Unlike any other job in the world, when you're self-employed payment comes in sporadically or not at all. There is no pay schedule. How do professionals handle it?
Self employment and getting paid don't always go hand in hand, and professionals have to learn how to ride the waves of up and down pay. Sometimes, when things are really going right and professionals are on top of the self employment game, money comes rolling in. The PayPal address is hopping, you're running off to check the mail at the PO box all the time - you're practically swimming in checks. But when it comes down to self employment and getting paid, nothing is absolute and there are absolutely no rules.
Self Employment and Getting Paid
Self employment comes with a lot of self freedom, but also a lot of up and down pay. Where one month a self employed professional may make a few thousand dollars, another month that same person may only make five hundred. Some employers and clients will pay quite regularly, and send payments exactly when they say they will. Others may not respond at all to e-mails, may keep changing what they say the payment schedule is, may suddenly demand something new before they will pay. Self employment and getting paid don't necessarily go hand in hand. Some professinals may do work for self employment gigs and never get paid for them, in fact.
Depending on the types of jobs and projects, some employers who consider hiring self employed professional may want to see samples of previous or brand-new work. Some employers will want to see samples so specific, professionals have to do more work just to complete them. Don't ever expect to be paid for samples! In some cases, professionals will get hired for the job, fueling the self employment fires, and actually be paid for samples. But when it comes to self employment and getting paid, professionals may run into instances where they do work for free. Some companies may disappear, never paying their workers off. Others may ask an employee to do a huge project and then reject it completely. Self employment, unlike any other job, comes with up and down pay.
Riding the Waves of Up and Down Pay
And, like as not, those who are serious about self employment have to adjust. Have a savings account. When you experience those windfalls, spend only what you have to and put a good chunk of that money in savings. Always keep in mind that next month is just around the corner. It's always good to live in the present and enjoy life, but on the very good chance that next month you'll have the same bills you had this month, it's best to be prepared. You're going to have down time and rough patches where the money simply does not come in. Prepare yourself for this, and you'll go forward into self employment well-armed.
