Recommendations when leaving freelancing

Hello, Habra-Lancers.
I bring to your attention a somewhat free translation of a post from the blog of a popular freelance exchange, called How to Quit Your Freelance Gig . It is followed by some considerations from the author of the translation, that is, me.


Being a freelancer means being able to do a lot of things that are not available to the ordinary office worker. You can define your own work schedule, equip the workplace to your liking, choose as many projects as you like. But, as with everything, there is another side to the coin. Most freelancers are not prepared to complete their free activities.

Wait a minute! Why should I quit freelancing if it makes money? - This is crazy!
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The reasons may be very different. It may come to the realization that freelancing does not sufficiently satisfy your idea of ​​the desired income. For example, you increased your usual rate per project / hour, which provoked the lack of orders. Or, trite, it became difficult to work with the current client. You may also have far-reaching plans that distance you from the keyboard for a long time. Possible situations may be enough.

If you think that it is time to finish freelancing activities, below are tips on how to do this professionally and politely towards the client.

- Analyze in detail the reasons for leaving, before making a final decision . If you honestly tell yourself that you still love freelancing, consider alternative solutions. For example, discuss current issues with the customer and the possibility of correcting them.
- Call or email the customer to discuss your care . Your customer,
deserves to know why you decided to finish the project. Notify him of care as soon as it is available to you. After discussion, make sure that the customer and you, have settled all the related points related to your care. (What amount of work you can do, the timing of your availability, for working moments, and so on). Also make sure that there are no bad feelings, omissions between you. Explain the reasons for leaving.
- Complete important tasks, and send related files to the customer, before leaving. This is important in terms of your reputation as a freelancer. And also will allow the customer to continue the project with minimal losses. Depending on the type of work performed, there may be such a list:
* Information related to access to project resources - logins / passwords
* Files (PHP, CSS, and so on) necessary for the operation of the customer’s web site
* Accompanying documentation, contracts, a copy of a website, blog articles, and other content.
* Layouts of design elements, logos, drawings, etc.
- Sincerely thank the customer . Of course, if you do not finish the project, because of a serious dispute. At the end of the call to the customer, you can add: “Thank you for your understanding, [customer name]. I hope you find a new artist as soon as possible. I wish you all the best in your endeavors. ”
- Do not forget to ask for a recommendation review . This may be a review in your profile.
LinkedIn-profile, email message that can be referenced.

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And now, my, 5 Orthodox kopeks. Translation was done for experimental purposes. Copywriting, translations - not my path. However, the topic seemed interesting. Starting to delve into the details of the text, I felt like an unprofessional incompetent, and not a programmer. During freelancer, and this
For almost six years, I have not wondered how to communicate delicately with the customer. Usually, it was a friendly conversation, as they say - "on an equal footing." Sometimes going beyond the scope of the project, and flowing into a free theme. So used to work. Yes, of course, a sense of duty is always present. Commitment, self-discipline. For myself, he involuntarily remarked that I observe the above rules, in their entirety and even more. What obliges?
The first is the work on reputation. Over the years, and filling the profile, it becomes more valuable. And the reviews themselves are already starting to work for you. For example, if there is a choice, return the money or spoil the profile with a negative review - I choose the first one. Second moment. Delicacy and tolerance in communication has already become a matter of habit. Since you communicate with the customer directly, consciously or not, you feel like a seller of goods. And what do sellers usually do, on which the number of sales directly depends? - <your option>. And it seems to me that this is the main point, which sometimes prevents directly performing professional duties - that very tolerance for stupidity, incompetence. On the other side of the monitor, you are a good techie, but for this ... Yes, but this is my point of view. The habit developed over the years.

And yet the post about leaving freelancing. Or, the completion of long-term cooperation. What I would like to add:
- About the reasons for leaving . In the reasons listed in the original, there isn’t my opinion - this is a social component. In order not to breed traditional holivar - Office vs. Freelance, simply known habrapost link .
This can also be attributed - the creation of their own business. An IT freelancer is usually a mainstream person. He works around startups, knows their life cycle, and what will happen to them all
tomorrow. Therefore, it is not surprising that after several years of such activity, there is a desire to develop your own. Experience allows.
- Directly with care . When initiating leaving the project, the freelancer is clearly not in the winning
positions. A direct request to the customer will be another thread for which he can pull. Therefore it is necessary to have patience, and finish the necessary, at the highest level. What is actually described in the post, in the correct sequence.

Thank you for your attention,% username%. I hope you found something useful for yourself in this
post I wish you all the best in your endeavors.