[consulting] Cleaning Up After Bad Developers

[Tom Geller]

"Steve Kessler" <skessler at denverdataman.com> writes:

> Are smaller shops finding they are getting a lot of business from  
> bigger
> shops that others can't afford any more?

That's actually how had the best-earning month of my life. I left a  
big public relations firm in 2000 to start my own (small) agency, and  
caught a lot of companies dumping big agencies for smaller ones  
because they couldn't afford the $30,000/month retainers.

I generally do best when the economy's down, because as I run lean and  
am less expensive to engage. The Drupalsphere might also be a "counter- 
cyclical earner" because (a) the cost barrier to entry is low, and (b)  
it replaces more-expensive systems. Just like me!

On another point: Sam Cohen writes (and others echo):

> If they're paying $25 an
> hour for a developer and others are charging 5 times that, they need  
> to
> realize there are things they aren't getting.

I disagree. Often the $25/hour developer just isn't as good at  
marketing, or has some other problem getting work. We've all met  
overpriced idiots and underpriced geniuses, no? :)

Having said that, one needs *some* criteria for judging a consultant  
before engagement. Price is one criterion that implies quality, even  
if it sometimes (often?) doesn't deliver.

Cheers,

---
           Tom Geller  *  San Francisco  *  415-317-1805
              Writer/Editor * http://www.tomgeller.com
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