So much for getting paid

Allow me to open with a quote I saw years ago that stuck with me:

"The three most harmful addictions are heroin, carbohydrates, and a monthly salary." ― Nassim Nicholas Taleb

I have no experience with heroin, so I'll take drug addicts' word on that one. Carbohydrates, sure, to the point that one can end up diabetic, and I definitely have experience with that one. The monthly salary is where things get more interesting.

It's no wonder that most people stick with a job they don't like because of the regularity of a paycheck. Barring any payroll snafus, those paychecks keep coming right on schedule, even after taking PTO. It can be addictive.

It's been one year since I quit my full-time job and traded my steady cadence of paychecks for invoicing. I naively thought that I would get paid according to my contract. I bill twice a month with NET30 terms, meaning the due date is 30 days after the invoice date. Over the last year, 12 of the 20 invoices I submitted were paid after the due date, anywhere from a few days to several weeks. The late-payment trend has worsened: every invoice I submitted between June and September was paid late, and I currently have two overdue invoices. We're not talking about a few hundred dollars, either. The outstanding balance is over $10K.

I sent several emails to the finance team, culminating in a professional summary of the payment issues and a request to escalate and resolve this going forward. I received this response: "Next week we will process the payment, kindly provide the invoice copy." I became livid when I read that.

I engaged the AVP and asked her to intervene. She agreed that the response was unacceptable. I went so far as to tell her that I now have reservations about continuing the contract into 2027, even though I'm technically extended through the first half of next year.

On top of all of this, the timing couldn't be worse. Most employees at my former company, through which I am contracted, are based in India. Apparently, tomorrow begins some big annual festival called Diwali that extends into next week. I guess that's why they couldn't bother to resolve this until then.

This is exactly the kind of frustration I will use as fuel to grow my business to the point where I no longer have to say "mother, may I" to get paid.