[alanstorm]

That's solid advice, but only follow it once a sense of trust and rapport has developed between you and the client.

There's far too many things a potential client may not be telling you about the project, and it's incredibly hard for the independent freelancer to do enough business development, or for the client to do enough vetting, to know which random internet person is trustworthy. This is especially true when you're just starting out.

A one week sprint that solves a small, immediate need the client has will keep the project manageable, and protects both the freelancer and the client from a potentially bad situation. Worse case scenario, one of you is out a week's work. Best case scenario, after a few sprints a rapport and trust develops, and you can start providing your clients with estimates for larger pieces of work, knowing they'll be treated as estimates and not fixed bids.

Don't eliminate the appearance of uncertainty when you're legitimacy uncertain. That's bad communication. If a client needs solid estimates out of the gate they don't need an independent freelancer. They need a full-service agency.