Hi. I see you are convinced that you need a partner to do the marketing, sales, client meetings, etc. I just want you to be aware that you might be able to learn these skills over time. There are books, tapes, videos, and seminars that are available to teach you marketing/sales/people skills. And if you are good enough to be an independent programmer, you will gain more confidence.

I say this because a partner can also introduce more problems when starting a business. Unless your roles are clearly defined and not overlapping, there is a chance that you will have conflicting views about different subject. If you have someone who just does marketing, I think you will need more than one programmer. If you both program, I would suggest thinking of a good method to resolve conflicts (is there one with 2 people?).

The suggestion of starting some contracts on the side is an excellent one. It will give you experience in many aspects of the business. Also, if and when you decide to go full-time, you will have some established clients and some good referals. Quite often a client will be able to point you in the right direction for some other contracts as they will have contacts in their business that have mentioned that they have a need for custom software of some type.

Just my two cents.



>I'm getting fairly good with VFP, but I'm far from mastering it. VB I only know a little from looking at examples for Map Objects written in VB. I've got the basics of HTML, though I'm not sure how much I remember after doing it the easy way with FrontPage. :) I've heard of vbscript, but don't really know what it is. Javascript I've looked at a little. On OLE/COM, I'm less than a novice.
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>From the two messages I've got so far, I'm realizing that there's a lot more involved than just being able to program. I wonder if 5 years is enough time to learn enough?
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>In price I have a little bit of advantage. I've got a husband that makes a good living, so I won't starve at entry-level rates.
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>I think the key is to learn as much as I can between now and then, and then find myself an extroverted partner.
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>Thanks,
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>-Michelle
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>>I'd recommend mastering VFP and VB. You should also get very familiar with HTML, vbscript, javascript and OLE/COM. I have a full time job plus consulting, and make more consulting than I do at the full time job. However, I plan to retire from the "full-time" job in four years, if I don't drop dead first. I can then move into seeking out more clients -> more money.
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>>My suggestion is to try to find someone who needs part-time help and build from there. Start with a VERY fair price for your work, and as you hone your skills, expand you client base and raise your rates. When you get to the point that you're working all the time, raise your prices.