Something that pretty much all development shops and consultants have to deal with is the fact that clients need everything yesterday. They email you saying they have heard you are amazing and they have a huge project that they need done next week.

The funniest part is that they have a good idea that you are good at what you do and think you just have free time to jump on their project. Even longer term clients can think this for some reason.

Wizards are Busy People

Think of Gandalf (Lord of the Rings wizard if you don’t know). He was always running from one place to another. Someone always needed his help. He was a busy dude and couldn’t just take on every issue at the drop of a hat.

Any decent consultant is going to be like that. Really if you need more than a few hours of work, you should be expecting to wait. If you’re not waiting it’s at least worth asking yourself:

“If this person is so good, why aren’t they booked solid?”

You wait for the best brain surgeon, and the best programmers.

Don’t be afraid to tell clients they have to wait for your services. Don’t overbook yourself (except maybe in the very short term). Looking back on a year and realizing all you did was work and not live is not worth it.