Makes my day. The owner of my favorite/biggest client treats me like a business partner. He tells me his visions and let’s me do whatever I think it takes to make them a reality. He pays me plenty. I love the company and over the past 7 years of working with them have a great sense of ownership of what goes on there and am very proud of my contributions. But still, he pays me plenty. So to have him stop to tell me “thanks for everything” means so much to me. He said what we have accomplished in the past year is now setting his company up for another fantastic growth spurt. He knows that my dedication to his company goes much deeper than my billables. I am *so* incredibly fortunate to have a client like this.

Building relationships with clients is what keeps you in business. Every time I have ever been asked to talk about this side of my business (I have been a contractor for nearly 18 years now) this is always the most important factor that I highlight.