The small business owner side of things - Southeasterner

I received a very sad email from a woman who stated (and I believe her) that she was a former MT with more than 2 decades of experience.  She was upset  at the pay scale listed in an advertisement she saw seeking independent contractors.  I own a very small transcription company which like so many others in our industry struggles to stay afloat.  It's true that wages are not what they once were in the heyday of medical transcription, but neither are the rates that clients were once willing to pay in a more robust economy coupled with our offshore competition.  After paying an office manager, proof reader, mileage to and from client sites, server and software fees...no, it doesn't come to us small owners for free...along with Error and Omissions Insurance and an ever increasing power bill it's been very hard to stay afloat.  Most of our MTs work part time.  Some home school their kids, others work in education and type during the evenings.  What we offer is certainly not for someone who needs to make their sole income on typing.  There have been months when we've had to forgo our own paycheck in order to make certain that our MTs were taken care of because we were waiting for clients to pay their invoices. We've also gone through a personal experience with cancer and all of the frustration and expense that entails.  I don't write this for anyone to have pity on me nor to rationalize what we do, but it should be known that most small business owners are good people who try to do their best in what is arguably the worst economy in our lifetimes.  Business owners take on the risk of failure.  We don't clock out, no one pays our benefits, we don't take governmental assistance and our government certainly doesn't look out for us regardless of the party in office.  I hope anyone who reads this chooses to look at all sides of business iissues in our profession and as Saint Francis said, "seeks to understand as to be understood."  I don't normally respond to self righteous criticism, but it's been a heckuva month and we're doing our level best to raise our family and take care of our associates in the only manner in which we're currently capable. Have a great week.