Learning to Say No to Bad-Fit Clients (Lessons From a Hardcore People Pleaser)

We’ve all been there: an email lands in our inbox from a new prospect who’s looking for a freelancer and We Get Psyched.

Let’s face it, every freelancer loves the ping of a prospective client. It shows that our marketing is working and that our services are in demand.

In the early days of my freelance career, I got all sorts of requests land in my inbox and I don’t think I said no to a single one.

Low-paying project? I jumped at the chance.

Really dull brand? You bet I’m booking in a call with them to hash out the finer details.

Huge project that I definitely don’t have time in my schedule for? I don’t need sleep.

I found it SO hard to say no. In fact, I don’t think the word was even in my vocabulary at that point in my career. I just didn’t want to pass up an opportunity or let a client down. I thought it would dent my reputation or I’d wake up one morning with no clients because I’d said no to Every Single One of Them.

So I said yes. And I kept saying yes.

And I got burnt out working millions of hours a day on yawn-worthy projects for crappy clients that treated me like a bit of dirt on their shoe. So many of them micro-managed me to…