saying no thanks
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- schenz
Hi guys,
After long period working for the others I've started freelancing/building studio.
For the moment I'm taking every project and I'm trying to build that client list. It's all fine and I'm happy there's a lot of work, but I'm not satisfied with the quality of the work, mainly due to bad communication with the client (I know I would work better If I had account or producer for that), or even because of limited time/budget.When is that right moment to start rejecting projects/clients, and what is the most important thing that makes you decide what you are going reject and what to keep?
Cheers
- ideaist0
Cash flow determines your ability / inability to reject projects...
I'm starting off with my fiance and we take anything; as much as we may want to reject, say 25% of it all...
You have to earn the ability to reject any/all work bud-e...
; )
- GeorgesII0
Time,
if only the day was 36 hours long (thank God it's not)
24 is not enough to handle 5 projects at the same time,there's no real rule for rejecting projects,
you just have to know your limits
- pinkfloyd0
It would be more profitable if you didn't refuse any work, and find another freelancer to help out with the overload of work.
- that's a good way of doing it. Or an intern and you can manage them :)k_temp
- And have your way with their them :)pinkfloyd
- He sited communication issues though. he should do that + hire a producer.shellie
- managing a freelancer will eat up a lot of your otherwise productive time.monNom
- yeah, this can go horribly wrong, don't get greedy... make some calls on the clients behalf, recommend another studio.kingsteven
- Horp0
"When is that right moment to start rejecting projects/clients"
When you've succeeded.
- i_monk0
If you're asking, it's the right time.
- shellie0
When to say no? When the odds are stacked against you for a successful delivery. Your #1 goal should be maintaining a great reputation as a vendor. It will undoubtably bring you more business. It really does. But there's always two things that influence my decision when deciding what to put in my production pipeline.
1. Cash Flow: What Ideaist said. With the exception of #2 listed below.
2. Budget: The worst way to sabotage your business is taking poorly funded projects. Those tend to have the neediest clients. They're underfunded because they cannot afford you or do not fully understand the scope of work and industry standard rates. Either of those situations is a red flag and a very reasonable place to reject a project or client. Every underfunded project I've taken I've regretted. And, they can end up costing you more than you gain.
Production Issues w/ Your Client:
If you're building a studio and you really want it to grow, you need to staff a producer on your projects and account for the time for that person in your initial bid. Most freelance producers will help you craft your budget. I run an interactive production and development company, and when I white label for other agencies, I often do the Deck, SOW and budget for free. There's plenty of jobs that fall through during the bidding process and that doesn't bother me. I'm pretty sure there are freelance producers that would be happy to do the same with you. You'll eventually have a small stable of production resources from producers to overflow design or development talent that will allow you to stay nimble, keep costs down, and scale up and down quickly depending on what business you have coming down the pipe.Communicating to the client and maintaining a good relationship throughout a project all the way through delivery is a producers main function. If you are not a producer, that's fine. Not every studio owner can be the head of production, too.
My advice: Know your limitations and delegate. Staff your projects with the right resources and you'll put yourself in a position to win. If you want to be extra competitive and cut corners somewhere, that should be coming out of your cut as a reinvestment back into your company rather than deciding not to hire key roles (like a producer).
- << really like what you said about 'poorly funded projects'... you don't have to 'earn the right' to say 'no' to crap projects, folks :)PonyBoy
- Intelligent, thoughtful response!tesmith
- Clients will never think of you as a real studio if u staff projects like you're still a freelancer & not a business owner.shellie
- I personally never felt the need for a PM when I can do that myself.pinkfloyd
- I am a PM and a developer. So I dont hire one either. But not everyone is a PM, Producer or EP.shellie
- Very good advice Shellie!nocomply
- Yes, still good advicepinkfloyd
- shellie0
The best decision I made when making the very uncomfortable transition as a singular design and development resource to a full service production agency was hiring a business manager and accountant with agency experience. Just like some owners shouldn't run production, some owners are also not fit to run operations in a way that promotes growth. I don't know what kind of resources you have in Milan but you might want to seek something like this out: http://typeaco.com
These guys used to work with me @ Exopolis in Los Angeles as the operations manager & accountant. When that company closed, they started their own company and helped all the sr. staff from Exopolis set up their own companies. They now manage the books and operations for many of us. They allow me to streamline my processes and keep my business running so I can focus on running production. I don't have to chase down money from clients, they send me all my weekly reports, payroll and paperwork for myself and my resources, and help guide me in decisions that will help my company grow. It was a little bit of an expense to get started, but because of them, I've never run out of money and I closed out my first year with a profit and I know I'm not the only design company they work with that doesn't have a similar story. And, I suggest anyone in LA thinking about setting up a design based business give them a call. They're magic in human form.
- this is good.... one of the wiser threads on QBN in quite some time...vaxorcist
- nocomply0
I have problems with saying "no" too.
It's hard to do, but every time I do I always, ALWAYS look back later and realize that I made the right decision.
I think the money is the #1 thing that motivates me to want to take on the additional work, but it seems that for every project that I turn down another one that's better eventually comes my way. I consider myself very lucky for that, but it's also a place that took years of hard work to get to and a lesson that took a long time to learn.
Besides the money, I turn down work based on the client. I want a client that puts trust in me and respects me, and most importantly can communicate with me. Clients that do not communicate well are the ones that I don't wind up working with.
- mydo0
say yes to everything, out source the work to people you trust, double the price because now you're a freelance creative director.
- monNom0
http://designprofessionalism.com… <-- good read on this stuff
- ideaist0
Thank you for your insights shellie; feels like we're ice skating uphill most days but feels much better given some perspective...
Good days & growing days I guess...
: )
- that feeling never goes away but always moving forward. Congrats on the jump towards freedom! U will be happier for it.shellie
- Going for a 60KM bike ride in a bout 30-45 minutes on a tuesday afternoon is all the reward I need... ; )ideaist
- No amount of $$$ can counter good, ol' fashioned earned free time...ideaist
- guilt free power naps. All I have to say.shellie
- Can't nap these days... I hit the bed and am out for 8 - 9 hours a night, every night; exhausted...ideaist
- My #1 biggest problem right now is insomnia, which has definitely gotten worse after going into business for myself.shellie
- I think about a lot more than when I worked for someone else & I go to bed with it. I need a sleep study.shellie
- cannonball19780
Try it (saying no). You may blunder it, but you woll get good at it, and its a critical skill.
