How to Deal: A Freelancer’s Guide to Coming to Terms with a Gig Gone Bad
Credit: v4 on Photodune
When I began freelancing, I was open to anything. I would take just about any job, at just about any pay.
I’m still like that, sometimes, although my standards have grown. Still, I don’t buy into the “I’m above that” mindset that many freelancers have. If there’s a gig out there that offers flexibility and the chance to do work I like, I’ll consider it.
So when an opportunity recently came up that offered less-than-stellar pay but plenty of other perks, I wondered why I was intrigued. After all, money is everything, right? Well, not really. It was the work that I thought I would enjoy–and I did.
So I took the job, thinking that there would be some flexibility, and that I would be part of a team that communicated well. Turns out, the only good thing about the opportunity was the work…everything else wasn’t as great as I thought it would be, and I’m not even talking about the pay.
It’s just not the right job for you
The point is, sometimes even freelancers that are open to new opportunities get burned. I’m not saying you should take a job for pay that doesn’t allow you to make the bills. But for me, taking a cut in pay isn’t the worst thing in the world if it lets me work from home and have flexibility. In my case, I thought I’d work this gig temporarily and things would be okay.
It came as a huge disappointment when things didn’t work out.
What I wasn’t counting on was turning my life upside down for the job. Which, much to my surprise, I did.
I knew from the start that it wasn’t working, but I pressed on. It was like I reverted back to my early days of freelancing and forgot that I could get a better gig–and that I deserved much better treatment.
I was raised in a family where you worked hard and sacrificed, even working yourself sick. But that mentality isn’t who I am anymore, which left me wondering what the heck I was doing. Did I really need the money? No, I could find other ways to get the moohlah I needed. But did I want the challenge? You bet. Would it be ideal for times when I was not as busy? It provided ongoing work, so, yes, definitely.
It came as a huge disappointment when things didn’t work out. I wasn’t sleeping. I hardly had time for other clients–clients that paid triple and treated me like royalty. The client wasn’t communicating well, if at all. I wasn’t getting the kind of support I needed to do my best.
In short, it had just turned out to be a completely sour deal. And being someone who never quits, I had to consider breaking down and throwing in the towel. See, I’d forgotten that sometimes, quitting is the best. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially when you have other awesome clients that pay better and treat you better.
Lessons still being learned–even for a seasoned freelancer
Fortunately, the client and I parted ways on good terms, but I did learn a few things:
- It’s okay to try new things, even if you don’t know if it will work out. If you think the project or job can improve your skills and your network, it’s good to consider the opportunity.
- Money isn’t everything. I would still work a gig that didn’t meet my normal hourly wage because I get other well-paying gigs on the side. I do what I do for enjoyment, not just pay.
- One person’s opinion can never dictate how you feel about yourself or your abilities. If you let that get to you, you’re losing the game. If someone can’t give you constructive criticism and be polite about it, there’s no point staying in a bad situation.
- Don’t blame yourself for trying. Sometimes we hang on to something longer than we should because we want to prove to ourselves that we can do it. I’m not sure why I did this because I knew it wasn’t the ideal situation for me. But I’m glad I gave it a shot.
- Don’t beat yourself up. Okay, so I am far from starving, but the gig was going to make life easier financially. I have to go easy on myself because I may have had a lapse in judgment in taking the client on, but I’m proud that I was willing to sacrifice. So many freelancers think they are above it, and the truth is, we’re not. But it’s good to sacrifice for the right opportunity, and this one just wasn’t a good match for me.
- Follow your heart. If you’re desperately clinging to a job for money, it’s understandable not to give up one that you have–even if the pay stinks. If you can make it financially without a bad gig, dump it.
- Always, always think about where you want to be. If what you’re doing doesn’t align, reconsider it. In my case, the gig didn’t fit in line with what I ultimately wanted to do, so I probably shouldn’t have taken it from the start. But, see above: I can’t beat myself up about it.
Ultimately, we’ll all take on jobs that leave us wondering, What on earth was I thinking when I took that job? Even seasoned freelancers can mistake what would otherwise be a great gig for a horrible one. The key is to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and keep trying.
Photo credit: Some rights reserved by v4.
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Oh yes, I’ve had that gig. Saw a dozen red flags go up in the first few meetings…didn’t get a good feel for the person in charge, wasn’t as high paying as I wanted, yet I pressed on because it was a friend of a friend.
About 1/2 way thru the project they expressed disappointment with how it was going and I decided to cut my losses. I refunded them for the portion of the money they’d given me that I hadn’t billed on yet and told them best of luck. It was all handled professionally (which they even commented on how professionally it was handled) but still left me with a sick feeling in my stomach bc I had “given up”. But, I KNOW it would have been a very rough road, and I’m thrilled that I dropped it.
It’s been two years and their website STILL hasn’t been updated. Guess they couldn’t find anyone else would would deal with their craziness since then.
I think your points are valid. But…I was put off by this piece because of how you repeatedly referred to freelancers who have an “I’m above that” mindset. Frankly, I don’t understand your point with regard to that. You’ve admitted people should still avoid taking projects that won’t allow them to pay their bills. So it seems a minimum rate is acceptable to you, but you think some freelancers have made theirs too high.
I’ll offer a different theory. Many of us have found that clients who pay a significantly lower rate are, generally speaking, a lower quality client. Meaning: they don’t communicate as well, they don’t understand the process, and the projects are more likely to have problems. Again: this is a generalization, and so there will be exceptions. But perhaps many of us who have higher pay standards do for a reason: we would prefer to work on projects that are successful.
That doesn’t make us arrogant. It makes us smart.
I tend to mirror Avonelle’s opinion. Cheap clients generally don’t understand the value of working with good freelancers. Cheap means they think we’re a dime a dozen. They’re wrong. It’s the first red flag.
Great article!
Oh I so agree with this post. It has happened in the past, and luckily recently it happened again and I was into it maybe a few weeks, to where I saw the project beginning to be difficult, I had a pit in my stomach; so based on past experiences I decided to not to do the project, and save myself the heartache.
I think maybe 90% of my clients bear red flags and most of them poke a hole in my business with those flags, but so long as I stay passionate about what I do, I’ll remain a freelance web developer. These are rough times and I bet they’re getting worse before they get better. Still, we should have hope and believe that it’ll pass.
It’s a great read, Kristen
I couldn’t agree more with Avonelle Lovhaug’s comments. Here’s how I see it.
What Avonelle is really referring to is “profiling” of every opportunity and client: over time you see certain patterns evolve. The lowest paying clients generally have the most unreasonable expectations and can be the most intransigent.
I also have other, finer grained indicators that indicate that a prospect is not good. One is the prospect who keeps posing different scenarios and asking me what I would charge, without an explanation. Another is the prospect who challenges me with how much cheaper everyone else is. I’m not a restaurant with a combination menu. And if someone else is cheaper, fine, then hire them.
Some projects are survival projects, done in order to keep income flowing or to fill gaps in our schedules. Other projects are highly desirable plums which make the freelance life worthwhile. We want the latter but the former is often what is available. Staying sane with both is key to being successful.
In any event, a few key factors should be observed.
Does the client respect the work I am doing for them, and do they respect my judgement? A clear “no” here is a sign to terminate the project.
Is the client paying on time and without setting up barriers and providing excuses?
Can I provide the client what they need? And what they want?
Are the client’s needs reasonable? IE – is what the client really needs compatible with what they want?
If these points are all “yes”, then a deal is a deal. Even a low paying job can be broadening and can bring in decent revenue. Just don’t tolerate abuse and depressing working conditions.
We all need to find out if there are any “nos” before accepting new work from anyone. I’ve taken passes on quite a few projects.
Good post, and I particularly liked your last point about thinking about where you want to be. This is something I’ve become progressively aware of in the last several weeks. Causing me to ask questions regarding my future and what my professional goals are. Good stuff.
Great article, and another Avonelle nod: )
I don’t know if it will help anyone but we’ve been using a little ‘survey’ for some time now that really helps surface the red flags, this is for direct client work not agency to agency.
Basically it’s a quote form which takes 10 minutes to fill in, we send this to the potential client as a next step after our initial chat and call it a ‘make sure we capture all the details’ form.
What’s key is 2 things, 1st if they actually do it (the biggest), and 2nd what their budget is, i.e. have a $500 budget and need a custom ecomm store. We’ve had occasions when we needed work and contacted clients that haven’t done the survey, constantly followed up etc & the results are always the same, better off without the work… don’t start me on offering discounts!
I find clients that already have a detailed brief great btw: )
Nice closing para too Kristen!
I so agree with this. I have a project questionaire I send out to potential clients. Their response to even getting the questionaire tells me so much about the future relationship with the client. I once had a potential client assume that I was trying to boss him around by requiring a project questionaire in order to find out what he wanted done. That’s how I run MY business, not his. Big red flag.
I’ve had a client who I had to send a notice of termination. After three months I’m glad I did it. The client wasn’t happy about it, threatned me etc. but I didn’t beat myself up and just lived through it. After some time I’ve noticed that he’s the only unsatisfied client I’ve worked for so far and the rest are very happy. So if things go wrong – don’t worry and look at your portfolio to see how other clients react to your work and if they are happy – you’re good to move forward and leave this one obstacle behind! It just happens and it’s not worth to cling to for too long.
It has happened in the past, and luckily recently it happened again and I was into it maybe a few weeks, to where I saw the project beginning to be difficult, I had a pit in my stomach; so based on past experiences I decided to not to do the project, and save myself the heartache.
This happened to me with my very first gig! Both gig and client were great until the client had a personal crisis.
I thought the gig was a scam. She thought I threatened her. I just tried to part with her still being friends and at least succeeded.
If my gut tells me that something is off during the initial chat with the client, then I almost never accept the job.
Also, I’m going to have to disagree with you on the pricing issue. As soon as you allow lower your rates, you’ll be stuck in that new lower price zone with that client, instead of clients that are more than happy to pay your rate.
If you make it clear that you are removing some items from the estimate, you’ll let the client know that your not willing to sacrifice your rate and you can still meet their budget. This way you’re letting them know you’re worth every penny mentioned in your initial quote.
I’m another freelancer who thinks Kristen is trying too hard to separate the low pay from the rest of a bad job. In my experience, the lowest payers are the most difficult people to deal with overall. You can’t divorce their unprofessional attitude toward pay from their unprofessional attitude to the project in general.