Re: Freelance, contract part-time

["Elisa R. Sawyer" <elisawyer -at- gmail -dot- com>]

I have often turned to Nolo (http://www.nolo.com/) for legal information.
It's a good starting place for getting an understanding of many things
legal.They have a lot of information on independent contracting and running
small businesses.

Should you decide that you need a lawyer for anything, you might still want
to read up on issues beforehand, to reduce the amount of time for which you
pay those high fees. :-)

-Elisa


On Fri, May 22, 2015 at 6:49 PM, Karl Norman <kylesimmons0164 -at- gmail -dot- com>
wrote:

> Again, thank you all for the thoughtful replies. William, I'm glad you
> brought up some of the legal aspects of contract work. That is something
> I've talked to people about before, and it's really helpful to get advice
> from people who have "been there."
>
> Aside from needing to watch my back legally, I need to be prepared for
> lower pay from small businesses. That seems like maybe the second biggest
> hurdle, the first being getting people me to hire me in the first place.
>
> I appreciate your advice. I've got a lot of stuff to think about now, but I
> think I'm closer to being able to work out a plan of action.
>
> On Fri, May 22, 2015, 6:34 PM William Sherman <bsherman77 -at- embarqmail -dot- com>
> wrote:
>
> > I am headed out so this will be short, but I thought you might want to
> know
> > this and I'm sure others will comment.
> >
> > There are two main types of contracts: locals and life on the road.
> >
> > Local is typically less money. You compete with all who are willing to
> take
> > less just to stay home.
> >
> > Experience is money. If all you have is 10 months, ride it out for a bit
> > longer.  Otherwise, you will be working for minimum rates for some time.
> >
> > Like Peter said, 1099 is a trap for most. To use one, you really need to
> be
> > your own company. You will have to pay out taxes, SS, and the rest. As
> > such,
> > your 1099 rate should be about double your W2 rate, but typically shops
> > wanting you to work 1099 means they want to get you on the cheap. The
> main
> > company avoids 1099 to individuals as there are too many pitfalls for
> them,
> > getting stuck with paying you employee benefits due to lawsuits and
> > government actions. A 1099 doesn't insulate them enough from you.
> >
> > Temp to Hire is another trap. Say the rate should be $35 but they tell
> you
> > it is only $30 because it is Temp To Hire, as though you get some huge
> > benefit by being hired. It is a carrot. If you do get hired, your pay and
> > benefits probably won't equal the $30, let alone the $35, because they
> will
> > say your $45,000 salary plus the benefits equal the larger amount.
> >
> > Learn to save. You without question MUST have 3 months of money to live
> on.
> > You need to increase that to 6 months as soon as possible, within the
> first
> > two years. A contract can end at any second and there isn't any recourse,
> > so
> > prepare to weather the financial storm. For example, you go 1000 miles
> to a
> > job, work a week, and it ends. You are out all the money traveling there,
> > having to pay hotel rates for a place to stay for a few weeks, and travel
> > back home, if you have one.
> >
> > Live light. If you can't pack it in your car, SUV, van, or truck, you
> don't
> > need it.
> >
> > You are NOT an employee. Never mistake that status.
> >
> > There are lots of rules and laws you need to know. Learn them.
> >
> > One is overtime. There are laws that allow them NOT to pay it for some
> > contractors, HOWEVER, if it is in your contract, they must. ALWAYS get
> that
> > in the contract or do not work OT. Contracts are written agreements
> between
> > you and the shop you are working for who rents you to the client. You can
> > always change a contract before signing, as it is what you agree to. As
> > long
> > as they are small changes, they almost always agree. Regardless of what
> > they
> > tell you, they do not have 100 others for the same job, or they would not
> > be
> > sending you a contract. You are it.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Now it can be rewarding. You get to see a lot of the country. You get to
> > learn new industries. You don't get bored. You gain a sense of freedom
> most
> > will never know. When a company begins layouts, you shrug your shoulders
> > and
> > don't worry, because you probably have one bag in the place and can leave
> > with 5 minutes notice, unlike those whose world just fell apart and have
> no
> > idea what they will do now.
> >
> >
> > Have a good weekend and safe holiday.
> >
> >
> > In memory of those who served, thanks.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Karl Norman" <kylesimmons0164 -at- gmail -dot- com>
> > To: <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
> > Sent: Wednesday, May 20, 2015 12:40 PM
> > Subject: Freelance, contract part-time
> >
> >
> > > I've noticed a number of contributors here and in other tech writer
> > forums
> > > have gone rogue and begun freelancing at some point in their careers.
> > > Seems
> > > the trend is to get the feet wet with a big company for x years and
> then
> > > make the switch to freelance/contract work. Maybe some of you could
> > > expound
> > > upon your decisions to make that change. What were the determining
> > > factors?
> > > How did you feel confident that you could go it alone?
> > >
> > > I'm at the beginning of my career. I've been with a medium size company
> > > for
> > > 10 months, and I'm working on building a document control department.
> > > There's plenty of opportunity for me to grow here, but a significant
> part
> > > of me doesn't care about the work. I've pursued working with
> nonprofits,
> > > helping with procedures and ISO documentation, and I like that kind of
> > > work
> > > better than my current position. I just like the working relationship I
> > > have with small organizations. But, obviously the bills have to be
> paid,
> > > and tech writing as a value added service is a hard sell to small
> > > businesses and nonprofits. Do any of you rogues have advice for someone
> > > who
> > > might want to leave his cubicle? Most importantly, how do you ensure
> the
> > > bills get paid?
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-- 
Elisa Rood Sawyer
~~~~~^~~~~~
Technical and Creative Writer
"Apparently there is nothing that cannot happen today." Mark Twain
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