Hardware Podcasts

199: Petri Dishes of Doom

Embedded.fm · 10 May 2017 · 1h 03m

What this episode covers

Hosts Elecia White and Christopher White answer listener questions about the business side of embedded consulting, distinguishing between contracting and consulting. They discuss billing strategies, advising hourly rates over fixed bids to avoid scope creep, and using a salary-to-rate conversion spreadsheet to determine pricing. The conversation covers contract pitfalls, such as perpetual bug-fix clauses and IP ownership, and practical advice on invoicing, tool licensing, and data security via backups and virtual machines.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Logical Elegance
Tools
IAR, MatLab, QuickBooks, CrashPlan, Backblaze
Also
AWS

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 24m

    Electronics Consultant Impedance Matching

    Chris Gammell hosts a panel with electronics consultants Peter Esden-Tempski (OneBitSquared), Eric Thompson (LowVoltageLabs), and Dave Young (Young Circuit Designs) to discuss the realities of independent consulting. The group covers critical business decisions such as choosing between fixed-bid and hourly contracts, managing the lack of stability and benefits compared to corporate jobs, and the importance of maintaining cash reserves. They also share strategies for client acquisition through personal networks and hackerspaces, while addressing challenges like imposter syndrome, pricing psychology, and the pitfalls of accepting equity.

    Starting a product companyPricing, margins & unit economics
    7 chapters

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 26m

    More Electronics Consultant Impedance Matching

    Host Chris Gammell and consultants Alex Klimaj of Arc Electronics, Jeremiah Gillis of Embedded Bytes, and Kieran O’Leary of Mixed Signal Systems discuss the realities of running electronics consulting businesses during the pandemic. They cover the shift to remote work, the impact on billable hours, and strategies for marketing services through open-source products like Klimaj's LIPOW charger and O’Leary's signal integrity boards. The group also shares war stories regarding insurance challenges, client management, and the importance of rigorous documentation and quality control in embedded systems.

    Embedded firmwarePCB design & layout
    8 chapters

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 04m

    Idiorhythmic IPC Inconcinnity

    Hosts Abraham and Dave Jones discuss the realities of engineering consulting, contrasting hourly billing and tax implications in the US with Australian sole trader structures, while highlighting the risks of fixed-price quotes and spec creep. They explore the challenges of standardizing PCB footprints across different EDA tools like Altium and KiCad, noting the lack of universal libraries and the influence of PCB assemblers on design choices. The conversation also touches on Apple's supply chain dominance, the technical limitations of tiny microcontrollers like the ATtiny10, and the business model behind Amazon's Kindle hardware.

    Careers & educationEDA & CAD tools
    8 chapters

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 06m

    Design & Manufacturing Consulting with Scott Williams from Xentronics

    Scott Williams, founder of Zentronics in Melbourne, explains how he scaled a small electronics design and manufacturing consultancy from a solo freelancer to a six-person firm. He details the business challenges of avoiding fixed-price contracts for new product development due to unknowns like EMC compliance and integration risks, advocating instead for agile estimates and phased scoping. Williams also discusses hiring strategies, preferring 'V-shaped' engineers with deep specialties over generalists, and the importance of maintaining hands-on technical involvement while managing business growth.

    Scaling productionPricing, margins & unit economics
    10 chapters

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 03m

    Adafruit, Chip heist, Hackerspaces - The Kit Conniption

    Hosts Chris Gammell and Dave Jones discuss the challenges of building a kit business, with Jones advising that lowering the bill of materials (BOM) cost is critical to achieving the high margins necessary for viability. They debate the use of Kickstarter for hardware, with Jones warning against taking customer money before the product is proven, and discuss licensing options like the Open Source Hardware License versus Creative Commons for protecting intellectual property while allowing community contribution.

    Pricing, margins & unit economicsCrowdfunding & preorders
    6 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Embedded.fm. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.