Independent Contractor likes and dislikes?

[Taylor]

I would like to hear about everyone's experience from working as an I.C. Were there times when maybe the pay wasn't as good but the other "perks" made up for it?

My first job was at a Chiro office and while the pay was fair I had to lug in my own linens. And the schedulers never ever figured out how to allow for a 15 minute break in between my sessions.. ??? seriously??
Eventually that became a deal breaker for me.
Which makes me wonder, do some I.C.'s handle their own scheduling entirely?

 

[MatthewM]

Independent Contractor likes and dislikes?

When I was an IC for a chiro, I worked one night a week from 4-8 doing back to back massages. I didn't mind back to back massages for a 4 hour block of time. There was no option for booking appointments with a break in between.

Pros: The receptionist scheduled appointments and called me the night or morning before my shift with the first appointment scheduled. The office took care of the laundry. I used my own oils/creams. I didn't have to stay in the office if there was an opening. Usually all my time slots were booked weeks out.

Cons: The chiro was a difficult person. Very moody and needed his ego stroked quite often. His patients often commented to me about it.

I was an IC for a massage therapist with a private practice. When we had only two rooms, I had two days a week were I could use the office. This made scheduling clients who were not accustomed to having limited options to book their massage. Once we moved to a new building with more rooms, this was not a problem.

This place also booked back to back. One therapist left because she was not allowed to book 15 or 30 minutes between appointments. The owner wanted her to book appointments on the hour. Meaning, if there was a massage that ended at 1:30, the next appointment she could schedule would be at 2:00. And, if she wanted a break between massages, it would have to be an hour break. She left because of this. The owner didn't force me to book appointments on the hour. If I had an hour and half appointment, I was allowed to schedule the next appointment directly without waiting for the next hour. I think it was because I didn't mind working back to back where the other therapist did. I also found out that the owner thought she was stealing clients and booking appointments to where the client would come in and not get a chance to meet the owner. The owner massaged on the hour back to back all day long. So, the owner would meet my clients either before or after their appointment.

Pros: The owner usually booked appointments for me with first time clients. I would get a call to confirm the time before the appointment was booked. I scheduled clients on my available days when I rebooked them. The owner hired someone to do all the laundry. Everything was supplied.

Cons: The owner had uniforms for us to wear (polo with company logo). He knew he was crossing the boundary between employee and IC, but still wanted us to wear the shirt. I honestly didn't mind. The owner offered to pay 50% of certain CEUs. It had to be courses the owner liked (there was a list). Also, crossing the line. But, I didn't mind that part. However, the owner did require that we take one of the pre-approved courses within our first year as ICs... VERY much crossing the line as far as the IRS is concerned. Also, the owner only paid us once a month after we turned in our hours and would ask about it. Too laid back about it!

When we moved to a new building, we had space for a washer/dryer. I helped with laundry in between clients. Keep in mind that I only had 10 minutes between massages. (5 minutes while the client was getting dressed and 5 minutes while the client was getting undressed.) During that time, I had to change sheets, greet the next client, process payment, rebook/schedule clients, wash my hands, maybe get a drink of water, grab a handful of nuts or a bite of a protein bar, and throw a load of sheets into the washer and dryer. And, honestly, I didn't mind the pace. I would have eventually burned out even with an hour break in the day. It did affect me... I broke out in hives the first time I took over for the owner during an emergency and massaged 10 hours deep tissue back to back. By the time I left, I was breaking out in hives from the stress I was allowing myself to endure. I don't blame anyone. My body just can't handle that pace for extended periods of time (6 to 8 hours, 5 days a week).

I also was an IC for a fitness center one day a week. The center booked the massages much like the chiro; back to back from 3 to 9. They took care of laundry and supplied everything.

Really, I didn't mind working as an IC. I didn't mind working back to back or having 50% of my CEUs paid since I had planned to take those very same courses before I had worked there. My problems with the chiro was that he was high maintenance. My problem with the private practice was that while the owner was a good MT, the owner was not a good manager. When one client told me that their friend called to book an appointment with me, the owner booked the appointment with the other therapist and told the client that I wasn't available when I was. The owner wanted to help the new therapist build her book. And, so when I questioned the owner about how he planned to run the business (I never brought up the appointment), the owner became very passive-agressive. Never got around to answering my questions. I never said how the business should run. I just wanted clarification so I knew where I stood. Since the owner wasn't able to articulate how the business was going to be run as far as scheduling and client requests, I decided I wasn't going to stay to find out.

I started my own business. By the grace of God, I will never have to be an IC. I don't mind marketing, scheduling and all the other responsibilities that come with owning a business. I love having the freedom to put 30 minutes between appointments if I want. I don't feel rushed anymore.

 

[Sulfuric]

Independent Contractor likes and dislikes?

Cons: The owner had uniforms for us to wear (polo with company logo). He knew he was crossing the boundary between employee and IC, but still wanted us to wear the shirt.

This is a common misconception. Contractors can be required to wear a uniform/logo attire. Just ask the guy who installs your DIRECTV or DISH system. They are even required to put the logo on the side of their truck and they are all contractors. The catch is in providing the uniforms -- the company either needs to sell them to you or charge a fee for their use (which can be in your rate of pay, so long as it is EXPLICIT that your fee includes laundry service, uniform rental etc)

The owner offered to pay 50% of certain CEUs. It had to be courses the owner liked (there was a list). Also, crossing the line. But, I didn't mind that part. However, the owner did require that we take one of the pre-approved courses within our first year as ICs... VERY much crossing the line as far as the IRS is concerned. Also, the owner only paid us once a month after we turned in our hours and would ask about it. Too laid back about it!

Very much crossing the line!! One possible out, was the cost reflected on your 1099 as non cash compensation?

 

[Low]

Independent Contractor likes and dislikes?

I would like to hear about everyone's experience from working as an I.C. Were there times when maybe the pay wasn't as good but the other "perks" made up for it?

If you are an IC, the gross pay should ALWAYS be higher than what the employees earn for the same work.

Legally, there should be no PERKS. It's the other way around. Employees give up control over their life during working hours in exchange for benefits, stability and having only to pay half of their FICA taxes.

 

[pdsmonki0809]

Independent Contractor likes and dislikes?

Thanks Lanna and R & R.. Lanna congrats on being your own boss now. And you offered some good points. R & R I used a poor choice of words when I said "perks" I was actually intended the things that Lanna referred to in her Pro's column.. like having linens clean and ready at the massage workplace, someone doing the marketing and scheduling.. that sort of thing.
Sometimes it isn't just the amount paid per session but rather a combination of other things and I am curious as to what was/is important to the therapists that participate on this board.

 

[Joy]

Independent Contractor likes and dislikes?

Cons: The owner had uniforms for us to wear (polo with company logo). He knew he was crossing the boundary between employee and IC, but still wanted us to wear the shirt.

This is a common misconception. Contractors can be required to wear a uniform/logo attire. Just ask the guy who installs your DIRECTV or DISH system. They are even required to put the logo on the side of their truck and they are all contractors. The catch is in providing the uniforms -- the company either needs to sell them to you or charge a fee for their use (which can be in your rate of pay, so long as it is EXPLICIT that your fee includes laundry service, uniform rental etc)

The owner offered to pay 50% of certain CEUs. It had to be courses the owner liked (there was a list). Also, crossing the line. But, I didn't mind that part. However, the owner did require that we take one of the pre-approved courses within our first year as ICs... VERY much crossing the line as far as the IRS is concerned. Also, the owner only paid us once a month after we turned in our hours and would ask about it. Too laid back about it!

Very much crossing the line!! One possible out, was the cost reflected on your 1099 as non cash compensation?

Wow, there seems to be a catch for almost everything. We were not required to buy or rent uniforms. Thank goodness! It was never explicit that we were charged a uniform or laundry fee in our contracts. We weren't required to help with laundry. It wasn't an issue for me because I never felt forced to help. And, it's just as easy to throw dirty sheets into a washer half filled with sheets waiting to be washed as it is to put dirty sheets in a laundry basket. The owner was always very thankful for any laundry help I gave.

Oh, the CEUs weren't even the half of it. And, no it wasn't a 1099 non cash compensation. Year end bonuses were different. Not sure what they were classified as on my tax form. I just know that I had to pay taxes on bonuses.

So, the owner had several meetings where we were expected to attend and were not compensated. They would last for at least 3 hours. It just got out of hand with the number of meetings to discuss the marketing, growth, direction, etc.

Oh! I almost forgot. The owner decided that he would "teach" us one day workshops. He was a HORRIBLE teacher! But, here's the kicker that his accountant said made it legal or semi-legal: We were "charged" for these workshops. Instead of paying for the workshops in a separate cash transaction, we weren't compensated for marketing efforts and office work. sigh I left shortly after this.

The owner wasn't a selfish person trying to make the most off therapists. He was trying to expand his business with talented, knowledgeable therapists WHILE also massaging 40+ hours a week. I presented him with a very reasonable list of questions that I felt needed answered. He wasn't able to answer them. Probably couldn't answer them because he hadn't thought about the potential problems his vision might create. In the end, the growing pains of waiting for him to figure it out wasn't worth it. If I'm going to help market and grow a business, might as well be my business.

 

[Newell]

Independent Contractor likes and dislikes?

Thanks Lanna and R & R.. Lanna congrats on being your own boss now. And you offered some good points. R & R I used a poor choice of words when I said "perks" I was actually intended the things that Lanna referred to in her Pro's column.. like having linens clean and ready at the massage workplace, someone doing the marketing and scheduling.. that sort of thing.
Sometimes it isn't just the amount paid per session but rather a combination of other things and I am curious as to what was/is important to the therapists that participate on this board.

Carol,

I hope more therapists share what is important for them as an IC. I always considered working as an IC as having clients provided. For me the most important aspect of being an IC means not having to market myself because there isn't enough clientele to massage. There should be enough demand in place for an owner to hire an IC. I see so many ads on Craigslist from chiros wanting to add massage therapy to their practice and chiros wanting to build their new/failing practice by offering massage therapy. These chiros don't even have enough patients to fill their books, let alone a MT's book. They want the massage therapist to market for them. And, that's just not worth it for me. I don't mind doing more than massage to help a practice run smoothly. I understand that educating clients on the benefits of regular massage is important. Rebooking clients is important. But, going out and marketing with chair massage at events to build their practice and my book is not my cup of tea. While there was plenty of clients at the private practice when I worked there, the owner wanted to increase demand so he could hire more ICs. If I have to build a book from scratch, I might as well be on my own.

 

[deduceit]

Independent Contractor likes and dislikes?

Lanna,

I agree - the best part of working as an IC is when you join a business that already has clients.
While that doesn't mean we don't have to work at retaining and rebooking the clientele - it is absolutely wonderful to have business (income) from day one. I also liked being able to set my own hours (of course there are plenty of businesses that want you to be on call all of the time and don't seem to understand the difference between IC and employee).

I also have worked for people that can't seem to understand why therapists need a few minutes between clients to change the room over, eat, use the bathroom, etc. One owner was so funny...when she refused to book 15 minutes between appts I said to her..."so you want me to do a 50 min massage?" she replied that NO she expected me to provide a full one hour! Don't know how she expected that to work out : .

In my experience as employee or IC almost all employers want to make it a condition of employment that the MT participate in marketing events without compensation. Not my cup of tea either.

Overall though - I really LIKE working for myself - I can make all the decisions on how the business should run, scheduling, how I provide services and the products I use. My own marketing events are much more fun for me - I can decide what to do and what to promote...and free chair massage is never one of them... :grin:

 

[Janice R]

Independent Contractor likes and dislikes?

Overall I loved being an IC!

Pros:
Setting my own schedule (that was a big one)
Making more than an employee
Deciding how I would perform my work
Being able to fire an unruly/creepy client
Tax write-offs
Being able to promote myself (hand out my own business cards, discuss my own services)
Having clients advertised for me and booked for me without having to acquire them myself

Cons:
Made less money as an IC than I did working for myself (as I expected, so not a huge disappointment)
Having little control over the facility itself (because I didn't own it/lease it myself)
Having to pay a tax bill every year when all my friends were getting tax refunds LOL (which I also expected--and budgeted for)

Owning is the very best. You have full say over ALL your hours (for example, I could set my own schedule as an IC but I could only work when the business was open - couldn't take a client Saturday night or anything). I can tell my front desk admin what to say on the phone. I can control my own pre-screening. I'm also in charge of hiring, so I can decide who that person will be. If a credit card/check gets declined, I can decide what to do about it. If a patient/client no-shows for their appointment, I can decide how to handle that, too.