Hit $5k in revenue last month and immediately regretted turning down a retainer

So I've been freelancing graphic design for about 2 years now. Last November a small real estate agency offered me a 12 month retainer at $1,200 a month. Felt like it was too low and I could make more with one off projects. Fast forward to last month where I hit $5,000 in revenue but it took me 60 hours of work plus 15 hours of chasing down payments from 4 different clients. I was stressed out every single day. The retainer would've been steady income with way less headache. Now I'm trying to get back in touch with that same agency but their marketing guy left and the new person is ghosting me. Has anyone else turned down a retainer and later felt like a complete idiot?

3 comments

3 Comments

ray6135d ago

Ngl that's a rough one, I feel for you. Honestly the stability of a retainer is something you don't really value until you're stuck dealing with flaky clients and chasing invoices. Tbh I've been in a similar spot where I thought I was too good for a steady gig and then regretted it hard when the feast or famine cycle hit. The stress of managing multiple clients and their payment schedules is no joke, it can burn you out fast. Hopefully that agency circles back or you find something similar that gives you that peace of mind. Wishing you luck getting back in touch with them.

johnson.eva5d ago

Oh man, I feel you hard on this. @ray613, you hit it exactly - that feast or famine cycle is brutal and it's way too easy to get burned out before you even realize it. I've been there where I turned down a retainer thinking I could make more on my own and then a whole month went by with nothing but late payments and headaches. The peace of mind from a steady check is honestly worth more than a few extra bucks here and there because the stress savings alone are huge. Really hope you can get that agency to call back or find something similar soon.

drews555d agoTop Commenter

Stick with a retainer, @ray613 knows what's up.