Look for a paid job or carry on working for free?

[MorticiasMother]

Now I've name changed to protect the person I am going to complain about, so please don't out me if you know who I am.

Last July I started working for a website company. They were a new business, up and coming. I wrote news stories and features for them for expenses only, about £50pw. That would change once the site started getting in ad revenue.

But then the site hit bad times. The web designer left - he was head-hunted. The site suffered as a result and we didn't get the ad revenue.

But I stuck with it hoping that something would come of it. I was learning a lot tbh about SEO, tags, editing, design etc, all valuable stuff.

However just before Christmas dh had to take a pay cut or be made redundant. To my shame we are having to claim housing benefit. I've been trying to get a part-time job as the idea was that I'd have the security of a job and could keep on top of the site in my spare hours. But despite applying for around 20 jobs, I've not even got as far as an interview, which is unusual for me. I could do all the jobs I've applied for.

I still get paid £50pw and the guy has big ideas. The site is a lovely site and I know it could do well, but competition is stiff. Now he's managed to get 2 advertisers on board but at rock bottom prices. He keeps promising me that my getting paid a decent wage is his priority, but he also tells me how he isn't getting paid, how he can't afford the rent etc. Tbh that's not my business and I feel he's telling me that so I don't ask for more money.

Am I being taken for a fool? I've got to know the guy really well now, I know how much he's invested in this business and how hard he tries. But lately I've been putting more effort into securing a job and less effort in the site. He now wants me to put more effort in because he's convinced that these 2 advertisers will lead to more.

Yet no talk yet of raising my pay. If the business does take off it would be a fantastic job that I could work around the kids, I don't have to go into the office and it's something I've enjoyed doing. Having invested so much time and energy into it, I'm loathe to desert it. I know that what I am doing others do for free because getting paid writing work is almost impossible. So should I hang on in there? Or quit now?

How long are you spending for your £50 per week? I'd be inclined to say to him that you need to find paid work and are happy to carry on but will only be able to spend x amount of time for your money from now on. Would that work?

Hi flowery.

He knows I am looking for other work. Atm I put one or two news stories a day on the site (7 days a week) and a large feature every weekend. I also answer emails and correspond with other sites to try and get links. Not to mention research for the stories and features.

But whenever I mention me getting a paid job he makes promises about how it'll all come together. He doesn't want me to get another job as he's afraid I won't be able to do as much as I'm doing now. He has no other writers and he can't write for toffee, so without me his business venture is stuffed. That makes me feel even more responsible.

But I can't carry on like this, I just can't. He says things are picking up, but I hear that from him every month and I don't know how much longer I can hold out for.

You have worked there for peanuts for over half a year. He is taking the piss and it isn't really your problem that "without me his business venture is stuffed". You have a family to feed so put yourself first.

You need to put your foot down. It's not your business venture and you're not being paid so you're doing it all for his benefit. He needs to take responsibility for his own business and run it properly or not at all.

Be strong, confirm again that you are looking for a paid job and you need to dedicate yourself to finding one, so while you are happy to carry on doing, say, a couple of hours a week (or whatever you think is appropriate) for the same money if it would help him, for the rest of your time you will need to concentrate on your job search and then working once you've found something suitable shortly.

Don't get taken for a ride otherwise your goodwill will be stretched and stretched and getting you paid will move further and further down the 'priorities when money starts coming in' list...

He is taking the piss.

If I were you I would tell him that this has got to stop, and that you will be billing him for hours spent on work and will be charging him £x an hour.

He is taking advantage of your god nature, however he is only taking advantage because you are letting him. I would put a stop to it now.

Thank you all. Now that he has two advertisers on board I'm going to push for a contract at £500 per month. That's what I got paid at my last p/t job. I'll ask for this to be reviewed every 6 months, so if he gets more advertisers in, he can raise my wages.

If he doesn't agree then I'll inform him that I'm going to go all out to get a paid job and will have to just update the site in my spare time.

I can see where he is coming from, he's put his life savings into this. But I can't be held responsible for that and you are right, I do have a family to feed and getting a job remains a priority.

Thanks again.

With the best will in the world, to set up a website that you pour all your life savings into, where you are reliant upon the goodwill of somebody else doing the regular content creation on the site is madness. If he could do it himself and had you as extra help/back up it would be a bit different.

He knew what he was doing going into it - no matter how good you are there's always competition and nothing can be taken for granted.

If he wants more effort from you, then he needs to pay for it! Does he know about your dh's pay cut and the fact that you are in a different financial position these days?

I know it is sad for him but have you put it to him as bluntly that you are not prepared to sacrifice your family's finances / opportunities / etc for his site (that still may ultimately fail and leave you in a bad position still). And have you shown him how much work he is actually getting from you if you were to get a fair market rate from him - make him worry what he would have to pay if you did go. If he keeps telling you that things are picking up, point out that he is sounding like a broken record and that he has been saying that for xx weeks/months but actually nothing has changed which is why you are having to compromise and look for something.

Also - 7 days a week sounds like a big committment, what would happen if you were to scale it back a bit so you were getting a fairer rate than you are currently?

One other thing - are you using this guy as a referee? Any chance he could be sabotaging your attempts at getting a job - even by just not sending references back? Just to keep you there a bit longer...

I agree with the above. People are so very happy to have someone to do something for free, but if you ask them to pay, they don't often want to hear.

At the moment, there is nothing he can do to do if you slack off while you work on getting a paid job. You have developed a nice portfolio and learned a lot, but when you get something else, that is it. He's just trying to apply moral pressure on you, but think about how he is resisting your moral pressure (money for the time and effort you spend), and you will start to feel better about moving on.

Do you have a notice period?

What would he say if you said right, if you can't pay me in cash I want a percentage of the company?

Of course, that's assuming you think you are working for an embryonic eBay or YouTube.

He sounds very naive, tbh. I agree that it's spectacularly poor management to pour your savings into a website for which you can't supply the content without getting a mate to do you freebies.

It depends what sort of person he is, really. I had a boss who set up with a mate and a bank loan and a mailing list from a magazine he had once worked at, and he really fancied being a managing director and having business lunches and so on (he ought not to have hired me, either, but I think he also liked the idea of having a deputy editor - made the publication seem more important - whereas he ought to have had sales people instead!). He also didn't like paying for content, but we got a suprising amount of content from people in the industry. I left, though, after the third time my pay was late.

He wasn't prepared to put in the sales work to generate the advertising, so it really was playing at being an MD! MorticiasMother, if yours put in his own savings, he is more serious about the business, as it's his money, not a loan. But he is also likely to be less lazy and more selfish about squeezing you his resources! Have you got a notice period?