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Thanks for the advice. Some people do ask out of curiosity in the initial conversation. Or just ask "what else are you working on?"

jarrett 13y ago
> Or just ask "what else are you working on?" You could say something like this: "I'm generally not able to disclose details about other projects. But I can tell you that their effect on my availability will be..."
- stinos 13y ago
  don't do that, just be straightforward instead. At least they know what they are dealing with, liking it or not is simething else. Sure, it's not a blatant lie, but imo it comes close enough. Suppose you do say this, and later a client finds out you actually hardly have any or no other projects ('work' projects, that is), I'm pretty sure they would think you haven't been completely honest. And such thoughts harm trust.
  - jarrett 13y ago
    > Sure, it's not a blatant lie, but imo it comes close enough. That's only the case if you have literally no other projects. If you have even one other project, it's not the slightest bit misleading. All I recommended saying is that you don't disclose details about your other work. That statement implies nothing about the volume of the other work, except that it's non-zero.
jackowayed 13y ago
If I were in your shoes, I would frame the rest of the time as professional development, which is likely a positive sign that might convince them to give you high rates that at times grow. "I aim for about 25 hours/week of client work so I have plenty of time for professional development and personal projects where I can focus on learning instead of delivering the best results for my clients." If phrased right, you can make it sound like you're already an expert at what you're doing for them, which is why you don't necessarily learn as much from it, so it's important to spend time honing your skills in new areas so you can expand your offerings.

jarrett 13y ago

> Or just ask "what else are you working on?" You could say something like this: "I'm generally not able to disclose details about other projects. But I can tell you that their effect on my availability will be..."

stinos 13y ago
don't do that, just be straightforward instead. At least they know what they are dealing with, liking it or not is simething else. Sure, it's not a blatant lie, but imo it comes close enough. Suppose you do say this, and later a client finds out you actually hardly have any or no other projects ('work' projects, that is), I'm pretty sure they would think you haven't been completely honest. And such thoughts harm trust.
- jarrett 13y ago
  > Sure, it's not a blatant lie, but imo it comes close enough. That's only the case if you have literally no other projects. If you have even one other project, it's not the slightest bit misleading. All I recommended saying is that you don't disclose details about your other work. That statement implies nothing about the volume of the other work, except that it's non-zero.

jackowayed 13y ago

If I were in your shoes, I would frame the rest of the time as professional development, which is likely a positive sign that might convince them to give you high rates that at times grow. "I aim for about 25 hours/week of client work so I have plenty of time for professional development and personal projects where I can focus on learning instead of delivering the best results for my clients." If phrased right, you can make it sound like you're already an expert at what you're doing for them, which is why you don't necessarily learn as much from it, so it's important to spend time honing your skills in new areas so you can expand your offerings.