c/freelance-survival

Just compared sending cold emails to joining a local business group

For the last two months, I tried two ways to find new clients. I sent about 200 cold emails and also went to four meetings of a small business group in my city. The cold emails got me maybe two replies that went nowhere. But at the second group meeting, I talked to a guy who runs a print shop. He liked my graphic design work and gave me a project right there. That one job paid $800. The big difference was just talking to people face to face. They could see I was a real person, not just another email in their inbox. I spent less time and got a better result from showing up in person. Has anyone else found that local groups work better than online outreach?

My main client's payment system crashed right before my invoice was due

It happened last Thursday, the day their monthly batch was supposed to run. I had a $2,800 invoice for a project I finished in April. Their accounting portal just showed an error message for two days. I called my contact, who confirmed their whole payment processor was down. I immediately sent a PDF invoice directly to their accounting email as a backup. It added a week to getting paid, but at least the ball was rolling. Has anyone else had a client's internal tech fail like this, and what's your backup plan?

I thought saying 'my rate is flexible' would get me more work

A client in Austin asked for a quote on a website project and I gave my usual line about being open to discussion. He came back with an offer 40% below my normal rate and said, 'You said you were flexible, so I figured we could start here.' That was the moment I realized I was just inviting lowball offers. Now I give one clear number first. Has anyone else found that being too open about price just hurts you?

Warning: I had a client ghost me after a $2,500 project last week

Everything was going great. I'm a freelance writer and this client in Austin had me do a full website rewrite, about 15 pages total. We signed a contract, I sent the first half, they paid the deposit, no problem. I finished the rest, sent the final invoice for the other $1,250, and then... nothing. For seven days straight, no replies to emails or calls. What makes it worse is I turned down two smaller jobs to hit their deadline. Now I'm stuck with no payment and a big hole in my planned income for March. Has anyone else had a client disappear right at the payment stage? What's your next move after the contract terms run out?

I was sure that new project management software was a total waste of $40 a month

I mean, I'd been using free notes and a calendar for years, so paying felt dumb. But after a month, I realized it saved me from missing two deadlines because the automatic reminders actually worked. It also helped me track how long a logo design really took, which was way longer than I guessed. Now I can give clients better quotes. Has anyone else found a cheap tool that ended up being super important?

I used to panic about every single client email

For my first two years freelancing, I'd drop everything and answer emails instantly, even at 10 PM. I burned out hard in 2022. Now I have a rule: I only check my work inbox at 10 AM and 3 PM, and I use a simple auto-reply to set that expectation. My stress is way down and my focus is way up. How do you guys handle the constant ping of messages without losing your mind?

Just hit 50 cold emails sent in a week for the first time

Tracked it in a simple spreadsheet. Always thought I was doing enough with maybe 10 or 15. Saw the number and it hit me. That's why my pipeline felt so empty before. How do you guys keep up the energy for outreach without burning out?

TIL that paying for a proper contract template was the best $350 I ever spent

I used to just send a simple email to agree on a project, but got burned last year when a client refused to pay for extra revisions. I bought a freelance contract pack from a lawyer who works with creatives (it was about $350). The payment terms section alone saved me on a project last month when a client tried to delay. It clearly said final payment was due on delivery, not 'when they felt like it'. Has anyone else found a specific contract clause that saved their skin?

Warning: A client in Denver offered me $500 for a month's work and called it a 'portfolio builder'.

I told him my rate was triple that, and he got mad, saying freelancers were greedy. Has anyone else had someone try to pay you in 'exposure' this blatantly?

A client in Denver told me my invoices were confusing

They said the line items were too vague, like just 'design work' for $1500. I switched to breaking it down by specific tasks and hours, adding dates for each phase. Now I use Harvest for tracking and clients haven't complained since. How specific do you get on your billing to avoid problems?

Why does nobody talk about setting a hard stop on client calls? I billed for 2 hours of 'quick chat' last month.

My uncle told me to never take a job for less than $75 an hour and I lost a great client because of it.

I turned down a steady $60/hour blog writing gig from a startup in Austin last year, thinking I was holding out for better, but they hired someone else and I ended up with no work for two months, so has anyone else gotten bad rate advice that cost them?

I used to take any client who emailed, now I ask for a $500 deposit first.

After a client in Tampa ghosted me on a $2k project last year, I got stuck doing all the work with no pay. I started asking for half up front before I even open a design file. Do you think that scares off good clients or just filters out the bad ones?

My client in Austin offered me a flat $500 for a project that took me 40 hours.

I see so many new freelancers accepting these rates without asking for more. How do you guys actually figure out what your time is worth?

Question about taking a big project for less money versus a small one for more

Last year, I had to choose between a six month website build for a local non-profit at $30 an hour or a two week logo design rush job for a tech startup at $75 an hour. I picked the logo job for the higher rate because I needed cash fast. It was stressful but paid my rent for two months. Has anyone else faced a choice between a long-term, lower-paying gig and a short, high-paying one? How did you decide?

Went to a coffee shop in Austin and saw a guy working on three different laptops at once.

He told me he juggles gigs for three separate clients to make rent. How do you manage multiple projects without losing your mind?

My old client meeting notes were just a napkin from a diner

I used to think remembering the details was enough, but after mixing up two projects for a guy named Dave, I bought a $12 notebook. Now I write down every single thing they say, even the weird stuff about their cat. What's the most random detail you've had to keep straight for a client?

Dropped $400 on a 'client finder' service that basically ghosted me

They promised leads in my niche, but all I got were three emails for people looking for free advice. The whole thing felt like a scam after the first week. I could've used that cash for actual ads or just taken a week off. Anyone else get burned by one of these services?

Vent: I raised my rates by 30% last month and actually got more serious clients...

Rant: My worst week ever started with a client ghosting me on a $2,500 project

Monday, the client just stopped replying after I sent the final draft. Wednesday, my main laptop died, lost a day's work. Friday, two other small jobs got pushed back a month. What saved me was having three months of rent in my emergency fund, set aside from last year's big job. How do you guys handle it when everything goes wrong at once?

A client in Chicago told me my invoice was too low

I just finished a logo project and sent my usual rate of $300. The client emailed back saying they were expecting to pay at least double for the quality I delivered. It made me realize I've been undervaluing my work for months because I was scared of losing jobs. Has anyone else had a client push back because your price was too cheap?

A client in Kansas City told me their average project size is $2,500, which was way higher than I expected.

I found this out during a casual chat after we finished a small $500 job. It made me realize I might be aiming too low with my own service packages. What's a normal project price in your field?

Pro tip: A client in Chicago said my invoices looked 'unprofessional' and messy.

They specifically pointed out the inconsistent date formats and missing project codes. I switched to a template with clear line items and got paid 5 days faster on the next one, has anyone else fixed a small detail that made a big difference?

A client in Phoenix offered me a flat $500 for a project that took me 80 hours.

He said 'that's the going rate for this kind of work' when I asked about the timeline, and it made me realize I need to start quoting by project value, not just hourly, so how do you guys price your work to avoid that trap?

Can we talk about the time I said yes to a project way outside my skillset?