Clients that Care

Whenever a client hires me, I make it a very specific point not to bring baggage to the table. Whether it’s other project scheduling issues, family schedules, strong toolset opinions, or any other demands on a freelancer’s time or mental-space. Some clients will gracefully deal with a freelancer’s baggage, but I’ve found that most clients would rather not have to concern themselves with it. As a result I work hard to guard my clients from that stress.

However, some baggage does inevitably come through. During the middle of July, we had a family emergency and I needed to immediately take off a couple weeks. Keep in mind two of the projects I was on were planning on launching at the end of July. So going offline that abruptly was a significant disruption.

I talked with each of my clients individually and I was relieved that they all took it well. After my first week out though, I was shocked at how thoughtful some of the emails/IMs/and Phone calls were. Here are a few snippets that I received:

“Just wanted to check in and make sure you were doing ok. Again, let us know if there’s anything we can do.”

“Obviously, do what you need to do for yourself. If that’s work I’ll be happy to keep you busy… We’d like to send some flowers…” (In response to me mentioning I may work on a feature to keep my mind busy)

“Take care and as much time as you need.”

“Please take the time you need.”

“Nothing comes before family. Take your time, when you’re ready to start back up just let me know. No rush.”

I’ve come to appreciate that my ideal client is not just a cool project nor a large budget, but instead a rich relationship. I feel very blessed that all of my clients are so considerate because there are many others out there who aren’t.

Thank you Mike, Dana, Orlando, McHughson, Daniel, and Nicholas.