06/26/2026
This is Shawn’s wife:
As we are in transition of moving and Shawn is wrapping up jobs, I felt it was time I put in my two cents of being a wife of a small business owner. I want to leave one piece of info for new business owners and clients who use the services of small businesses owners.
A Pro Tip: Hiring a Small Business Owner
When people hire a small business, they often don’t realize how much timely payment matters.
Unlike employees who receive a paycheque every two weeks, small business owners only get paid when their clients pay their invoices. If payment is delayed for weeks—or even months—that often means there is little or no income coming in during that time.
That income isn’t “extra.” It’s what pays for groceries, utilities, fuel, mortgage payments, medical expenses, insurance, and the countless unexpected costs that every family faces. Small businesses are not large corporations with deep pockets or endless cash flow. For many owners, each invoice represents money that is already spoken for.
Last year, one client owed our family over $2,000. To some people, that may not seem like much, but for our family it was significant. After the account became overdue, interest was added as outlined in the invoice. Instead of paying, we received a letter claiming that we owed the client nearly $10,000 and accusing us of stealing items from their property. We were given less than a week to return the alleged items and pay the money.
The accusations were completely false. We had written documentation and photographs proving otherwise. We chose not to give in to the intimidation, and we stopped sending invoices with added interest. As it turned out, no legal action was ever taken because the claims had no merit. It was simply a scare tactic to avoid paying what was legitimately owed. Unfortunately, while they delayed payment, our family was the one who carried the financial burden.
As the wife of a small business contractor and electrician, I have seen firsthand the stress that comes with waiting to be paid after the work has already been completed. The job is finished, the materials have been purchased, the labour has been provided, and yet the payment still doesn’t arrive.
Another inside tip is - Shawn always made sure his employees got paid even he didn’t.
If you’ve hired a small business and receive an invoice, please pay it as promptly as you can. Waiting three weeks, a month, or longer may seem like a minor inconvenience to you, but it can mean a family is worrying about how to pay for groceries, fuel, or other basic necessities.
Supporting small businesses isn’t just about hiring them. It’s also about paying them on time.
- Michelle Taylor
