(no subject)
i have, in one way or another, owned my own consulting business full-time for nearly 4 years now. it started as necessity, because my first job out of college didn't want to handle me as an official employee, even though they treated me (often poorly) as one. it continued when i worked for Anthroscape in san francisco; they paid me a "salary" but i reported it as contractor income. and now, working with a variety of people, i still work as a contractor/consultant; i charge them an hourly fee, they pay me, i do my own taxes.
it's not the taxes that are getting me down - taxes are taxes, and at least this way i can write off electronics and software and gas and stuff.
it's the nature of the consultant/client relationship.
after anthroscape, i was desperate for work, and more importantly, i was unaccustomed to setting my own work parameters. i basically agreed to anything/everything (including garage cleaning) if it meant income. and that was ok - that's what i needed to do.
but now, after at least a year of me being as accommodating as possible, i feel some of my clients just assume i'll go with whatever they do, i.e. double booking their time and then dropping me despite my commitment to them. so far i've just been rolling with it, but i find i'm more and more... put off by their reactions toward me. i commit my time to them, up until the last minute, assuming they'll reciprocate. when they don't, i feel the put-off-ness. i don't feel insulted... yet. but i'm getting there.
and i won't want to work with people i feel are insulting me.
i'm working to change these things, by speaking up and diplomatically pointing out my time commitment is as important as theirs, because i don't do it for fun, i do it to make a living. i am hoping said diplomatic efforts will smooth things out.
if they don't... i don't have a back up plan, but i feel i deserve better.
love kittie
it's not the taxes that are getting me down - taxes are taxes, and at least this way i can write off electronics and software and gas and stuff.
it's the nature of the consultant/client relationship.
after anthroscape, i was desperate for work, and more importantly, i was unaccustomed to setting my own work parameters. i basically agreed to anything/everything (including garage cleaning) if it meant income. and that was ok - that's what i needed to do.
but now, after at least a year of me being as accommodating as possible, i feel some of my clients just assume i'll go with whatever they do, i.e. double booking their time and then dropping me despite my commitment to them. so far i've just been rolling with it, but i find i'm more and more... put off by their reactions toward me. i commit my time to them, up until the last minute, assuming they'll reciprocate. when they don't, i feel the put-off-ness. i don't feel insulted... yet. but i'm getting there.
and i won't want to work with people i feel are insulting me.
i'm working to change these things, by speaking up and diplomatically pointing out my time commitment is as important as theirs, because i don't do it for fun, i do it to make a living. i am hoping said diplomatic efforts will smooth things out.
if they don't... i don't have a back up plan, but i feel i deserve better.
love kittie