Rules for clients

People who hire freelancers should understand that this is a partnership.

What does that mean?

If you want us to go fast, you need to respond to our work quickly, and pay quickly.

If you want consistency, it helps if your feedback is consistent. If multiple people provide contradictory feedback, it helps if you can give us the context to make sense of that.

If you want us to do high quality work, you need to appreciate the quality, not trash it with meaningless edits.

If you want our work to be part of a plan, that works best if you don’t change the plan three times a week.

If you want to work with a well-recommended freelancer, expect to provide references for them in the future.

If you want us to treat you with respect, it helps if you treat us as professionals, too.

If your problem is your own company’s politics, we don’t have many resources to fix that; it helps if you can solve that part.

If you want us to work with you again, it helps to say thank you.

If you won’t pay top dollar, you won’t get top quality.

If you pay in “exposure,” you’ll have your pick of inexperienced hacks to work with.

If you want people who never make mistakes, you’re dreaming. If you want people who can find and fix their mistakes, we can do business.

Look at your stable of freelance contractors. If it’s filled with disappointing people, take a quick break from complaining and think a moment about how that happened.

We care, most of us. If you do, too, I bet we can work together.