So we're going to be working together...
Hi friend,
I need you to read this if we're going to work on something, or if I'm even considering working on something for you, for anything less than my normal hourly rate. I'm not trying to be mean here, I'm trying to be honest. So please read this.
I have a limited amount of time and I trade that time, through my skills and effort, for money. You do, too.
How much money I make is limited by what I spend my time on, and how much I'm able to concentrate on a project, while I'm doing it.
So if you've asked me to work on your project for free or cheap, and it's not enough to pay the bills for the time it's taking, I need you to know a few things...
1) I must really fucking love you. My time is the most precious thing I have, and I'm sharing it with you? I have a family. I have friends, and some of them even have projects I would love to work on. And lastly, I have my own projects I haven't finished yet. I must either really, really believe in you or your product. So don't ever forget that. That's why it's #1 on this list.
2) I'm going to go all in on your project. Whatever it is. You'll get 100% of my undivided attention at least some of the time. And I tend to get tunnel vision really easily, so there's a good chance I'll be working on it for days on end, if I can.
3) I need to recoup that cost immediately, somewhere. That means either my rates have to go up for my other clients, or I have to do more work. Twice as much, actually, because now I'm spending MORE time on a DIFFERENT project, which I also have to make up for. It snowballs really fast. If you're not able to pay me, you're asking me to pay for the work.
4) Payment on delivery is great in theory, but only there. In reality, I already have a ton of personal projects that will pay me handsomely when they're finished, and I don't have to share that money with anyone. Again, I must really believe in your product if I'm helping you for free, or even for less than it's costing to do the work. Payment on delivery is very seldom worth it to me. So no, I'm not doing this for the big payoff at the end.
5) I need to take care of my family and my own projects first. They will always come first, if your project isn't paying for itself. Why? Because I can't ethically work on your stuff if I can't take care of myself. And I definitely can't work on your project if I don't have lights. That's happened before, because of #2 above. I can't ever let that happen again, or I will resent you and your project for all eternity.
6) Our deal is reciprocal. I won't ask you to suddenly pay me more money after you've already said you won't. By that same token, don't expect me to give you more of my time than I already will. If you want me to spend more time on your project, or "hurry up", know that money is the only thing that can actually make it easier for me to concentrate. If you're paying my bills, I don't have to work on anything else.
7) I'm fast, but some things take a long, long time, and they're really hard to do. And the worst part, to me, is that I will work on them until you tell me to stop. It's a terrible character trait I'm trying to break, but for the love of God please tell me if you aren't interested in working on something anymore, or lost your client, or whatever. Because I will keep working on it like a moron until I find out the company folded, etc.
8) There's a strong chance you won't like how long it takes to do this. I've been a freelance programmer for a long, long time. Very few people realize how long it takes to do things. My time estimates are usually accurate, but they're quickly ripped apart by needing to pay the bills or unexpected life emergencies. I try to make it look easy, and I will try to get your stuff done reasonably quickly though. If you ask for a time estimate, know that it's an estimate, and it's based on me not needing to go take on additional clients or additional projects. If that happens, who the hell knows how long anything will take?
9) If something comes up, your project gets moved to the back burner immediately. If something comes up and I find myself needing to make more money, I stop doing anything that isn't fixing the problem, immediately, until things are back to normal. That includes your project. Life is expensive, and I only have a small amount of time I can trade for money. On the other hand, when I've got bills under control, I can burn through projects like they're made of some highly flammable material.
10) You only get to complain about how long your free project is taking, once. If I'm working on your project at all, I know what I signed up for, and I'm okay with it. But don't for a second think that your project is more dear to my heart than a dozen of my own personal projects I put on hold for your stuff.
----
You've asked me to put my stuff on hold while I do your stuff, but the payoff is the same. I'm not saying I won't do it. I probably will. If I sent you to this page, there's a good chance I'm already committing to this. But I want you to consider what you're asking, very carefully, before we start, and I wanted to make sure you knew the ground rules.
Thank you,
-Chilton Webb
I need you to read this if we're going to work on something, or if I'm even considering working on something for you, for anything less than my normal hourly rate. I'm not trying to be mean here, I'm trying to be honest. So please read this.
I have a limited amount of time and I trade that time, through my skills and effort, for money. You do, too.
How much money I make is limited by what I spend my time on, and how much I'm able to concentrate on a project, while I'm doing it.
So if you've asked me to work on your project for free or cheap, and it's not enough to pay the bills for the time it's taking, I need you to know a few things...
1) I must really fucking love you. My time is the most precious thing I have, and I'm sharing it with you? I have a family. I have friends, and some of them even have projects I would love to work on. And lastly, I have my own projects I haven't finished yet. I must either really, really believe in you or your product. So don't ever forget that. That's why it's #1 on this list.
2) I'm going to go all in on your project. Whatever it is. You'll get 100% of my undivided attention at least some of the time. And I tend to get tunnel vision really easily, so there's a good chance I'll be working on it for days on end, if I can.
3) I need to recoup that cost immediately, somewhere. That means either my rates have to go up for my other clients, or I have to do more work. Twice as much, actually, because now I'm spending MORE time on a DIFFERENT project, which I also have to make up for. It snowballs really fast. If you're not able to pay me, you're asking me to pay for the work.
4) Payment on delivery is great in theory, but only there. In reality, I already have a ton of personal projects that will pay me handsomely when they're finished, and I don't have to share that money with anyone. Again, I must really believe in your product if I'm helping you for free, or even for less than it's costing to do the work. Payment on delivery is very seldom worth it to me. So no, I'm not doing this for the big payoff at the end.
5) I need to take care of my family and my own projects first. They will always come first, if your project isn't paying for itself. Why? Because I can't ethically work on your stuff if I can't take care of myself. And I definitely can't work on your project if I don't have lights. That's happened before, because of #2 above. I can't ever let that happen again, or I will resent you and your project for all eternity.
6) Our deal is reciprocal. I won't ask you to suddenly pay me more money after you've already said you won't. By that same token, don't expect me to give you more of my time than I already will. If you want me to spend more time on your project, or "hurry up", know that money is the only thing that can actually make it easier for me to concentrate. If you're paying my bills, I don't have to work on anything else.
7) I'm fast, but some things take a long, long time, and they're really hard to do. And the worst part, to me, is that I will work on them until you tell me to stop. It's a terrible character trait I'm trying to break, but for the love of God please tell me if you aren't interested in working on something anymore, or lost your client, or whatever. Because I will keep working on it like a moron until I find out the company folded, etc.
8) There's a strong chance you won't like how long it takes to do this. I've been a freelance programmer for a long, long time. Very few people realize how long it takes to do things. My time estimates are usually accurate, but they're quickly ripped apart by needing to pay the bills or unexpected life emergencies. I try to make it look easy, and I will try to get your stuff done reasonably quickly though. If you ask for a time estimate, know that it's an estimate, and it's based on me not needing to go take on additional clients or additional projects. If that happens, who the hell knows how long anything will take?
9) If something comes up, your project gets moved to the back burner immediately. If something comes up and I find myself needing to make more money, I stop doing anything that isn't fixing the problem, immediately, until things are back to normal. That includes your project. Life is expensive, and I only have a small amount of time I can trade for money. On the other hand, when I've got bills under control, I can burn through projects like they're made of some highly flammable material.
10) You only get to complain about how long your free project is taking, once. If I'm working on your project at all, I know what I signed up for, and I'm okay with it. But don't for a second think that your project is more dear to my heart than a dozen of my own personal projects I put on hold for your stuff.
----
You've asked me to put my stuff on hold while I do your stuff, but the payoff is the same. I'm not saying I won't do it. I probably will. If I sent you to this page, there's a good chance I'm already committing to this. But I want you to consider what you're asking, very carefully, before we start, and I wanted to make sure you knew the ground rules.
Thank you,
-Chilton Webb
11) And Zoey comes before you (the client) does... :D
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