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Last week I saw a couple of posts where someone did free work and got ghosted. In another post, a designer got stood up multiple times and still kept rescheduling calls like next time would be different.
It reminded me of a tweet I reposted from Fons where I said you should be standing on business from day one, not when you're at a certain point in your career. Set your boundaries early.
No free work, no endless reschedules, no chasing people who don’t respect your time, and don't let people waste your time.
Freelancing isn't easy by any means, but that doesn't mean losing your leverage for the sake of a client.
When you know your worth, you move like it.
Integrity is one of THE MOST valuable attributes to have because it means you don't compromise on your other values.
You said it! And no project or client is worth forgoing it. Better to have peace of mind than avoidable stress.
I completely agree!
It takes time to know your worth, but it's true that the earliest you can achieve it the better for yourself and your career!
Absolutely! You'll save yourself a lot of headaches along the way.
The network for creativity
Join 1.25M professional creatives like you
Connect with clients, get discovered, and run your business 100% commission-free
Creatives on Contra have earned over $150M and we are just getting started
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I turned down a project that paid well.
Good client. Good money. The kind you say yes to without thinking when you're starting out.
But something felt off.
Here's what no one tells you about freelancing:
The dangerous opportunities aren't the bad ones. They're the good ones. The ones that pay decent but pull you away from where you actually want to be.
Every yes to the wrong thing is a no to the right one. You just don't know it yet.
Saying no when you need the money is one of the most uncomfortable decisions I've made as a freelancer.
But every time I did it, something better showed up.
Not always the next day. Sometimes weeks later.
But it always showed up.
Have you ever turned down something good and been glad you did?
Monday afternoon.
The sun is perfect, the iced lemon tea is colder than expected—just right.
“This,” I think, “is freedom.”
My phone buzzes. Then again. Then again.
A client needs “one tiny change.” Another asks if I’m “free for a quick call.”
I take a sip, smile, and open my laptop.
Freedom tastes a lot like lemon… with a hint of deadlines.
I made a post comparing @Contra HQ freelancers with the average freelancer.
As you may know, freelancers on other platforms compete against hundreds of others for the same job, and most of those gigs barely pay anything.
So I put this together to paint a clear picture of what sets the two apart.
TRUE 💯
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