I built a successful freelance business. The PRO Act would take it away.
When I started freelance writing in 2003, it was mostly to make a little bit of extra cash to pay off debt and supplement my income. I wasn’t getting rich off those first freelance jobs, but a little walking-around money was attractive to a single 20-something with graduate school loans and a habit of hanging out at bars with friends.
Over the next decade, freelancing remained a sporadic side hustle. I worked it into the margins of my life, scribbling out 500-word articles after my “real” work and, later, during the kids’ naps. Writing kept the creative juices flowing and gave me something to look forward to when the tedium of employment and parenthood threatened to propel me into a funk.
One day in 2017, I realized: I had what I needed to launch a full-time freelance writing business. I didn’t want to dabble anymore. Sure, I didn’t have any regular clients, but I had a knack for stringing words together in a coherent fashion and a good sense of how to run a business. With a little apprehension and a whole lotta faith, I started marketing my services to mid-size companies with ongoing writing needs.
March 1, 2021 marks 4 years since I took that leap. In that time, I’ve built a thriving business that brings in a regular income for my family. I’ve worked with some incredible people and I have a great relationship with all my clients. I am proud of what I’ve accomplished and I’m really good at what I do. (I know that sounds like bragging. Believe me, there are lots of other things that I’m really horrible at. Ask my children; they’ll tell you.)
But now, members of Congress want to shut me down. And I can’t just sit back and let them.
Good Intentions, Misguided Execution
The PRO Act is legislation intended to protect workers who are misclassified as independent contractors (ICs) but should be employees. In these cases, workers are generally working full-time, but because they’re classified as ICs they don’t get benefits and can’t unionize. It’s a loophole that unethical companies abuse to cut costs and avoid paying employment taxes. (Looking at you, Uber.)
Good intentions, right? The problem is that if the bill is passed as written, it could make it…
