Protect Yourself: Three Ways Freelancers Must Protect Themselves
This incredible art was found on the Instagram account @cogey.
In 2017, I started freelancing. First it was part-time and then quickly it became full-time. I’ve worked with amazing, life changing clients, inspirational teams, clueless but willing to learn PR agencies, influencers who operate savvier than any CEO I’ve ever sat in a meeting with, and to be honest — a lot of assholes who think because the word free is in freelancer they can attempt to swallow you up and then spit you back up when it’s convenient for them.
At the end of 2019, I decided I wanted to take my full-time freelance hat and hang it up because I was craving stability in my income and desperately seeking a work life balance. After a particular client failed to pay me $2,800 upon completing a major project for him (and constantly experiencing verbal abuse from him) — I was burned out and angry and made the very personal decision to look for a full time position. Since then, I’ve been in full time positions while undertaking small freelance projects on the side for companies and clients I believe in (not just taking clients because I needed the money to hit my monthly quota).
For over a year now on a weekly basis, I get emails and direct messages from freelancers all over the US (and sometimes the world) sharing their stories with me about how a certain client has screwed them over, how if they don’t get paid by a certain date they can’t pay rent, and how they don’t know if they can go on freelancing in a world where clients and corporations abuse them. The names and the projects are always different but the common denominator is always the same — businesses are desperate to hire someone to do the work but when it comes time to pay, all professionalism goes out the window. Oh how my blood boils when I get these messages because I have been there more times than I can count. From being stiffed $2,800 to being paid 6 months late despite net-30 terms with a multimillion dollar company, I have been there and I feel like I’ve heard it all from the freelance community.
You can get “trust no one” tattooed on your hand like Lana Del Rey or you could follow these three freelancer promises to yourself. Or you could do both.
Since COVID-19 has caused unemployment rates to literally go off the chart, I have had an influx of freelancers reaching out for advice about how to get paid. Here are the 3 things I can offer up besides telling you to get the words “trust no one” tattooed on your hand like Lana Del Rey.
Do not do anything without a contract or project scope in place.
Don’t do 1 hour of work. Don’t promise or deliver anything. If a client or company says they can’t sign your contract — you need to ask yourself if you really need them as a client. Contracts and agreements, as well as project scopes protect you and clearly outline what needs to be delivered upon. Do not pass go, do not collect $200 unless you’re willing to roll the dice in a potentially shady game of Monopoly with a client.
Do not accept any projects without receiving 50-75% upfront first.
In the past, how much I collected up front from my clients depended on who the client was, the scope of the project, and the timeline. Right now though, while we are living through a pandemic and such uncertainty with COVID-19, I am begging all my freelance friends to not do any work without getting 50%-75% up front. This may feel extreme but desperate times call for desperate measures but think about all the major companies that are filing for bankruptcy on a regular basis every day now — so unless you actually see the money, tread lightly. It’s not about being difficult, it’s about protecting yourself and getting what you can upfront, so you can have peace of mind when you do the work.
Keep a record of everything and do not back down.
If you did the work and then sent in an invoice only to hear back “We don’t have the money to pay right now” or “We’ll get to this invoice eventually,” this doesn’t mean you shrug and let the client or company walk all over you. If you completed the work and it was accepted by your contact there, you — the freelancer — have every right to email everyone who potentially has the power to pay you (Accounts Payable, the Chief Operating Officer, or even the CEO). You did your part, and now it’s time for the company to prove they have integrity and follow through on their end. If this means you need to file with small claims court and alert the Better Business Bureau, you have every right to do that. Companies and clients should not use and abuse freelancers. Again, the word free in freelancer doesn’t mean letting $890 invoices go unpaid for 60+ days especially during a pandemic.
With all of this said, I deeply encourage the freelance community to talk about who is paying, who isn’t, and keep transparency within their local business community and the freelance work coming in on a national level. Yeah, it can be embarrassing to admit that maybe you can’t afford your health insurance if you don’t get paid by your client but the truth is — you are not at fault and you are not alone (seriously read the piece I wrote last May with $74 in my bank account). The only way freelancers will start to get more respect is if they hold the feet of these companies and clients to the fire. As COVID-19 changes the world as we know it, I believe freelancers are going to be more important to companies than ever before and while demand for freelance work may go up, it’s critical to protect yourself and ultimately your money. If all freelancers start to demand respect and stop acting like they’re a doormat (easier said than done, trust me — I know), businesses will have to step up to the plate and actively change how they work and deal with 1099 freelance workers.