Welcome to my blog. It's your blog, too ... here to give a voice to independent contractors who want to keep the right to work for themselves. I invite you to share your experience of being an independent contractor and how that has benefited you.
I've been an independent contractor for 7 years now. I've been an employee, and I've had plenty of offers to become some company's employee again. Don't get me wrong. I appreciate the offers. But I love the freedom and independence of having my own business, and I love living in a country where I have the right to make that choice. I bet I'm not alone.
There's more about me, if you're interested. But I'd like to know about you and your business. Join in the discussion. What do you think?
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Independent Contractor & CFICF Blogger
The Coalition for Independent Contractor Freedom (CFICF) is a voice for independent contractors who want to stay that way. That isn't an idle statement: the independent contractor's way of doing business is under threats from a variety of sources. If you are one of the millions and millions of Americans who enjoy being an independent contractor, it's time to speak up. We like our freedom, like owning our businesses, like being responsible citizens making our own decisions.
Victor LaBombard
Independent Contractor & CFICF Blogger
About Victor
I grew up in
For the last 7 years I have worked as an independent contractor. I own a taxi and drive as an independent contractor associated with Ranger Cab in
I love being an independent contractor because I get to work when I want and as much as I want. If I want to work 70 or 80 hours a week, I can. If I want to take off for a month to travel, I can. If I were an employee of the taxi company, I would have restricted hours. If they decided to cut costs (like companies often do), I could be out of a job in a flash. As an independent contractor I make more money. Like any business, I have fixed and variable overhead. For me, this means the more I work the more my profit margin goes up putting me in charge of my own destiny.
Our family business has been very successful. All of our customers are regulars who know we are going to provide good customer service. Most of my customers are professionals who travel a great deal for business. However, I also carry individuals and families. Passengers want a driver who’s prompt, polite, and drives well, making them feel safe. They want to know we will take the best most efficient route. They also want a driver who is willing to accommodate them, whether it is taking a specific route, helping them with luggage, or just wanting advice about what restaurants are the best.
My family has more clients than we can handle. When we are unable to carry our clients we call other independent drivers who we know are safe and dependable. These drivers have been working with us for a number of years.
When carrying my customers, I try to keep them entertained with a variety of topics to discuss. The things that interest me most are electronics, cooking, and politics.
Electronics is one of my passions. I’ve been building my own computers for over a decade. My rig has an Antec 900 case, e6600 CPU, Evga 680 sli motherboard, 3 gigs of Patriot pc6400 ram, Nvidia 6800gs video card, and a six stripped raid0 array (514.8 mbps file write performance). My second home is Fry’s Electronics, you can normally find me in components. On two occasions I have had customers hire me to take them through the store to find particular items.
I love to cook. My father started teaching me to cook when I was four years old. I’ll try anything. My favorite TV channel is Food Network and my favorite show is “Good Eats”. The host, Alton Brown, is one of my idols. I have friends over frequently and I like to cook things that are challenging.
During my career as a taxi driver, I have been approached with several opportunities to become an employee. One of the most emphasized perks of working for these companies has been health insurance. However, as an independent contractor, I have the option of purchasing private health insurance or paying for each visit myself. Most of the doctors I’ve gone to give a twenty percent discount for self-pay. The doctors give this discount because they do not like dealing with the hassle of billing insurance companies.
One of the best perks of being a taxi driver is that I am one of the few people in the whole city with a double corner office, windows on four sides. And the view is always changing.
It’s important for those of us who love freedom and who like the freedom to choose to be independent contractors, to stand up and fight for ourselves. As contractors, we tend to be strong willed, and independent. It is this independence that separates us from each other, potentially allowing legislation restricting our independence to be passed right before our eyes.
Being an independent contractor is freedom. It’s the ability to decide when, where, how much, or if I want to work.