An Open Letter to Any Service Provider who Works

with Clients
If you're a service provider of any kind (copywriter, consultant, coach, SEO provider).... this
letter is written for you.
Look, there's no doubt that there are pros and cons when it comes to working with clients.
And yes, there's no doubt that some clients can be a big pain in the ass.
But guess what... YOU choose to work with clients.
Clients pay your bills. They hire YOU over 100 other choices.
And yes, they DO have choices.
But so do you.
Hey, I'm like every other service provider who has had a fair share of shitty clients.
When I say shitty... I don't mean that they're demanding of quality, of meeting deadlines, of
wanting to be kept up to date, and want good, quality work.
That's stuff that SHOULD be demanded... you SHOULD offer that.
I'm talking about clients who are just assholes, who are disrespectful, rude, arrogant, talk
down to you, haggle on fees, and just cause you undue stress.
But guess what... NO ONE can make you feel this way.
If a client makes you feel bad, YOU are letting them.
You're giving them WAY too much credit and power.
Look, this is just a job, it's your work.
It is NOT your life.... and if you treat it like that, you WILL burn out.
Bottom line, you don't need to let clients get to you... you do have a choice about how you
feel and react to them.
For me, I used to let it get to me. Then I just realized one day that it wasn't worth it.
I was giving them way too much power in my life.
Now I just do the work, do it as well as I can, and I'm respectful and polite.

Again, they're paying you for work... they are NOT paying you to feel bad, or disrespected,
or not worthy, or not valuable.
YOU are doing that to yourself.
Do the work, do it to the best of your ability, and treat it as such. It's your job and your
career, it is NOT what defines you.
It is NOT the thing that should cause you misery or stress or worry
If you feel that way, you need to look in the mirror first, and not pass the blame on clients
(like I did for years)
Again, they don't cause you to feel that negative shit, YOU do.
You're simply reacting a certain way, internalizing it, and feeling a certain way because of
them.
So, don't give them that power.
If a client says or does something that you don't like... you can take a few deep breaths and
tell yourself "it's not worth it, I choose how I react, this is just a job, it's not my life or who I
am."
Now, if they're mean, arrogant, and disrespectful, or there are personal issues, then you
can tell them that you refuse to work with someone who is rude or disrespectful.
Or... just fire their asses.
That's why it's such a good idea to save up enough money where you can choose who to
work with, when you want to work with them.
That's the beauty of having a big bank account, you can decide who you want to work with.
So, your first goal as a service provider should be to save up that safety cushion so you can
decide who to work with and who to fire.
But again, THEY are not the ones who are causing you to feel stressed, angry, sad, or any
of that.
You are. You can choose how to react to them... and for me, it's simply not worth getting
worked up anymore.
In the past, I did, all the time.
These days, it's like water off a duck's back.

Again, do your work to the best of your ability and then don't internalize something they say
that rubs you the wrong way.
Don't give them that much power.
And if they're mean or disrespectful... politely fire them.
YOU hold the power and you control the cards... so if you're feeling horrible when you're
working with clients... you either have to change how you view things and internalize
things... or get out of the client-serving biz.
Just start doing your own thing and creating your own products/services.
But no matter what you do, you WILL have to work with people (clients, customers,
vendors).
And YOU decide how to internalize something... don't give others the power to make you
feel like shit.