Arsehole clients.

The ones where the red flags are flying from your very first interaction.

The ones you knew were going to be a terrible mistake but you took on anyway because you needed the money.

The micro managers. The “rabbit in the headlights, panic at the first sign of trouble” clients. The “no strategy and no purpose” ones.

Just don’t do it.

I have five questions I ask myself about you before taking on any new client.

If you get 4 out of 5, you’re in.

Get 3 out of 5, it’s doubtful.

I looked back at my projects before I started doing this and the correlation between what my scores would have been and how the project went was uncanny.

It’s a simple measure. The results are clear. And I don’t end up hating my job and myself for taking on the wrong work.

How do you deal with the red flag clients?