3. Respect your time

Self-employed people are emotionally invested in a project as soon as they agree to take on a client. We start visualising and preparing.

When a job gets canceled (especially last minute) we have already lost. It could be the expenses of equipment or supplies we already arranged for this project but the biggest loss is the time we reserved for the canceled job and invested in planning it. It’s time we could have spent on a different project or looking for other clients.

Luckily, there’s a very easy solution —

Charge a cancellation fee.

Yes, it’s that simple.

I know — we feel bad to charge our clients for work we didn’t do. Especially when we depend on recurring clients.

But take AirBnB for example. When you book a room, it is being reserved and cleaned for you. When you cancel last minute — you are getting charged because it’s too late for anyone else to occupy the room. The same logic applies if you run a workshop, write for a magazine or cater at a funeral.

If you’re afraid to lose an important client due to cancellation policy then explain to them that you have already invested (money and/or time) in this project and why you are losing out. Then tell them that while you normally charge a cancellation fee you are going to make a one-time exception since you trust they genuinely made a mistake. You could also suggest rescheduling (if given enough notice) instead of charging a cancellation fee.

(Do try to find another time — it’ll pay off at in the long run)

When clients feel like you are going out of your way to avoid charging them a cancellation fee — they’ll be grateful. It all comes down to how well you communicate and how much you respect your own time.