[wayn3]

If you know for sure when your gig ends, you take every "meeting" (emails, calls, however you acquire "leads"), discuss what they're looking for and let them know when you'll be available.

Right now. Just be up front. You're no longer an employee, you are running a business. You no longer have bosses, you have customers. Let them know your terms.

Since this is your first one, you should be aware that the companies you work with will want to play this gambit with you where they make it seem like they want to extend your contract and then never actually do it right up until the point where you depend on it. And then they try to gouge you. You need to have options and they need to know that if they want to continue working with you, they have to pay market rate - and market rate is going up the longer they wait.

You engage with clients all the time. Doesn't matter whether you can'T sell any time right now. You are a business. Engage with your customers.

[haldean]

Thanks for the advice, and thanks again for that great post. I'll get on it.