Comments on: People you couldn’t pay me enough to work for

By: Ingrid

Ingrid — Fri, 02 May 2008 23:19:39 +0000

Great topic. Not sure how many of us truly live by our personal values.

By: Lisa Gates

Lisa Gates — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 06:05:17 +0000

I have made some ridiculously stupid mistakes. And yet, I have a penchant for personal reponsibility. My feelings and thoughts are mine, and through them I make up that they’re real and that they take place “over there”…He’s a jerk, she’s a control freak, he’s an ass, etc.

These days, my personal mantra is asking “what am I willing to be responsible for?”

More often than not, I look for the clients whose will is stronger than my small mind opinions. I don’t always want to be preaching to the choir…I want to be the change.

Much easier to ponder than to put into action, but there it is.

By: Yes!

Yes! — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 22:42:08 +0000

You are right, making money is not hard. But if a polite client is offering $200 for 10 hours of work and a rude one is offering $200,000 for 5 hours of work, who are you going to work for?

By: Jonathan Fields

Jonathan Fields — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 22:53:42 +0000

@ Lexi – Love it, I think I need me an Omigod ring!

@ Yes! – Can’t speak for anyone else, but there are certain clients I would reject, regardless of the money. What do I care about a boatload of money, if my guts are falling out of my body from the stress? Maybe I’m old, dunno, just the way I operate. Making money is not so hard, making money in a way that fills you up is the far greater challenge.

@ Ben – interesting analogy and metaphor, thanks for sharing them.

@ Bob Sutton’s The No Assholes Rule rocks, it’s one of my favorites!

By: Brad

Brad — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 22:17:58 +0000

I’ve just finished reading a book called the “The No Asshole Rule”. I picked it up after a friend recommended it to me. Read it, it’ll help you say “No”.

By: Ben

Ben — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 19:48:25 +0000

The answer is “buried” if you believe in “lack”. Here is my example. A man was laid off from a company due to downsizing. He and his wife celebrate by opening a bottle of champagne and having their favorite meal together.

Did they know if they would survive? No. Could they have been worried and desperate taking whatever work came along? Yes.

Is that what they did? No. He pursued his potential opportunities, believed the universe was kind, and in a short period of time accepted a better job for a higher salary. He loves his new job and it is much better than the one he was dismissed from.

As a friend of mine has said. You get just exactly what you are willing to allow\receive in this life. You will know them by their fruits and that does not mean how much money they have.

I find that to be true and the universe to be kind.

By: Yes!

Yes! — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:43:28 +0000

Okay, you guys are crazy. Are you honestly saying that even if said client who you don’t want to work for was paying $150 million, you’d still refuse to work for him? I think a big enough check is well worth dealing with a rude client. Ka-ching!

By: Lexi of Creative Energies

Lexi of Creative Energies — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 01:02:01 +0000

I used to design jewelry for the trade, and ended up with some real lulu clients once in awhile. I started evaluating whether the “hassle factor” was covered in the price, and if not, I jacked the price up. Then they either left or I felt better about putting up with them a little while longer.

I wrote about one of the worst projects in a post called Creative Burnout from Unreasonable Customer Demands. That one was about a five ounce gold ring we nicknamed the Omigod Ring because it was so hideous. I was not too sorry to hear that customer eventually landed in jail.

These days “No” is such a nice word!

By: Happiness is yours and you deserve it » Blog Archive » Where Do You Draw the Line on Jobs?

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 23:21:31 +0000

[...] This is an expanded version of a comment I posted on Jonathan Field’s blog. Take a look at his blog and how others responded to his post. Leave a [...]

By: Jonathan Fields

Jonathan Fields — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 21:44:45 +0000

@ Shana – nothing like feeling bitter to inspire your best work, eh? (PS, NY rules, Philly drools!)

@ Hayden – being a recovering lawyer, myself, I have to agree, the stress of practicing law tends to bring out the most interesting sides of people!

@ Yes! – We all have to make out own decisions!

@ Stacey – great point about feeling like you can genuinely help a client, before taking them on

@ Shama – congrats on your growth, you totally deserve it!

@ Levi – same page!

@ Dave – Agreed, the time spent pitching and dealing with life-sucking clients would be far better spent increasing your professional value

@ Flora – Wow, what a story, sounds like you made the right call

@ Corinne – Crossing the access boundaries is often one of the first signs that the fit isn’t right.

@ Thanks for sharing the article!