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More Previous Letters:Now All They Need Are Some Pants Thanks so much for your ultra-cool T-shirt -- it's the nicest, most fun thing to hit my mailbox since... well, in a long, long time. I adore your magazine and love your life-work philosophy; in fact, my recurring dream is to join the ranks of the IP. But I haven't quite managed to cut the cord and walk away from the PR firm I work for. I just don't know how! And I'm sure I'm not alone in this boat -- the realm of the "unready." I suppose some would say if I have to wonder whether I have what it takes, that means I don't, but I know I'd be much more fulfilled working on my own. What I would really love from the magazine are more articles for people in my situation -- advice about how exactly to go about marketing one's skills and finding clients while one's still employed full-time by someone else. It's a tough transition, and we could always use some good counsel. Thanks again. You do great work and encourage many. Monica Powers Thanks
for the compliments! Keep your eye out for two upcoming articles that
may be of particular interest to yourself and others in the "realm
of the unready." In one, we interview wage slaves about their dreams
of going solo -- and how they're working to turn their fantasies into
realities. The other discusses the pros and cons of starting out your
IP career by freelancing on the side while you're still a full-time
employee. Thanks for the T-shirt. Now that's the way to get your mail read! Great job. Mark Anthony McCray We're
happy you like your T-shirt. We hope that knowing you have a cool Aquent
T-shirt makes other readers so jealous, they'll fill out our survey
and try to win one, too. For those of you who have already won T-shirts,
please send
us a fun, creative photo of you wearing it. We'll put the best photos
up on the site. United in Independence I have to compliment you on your site. It really makes me feel like I am a part of something, which is a hard feeling to find as an IP. Thank you. Ian Amyot I was happy to see an article featuring Charlene Geiss. I am a former and current student of Charlene. Her work and her mission of unleashing the individual's passion in a supportive setting is a microcosm of what most women (and perhaps some men) are seeking in daily life. She helps us discover our varied levels of creativity through self-expression, lots of oohs and ahhs, tears, and warmth. Would that towns all over could offer this gem to its questing people... we'd all be happier together. Thank you for featuring this very special facilitator. Jill Heppenheimer You Pay Through the Nose Either Way, Of Course If I calculate my last-quarter estimated tax payment based only on the amounts I have actually received from my clients, not the amounts that I've invoiced, will that be enough? Will the 1099 forms I receive from my clients show everything I've invoiced, or only what they've paid to date? If they show everything I've invoiced, I won't have pre-paid enough taxes will I? <Ricklw1@aol.com> Most independent professionals do their bookkeeping and taxes on a "cash basis." Under this system, all that matters is money you actually receive from your clients, and business expenses you actually pay out, during your tax year. What you've invoiced doesn't matter; all that matters is the money you've actually received. The 1099 that clients send you is simply a statement of the total amount of money they've sent you during the tax year. It's not based on how much you've invoiced them. This is true whether or not you're on a cash basis. The alternative to cash basis, by the way, is called "accrual basis." Under this system, you do your books and pay taxes based on when you invoice your clients (not on when you get paid) and when you incur business expenses (not on when you pay your bills). This is sometimes considered a more accurate reflection of the state of your business. It's not common among unincorporated (sole-proprietor) IPs, however, because cash basis is simpler and a little more intuitive. Obviously, since the 1099s that clients send you should always reflect money they've actually sent you, then if you were on accrual basis the amount of self-employment gross income you declare (near the top of your Schedule C) might not match the total of the 1099s you've received. For someone on cash basis, however, the gross income you declare probably would match the total of all the client 1099s you've received.
If you've never heard of cash basis or accrual basis, it's a pretty
good bet that you're on cash basis. A Rose By Any Other Name I liked Eric Adam's column about not selling out. I've read his book Plot Twist and really liked it. It was such a page-turner, I finished it in one night. Would I have picked the book off the shelf had it been titled True Crime? Probably not. I would have thought that it was, as that title suggests, in the "true crime" genre and not been interested. And anyway -- is the title True Crime any less "inane" than Plot Twist? He wanted the title Hands of Stone, which certainly is more original than Plot Twist, but would it have grabbed the readers of thrillers? At a quick glance, they might have thought it was a biography of Rodin or some other sculptor. I think he should stop thumping his chest over what he thinks was the "biggest mistake in his literary life" and wasting time fretting over two words. The title wasn't as awful as he thinks. Speaking of titles, what is the idea behind the title of Aquent? I have no clue from the title, what the magazine is about... friends and acquaintances? A certain blue color? A pipe carrying water? What is it supposed to mean? Carolyn Minionis Aquent Magazine is a webzine for and about independent professionals -- that is, self-employed, boss-free folks. Aquent is a made-up word whose dictionary definition might read as follows: aquent \AY-kwent 1 n [fr. Greek, a- not + Latin, sequent- act of following] : not a follower; one who creates his or her own career along a non-corporate path; an independent professional. 2 v to strike out on one's own, chart one's own course.
When naming your company/book/whatever, there's a lively and ongoing
argument as to which is better: to be descriptive or evocative. A parallel
argument concerns whether IPs should name
their business to make it sound like a "company," or alternatively
to emphasize that they're working solo. We'd be happy to post more
opinions on this subject… but ultimately, although names are
important, how good you are is a lot more important. Budding Journalist I thought the article Self-Exposure was wonderful and a very accurate depiction of what Charlene Geiss's diary workshops can do for you. Taking Charlene's class was one of the best things I have ever done. I love to write but had never considered writing in a diary format. Keeping a journal helped me become very clear on numerous issues in my life that I didn't even realize needed attention. It is an enjoyable -- and sometimes painful -- process in self-discovery! Dawn Heinsbergen Expert Bearings Susan Vaughn's article Bearing Your First Web Child gave me a lot of great advice. I'm in the beginning stages of starting an online company, so I need all the help I can get! Forget learning the hard way -- I'd rather learn from the experts any day. Elise Sheppard Loving Linda I loved Linda Formichelli's column on words you should never use in your marketing materials. She's an effervescent female version of William Safire -- minus his irritating political proclivities. I, too, have been driven to distraction when I come across many of the annoyances pointed out in the column. Great piece! I've forwarded it to a bunch of my friends already. Charrisse Min Alliegro My immediate reaction upon reading Linda Formichelli's column Empowering Your Savvy Synergistic Marketing Paradigm was: "Hallelujah! There's another person in the world who is bothered by the same things I am." I was particularly excited to see her mention of the nonexistent word "irregardless." I am printing out the column and showing it to all the people I've argued with "ir"regarding this. And they call me anal! Another phrase that's always bothered me is "I could care less." Don't they really mean they couldn't care less? LeeAnn Marshall Yep…
and if they're careless with their marketing materials, their clients
will care less about hiring them. Without clients paying them, they
might fall behind on their auto payments, which could make them carless
too… sorry, couldn't resist. At the Crossroads I couldn't have read your article Moments of Decision at a better time. Less than a month from now, I have to make my own serious decisions or else I'll be self-inflicting my personal destruction even before Y2K hits. My non-renewable lease in New York City ends this year. My creative juices have been frozen overstaying in a high-paying glorified assistant job in the heart of Manhattan -- I can't stand another minute getting paid too much to do brainless tasks. I want to go back into creative writing. I have experience copywriting, had training in broadcasting and magazine reporting, and would love to get involved in film. To make a complete break, my partner and I want to move to Connecticut. "Moments of Decision" put me into a hopeful and promising frame of mind. Thanks again for a great article and magazine. <marrodas@aol.com> Think Globally Linda Formichelli wrote an incredible (and much needed) column! Empowering Your Savvy Synergistic Marketing Paradigm is definitely one to hand out at the office. I do have one complaint -- she missed one of the most overused, meaningless, repetitive, and worn-out words of this century. In fact, I am convinced that it has been so overused, so often and in so many different contexts, that you did not include it in your article for it was such an obvious choice you did not think of it. So what is this invisible word of no value? Global. Global network, global infrastructure, global village, global communications, global audience, global market. When you think that the word was made popular as early as the 1950s with talk of a "global village," and consider the incredible and unimaginable concept of a future world linked by a "global network of information and communication," you realize just how meaningless the word has become. But don't take my word for it... Noam Eppel
You don't like global? Gee, we were planning to synergistically globalize
our e-commerce-enabled community infrastructure, but in light of your
letter, we may have to re-conceptualize our parameters. Aw, shucks. Killing Time I liked the article The Better You Are, The Longer It Takes, particularly its style. Unfortunately, I did resent the fact that I spent that much time reading it instead of doing some real work. Beth Chapple I accept to some extent San's thesis that the better you are at something, the longer it takes. However, the phenomenon of quality-creep (which is definitely real) does have a solution: clearly define your goals for a project up front. I mean, clearly. Include (warning: buzzword ahead) metrics. Measure your progress by these goals. When your work has met your goals, you're done. Set some new goals, and have a go at a new project. Derek Herzog Getting a Charge Out of Them Thank you for the helpful insight in the article Charge Your Clients More. I will definitely use your advice on my next job estimate. There's a big variation in bid prices between design firms, and it's difficult to come up with an attractive price without underselling yourself. <kr5936@bellsouth.net> An Excellent Deduction My wife just started her own business, and I volunteered to keep her records and file her taxes. I found June Walker's columns on Finances and Taxes just in time. I had some questions about what qualifies as a business deduction, and her column helped tremendously. I also enjoyed the rest of your Web site -- your articles are very easy to read and understand. Martin of "Martin & Connie" Sucked In I'm a techie/artist, and although I don't have as many years under my belt as San does, I can really relate to his columns. I was sucked into his thoughts on all the ups and downs of being an IP. Every time I opened a new page, there was a column about something I deal with constantly -- ego, time, perfectionism, etc. I loved it; I thought I was the only one who goes insane on a daily basis and is continually tweaking her fifth Web site. I have a very small company here in Washington State, and although I'm doing OK, I find my income is still at poverty level and I'm working my ass off... but I think I love it. I did the employee thing for many years, and I often dream of the days when I could goof off and still get a paycheck every week -- with overtime! Oh, well. Anyway… your Web site is divine. Tina Montague Trying to Stretch a Canadian Dollar I have a question about your article Is the World Going Freelance?. Under the heading "Dateline -- Toronto," you mention Canadian independent professionals can get a 20 percent tax rate if they're incorporated instead of the 50 percent tax rate individual taxpayers are charged. This is true if the "corporation" has the income -- but how do you avoid paying a huge tax on your "salary" when you take money out of the corporation's bank account? It's great when you have to buy supplies for the business or pay bills, but as far as getting the cash out for personal use... well, I haven't been able to figure that one out yet. Any idea how it's done? Bonni Byers Actually,
we don't know the best way to approach this situation in Canada. Instead,
we're putting your question to our readers. If you have any advice for
Bonni, let
us know, and we'll post it here. The Best Kind of Respect I was interested in San's observation that freelancers get more respect than wage slaves (I Don't Get No Respect). One of the things I have always liked the most about being a freelancer (ahem, independent professional) is the fawning respect I usually get from my clients. Even clients who have been critical of my work are usually thankful for the fact that I was there, saber in hand, slaying the ridiculous deadline dragon while munching on a cheese sandwich instead of attending the two-hour lunch at the local sports bar to watch the play-offs. The other kind of respect we IPs get can be even more ego-gratifying. It is the total interest that the wage slaves at our clients' companies have in every detail of how we, the independent professionals of the world, manage to do it. They want to know how we work (in pink fuzzy bunny slippers?), how we bill for our time, how much money we make, how we do our taxes, how we get home loans. The wage slaves of the world secretly long to be in our shoes. Even the snidest of comments still come across as hero worship: "Keeping banker's hours, eh, Russ? Did you get in 9 or 18 holes this morning?" Hero worship, pure and simple. Like San, my career has waffled back and forth between being an IP and a wage slave. It is a constant struggle that we all deal with. When you are the star quarterback for a client, they naturally want to bring you into the fold. My absolute worst experience with this was the time I talked myself into actually taking a job with a retail chain's creative department where I had been freelancing for over a year. Out of fear, I presented myself as a potential hire when I realized they were staffing up the department (i.e., eliminating the freelancers). I was immediately hired and lasted less than 90 days before they fired me. Not only did I become unemployed, I lost a good client in the process. IPs who waffle back and forth between the freedom (and frustration) of being your own boss and being a slave to corporate rules should take one simple piece of advice. Never, ever go to work for one of your clients. If you must find a full-time job, hire on with a company you have never worked with. If you decide you don't like this situation after all, you may still have a client from your past that will lovingly take you back into their arms and worship you like the god you are. Russell Phillips Much
as we prefer the life of an independent professional, it's hard to make
an ironclad rule like "never go to work for a client." For
one thing, the difference between IPs and wage slaves is diminishing
all the time. Wage slaves are becoming more like IPs -- nowadays, most
of them don't stay at one company for life, but rather move on after
two or three years. Also, there are IPs who have successfully gone to
work as full-time employees for their former clients. If your client
is staffing up and replacing IPs, it can be a risk either way. It's the Bucks, Not the Bills This is my first year as an IP. I've heard that it may be important to know when income was earned when it comes to paying estimated tax payments. I'm a little confused as to which income specifically will "count" against my fourth quarter income. Is it the amount I have invoiced through December 31 or the payments I receive from my clients prior to December 31? Can you help? <ricklw1@aol.com> Almost
all IPs work on what's known as "cash basis." This means that
you only need to pay taxes on income that's actually in your hot little
hands. In fact, it's perfectly legal to delay your invoicing if you
think it would be to your advantage to pay taxes on that income next
quarter instead of now. Thanks, Mom I loved your article Gifts from the Gods: True Stories of Start-Up Financing You Probably Won't Get. The links both to other Web sites and to the 'By the ways...' are wonderful. The style is witty and fun, yet also really informative. It is a true interactive experience making the most of the Web medium. Thank you Ken Gordon and thank you Aquent. You are now my permanent home page! I may even use some of your talent. What a discovery. Lee J Baren Getting Carded I enjoyed your article Don't Leave Home Without It -- it was food for thought. I am currently having an identity crisis over designing my calling/business card. I'm currently in school, and I want to work for a company for awhile, so my card can't say "self-employed." Rita Linsey Since
you don't want to tie yourself down to one identity -- student, wage
slave, or independent professional -- what exactly do you hope to get
out of a business card right now? Are you just looking for an easy way
to give your contact information to people who might have a job lead
for you? It sounds like in this case simplicity reigns supreme: a card
with just your name, address, phone number, and email address would
probably do the trick. Oops! In your article Bird's Eye View, the thumbnail view of the composite photo looks like a plane crash. When enlarged, it is clear that shadows on the plane are coming from one direction, and the shadows on the landscape are coming from another. It looks like what it is -- two mismatched photos pasted together. Also, the horizon is tilted. The animated version shows the plane in what appears to be a steep dive very close to the ground. This could be troubling to potential passengers who view it. I make that observation as a pilot with 30+ years of experience. I see the plane flying into the butte, which is indicated by the shadow in the lower right side of the photo, and immediately hope that there is a road out of view and pray that the ELT is working. If this is meant to be an example of good composite work, then it is a disappointment. If it is meant to promote airplane rides, it looks more scary than scenic. This is not meant to be a "flame"... just an observation. Ralph Nelson What planet was the plane flying over in the photo for Bird's Eye View? I ask because our planet (Earth) has only one sun, and shadows tend to go the same direction. Since you represent the best designers, I am sure this wasn't an oversight, but another example of how futuristic and cutting-edge you guys are... ;-) Christine Naugle |
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