I'm having some hiring issues lately. I had great experiences with the two graphic designers I hired. My friend sold me on his web design services and he has been incredible to work with. So detailed, up front, on the ball. I've had researchers in the past who were great too. I've had to fire two people recently and it's really upsetting me.

Last week, I gave a research assistant a task for some internet research/data entry. It was pretty simple, and she has done similar tasks for me before. I sent her a list of 200 entries that needed to be done. I didn't expect her to get through all of them in 3 hours, but I expect probably half. She got through 20 in 6 hours. This is not a skilled thing. I did 50 in 1 hour. I had to confront her and tell her I'm not paying her for 6 hours of work when all I got back was 20 entries (she's a freelancer). I offered to pay her for 3 hours, which was pretty generous considering there is no way she even did that much work. She said she'd adjust her billing. Well, she didn't, so I had to dispute her charge today. After I disputed it she refunded the agreed upon amount, but freaking A, I had to spend time chasing down this money. So I fired her. And that sucked, because she had the opportunity to fix it and make it right. I've been working with her for 6 months, and been a pretty easy going client for her. She's missed numerous deadlines, and I've been lenient about extensions. The last few assignments I felt like she had been milking the clock, but this last one was just ridiculous. It's the equivalent of someone typing 5 words a minute.

Then late last week I hired a writer to help get a short article for a series I write completed. I have her a detailed outline that just needed to be cleaned up. She blew it up into over 4 times the length and then tried to charge me more than 4 times the original quote. This was an article that I'm the subject matter expert on and her "additions" were not requested and were also inaccurate and poorly worded. I confronted her with overcharging me and not letting me know she was going to change the length, and she really had nothing to say for herself. She withdrew it and we agreed to part ways but not before I ensured she understood that this article is my IP. It sucks because she was referred by my business mentor, and my business mentor has spoken very highly of her, and I just found the quality, ethics, and integrity lacking.

Then I had a prospective client call today that was another waste of time - because it was some start-up entrepreneur, again with a total lack of ethics. I wasted about 30 minutes on a call with him, and I wish I hadn't even done that.

You know, it's fine, I haven't had a bad day like this in a while. But the thing that bothers me with all 3 of these situations and people was that I didn't follow my gut. The research assistant I had been unhappy with for a while and knew she was milking it. I should have just let her go and not even bothered. The writer? I saw her samples and wasn't highly impressed, and in our interview she said some questionable things, but since she was referred, I decided to try it out. The client? He sent me an message through the freelance platform and expected me to call him right that second, on an evening, on a Sunday. All huge red flags that I just freaking ignored. Granted, I dealt with all 3 problems really quickly, but I've lost so much energy and time that should have been spent working for my good clients, dealing with this mediocrity and BS.

I need to start listening to my instincts better.