Every client is different.
Some are easy to work with.
Some are not.
Some pay on time.
Some disappear when it is time to pay.
Some sound gentle and kind but slowly drain your energy.
Some sound direct and blunt but are actually clear, fair, and trying to help you improve.
As beginners, we often confuse tone with intention. That mistake costs time.
This is a short story about one of mine.
The call that never happened
This client reached out to me on LinkedIn.
He asked if I was open to Shopify projects and said he wanted UK based support. No pitching. Just a call to discuss upcoming work.
I saw the message late. Two days late.
I almost ignored it. Because I thought he had probably moved on. But I replied anyway. No expectations. Just openness.
A few days later, he responded.
He said he was happy I accepted and asked if I was available for a call, and I said yes right away. At that time, I was open to projects and eager to learn. I saw it as experience. Maybe additional to my portfolio.
He suggested the time.
12:30am UK time (I have screenshot of it).
I did not question it.
I told myself it was fine. I told myself the goal was to understand the project. I told myself flexibility was part of freelancing.
So I agreed.
What that choice revealed
On the day of the call, I prepared.
I really prepared for this.
✅ My toddler was asleep.
✅ My notebook was ready.
✅ My laptop was open.
✅ My internet was stable.
12:30am came.
No one joined.
I waited for 30 mins to 1 hour but….
❌ No message.
❌ No explanation.
❌ No follow up.
That was the moment I understood something important.
This was not about time zones.
This was about respect.
What happened next
The next day, he messaged me.
He said they do not do overnight calls.
I replied and showed him the screenshot of the meeting time he sent me on LinkedIn. The 12:30am time came from him.
He admitted it was a typo on his side
But even after that, it still felt like the blame was somehow on me.
Later on, he saw a post I shared. It was just me saying I felt disappointed. No names. No company. Just a real feeling that a lot of freelancers have.
After that, he cancelled.
No conversation.
No trying to clear things up.
He just cancelled and moved on.
My honest take and maybe advice for Beginners
If I’m being honest, I could have handled parts of this better.
Posting about disappointment, even in a general way, can still be taken the wrong way. I get that.
But here’s the thing I want beginners to understand.
✅ A safe client can admit a mistake and not make you feel bad for it.
✅ A professional client does not quietly shift blame after owning an error.
✅ And a good client does not disappear when things get slightly uncomfortable.
This ended early, and that was probably for the best.
Sometimes a cancelled project is not a loss. It is just something you avoided.
You can find my work here:
Post to you soon 📩
Charmaine 🩷😊