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Do you Say "No" Often Enough?

I used to think, as a freelancer, that I could not "afford" to turn jobs down, so I took everything that came my way. Lately, though, I've learned it's better to sometimes say a resounding, "No" to potential jobs.

Fiverr has taught me this recently. I have turned down a good number of jobs on Fiverr and have no regrets. I wanted to show you a glimpse of the jobs I've turned down and tell you why I turned them down.



  • I turned down a gig worth $120.00 because the client wanted me to edit a 12,000 word document in two days, over the weekend. Nope. I've had to nearly always put myself on "vacation" mode for weekends in order to spend time with my family. I was not going to compromise an entire weekend for one job, even if it did pay well.
  • I turned down a job that paid $130.00 because the client was sarcastic, rude and didn't follow the rules laid out in the gig. They wanted exceptions at every turn. I'm very specific about my gigs for good reason. I offer what I offer and nothing more and this is well thought-out.
  • I turned down two different jobs because they would have required me to cooperate with plagiarism. I know if I go down that road, I am compromising on the first step and I simply won't do it. Both clients argued with me saying it was "rewriting" not plagiarism. Taking someone else's work and rewriting it IS plagiarism! These clients didn't understand that.
  • I turned down a $600 gig because the client wanted their 60,000 word dissertation done in three days. I didn't want the stress of having to do a good job in such a short period of time. Also, I felt it was irresponsible for them to wait so long to finish the paper and cause others to rush at the end like that. Their poor planning was not going to become my problem.
So, yes, I say "no" more and more and will continue to as needed. I've learned it's part of owning my business and providing the best to the clients I say yes to.

Do you say no often enough?
Write well.
Write often.
Just write.
~Tricia
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