#3 Freelancers eat. We also pay for shelter and clothes, heat and AC, cell phones and DSL like what I'm using at the moment to write this blog post. Of course, we also have to fork over the dough for our own healthcare, benefits and set aside more of our income for taxes than a "normal" employee. Some of us even have children or pets with mouths to feed and drive to client appointments in automobiles that guzzle gasoline.
I'm not asking you to feel sorry for us. After all, one of the great benefits of being a freelancer is having the flexibility to manage our own schedules and work from our home offices. I guess that's two benefits.
But one of the major burdens of freelancing is having to send emails or make calls to clients and politely beg to be paid. Or run to the mailbox at 4 pm every afternoon for 30 days in a row with our fingers crossed in one hand and a bunny's foot in the other hoping that the check we're owed for the past two months of social media work, web design, you name it has finally, finally arrived. Hallelujah! Not only does it take our focus away from what's important -- the work. It zaps our enthusiasm for you as a client and the projects you say you want us to do.
My point is this. If you want us to stay focused and enthusiastic, pay up. Pay on time or pay a few days early. Pay with a smile on your face and say thank you. "Thank you Mr. or Ms. Freelancer for caring about my business." And, if you're a freelancer who happens to have a client who just paid you on-time, consider yourself very, very fortunate to have a great job with a great employer. Then, don't forget to thank them all the same.
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