I fired a client I've had for 20 yrs this week ( a 1%er)

[MineralMan]

43. I don't have to say "I'm sorry." You're right.

But, I don't say "I'm all booked up," because I'm not. I've turned down contracts when I really needed the money. Normally, clients I turn down don't actually ask me why. If they, do, I'll tell them why. I suspect that most of them already know.

I write the content of complete new websites for small to mid-sized businesses. I work with a single web designer most of the time. If I refuse the job, he refuses the job. In fact, he relies on my to do the research on potential clients and trusts me to get it right. Here are some typical clients with whom I will not work:

Pornography websites
Right Wing or even Republican political websites
Bogus alternative medical websites
Websites for any business that uses predatory marketing tactics
Websites for businesses owned by people who have multiple court judgments against them. I pay the $25 for a search
Websites that are in an illegal business
Payday lenders
Aggressive mortgage brokers
Religious websites (I'm an atheist and won't write that stuff)
Websites for any business that exploits anyone, from customers to employees (I research this carefully on a range of websites)
Websites for any business that makes me feel icky somehow
Websites for anyone who I meet and who looks like he or she will be a PITA to work with.
Other websites I simply don't want to write

I don't have to turn down many contracts, but there have been a number of them over time.