In this digital age, we're supposedly more connected than ever, and yet I don't think we've ever felt more disconnected. Our world has never ached so much for community, compassion, and belonging. And so every time we lose another soul too soon, it's salt in our already wide open wounds. I wrote about this a bit after the passing of Kate Spade, but I feel called to share more and go deeper.

For a long time this feeling had been weighing on me—the feeling that I'd outgrown my website and branding. They no longer felt like a good stylistic match for my business. They lacked the depth and complexity I pride myself on building into my clients’ brands. Not to mention, I just plain ran out of room.

Times They were A Changin’

You see, my business has evolved a lot since 2016 and the things that were important to me then were getting in the way of more important areas where I feel called to grow today. I launched my Illustrator Essentials course last July and realized that I had no space for it. I had all these exciting new offerings in the wings and nowhere they could call home.

All of these factors combined to tell me one thing. It was time for a change.

With spec work and promises of “exposure” running rampant, it’s no wonder freelancers and creative entrepreneurs are wary of trading their services—and with good reason.

In my early days of working with clients, every single business was a potential client I was dying to land. Every inquiry sent me daydreaming of the best possible circumstances, blinding me to all the red flags ahead. I wanted to help everyone, and that was the problem.

Getting clients is easily one of the most stressful parts of running a business. So much so that most business owners are constantly terrified.

Terrified that the next client won't show up. Terrified of asking too much when they do. Terrified of scaring new business away.

I know. I've been there.

When I first started freelancing, I was afraid to ask too many questions up front in case that shiny new client decided that it was too much work to work with me.

In our digital age, having a beautiful, mobile-friendly website is essential. It's how your dream customers will find you and where they'll go to learn more about what you do. But once you have their attention, how do you get them to stick around? When people's attention spans are shorter than ever, how do you get people to actually to read your website content?

When I shared my red flags and green lights for evaluating client inquiries a couple weeks ago, I was absolutely stunned by the response. Designers and business owners from all over came out of the woodwork to share that they knew they'd been working with the wrong clients for too long. They told me my words were exactly what they needed to hear.

So if deep down all these entrepreneurs know their clients aren't a good fit, why are they taking them on?

When it comes to running my brand consulting business, I consider who I work with to be just as important as the work I do. Not every inquiry that lands in my inbox will be a good fit and not every client will be the right one for me. Unfortunately, many of us only realize this once it's too late and we're knee deep in our very own client horror story.