Policies

“A man's got to have a code, a creed to live by, no matter his job.”
-- John Wayne

Every man should have a code, but too few actually do. Modern society has eroded personal ethics and integrity down to copy-and-paste Terms of Service pages made for human drones whose only concern is to "CYA" and get away with whatever they can, as long as it can be justified by pointing to some obscure fine print later...

In a world gone mad with lawsuits (and cowardice), I've settled on a few rules that I always try to follow:

No NDAs, period. I never sign an NDA, no matter how big a project or client. Either you trust me or you don't, and if you don't then you shouldn't be working with me. Besides, NDAs are rarely enforceable, esp. in the international marketplace. They are most often just a scare/bully tactic of unethical companies, or amateurs who think their project is sea-changing unique (it's not).

No phone/video calls. I believe consultants should be paid for their time, and shouldn't offer free phone calls to potential clients. More often than not, companies who insist on phone calls are gathering as much "free intel" from various people as possible, without a sincere plan to hire anyone -- or they are corporations trying to extend their "policies" onto third-party consultants, instead of just hiring someone full-time for the position. Serious and reasonable clients don't require phone calls, and understand that online work is better communicated via chat/email.

Clients are confidential, unless... The only time I will reveal who and what I worked on is if A) the client goes public with slander or criticism about me or B) the client commits fraud against me such as a credit card chargeback or refusal to pay or C) the client has publicly praised my work or services.

Apologize when appropriate. Humans are complicated and messed up creatures, and many times the only sensible thing to do is say you're sorry. The culture of lawsuits and liability has virtually eliminated the apology from modern society, and sometimes the internet is "forever" making this more difficult, but finding a reasonable balance is very important here.

Be loyal to honest people. The consumer mindset has made a lot of small business owners overly whiny and fickle, so if you find other people who are above-average sincere and/or reliable, be loyal to them even if you find better pricing down the street. Long-term relationships and referrals are gold, and having good people in your corner to promote (or defend) you is priceless.