This is a WWYD, and I'm grateful for any thoughts or advice on this situation of my own making. Long, sorry!
I am self-employed as a professional consultant providing specialised services within a fairly niche area. I used to be employed full time in this area, and for the last 18 months have worked from home and part time doing short term pieces of consultancy, largely relying on word of mouth recommendations through old colleagues/network. So far I've been lucky to have made this work, working for three different organisations to date.
Throughout last year I had a few contracts with an organisation, the last of which finished in October. I had a good working relationship with them, and they liked me and were pleased with my work. When I finished my last contract I agreed to provide a few extra bits of handover - this would have taken me about a days work, and I agreed largely to keep the goodwill and because they told me they would need my services again in the first quarter of this year.
I then just didn't do it. I didn't provide the requested handover, and apart from one (friendly) Skype conversation in December when I told them I had been unwell and again promised to provide the notes, I haven't had any contact with them. They didn't contact me for more work.
At the time I was feeling overwhelmed from various things, my DD and DH were ill at different points (although not seriously), and now the clocks have changed and the weather has improved and I feel about 3000% more positive, I realise I was probably a bit depressed. The days work to complete the requested handover just seemed insurmountable. In spite of that I have managed to do few small pieces of work for other organisations in the last couple of months.
Now time has passed, the handover will have become fairly redundant, and the work they wanted me to help with is time dependent and will have passed. I now just think what the hell was I thinking, and is there anything I can do now? Should I contact the managers I worked for and apologise and explain, and if so what on earth is my explanation? Shall I claim I was ill, as in a way I was... I'm kicking myself because this client is likely to have led to more work and also more recommendations. I should add that they did pay me for my contract regardless.
I think the professional thing to do would be to now contact them but I've no idea what to say. I'm also terrified that I will somehow do this again, and scupper my chances of making a success of being self employed. Any advice very welcome!