Rant: Lost a client because my 'office' was a beach bar in Bali

I was working from a beach bar in Canggu last week, thinking it was fine since I had a portable hotspot and noise-canceling headphones. Midway through a video call with a client, a wave of drunk guys from a bachelor party started yelling right behind me. The client heard everything and hung up, saying I wasn't 'professional enough.' I lost a $1,500 monthly retainer on the spot. I ended up moving to a coworking space near Seminyak the next day, but the damage was done. Has anyone else had a client freak out over your work location? How do you handle those expectations?

3 comments

3 Comments

sean_green441mo ago

Man, that sucks. But honestly, your client had a point. When you're billing $1,500 a month, people expect a quiet background and no screaming drunk guys. It doesn't matter if your internet is perfect. The noise and the vibe just scream amateur. A beach bar is fine for personal time, but for client calls it looks like you don't take the work seriously. You learned the hard way, but most remote workers figure this out eventually. Just keep the coworking space or a quiet cafe for calls. The retainer is gone, but now you know.

phoenix5731mo ago

Three weeks ago I took a Zoom call from my car in a parking lot because my neighbor decided 8am was the perfect time to test his new leaf blower. Your mileage may vary, but I've learned the hard way that clients notice every single thing in your background, even the stuff you think they can't see. My go-to now is a quiet corner of the public library, which sounds boring but beats explaining to a client why there's a half-empty Corona on the table behind me. You live and you learn, right?

pat_moore1mo ago

Totally agree with sean_green44 on the "scream amateur" part. I had a client once see my messy kitchen in the background and they literally asked if I was "serious about this.