Choose client work that teaches you about your product
The best client work is in the same field as the product you want to build. Each project then shows you the problem from the inside: what customers ask for, what they pay for, and which parts repeat from client to client. Those repeated parts are your product candidates.
Split your time on purpose
Decide the split before the week starts, for example three days for clients and two for the product, and put the product days in the calendar first. Client deadlines are loud and product work is quiet, so without a fixed split the product always loses.
Price for margin, not for hours
If client work only covers your living costs, it will never fund anything. Quote fixed prices for defined outcomes rather than hourly rates, and include the time for communication, revisions and handover. The margin is what pays for product days.
Turn repeated work into reusable parts
After each project, ask what you would not want to build again:
- Code you wrote twice becomes a template or library.
- A process you explained twice becomes a checklist.
- A question three clients asked becomes a feature idea, with three people to interview.
Write proposals that win the right work
Reply quickly, show that you read the brief, and refer to similar work you have delivered. Say plainly what is included and what is not. Turn down work that is far from your product’s field unless you truly need the cash: it costs the same hours and teaches you nothing you can reuse.
Know when to shift the balance
Set a rule in advance, such as “when product revenue covers half my costs for three months, I drop one client day”. A rule made calmly is easier to follow than a decision made in a busy week. Keep one or two good clients longer than you think you need to: they are income, references and a source of honest feedback.
Last updated by the Seerist team.