I finally hit 50 recurring clients and realized I messed up big time

So I've been freelancing out of a coworking space in Portland for about 2 years now. Last week I counted and I have exactly 52 people paying me monthly for various stuff. Sounds great right? Except I looked at my schedule and I'm working 60 hours a week just to keep up. No time for networking, no time for meetups, no time to even talk to other people at the space. I basically built myself a full time job instead of a freelance life. Has anyone else hit a milestone and realized it was actually a trap?

3 comments

3 Comments

perry.jesse4d ago

Read in one of those freelance newsletters that the sweet spot is around 15-20 clients if you want actual freedom. 52 is basically running a small agency by yourself and that's EXACTLY the trap. You gotta fire some of those low paying ones that take up the most time. I heard this guy on a podcast say he cut his clients from 40 to 12 and made MORE money because he could charge premium rates for his actual focused attention.

abbyhall4d ago

Read something similar in a book about freelancing called "The Pumpkin Plan" I think? It talked about how having too many clients just spreads you thin and you end up doing okay work for everyone instead of great work for a few. The author had this gardener analogy where you prune back the weaker plants so the strong ones can really grow. Makes so much sense when you put it that way. Plus with 52 clients you gotta be drowning in admin and meetings alone thats not freedom thats just a different kind of cage.

fionat554d ago

Hmm, isn't it possible that you just need to raise your rates instead of dropping people? I had a similar situation and just bumped prices on my smallest clients - some left, some stayed, but my income stayed the same with way less work. Did you try that first before cutting anyone loose?