Be Careful! Don’t Set Yourself Up for Failure

Don’t set yourself up for failure like I did.

Like the time a startup CEO said to me:

“I don’t know what exactly I want you to do, but I know I want to work with you! Let’s see where this goes.”

I thought I was being open-minded and “flexible,” by agreeing to work with them.

After all, startups are notorious for pivoting and cycling through ideas - shouldn’t I be understanding of that?

Plus I had just embarked on my own, and I was excited to have a paying client. 💰

Now, I am a firm believer in adding value through clear expectations, but it soon became apparent that wasn’t going to happen with this team.

No clear direction, ideas all over the place, and a non-existent decision-making process.

Implementing any sort of process, no matter how flexible, felt like pulling teeth.

And because I didn’t set an expectation from the beginning, I had nothing to fall back on.

I had set myself up for failure. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Ultimately, I came to learn you can’t help others if they don’t want to help themselves.

But also, it's up to me to set clear parameters for my projects. 💪🏻

Here are some questions I now ask before embarking on new work:

➡ What is the core problem we are here to solve?
➡ How will we know we are successful?
➡ What are your expectations overall?
➡ Who are the decision-makers?
➡ How will I receive support?

❓ What key questions do you ask before starting work on a project or initiative?

⭐ Need help with your freelancing strategy? See this link to my Freelance Project Manager Bootcamp