We’re in the midst of refinancing our home and as you might expect, the bank had no shortage of questions for us. This was the last of the special requests to trickle in: Please explain why Jaime’s income went down in 2009.
Really?? If the global economic recession wasn’t enough evidence, you’d think my profession would have tipped them off: self-employed, freelance writer.
But I dutifully provided a signed rationale, as requested. I pointed out (again) that I was self-employed and that my workload commonly fluctuated with the economy (obviously). And, I wrote, several longstanding clients were behind on their payments.
Roughly $7,000 behind.
Clearly I am not alone. The Wall Street Journal reports that freelancers had more than a little trouble collecting last year. Independent contractors don’t have the legal protection employees do when it comes to requiring payment for services rendered.
At the same time, a local Chicago news report called out one of the area’s companies as among the ‘worst’ for not paying its freelancers. The amount writers had reported past due: $9000.
Puh-lease. If a business past due $9000 is being held up as the ‘worst’ then surely our economy is in far, far better shape that I thought.
The REAL problem I see is that the firm is accused of securing new writers while it wasn’t paying its old ones. That’s deceitful. If you’re behind on payments and your freelancers aren’t willing to keep working while you float, then you need to alter your business.
One of my own past due clients is taking a project in house this month. The process will be painful for them, I’m sure. The quality, I’m afraid, will inevitably decline. I would have written it, and they know it. But they’re doing this for my sake, as well as their own.
Ideally, you’ve built strong enough relationships with your independent team that they’re willing to stand by you during a downturn. Ideally, you have the kind of relationships where you can be frank about your economic situation and your prospects for the future.
All across the country, employees are volunteering to take pay cuts and working days without pay. Why? Out of loyalty. Out of a desire to help their employer succeed. Out of a real need to preserve their jobs.
I don’t see letting a few of my loyal clients skate by this past year any differently. They’ve always been extraordinarily supportive of me, shared my name with colleagues, and provided valuable exposure. Why would I turn my back on them now?
It’s not just business. It’s personal. It is.
I’m willing to bet there are thousands of businesses floating by on similar seas of goodwill—and perhaps that, more than anything else, is what’s keeping our economy alive.
