Today’s question is:
“I don’t usually have retainer clients. I was just planning on ending projects well before my due date and ramping up some passive revenue. But now I have two really awesome retainer offers and I’m wondering: One, should I be transparent about this now? It feels a bit rude not to mention anything, but I do also have friends who didn’t get jobs when they were transparent.
Do I just take the month off? That feels a bit weird. Like, ‘Hey, this is really important work we’re doing, which is why you’re paying me bucket loads of money. But hey, whatever, let’s just pause a little because, you know, I have a life.’
I do have a subcontractor I like working with, but it’s different to hand it off completely. Will the client be happy with that? They’re hiring me, not her. Should I just ask them what they prefer? I don’t know. That feels unprofessional. Like, ‘I don’t know how to handle this so I’m putting the ball in your court.’ But it also feels like different clients want different things.
By the way, if you’re wondering what I want, I don’t mind being a bit involved. I’m happy to keep tabs, offer input, keep up a presence, et cetera. But I don’t want any responsibility on my shoulders. No responsibility for deliverables, no being tied down to a specific meeting time. No fires that must be taken care of by ME. That’s asking for disaster. I guess full vacation would be dreamy – well as dreamy as no sleep, no showers can be. But I don’t know how easy the transition back into things will be. A month is a long time and I think things would feel weird after.
Thanks for letting me get messy and rambling. Can’t wait to hear what your noodles have to say about this.”
Listen now:
In this episode, we talk about the sticky issue of maternity leave. When do you tell your clients? How do you handle it? What do you do if you’re on retainer? What do you do if you’re planning to take time off and how much time? What if you work with subcontractors? Can you hand things off to them? And if so, how?
We talk about all of it in today’s episode.
In this episode we talk about:
- How to talk to your clients about maternity leave. 6:30
- Should you worry about losing clients after going on leave? 11:00
- Bringing in subcontractors to work with clients on your behalf. 14:00
Click here to download a transcript of this episode.
Where to find Amy:
- Website: amyposner.com
- YouTube Channel
Where to find Kirsty:
- Website: kirstyfanton.com