ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Work for free

Quoting, invoicing, and collecting! What a hassle. I just enjoy working.

I wish I could make a living working for free.

Im with ya! When we started in business I told my partner if he kept abreast of code and AHJ issues I would take care of the business end, he got the better deal!! I bet I work 5 to 10 hours a week in the office after the 40 to 60 in the field.

That's all part of being in 'business'!

Been there, done that. Many a night pushing paper.

My wife's electrician frequently "works for free golf". Does that count?

John is right. The "business part" is the most important part of any business. The difference between a business and a hobby is how well you collect the money.

If I was starting out today I would have some kind of integration between a smart phone and my desk top computer so I could be accounting for every minute of my day and every part I used that could be reconciled and billed out of my computer. You could also use that to dispatch your calls and track your response numbers. (call customer, on site, cycle time etc)
We did this at IBM in the 80s using the Motorola Portable Terminal (the precursor to the blackberry)
so I know how well it can work.
I am not sure who offers the package but I have to believe it is out there.

I suggest the OP visit the business forum- where he can find many folks who claim to be working for free.

When I was in business, my brother went to work part time for me. He dealt with all of the paper and bookwork that the business needed. I dealt with the codes, and pricing of the jobs and running the man power. That seemed to work very well.