Anyone who works for themselves will tell you that there can be significant downsides to this arrangement. The freelance world can be cutthroat, and there is no shortage of people who want the services of freelancers but do not necessarily want to deal with the price tag attached. Even the savviest of individuals can get scammed or left holding invoices that remain mysteriously unpaid despite giving their all when it comes to the work. Not only is it a great disappointment, it can also make or break their finances.

It is especially disheartening for a self-employed person to experience this behavior from somebody they consider a peer. It is easy to think that this will make them more amenable to work with, but sometimes that couldn’t be further from the truth. Sadly, professionalism can be something that is in short supply, and the creative industries are notoriously bad with this.