Question : First potential computer consulting job (auction/host management). Any advice?
I am former computer professional who is trying to get his feet wet again, trying to get back into the industry.

I have a potential client who is in the auction business, but no longer wants to be on ebay. He is considering hiring me to create a new auction site for him and manage it. He has full-time employees to manage and create the products and users. I will manage the website itself, supporting him and his employees.

I’m looking into hosting services, especially those with pre-made auction website software. I’ve come up with one I like, and a bunch of lesser alternatives. I will be giving a proposal to him on Thursday (does not have to be formally-written…much of it will be verbal).

I’ve not done private consulting work before, and was hoping some of you out there might have some advice on what to focus on regarding
– the proposal,
– how much to charge (the software is 695 one-time charge, and the hosting 250/yr, and 85/hr if *I* need assistance), I’m thinking 2k up front, then 20% of his auction returns, with no other future fees.
– creating a contract (it is someone I have known for a long time and trust),
– how to offer what is fair regarding quick personal support, without opening myself up to bombardments of phone calls and emails 24/7/365
– What to look for from the hosting service
– Whatever else I might need to keep in mind.

Although it’s been a while, I have done web-scripting before, including some pretty hard-core Oracle. This software is written in PHP and MySQL. I don’t know these technologies in particular, but I’m sure I won’t find them all that different. I’m obviously responsible to fix problems, and, as I said above, if *I* need assistance, the hosting company will give it to me for 85-bucks-an-hour.

Sorry this is sort of a nebulous, vague question, but this is very new to me. Thank you for any advice you have.
contract management software

Best answer:

Answer by joe.attaboy
You are on the wrong site to be asking about this. Most of the people here can’t figure out how to get the sound working on their PCs, what to do about a virus, or where they can download pirated music and movies.

You need to do a Google search on computer consulting sites and find a forum where folks who do this for a living can give you some legitimate advice. Yes, there are sites like that out there. But, you’re not going to get that here…