While you might feel obliged to agree to every project that presents itself to you, as a successful freelancer, you also need to know when to say “no” to certain projects that aren’t aligned with your business goals or expertise and saying “no” to projects can be one of the most important skills you can gain.
As a freelancer, especially when you’re just starting out, you’ll likely want to accept every project and piece of work that comes your way. After all, you’ll be wanting to start building up your profile and portfolio and in order to establish yourself as an expert in your freelancing field, you’ll need to take on projects to showcase your skills.
Saying “no” to any work that comes your way might feel counterintuitive at first as you’ll feel like you’re throwing away opportunities to build your portfolio, but it’s imperative to recognise and distinguish the good opportunities from the ones that aren’t right for you.
Accepting the wrong jobs could see you working for less than you’re worth, or you could end up spending a lot of time working on something that you don’t enjoy, for not a lot of money and you could end up missing out on work that’s truly aligned to you.
Your decision to become a freelancer probably arose from numerous different circumstances; for example, in order to have more freedom and control over your workload, to escape the humdrum of the 9-5 lifestyle, or just so you can make money in a field that you truly love.
Whatever influenced your decision to become a freelancer, you have to ensure that the work you take on is right for you, not only so you enjoy producing it, but so that you can provide your client with the highest standard of work possible.
Here are some instances when you should definitely be saying “no” to projects:
Projects where you’re underpaid
This type of project is fairly easy to see why you should avoid it at all costs. Being underpaid for your work is never a nice feeling, but when you’re just starting out as a freelancer, you might be tempted to accept any paid work that comes your way as you’ll just be so excited to start working. However, it’s important to say “no” to the projects that vastly undervalue you and that don’t pay you fairly for the work you’re producing.
If you are not sure what you should be charging for your freelance services, you can download our rate calculator which will enable you to calculate exactly what you should be charging your clients.
Projects that don’t align with your skill set
Projects that aren’t appropriate for your skills and knowledge should also be declined. Even if you think that you can learn what you need to do as you go, it’s always better to try and take on work that’s actually suited to your skill set so that you can ensure you produce the highest quality of work for your client.
Projects that don’t interest you in the slightest
As a freelancer, chances are that you’ve worked on a few projects in the past that simply don’t interest you at all. When you decided to become a freelancer, you probably wanted to do so, so that you could work on things that you’re passionate about. Accepting a job that pays well, but doesn’t interest you in the slightest will likely lead to you not doing your best work, which could result in a pretty frustrated client. Therefore, it’s usually always best to say no to work that doesn’t interest you.
Projects with clients who aren’t good to work with
If you’ve had experience working with a client in the past and they offer you more work, but they were a nightmare to work with, then you need to think about whether it’s worth accepting the job or not. For example, if they paid your invoice incredibly late, or they were particularly pedantic or demanding about certain aspects of a previous project, you probably won’t want to work with them again.
Projects that take up too much of your time
You should also consider saying no to projects that take up too much of your time. Even if the project is relatively well-paying, you might be able to make up that money by taking on smaller projects but completing more of them.
Saying “no” to a project can be pretty terrifying, but also quite liberating at the same time as it shows that you are in control of your workload as a freelancer.
Always consider the above points when deciding whether to say no to a project or not.
