Do you answer late evening and Sunday text messages form clients?

[DrinkFeckArseGirls]

I put in an ad for my business online and I alreasy had a missed late yesterday evening (I googled the number thinking it was a nuisance call but it was someone looking for work with that number) and just now I got a text from a potential client. Not sure whether to reply now or set the boundaries and reply tomorrow. Grrr.

I get a publisher emailing me at 12:30 on a Saturday night asking me to send her things. I do, because I know she's awake. My pal on the other hand, switches her phone off on Friday night and doesn't answer any messages until Monday morning. I don't think she's as desperate for work as I am, so it depends on how much you need it I think.

No. Part of the reason I work for myself is so I can have time with my family.

After 5pm on Friday, I do not answer any number I do not recognize on my phone.

Of course, I'm a graphic artist and have never yet had a person with a graphical emergency that couldn't wait until Monday.

Hmmm, I am desperate for work but I guess I don't want to come across as such. Might respond and say I will get back to him tomorrow with details.

Nah, I'll reply tomorrow. Hardcore, me.

Clients have been known to turn up on Friday nights and Saturday evenings and after I've started Sunday lunch - but I reserve the right to be half cut and offish at them.
They soon learn.
Week nights I am 'on call' till 9.30 pm.
After that they get ignored.

A potential client i would answer the phone to any time really unless i'm in a meeting with somebody else or actually busy with the family and unable to answer. An existing client i would get back to when i could depending on what i knew about their needs/deadlines.

I work for some organisations that are volunteer run and so have their 'business' meetings in the evenings or at weekends... I am freelance so that i don't have to work mon to fri 9am to 5pm... but the flexibility goes both ways and i do sometimes do some work or phone answering evenings and weekends...

Mostly i encourage clients to email me so that I can answer when it's convenient for me.

I answer emails from people who are working with or for me at the weekend, because I don't want to hold anything up and lots of us work odd hours. I also email people working for me but they know they don't need to reply until the working week. I never ever answer clients at the weekend, even the ones who are ex-colleagues/friends - do it once and they expect it always! I would definitely not answer a text.

I deal with queries as I get them, regardless of it being late evening / weekend.

If I feel in danger of getting sucked into a 24/7 relationship, I save the email / text as draft and send it the following morning at around 6.30 - 7am