>>Never punch a client's clock or let him/her dictate when and perhaps where you work on the project, otherwise you are an employee by IRS rules. You should download a copy of those rules and memorize them.
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>First a congrats out to James and best of luck!
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>Jerry,
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>I have a quick question on what you said above. If a client wants you to work on-site, how exactly do you deal with that? They have a designated work day and state the hours that they want you there.
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>Up until now I haven't had a problem because I've done all my work at my home. However, any of the prospective clients that I'm trying to land a deal with presently will require me to be on-site...
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>- Brian

Under NO circumstances did I allow the CLIENT to dictact the days and hours I would work on their project. I WAS NOT THEIR EMPLOYEE. I avoided such misunderstandings or attempts to dictact behavior by having in the contract, they and I had to sign, references to the IRS rules for determining Independent vs corporate employees, and that I will abide by those rules to protect my independent status. My contract also states that I will have other clients under contract and may recieve phone calls from them or be called away for emergencies. I agree that if and when I appear on site it will be during their business hours, except when there are occasions that may require access to equipment and software during NON business hours (Installation, table modifications, or anything else that circumstance bring up). So, the contract covers all these contengencies and requires their signature and agreement, otherwise ... no deal.

You will run into executives who like to dictate, dominate and generally present a 'superior' attitude. You have to decide if you want to work with such people. For me, life is too short to put up with inflating their egos.
You may, on the average, land only about 1 out of 3 contracts you bid on. But remember, the less they pay for your services the less they will respect you. There are average hourly rates for programmers in your area. Put yourself somewhere in the top 25%, if you think you match up, and be ready to accept some rejections. As I said before... 1,000 hrs at $80/hr is a lot better than 2,000 hours at $40/hr.