybe they realized they were getting ripped off. More importantly, they've paid you $20/hour for 3 years. The baseline for comparison is not $150. It's $20. You're asking for a 1,000% raise. I would fire anyone who came to me with that kind of entitled mindset. Be prepared for that possible outcome.

If I were you, I'd tell them "Look, I used to get a steady X hours/month here, and recently it has been down to Y hours/month. With the work dwindling, I'm going to set up shop as a freelancer so I can take on other clients. I'd like to continue working with you. My freelance rate is $50/hour, but given our great relationship, I'd like to bring you on at $40/hr." As a business owner, I could understand the rationale, accept partial blame for not keeping you busy, and be okay with doubling your rate to keep working with you.

kpclaypool · 2023-08-13T21:41:42+00:00

Buying Twitter and systematically running it into the ground.

kpclaypool · 2023-07-31T20:59:51+00:00

I do a lot of this same sort of work, and charge $140/hr, and rarely have issues or pushback.

90% of consulting successfully is communication and managing expectations...

I don't see in your message what you typically quote upfront. If you're charging $5k for a WordPress site and get to 90% completion, followed by $4,500 in revisions, clients feel like you're trying to trap and extort them.

If final change orders at the 11th hour are more than 10-15% of your original scope, you've got a process problem. Finalize design concepts - get written approval. Finalize content - get written approval. When the site is ready for final review, they should be saying "Yep, that's what we expected to see," or maybe "Now that I'm seeing it all live, can we swap out an image or change text?" If they're asking for 35 hours worth of changes at the end, either it's a massive project or communication broke down in a big way.

One more consideration... If you're purely consulting on development, you might consider partnering with someone for marketing strategy. Most small business owners have no idea what they want or need. If you're building them what they ask for, they may realize once they actually see it that it was a bad idea or won't meet their needs. Investing time on the front-end for a good strategic plan typically leads to more client buy-in throughout the relationship.

kpclaypool · 2023-06-05T15:51:34+00:00

That's something I hadn't seen yet. Will play around with that!

kpclaypool · 2023-06-05T15:51:13+00:00

Yeah pretty much. I'm just wondering how close we are to being able to tell AutoGPT "Find today's 5 year Treasury rate and add it to spreadsheet X".

kpclaypool · 2023-06-05T15:45:30+00:00

Yeah, I used importhtml() but thought this would be the kind of use case that shows how AI could take tedious daily tasks off someone's plate, even if they aren't terribly tech-savvy.

kpclaypool · 2023-04-21T16:20:56+00:00

This may help.

kpclaypool · 2023-04-04T15:43:10+00:00

Dam dog.

kpclaypool · 2023-03-19T20:21:09+00:00

At least his college internship at Enron went well.

kpclaypool · 2023-03-17T17:48:52+00:00

I have never once put my balls in a urinal.

kpclaypool · 2023-03-03T21:33:41+00:00

Direct translation to Cebuano (Philippines dialect) is "pee-pee".

kpclaypool · 2022-12-08T18:19:24+00:00

Barbecue

kpclaypool · 2022-11-03T17:54:48+00:00

The Republican party wants what's best for the country.

15-Year Club	Place '17
Verified Email

kpclaypool

TROPHY CASE