Meta-mistake that covers most small clients: Don't do business with people who are writing you a check out of their own pocket. Prospects that have a profession

Meta-mistake that covers most small clients: Don't do business with people who are writing you a check out of their own pocket. Prospects that have a professional manager and a budget are a lot less hassle than Ed and Enid, who have to buy cheaper hamburger this month if they pay your invoice. Related: Admin and client hand-holding eat all the things; consider having fewer/larger clients. No matter what size your clients, don't sell one-off websites. Sell either a package of annual services or flat-out rent them a website you own. Clients are never happier than at the moment of delivery; that's the time to ask for referrals. You can almost never meaningfully raise your rates with a long-term client so start with high rates. Related: There's no reason in the world every client needs the same rate. The same piece of work you do may solve a $50k problem for one client and a $5 million problem for another; why would you charge them the same? I've seen some comments about providing as much detail as possible in invoicing, time tracking, etc. That's one way to do it but, in my experience, small clients want simplicity. Flat rate for a fixed scope, no time tracking and a one-line invoice.