IMHO

I still have some nifty software applications that barely made it out of the shrink-wrap before they wound up in the software cemetary. I remember one in particular that featured the cutest little bus instead of a dull I-bar cursor.

Contract or no, freelancers foot the bill for electricity, high-speed transmission costs, long distance phone calls, insurance (medical and capital equipment), office supplies and occasional professional services (e.g., accountants, lawyers, engineers, and other contractors to share the workload), and income taxes.

Freelancers, unless they have a crystal ball, never know when contracts will dry up or how long the down time will last. While a dry spell lasts, freelancers have no income. That doesn't mean there's no work to do. Freelancers spends down time drumming up new business and making new contacts, an arduous and sometimes downright distasteful task.

Paid sick leave, holidays and vacation are all luxuries that demand careful planning, disciplined budgeting and a rate structure that can bear the cost. Consider, too, that freelancers often take up the slack when full-time staff enjoys paid time off, pregnancy leave, summer vacations and winter holidays. As a freelancer, I regularly worked Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a summer trip to [name your favorite getaway]. Weekends, nights, yes, I've seen my share of all-nighters with precious little over time.

All the discipline in the world will not prevent unforeseen delays. If a client does not respect its deadlines, the freelancer winds up in a precarious position. If the hand-off is delayed, the freelancer has two choices: wait until the work arrives or take on another contract. Waiting means refusing contracts from other clients, clients who may look elsewhere to fulfill their needs and never return. Accepting another contract is a crap shoot. If the long-awaited work does finally arrive (usually ten minutes after the freelancer agrees to tackle another contract), the freelancer is stuck working 16 hours a day to honor her commitments. Bottom line: the work suffers; the freelancer suffers. No afternoon capuccini.

Moral: Be kind to your freelancers. Communicate your needs clearly, respect your deadlines, respect the pressure endured by the freelancer. Life as a freelancer is not a lark, a walk in the park with Fido and a double capuccino at 3:00 (P.M., that is; 3 A.M. ...? Arghhhh, yes! those were the days!)

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