On 10/4/06 1:15 PM, "LizardGumbo" wrote:
Very true of our times. Here's my little tale. My DN was to be bat-mitzvah a couple of years ago. I have a business license for the NP design and doing event planning stuff. I tend to do a fair amount of "interesting" bar & bat mitzvahs, the occasional wedding. My SIL (married to my brother) can be a very difficult person. Love her, adore the kids, but SIL lives a very privileged life, and well, is kind of like being perpetually with a slightly temper tantrum prone beginning to be bitchy 12 yr old girl. My brother asked me if I'd like to help them with decorations, planning for the event. Sure. Great. Love the kids. So, my SIL and I are discussing the ideas, and my niece is into horses (hah, she takes after me a little), and SIL asks if I can get fabric, decoration things for the event - if we want to make table toppers, etc. Of course I reply, and yes, of course I'll get whatever we need wholesale,, and just give them at cost, but they'll have to pay the sales tax. SALES TAX - not even the P word. Response "TAX, why do I have to pay SALES TAX?" . "Ummm, I have a business licensee, including a resale license - the state expects their cut, and that's where small businesses can get in trouble." Plus, my DB is an attorney - he well knows all this. You'd have thought I was charging her a 300% mark-up. I then got a long blurb about her friend the "decorator" and they always find ways when they're using the business to buy personal stuff to not pay the tax. I was astounded. The footnote - these are pretty wealthy people - significant 6 &
7 figure incomes. And of course, I ended up not supplying stuff for the event (though they did copy my wedding and have the reception on a boat).It's an amazing thing. I've learned my lesson about discounting my services for weddings, as well. As another consultant (in the engineer side of life) told me - if you don't value your services, then no one else will. Jaded but true. And the 2 times that I've agreed to a very steep discount to help a friend of a friend out of a jam I've felt a bit abused. Once because they totally misled me on the amount of work, and the first time when I was newer in the business. People living in a small apt while waiting for their house to be done. Little did I know it was a MacMansion. I agreed to charge close to nil for my personal time, but cover expenses, my employees (elves to work the event), a minimal profit (essentially just covering everything) to use the event in my portfolio, etc. That was 8 years ago. I'm still waiting for the check. They asked for a few months to pay. Fine. Every time since then there has been some strange excuse. First the new house, then moving, then - my favorite "well, you know we have a kid going to college - you'll just have to wait"
These are well established professional people. They had no problem asking for my services - and evidently loved the results. Last week, our mutual friend said "the so and so's said you were really slow with the invoice" . I about choked, and said, yes, as they requested. But in the ensuing time, here is the list of excuses they give me.
I think people who work standard jobs being paid by a company, or some organization, just don't necessarily think about the small business without a shop front. They just think you're doing it for fun - which may be true - but to have the time for the fun job you're also risking other things, and still need to be paid.
The woman that teaches my custom sewing classes does custom tailoring, with individual clients. She's really nice - and told me same thing happens to here. Friends, casual acquaintance friends will ask to have her fit some clothing, or alter a pattern, etc. She just now tells them, great - this is when I have time, and I charge $50 for a basic one hour fit. One of her friends started flipping out, and she had to give the big - "this is how I make a living - it's not a hobby" speech.
No, people don't see it as shoplifting, I think that too many don't "think" let alone think about stealing someone's rights or ideas.
True - at least in a backward way it's honest, and they just have to live with their ethics.
Well, true and relative. Good for the designer if then the 2nd hand user goes out and buys a new design. Certainly good for the accompanying market of supplies, but....
Whatever - it just makes you wonder. We saw "Waiting for Godot" last night at Kennedy Center (in honor of Beckett's centenary celebration, performed by the Gate Theater from Dublin). So I'm in a very philosophical mood, and now have to go run to take a "new" friend to her physical therapy,
Happy stitchin' all, ellice