My mentor told me to never use a 3 guard on a first-time client, and I learned why the hard way.

He said to start with a 4 or 5 to be safe, but I thought a 3 would be fine for a guy who wanted it 'short but not too short'. Tbh, I took off way more than he wanted and had to do a lot of smoothing out to fix it. What's your go-to guard for a new client when you're not sure?

3 comments

3 Comments

vera6811mo agoTop Commenter

I always start with a 5, learned that after my own "short but not too short" disaster. @christopher_wells4 is right, clear talk beats a spreadsheet any day.

william_foster971mo ago

What, you thought 'short but not too short' was a technical spec?

christopher_wells41mo ago

It's actually a pretty useful description. People know what it means without needing exact numbers. Clear communication doesn't always need a spreadsheet.