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9 clients?!
I’m even struggling with just 2 right now. How do you manage all of them?
I get these comments a lot in FLIP so I decided to write my response in a blog post. But first, here's a little backstory...
If you watched my interview with Jason, you’ll see that there was a point in my freelancing career when I struggled. I “vowed” that I would NEVER allow that to happen again and decided that slacking off was unacceptable.
By the end of October 2017, I started closing deals again - one after another - until I got 11 clients.
This 2018 alone, I have been able to close a total of 13 clients. I would have loved to keep them forever, but contracts end. That’s just how it works - clients come, clients go.
As freelancers, we should never rely on any one, two or three clients. I learned that lesson the hard way last year.
First off, I have a flexible work schedule with ALL my clients. As long as I deliver results, they’re happy. And since I have this kind of flexibility, I am able to compute my hours for a day’s work.
Here’s a sneak peek of what my week looks like:
I do my best to get most of the work done on a Monday. I start my day early at 8:00 AM and try to get a lot done before lunchtime. In the afternoon, I try to get at least another 3 hours of work and come evening at least 4 hours. So all in all, that’s an estimated total of 10 hours of work. And I’ve been able to complete the heavy part of the tasks needed done.
Sometimes, in a day, I can work up to 14 hours. You may think that that sounds a bit much, but this way, I get almost everything done by Wednesday.
Because of this, Thursdays and Fridays are more of my free time. Any little tasks or added tasks from clients can be included there but these days are blocked for leisure time.
As for cooking and household chores, well I used to “cook”, and I put quotations there for a reason. I don’t know how to cook properly, the typical “prito” and simple stuff can get done. But when you ask me to cook something, like kaldereta or some other complicated dish, then no!
Ever since I started to get more clients, I noticed that every time I spent on “cooking” was a time that I could’ve spent doing something with my laptop. So I decided to “automate” the cooking part.
My solution? To order food deliveries.
Yes, it may be costly. But at least, my time spent cooking would go into waiting for the food delivery guy and I get some more work done.
It’s the same with laundry. I used to do the laundry myself.
But after realizing that I spend 3-4 hours (sometimes more) doing the chore, I decided to delegate it!
I hired someone to come in and do the laundry once a week. She comes in every Monday and while she’s doing the laundry, I’m working or playing with Jared.
I calculate every moment. And that’s worked well for me because I get things done.
My "me" time is spent on either watching Netflix or reading a book. And normally, these happen towards the end of my day. I sneak in a few chapters or a whole book, 1 episode or 2 or 3… or more… Then I look at the time and it’s 1:00 AM! 🙂
Throughout the day, every day, I make it a point to play and, of course, attend to my 4-year-old son’s needs. We talk, we play and we eat together. Sometimes, we go out to eat or walk around (this involves me bringing my laptop and bringing my son to a coffee shop with wifi).
At times I bring him with me to my husband’s workplace where I can sit in the office and work on my laptop while tethering on my phone.
At night, we stroll out. We go to the mall, maybe play some games in Tom’s World, or anything to spend time as a family. So really, it’s not all work and no play for me.
1. Be clear about your goals.
When you’re on a call with a potential client, make sure to establish clear goals. You want to make sure that you understand what the client wants to achieve with the tasks they’re giving you.
Since I deal more with social media, my clients want social media engagement or seeing that their plans work out and, of course, garner more leads and sales eventually. With that in mind, I make it a point to align my goals with theirs to achieve best results.
You also want to know your work hours with the clients early on. Some of them want you to be in the same timezone as them, luckily for me, that has not been the case so far.
Some clients will also want to have constant communication or meetings with you, so you might want to look into asking about that as well.
2. Organize Everything
I have separate Google folders for each of my clients. I keep all the important information and resources needed to do my tasks in each folder.
Aside from this, I also set up separate Trello boards for each client. Each one has To-Do Checklists for each day and week. I love checking tasks off as I complete them because it’s so fulfilling to see the boxes turn green. 🙂
To set reminders, I use Google Calendar, Calendly, and sometimes, Messenger Plans.
This ensures that I am on track with everything that I need to get done. I don’t miss out on anything. You know how it is with mommies, we tend to be a little bit more forgetful than how we were in our youth.
Do all the heavy tasks FIRST!!!
I will place emphasis on this. Getting all the heavy things out of the way allows room for you to be more relaxed and laid back towards the end of the week. Doing these kinds of tasks first allows you to have more time to look back. Do any re-work needed, and in case the client adds more to your plate.
3. Rinse and Repeat
I am a big fan of automation. I love automating things so I do my best to automate stuff.
Whether it’s getting someone else to do my laundry for me to outsource some of the tasks that I do. I’ve asked VA Bootcamp students to do some tasks for me that I’d rather not do.
Example:
If my client wants to transcribe a video for quotes for social media, I send that off to a VA Bootcamp student to do for me.
Even creating Canva images and research are automated. So, automate when possible.
4. Deliver Great Results Consistently, Thereby Gaining Clients’ Trust
Prove to clients that you can get the job done - no excuses!
My internet sometimes fails me but I choose not to let that get in the way. I always look for workarounds.
Can the tasks be done at a coffee shop? Yes.
Can I use data for the time being just to complete some of the tasks? Most probably!
Do I have friends or relatives that I could go to just to use their wifi for the time being? Yes!
I do whatever it takes to deliver results before the appointed deadline. I’m also very open and transparent with my clients. If I can’t do a certain task with a tight deadline, I let them know straight out.
Also, when delivering completed tasks, I ensure that they are of high quality. They must have been checked, re-checked, double-checked before sending them off. Whenever possible, I go the extra mile and proactively think of other things that could contribute and improve my clients’ businesses.
5. Go Easy on Yourself (If Not Possible, Make Up For It)
Assess your day.
Was it a success?
Were you able to mark off everything from your checklist?
What worked? What didn’t?
What can we do better next time?
What caused the distraction?
These are just some of the questions I like to ask myself at the end of the day. And if I find that something was lacking, I look for ways to improve in that area.
Don't forget to have fun!
The number of clients doesn’t have to mean I’m only glued to my laptop. I do have my fun moments.
When I feel like I need a long break, I give myself that. I end up watching movies with my son. Or we go to the mall just to play with the toys at Toys R Us (it’s free to play with them LOL). Or sometimes, I take longer naps with my son because most of the time I only take about 30 minutes worth of nap time.
I make up for the “lost” time on Thursdays or Fridays. Sometimes, when I’ve got a lot going on with other personal life distractions, I push them off on a weekend. Although I do my best not to work on a weekend.
Discipline is what keeps me to adhere to these steps I’ve set for myself. If I didn’t have that then I’d be a mess and most probably be moody. One day inspired and the next not.
I leave you with this great quote by Jim Rohn, he said: “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.”
You got this, mommies!
You work 8am in d morning?.. how about your kid's needs esp.when he wakes up?. Eat breakfast and play. I spend my mornings attending my child's needs from brkfast to study time, and playtime, up to 11am, then prepare for lunch, bath her and afternoon nap. That is the only time I can start to work 1pm onwards...
Not in the literal sense. I generally "start" my day at 8am. If I wake up earlier, better. If not, then my target to wake up is at least at 8am. Since I hold my work hours I play with my son any time and sometimes even during my "work time". This involves him sitting next to me on the table and drawing/coloring or playing with his toys or tablet. This varies really. I can't say that there is a "fixed" time for our play time. But I ensure that his needs are met, of course. Although most of the times he does stuff on his own, such as taking a bath, going through the fridge and food cabinet for his own snacks, etc.
I saved this post as an inspiration. I will re-read this when I feel overwhelmed. Thank you, Honey, for sharing this.
That's great to hear! Remember, this is the way things run on my end, and what works for me may not work for everyone else, so if you find this to work for you then that's awesome! If you create a better process in place for you, even better! All the best!
A 5-start content! Now I'm fired up to get things done in a productive way.
Thanks for sharing your experience Ms. Honey!