Bad Gigs: What Freelancers Can Learn

A wise friend once told me: "Some people are smart, and learn from the experiences of other people. The rest of us are the other people."

She was probably referring to mistakes people make in their personal lives. For freelancers, bad gigs can be as common - and troublesome - as bad dates.

The following are some examples of freelance gigs gone wrong, and what can be learned from them. Some of them are based on my experiences, while others are based on those of colleagues. Hopefully, this will save someone hardship and heartache in the long term.

Bad Gig: Working with a group under the direction of one person whose company it was, trying to land a major contract with the intention that the work was going to be divided between us and that we would all benefit in the long run. We spent countless hours working, only for the contract - and company - to fall through. Lesson Learned: Working without compensation for potential long-term gain is the same as working for free. Having future profit-sharing plans are fine, but everyone needs to be paid in the short term.

Bad Gig: An online start up recruits a group of contract contributors whose compensation is a percentage of the advertising pool and stock options in the company. The company fails, and despite owing people revenue and options on paper, no one ever gets anything. Lesson Learned: Unless you are one of the owners, you don't have a vested interest in a business enough to be paid only in revenue sharing and stock options. Having those are great if a company succeeds, but if it doesn't, you're left with nothing. You should be paid all along for your work in addition to whatever bonuses are stated in your contract.

Bad gig: A website designer is hired to make a site for a client. Despite following the client's instructions, the client is not happy with the outcome and keeps asking for countless revisions, refusing to pay until the website meets their expectations. Which it never does, and the client eventually fires the designer, who never received a penny for their work. Lesson Learned: Always have a contract signed by your client that sets out a payment schedule and terms like how many updates/revisions are covered and for how long. Include a payment up front in the terms. If things go awry, at least you'll walk away with some money in your pocket.

Bad Gig: Writer creates an article for a magazine, finishes the job, sends in the invoice. Weeks turn into months, but payment doesn't come. Lesson Learned: Be sure you know the terms of payment before you write for a publication. Some pay upon acceptance, while others pay upon publication. Some offer a "kill fee" if you work ends up not being used. If a publication doesn't pay, you can badger the client (and usually get ignored in the process). Someone I know would send invoices with interest added to non-paying clients. This sometimes resulted in payment (without the added interest). Small claims court is an option if you have the time and it's an amount that would be worth the effort. However, if you are a member of the Canadian Freelance Union and decide to utilize the CFU's grievance resolution process, the CFU can contact the non-paying client to try to resolve things. This can be done not only for writers, but any freelancer who has a non-paying client.

Bad Gig: A social media consultant takes on a small client who cannot afford to pay the consultant's full fee. They work out a schedule of services based upon the client's ability to pay. The client eventually fires the consultant, citing they are not getting the results they expected. Lesson Learned: We set our pay scales for a reason. If we are doing less, for less, then the expectations of the client should be less. But they usually aren't. Be clear about your time and limitations. Remember that clients have social networks too, and you don't want to end up with a bad reputation. Something I do for clients who cannot afford to retain my services long-term, is train them on how to utilize social media themselves. Training packages are for a few hours and a one-time fee for the client. I find this is time better spent than a low-paying job that won't yield results - only an unhappy client.

There are many more examples out there of bad gigs. Most of them deal with not being paid, or some variation thereof. One of the best ways to avoid bag gigs in the future, is to communicate with other freelancers and learn who the clients are to avoid.

If you are in Edmonton and area, please join the Edmonton Freelancer Facebook group and share your experiences, and how you handled them. Better yet, join the Canadian Freelance Union to have access to a network of support for economic justice for freelancers. We're also working on guidelines for contracts, suggested rates for different kinds of freelance work, and other ways to help support Canada's independent creatives.

Paula E. Kirman is a freelance communications professional and a member organizer with the Canadian Freelance Union.