You are also available to help run the endless taxi service. Working at home also requires some investment in equipment. I factor these costs in the commissioning structure. It would be difficult to return to being a totally independent composer. I felt that my main job was in public relations and research.
Businessmen talk about every contact resulting in more contacts and more spin-off business.
However, a commission by an organization seldom resulted in another commission by the same organization, or by another organization in the same vicinity. One soon learned that if an organization had commissioning money, it also had the obligation to spread those commissions among as many composers as possible. The next commission for me from that same organization could be ten years away. Some organizations raised funds for special events in the organization's history, and would never be in the commissioning market again. Also, I had become keenly aware of arts organizations' budgets and the economic climate.