3 Freelance Projects You Should Just Say No To

You’ve finally decided to venture off into the world of freelancing. It’s in those early, exciting days of possibilities you will probably encounter at least one offer for a freelance opportunity that you should really just say no to.

But you most likely won’t. Your gut will tell you to, but you won’t. Because your mind is dreaming of making it big, and saying no to any client at this point seems far riskier than taking on a project you know you shouldn’t.

There are many reasons you may fall victim to saying yes to the “I should have said no” projects:

You want to build up portfolio pieces or your resume.

You think it will lead to more, better work.

You want a good reference or referral from the client.

You think it will provide you the creative control you’ve always wanted.

You believe any money is better than no money (even if the pay is pretty darn close to no money).

You’re eager to prove (especially to friends and family) that freelancing is a good idea, so right now as long as you have clients, it will make you look like you made the right choice.

You feel like you owe someone a favor (perhaps one of those friends and family members mentioned above)?

Many of you reading this will, more than likely, have already fallen victim to this at least once. So let’s discuss how you can best prepare yourself to be ready with a firm, but polite, no the next time around.

Learning how and why to say no professionally can be difficult, but it’s crucial to your sanity and freelance career longevity. Here are three big red flags to watch out for:

1. When the Pay Is Poor

Knowing your true value before accepting any project is the key here.

As a freelancer, you’ll likely have more out of pocket expenses than a traditional employee. Health care, office equipment or increased phone bills and travel costs for visiting with clients are just a few of the common expenses you’ll incur. Yes, come tax time you may reap the benefits of writing off some of these expenses, but you’ll still have to incur them.

Remember, when you’re freelancing, your clients won’t be withholding taxes for you. That means you are responsible for setting aside that income and paying quarterly estimated taxes. Plus, when you were an employee, your employer paid half of your Social Security and Medicare taxes and you paid the other half. As a freelancer, you’re responsible for paying both halves.

So even though it may seem like you’re bringing in more money than when you had a traditional position, you don’t want to get caught off guard by pocketing more than you should be.

The cost you charge a client is going to have to cover not only your direct time but also your additional overhead expenses and your new tax liabilities. All that being said, it’s really not worth it to take a poor-paying freelance opportunity.

So, How Do You Know If the Pay Is “Enough?”

Many new freelancers have a difficult time figuring out what to charge clients and how to set an annual budget for their business. Let’s break it down on a monthly level to help simplify things.

Determine how much you realistically need to make in a month to cover your hard costs (including taxes!), then break that down by how many hours or freelance work you think you can secure.

Now, do the math:

Monthly Costs / Expected Hours of Work = the Bare Minimum of What You Need to Make Per Hour

Note that the hourly rate you need to make may not be equal to or greater than the going rate in your industry. Compare what you need with what your competition is charging. You’ll have to do some serious consideration of whether or not it’s feasible to be a full-time freelancer or if you’ll need to supplement your income with other employment.

The more poor-paying projects you take on, the less time you have for the projects that will actually pay the bills. Once you’ve determined what you need to charge and why you need to charge it, it will make saying no to low-paying offers much easier.

Friends and family can be the biggest culprits of offering poor-paying gigs. It’s not intentionally malicious — they usually think they’re doing you a favor by giving you work. Consider setting a standard “friends and family” discount rate, and let it be known. This way they know right upfront you’re already cutting them a deal, and it should lead to fewer “pro-bono” projects.

If a client offers work that seems really great — other than the pay — consider offering them a package deal. If they agree to hire you for x, y and z, you’ll cut them a great deal on x.

Another option is to tell the client you’re not available for the whole project, but you’d be willing to do part of it at a price you can both agree on. Ideally you’ll choose the part that costs you the least (in time and resources) but provides you the highest profit based on going rates.

When you just flat out need to say no, make sure you’re polite and honest. The client may have no idea they’re low-balling you. The more you can educate clients on the value of your work and the expertise you’re providing, the easier it will be for them to justify paying you a higher rate.

2. When the Client Is Difficult

Unfortunately, I can relate all too well to the infamous “How a Web Design Goes Straight to Hell” comic from theoatmeal.com.

I’m sure plenty of you out there have clients you’re in hiding from — or at least you wish you could hide from. Now, be honest, how many of you would still accept work from that dreadful client? I fear too many of you. Because usually the project started off so well — and that’s the tricky part. The reason so many of us get sucked back into doing a second project with that same difficult client is because it always starts out fine.

You try to tell yourself the second time couldn’t possibly be as bad as the first. Or you convince yourself that now you have a better understanding of how the client operates, so things will go smoother this time. Perhaps you don’t fully recall just how dreadful it was because your mind has tried so hard to forget.

I hate to break it to you, but the second time will not be better. You really need to listen to your gut here. Deep down you know a difficult client won’t change. (Tweet this thought.)

The strangest part is that they still want to work with you. They seem to be clueless of your misery and they don’t take hints well.

How to Tell If a Client Is “Worth” the Trouble

Don’t respond to the request right away, as you may feel obligated to blurt out “sure” when you really mean no. Your best plan here is to get your head straight first so you can’t be swayed.

Hopefully you kept good records of your time spent on the last project. Go back and review your time versus pay. Usually, difficult clients suck more of your time with extra meetings, extra revisions and even your personal time when you can’t seem to shake the project from your mind. They’re also more likely to tack on work that wasn’t agreed upon in the initial contract.

Also, reflect back on the project as a whole. Do you notice your body tensing at the thought of sleepless nights and frustrating conversations with this client? Are you ready and willing to take that on again, or would you rather focus your energy on clients you truly enjoy collaborating with?

Think of the end project. Are you proud of it, or did you end up in the How a Web Design Goes Straight to Hell scenario?

What to Do Once You’ve Had a Chance to Reflect

Now that you’ve fully recalled the past project, you may be a little worked up. Don’t run to the phone and call the client right away to tell them what you really think. Remember, as a freelancer your reputation is everything, and it’s crucial to remain professional no matter how hard it seems at the time.

The purpose of reflection was to internally confirm that you want to say no. Now you have to say it, politely. Don’t drag up the laundry list of evils with the client. Just let them know you’re unavailable for the project. You can be vague if you want, you don’t really owe it to them to explain why. Just be careful not to lead them into thinking you’ll be available in the future if they have time to wait.

If you feel like you could handle the project under strict guidelines, set the guidelines in writing and require a signed contract that outlines the parameters. For instance, what will happen if the client misses a submission deadline for key project timelines? What will the compensation be for additional changes or after-hours communication? Don’t be afraid to request what you will really need to make the project successful.

Some clients will realize they aren’t ready to commit to the new terms and will walk on their own. Others will accept and try to weasel around things. Hold firm, because once you let one thing slide, everything will revert right back to the old ways.

You may also want to inform the client that your rates have increased, because let’s be honest: your misery demands a premium.

I must give extra caution here, though — even under strict parameters, a difficult client will often remain difficult.

3. When the Project Just Stinks

When I first began my career in marketing and design, I was well aware I would face temptations to take on projects I didn’t agree with. I made some hard rules with myself on what I would and wouldn’t accept, and I’ve stuck to them. I’m proud of that.

As a freelancer, you have a major career advantage to only select the clients and projects you want, and I encourage you to take this privilege very seriously — i.e., don’t sell out.

Sometimes the scope of the project isn’t so black and white. While the nature of the project may be morally or ethically okay with you, you still may not be excited to sign your name to the project. I sometimes have to stop and ask myself if this project be something I’m proud to show potential clients to help seal the deal on a future offer. If the answer is no, I don’t accept the work. It’s not worth my time.

Saying no in this instance can be tricky (especially if the client is extra sweet), but you have to be willing to realize the value of your time and accept that if you continue to take on crappy or mediocre work, that’s all you will ever achieve. I urge you to think bigger, have more confidence in yourself and don’t be afraid to dream! This may sound fluffy to some of you but, honestly, if you can’t stand behind your work and be proud of it — do you really want to spend your time doing it?

In design, the worst clients are the ones who simply want to hire you as labor. They want you to recreate their vision and it usually involves centering everything and putting a box around it. This is because that’s all they can envision. They don’t know any better. You need to be strong enough to defend your expertise and encourage clients to trust your talent. If there’s no potential in the project to work your magic, move on.

I usually end up telling these type of clients I’m simply not the right person for the project. I’m honest and let them know the type of work that I can do and that if they want those services, I would be happy to help them — but if they’re looking for something different, I recommend they find someone that is a better fit for them. No hard feelings, just the honest truth that not everyone is fit for every project.

Ready to Say No?

I recognize the “just say no” mantra is much easier in theory than in practice, especially in rough economic times. I’m not suggesting you hold out until the perfect, best-paying offer comes along before you decide to take on work. That may, in fact, be a long ways out.

However, I do encourage you to set some boundaries for yourself and get over the fear of saying no. Because the more you say yes to the mediocre, the more you will live in the mediocre long-term. Set your standards higher and don’t be afraid to ask for what you’re worth.