Steve Pavlina talked about some of the most common mistakes of the newly employed here. The very first one caught my eye. It talked about selling, and it bade me wonder. Have I been selling myself to the wrong people? Are my clients truly the ones worth keeping, fighting for?

The past few weeks have seen me slowly amass a steady stream of freelance projects, and the pace has been fast and furious. I have not had the time nor space to appropriately judge these clients, and it’s starting to come back and bite me.

One of the client I had wants me to do simple graphical borders for his photo booth. Definitely not the most glamorous of projects, but it’s a steady stream of income. And no matter how little, it still helps. But if I do go full-time, will this be a client I want to keep? And it appears that my rates are quite low too. And of course, I’ve only realized that after the deal was done.

Another client I had wants me to do simple branding, also for his photo booths. No, they are not rivals, in fact they are more like partners. But this time, I was a bit put off by his extreme time limitations, and how he wants everything rushed, rushed and rushed. Negotiations are still underway though, so I’ll be sure to take extra precautions.

Some commented that I really shouldn’t care too much at this stage. I’m still very early in the years. Once I get busier, I can start becoming more selective with my clients. But then again, that got me thinking also. Why not be selective right from the very start? Were it not often preached that bad clients would only lead to bad, troublesome relationships? And unfulfilled designers would only lead to bad works, and well.. a lot more stuff that are not .. good?

Makes a mental note -

Choose future clients carefully