"philo " wrote in message ...
On 12/13/2013 12:47 PM, The Daring Dufas wrote:

I've found that many people who complain about what I charge based on
what they think an item costs at a wholesale house, are often the same
people who pay a lawyer $150.00 for a few sheets of paper with some
writing on it. They can't seem to understand that I'm selling the same
thing as their lawyer, "My time" and I find it very insulting when
someone thinks my time isn't worth anything and they can just take it
up without paying for my product which is my time. When someone takes up
my time then complains about the bill, I ask them if they would like to
pay my cost? If they say yes, I hand them a bill for $400,000.00 which
freaks them out. I explain that's what my cost over 40 years is to reach
this point. ^_^

TDD



Here is where my perceptions changed:


I called a plumber to replace the inlet valve to my house.


Of course he had all the necessary tools and parts with him
and I watched him cut and thread a custom length pipe. He did the whole
thing in 90 minutes and charged me about $450.

Wow, I said, that's a lot of money.


He told me he was charging me "by the book" and that particular job was
a $450 job. I was paying for his expertise not his time.


When I realized I would have taken all day and countless trips to
hardware store...and it would have leaked all over hell when ...I
realized the $450 was actually pretty reasonable.



Bingo. I know someone in my area that wants me to get my general so that
I may do work for him at a lower rate than what is standard. I laughed at
him and told him the truth. I don't do that type of work, anymore. Some
people have no clue what it takes to run a business, and if I am going to
run my own it will be in a market that will be financially beneficial, to
me, and will be specialized. My body forgave me for giving up on the grind.
Though, my pocket book still bitches at me. :-)