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Kevin Lloyd Atlanta |
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Business Intelligence Consultant, OLAP Expert. |
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Things you should know about Kevin Lloyd from Atlanta... |
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Business Intelligence Expert, Thought Leader, Smooth Talker, Snake Oil Salesman… Who is Kevin Lloyd? This website is intended to help the reader learn a little bit about Kevin Lloyd. I can only convey my experiences with Kevin to the reader. Others will likely have different experiences with Mr. Lloyd. Most of my contact with Kevin was via email and telephone as I didn’t get to spend much time with him in person. This was difficult since he abandoned the project after two days on the job. I figure the best way for you to get to know Kevin is the same way I did—through the emails we sent back and forth in January and February of 2007. I’ve removed my name and my client’s name from the emails to avoid further embarrassment at Kevin Lloyd’s hands. Enjoy your reading! A little background: My software consulting company was asked to find a Business Intelligence Expert to help them build data cubes, perform some OLAP analysis, etc. These skills are in short supply in our town. So, I took my search national and put a classified ad on a national job board. A couple of days after posting the position Kevin contacted me. I sent him back some details on the position: Sent: Jan 4, 2007 9:52 PM To: Kelloyd@earthlink.net Subject: RE: Inquiry about Job Number 402999 Hi Kevin - here are more details: The project starts in January is centered around building data cubes for a MS SQL Server 2005 database for an Oil & Gas company here in Oklahoma. The initial phase of this is a short-term proof-of-concept project. If the client is satisfied with the results of the POC, then we would be looking at a six month (minimum) contract. The short-term project is probably about 12 weeks. I wish we could commit to more on the duration of the project, but that is what we have... Two questions: 1. Are you available in January to work on this? 2. What rate would you be looking for? If you are interested, and the rate is a fit, we can talk further about this. Thanks So, I want to make sure he is interested - no sense in wasting my time or his… He responds: From: kelloyd@earthlink.net [mailto:kelloyd@earthlink.net] Sent: Thursday, January 04, 2007 11:57 PM Subject: RE: Inquiry about Job Number 402999 Is the data warehouse and the ETL already in place? I am interested and the rate for this project would be 85 an hour. Kevin My Response: Sent: Jan 5, 2007 11:27 AM To: kelloyd@earthlink.net Subject: RE: Inquiry about Job Number 402999 Hi Kevin, I'm not a BI expert, but hopefully I can tell you what I know and that may answer your questions. They are not in a situation where they have lots of disparate data sources that need to be put in one place. Currently, they have one SQL Server 2005 DB containing all the information they need. They have dabbled around building some cubes (with mixed results), but don't really have the staff to give the project the time and attention it needs. So they would need some data analysis and cube building help for starters. Your qualifications seem to be a good match. Would you have a chance to have a telephone conversation today or tomorrow? Thanks Kevin Replies: From: kelloyd@earthlink.net [mailto:kelloyd@earthlink.net] I have taken a look at the project and the projected start date would be 1/15 or 1/22. I will know the exact date on Tuesday, 1/9. Let's get the process started. Let me know when we can do a phone interview. I am currently at a client site, but given notice I can make myself available. Kevin Lloyd 678-230-2801 This is encouraging! His resume looks good, so I reply: Sent: Saturday, January 06, 2007 12:36 PM Kevin - sounds good. I should be able to get something set up early next week. Question: Were you an Accenture employee? My first job out of school was with Andersen Consulting... Kevin’s not a chatty guy in his emails, but he replies: From: kelloyd@earthlink.net [mailto:kelloyd@earthlink.net] Yes, the people at Accenture were great to work with, how did you enjoy the experience? Kevin I reply and try to set up an interview date: Sent: Monday, January 08, 2007 3:08 PM Hey Kevin - I would say I got about five years of experience in the three years I was there. Probably the best group of people I've ever worked with (although a very high workaholic population as well...) Question: Would you have a chance to talk with the client on a phone call in the next couple of days? If so, when would be a good time for you? Thanks Kevin Replies: From: kelloyd@earthlink.net [mailto:kelloyd@earthlink.net] Yes, Shall I call them or will they call me? Kevin My Response: Sent: Tuesday, January 09, 2007 10:04 AM Kevin - We will set up a conference call for you to call into. I will contact you with the information as soon as I get it. How is your availability looking? Thanks Kevin replies— looks like we are getting close to an interview: From: kelloyd@earthlink.net [mailto:kelloyd@earthlink.net] It is looking good. Let me know the conference call number when you get it. Kevin The interview is coming up! I need to know more about his availability though... Sent: Tuesday, January 09, 2007 2:53 PM Kevin - here is the conference call information for tomorrow (Wed) at 4:00 PM CST / 5:00 PM EST: Conference Call: 1.800.503.XXXX Passcode: XXXXXX Please confirm that you have received this. Also, how is your availability looking? Thanks Hmm—I thought I asked about availability… Anyway, we talked on the phone and I made sure he was going to be on the call. Kevin then sends me this email: From: kelloyd@earthlink.net [mailto:kelloyd@earthlink.net] What is the website address of the company? Kevin From me: Sent: Tuesday, January 09, 2007 8:14 PM Kevin - the website is http://www.companyname.com/ Thanks We have the interview and Kevin Sails through it like a champ. I send him the news : Sent: Thursday, January 11, 2007 4:43 PM To: 'kelloyd@earthlink.net' Subject: Update Kevin – I talked with the hiring manager today. The IT Group in wants you on the project. They need to get approval from the CIO. The CIO has an acquaintance that claims to have some BI knowledge. No one has talked with this guy, and I get the impression that his expertise is not on par with yours. The IT Director is ready to pull the trigger on getting you rolling; he just needs to convince the CIO that they have found their guy. The hiring manager thinks they may have approval sometime next week. Assuming everything works out on their side, I believe it makes sense for us to discuss some logistics. The basic breakdown of our agreement would be that you will be paid $85 per hour for your services, and you will be provided: - Housing (most likely at a Nice Condo Complex). We have friends that live there. It is very nice, and close to the client. - A Rental Car - Flights to and from Atlanta Things seem to be solidifying on the client side. I want to make sure that we are on the same page as far as expectations and commitment. Assuming the client is a go, and given your understanding of the project, plus the general terms of our agreement outlined above, do you feel that this is a project you would commit to? I believe we are very close to cutting a deal, and want to make sure we are on the same page. Looking forward to getting rolling! Thanks So, I’m looking for some commitment here! The client is pumped up, and it’s looking good. I just want to make sure Kevin Lloyd is not going to flake out on me! Kevin responds to my email: From: kelloyd@earthlink.net [mailto:kelloyd@earthlink.net] Sent: Thursday, January 11, 2007 11:04 PM Subject: Re: Update Thanks for the update. Is the 85 on a W2 and what are the payment terms? Kevin These details are important, but I was also looking for some type of commitment… Maybe this should have been a sign. I respond: Sent: Friday, January 12, 2007 12:17 AM To: 'kelloyd@earthlink.net' Subject: RE: Update Kevin, We can do a W2. We would do this by starting with the $85 / hr, and backing out Social Security, Medicare, Oklahoma and Federal Unemployment, and Workman’s compensation from the rate. After backing out these expenses the rate would net out to appx $78.28 on a W2 hourly basis. You would receive a check every two weeks. On your profile, you indicated that you were open to “Contract Corp-to-Corp” as well. This would be the easier scenario. In this arrangement, our company would pay your S Corporation or LLC $85 per hour. This would put the burden on your company to pay the above items (this is supposed to occur quarterly, but can also occur when you file your tax return). You would see a savings of 0.75% of the gross amount in this scenario because as the owner of your company, you do not have to pay workman’s compensation insurance. As an employer, I am obligated to pay 0.75% of W2 wages to cover workman’s comp. In the first month, we typically pay on submission of the invoice. For subsequent months we pay you when the client pays us. In either scenario, we are out $85 per hour for your services. You can get the best tax advantages out of the second scenario as an S corporation because you can pay yourself a salary and distributions. Distributions are not subject to employment taxes under IRS rules. Your salary would need to be reasonable, but at your rate, you could probably pay yourself half in salary and half in distributions, thus shielding you from half of the employment taxes. This would not be possible under a W2 arrangement. There is a good summary of this here: http://www.powerhomebiz.com/vol136/structure.htm look for the section titled Employment Tax: Savings vs. Paperwork We can take either route, but you will see much better tax advantages going Corp-to-Corp. If you don’t have a corporation set up, I can help you out. My company is an S-Corp, and I just created a new S-Corp last month to hold some real-estate investments. It takes about 15 minutes and fifty dollars to set one up. Let me know which manner of payment you prefer and we will make it happen. If you have more questions, don’t hesitate to email me or call me. Thanks I like this part of the dance—now we are talking about brass-tacks. This guy is for real. I get his response: From: kelloyd@earthlink.net [mailto:kelloyd@earthlink.net] Sent: Friday, January 12, 2007 6:14 PM Subject: RE: Update Thanks, Corp to corp is fine. I was asking because I knew if the rate was W2, then if we switched to Corp to Corp we could adjust the rate. There is another opportunity on the table and they are offering 95 per hour on a Corp to Corp basis. Can we compete with that on this project? Kevin To be expected I suppose—why not go for all the bucks you can… I respond : Sent: Friday, January 12, 2007 8:43 PM To: 'kelloyd@earthlink.net' Subject: RE: Update Kevin – I was thinking about other ways for you to maximize your income on this project. One thought I have is to pay you a higher rate and let you manage your travel and rental car expenses. My company would still take care of the accommodations. A monthly rental car lease is about $1,100 / month after taxes and fees. Flights to and from Atlanta are a bit over $450 each. You can see that in a month, these expenses would amount to a bit over $2,900. On a 40 hour work week, these expenses amount to about $18.25 per hour. My thought is that we could take your rate from $85 / hour to $105 / hour and you could manage these expenses. If you brought your car, and never left during the 12 week project, then the full $105 goes into your pocket. Regardless, you could use the increased rate for travel or just put it in the bank. I really want to get you on this project and I want to be as creative as possible to make it work for you. My problem is that I have already quoted the client a rate, and it is too late to change it. Please let me know your thoughts on this approach. Thanks Pretty good deal I think... Kevin’s response: From: kelloyd@earthlink.net [mailto:kelloyd@earthlink.net] Sent: Saturday, January 13, 2007 7:46 AM Subject: RE: Update I like the way you play with numbers. Are you available to do my taxes? That number works out fine. Let me know once you find out additional news. Thanks. Kevin Now we are buds! I bet we will take our wives on vacation together after this! I send my buddy Kevin an update: Sent: Thursday, January 18, 2007 3:10 PM To: 'kelloyd@earthlink.net' Subject: Update Kevin – I talked with the client today. They want to bring you in. They are awaiting an OK from the CIO / Budget folks. How are you doing? Is your availability still looking good? Thanks Kevin replies to the update: From: kelloyd@earthlink.net [mailto:kelloyd@earthlink.net] Sent: Friday, January 19, 2007 8:09 AM Subject: Re: Update Thanks for the update. I am at Home Depot and I will be presenting to a Director and VP next week. I should become available at the beginning of Feburary. How did the BI guy that the CIO referred go and what do you think the estimated project start date will be? Kevin 678-230-2801 There was another candidate for the job, but Kevin’s interview went so well, he was no longer a factor (although it took a while for that decision to come down). I reply to Kevin: Sent: Friday, January 19, 2007 4:19 PM To: 'kelloyd@earthlink.net' Subject: RE: Update Kevin – It looks like your timing is going to be pretty good for the project. Projected start date is Feb. 5th. I asked about the CIO’s buddy. He has done some work for the CIO in the past. I don’t think this will be an issue. The hiring manager has been in training this week, and has promised to give me more definites next week. I told him that we need to solidify the requested start date so you can wrap things up with Home Depot. He understands. That is the update for now. I’m hoping we get the final OK’s by this coming Wednesday. Thanks and have a great weekend. So, we didn’t get the OK when it was projected, but I still want to make sure Kevin is in the game. I write him: Sent: Thursday, January 25, 2007 1:22 PM To: 'kelloyd@earthlink.net' Subject: Update Kevin – these guys are SLOW… But, once they get it figured out, they are going to want to pull the trigger as soon as possible. The hiring manager told me that we should have the official go-ahead tomorrow. Once we get it, they will want to get you here as soon as possible. A couple of questions: 1) Are you still good to go? 2) When is the earliest you can get here? (They will wait, but they will also want to know) Thanks Hopefully he is still available. Kevin replies: From: kelloyd@earthlink.net [mailto:kelloyd@earthlink.net] Sent: Thursday, January 25, 2007 6:29 PM Subject: Re: Update I am ready when you get the ok. I will probably need one week to wrap up at Home Depot. Let me know. Kevin 678-230-2801 Victory! The client says it is a go! I contact Kevin: Sent: Friday, January 26, 2007 4:11 PM To: 'kelloyd@earthlink.net' Subject: RE: Update Kevin – I just left you a message. As predicted, these guys are hot-to-trot, and you cannot get here soon enough. Please give me a call and let’s figure out how quickly you can get here! Thanks Badaboom! We did it! All parties have agreed. Kevin and I talk on the phone, and he makes plans to get in town to start work on Feb 5th. I send him the contract: Sent: Jan 26, 2007 7:57 PM To: kelloyd@earthlink.net Subject: Consulting Services Agreement-Kevin.doc Kevin - I have attached the consulting services agreement for the upcoming project. I forgot to ask you the name of your company, so the contract uses "Lloyd Inc" as the name of your company. Please let me know the correct name, and I will update the contract accordingly. The basic points of the agreement are: - $105 / Hour Rate - We takes care of lodging - "Lloyd Inc" takes care of travel related expenses - Contract begins Feb 5th. - Pilot project terminates on May 27. If the project is going well, the client will probably want to extend beyond the pilot period. - Payment terms are outlined in Exhibit A. Basically, I'll pay you on submission of the first invoice. After the first invoice, you are paid when the client remits payment to us (typically less than 30 days). Also, let me know what your travel schedule is looking like and we will figure out a time to meet up on Sunday, Feb 4th. As I said on the phone, we will make lodging arrangements for you if we don't have the agreement setup with the condo when you arrive. Please take a look at the contract and let me know if you have any questions. Feel free to cal me with any questions. Looking forward to getting rolling! Thanks Kevin sends his enthusiastic response: From: kelloyd@earthlink.net [mailto:kelloyd@earthlink.net] Sent: Saturday, January 27, 2007 3:04 AM Subject: Re: Consulting Services Agreement-- Kevin.doc The name of the corporation is Sierra Enterprises, Inc. Kevin I send the revised contract to Kevin and he signs it and faxes it back. Meanwhile, we look at several condo units and select the best one for him. I put a $400 non-refundable deposit down on one of the units. Kevin arrives in town Sunday night. I give him a copy of the executed contract. Kevin stays at a hotel this night because the condo unit is not ready. The next day (Monday) Kevin and I meet at Starbucks in the morning. He and I head downtown where I introduce him to the client. The client makes arrangements for his parking permit, an office, security badge, and a computer. Kevin puts in a good days work, and we meet again after work to get him set up in the condo. We have a couple of choices, and he chooses the bigger unit. Kevin signs the rental agreement. We are set! Finally, I can relax! Now it’s just up to Kevin to do what he does best—BI work. Tuesday Morning. My first day not working on this for about a month. All the pieces fell into place. I will have one happy client, and Kevin Lloyd will be getting over $16,000 / month on this project. Not bad for either of them! I call Kevin on my way home from work to check in. No answer—no biggee, I’ll talk to him later. Wednesday morning. Time to have a coffee and check my email. Hmm—something from Kevin… Ahh a project update: From: kelloyd@earthlink.net [mailto:kelloyd@earthlink.net] Sent: Wednesday, February 07, 2007 7:16 AM Subject: Project Status First of all I would like to thank you for this opportunity, however I do not feel that I am the right person for this position and as time is of the essence I wanted to make it known to you as soon as possible. So I have notified you that I will not be continuing my position with the client. Once again, thank you for the opportunity. I have left the keys to the apartment inside the apartment. Kevin Lloyd And—that is the last I heard from Kevin Lloyd! Good luck if you plan on using him on a project. You can’t say you haven’t been warned! |
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A Recent Customer writes: "Kevin helped me lose a major client, as well as lots of time and money. I heartily recommend his services if you want similar results!" |
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