I’m in a tough spot and could really use some guidance from others who might have faced something similar.
A couple years back I started taking on small coding gigs while working my day job. Nothing fancy, just some extra cash on the side. One of my first clients really liked my work and started sending other people my way. Eventually I got confident enough to quit my regular job and even brought on some other developers to help out. At one point we had about 4-5 people working together.
We were pretty busy with around a dozen projects running at the same time. But things started falling apart over the last several months. Some of the developers I hired just weren’t working out, others found better opportunities elsewhere. Now it’s back to just me again.
Here’s the problem though - people keep recommending me for new work, especially that first client who really helped get things started. The issue is I just can’t handle it all anymore. I’ve got one big project that’s basically eating up all my time, plus a bunch of smaller jobs that I promised to do but haven’t even started yet. Some of these smaller gigs are honestly pretty boring - just quick website fixes and basic IT stuff that doesn’t pay great and isn’t very interesting.
To make things more complicated, I just had a baby this year which means even less time to get work done.
I know the obvious answer might be to hire more help, but I really don’t want to go down that road again. I’m exhausted and just want to keep things simple. What I really need to do is stop taking on new clients, finish up what I’m already working on, and maybe cancel some of the projects I committed to but haven’t started.
The tricky part is that most of my clients know each other - it’s a pretty small community where everyone talks. I’m worried about hurting my reputation or making people angry if I start backing out of commitments. I’ve always had trouble saying no to work and I feel bad about disappointing people.
Has anyone else dealt with something like this? How do you politely turn away new business and wind down existing commitments without burning bridges with clients who might refer you to others in the future?
I’ve scaled back twice - clients actually respect clear boundaries more than you think. Here’s my approach:
Pick your top 3 projects and ditch the rest
Those boring projects you haven’t touched? Tell them you can’t deliver quality right now
Stop the guilt about turning down work
That referral client wants you to succeed long-term. If you burn out or half-ass everything because you’re swamped, it hurts them too.
Learned this the hard way - keeping everyone happy means nobody gets your best. Better to crush 3 projects than botch 10.
The community angle works for you. Word spreads that you’re selective and honest about what you can handle. You become the guy who only takes what he can nail, not the yes-man who overpromises.
Rip the bandaid off with those stalled projects. People would rather know now than wait months while you juggle everything else.
You know what to do. Stop stalling and make those calls today. For projects you haven’t started, just tell them you’re scaling back and can’t hit the original timeline. Keep it professional. That key client who sends you all the referrals? Call them first. Say you’re cutting your workload in half to keep quality high. Ask them to help you figure out which projects they care about most. Yeah, people gossip in small towns, but they’ll trash you way more for ghosting or doing crappy work than for being upfront about problems early.
Tell clients you are booked and cannot take new work. Most understand this.
For the uncommitted tasks, be honest about your capacity. It is better to back out early than to deliver poor work or miss deadlines. If you can, help them find someone else.
Remember, your reputation comes from quality work, not from saying yes to everything.
Having a baby changes everything. I scaled back hard after my kid arrived - most clients got it when I explained what was happening.
Call the clients you haven’t started with yet. Don’t email. Tell them you’re dealing with major life changes and can’t give their project proper attention. Hook them up with someone reliable if you know anyone.
Be extra honest with that referral client who got you started. They probably care more about your long-term success than filling every project slot right now. My best clients actually respected me more when I was upfront about my limits.
Here’s what worked: I started quoting crazy high prices for work I didn’t want. Sometimes they’d say no - perfect. Other times they’d pay up and the extra cash made the hassle worthwhile.
Being selective won’t hurt your reputation. Taking on work you can’t handle properly will.