Search results for tag #consulting
I'm starting to do more consulting work, and would like to have a simple bookkeeping + invoicing setup. Would prefer FOSS and local-only on Linux, although I'm open to suggestions.
I use Freshbooks for my main business, which is great, but a little pricier than I'd like for this purpose, and more than I need. (Also not local or FOSS :)
Anyone have any recommendations? Is GNUCash my best bet?
RE: https://mastodon.bsd.cafe/@stefano/115893474212360253
UPDATE: I just had a talk with two of the owners (whom I've known for years) and one of the young developers who was on yesterday's call. She confirmed that this manager's behavior was unmanageable. High-strung and narcissistic, he had apparently been let go from his previous company due to his inability to work with colleagues and owners alike. It seems he was even trying to boss the owners around.
To make a long story short, the entire sysadmin team threatened to quit if I stopped collaborating with the company. As a result, the owners summoned the manager in the late morning, and he resigned. They are reverting to the previous management structure (led by one of the owners). They might drop a few projects, but they said they prefer returning to a more "human" way of running the business - which is what always set them apart in the past.
I told them I'll think about it. If things are truly as they say (and I have no reason to doubt them yet), I'll propose a 6-month trial collaboration to see how things actually evolve. I'm aware it's easy to "pass the buck" - was it really just the manager's fault, or are the owners using him as a scapegoat now that things went south? However, given our history, I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for now.
#IT #FreelanceLife #WorkLifeBalance #ToxicManagement #TechLife #Consulting #SelfEmployed
Yesterday I lost a client. And I couldn't be happier about it.
It's a long-standing client, but the management changed a few months ago. On Monday, they requested an emergency intervention, which I handled immediately.
On Tuesday (yesterday, evening), they asked for a non-urgent enhancement to be closed by Wednesday evening. I explained that due to various reasons (including urgent family matters), I wouldn't be able to finish the task before Friday. That's when the lecturing started: they told me they set tight deadlines even for non-emergencies because "that's the proper way to do things", and anyone working with them must respect them without exception.
I requested a video call to clarify. I explained that the work requires nearly a full day and that I simply couldn't close it by Wednesday. Even the physical time required to copy the data exceeded their deadline. But the new management believes that by applying pressure, you can overcome anything. Even the laws of physics.
Their response was sarcastic: "Our requests take priority, even if you are dying". I smiled and reiterated that I had no other way. "We will therefore have to find a new consultant who respects our timing", they said.
My response: "Okay. Our agreement expired on 31st December. I was waiting for a renewal, but it never arrived. Meaning, I have no legal obligations toward you. You have the data, the passwords, everything. Have a great day.".
The manager, annoyed and failing to understand the implications, replied: "Fine, we’ll look for someone younger with fewer family ties to manage.".
This morning, the phone rang. It was the manager, asking me to reconsider. His tone remained contemptuous, so I told him my decision was final. Two minutes later, I got a call from their biggest client - the one responsible for over 50% of their revenue. They had been notified I was leaving and informed the company they would also leave if I was no longer the one supervising their machines.
I called the manager back, friendly, trying to see if they were willing to change their attitude - to move from peremptory orders to requests between human beings. He started talking about "suing for damages" if they lost their main client because of me (to be clear: I am not taking that client for myself).
I don’t know how this story will evolve, but right now, I'm just enjoying a breath of fresh air outside my window.
#IT #FreelanceLife #WorkLifeBalance #ToxicManagement #TechLife #Consulting #SelfEmployed
Yesterday I lost a client. And I couldn't be happier about it.
It's a long-standing client, but the management changed a few months ago. On Monday, they requested an emergency intervention, which I handled immediately.
On Tuesday (yesterday, evening), they asked for a non-urgent enhancement to be closed by Wednesday evening. I explained that due to various reasons (including urgent family matters), I wouldn't be able to finish the task before Friday. That's when the lecturing started: they told me they set tight deadlines even for non-emergencies because "that's the proper way to do things", and anyone working with them must respect them without exception.
I requested a video call to clarify. I explained that the work requires nearly a full day and that I simply couldn't close it by Wednesday. Even the physical time required to copy the data exceeded their deadline. But the new management believes that by applying pressure, you can overcome anything. Even the laws of physics.
Their response was sarcastic: "Our requests take priority, even if you are dying". I smiled and reiterated that I had no other way. "We will therefore have to find a new consultant who respects our timing", they said.
My response: "Okay. Our agreement expired on 31st December. I was waiting for a renewal, but it never arrived. Meaning, I have no legal obligations toward you. You have the data, the passwords, everything. Have a great day.".
The manager, annoyed and failing to understand the implications, replied: "Fine, we’ll look for someone younger with fewer family ties to manage.".
This morning, the phone rang. It was the manager, asking me to reconsider. His tone remained contemptuous, so I told him my decision was final. Two minutes later, I got a call from their biggest client - the one responsible for over 50% of their revenue. They had been notified I was leaving and informed the company they would also leave if I was no longer the one supervising their machines.
I called the manager back, friendly, trying to see if they were willing to change their attitude - to move from peremptory orders to requests between human beings. He started talking about "suing for damages" if they lost their main client because of me (to be clear: I am not taking that client for myself).
I don’t know how this story will evolve, but right now, I'm just enjoying a breath of fresh air outside my window.
#IT #FreelanceLife #WorkLifeBalance #ToxicManagement #TechLife #Consulting #SelfEmployed
🛠️ Tool
===================
Executive summary: The AI / LLM Red Team Field Manual & Consultant's Handbook is a GitHub-hosted operational toolkit and consultancy playbook for LLM-focused red team assessments. The repository consolidates a 46-chapter handbook with standardized metadata and abstracts, plus consulting frameworks for engagement scoping, reporting and remediation.
Key capabilities:
• Comprehensive coverage of LLM attack vectors including prompt injection, data leakage/extraction, jailbreaks, plugin/API exploitation, training data poisoning, model theft and membership inference.
• Pipeline-focused chapters addressing RAG architectures, data provenance and supply chain security for retrieval-augmented systems.
• Operational chapters on engagement setup: SOW, threat modeling, lab safety, evidence handling, and reporting templates for client-facing deliverables.
Technical implementation (conceptual):
• Content is GitBook-ready with standardized metadata per chapter to support rapid navigation, client briefings, and training modules.
• The repo is oriented toward Python 3.8+ environments and references hands-on labs and exercises (no execution or setup instructions included in the material itself).
Use cases:
• Red team assessments of hosted and on-premise LLM deployments.
• Security reviews of RAG pipelines and vector stores, including data provenance validation.
• Consulting engagements that require standardized deliverables: SOWs, ROEs, and remediation roadmaps.
Limitations and notes:
• Several chapters are noted as stubs in-progress; not every advanced topic is fully complete yet.
• The material is discipline-specific and assumes familiarity with LLM concepts for intermediate chapters; beginner sections are present for onboarding.
References and product metadata:
• Repository metadata: GitBook/SUMMARY.md navigation, Python 3.8+ compatibility, CC BY-SA 4.0 license, last updated December 2025.
🔹 tool #llm_red_team #RAG #adversarial_ml #consulting
🔗 Source: https://github.com/Shiva108/ai-llm-red-team-handbook
Contract renewal time with a big client.
Last year the pimp, a web of multinationals, refused a rate adjustment, so 2025 was eroded 2.7% - inflation. 2026 offer includes a 2% rate adjustment, still sub-inflationary.
The other key resource on the project will be away for 6 weeks and the client will be looking for me to fill in and keep the outsourced jr. morons they hire from becoming comatose or burning stuff down.
I've offered the client a 5% discount for a direct contract.