Wow, are there ever a lot of different options and vendors for having business cards printed!  I can’t believe how much the price varies between them, especially when it comes to shipping.

I looked and looked online, and found a few different options. Vista Print has some great prices, about $10 including shipping for 250 cards that you design yourself, but it takes about a month for delivery at that price, which is fine, unless you need business cards now.  I ran into the situation where I needed my cards much more quickly than that, so I had to look at more costly solutions.

Most places wanted at least $50 for 250 cards, without delivery. I did however find a local print shop which would print me 100 cards for a mere $20, which I thought would be fine, especially because they would print them and I could pick them up by the next business day.

I will let you know how well the cards turned out once I pick them up.

UPDATE: While I was posting this, I got an email from the print shop…I sent them the request at 10:30 this morning, it is now 1:11 and they are ready to pick up. 3 hours – Fantastic.  I’ll keep you posted.

So, after months of upgrading my skills, trying to get some code together for a portfolio, and getting an actual business plan in order, I am finally able to really get started on my new business – Freelance Software & Web Design.  I know that it will be a tricky field to get into nowadays, but I know that my skills coupled with my work ethic and also my drive to produce high quality projects, I can succeed.

I am lucky enough to have a wife that supports this venture whole-heartedly, and has made sacrifices to see my dream come true.  I couldn’t be happier to have such a wonderful partner in this venture.

I am in the process of putting everything together in one place, timdietrich.ca, so that I can show off some of the work I have done, as well as some give people an idea of what it is like to work with me.  There is still a lot of work to be done, but I am VERY excited about the prospect of having my own business.  It is a momentous time in my life, and I hope to bring my creativity and quirkiness to the fascinating field of programming.

I look forward to hearing any and all input regarding the new site, and to assisting you in building your next website or application!

Thanks for visiting, and I plan on keeping everyone updated throughout my process.