Inequities in Entrepreneurship

Capitalism, content creation, and trying to earn a few dollars

’Tis but a slight detour

For those who follow my writing for my content related to neurodiversity (ADHD & Autism primarily), parenting, education, mental health, and psychology — I promise, I have not forgotten you.

I needed to vent for a few days and I think it’s nearly out of my system.

We shall return to regularly-scheduled programming right after this (and this).

Feeling like a puppet on a string

Fellow entrepreneurs, especially content-creators, will have likely noticed a trend when trying to earn money from someone else’s platform or website.

It kinda sucks sometimes.

At any moment, the powers that be could make a decision which has a significant and negative impact on our income.

I know that can happen to anyone at any time, but there are some important differences to note. Some employment offers job security and severance packages. Most pay into unemployment benefits.

While anyone could lose their job at any time, someone whose income depends on a website or platform could see their income plummet (or disappear altogether) with the click of a mouse.

We are vulnerable to changes in algorithms, website shut downs, major policy changes in how people get paid, or even getting kicked off the platform (please don’t kick me off the platform!).

Well, we knew what we were getting in to. We chose this path with all its risks and benefits, right? Okay, fair. Except some people don’t have much choice in the matter. Many online content creators have disabilities and are either unable to work, or have been so discriminated against in the workforce that this was their best option.

For me, that has a lot to do with how I started out as an entrepreneur. I was finishing up my second degree and began having some serious health issues. I had to reduce my course load and leave the job I was working — one that paid relatively well and was related to my career path.

It took a year of challenges, medical appointments, testing, and frustrations. I was very fortunate that doctors were able to diagnose me with Celiac disease, a potentially serious autoimmune disorder, but one which is fairly easy to treat. A strict gluten-free diet can significantly reduce one’s risk of serious complications, and for some, essentially eliminate the symptoms related to our immune system’s response to gluten.

Anyway, back to the road to entrepreneurship.

It’s no wonder there’s a shortage of front-line workers

As I started getting better, I wanted to ease back into things carefully. I was still healing and didn’t want to regress. I took a part-time job at a pet store because I love animals and because it was extremely close to our home at that time.

It paid only minimum wage, even with my 6 years of post-secondary education, but it seemed like a good way to ease back into the workforce and earn a bit of money.

I lasted all of 6 months.

There were a lot of issues, but the one that most impacted my decision to open my own business was the complete lack of flexibility.

As part-time employees, we were only entitled to 15–20 hours per week, meaning we couldn’t work full time or get any benefits, yet were expected to keep our schedules open until they gave us our hours for the following two weeks.

It also meant most of our shifts were evenings and weekends because that’s when retail is busiest. Which I do get.

However…

As I was finally regaining my strength, I returned to my competitive soccer team as soon as possible. We played in first division (one step down from premier, so still quite competitive, and requiring quite a bit of commitment).

My soccer team practiced 2–3 times per week, plus we had one game per week.

When I interviewed for this part-time minimum-wage job, I literally brought my soccer schedule with me. I told them I had already made the team, paid my fees, and was on the roster. I both needed and wanted to continue playing throughout the spring and summer for my health.

I said I was wiling to miss training occasionally, especially during busy times of year, like special sales or if they were short-staffed, but that I was bringing my soccer schedule to the interview because it was very important for me to prioritize my health.

The manager agreed to work around my soccer schedule and hired me on the spot.

The problem is that manager didn’t last long either (for many reasons). When she was relieved of her duties, the general manager came along and told me their company does not commit to working around people’s personal lives.

I explained that I was hired with full transparency and an agreement they would do their best to accommodate the schedule I had provided. (I also reminded her that happy, healthy staff are more productive staff. I don’t think she much cared for that).

I was willing to miss a couple of trainings over the first two weeks of the new manager’s schedule while they adjusted to their new role, but we live in Manitoba. Outdoor soccer seasons are short here and my sports were (are) more important to me than selling pet food (I didn’t say that part out loud, luckily).

You can guess how that went long-term.

Yeah, not good

It was a constant battle. They expected their staff to have completely open availability, while guaranteeing only 15–20 hours per week. For minimum wage, they wanted us to put our lives on hold in two-week increments until the manager got the schedule out, and then we were expected to work around their plans for us.

Yeah, no. That was just one major issue, but there were a number of challenges that led to me deciding I wasn’t willing to be treated like that for wages below the poverty-line. No thank you.

I gave my notice and started my own business that same month and never looked back. I have been self-employed for 14 years now and it works incredibly well for sme.

I’ve been able to see my son off on the school bus in the mornings and meet his school bus at the end of the day. If he’s sick, I can be home with him. If he has a P.D. Day (or inservice day), I can spend extra time with him.

I don’t need to ask anyone for accommodations or time off. I am successful because I have the freedom and privilege to give myself what I need to do well.

Not everyone is so fortunate.

Part of the income stream I’ve added to my entrepreneurship over the past 3 years is my writing. When Covid really shutdowns reduced the type and amount of work anyone could do outside their home, I poured a lot of time and energy into getting my writing off the ground.

Gradually I grew my readership and started earning some money from the articles I publish. It is very rewarding and I love doing it.

Except for the complete lack of control I have over my earnings.

As an entrepreneur, the more I work, the more I earn. It’s a very simple equation. As long as there is a need for my services, I have a lot of control over my income.

Writing is a completely different story. Medium has some secret algorithms they won’t fully reveal to their writers, despite the fact that their entire platform is based upon our hard work. Without us, they don’t have product to offer their readers.

These algorithms change. Medium’s policies change. People’s earnings are impacted, usually not for the better. We are at their mercy.

The common theme? People at the “top” taking advantage of the labour of the people at the “bottom”; earning significant amounts of money off our hard work, yet not compensating us fairly for what we bring in.

That’s the entire basis for capitalism, folks: exploitation.

As a lowly employee in the pet shop, did I see an increase in my wages when the store surpassed its sales goals? Of course not. My wages were the exact same, regardless of whether I sat on my ass for my entire shift or whether I worked my ass off. Yet the managers expected the latter and would fire us for the former.

The other common theme

When businesses restructure, change policy, increase prices, or make big changes, who benefits and who is disadvantaged? The front-line workers and consumers take the hits. Staff are let go, lose perks, or are given more work to do for the same amount of pay. Consumers pay more for less product. Those at the top rake in the extra earnings for themselves.

Again, I want to be clear that I’m not blaming Medium for the advent of capitalism or the exploitation of workers everywhere.

I am, however, calling them out for taking advantage of the writers who bring them their readers. We create content for people to read, good content encourages those readers to pay for memberships, and most of that money goes directly to Medium’s owners and executives.

A teeny tiny pittance trickles down to the writers.

And so goes capitalism.

Want to know who else benefits when corporations make big changes? People who are already privileged and have the resources to adapt at the click of a mouse button.

You can read all about that here:

Hate the game, not the player

I’m not blaming anyone for playing along with capitalism. We all have to do it to some extent in order to have food, clothes, and housing. I don’t begrudge people making money. I don’t even begrudge them making more money than me, not even a little bit.

But when you’re making millions while shelling out hundreds to those who maintain for income stream, at least have the decency to be transparent.

That goes for any business owner or website CEO. Let people know exactly what they’re signing up for, and let them know exactly how any changes will impact them. Give us figures. Percentages. Formulas. Dollar signs.

We deserve to know how much our labour is worth, because right now, it doesn’t feel like it’s worth much.

© Jillian Enright, Neurodiversity MB

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