financial problems/aspects/price of freelances

[mImoto]

Hello,

I am thinking of working in the future maybe as a freelance. I mean, working as a consultant for different companies.

If I don't have equipment and should buy, what % should I charge to the company that contracts me. I mean I would like to learn more about the financial problems/aspects/price of freelances.

Any personal experiences??

Best regards,

mimoto

 

[flatulent]

rule of thumb

The general rate is about 1.5 to 2.5 times the salary someone would get as an employee doing the same thing that you would be doing. You can start out doing things that do not need equipment purchases. This can be doing simulations and designs. You can also work at the customer's location on their problems using their equipment. As you gather more funds you can then buy equipment and expand to jobs that need the equipment.

 

[jourval]

I work sometime as consultant in the field
of analog/RF electronics. Of couse, I have not
nothing too, exclude scope, generator and DVM.
But in most countries you can find firms that
equipment leasing is their job. And if I need
for my freelance job something like 10 GHz
scope or spectrum analizer, I simply take it
in lease and send check + a bit extra to
my customer. You never know - what will
be your next project, so to buy your own
equipment is wrong way, I thing. And if you
lease something that cost 500$ per day,
you'll work 24/7 (your money is not in your bank yet !), so for your customer
it will be cheaper, than lease the same
equipment for your work.[/u]

 

[flatulent]

buying equipment or not

Deciding if and what to buy is a real business research problem. I started out with a scope and vom. I would decide to take jobs depending upon if they paid more than the equipment it required. That way over the years I collected some further useful lower priced things like signal generators and a second scope that was digital storage. I never buy very expensive things like VNA.

Passing on the rental cost to the customer depends upon your agreement with the customer. Sometimes they do not want to do it and will go to a person who already has the equipment or will expect you to pay for the equipment rent out of your profits because not getting the job will give you no profits.