Not gonna stress it.

Some of you know that I run my own business. I have a long history of stressing out about people being please, or liking me. I freak out and waste a lot of time and energy getting walked on by moody and silly people.

Well, this may not be a big deal to you guys, but it is to me. I am putting my foot down and weeding out those things that are unprofitable, and stressful. This is my new years resolution.
I am not going to worry about silly things and I am going to learn to say no.
Here is my first attempt.

There is a client of mine who likes to wait until the very last minet to get herself together for her next trade show. She calls me a few days in advance wanting things that take several days to create and at least a week to print, assuming I have no other projects going on. I always have other projects going on. So I stress and bend over backwards and sweat it out. No more.

So check out the correspondence from this client of mine. I don’t want to do work for her anymore. She is a total hair brained last min. person, who thinks that just because she has money people will jump at her, very late, beck and call. I am not scrambling for her pocket change. She can't even compose an e-mail that is spelled right let alone answers questions posed to her.

We had set up an appointment for last Friday a half hour drive in snow from my house. She didn't show, so I left. I don't have time to sit around and wait for her.

My e-mail to her:
I guess you forgot to come to our meeting today at 5:30. I was there from 5:20-5:45.

Her response ( her spelling and punctuation, not mine):
we just must of missed each other
I was there 5:40 to 6:15call me Sorry!
I need something for grafics

I responded:
If you give me a mailing address I can send over a disc of your images. As for the other work, there is really no way to get a banner printed this late in the game, those projects generally print two weeks out, and I never got a size from you.

She replied ( again, her spelling and punctuation, not mine):
Can I have you send posters over to these sighn people they have a big memory.can you send post card over to?If they have it by tomorrow they can have them done and for the big graphic 31.5W up to eight feet.Thanks

Is she drunk? Can she not provide me with the information I requested in my previous e-mail? How about tailoring a response to address my e-mail at all?


I sent back:
I would first need somewhere to send the file, and e-mail address perhaps for this company perhaps?

And I would second need to know a size for the banner. It will need to be redone to fit the new size, that will cost $60.00, and would need to be paid before files are received.

I can send over the price sheets and postcard files, if I get somewhere to send them to.

What did you mean by 'they have a big memory'?

I usually don't work on such short notice, I have a lot of other clients that are having to be pushed back a day. The banner is not a guarantee, it will depend on when I get a size spec. and an address to send it off to.

Her response:
call me please!!!

I said:
I am in meetings from 10:30-3:00, you will have to e-mail the information.

What a nutter. I am not going to worry about it. A lack of planning on her part does not constitute an emergency on mine.

Maybe I am being a jerk, but I don't care. This is the silliest waste of time. Yay for resolutions.