In today’s economy, with so many unemployed, the scariest thing for a freelancer is to turn down a paying gig. Unlike the 9 to 5 crowd, downtime is bad for business, so turning down work is in many ways, like taking a hunger strike. However, it does send a powerful message, “I’d rather starve than take your money.”
Why in heaven’s name would I want to starve, you may ask? Think about this for a minute. If you’re looking for something to eat, which tastes better, dumpster diving, or eating at a fine restaurant? In many ways, taking that bad client’s money is like that. Sure, you’ll get a meal, but it won’t taste as good, it may be a rotten deal, or it may make you sick.
As a freelancer, we we work with two modes; hungry and hustle. The bottom line, you don’t work, you don’t get paid. The key is to keep that work flowing without any blockages, and that’s where the bad client can really screw things up. Pardon my Klatchian, but is your time that worthless for you to spend it on a project or job with a piss poor rate of return? Hell no!
