Before my programming career, I spent several years as an entrepreneur, guided by a phrase I heard in college: "The customer is always right." I must admit, the behavior of certain clients was a surprise when I entered the world of programming.
The Early Signs
Most commonly, it would be revisions under the excuse "you know, I don't know what I need until I see it" – which could be exhausting, but at least in my mind, it found some justification.
But then I started encountering clients where we'd define, for example, "I need a landing page" – with a deadline and price agreed upon on Upwork. Then, after two days, they'd come back with the idea to add a contact page, then an FAQ page, then a blog page, and ask me: "Will you finish on time?"
On time. The deadline we originally set... for a landing page.
That's when I realized it was time to say no.
The Fear of Saying No
I was scared. What kind of review would I get? I questioned myself: should I endure this because I'm at the start of my freelance career? How would a potentially bad review affect my Upwork profile?
But it was also obvious that endlessly expanding the project wasn't a sustainable path.
For every dollar, more and more effort was required. The scope of work kept growing, and a deal that initially seemed good was turning into sleepless nights racing against deadlines.
It Wasn't About the Money
No, it didn't hurt me that I was earning less than expected. Money isn't the guiding reason I chose this profession. I was fortunate enough to make enough money through entrepreneurship, but money alone isn't enough for happiness.
I wanted a profession where I could learn and grow endlessly, where I'd feel respect. Instead, I got something completely different. I felt cheated.
Drawing the Line
I realized that first and foremost, I must respect myself and learn to say no.
Of course, that didn't mean being rude – not just because of Upwork reviews, but because of my general attitude that in good times and bad, you should control your emotions and not let them prevail.
I can understand if instead of 6 agreed sections, there are 7 on a landing page – I won't make a problem out of that. But subsequently adding new pages cannot be the result of oversight or misunderstanding.
My 10% Rule
I decided to draw a clear line in my mind: 10% deviation is acceptable. For anything beyond that, I would politely say:
"I'd be very happy to do that for you, but let's finish what we initially agreed upon first. Once that's done, we can agree on a new milestone for this additional work."
The Results
There were no negative reactions – at least not so far.
Of course, there were those who later wouldn't even mention the additional work. There were those with whom collaboration continued. But from all of them, I still received 5-star reviews.
The Lesson
It seems that fear of failure sometimes paralyzes us and doesn't allow us to move forward.
We must accept that on this path there may be bad reviews that we might not even deserve. But we can't allow bad clients to wipe the smile off our faces and make this beautiful profession less appealing.
Your boundaries aren't negotiable. Your time isn't infinite. Your energy matters.
Learn to say no. Politely, professionally, but firmly.