How I Decide If a Project Is Worth Pursuing

When your starting out working as a contractor, any and all work seems like a great idea. Yes, having cashflow means the life or death of your business - but not all work is created equal.

One thing I wish I had learned earlier is to be more selective of the type of work I took on. You want to take on work that will get you more of the work that you want. Not work that you cant use to pitch to new clients. Not work that you absolutely hate doing. Not work with shitty clients (obviously).

Budget aside, the following is a pretty clear filter I have developed over the years for finding the right project partnerships

1. They know what success actually looks like

"Make it look better" isn't a goal, it's a wish. The clients I work best with can tell me they want to increase mobile conversion rates by X%, or reduce cart abandonment, or improve their checkout flow.

When they say "our site is slow," they mean they've lost sales to page load times. When they mention "managing content is a nightmare," they're talking about real workflow problems that flexible CMS architecture can solve.

They understand that rebuilding a site should solve real business problems, not just aesthetic ones.

Sometimes it does take some back and forth to land on what the end goal is, but there always needs to be one.

2. They either know their metrics off the top of their head, or they can find them quickly

These clients know their current conversion rates. They can tell me where their traffic comes from and what their biggest pain points are. Even if they're not tracking everything perfectly yet (who is really?), they understand that their website and storefront directly impacts revenue. As obvious as it sounds, that awareness makes all the difference.

3. They trust technical expertise

They're not just hiring me to code what they've already decided. They want my input on strategy. They're curious about why I'd recommend one approach over another. They see me as a partner who can help them make better decisions, not just someone who builds what they ask for. Think "work with them" instead of "work for them".

4. They value discovery

The best projects start with understanding the problem, not jumping straight to solutions.

These clients get that spending time upfront to map out their real needs isn't a delay, it's what prevents expensive mistakes later and avoids that two week before launch thing that everyone assumed was taken care of.

When all these pieces align, projects don't just run smoother. They deliver results. Those clients become long term partners who send the best referrals. Those projects become cornerstones in your sales pitch. You start to be able to point to past work you have done, which speaks a thousand words compared to you asking the client to trust you on work you have not done yet.