Hi Reader!

If you’ve had clients, you’ve had problem clients. But what makes someone a problem client is different for everyone.

For you, problem clients might be ones that:

• Cannot give you everything you request in one response.
• Argue that they/Google/ChatGPT knows better than you.
• Keep asking for “one more tweak/change”.
• Want everything done yesterday.
• Send you text messages rather than emailing.

You probably know about my “Sh*t I’ll Never Do Again” book. (If you don’t, you can read about it here.)

I talk about this book all the time. Because I think it’s a powerful (not-so) secret weapon in my business toolbox.

Not only does it help me reflect on situations, but it’s a great pattern-spotting tool. It helps me identify the:

• red flags
• nightmare client traits
• places my boundaries need reinforcing

It helps me brainstorm new ideas after I encounter situations that leave me feeling underappreciated or unhappy with the outcome.

There are times I’ve started to do something, and in my mind, I can see my handwriting with an entry of a similar situation. And I stop, and correct course.

Your challenge this week is to start your client red flag tracker. Something that you will use to spot problem clients before they become clients, course correct, or generate ideas on how to prevent a situation from happening again.

How can you do this? Start by thinking back to your last nightmare client (or project that went sideways) and answer these questions:

• What did the client say/do that caused problems?
• How did you respond?
• Did your contract help? Or make things worse?
• What part of your contract could have prevented or clarified this?

👉 Your action item: Write your first entry in your client red flag tracker.

Did you complete this task? Come share your thoughts about client red flags on LinkedIn or Facebook.

I'll be sitting at my computer until about 9:30 AM Pacific, and I'd love to know if you run into any roadblocks in completing this week's task. (And if you are reading this after that, please reply! I'll get back to you ASAP.)

Chat soon,

P.S. If you realize that you could use better support in your contract when clients delay in getting you feedback, request endless revisions, or disappear mid-project, we will get you squared away in the next Shield Your Studio workshop. Save your seat here for $39 and get the exact contract language you can use to support you in these situations.

How to use a notebook to transform your client relationships

When I started my business, I was given a notebook to record my business mistakes. This notebook has transformed my client relationships because it has helped me think of my contract as a living, breathing document that needs changing and updating.

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❤️ Easy to understand legal resources should be available to every creative, regardless of their financial situation. If one of my resources has helped you and you would like to say “thank you”, you can make a contribution here. ❤️