You know things have gotten desperate when you’re considering suing one of the world’s largest media conglomerates over an invoice for $100.
But after 90 days and countless follow ups by email, phone, and DM, I wasn’t sure what my options were, other than to let it go.
I eventually got paid, 180 days after I submitted the story. $100 for 10 hours of writing, reporting, and editing…and 60 hours of administrative work. The math isn’t really mathing. And it means I can never write for this dream publication again.
As a full-time freelancer for the last four years, I love the flexibility and variability of my days. I’ve interviewed Fortune 100 CEOs, Michelin-starred chefs, auto mechanics, National Park rangers, date farmers, and entrepreneurs. Every day is different, but no matter what, I get to wake up and do what I love: Write.
The only thing I miss about my full-time job? Getting paid the same amount, the same time every month.
Every client has a different payout method
The hardest part about running a freelance business is chasing payments.
Writing, for me, comes easily. Sure, I fiddle around with commas or agonize over the right phrase, but it feels more like play than work.
Sending the thousandth, “Hey, this invoice was due on X date” email? A lot less fun. (To say nothing about paying rent or buying groceries…y’know, the whole reason I work in the first place!)
That’s partially because every single client does things differently. I have to remember which platform belongs to which client and make sure my info is up to date in every single one.
My invoicing notes look like this:
- Client A: Send invoice via email directly to contact. CC accounting and include a special five-digit cost code, which changes every quarter. Payment is Net 30.
- Client B: Divide per-project fee into hourly rate and upload into payroll every two weeks. Direct deposit processes once per month on the 15th.
- Client C: Upload invoice to their proprietary system in a special format no one else uses. Payment is Net 90 via check.
I have ten or twelve clients any given time, so this gets messy really fast.
All of this distracts me from what my clients are actually paying me to do, which is to tell a great story. It’s hard to feel creative—and deliver a great piece—when in the back of my mind, I’m wondering if I’ll even get paid for it. Or when that check will arrive.
Some platforms pay out on the day the invoice is due. Some don’t show up in my bank account until a week after the invoice is due. Some clients pay net 30, some net 15. And some try to get away with not paying me until I bother them about it. (Please, don’t be that client.)
A platform where contractors don’t have to worry
So when I started working for several clients that use Wingspan, it was a relief. Instead of having to set email reminders for myself about following up, I just…get paid. On time. I can see all of my invoices in one place, so I know exactly what’s been picked up and if there’s any work missing.
The first time I got paid this way, I worried. Not sending an invoice? No emails? Was this all an elaborate scam?
What my Wingspan dashboard looks like. I know right away when payments are coming in and how much from each assignment.
Nope. It’s just that easy to use.
Because it’s built for businesses using independent contractors, I don’t have to try and figure out how to hack my rates to fit into a payroll or use a system that hasn’t been updated since 2006. When I have an issue, I can reach out to their support team directly, so I can ask questions to someone who will actually respond.
That means I don’t have to think about any of the administration work for these clients—I can just put my head down and write.
Learn more about how Wingspan helps businesses and contractors work better together. →
Bio: Kayla Voigt is a food, travel, and tech freelance writer with bylines in Conde Nast Traveler, Eater, USA Today, and more. When she’s not nerding out about software, she’s usually wandering around local trails or digging into a big bowl of pasta. Like what she has to say? Say hello on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kllewkow/
