convore.json/groups/entrepreneurship/business-models-for-professional-service-firms/messages.json

[{"user_id": 3404, "stars": [], "topic_id": 8267, "date_created": 1298451166.90097, "message": "Prof serv firms work as either a) time-based billing (98% go with this model) or b) solution-based billing (think \"fixed fee\", but it can be as complicated as it needs to be to satisfy both sides). What would be new ways for startups to pay for \"high-end\" (think IDEO) professional services (effectively creating some new model for professional service delivery)?", "group_id": 250, "id": 186272}, {"user_id": 14637, "stars": [], "topic_id": 8267, "date_created": 1298451655.788615, "message": "surely 'solution based billing' covers so much that most alternatives are covered under that banner, e.g. shared risk, shared reward etc?", "group_id": 250, "id": 186292}, {"user_id": 3404, "stars": [], "topic_id": 8267, "date_created": 1298452160.0401781, "message": "Probably, yes.  But they tend towards a more \"contracts\" based approach, where every little detail has to be hashed out in order to be effective.  I've been interested in the question of whether a model can be designed that can be applied a bit more horizontally (e.g. - subscription models /w different levels, etc).  Hopefullly something that keeps the lawyers at bay!", "group_id": 250, "id": 186319}, {"user_id": 14637, "stars": [], "topic_id": 8267, "date_created": 1298452973.4554479, "message": "I've run prof serv firms and we offered all different kinds of billing, probably 80% of it time based, but did do some subscription based as well (annual fees) although again in the end most of these were linked back to time to protect us the supplier.", "group_id": 250, "id": 186347}]