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I’ve been neglecting my most important client

April 20, 2018 by Jake Poinier

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important clientIt’s confession time: I’ve been neglecting my most important client. True, he doesn’t pay the best, he can be a bit loony under pressure, and I’m pretty sure he’s adult ADHD. But, he’s good at what he does and he’s generally amiable, so I stick with him.

As the cool kids today say: IT ME.

I can give a litany of excuses, of course—as we all can! Neglecting your own business seems to be part of a freelancer’s job description: Paid work is always first in line, cobbler’s kid with no shoes, yadda yadda yadda. As I noted in my previous post, I’m a fan of saying yes. In addition to steady client work and regular deadlines, there was a longtime client who needed a helping hand during a family crisis last week. A few new clients have come on board since the beginning of the year, so there are the usual startup follies. A book I’m editing and helping someone self-publish is in its final stages, so I’m knee-deep in the nitty-gritty. Ah, and there was the much-needed (and wicked fun!) vacation last month, so things logjammed before and after it.

Week after week, I keep telling myself that on Monday, things should get back to normal…whatever that is.

Neglecting your own business seems to be part of the #freelance job description

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How My Important Client Got My Attention

The neglect part has been simmering in the back of my mind for a while, but came to a full boil at my monthly mastermind meeting earlier this week. The featured speaker had us perform a couple of exercises, including one of my favorites, a simple brain dump. Three columns—business, personal, and family—and just write down everything you can think of that you want or need to do.

I keep telling myself that on Monday, things should get back to normal…whatever that is

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As I frantically scribbled, it became pretty clear that the weak link was very specific: business tasks for my own business. I have a bunch of cool projects that I need to upload to my Boomvang Creative portfolio. (Oh, I also need to cultivate some testimonials from all that work.) I’ve delayed long enough on writing my next business book, so I’ve given myself a deadline for research. My computer and physical files could use some serious TLC. Invoicing, yeah, obviously. And, sure enough, my ever-growing list of topics that I want to blog about needs to be chipped away at. Consider this a start.

While none of these items are going to deliver immediate ROI, every single one of them will pay off in the future—sometimes in ways I can’t even see at the moment. That’s key.

If you’re nodding your head at all this, do yourself a favor: Jot down a list and give your most important client some dedicated attention next week. Without them, you’ve got nothing else.

In the comments: Do you have any cool tips for fellow freelancers about how to avoid neglecting their own businesses?

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Filed Under: Manage Your Freelance Business Tagged With: best practices, business, client relationships, true confessions

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Comments

  1. Cathy Miller says

    April 20, 2018 at 11:32 am

    This pretty much describes my whole freelancing career. 😉 I am gradually transitioning away from business writing for clients (except a few I love and projects I love) to focus more on my most important client. 🙂 Let’s check back in next year, Jake. 😉

    • Jake Poinier says

      April 20, 2018 at 12:52 pm

      It heartens me to know that, Cathy. (I’ll set a calendar alert for 4-20-19!) Thanks, as always, for commenting. 🙂

      • Cathy Miller says

        April 20, 2018 at 12:54 pm

        And thank you for not pointing out my typo. Should read…focus more on…Good thing I’m scaling back on the client work. 😀

        • Jake Poinier says

          April 20, 2018 at 1:08 pm

          Typo-schmypo. (Heck, one of my friends pointed out a no-brainer typo in my original post!) (And I fixed yours, so no one will know what we’re talking about LOL.)

  2. Bobbi Hoffman says

    April 20, 2018 at 2:35 pm

    I needed this today.Thanks! I am deadline-oriented, and if a task doesn’t have a strict deadline attached to it, I tend to ignore it.

    • Jake Poinier says

      April 20, 2018 at 4:50 pm

      Thanks for commenting. As you can tell, I know the feeling!

  3. Lori says

    April 24, 2018 at 6:33 am

    I’d say just make it a regular part of the workweek. Schedule five minutes at the beginning or end of the day to go over one item. on your business to-do list. One thing. Five minutes. Maybe at the end of the day in case five turns into 25….

    Another thing I do is I keep a rather untidy stack of papers to the left of my monitor. They’re my “must file or deal with” items. Since I really, really hate a messy desk, I’ll go through the pile weekly. Sometimes some of the stuff will land back on the pile, but at least I’m looking at it every week.

    • Jake Poinier says

      April 24, 2018 at 6:51 am

      1) Good suggestion on making it part of the routine. Personally, I’m a start-the-day planner, but I know lots of people who argue for end-of-day. Either way, it needs to get done!
      2) Oh, man, you would HATE my desk 🙂

      Thanks for commenting, Lori!

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