Community
Needy clients, credit card chargebacks and books for soloists
Despite my desperate search for more spare time, I’ve spent a stack of it reading about where to find some.

This week’s must-read
The irony is not lost on me; especially when the answer I am looking for is just so damn simple.
“Be prepared to say ‘No’” as Vanessa Emilio wisely advises in this week’s column on dealing with clients who want everything yesterday! “Good client service is managing expectations so if you cannot manage it or it means quality will suffer, remember your reputation (and health!) is on the line.”
Amen to that.
Soloist Life
On the flip side, a resounding “yes” helped kickstart premium member Byron Trzeciak’s soloist journey. In this week’s community profile he shares three books that proved “It wasn’t unreasonable to seek a flexible lifestyle that includes family, travel and career.”
"The irony is not lost on me; especially when the answer I am looking for is just so damn simple."
Welcome to our premium members
This week’s new Premium members are Geelong Mental Health Care, uLearnIT, Michael Cullinan and Winch Websites while Base Legal, Busy Bookkeeping: Central Highlands, Melbourne Voice Therapy and The Patent Co Patent Attorneys have renewed for another year. It’s so lovely to have you all on board!
From the forums
Check out member Jason Ramage’s in-depth explainer on 3PL (that’s third party logistics). As member Arrowhead said: “Most don’t even realise such a service is possible let alone how it can actually assist to benefit and grow a business.”
Productivity tip
“Having a shower to break up my work day can be the single most beneficial thing I do; the number of lightbulb moments I’ve had is hilarious!” via Laney Galligan, one of 10000 (!) soloists who’ve shared Kelly Exeter’s article on the 5-hour work day.
Listen
Eight is the ideal number of meeting attendees if you want creative sparks to fly, says mastermind facilitator Rosie Kaplan, in this recent Flying Solo podcast.
Money tip
If anyone asks if you accept credit cards, take a very deep breath before you answer, warns Ingrid Moyle after nearly losing $4,000 from a credit card chargeback nightmare.
Inspiration
This week’s Friday funny comes via Flying Solo columnist, Amanda Vanelderen who brought our attention to the Mark Twain quote: “Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.”
Write any fiction of your own this week? Confess in the comments 🙂