I find that five or six clients is about what my plate can handle. I have some that need my home county research, some that need a neighboring county and some I do in Salt Lake City (although I have been known to do my home county in SLC too). It just depends on how you want to work. Sometimes you have to wait for something to come in or can put a couple of clients together who need the same repository (so they can share the travel expenses). You state a good reason as to how you like to work. Working back up to speed is not always a waste because you will see new things in the research when you revisit it after a break. In fact that is a piece of advice usually given when doing a piece of writing (like a report): put it away for a day or two and reread it. Best wishes, Elissa Elissa Scalise Powell, CG, CGL www.PowellGenealogy.com www.GRIPitt.org CG, Certified Genealogist, CGL, and Certified Genealogical Lecturer are Service Marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, used under license by board certificants after periodic evaluations by the Board and the board name is a trademark registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office. > -----Original Message----- > From: On Behalf Of Mary E Hall > Sent: Wednesday, October 10, 2012 10:28 AM > > I enjoy this transitional forum very much, as I've been encouraged to "go pro" and I'm > exploring this option, at least part-time. > > My professional career is in finance, and as an independent contractor, I'm ever aware that > each hour of our day is precious. Is there any experience based opinion on how to > manage multiple client loads? I've undertaken a few projects - pro bono - and I'm finding > that, not unlike my own genealogical research, I need to focus on each project one at a > time or I'll lose my place and have to spend time again re familiarizing myself with where > I am in the project. This wastes time. > > OTOH, it's not realistic to think one research intensive client at time is going to provide > any kind of reasonable income.