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Advice when you're just starting out

3 points by randomnumber314 ↗ HN
I've been dabbling in freelancing lately. Somehow I've managed to hook some decent sized projects that will take a couple months to a year to develop. As you can imagine they all want their project started tomorrow.

Some people have advised me to as for $40-50k to retain my services. Some have advised me to ignore everyone except the current client.

Ideally I'd like to get someone(s) to help me so that I can make everyone happy.

Sorry if this isn't appropriate here, kinda' burned out from 60 hours a week and hoping for some outsiders' perspective.

3 comments

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eschutte2
You might consider handing off a project to a trusted friend by introducing him/her to the client with a recommendation. It would be reasonable to get a "finder's fee" from the friend. The reason I suggest this is that I've learned that preserving mental health needs to be a top priority and juggling too many clients can be very harmful all around.
CyberFonic
Congratulations on hooking several projects. That is a sign that you are offering something that is in demand.

As @eschutte2 suggests, lighten your workload. Offload some of the work to maintain your health and sanity.

Finish the current client's work. Then revisit the other clients and ask for more money. It's the old supply and demand balance. If there is that much demand, then you should be able to raise your rates.