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Do be careful. Becoming overly dependent on upstream "feeders" is what killed my company. It is a balance. Turning down work is dangerous, and the generally op
by _jal 7y ago
Do be careful. Becoming overly dependent on upstream "feeders" is what killed my company.
It is a balance. Turning down work is dangerous, and the generally opposite of why you're in business. But giving other firms too much leverage will kill you just as dead as insufficient work. I started getting nervous when one company was over 50% of our income, but there was disagreement about urgency and what exactly to do about it with my partners, and we dithered until the bomb went off.
- ghaff 7y agoAll it takes is for someone at the client to take a new job elsewhere. Whoever replaces them will have different people who they know and different priorities.
- jacobheric 7y agoI my experience, at least for an individual, I think saying no is exactly the opposite of dangerous. I’ve been contracting exclusively for 10 years and said yes about 6 times and no dozens or hundreds of times. As long as you say no frankly, with a reason, and offer some names of people who can help, people are happy with you and will more often than not ask again in the future. Saying no, especially for bad fit, is one of the most important parts of success I’ve had in consulting.
- JamesBarney 7y ago"and offer some names of people who can help" For people who are reading this quickly, this is the magic that makes saying no ok. If you are just turning down client requests they'll stop asking. Most people are extremely busy so they really appreciate having a "go-to guy" they can send any requests even vaguely related to what you do.
- _jal 7y agoOh, absolutely, I couldn't agree more. I guess I should add, this was in the 2000s. We started the company in the aftermath of the dot.com crash. Getting work was a major challenge, and turning down anything felt like asking to be made homeless. It is a very different market now.