photo credit: tonystl

In the past year and a half, I’ve done a fair amount of web work for a local marketing company, Silver Square. For a variety of reasons (foremost the quality of the people there) the organization is growing at a healthly clip. So much so that they are looking to bring someone internal onboard to work on their web stuff. What does this mean for me? And in a more general sense, what does it mean for any freelancer who finds one of their biggest clients looking to bring the work that you do in house.

What Just Happened?

Your first step should be to put yourself in their shoes and try to figure out why they are looking to make a change. Depending on what you charge, maybe hiring someone is less expensive. Maybe they don’t want to (or can’t afford to) wait in line behind your other clients. Maybe there’s a personality conflict. You and I both know how awesome you are, but there’s always going to be someone out there who’s blind to your greatness.

In the case of Silver Square, I think they have grown to the point where there is just that much work that needs to be done. It’s going to take a full-time person to get it all done. And while I give them a pretty substantial discount because of the steady stream of work they send my way, I’m still not the cheapest web developer in town.

What Will Happen?

The story can go two ways. One option is that you end your working relationship with your big client. There may be bits and pieces of work in the immediate future, but it will probably dry up as the new hire becomes acclimated to the new position. This means a loss of income to you, the freelancer, but you could look at is as more time to spend with your other clients.

If you have a good relationship with your big client, they may see you as a possibility to fill the new internal position. On the positive side, you probably have a relatively good idea what the company culture is like. You’re probably intimately familiar with some of the sites you will be working on. More so than other new jobs, you have a pretty good idea what to expect. You’ll be able to hit the ground running, and get comfortable in your new job in short order.

The downside is that you will most likely be giving up freelancing and all your other clients and projects. Some people may not consider that a downside. I’m sure some freelancers are doing it strictly as a means of looking for a better deal. This situation could be your exit strategy from the headaches of running your own business.

What’s Happening Right Now?

In my case, I’m dipping my toe in the water. I’m spending a few days this month on site at the Silver Square office. While I’ve worked with them for a long time, that was always from my home or my office. This experiment gives me a chance to see what it would feel like to become an official employee. If you think this seems like a very pleasant chance, evaluating a job opportunity before I would have to sever all ties to my current revenue stream… well,I couldn’t agree more. I think it’s only possible because I have established a good relationship with Silver Square.

When your top client is ready for a full-time employee to replace your freelancing work, will you be in the running?

filed under: Dealing With Clients