The first meeting is a two-way interview

You’re not there to be sold to. You’re there to find out how this person works, how they handle friction, and whether their process fits yours — and to notice how many questions they ask you back. The ten below work for a designer, a bookkeeper, a coach, or a caterer, because they probe behavior, not craft. Ask them straight and listen for specifics over charisma.

The ten questions

Copy these into your notes and ask them in roughly this order:

  1. Walk me through your process from “yes” to “done.”
  2. What do you need from me to do your best work?
  3. Have you done something like this before? Can I see it?
  4. What’s your timeline, and what could push it?
  5. How exactly is the price structured — deposit, milestones, what’s included?
  6. How many revision rounds, and what happens after them?
  7. How and how often will we communicate?
  8. What tends to go wrong on projects like this?
  9. Who owns the final work, and do I get the source files?
  10. Why might we not be a good fit?

What each answer tells you

Questions 1 and 4 test whether they have a system or wing every project. Vague answers here predict vague invoices later.

Questions 5 and 6 are where money disputes are prevented. You want a real structure — a deposit, then milestone payments — and a clear count of revision rounds, not “we’ll figure it out.”

Question 8 is the single most revealing one. A pro who’s done real work names failure modes instantly — indecisive clients, missing content, shifting scope. Someone who claims nothing ever goes wrong either hasn’t done enough of it or isn’t being straight.

Question 10 sounds strange to ask, and that’s the point. A confident professional will honestly tell you when you’re not their ideal client — too small, wrong specialty, unrealistic timeline. That honesty is worth more than a dozen reassurances.

Count their questions too

The best signal isn’t in their answers — it’s in whether they interview you back. A pro who quotes before asking about your goals, audience, and constraints is quoting a project they’ve imagined, not the one you have. The ones worth hiring will ask about your budget, your deadline, and what “done” looks like to you. Silence there is itself an answer.

Take notes, then sleep on it

Write the answers down during the call, not from memory after. Two days later, re-read them cold. Charisma fades on paper; substance survives. If you talked to several pros, lay the notes side by side — this is also how you compare quotes that came back in different shapes.

Put the answers on paper

The verbal answers to questions 5, 6, and 9 belong in the contract before work starts — that’s what a buyer’s-edition contract checklist is for. On Mindhyv, verification already confirms identity and track record before a profile is live, so your first meeting can skip “are you real?” and go straight to “are you right for this?”