Unpopular opinion: I turned down a steady retainer for a bunch of smaller gigs...

A client I've had for a while offered me a $2,000 monthly retainer to handle all their social media, which felt like a safe bet. The catch was it would lock up about 60% of my time and I'd have to stop working with three other regulars. I picked the smaller gigs instead, which was scary... I figured having more clients spread the risk around. It was tight for the first couple months, but then one of those small clients referred a huge project that paid more than the retainer would have in three months. Now my income comes from five different places, and if one drops off, it's not a crisis. I'm not saying it's the right call for everyone, but for me, putting all my eggs in one basket felt worse than the hustle. Has anyone else made a choice like that and had it work out okay?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_susan1mo ago

My freelance friend in Austin did the same thing last year.

jake_torres681mo ago

My buddy in Denver turned down a 3k retainer to keep his four smaller clients, just like @the_susan mentioned. It was a lean summer but one of those clients blew up and now he's their main vendor. That diversity really does build a safer business over time.

luna_shah1mo ago

But is turning down a steady 3k actually smart... seems like a huge risk for most people. A lean summer sounds nice until you can't pay rent. That "one client blowing up" is just luck, not a real plan. Putting all your hope on a few small clients feels just as risky as one big one.