Frequently Asked Questions And Terms

Why Should I Buy Your Services Over Pear’s, Cayenne’s, Rose’s, or Daisy’s?

1. I value time and quality. Not haste, speed, volume “mill” or “in-bulk” work. This is thoroughly reflected within my portfolio.
2. You love my portfolio and work style.
3. Clean reputation. I am not a spammer, liar, fraudulent, or any other form of a bad actor.
4. You happen to live in a time zone no more or less than 3 hours of the Eastern Standard Time Zone. For clients that need to get responses within the same day, you will significantly appreciate this.
5. Clarity and details. Ever worked with an independent contractor who had no FAQ, clear service details, or contract? Not the case over here. Time, effort, and thought was put into creating these numerous pages.

What Time Zone Are You In?

I currently live in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada which falls within the Eastern Time Zone.

What Days And Hours Are You Available?

Weekdays: Monday to Friday. Hours: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The hours of availability are not set in stone. This means that I may not be available right at 9:00 AM all the time, or necessarily work all the way to 5:00 PM. It just means that this is the time slot in which I will respond to messages, give clients files of services, and so forth. Weekends and certain annual observance days such as Canada Day and Christmas are off-days. 

How Do I Contact You?

Due to the nature of the Internet, it is not advisable for me to openly put my e-mail here. Send me a direct message through Twitter or Instagram.

What Is Your Rate?

My hourly rate is $28 Canadian per hour. My word count rate is 0.35¢ Canadian per word. Hourly or per word? For write-ups where you know you want a certain amount of words, say 1000 words, close to 1000, or around 1000, I can charge per word. For the most part, I will go with hourly charges, unless you absolutely need to have a specific word count. For things like website critiques, webpages, product descriptions, or articles with an unknown word count I will charge per hour. For the Nature-themed wallpapers, see below.

Nature-themed Drawings Cost Breakdown

1. Pixels and resolution.

Small = 2,073,600 or less. $30.

Medium = 2,073,601 to 4,999,999. $40.

Large = 5,00,000 and greater $60.

How exactly is size calculated? By multiplying the two numbers in a given resolution. Requested a banner for your Twitter account? Twitter uses 1500 × 500. Doing the math brings us to 750,000, thus qualifying as a small drawing.

2. Background colours.

Single-coloured background = 2$

Dual toned background = $4

Tricoloured background = $6

Quadcoloured background = $8

Exotic (Examples: gradient, vortex, pinwheeled) = $10

3. Main subjects. $5 to $15 per subject. 3 to 5 max depending on size of drawing.

4. Additional Decorative Subjects. $5 per decorative subject. 3 to 5 max depending on size of drawing.

Extremely Important Clarification: Multiples of the same main subject or decorative subject do not count as separate subjects! Example: If you requested a sea blue wallpaper of repeated rows of the same salmon species, that counts as just one main subject! May or may not have been obvious, but is nevertheless important to clarify for client’s peace of mind.

 

What Is Your Turnaround Time?

This varies from service to service. Most would usually take 1-14 business days. Light, simple projects such as a single short blog post or Nature-themed wallpaper can be easily finished within a day.

 

Can I negotiate A Lower Rate Than That?

No, independent contractors do not get the benefits an employee is legally entitled to. This means no Canada Pension Plan, Employment Insurance, Health insurance, Dental insurance, Paid sick days, Paid vacation, and other competitive employee benefits. If I were to charge at, or around minimum wage, I would put myself in a perilous situation when something goes wrong. Focus on the value of these services, and not the price.

What Is The Difference Between Someone Working As An Employees Versus An Independent Contractor?

Indicators showing that the worker is an employee

• The relationship is one of subordination. The payer will often direct, scrutinize, and effectively control many elements of how and when the work is carried out.
• The payer controls the worker with respect to both the results of the work and the method used to do the work.
• The payer chooses and controls the method and amount of pay. Salary negotiations may still take place in an employer-employee relationship.
• The payer decides what jobs the worker will do.
• The payer chooses to listen to the worker’s suggestions but has the final word.
• The worker requires permission to work for other payers while working for this payer.
• Where the schedule is irregular, priority on the worker’s time is an indication of control over the worker.
• The worker receives training or direction from the payer on how to do the work. The overall work environment between the worker and the payer is one of subordination.

Indicators showing that the worker is a self-employed individual

• A self-employed individual usually works independently.
• The worker does not have anyone overseeing their activities.
• The worker is usually free to work when and for whom they choose and may provide their services to different payers at the same time.
• The worker can accept or refuse work from the payer.
• The working relationship between the payer and the worker does not present a degree of continuity, loyalty, security, subordination, or integration, all of which are generally associated with an employer-employee relationship.

Employers who attempt to blur these lines in order to have someone work for them without giving the benefits, protections, and legal pay standards, are not only bad, but operating illegally. The Canada Revenue Agency demands that you are either an employee or independent contractor. If they find out that the worker has been mislabeled, it leads to trouble and complications for both parties. 

Do You Give Unlimited Revisions For Free?

No, all revisions are charged to prohibit clients from attempting scope creep. After determining whether I will charge per word, per hour, or per drawing part, I will let you know before proceeding with the revision(s). Depending on the length and complexity of the revision, it can be as little as $1 to beyond $100.

What Is Scope Creep?

Adding additional features or functions of a new product, requirements, or work that is not authorized beyond the agreed-upon scope. Example one: Client requests a 500-worded article on oranges. Client then says that he wants it to be extended to 1000 words. Example two: Client agreed to the webpages service for her About Us, FAQ and Privacy Policy of their website to be typed. Later into the project, she then says that she wants a Contact Page to be added, too. While it is sometimes understandable to request an additional paragraph, product description and so forth, stick with what was agreed upon before work commences. Otherwise, as noted above, you will be charged extra.

How Many Projects Are You Willing To Take On At Once?

I prefer to focus on one, maybe two services for a client at a time. This allows me to put my best effort into a particular service, and smoother turnarounds. To know when I am or available or not, I will update my Twitter status accordingly. 🟢 = Available 🟡= In talks With Someone  🔴 = Unavailable/Working On A Service

Once a client approaches me with interest in one of my services, they must make up their mind within 5 business days whether they want me to forwards with the service they are interested in. If they do not, they will be dismissed. Availability then changes to green. 

How Do We Go About With Payment?

For Canadian clients, Interac e-Transfer must be used. It is far faster, easier, and more direct than PayPal. It allows for direct transfers between bank accounts. For that reason, if you are a client outside of Canada, but happen to have a Canadian bank account with the Canadian Imperial Bank Of Commerce (CIBC), Royal Bank Of Canada (RBC), Toronto–Dominion Bank (TD), Scotiabank, Bank Of Monteal (BMO) or any other eligible Canadian financial institution, Interac e-Transfer shall be used. For all other clients outside of Canada use PayPal.

The entire cost for a service must be paid upfront before work begins. This may sound frightening at first, but it is actually the exact same concept as takeout food. Your meal is not ready right off the bat. You must look at the offerings, place the order, the cook prepares it, and you are then required to pay entirely upfront before you walk away with it. This method has immense benefits to both the creator and client. For starters, it avoids all the drama and horrors associated with clients not paying or not responding, reminding them, chasing them, and entirely stops clients from disappearing in the middle of a project, or right as soon as it ends.

Benefits for the client? The one-and-done payment allows them to sit back, relax, and just let the creator do their work without having to be bugged periodically over payment and stages of the work. As a long as a creator is transparent and legitimate, there is 0 reason to be concerned. In my case, I believe that this FAQ page alone goes above and beyond with this. It also helps that I am on Instagram, Twitter, and Reddit, for additional records and traceability.

Fraudulent payments or chargebacks will result in blacklisting or even reporting in more serious cases. Never attempt to do this!

Can I See What Your Contract Looks Like?

If you have reached this far into the FAQ, it is safe to assume that you have not only read all of it, but have also read Services and Special Answers. If not, it is highly advised that you not only read them, but make sure that you also understand them. Once you are certain that you read everything that you need to know, and are serious about getting business done, only then may you e-mail me with a request to see it.