40% taken by agencies

[Tarique Beg]

Lisa

Doing your own framing as a side business is a great idea. I see so many framing shops everywhere, even in expensive malls. I've come to the conclusion that framing must be a good business or else so many people wouldn't have been in it. Furthermore, the fact that framers can charge such high prices must be because there is a high demand for it (correct me if I'm wrong).

Anyway, I checked out a few framing places and found they used special framing equipment. What do you use ? Did you learn it on your own just by reading books ? and how does one get a tax exemption certificate/sales and use tax license for a state ? (sorry for all the questions).

Cynthia

Thanks for the link, I'll check it out. How does one become a redistributer for frame suppliers such as Abe Munn ?

Karin

In my current profession of software development consulting, (at my level) we get paid anywhere from $65/hr to $150/hr plus. I always try to negotiate as high as possible by playing one agent against the other since I work with several agents simultaneously. Whoever, gets me the best rate wins (in a good market, that is).

Sometimes, I'll even get myself submitted at a low rate, and after the corporation decides they want me for their project, I pretend to walk away just before signing the contract with the agent. This usually puts the agency in a bind because they loose face with a big corporate client. So, they mostly cave in and give me my rate.

Typically, I get upto 80% of the billing rate. My methods may not be very straight forward, but then neither are the agency's, because I know several engineers who end up being paid, say, $35/hr while the agency charges the corporation $120/hr!! - that is for 40hrs/wk for six months to a year!!.

Essentially, all these computer staffing agencies do is get your foot in the door at a corporation, then they collect anywhere from 20% to 70% of the billing rate. I think all agencies will try to get away with as much as possible in every profession.

I wonder if you can play one gallery or rep against another in a similar manner as artists ? Of course, I haven't started art professionally yet, so I don't know. When I do start, I think I'll try to stay away from the galleries. Hopefully, I should have another profession to fall back on and perhaps even finance my own marketting when the time comes.