Recommendations when leaving freelance

Hello, habra-lancers.
I bring to your attention, partly a free translation of a post from the blog of one popular freelance exchange, called - How to Quit Your Freelance Gig . Some considerations follow, from the author of the translation, that is, me.


To be a freelancer means to be able to do many things that are not available to an ordinary office worker. You can define your own work schedule, equip a workplace to your liking, choose as many projects as you see fit. But, as in everything, there is another side to the coin. Most freelancers are not prepared to complete their free activities.

Wait a moment! Why should I give up freelance if it generates income? - This is crazy!

The reasons can be very different. It may come to the realization that freelance does not sufficiently satisfy your ideas about the desired income. For example, you raised your usual rate for the project / hour, which provoked the lack of orders. Or, corny, it became difficult to work with the current client. You may also have far-reaching plans that will distance you from the keyboard for a long time. There may be plenty of possible situations.

If you are considering that it is time to finish your freelance activity, the tips below show you how to do it professionally and politely towards your client.

- Analyze the reasons for leaving in detail before making a final decision. If you honestly tell yourself that you still love freelance - consider alternative solutions. For example, discuss current issues with the customer and the possibility of correcting them.
- Call or send an email to the customer to discuss your departure . Your customer
deserves to know why you decided to finish the project. Let him know as soon as he is available to you. After the discussion, make sure that the customer and you have settled all the related issues related to your care. (How much work you can do, the timing of your availability, for work 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 the accompanying files to the client before leaving. This is important in terms of your reputation as a freelancer. It will also allow the customer to continue the project with minimal losses. Depending on the type of work performed, there may be a list:
* Information related to access to project resources - logins / passwords
* Files (PHP, CSS, and so on) necessary for the customer’s website
* Supporting documentation, contracts, copy Web site, 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 appeal 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 . This can be a review in your profile,
LinkedIn profile, an email message to which you can link.

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And now, mine, 5 Orthodox cents. The 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 mediocrity, and not a programmer. During freelance work, and this is
almost six years, I did not wonder how to delicately communicate with the customer. Usually, it was a friendly conversation, which is called “on an equal footing”. Sometimes beyond the scope of the project, and flowing into the free theme. So I got used to work. Yes, of course, a sense of duty is always present. Commitment, self-discipline. For myself, I involuntarily noticed that I was observing the above rules, in their entirety and even more. What is required?
The first is reputation work. 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. Second moment. Delicacy and tolerance in communication have already become a matter of habit. Since you communicate directly with the customer, knowingly 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 hinders the direct fulfillment of professional duties - the very tolerance for stupidity, incompetence. On the other side of the monitor you are a good techie, but on this ... Yes, however, this is my point of view. A habit developed over the years.

And yet, a post about leaving freelance. Or, the completion of a long-term cooperation. What I would like to add:
- About the reasons for leaving . In the reasons listed in the original, there is, in my opinion, the main thing - this is a social component. In order not to breed a traditional holivar - Office vs. Freelance, just a famous link habrapost .
This also includes the creation of one's own business. An IT freelancer is usually a person in the mainstream. He works around startups, knows their life cycle, and what will happen to them all
tomorrow. Therefore, it is not surprising that for several years of such activity, there is a desire to develop your own. Experience allows.
- Directly upon leaving. When initiating a departure from the project, the freelancer is clearly not in a winning
position. A direct request to the customer will become another thread for which he can pull. Therefore, you should be patient and complete the necessary, at the highest level. What 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.