Seriously. In the current economy you need to have connections, or be really, really good, like Merlyn, Abigail, et al.

Now for the bad news. Even being "really good" isn't enough. I lost money three quarters out of four for the past two years. My credit cards hit their maximum point in December, and in January I had to pull out $15K from my retirement account (penalties ouch ouch) just to cover current bills.

And even in the midst of that down cycle, I still knew it was important to continue to advertise and devote time to being visible in places like monks and usenet. That's why I ran that big party at OSCON last year, borrowing some of the last money I had available. Because, early this year, we landed an in-call client (them calling us out of the blue) that has given us about $100K in revenue so far, and continues to book classes until well into September at the moment. Had I not continued to make Stonehenge visible, I doubt I would have gotten that call. It only takes finding one good client like that to pay for a year's worth of advertising and trade shows.

Being in business is tough. I know a lot more than I did a few years ago, and I can say that holds true for any given three year window. But I still face challenges up ahead that I'm gritting my teeth about, so it's not all rosy yet.

Seriously. In the current economy you need to have connections, or be really, really good, like Merlyn, Abigail, et al.

Funny, I know alot of really really really (yes 3 'really's) good people who are having a hard time finding work. Skill and talent are only part of the game, connections (as you point out) are very important, but visibility is key to the success of all of them. As merlyn points out in his response above, if your not getting the name out there people won't know to call you. Abigail-ll is a well known and respected voice because alot of what he says is right on the money, but the odds work for him cause he posts a lot here! Not all of them are gems, but that doesnt matter, as we all have our our good days and bad days, the point is he is out there and making himself visible and memorable. Talent is (unfortuantely) just not enough, you have to get the word out. This is Marketing 101, and the reason why we listen to flat records (Edisons cylindricals were superior, but he sucked at marketing) , watch VHS tapes (*sigh* poor BETA-MAX) and use Windows (Nuff Said). Because they had the louder voice, not the better product.

and the reason why we listen to flat records (Edisons cylindricals were superior, but he sucked at marketing) , watch VHS tapes (*sigh* poor BETA-MAX) and use Windows (Nuff Said)

*ring* *ring* Hello? Oh, hey, stvn, it's the 80's, they're asking for all their stuff back! ;-)

Your just jealous of my K-Tel record collection and my BETA-MAX collection of John Hughes movie classics ;-P

-stvn