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https://topenddevs.com/podcasts/the-freelancers-show
The Freelancers’ Show 069 – Setting Boundaries
Panel
Reuven Lerner (twitter github blog) Curtis McHale (twitter github blog) Ashe Dryden (twitter github blog) Eric Davis (twitter github blog) Jeff Schoolcraft (twitter github blog) Charles Max Wood (twitter github Teach Me To Code Rails Ramp Up)Discussion
01:16 - Setting Work Hours
06:51 - Making Clients Aware of Boundaries
08:33 - Handling “Emergencies”
11:48 - Keeping Chat Logs, Meeting Notes, Recordings, etc.
Ecamm Call Recorder for Skype13:15 - Email
15:58 - When Clients Set Boundaries with You
17:44 - Working with/for Family and/or Friends
24:32 - Setting Boundaries for Working at Home with Family
Picks
Drafts (Eric) Sleeping with Your Business Partner by Becky Stewart-Gross (Eric) Fluid App (Curtis) Postman (Jeff) Shift by Hugh Howey (Ashe) Google Apps (Chuck) Fringe (Chuck)Book Club
Getting Things Done with David Allen! He will join us for an episode to discuss the book on July 30th. The episode will air on August 7th.
Next Week
Less Accounting with Steven Bristol
Transcript
CHUCK: If I ever disappear, it's because I told my Dad that I was moving more than an hour away with his grandchildren.
[Hosting and bandwidth provided by the Blue Box Group. Check them out at bluebox.net.]
[You're fantastic at code, but do you have an action plan to take it to the next level? The upcoming book, Next Level Freelance, will help you optimize your freelance business for happiness. The book is packed with actionable steps to make more money, case studies, tips to find more clients, and exercises for you to establish your desired lifestyle. Extras include: 9 interviews with freelancers who make great money while enjoying great work-life balance, videos on strategies to find quality subcontractors, and videos on making more free time by outsourcing your daily tasks. Check it out today at nextlevelfreelance.com!]
CHUCK: Hey everybody and welcome to Episode 69 of The Freelancers' Show! This week on our panel, we have Reuven Lerner.
REUVEN: Hello from Chicago!
CHUCK: We have Curtis McHale.
CURTIS: Hello!
CHUCK: Ashe Dryden.
ASHE: Hi everyone!
CHUCK: Eric Davis.
ERIC: Hi!
CHUCK: Jeff Schoolcraft.
JEFF: What's up!
CHUCK: And I'm Charles Max Wood from DevChat.tv. This week, we're going to be talking about "Setting Boundaries" and how to handle that. Have any of you had a project where you tried to set boundaries with a client and then went poorly?
ASHE: I have. Definitely with a certain type of client, my biggest boundary that I set with new clients is the hours that I work. There are certain class of clients that believe that people should be available all the time no matter what; no matter if it's emergency or not, they didn't really care for this trekked work hours.
CURTIS: Yeah, I think we've all had that. I had a client email me once and then call me at 2 am, and my response was my rate went up based on how annoyed I am because --
[Laughter]
CURTIS: I was really annoyed! I actually tell clients that my weekend rate and my evening rate is based on how annoyed I am.
[Chuck laughs]
ASHE: Nice.
CHUCK: I just tell my clients that it's double after 5 or 6 pm, whatever is side, unless I decide to work. In other words, if it's on my terms; but if they call me, yeah. I also tell them I don't have an on-call rate because I won't be on-call.
CURTIS: Yeah, fair enough. I had one client that was upset a couple of weeks ago that I wouldn't launch their site at midnight for their whole 10-people a day and I told them that I would for $10,000; if they want me to do it, that was my going rate for midnight launches.
CHUCK: Nice.