5 Reasons To Go Beyond Retainer Clients When Freelancing

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Five reasons to go beyond retainer clients when freelancing
  • Freedom from a bounded schedule
  • Independence
  • Increased pay by working more
  • Avoiding foul relationships with clients
  • Getting less exposure
• Key Takeaways
• Conclusion
• FAQs

Freelancing is a dream job for most people right now as it has so many advantages to offer. Being your own boss, working as per your suitability, and having a chance to work on varied projects and different clients simultaneously is something that almost everyone enjoys.

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However, there are many cons of freelancing, and irregular, unstable income is the most crucial of them all. Thus, freelancers tend to incline towards retainer clients because they offer a contract or an agreement where they are regularly paid a certain amount monthly, yearly, or quarterly. Freelancers play a bit safe by switching to retainer clients as freelancing can be tricky, and finding constant regular income can be a challenge. 

But many limitations prove a big hurdle in the freedom of freelancers’ working patterns. So, freelancers need to move beyond the retainer clients to exercise their powers of being self-employed freely.

To sum up, here are the five reasons that make a freelancer go beyond his retainer clients!

5 Reasons To Go Beyond Retainer Clients When Freelancing

1. Freedom from a bounded schedule

One of the important reasons to go beyond the retainer clients is to be free from a fixed schedule. When freelancers work with retainer clients, the first condition is to be ‘ready’ whenever the clients need them. This makes it very difficult for the freelancer to focus on his other time-sensitive projects that we would like to work on as the possibility of being required by his retainer clients is highly likely. Also, when freelancers work for a retainer, they can be bombarded with a load of work at any time. This again makes it hard for the freelancers to take up other projects from other clients.

2. Independence

Another reason freelancers go beyond retainer clients is to be independent, which calls for not sticking to a single client for a long time. As retainer clients keep the freelancer under a contract of their availability at the client’s beck and call, the freelancer depends on their retainers to provide for them. Also, a retainer can leave the freelancer or shelve the contract anytime.

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3. Increased pay by working more

The other reason to go beyond the retainer clients is to increase one’s freelance income by working for many other clients quickly. In contrast to retainer clients, freelancers work very sporadically. Sometimes they get overloaded with projects and stringent deadlines, while sometimes, they spend months without work. Though freelancers get paid for the months they don’t work for the retainer clients, it is still less than the amount they would make by working for different clients in those months.

4. Avoiding foul relationships with clients

The only hope for freelancers who work with retainer clients is the payment they receive from them. Sometimes freelancers could even want advance payment. This may or may not work with the clients. If the freelancer is new, there arise trust issues as the clients will naturally doubt the genuineness of the freelancer. This leads to arguments or disagreements between the clients and the freelancers. Foul relationships are something a freelancer should always avoid.

5. Getting less exposure

Another big reason to go beyond the retainer clients is the lack of exposure when sticking to a single client. As freelancers are not able to accept or work on other clients’ projects, it becomes redundant and monotonous to work on similar work and the same client. 

Key Takeaways

• Using the benefit of being self-employed: Being self-employed has many benefits, and one of the best is the freedom of work. As a freelancer, one should always be free to work on different projects with different clients. This is not easy with retainer clients due to their contract of instant availability and priority.
• Avoiding dependence on a single client for work: By sticking with the retainer clients, the freelancers become dependent on them for both work and income. A freelancer should be independent to choose his own project and client for work and income at his will. Also, when clients can suddenly leave the freelancer, it is important that they need to have other options.
• Earning more through multiple projects: By going beyond the retainer clients, a freelancer can earn more as he can work on multiple projects provided by the different clients simultaneously. This brings in more financial stability.  
• Expanding client base: Remember, by working with different clients, freelancers can create a big client base which will prove very beneficial for them, both financially and socially. The bigger the client base, the bigger the income sources. Also, a freelancer who works with many clients becomes popular among the clients, and that provides him with more projects in his basket. 
• Getting varied exposure: Working on different kinds of projects with different clients provides the freelancer with varied exposure in the field. On the other hand, sticking to a single kind of company, client, project, and work pattern fails to provide better experience and diversity. 

Conclusion

Working with retainer clients is good for having income stability and regularity, but it does affect other big aspects of being an independent freelancer. Going beyond the retainer clients not only provides better work opportunities and more income but also a variety of experiences and exposure. This hones the skills and abilities of freelancers.

FAQs