Who's In Control?

04/21/22 • 21 min

If you’re a freelancer you’re not an employee. Yet many independent contractors position themselves as an employee for all practical purposes when working with clients. This approach can end up costing you in a number of ways. The difference between independent contractorship and employee status lies not only in your intention but also in your actions. You have to make a very clear distinction about who’s in control of your working relationships — you or your clients. In this episode I present three points of control the IRS looks at to determine if you're an independent contractor or a misclassified employee.

Previous Episode

Sales Taxes, Income Taxes, and Freelance Creatives

One aspect of freelancing is that you get to deal with different kinds of taxes. In this episode, which is sparked by a conversation with one of my coaching clients, I discuss income taxes and sales taxes, and your responsibilities as a freelance business owner. Treating your freelancing as a business, and taking care of business, frees you up to focus on your creative work.

Next Episode

Are You A Freelancer Or A Business Owner?

Have you encountered opinions that if you’re a freelancer you don’t have a real business? Or that you shouldn’t call yourself a freelancer at all because it means you’re a misclassified and employee who’s being taken advantage of by your clients? Since I keep running into these discussions I decided to bring the case that a freelancer — no matter what industry — is indeed a business owner and should operate as such. In this episode I outline a variety of ways that freelancers demonstrate a business mindset. Freelancer and business owner aren’t mutually exclusive ideas.