Hello
I own and run an online service that offers digital artwork, graphics etc. It's a business I started in 2013 as a hobby and it has grown into my full time job.
About a year ago, one of my customers started chatting and became very interested in the business. She was keen to write some blog posts and do some general stuff, like answer a few customer service emails. I decided to allow her to do this and she wanted to do so unpaid. Over time, I started to pay her small amounts, but she wanted it all off record due to her being a single mom and I was happy to just do so.
In the last 6 months, I've been playing around with new ideas, bouncing stuff around and making some changes to features on the site. She was strongly opposed to some, and others she loved. Not that these were her right to be involved with, but she started wanting to have long chats about the ideas. From the start I felt this wasn't really her business, but I allowed these chats when I should have said from the start, you're role is just to help out as we agreed, but she feels now she is part of the business, feels ver involved and is frankly starting to become quite frustrating as these chats, her ideas and our disagreements are slowing down progress, making me question my own decisions even though I know i am right and also making me realise I really miss working on my own. She has also hinted at a 'pay rise' and going official.
I should have not let things get this far, but I have and now I am faced with a decision.... do I lay down the law, get her to work on just waht I want and pay her more, or 'fire' her? To be honest, I want the freedom of working alone again but I worry that A. she may become disruptive as she is in contact with my suppliers and some customers and B. I actually feel quite guilty about it because she is so committed and loves the business.
I guess mostly I want to work alone again, make all my own decisions and remove the distraction, but I'm keen to hear other people's input and suggestions/ own points of view on this.
Thanks everyone.
I own and run an online service that offers digital artwork, graphics etc. It's a business I started in 2013 as a hobby and it has grown into my full time job.
About a year ago, one of my customers started chatting and became very interested in the business. She was keen to write some blog posts and do some general stuff, like answer a few customer service emails. I decided to allow her to do this and she wanted to do so unpaid. Over time, I started to pay her small amounts, but she wanted it all off record due to her being a single mom and I was happy to just do so.
In the last 6 months, I've been playing around with new ideas, bouncing stuff around and making some changes to features on the site. She was strongly opposed to some, and others she loved. Not that these were her right to be involved with, but she started wanting to have long chats about the ideas. From the start I felt this wasn't really her business, but I allowed these chats when I should have said from the start, you're role is just to help out as we agreed, but she feels now she is part of the business, feels ver involved and is frankly starting to become quite frustrating as these chats, her ideas and our disagreements are slowing down progress, making me question my own decisions even though I know i am right and also making me realise I really miss working on my own. She has also hinted at a 'pay rise' and going official.
I should have not let things get this far, but I have and now I am faced with a decision.... do I lay down the law, get her to work on just waht I want and pay her more, or 'fire' her? To be honest, I want the freedom of working alone again but I worry that A. she may become disruptive as she is in contact with my suppliers and some customers and B. I actually feel quite guilty about it because she is so committed and loves the business.
I guess mostly I want to work alone again, make all my own decisions and remove the distraction, but I'm keen to hear other people's input and suggestions/ own points of view on this.
Thanks everyone.
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum:
Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.