Articles

Since 2004, I’ve been teaching and sharing my perspective on the realities of operating and scaling a client-services line of business, whether purely advisory, purely executional, or am amalgam of both. My articles have been ready by thousands of client-services founders and leaders.

Non-Technical Workers Managing Technical Projects: 3 Keys

Non-Technical Workers Managing Technical Projects: 3 Keys

The age-old battle of technical vendor vs. non-technical client need not be a battle at all. Learn the 3 keys to keeping the peace.

12 Things I Learned in 12 Years of Consulting

12 Things I Learned in 12 Years of Consulting

12 important lessons to help freelancers and agency founders have a good business AND a good quality of life.

Why Your Project Schedule Is No Good – And How To Fix It

Why Your Project Schedule Is No Good – And How To Fix It

There's more to a project schedule than you might think. Are you making any of these common assumptions and errors of scheduling?

Andy Budd’s 10 Bad Project Warning Signs

Andy Budd’s 10 Bad Project Warning Signs

We've all had bad projects; it's part of business. But how can you predict - and avoid - those projects ahead of time?

Dear Client, Please Don’t Ask For A Ballpark Estimate

Dear Client, Please Don’t Ask For A Ballpark Estimate

We're not doing clients any favors when we give a ballpark estimate. In fact, we might be setting them - and ourselves - up for failure.

Productive Jealousy – Is There is Enough Sun for Everyone to Tan?

Productive Jealousy – Is There is Enough Sun for Everyone to Tan?

Success is not a zero sum game; adjust your thinking and improve your professional quality of life with a new perspective.

Withdrawing From the Echo Chamber and Clearing Mental Clutter

Withdrawing From the Echo Chamber and Clearing Mental Clutter

Your attention is finite, and so is your energy. Are you spending yours in ways that are beneficial to your life and career?

Interview: Dealing With Client Conflict (via The Freelance Podcast)

Interview: Dealing With Client Conflict (via The Freelance Podcast)

RJ McCollum and I sit down to talk about running consultancies and de-escalating difficult client situations.

How To Turn Down Freelance Work Gracefully

How To Turn Down Freelance Work Gracefully

Turn down freelance work? Isn't that crazy talk? No! Here's how to turn down freelance work, without offending anyone and without burning any bridges.

5 Steps To Recovering From a Project Screw-Up

5 Steps To Recovering From a Project Screw-Up

It happens to the best of us - a massive problem derails one of your projects. The only questions that matters is, what do you DO about it?

How Viable Is It To Make 100k A Year As A Freelance Developer On UpWork?

How Viable Is It To Make 100k A Year As A Freelance Developer On UpWork?

Do You Get Freelancing Leads From Your Network?

Do You Get Freelancing Leads From Your Network?

9 Ways To Prepare Your Freelance Business For The New Year

9 Ways To Prepare Your Freelance Business For The New Year

Do You Need to Be a Really Good Programmer to Make a Living Freelancing?

Do You Need to Be a Really Good Programmer to Make a Living Freelancing?

A Client Did Not Pay Me For Software Work. What Should I Do?

A Client Did Not Pay Me For Software Work. What Should I Do?

How To Launch A Product, Lose A Contest, And End Up A Winner Anyway

How To Launch A Product, Lose A Contest, And End Up A Winner Anyway

How I Accidentally Launched On Product Hunt

How I Accidentally Launched On Product Hunt

There’s Always More to Learn. Launch A Product Anyway.

There’s Always More to Learn. Launch A Product Anyway.

Burning Consulting Questions: How To Get Clients?

Burning Consulting Questions: How To Get Clients?

Three Big Questions New Consultants Need Answered

Three Big Questions New Consultants Need Answered

Monday Consulting Questions: The Bus Test and “I Could Do This Myself, But…”

Monday Consulting Questions: The Bus Test and “I Could Do This Myself, But…”

Monday Consulting Questions: Time and Relationships

Monday Consulting Questions: Time and Relationships

Why Brain-Teasers are a Lame Interview Tool

Why Brain-Teasers are a Lame Interview Tool

Monday Consulting Questions: Teamwork, Money and Learning

Monday Consulting Questions: Teamwork, Money and Learning

So You Want To Be A Software Consultant?

So You Want To Be A Software Consultant?

Being a good coder alone isn't enough to launch a consulting career, but these 8 key attributes just might be.