Othello

The work is done. I’ve paid attention to every detail and made every change that you requested, even changes that were not part of our contract. I’ve put a lot of hard work, time and effort into this project and touched it in a way that only I can. I just want to get paid.

It’s been two months now and you keep saying this and that, go here – go there, do this – do that, sign this – sign that. . . and still no payment. You have my bank account routing number, my business address, my tax ID, my W-9, my Venmo, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Bill Pay account numbers. . . and still no pay day. I just want to get paid.

By not paying me, you’re creating a lot of stress – the type of stress I don’t need right now.  What I need is for you to honor our contract and understand that this payment means a lot to me. To fulfill my professional obligations, I have got to pay workers, equipment, rent, insurance and vehicles – just for my business. To manage my personal finances, I have to pay a mortgage, car notes, tuition, utilities and medical – just for my family. I need this payment to hang on – I gotta get paid.

Maybe your situation is different. You have cash flowing like a river with mountain high reserves. Maybe your kid’s tuition is paid in full as well as your mortgage and car notes. Maybe you have got it like that. Maybe you got my money like that and are just trying to put me out of business.

From this day forward, I’m going to be like the bank and charge interest on all late payments. I’m going to write penalties and late fees into every contract and let business associates know up front that after the work is done, I need my money. I am going to build up my cash reserves, so I don’t have to stress when I don’t get paid on time. I am going to put at least three months of my monthly business expenses in the bank, including payroll, and reinvest at least 30% of all profits into the business. 

Speaking of the bank, I need to start building a relationship with the bank. I need to have a personal representative who knows me handling my business account. My business is growing and a bank representative should feel privileged to have me as a client. I know this will take some time, but I’ll be better off in the long run.

Now that I see how people can play with my money, I’m going to do my part to stay on top of all money management and not stress out so much when others play these games. After all, it pays to play – I’m just charging interest from now on.