I accidentally ghosted a client by Alison Green on August 7, 2023 A reader asks: I recently took on a freelance web design project at an hourly rate. However, I ran into some issues that I hadn’t anticipated having to deal with, and my anxiety got the better of me after we had to cancel a meeting a few weeks ago, and I haven’t responded to any […] Read the full article →
how to work with clients who can’t make up their minds by Alison Green on October 11, 2022 A reader writes: I work as a designer and recently have had clients who cannot make up their minds. I end up going in circles with designs. It feels like an endless game of whack-a-mole, they ask for X, I give them X, but now they really want Y, so I give them Y, but […] Read the full article →
how to deal with a client who’s always late by Alison Green on August 1, 2022 A reader writes: I run a professional services consulting business. I work from home and all of my clients are elsewhere, so our meetings are always over the phone or Skype. For the most part, I love my clients, but one of them has a chronic problem with being late or simply blowing off our […] Read the full article →
clients hire me to edit their books and then get angry about my feedback by Alison Green on April 19, 2022 A reader writes: I’m a freelance editor who enjoys the freedom of taking on projects that I get to choose and working my own schedule. I work regularly and finding work is not my issue — it’s the feeling of being burnt out by my clients. As an editor, I help writers develop their novels […] Read the full article →
update: freelance agency keeps paying me late, but they give me a lot of work by Alison Green on March 24, 2022 Remember the freelancer whose client kept paying late, but gave them a lot of work (#5 at the link)? Here’s the update. I was the freelancer wondering if I should cut ties with a chronically late paying agency. In the end .. I did! It took over 3 months for payment to be made, after […] Read the full article →
what are my obligations to a client when a project drags on? by Alison Green on March 7, 2022 A reader asks: What are a consultant’s obligations to a client whose project timeline is just dragging on indefinitely? I have a client who expected work to be completed over a short amount of time (about 6 weeks). I was paid a lump sum for the project as detailed in the original scope of work. […] Read the full article →
is it crazy to quit my job to go freelance in 2021? by Alison Green on August 19, 2021 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I am considering leaving my job to build my own business as a freelancer (copywriting / digital content marketing). I’m not ready to quit just yet, but I plan to start building up my savings account and take on more side projects and sign up […] Read the full article →
are these unreasonable expectations for a part-time contractor? by Alison Green on January 9, 2020 A reader writes: I was laid off two months ago when my employer eliminated my entire department. I was recently one of the final two candidates for a position that would have been a perfect fit for me. I was up against an internal candidate and did not ultimately receive the offer; however, I was […] Read the full article →
are my clients hiring me to do work their companies believe they’re doing on their own? by Alison Green on September 12, 2019 A reader writes: I’m a somewhat newish, full-time freelancer (data visualization and reporting). Previously, I was an employee for many, many years at huge financial institutions, so that’s my “level-set” in terms of business norms (conservative, process-driven, high awareness of confidentiality). It has happened twice (among 20ish contracts) that I find out some time after […] Read the full article →
I can’t say no to clients, and my success is destroying me by Alison Green on April 15, 2019 A reader writes: I’ve been an independent contractor for nine years, and I’ve finally found financial comfort and fulfillment in my work. This did not come easy. I was barely scraping by the first couple of years. I took sleazy corporate work for investment bankers and lawyers because that’s “where the market was,” and I […] Read the full article →