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Panel Discussion: Working From Your Home Office | |
The panel members presented by Gerry Olow were:
Annie Hughes
Annie Hughes is a Website Designer with her own company, Earthshine Design, in Louisville, Colorado. Annie has a checkered past. She's been a singer/songwriter, legal assistant, technical writer, and manager. She opened Earthshine Design in June of 1998 and she personally performs all services, from graphic design, to content development, to coding. Her clients include the Wellshire Inn, Boulder County AIDS project, the Community Foundation Serving Boulder County, and Nashville recording artist Joyce Woodson.
Bill Sanders
Bill Sanders has been a researcher (4 yrs), a reference librarian (9 yrs), and a technical writer (14 yrs). He and his wife (Marci Bowman) own Scribble & Count (tm), a mom-and-pop information services company. His writing projects have been up to 100% telecomm, but he has not telecommuted more than 40-50% for any client. Bill has been online since the late '70s, and has used dedicated lines, acoustic couplers, and modems. Bill has traveled and/or lived in 50 states and 45 countries, and he has telecommuted from CO, CA, and NY.
Bill and Marci plan to move next year to a mining claim at 9,000 feet; their 5-computer home/office will then be 4 miles up a non-maintained dirt road and off the power grid.
Leigh Ann Steere
Leigh Ann Steere specializes in integration of employee and marketing communications. In the past year, Leigh has written promotional brochures, training materials, video scripts, press releases, articles and more. Her background includes a unique mix of sales, human resources, organizational development, and marketing communication experience.
Brian Berry
Brian Berry wrote his first user's manual in 1980. Since then he has created a variety of user, sales, support, and service documentation. In 1991 he started his own documentation business, Berry Technical Documentation. From a home base in Steamboat Springs, he has provided documentation services to a variety of high-tech companies, both in Colorado and around the world.
Berry Technical Documentation has produced more than 70 documents, including technical marketing catalogs, user guides, programmer references, service guides,
Windows help, and web pages. Brian is a Senior member of the Society for Technical Communication and a member of the Association of Professional Communications Consultants. Brian graduated in 1987 from Regis College in Denver, Colorado with a B.S. in Technical Management.
This list of questions was provided to the panel members in advance of the meeting:
- How do you get your clients?
- One of the benefits of working directly or onsite for a company is access to the latest information concerning the product you are working on. How do you keep up to date with your industry?
- How do you deal with being alone, with only your computer to talk to?
- What type of bookkeeping tools do you use (for invoicing, taxes, etc.)?
- How many hours do you work that are not billable?
- If you happen to be one of the two finalists with a company that is a couple of thousand miles away, how do you sell yourself over a person who is local?
- How do you maintain your professional edge if you spend great amounts of time alone or away from other professional writers?
The responses to these questions have been paraphrased.
How do you get your clients?
Annie:
From referrals, but that can be a Catch-22, because you need clients before you can get referrals. I have done pro-bono work just to get referrals. I mention that I would like a referral up front, then again as the job is ending. Networking with people who need your services is also important. BWA meetings are a good place to network. My least favorite method is door-knocking. I've gotten work that way, but it has never gotten me any referrals.
Bill:
I would like to first state that no single answer to any of these questions is going to work for every person. In addition, I want to stress that being a lone eagle is a privilege, but if you abuse it then you lose it, not only for yourself, but you will also jeopardize the opportunity for others.
Returning to the question, I use recruiters. I haven’t called any of them for a long time, they call me. I have narrowed down my selection of recruiters to the best. Also, I use job lines, provided by the BWA, STC (Society for Technical Communication), and the HTML Writer’s Guild. I don’t place direct ads or pound the pavement, instead I attend seminars, do volunteer work, or do presentations. Just get out there and do something that you like to do, even if unrelated to your field, and spread the word about your services. I also get business from repeat customers.
Leigh:
Referrals, like Annie. Sometimes I will work at a reduced rate for entrepreneurs without deep pockets in order to be introduced to their clients. I am up front about asking for referrals, and most of my income comes from these referrals. I also actively look and listen for opportunities for my clients.
Brian:
Mostly by word of mouth, and also from job lines. I got a client through cold calling once, but I didn’t turn out to like working with that client. I also network through the BWA, STC, and email. Always carry your business cards with you and have a short, succinct answer to what you do in order to open the door. I’ve even given out business cards on ski lifts. Really, you’re never not at work.
One of the benefits of working directly or onsite for a company is access to the latest information concerning the product you are working on. How do you keep up to date with your industry?
Bill:
It depends upon the specific product and the client. It can be as easy as falling off a log or as difficult as pulling teeth to get the information. Marci and I aren’t specialists in any one field, we are generalists. We master the material and present it to mid-range managers. I also try very hard to read the code, and even though I may not always get much out of it, it gives me credibility as a hard worker. Making usability suggestions makes your services value-added.
Leigh:
I am also a generalist. I interview subject matter experts (SMEs), try to understand the client’s competitors, and get on the Internet to research the client’s market. I also look at trade publications; I get them from the library or the client, or I subscribe. If the client has a company newsletter, I also try to get on the routing list.
Brian:
I do all of the above. Since I do most of my work offsite, I identify the people who can keep me up to date and I arrange face to face meetings with them. Be professional and prepared when you go onsite to make the best use of your time. Ask intelligent questions and build trust with the SMEs. The more trust you build, the better you will be kept up to date. I also constantly give feedback on the product, good feedback, bad feedback, usability tips, bugs, etc. It’s typical for an SME to come to a meeting unprepared, and if that’s the case, I give them a list of questions and tell them when I’ll call them to follow up. Give them the impression that you’re serious.
Annie:
Since I design websites, most of this doesn’t apply. The client is ultimately responsible for the content of the site.
How do you deal with being alone, with only your computer to talk to?
Leigh:
As if there is something to deal with at all! Some people enjoy being alone. I am an introvert, and I get a lot of energy from going internal and writing. Spending time alone gives me more energy for my family; otherwise I would probably come home and collapse from a day at the office. I’d like to make one additional comment for those who are familiar with the Myers-Briggs type indicator. Working at home requires a lot of focus and discipline. It’s easy to get distracted by other (non-lucrative) activities – like personal phone calls, home chores, etc. It’s my opinion that you need a fair amount of the "J" characteristic to stay appropriately focused.
Brian:
I’m not alone, I have two cats. I get more done working by myself. Plus, my wife works with me sometimes doing illustrations and page layout, so I’m not always alone. I also talk to my computer (but I don’t want it to talk back).
Annie:
Ditto. I like to be alone working on a project. I am more focused and productive. I do have frequent personal contact through email, talking to clients, and meetings like the BWA. Introverted personalities are well suited to this type of work, and perhaps extroverted personalities are better suited for outside work.
Bill:
Clearly, we are all effective working at home. Just as there are people at an office who hang out at the water cooler or watch out the window, there are people who would also waste time at home. Different types of people work better in different places. If a home office isn’t an option for you, you might also look into renting an executive suite.
What type of bookkeeping tools do you use (for invoicing, taxes, etc.)?
Brian:
I put my receipts in a shoe box and shake it up. Seriously, I don’t have a lot of bookkeeping to do. I use a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. I wrote a Visual Basic program to improve the spreadsheet and to be able to dump the information to my accountant. I found Peachtree and QuickBooks to be overkill for my purposes. I have a few invoices and a few bills, and I don’t need anything more.
Annie:
I have a husband who loves Lotus spreadsheets. As a sole proprietor, I am allowed to hire family members, so I hire my husband to keep the books and the expense is tax deductible.
Bill:
I use Quicken’s Expensables, provided by a client for my travels. We decided three or four years ago that we would never have employees, and our books have stayed simple.
Leigh:
I use WordPerfect and a calculator to create invoices. I just have a few invoices and a few bills. I do prepare financial statements because the bank requires them, but I do this manually—again, with WordPerfect and the calculator.
Linda Gallagher pointed out that she uses QuickBooks. She says it is a great way to analyze your income versus expenses. You can analyze expenses on a project by project basis at a moment’s notice, and it doesn’t take much time to keep up.
A question was taken from the audience. "How do you set your rates?"
Annie:
Sometimes I bid jobs, and I lose my shirt on those. But the clients come back to me for maintenance and updates, and I charge hourly for that.
Bill:
It’s very hard to bid by the job. I work hourly and state in my contract that to have ‘primary client’ status, they must guarantee me 30 hours per week, and I normally schedule 10 to 20% more time for project overruns. We have practiced doing bids for years and have not found it to be reliable. Basically, our projects are on the back end of the product cycle and we have no authority over the schedule, which makes bidding very difficult.
Leigh:
I like to get to the point with a client where the client doesn’t ask me how much it’s going to cost. I charge hourly and may need to give estimates to new clients. I give them a high end estimate for the project and my goal is to come in well under that amount. And if a customer tries to lowball me, those aren’t the kind of clients I’m looking for. The estimate includes how many interviews and drafts there will be, plus it defines the specific scope of the project.
Brian:
Most often I will bid my jobs, but I work both hourly and by bid, depending upon what the client wants. I also write my own contracts, and they are often 12 to 14 pages long and tell the client exactly what they will get. If I work hourly, I justify my hours in an invoice, whereas if I bid the project, I’m never asked to justify the bid price.
Then the discussion moved to the subject of contracts:
Annie:
I always use a contract that outlines the scope of the work to be done, and the clients are more comfortable with what they should expect to get. I write my own contracts.
Bill:
I write my own contracts, too. You’ll find that being reliable, responsible, and coming in on time and under budget are the best references you can get.
Leigh:
I do most of my work without contracts. I like to do business on a handshake.
How many hours do you work that are not billable?
This subject had already been discussed somewhat and they moved on to the next question.
If you happen to be one of the two finalists with a company that is a couple of thousand miles away, how do you sell yourself over a person who is local?
Annie:
This has happened to me. I knew someone at the company and I went to visit the company to address their concerns. Then I kept in contact with the company, but you also don’t want to look desperate to get the job.
Bill:
This has happened to me, too, and I lost the job to the local. Most of the work I do is local and I can’t imagine winning the job in this situation.
Leigh:
I have lots of clients in the Midwest and on the East coast. What I try to do is "unsell" myself – I don’t try to pretend I’m local. I don’t say that I’ll be there all the time because that’s not what I’m looking to do. I ask them about the type of work and ask them if it matters whether or not I’m there. Usually I find there is some problem with the local candidate and there is a reason they are looking elsewhere. I will also provide them with references from long-distance clients I have had.
Brian:
I have been successful at this a few times. I ask them why wouldn’t they want someone local? If they say that they really like the local candidate, I tell them to hire that person. If they’re looking for someone to come onsite a lot, they’re better off with the local. I will also provide references from remote clients. One service I offer to all my clients is a monthly status report of exactly what I have done and what work is left.
How do you maintain your professional edge if you spend great amounts of time alone or away from other professional writers?
Bill:
Through hard work and a lot of non-billable hours. It’s expensive, and our company is a limited liability corporation (LLC) because of the tax benefits it brings us. So with professional development, the company pays for it. But it’s still out of my pocket because I am the company.
Leigh:
My company is also an LLC. For example, I could write off my master’s degree as a business expense. I maintain my edge by networking through professional organizations.
Brian:
I take courses at a local community college and I pay attention to the tools people are starting to ask for in advertisements, and if I begin to see a particular tool a lot, I know I should take a look at it. If you’re the kind of person that might need to take a week-long course on RoboHELP to learn it, then this probably isn’t the field for you. I learn software on my own.
Annie:
I see which tools people are starting to talk about on the listservs. Loading demo software is also a good way to learn about it.
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