My work financials are tied into my personal financials because my business is an S-corp and I am the only employee. I have things very separate, so sometimes it's hard to remember that in the end, it's all just our money.
#1 - Projects
If I don't have projects, I don't have work, and then I don't have a paycheck. I have to do marketing (proposals) to get projects. I just turned in 4 proposals and got shortlisted on 3 (the other one I just turned in, so not sure yet). Of the three, I was contacted that I won one of them, lost one of them, and the other won just had the interview on Monday, so not sure about that yet either. Anyway, we are in negotiations on the one I won, and it's making me so nervous. It's a new fire station, and I really want it, and I submitted my fee. They came back that they wanted me to include landscape architecture from a certain firm and a professional cost estimate. That's about $10k of extra work ($10k I have to pay someone else). I absorbed most of it. I hope this works out. But every penny of the $10k comes out of my pocket.
#2 - Dining Out
I have a budget for taking clients out, but like my personal budget, this seems like excess, the only place to cut costs. But it's a marketing cost, really. I just made a lunch meeting with head of one of my Design Review Committees.
#3 - Supplies
I hate buying supplies. Ink for the printer costs so much. This is another category which is one of those rare places I can save. I have to keep supplies at home, too, because I work from there in the afternoons after I pick up F from school. So I need the printer there to have ink, paper...
Work Budget
April 5th, 2018 at 04:16 pm
April 5th, 2018 at 04:22 pm 1522945347
April 5th, 2018 at 07:41 pm 1522957268
If I read this correctly, you won the 'bid' to design the new Firehall but on request you reduced your fee by $ 10 K. That sum will initially pay a very specific sub contracted landscape architect and I presume products and crew who do the actual landscaping. Does the landscape 'architect have credentials? Is he connected in some way to someone on the Board, making this decision?
You have no control over the issues and problems that may arise from a vast area of bases, Mother Nature, soil conditions, underground pipes, sewers, sink holes, floods...whatever things I imagine. What does your lawyer advise?
April 5th, 2018 at 08:11 pm 1522959082
April 6th, 2018 at 01:23 am 1522977783
April 6th, 2018 at 02:11 am 1522980694
April 8th, 2018 at 07:36 pm 1523216178
My printer was too old to hook to wifi and I thought I could just save stuff on a thumb drive and then print it from there plugged into the printer. Guess the printer had other plans...now it won't take paper. These printers are like money pits...especially the ink cartridges. My brother-in-law bought a new one, hooked it to wifi, and after the cartridges needed changing, he got refilled ones. He got a message from the company saying he had just voided his warranty because the printer notified them of his not buying new brand name cartridges.