My biggest client in Chicago ghosted me right before a $5000 project deadline, and I had to figure out how to pay rent in 48 hours.

I was sitting in my apartment, staring at the unanswered emails, when I remembered a small, unfinished side project from two months prior, so I called that client, offered a deep discount to finish it immediately, and got a $1200 wire transfer that afternoon to cover the gap. Has anyone else had to scramble and sell old work or services super fast to make ends meet?

3 comments

3 Comments

lisak261mo ago

That $5000 project just vanishing is a nightmare. I mean, you had to pull a full $1200 out of thin air in one afternoon. It's wild what we have to dig up to stay afloat sometimes.

blake_bell291mo ago

Man, what gets me is the tax hit later... you scramble for that $1200 now, but come April you're paying income tax on money you never even got to keep. It's like getting punished twice for one messed up deal.

walker.max17d ago

Laugh now, pay Uncle Sam later - classic tax trap.