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From full-time to freelance, again! The return of Bryce Bladon!

 

Life is full of changes. One moment you can be a freelancer, the next you can be working full-time for one of the most exciting blockchain projects in the world, and then a freelancer again!

...Okay, that's pretty specific. But that's exactly the journey Bryce Bladon has taken over the last few years, and he joins old friend Kyle Carpenter to discuss his return to the freelance fold, the strategies he's used to hit the ground running, and why knowing yourself is the most important thing you can do for your career. 

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I was transporting some equipment for a client several hundred miles. They insisted on following my truck and were very adamant that I go the exact speed limit. The following took place at the first rest stop.

Client: You were speeding. We had to catch up to you several times.

Me: No. I made sure to set the cruise control at exactly the speed limit.

Client: Yeah. But your engine is bigger than ours.

Me: … Haha … huh? … Ha… Wait. Are you serious?

Try as I might, I could not impress on them that 60 mph is the same no matter how big the engine.

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Me: You need to bring two forms of ID to take your test.

Client: Nobody said that! I only have one.

Me: It’s in your confirmation e-mail. Which you printed out and brought with you.

Client: Well yeah, but I don’t have time to read that stuff.

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Client: Okay, this is what I think you should shoot for. I want you to come up with an idea, something new. Something that no one has ever thought of before, that can guarantee results but doesn't cost any money.

Me: That would make me Steve Jobs, except for the free part.

Client: Ha! No seriously, be creative.

Me: <Slow blink>

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Once again, a client has pulled the old, "Quick we need a landing page by tomorrow" yet provides no text, images or other data as to what is to be on the landing page. 

Client: What do you need from me to get started?

Client: Um... Everything.


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I make custom items from metal, which involve machining, designing, etching, installing electronics, etc.

I was working with a client who I realized would be well served with a design I'd started on my own time.

Me: I have an incomplete design that could be modified to suit your needs.

Client: Will that knock the price down?

Me: No. most of what I'm charging for doesn't change and besides, I should be paid for the design work I've already done.

Client: Will it make it any quicker?

Me: Maybe a little, but there is no real difference to you.

Lesson to me: don't tell the client if you're using previous work. Lesson to the client: DESIGN DOESN'T HAVE "DISCOUNTED FLOOR MODELS." 

 

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I was building a webpage for a company who absolutely needed it live the following Monday morning due to a load of press ads going out with the URL printed.

I built the site and put in the images and content and submitted the work to the client:

Client: I am not going to get client approval as they are so easy - so long as it looks good can you go live. I am in later on Sunday so could check it then but just go live once text is in. I need to go now as I have an event to attend tonight so I am just trusting you will get this done - many thanks.

Me: What? Live where?

Client: *silence*

Me: I don’t have any details on the hosting. I don't know if I am supposed to be hosting this or if they have their own setup? I don't even know what the domain is! Do we have access to the domain name and can we even change the A records?

Client: *even more silence*

I bet I get an angry message on Monday morning asking why the site isn't live and it will somehow be my fault despite me trying to phone, email and text to find out what's going on.

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Client: Can you design birthday tags? For candies?

Me: Sure! What's the theme?

They sent a photo without any reference for size. 

Client: Like this one. I want 50 tags, how much is it?

Me: What's the tag size?

Client: I don't know, make it like the one in the picture.

Me: Sure, but I can't tell the size from the picture, can you measure it?

Client: Oh, it's small.

Me: ... Okay. 3cm?

Client: I don't know. Like the size of a fridge magnet.

Me: ...

So I did a 5cm tag and the client did not like it. Too small.

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Good planning let me turn a potential CFH into a golden goose. Specifically, the fact that our contract that didn't include revisions. 

What's the red flag to the situation I barely avoided? The fact that every email during the proof stage started with:

Client: So I passed this around the office...

*shudder*

 

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