How Freelancing Became Easier After I Just Stopped Caring
As web designers, we walk a fine line. We have to give the client what they want while at the same time designing for a specific audience. A lot of times the designer and client just don’t see eye to eye. Maybe the client feels like he/she needs creative control, or maybe they want more than we can give them based on their budget. And let’s not forget that when it’s all said and done, we have to like our own work.
After a couple years of freelancing, I started getting more and more frustrated with the small business clients I was working with. I was constantly being asked to produce absolute gold with budgets that would make most web designers run for the hills. I didn’t know how to make people understand how much there is to this process. I wanted to prepare a detailed estimate while they wanted a price right there on the spot. I wanted to take a week to research and plan while they wanted the site up by the next day. If the site demanded heavy user interaction, I wanted to do usability testing during development and after launch while they struggled to understand what I was talking about.
We’ve all dealt with these types of clients, but for me, it was getting to the point where I contemplated giving up. I love what I do, but I dreaded every first meeting because I just figured it was always going to be the same old song and dance.
Then it started to dawn on me that I shouldn’t be blaming the clients for every website woe. Instead, I decided that to get my message across, I had to just stop caring.
I stopped caring if I got the job or not. I went into these meetings with a new motto:
“You’re not paying me to build a website; you’re paying me for a result. If you want “X”, then it’s going to take “Y”. If you you’re not willing to commit to getting to “X”, then I’m not the guy for you.”
I know that’s nothing new, but adopting that kind of mentality was hard for me. I’m the type that wants to please so much that I have a hard time saying no or challenging the very people paying me. But once I got comfortable and confident enough, my world actually got a lot easier. Sure, I didn’t get every job. But after all, did I really want to work the kind of people who weren’t willing to commit? No way.
Now when I sit down with someone for the first time, there are no more shenanigans. We’ll go over everything as usual, but I no longer care about saying yes to everything they want. I’ll tell them straight up what it’s going to take and what it’s going to cost. That’s not to say I won’t work with them and compromise, but I learned to start drawing a line.
For most of you reading this, you’re probably goofing on me because this is nothing new. But there are other freelancers out there like me who struggle to find that balance between making money, doing good work, enjoying what they do and dealing with difficult clients. If you put as much pressure on yourself as I used to do, you might end up hating web design and despising your clients.
This website uses IntenseDebate comments, but they are not currently loaded because either your browser doesn't support JavaScript, or they didn't load fast enough.
Yeah, I think it's much easier to start caring about a project after you close the deal rather than doing all these back flips and trying to please someone who cares about their project less than you do.
So your articles makes perfect sense to me. Loved it!
Comment by Adrian Diaconescu on January 20, 2010 at 5:57 pm
Yeah, it's getting past the initial back and forth that sucks. Once everything falls into place, then I can start getting into it.
Comment by chrisreynoldsaz on January 20, 2010 at 6:10 pm
Couldnt agree anymore. There are enough people out there that need sites, you dont have to accept any and every job. Working w/ people that dont know what they are doing or what they want is a pain in the ass, especially if the price tag isnt there.
Comment by @danramosd on January 25, 2010 at 5:38 pm
One of the worst problems I have had is clients who have an employee who they have tasked to "help" me build the website. It usually starts like, "This is my nephew Peter, he works in Marketing. He's going to help you build the website to save money. He took a web design class at the community college and got an B." That leads to Peter telling the client I am not using enough gradients or shadows, need to put an outline around the H2 fonts and everything is too boxy, it looks like ti was built with a grid. Yeah, it was. That's how we design websites. BTW I have an entire degree in computer science with a 3.9 GPA, that's an A. LOL.
http://inspectelement.com/articles/the-funny-and-...
Comment by Tim Piele on January 25, 2010 at 5:42 pm
This post just totally rocks. There is no, none, nada, zippo remuneration for helping educate people, doing an over the top job, going the extra mile, etc., in the web development world. It's shame! It's sad to say it takes a level of not caring – just to stay in business. Not just stay in business, but get through the day. Great article – made my day! It's amazing how little people understand about this stuff.
Comment by dbonneville on January 25, 2010 at 5:47 pm
Learning to say "no" and fire bad clients is a tough lesson that every freelancer learns sooner or later. It can be even harder when your contracting to larger agencies that often dangle the promise of future work in your face. Learning to stand your ground is important if you ever want to do good work you like doing for a price that can sustain your life.
Comment by JenOhs on January 25, 2010 at 5:52 pm
Yeah, I struggle too with wanting to help and please the whole world along with myself. Earning a Wage definitely does not always equal Creative Fulfillment…YIKES! I think one of the key things that you mentioned is having the confidence to explain the cost of the process involved and be able to walk away and let it go if the Prospect doesn't want to pursue. As a freelancer, it's sometimes scary to not know where the next job is coming from, but in the end, God works it all out. The clients that I've partnered with have generally been pretty awesome.
Comment by KimberlyG on January 25, 2010 at 7:08 pm
I completely agree, as well. I think it's a good reminder to remember that being able to NOT work with clients who don't get it is a great perk of being a freelancer. (Money woes aside). When you do both — work as a freelancer and for a firm, it becomes clear just how invaluable the firing-the-client prerogative is. Nothing worse than being made to do work for a client who doesn't want to be educated and having to produce something, at their request that you know is not good work. Then having to stuff it into the closet instead of your portfolio!
Luckily, the fact that there are clients with all different sorts of needs and standards and designers/web dev's with all sorts of needs and standards means there's a little of something for everyone. (And other true platitudes).
Comment by Annie Smidt on January 25, 2010 at 8:50 pm
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by reynoldsone: New post: How Freelancing Became Easier After I Just Stopped Caring, http://bit.ly/6l5iWg #p52…
Trackback by uberVU - social comments on January 26, 2010 at 1:48 am
[...] How Freelancing Became Easier After I Just Stopped Caring | Chris Reynolds (tags: freelance advice) [...]
Pingback by links for 2010-01-26 « random thoughts and casual ruminations on January 26, 2010 at 12:07 pm
[...] How freelancing became easier after I just stopped caring (chrisreynolds?.info) [...]
Pingback by dot Blog. The week in links 01/02/10 on February 1, 2010 at 11:02 am
great post – I'm facing the same problem right now! Hard to say no to money, and then there's the old saying "the customer's always right"…
Thanks for this perspective!
Comment by Joel on February 4, 2010 at 12:22 pm