It’s the point where you have $0.00 in your bank account and if you are going to be a freelancer you’re going to meet this happy little friend more than once.
The straight line in the heartbeat image – that’s $0.00.
You start your business and you’re sending out emails, calling companies and not making anything. You might even be getting involved in projects where for some strange reason you simply haven’t discussed money. Somewhere in there you land a job for $6000. Hooray!
That first bump is your $2000 on signing payment. You write like crazy, are on top of the world and have verifiable evidence that you’re entire existence hasn’t been a waste of carbon. The client likes the work … and delays the payment.
That downward slide is going down to minus $2500 because not only does that client not pay their invoice on time but two more don’t either. Phone calls aren’t being returned. Your emails go unanswered. You’re saying things like “Oh, the email with the invoice didn’t arrive? That’s okay, I’ll send it again. Thanks!” while thinking hmm, every other email arrived just fine.
You go below the zero line and thank the universe, Joe Pesci and SpongeBob that you had the sense to get a credit card whilst you were in full-time employment. You pay your rent and bill, buy food and stay alive thanks only to that credit card. You also pay $25 a month in overdue fees when you don’t make a payment and you’re paying a high cash-advance interest rate of 20%. Still, it’s better than starving, right?
Then a client pays! Woo-hoo! You pay back the debt and go up to having $4000 in your bank account. Flush with money you do crazy things like get yourself a $25 haircut instead of the $20 haircuts you’ve been getting. You indulge yourself with name-brand products and actually buy a bottle of wine that costs more than $10. You pay bills and for the first time in months have the funds to participate in society. Take out someone on a date, for example.
Ah, but you remember living below the zero line and so you enforce a stringent budget so in the event of clients not paying, you’ll be okay.
You poor fool …
Down you slide, down down down. You’re working still, mostly trying to find work, mostly trying to be paid for work already done and a spend a very small amount of the time writing. You’re busy but that’s not the same as doing paid work.
Hey Zero Line! Good to see you again buddy!
Down you go, this time to minus $1000 before you pick up a new job and collect a $2000 advance. You zip past zero line and up to +$1000.
High hopes? Check!
The feeling that if you can mix up advances and back payments that all will be well? Check!
Um … dear Client who I worked for five months ago. You sorta still owe me … $4000 … and I was wondering, if it’s not too much trouble, if you could see your way clear to perhaps, possibly, it-would-be-really-good … paying me.
Oh, you didn’t get the five emails with invoices attached, two faxes, one registered mail (which required your signature), eight phone messages, three mobile phone message and four messages left with reception? Oh, and you’re using my work on your website right now? Okay, well, I’ll send that pesky $4000 invoice again and you’ll pay me? Right? Please?
Down you go. Rent, car registration (which you look at and think – I’m hardly driving anywhere these days! Why am I paying this whopping chunk of money?), bills, food … down you go to minus $3500.
More late fees on the credit card. A nice letter from the bank. Look at how much interest you’re paying on that $3500 … eep.
You drag on in poverty, the toll of calling clients who owe you money slowly destroying your soul. A day with a debt collection call is ruined and for the twentieth time you think about full-time work again.
Finally, you snap and tell that $4000 client to get their act together. You call their boss, their accounts office, HR … and get results. Amazed at your success you call another debtor and get results. You soar back up to +$4000. You won’t be working for them again but do you want to work for clients who don’t pay until you threaten to sue?
Down to -$1000 and then back up to zero line where you stay for quite a while.
You’re making money but it’s equal to your expenses and so you walk the line. Car breaks down? Forget it. Need to buy a birthday present for someone? Nope. You’re already buying the cheapest food there is but you go further and start thinking in terms of daily calories for lowest price. Bags of rice. Plain pasta. High-fat milk, just so you can get the calories.
Big electricity bill, down to -$500.
Client pays, up to $1800.
No one pays, down to -$2700.
Up to $4200, down to $-1000, +$1000, -$3200, +$3000, -$300, +$300 …
Zero line again.
You’ve earned $35000 for the year but you’ve also had to use your credit card nine times to survive because of the irregularity of payments. You’ve had to say things the absolute opposite of your personality (Pay me or I’ll sue you). You’re still owed $5000 and there is a fair chance that $3000 of that won’t ever be paid.
Hey, but you got to write and use your ability, right? You’re living the dream and when you talk about freelancing you say all the good stuff. Swimming in the middle of the day. Playing the PS3 during the afternoon. Earning $4000 for a week of work.
You don’t talk about the loneliness and how it feels when a client lies to you about not receiving invoices and you have to pretend they’re not lying. Don’t talk about basic things like the expectation that work is worth money and when people sign a contract, doesn’t that mean anything? No talking about clients who are making millions and yet can’t get it together to pay a $2000 invoice.
When you talk to those clients with overdue invoices you hold back on think how difficult your life would become if your employer simply stopped paying you. You try to sound friendly as your stomach rumbles because you’ve started cutting back on food.
Welcome to the zero line.