[dylanhassinger]

Key lesson I learned the hard way:

1 good ongoing client is better than 100 one-off projects with different clients.

There's a huge overhead to finding and onboarding a new client/project. Instead find one good ongoing contract, and put all your extra energy into creating a product that can scale.

Freelancing is a dead end road, but you can use it as a tool to bootstrap your own lifestyle business.

see also: Four Hour Workweek and Start Small, Stay Small

[guynamedloren]

> 1 good ongoing client is better than 100 one-off projects with different clients.

I mostly agree with you, except much of the freelancing allure stems from working on new and exciting things, avoiding burnout and boredom. So I'd modify that statement to:

3-4 good ongoing clients is better than 100 one-off projects with different clients.

Edit: didn't read the last half of your comment. If running a startup or building a product is your primary goal, then I absolutely agree with you.

[meric]

I take into account the overhead by charging 50% premium on the first 20 hours with the client.