Apparently it hurts when you loose a client. This one was one of my freelance clients (i.e. Web Design). I guess I don’t blame her. I was slacking off, but that makes it hurt even worse. Knowing that you could have done something about it. At least we are even on the payments. So this is what I learned from this experience:
- If you say that you are going to do something – make it a priority and get it done ASAP (i.e. before you go do much of anything else).
- Do the very best job that you can. The client is more important than yourself (but always remember that your family has the highest priority).
- Make sure that you don’t have to depend on your clients for anything, especially paying your bills. This means KEEP YOUR DAY JOB.
- Have a contract! Not just what the developer will deliver and when, but what the owner’s end of the deal is too including the payments. For web site work I strongly suggest doing a check point payment method. Make steps and goals for your site (for example: the site design, design implementation, shopping cart, etc.) and then pay the site developer after the step is done and approved.
That said, I’ve been guest lecturing in a friend’s class in which I talk about hiring a Web Developer. Here is the PowerPoint I’ve created for that lecture: Hiring a Web Developer (note: this PowerPoint is in constant flux, I will occasionally be re-uploading it, last upload on Nov. 13, 2007)
