1) Treat every job like it’s your first. Show the client who keeps coming back to you that you value their business and that it’s important, even if the work is a bit samey and dull. It’s your bread and butter and you will miss it you piss them off and they go somewhere else.

2) Get a deposit up front between 30-50%, particularly from first time clients. It can take ages to get set up as a supplier so if you want to avoid waiting months to get paid after the job, invoice for a down payment as soon as the contract’s agreed.

3) Think carefully before giving out freebies. Clients often want something for nothing and when you start out it’s tempting to it to them. BEWARE. If you don’t put a price on something, it has no value. You will have just made it harder for yourself to charge for the same thing the next time and believe me, they won’t appreciate it anyway.