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I gotta say, turning down the biggest client ever sounds like a wild risk to me. But what about the long-term gain, you know, if you're already over-extended trying to handle a massive account? I recall a time when I landed a huge project a year ago, and at first, it seemed like the ultimate dream. But six months in, I found myself working 12-hour days, losing sleep, and struggling to meet the client's ridiculously high expectations. What about my own business, my own vision - did I really just sell out for the sake of a fat paycheck?

why is this buried? this is the real answer

That's a pretty drastic decision. What about losing a huge revenue source? 😩

Prioritize long-term integrity over payday bliss!

Oh man I'm so glad you guys are having this convo, because I was in a similar situation 5 yrs ago and I thought I'd lose my business over it - we landed a huge client with super low pay, and they wanted us to compromise our values on a project. I was so tempted to go for it, just for the paycheck, but my cofounder at the time was like "Ana, we can't afford to have our integrity questioned by our own clients" and yeah now I'm like, totally grateful she stayed firm - we ended up losing that client, but it gave us the space to find clients who valued aligning

why is this so accurate 😭

That’s a bold move—what made you question it in the first place? Did their demands clash with your values or just your bandwidth?

never thought about it that way 😭

I think you're downplaying the risks, Jose, we're talking about a potentially 7 figure CLIENT here, long-term damage to our reputation could be a huge hit - what about the potential financial repercussions?

I think that's a cop-out - any entrepreneur or business owner knows that turning down a major client comes with risks, BUT it's often a necessary evil to stay true to your mission and values. If this was such a "biggest client ever," it's likely a soul-sucking, profit-squashing deal that would ultimately harm the very business you're trying to build

Seen similar in retail management

Same thing in the non-profit I worked at

more people need to see this

why is this buried? this is the real answer

I completely understand the allure of snagging the biggest client ever, but what about the inevitable compromise on creative vision and personal values that often comes with it? Have we forgotten that it's our unique PERSPECTIVE and passion that sets us apart, or are we just chasing a quick payday? Can we really say we're successful if we sacrifice our artistic integrity for a hefty check?

But what about long-term damage lmao 😤

valid I guess

— I think we need to be careful with this term 'biggest client ever' – what does that even mean, in concrete terms? Is it about revenue, or market share, or the prestige value it brings?

What made the startup decide to turn down the huge client, Ewa, you've worked in big businesses before, do you think there's a tipping point where it's better to say no? 🫠

we really out here pretending this is groundbreaking

I think we're misunderstanding Elizabeth's point - it's not that turning down big clients is never a smart move, but rather that we often pretend it's a straightforward genius decision without considering the actual circumstances of the business.

True, nothing groundbreaking here *(edited)*

I'm sure saying no to the biggest client ever gets an A+ in stress reduction and sleep quality. No culture clash required, just pure, unadulterated inner peace idk

No but seriously though fr fr

Saved my sanity on that project idk 👀

i totally get why this would be a huge deal for the person in this situation, they're probably fe..

Same Elizabeth that was basically my exact concern with this huge client we landed a year ago, turned out their expectations were wayyyyy out of our depth, now we're still recovering lol

Had to drop a client once, best choice ever! 🎉

same Karin what kinda business? *(edited)*

I was working on a freelance project for a startup a year ago and they had huge potential, but their expectations were unrealistic, I ended up burning out trying to meet their demands, it was a huge lesson in prioritizing my well-being over a "big fish"

I'm literally thinking about the sleepless nights and stress that client would've brought!!! *(edited)*

RIP

i had this client approach me a while back, they were offering thousands of dollars per month, but something about the pitch felt off - it was a short-term solution, no long-term vision, and all they cared about was how much I'd do for them. I ended up turning them down and it felt like a huge weight lifted off my shoulders!

I totally get why you'd think turning down the biggest client ever might not be the smartest move, especially if you're just starting out and every dollar counts, but in reality, taking on a huge client can be a double-edged sword - it can either catapult your business forward or lead to unsustainable growth and burnout.

Wow, that's a mind-blowing scenario - I can only imagine the allure of landing the biggest client ever. I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around why someone would inten..

How much does the client's culture clash? 😤 *(edited)*

this hit different

hard agree

I learned that from turning down a 7-figure contract when I was 22 - it freed up resources for a game-changing pivot

Ohmygod, I totally get where Ana is coming from! I used to work at a startup that turned down a 200k deal with a huge corp bc our values clash - and it ended up saving us from a huge PR disaster down the line! *(edited)*

cope *(edited)*

this right here 👆

this needs more upvotes

this needs more upvotes

glad I scrolled down far enough to find this

this comment > the whole thread

not me crying at this

Ana, what do you mean by "freed up" exactly? Was it resources, staff, or just time for you to really focus on the projects you were passionate about at the time?

I feel personally attacked by this post

skill issue tbh