Rant: My biggest freelance lesson came from a total disaster at a coffee shop pitch meeting

I was trying to impress a potential big client at The Daily Grind in Seattle, and my laptop battery died right as I was about to show my portfolio. That moment taught me to ALWAYS bring a printed deck as a backup, no matter how tech-reliant the meeting seems. Anyone else have a simple backup plan that saved their skin?

3 comments

3 Comments

paul25112d ago

Man that laptop story gives me secondhand stress. I had a similar thing happen with a projector at a conference room once, the bulb just blew out. My heart dropped. Now I bring handouts for everyone, even if they say they don't need them. It's such a cheap insurance policy. What's the worst backup fail you've seen someone else have?

the_paul13d ago

Ever notice how the fanciest tech always fails right when you need it most? That's why my backup plan is just a few printed pages in my bag.

-1

jennys7213d ago

Totally get that. Had a GPS die on me in the middle of nowhere once, phone was dead too. A paper map in the glove box saved the whole trip. Now I keep printed directions for any big meeting. Batteries fail, but ink doesn't just disappear.