Saturday, August 11, 2012

Sub contracting, A little about it and the authors mini bio

About the author....

Hello!!!!

I have been self employed since 1970.
In 1980 I entered the technology industry almost by accident.
I was blessed to be in the right place, at the right time in California.
My job was in the Air Force as an aircrew member.
When we where not flying, we where not allowed to work anyplace else on base, so...
I started my own computer business. It took off like crazy.
The Internet as you know it today was only being used by the government and us in the military, but we where all communicating with an oddity called the bulletin board systems (BBS) (computer to computer using the phone lines and a modem and custom software written by ME)
I took an Atari 400 a few floppy disk drives and 300 baud modem and wrote a BBS...
The EGORE Sanction, which later grew into the Solano Atari(C) Network with several other computers.
Soon, we have 10,50,100,1000,5000+ users and my desk was getting too small for all the floppy drives and paperwork for all the orders... I would drive to silicon valley every weekend and load up...
I was selling Atari and commodore and IBM clones and any other device that people would ask for, burning eeproms making modified (happy) floppy drives designing memory modifications and custom OS chips and selling them... etc.etc.etc.
It got real crazy real fast with orders coming from all over the world, over my phone line at 300, then 1200 then 2400 baud and eventually 3600 baud... 56k eventually....

Eventually My military training  included cross agency training and joint task force training , network training languages, communications, intelligence, and advanced technologies. I went to school for medicine then drama, then computers then engineering then political science and then business.. 
I amassed hours and hours of technical training and so many certificates and diplomas I eventually took them all down and put them in boxes and stored them rather than have to explain them all and put up with all the "you think your so smart "huh remarks..

When I retired from the Air Force in 1997 something became painfully obvious to me.
I did not fit in with the civilian work force.
They all seemed too slow and lazy and dirty to me??
Don't take this wrong, I was in for 25 years and had become used to a well oiled well disciplined highly trained team of experts and dealing with long haired bearded people that seemed to find more reasons to get out of work instead of how to get the job done better and faster and cheaper, kind of blew my mind..

I went on several job interviews, sat and waited for hours, sat in chairs being asked seemingly unrelated stupid questions by really young people with what seemed like bad attitudes , went on interview after interview and kept getting the your overqualified speech so many times...
I did a few part time jobs at nite as a D.J. and did a lot of community theater... Amway (LOL) But I needed to WORK I had started a small custom made computer company while I was still in the air force hoping my son would run it after high school. I eventually added a Sylvan Prometric training facility and Lasergrade Testing site to it.
So; I opened one, then two, then three, then four businesses to fill whatever niches needed filling.
The onslaught of so many computer sales companies like best buy and CompUsa put my custom made computer company out of business.
I could not compete with their bulk buying power. I still made them for government agencies due to my knowledge of their specific needs, but eventually stopped doing those as well.
Ironically, we ventured into on site computer warranty services as authorized service providers servicing the computers for the companies that put my company out of business and did on site warranty support in 6 states for a few years... And we still have the companies that do that calling us on a monthly bases asking for Techs nation wide. I did 7 a day and made OK money as did my wife at the time and several of our techs
 I personalty don't do many of them I prefer servers and point of sale now on large scale like Walmart..
I eventually sold the training and testing centers to the junior college after my Divorce.

I eventually took all the clients that I was billing directly and got them to start using portals to route me work
Portals are owned and operated by some of my old Friends in the industry that also got tired of not getting paid correctly so they started a clearing house type of company that stands to mediate between us and the buyers ( people that needs us)

Now, we have about 60 buyers world wide using 15 portals to route us contracts for almost 100 of their corporate clients and millions of individuals. We currently have 12 techs/engineers in 2 states working part time as sub contractors for us and me working full time. I would like more, but I am very picky who we add...

The good news: we work the hours we chose, the days we chose, take vacation when we chose, go to all the events we chose etc...
The bad news, if you don't work , you don't make money...

Payments are sporadic for some contracts and clock work for others...
Payments can be as fast as one hour and as long as 45 day net ( net means 45 days after they accept the deliverable items after you complete the contract)

Not everyone can be a sub contractor.
If you cant wait, don't try this.
Patience is a necessity...
If you expect to get paid tomorrow, your barking up the wrong tree..

If you started a new 9-5 JOB today; it would be three weeks before your first check.
That check would most likely only be for one or two weeks pay and then you would get paid every two weeks or once a month.. And that check would have taxes taken out etc... and you can get laid off for no reason and fired as well..

As a sub contractor you cant get fired, you just don't get routed any more contracts and the buyers black ball you if you get out hand...
Every time you agree to do a work order you are signing another contract... each contract is separate...

Contracting varies.
I TRY to pay my contractors once a week when the banks and the portals and the buyers allow it.
I have to wait for the buyers to approve it, deposit it into the portal, request the portal transfer it into my bank account, then my bank has to clear it so I can pay it.. If it is a check, it has to clear first...
If it is an out of state bank and the first time is was deposited it can take up to 10 business days to clear.
Sometimes my sub contractors don't understand it takes time...

I used to just pay then and then wait for it to clear, but these days in this economy that could be a bad idea especially when we have our bills we have to pay as well and recently we had a few declare bankruptcy meaning I did not get paid ANYTHING for hose contracts, so I am out the 20k that i paid out to the Techs.
So now I don't pay until the Saturday after the Friday that the money clears... I usually pay with PayPal, but company checks are an option as well. My wife I pay simply buy transferring money into her bank of America account. I can do this for any other bank of America account as well. Most contractors re 1099.
This means we do NOT take out any taxes or insurance etc... No workers comp...
Texas contractors are offered the choice to become employees after 6 months probation if they sign an agreement.. This affords them the choice to pay tax and have workers comp and life and health insurance a well as liability insurance under the company umbrella.


We always need more techs and field engineers nationwide.
But I warn you, if you think you want to make 30,40 and more an hour plus travel and work your hours and your days, you better have some money stuck aside  Or have a few private clients in your home town that pay you a monthly retainer to maintain their equipment like we do.
One of my guys just showed up for a job the other day, the site was not ready, and he got paid the 120 fee even though he did not do anything so..there are perks.. But then there are days we bod a fee expecting to be 2 hours and it takes 12.... It is a learning experience...

You can make 3,4,5,6,$700 or more a day doing this work. ( the most I have made in a day doing this was $1500.00 for four days straight)
You have to manage your time and travel and maintain your vehicle and your health.
You can NOT call in sick, you can NOT continuously be late and you MUST follow the dress code and the code of conduct while on the sites these contracts send you on.





If you are interested in becoming a contractor/sub contractor shoot me an email to frank@famhtech.net and I will get back to you...





Friday, August 10, 2012

How to Get Maximum Personal Injury Claim Compensation ...

Claimants are constantly looking for more ways to get maximum personal injury claim compensation since it is commonly believed that getting adequate injury compensation is hard. This article will elaborate on some tried and tested ways claimants can get maximum personal injury claim compensation without spending any money on hiring expensive lawyers.

#1 – Follow the Law – For road accidents claimants should contact the police as soon as the accident occurs. Claimants are required to contact the police or other law enforcement authorities since a police report is required to file for personal injury claim compensation. The police will file a report after examining the scene of the accident and they will give the claimant a copy of this report for claim related purposes. Claimants should not skip this step fearing that they will be penalized for the accident since this particular step is only a formality and there will be no problems as long as claimants’ cooperate with the authorities. Claimants should not admit liability in front of the police since this is not required.

#2 – Take notes – After road accidents occur claimants are advised to make a note of certain things like the number of passengers in the other car, the extent of damage to the other car, the type of injuries sustained by the other person and the license registration number of the other car. Claimants are encouraged to take a picture of the scene of the accident in case there are any problems later on. Claimants also have to exchange contact details with the other party along with insurance details if applicable.

#3 – Avoid confrontations – Confronting the other party will only cause problems and claimants are advised not to do so. If the claimant feels that there will be any problems getting personal injury claim compensation due to problems with the other party then he should hire a solicitor instead of taking matter into his own hands. Claimants are also advised not to claim liability in front of the other party without first talking to a legal professional who can help the claimant understand the ramifications of admitting liability.

#4 – Opt for free help – There is no doubt that a personal injury solicitor can help a claimant get maximum injury compensation but not many people look forward to hiring lawyers because they believe that hiring a personal injury solicitor is an expensive task. The truth is that hiring a solicitor is not an expensive task since many solicitors offer free legal help. No win no fee solicitors help claimants get all the legal help they need for no cost. No win no fee solicitors provide all the services that paid solicitors offer along with additional benefits like no win no fee services and no obligatory services.

Liability Insurance- How it helps your business | ArticleCube.com

liability insurance provides protection to policy holders against the liabilities that their policy covers. Currently business owners are opting for such policies. Insurance providers have come up with plans that can help many businesses stay covered against liabilities that can turn up in future. There are various types of liabilities such insurance policies offer coverage for, the article below attempts to explain a few of them.
Products Liability Policy: Such a policy is bought by the business owner to get coverage against loss suffered to his products. Motor Car Insurance company generally covers the business owners against any damages that are caused to their products due to a sudden accident, once the products leave the company premises. There are many other clauses mentioned in the policy that the insurers need to careful understand and study before they finalize their insurance company. Not going through the minute details can end up creating problems at the time of insurance claims process so it is better to make the best choice that suits your business needs.
Public liability policy: This liability insurance policy covers business owner for any sort of damage caused to a third party. Generally the policy covers accidental death, injury and loss or damage to third party property. The insurance company offers to pay up for the legal and other expenses involved.
Professional Indemnity Policy: This policy is for professionals on whom the liabilities fall upon in case any person in case he commits some error during his professional service. In such cases the insurance company pays for the financial losses that the business would have incurred, however there are a set of conditions applied to such scenarios and only if they are met the insurance claims shall be granted.
Like every other insurance,
liability Insurance too is meant to provide business owners a feeling of security. Many people are often under the wrong notion that having liability insurance will save them from paying the liabilities they face in case they incur any losses. This isn’t true as the insurance providers always aim at offering monetary benefit to the insured only if the coverage is being used in the right sense. The insurance claims procedures can become tough to tackle for people who buy such a policy with an aim to run away from their responsibilities and make money.
For businesses that function abiding the rules and regulations, liability insurance can prove to be of great benefit for them. Any business set up whether small or large always will have a sort of insecurity and doubts pertaining to uncertain circumstances. In case you are in two minds about securing your organization then its time to think about liability insurance. Do not make a hasty decision, settle for a reliable provider.

Openings In A Variety Of Government Contractor Jobs | ArticleCube.com

By now, it has become amply clear to job seekers that government contractor jobs are considerably safer and secure than private jobs. Not simply do government contractor jobs provide you with a sense of permanence, throughout periods of socio-economic crisis, but they are also high paying. What is additional, these kinds of jobs have large glamor and respectability that you can hardly anticipate from your normal privatized corporate job. To add, the quantum of emotional and psychological satisfaction that's ascribed to such state and federal government jobs is wonderful, owing to the truth that you simply are serving your nation, while working for them. Even so, in case you see it challenging to get permanent full time government jobs, then you could also take your choice from a host of government contractor jobs.

Government contracting jobs are very focused on the completion of specialized governmental projects, around a fixed period of time. They are very exciting, giving workers a taste of long-lasting government jobs and unlocking the entry for other constant job opportunities with governmental departments. However, it has been noticed that a good deal of men and women, who begin their careers with contracted entry level government jobs, choose to continue working as government contractors. This is since, such government contract jobs have an appeal of their very own, additionally to their elements of convenience and flexibility. In a time, when operating continually can send several people today towards the precipice of a burnout, government contractor jobs provide you the chance to function at will, whenever you would like. A number of the significant locations, where you will find opportunities for government contractors, contain.

Defense contractor jobs: These jobs, as their name suggests, are related to the security of the nation. Candidates, who apply for such jobs, have to have adequate physical and mental stamina to survive several difficult circumstances. One need to hold U.S citizenship, so as to be eligible for such government job openings.

Government jobs overseas: These are particularly high paying jobs that need staff to engage in risky work location, in far flung nations of the world. At times, such jobs might also entail administrative functions.

Entry level government jobs: Contractors that engage in these kinds of jobs want minimum qualification. These kinds of jobs are generally clerical in nature. Nonetheless, one may possibly discover numerous tricks of the trade, even though operating in such jobs, and use the subsequent encounter to get a greater and greater paying job, elsewhere.

Homeland security jobs: These are similar to defense associated jobs, entailing the safety and security of the nation and its significant authorities.

Independent contractor jobs: These are mostly associated to bidding activities.

Secret clearance jobs: These are leading secret jobs which are shrouded in high level of confidentiality. In other words, the activities that you simply execute, while operating on these, is only known to concerned authorities and other associated people.
You, too, can decide on among these contracted government job opportunities, in order to serve the nation.

Methods to Choose the Strongest Payment processing Provider For On ...

Selecting your service provider account provider is important, as it is by way of this provider that you will be doing all your online credit card processing. Making the suitable alternative for your business can imply the difference between a smooth, straightforward methodology of on-line bank card processing, and a posh one with hidden fees and charges. So as to make your life simpler, listed below are some things to contemplate when trying into the perfect member account supplier for you:

Learn how a lot is charged for offering you with the option of on-line credit card processing. Sure credit card processing providers will charge you a high fee for the service, however there shall be no extra charges. Others will supply low cost service, however the hidden costs will kill you. Discover the merchant account provider that provides you a low value with no hidden fees.

See if you could find special provides on merchant account provider deals. There are lots of low cost presents you'd be clever to benefit from, and you will see that which you can save a great deal of cash by buying the net credit card processing service at a discounted price.

Just be sure you learn the phrases of settlement carefully with a view to make sure that you simply understand what you're getting yourself into. Chances are you'll even wish to have a attorney at law help clarify things to you, as they may be capable to simplify the varied terms of the agreement as a way to make it simpler for you to understand. Just be sure you know what you are paying for, what you'll have to pay additional for, and what the terms of your settlement actually are.

Be sure that you know the entire services which are being offered. Do not automatically assume that you're receiving a service, as chances are you'll be shocked by the massive bill the merchant account supplier will stick you with online payment processing has many different points to it, so make sure that you know exactly what services you might be contracting.

The very best service provider account providers will give you glorious customer help, something that will likely be very wanted as you get started with on-line bank card processing. Grasping all the things about bank card processing online will take time, and you will have to call customer assist often to obtain data and help together with your problems. The best merchant account suppliers may have a top quality buyer help that will likely be out there 24/7 that will help you remedy your problems.

Reading via the FAQs on the service provider account provider's web site will allow you to to be taught as much as doable, each in regards to the provider and the companies they're providing you.

Make it possible for the safety of the online credit card payment processing is great, as you need to make sure that your customers aren't having their credit card details stolen as they make funds to your on-line company.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

this blog

Hello

The pulse of this bog is to discuss, share, elaborate, deliberate.... you get the picture.
This is for the unique group of persons known as sub contractors.
Sometimes called field techs, field engineers, low voltage , and so forth.
There are so many portals, so many buyers, providers and so many rules regulations to learn discuss debate argue complain about....
OK let's get started!!!!
Who goes first?