So the story basically goes like this, I was working for my former boss using a new technology that I thought would be really helpful in our line of work. He loved that I was basically doing all this extra stuff for the same rate he hired me for. Eventually, I realized that I could just sell this service to other people so I started my own business. I gave him FIVE weeks advanced notice to find my replacement and he wanted me to even train them which I never got when I was hired. My former coworker was acting like we were friends up until my final week. The secretary in the office and I still keep in touch so she tells me all the stuff that the other girl says about me now that I am no longer there. She told me about how one day the evil coworker was talking to her asking if she knew about me wanting to leave. She lied and said no not really but good for me and hopefully they will still use my services in the future. The evil coworker then said “No we’ll probably just get that technology on our own and have it in the office.” The next week however the evil coworker talked to me as if she were my friend and said they would be using my services in the future. I even told my boss that I would work once or twice a week while the new person got acclimated.
Long story short two days ago we went to a site of a new client. We didn’t talk about how much my rate would be with the business beforehand. He texted me later that day and told me he would want it to be the hourly rate that I was getting paid before. The program that I use charges for it plus my hours, and costs of me buying the equipment I will basically be taking a loss in money. He just gave me a promise that in the future projects we will discuss pricing. If we don’t agree on pricing for future projects nothing is really stopping him from buying the machine himself. The thing is I don’t think he knows what the machine is or how to use it. But if I give him access to the stuff I did on this last project he will find out. I think my best option is to just get the rates in writing on a contract that is reasonable for both of us and if he thinks it is too expensive then just screw him.