Category Archives: life on contract

Life On Contract: Lowering Your Cost without Dropping Your Price

Posted on April 20, 2018 by Fernando Gomes

Last time in Life on Contract, I discussed ways to figure out a starting point on how much to charge for your services. However, sometimes you and a client may wish to work together but for some reason they cannot (or do not wish to) pay what you have decided to charge. If you are inexperienced, it can be tempting to assume you have overpriced yourself and discount down to what they are willing to pay. But if your price is a number you have chosen for reasons you can explain, dropping it is not something you should do …read more

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Life on Contract: How Much Do I Charge?

Posted on November 30, 2017 by Fernando Gomes

If you’re comfortable with the technical side of becoming a consultant or contractor but are unsure what to charge for your services, you’re not alone. “How much do I charge?” is a tough question, made even tougher by the fact that discussing money can be awkward, and at times virtually taboo.

As a result it’s not uncommon for the issue to get put off because it’s outside one’s comfort zone. Technical people in particular tend to suffer from an “if you build it, they will come” mentality; we get the technical side of things all figured out and just sort …read more

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Life on Contract: Hacking your Taxes

Posted on April 24, 2017 by Fernando Gomes

You’re a contractor and people are paying you to work in your pajamas. It’s a life of luxury, but when tax time comes, you are in a world of hurt and you wonder why you even do it. Taxes are tricky, but there are some tools you can use to make it less painful on your pocketbook. With planning and diligence, you can significantly increase the amount of money that stays in your bank account.

We are not certified tax lawyers or accountants, so take what follows with a heap of salt, consult appropriate people before you do anything big, …read more

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