Got my first "Job"

[jlesniak]

Thank you to all of you for your advice and assistance. I can officially say that I make money doing this! I did a waiting room rework for free for my chiropractor's office to show him what the program could do. I did a really quick maybe 1/2 hour job and sent him pictures. Did it for free to hopefully drum up some business as he mentioned that he was going to completely remodel the whole office.

After he got the pics asked when I could come in to do the rest of the office. Now....hmmm....how much am I supposed to charge for this?

[madea]

Congratulations!

I wish I knew the answer. You could call a few design firms or check the internet and find out what fees they charge. Then charge based on your research and your experience. You don't want to short-sell yourself, but you also don't want to over price your self out of repeat business.

Good luck.

[Deirdre]

Here is the link to the Bureau of Labor wage information.


http://www.bls.gov/bls/blswage.htm

[jlesniak]

Thanks. That puts me right where I want to be and I was right on the money with what I told him I wanted. Thank you so very much. I appreciated your help and support so very much.

[jlesniak]

I'm in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, PA. So it's not overly rural but it's definitely not city either. Suburbia.

The nice part is tho...is that I live not too far from said Chiropractor and he lives in a neighborhood where the houses start at 850,000, median about 1.25 million....and he is the head of the home owners association, so he knows all of them. Hopefully I'll get some word of mouth advertising from it as well.

I'm sooo excited. I'm going to have to use an old fashioned ruler on this one though. Although the layout is pretty straight line so it only took 10 minutes to put it into the program, my guestimates that is. I'll go back and rework once I get the real measurements. But anyway, my hubby was really not so happy about the $250 upgrade to Pro because it was just a hobby until now, so maybe once I get paid I'll have to work that one out. How does it work? Is that like the kind that the real estate agents use? Where do you buy it?

[awrosa]

Congrats!

[daydreamer]

Well since you asked Jodi personal questions you better watch out. The next thing you know you will be getting a post from Jodi that says "No one is going to track me down and kill me now are they?" After all, you did ask for the city and state in which she lives.
Hmmmm, you were the first guy to reply to her thread. Interesting!

Just wait, you will probably get asked, "How do I know that you are not an axe murder looking for your next victim?"

Regards,

[Larry]

I don't think Jodi' security should be treated as a joke. If you have been around the Internet for a while you should know that security can be a big deal.

I was once telephoned, from half way across the continent from a person with a gun telling me he was coming to get me (thought I was with his wife??) and, in another incident, through a legal battle that lasted over a year and a half due to some loose verbage on line. The result could have been disasterous and resulted in an up to 5 year prison sentence, should it have gone bad.

Don't take it so lightly or ridicule her preferences for it.

[dr0591]

Jodi, that's fantastic!! Congratulations! I knew you would take off with this. And that's definitely the market you want to be in. Keep us posted on your progress.

[BB boy]

Congrats Jodi! Keep us posted with some real updates as the work progresses.

BTW-don't be afraid to ask the Doc to recommend you. And, if you get a chance, do some nice "glossy" posters of the finished product to "tout" your work to as many as possible. Also, get an invitation from the Doc to attend any or all of the HO association meetings to get acquainted with the members, (if you can)

[bgrant]

Congratulations, Jodi! Not only am I'm excited for you... but you are a precursor for the rest of us.

Can you give some details on what you accomplished for the Doctor? What did you have to work/start with? Did you rearrange seating layout; suggested new or different furniture, suggested new wall colour, etc?

[jlesniak]

What I did was measure his waiting room and told him that I would work up something quick to show him what the program and I were capable. I sent him the three pictures above (see first post) via email. I offered this for free but told him if he liked it then I would charge him a discounted rate of $25.00 per hour to do the rest of the office. I know this is a little lower than what I would charge later but it got me in the door to where I want to be, sort of like a loss leader. And it was so cheap to him, how could he say no? So far I only have an hour of work in, but I'm sure that it will add up over time. I don't have a full time job so I have the luxury of offering such deals. But when I looked up what a designer/drafter makes in the area that is the median rate. So I'm not so off base. I would rather work 8 hours a day with steady work which will net me a steady reliable income rather than erratic work making a mint for the short term and less in the long run. Slow and steady wins the race.

[Allen42ACJ]

Hi Jodi
Great for you..
Think about sneaking your name in the pictures..
Maybe some art work that has your name on it..

[jlesniak]

What did I do without this forum? I know I get a lot less done as of recently. Thanks!

[Allen42ACJ]

It is addictive..
How about a picture of the rendering inside the rendering?