The biggest client red flags solopreneurs face
And how to stay in control of the situation.
I had to submit my resume for a role. Then I went through three interviews, with nearly identical questions each time.
The biggest problem? The role was for a freelance writing position. Not an employee of the company. I got all the way to the third interview only to learn that the role paid a fraction of my usual rate — even though I’d provided my rates upfront.
I’m experienced enough as a solopreneur to know that going through three interviews was a bad sign. The potential client wasn’t communicating internally (as confirmed by the fact that my rate had been overlooked). Repeated interviews are incredibly uncommon in my line of work, and indicated to me that the company didn’t know how to work with a freelancer.
When you’re a solopreneur, bad clients cost you time and money. They also crowd out better opportunities and put a strain on your bandwidth. Client selection is a core business skill. And if you’re not in a position to turn down work, you at least need to know how to handle sticky situations when they come up.
