Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals

c/project-graveyard

2

smith.lee•7h ago

Wasted $400 on a coworking membership and it broke my brain

Signed up for a fancy spot in Austin for 3 months and only went 4 times because the free coffee wasn't worth the 45 minute drive. Has anyone else found a better setup that actually keeps you leaving the house?

6

davidshah•3d ago

Lost a $1,200 retainer because I didn't get a signed contract for a 3 month branding project

Took me about six weeks and a dozen emails to finally admit that guy in Austin was never going to pay, has anyone else had a client just vanish after all that work for nothing?

17

lee.cora•5d ago

Hit 100 applications in 4 months and only landed 2 real projects

I set a goal to submit 100 freelance proposals by July this year, thinking volume would solve everything. Hit the number in late June and had spent over 40 hours just on applications alone. Out of those, only 2 turned into actual paying work totaling $1,800 combined. Has anyone else tracked their application numbers and gotten a reality check on the conversion rate?

3

parker_webb•8d ago

That time I took a $50 logo job just for the testimonial and it landed me a $1,200 branding gig 2 weeks later

Did the logo in like an hour and asked the guy to write a paragraph about working with me, then stuck that review on my portfolio page and it convinced the next client I was legit enough to pay real money.

4

anna717•8d ago

Logo project for a bakery that ghosted after 3 rounds of revisions

I spent 14 hours designing a logo for a local bakery in Portland, only for them to vanish after I sent the final files. No payment, no reply to my voicemails. Has anyone else dealt with clients who just disappear after the work is done?

13

morganl71•8d ago

That $99 unlimited stock photo subscription wrecked my budget

I signed up for a year of 'unlimited' downloads from a site called StockVault Pro for $99. Ended up finding out the hard way that their 'commercial license' didn't cover print work, so every single image I used for a brochure in Seattle had to be pulled. Had to reshoot everything myself with my phone at 2am. Anybody else get burned by a stock site's fine print?

10

patricia_hill60•9d ago

The week I took a $50 logo job and lost $400

I thought I was being nice taking a rush logo job for $50 from a friend of a friend. Three days turned into two weeks of them asking for 15 different versions. I ended up spending like $60 on font licenses and $40 on stock images they wanted me to "mess around with." Plus I had to turn down a real $800 website update because I was buried in this logo mess. The kicker was when they finally said "this isn't the vibe" and ghosted me on payment. Has anyone else taken a tiny job that cost them way more than they made?

2

sam_cooper•10d ago

The Before and After of My Logo Pricing That Stung

I had a lightbulb moment last week when I looked back at a logo project I did for a brewery in Denver back in March. The first version I sent them had like 30 hours of tweaks and 10 different concepts, and they paid me $400. The final version they ended up using was literally the second sketch I showed them in the first meeting. That difference between what I brought to the table and what they actually wanted cost me about 25 hours of my life. I realized I was overcomplicating everything because I thought they needed options, but they just needed one solid direction. Now I spend maybe 3 hours on initial concepts and charge $600 for a simpler package. Has anyone else found that their first instinct is usually closer to what the client picks anyway?

0

margaret551•11d ago

Comparing my $50 Upwork proposal to my $500 direct referral pitch was an ugly wakeup call

So I sent out two proposals last month for basically the same type of work - a 5 page website build. One was on Upwork for $50 total (yeah I know, don't judge, I was desperate), and the other was a referral from a former coworker in Chicago for $500. The $50 client micromanaged every pixel, asked for 8 revisions, and ghosted me after I sent the final files. Still haven't gotten paid. The $500 guy sent me a one paragraph brief, asked one clarifying question, paid half upfront via Venmo, and I was done in 4 days. Night and day difference. Has anyone else noticed that cheap clients are always the biggest headache?

1

joseph_bailey•12d ago

Found out my old client still owes me from 8 years ago

I was digging through old emails last night trying to find a receipt for something and stumbled across an invoice from 2016 for a web dev project I did for a small real estate agent in Austin. Turns out they never paid the last $500 and I just forgot about it. I sent them a polite note and they actually paid it this morning. Has anyone else ever found old unpaid invoices floating around like that?

2

casey268•13d ago

Warning: I took on a $300 logo job and the scope creep nearly sank me

I agreed to design a logo for a local bakery for $300 flat. Within 3 days they asked for 8 variations, a full brand guide, and social media templates. I spent 40 hours on it and barely broke minimum wage. Has anyone else had a client turn a fixed price gig into a bottomless pit?

10

ruby_bell47•14d ago

Checked out a coffee shop for remote work and noticed nobody was actually working

Went to this new spot called Brew Lab on 3rd Street last Tuesday because my internet at home was acting up. I sat there for about 2 hours and counted maybe 15 people with laptops open but only 3 of them were actually typing or clicking anything serious. Most folks were just scrolling their phones or chatting with the baristas between sips. It felt more like a social hangout disguised as a workspace than a place to get stuff done. Has anyone else run into this trend where coffee shops market themselves as work friendly but the vibe is all talk?

25

jessica331•14d ago

Pro tip: Flat rate vs hourly for editing - I learned the hard way which costs more

I took a $500 flat rate editing job last year thinking it was easy money. 40 hours later I was making $12.50 an hour and the client kept adding 'one more chapter.' Now I only do hourly with a cap spelled out in writing. The flat rate guy I referred to the same client ended up dropping the project after 60 hours of unpaid work. Has anyone else had a project tank because you picked the wrong payment model?

26

jennybailey•14d ago

Got burned by that $200 'premium' stock photo pack

Back in 2019 I paid $200 for a 'pro' stock photo pack from some random site thinking it'd save me time on client projects. Turned out half the photos were low res and the rest had weird watermarks that the fine print said I'd need extra licenses for. I tried to get a refund but the company ghosted me after three emails. Wasted a whole weekend sorting through garbage and still ended up buying individual images from Shutterstock. Has anyone else fallen for those overpriced bundles that promise the moon?

22

henryr45•16d ago

Thought my $50 retainer was a one-time deal, not a monthly fee

Back in March, I took on a small branding project for a local shop in Omaha. The client asked for a retainer to lock in rates, so I agreed to $50 a month for ongoing tweaks. Fast forward to last week, I realized they thought it was a one-time payment to start work. I ended up doing 6 months of minor edits for free before I caught on. Has anyone else had a client completely misinterpret a retainer agreement?

12

robin896•17d ago

Spent $200 on a premium Fiverr gig for a logo and got clipart from 2010

The guy sent me a logo that was literally a traced stock image with a different font, and when I asked for a revision he ghosted me after I already paid in full, so has anyone else dealt with sellers who just disappear after payment?

4

troyc17•18d ago

That $200 "easy" deck staining job turned into a 3 week nightmare

I took on a deck staining gig for a friend of a friend in May. Quoted $200 thinking it would be a 2 day sand and stain deal. Showed up and the old stain was like glue, had to strip it with chemicals 3 times before it would take new stain. Plus it rained half the days I was scheduled. Ended up costing me about $150 in extra supplies and like 40 hours of work. Has anyone else had a quick quote blow up in their face like that?

4

hernandez.gavin•20d ago

That week I landed three weddings in three days and my septic tank flooded on the third

I went from $4,200 in signed contracts Monday through Wednesday to having raw sewage in my basement on Thursday, and spent the next three days canceling on brides while hosing out my basement floor. Has anyone else had a great week turn into a total disaster like that?