ATCP, LLC

I bought a Slingbox Pro on August 24th, 2007, at Best Buy. I have used it with my PDA (long since gone), which amazed everyone I showed it to, as well as on the road in hotel rooms and even from different parts of the house. Neat idea, and way ahead of Hava at the time. Still no support for my Dish Network VIP 612 DVR (HD) yet, but good enough.

I did a firmware update the other day, long after the 1 year warranty was up. It bricked my box, along with hundreds or even thousands of others.

My initial email:

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I am on the road. A LOT.

The hotels I usually stay at have no variety in television, even though they almost all have the same sattelite provider I do at home (Dish Network). This means I can’t watch things like the Red Sox on NESN. Not any more!

I bought a Slingbox Pro at Best Buy and am still stunned at how good a device this is. It communicates with a private tracker at Sling Media so that any client on the Internet can access it. My networks sit behind 2 firewalls, so pin-holing took me a little time, but there are no changes needed to external machines-even those with personal firewalls on them.

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I will never remember where I heard someone say “If there are no job reqs that match what you do, it is time to consult.”, but I think I’m there. I’ve had a consultancy for 12 years that has served primarily between engagements, allowing me to 1099 my past employers who still need my services.
Right now as a W2, I rely on others for my success. Of my many faults, one of the most baffling to me is my lack of marketing skills. I help dozens of people network and improve their skills every year. I help them find the work they need, and promote/sell themselves. I find it easy to help people. I can see things-trends, patterns-they can’t.  I’m the person that looks over the player’s shoulders and sees the triple jump.
The problem gets worse with (my) age. In a W2 role, I am an expense. People can be gotten right out of college for 1/3 what I make now, and are easily molded. I’m seriously considering saving up enough money in order to be completely performance compensated.

That is, I receive, say 1% of the gross of any deals I work on that close. I think a VP of Sales/COO/CEO would be much more likely to hire me under than premise. I’d have to think about how to bill out expenses, but I think this is the right approach.
So why can’t I pick up a phone and cold call? Why can’t I be my own mentor? I make a living helping people sell better and become better sales professionals. I’m helpless, apparently, at being one of those I help. If I could acquire my own clients, I would never need to W2 or rely on instability for income. I’d be interested in hearing from anyone who has made the transition.
My powers seem to be strictly one-way. I can only help other people, and not myself. I think this means my professional network is now more valuable than ever to my success.