Re: FN-FORUM: Balancing amounts of work?

date posted 24th January 2006 13:37

On 24 Jan 2006 13:30:29 -0000, Ben Moxon [EMAIL REMOVED] wrote:

> Are there any clever tricks for making sure you are working close to
> capacity without running over it or is it just a case of guessing as
> best you can and hoping for the best? If you have several possible
> things coming up at once, how do you decide which jobs to take and which
> to leave?

I think you have to have a cashflow and sales forecast.

a simple spreadsheet that shows work in the pipeline, when it's due,
when you can invoice and when you expect to get paid. (and all the
"how long it will take" stuff you need to estimate to reach those
simple milestones)

when that looks bleak you take all you can get, when it looks
wonderfully full and you're in danger of being swamped, you can greet
each new enquiry with a realistic deadline/acceptance/start date, if
that doesn't put them off then your quote (now based on a higher
hourly rate) might. if they're still insistent then you accept the
work at a higher rate and depending on your mood, shuffle existing
work to make time or outsource (either part or all of exisiting or new
projects)

I think you'll find this is how jobbing builders/plumbers/handymen work!

which is why the busy ones cost a lot and the ones that aren't busy
should be avoided like the plague!

at some point you will find you have become a company managing
outsourced work or with employees...

good luck!

;o)


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