It happens all the time. When you become an entrepreneur, people (friends, family, associates, etc.) expect you to work for free. It doesn’t matter the industry you are in, whether it’s a side hustle, or you operate and own a major business in your city’s downtown area, someone will want free work. It’s actually insulting when you are asked to work for free. Why is it that when someone knows you, they feel that they shouldn’t have to pay for your expertise? It suddenly becomes different than if someone else (a stranger) was doing the service or selling the product—a scenario where they would normally pay full price.
Maybe this post is a tad bit of a rant, but more than anything else, I hope that people think twice before asking another entrepreneur to work for free.
Asking someone to work for free may present itself in different forms. Below are just a few examples:
“I know you specialize in __________________, can I pick your brain about _______________?”
But you have no intention on hiring them for the professional advice you are seeking.
“Can I send you my business plan for you to review?”
Just because someone is a business owner, it doesn’t mean that they have the time or desire to entertain everyone who approaches them about their new business idea.
Additionally, you would be surprised at how many times people contact me for information that they could simply Google or research for themselves?
“I really want to work with you but I want to test it out first. Can you provide a sample of your work or product for me to experience before I buy?”
Sometimes this may make sense for a business, if they can provide their product or service on a very small scale. However, if that’s impossible, just buy the product or service and test after you purchase it.
“I can’t afford you (translation – I don’t want to pay you) but working with me would give you amazing exposure for your brand.”
While some situations are true and legit portfolio builders for someone seeking experience or trying to grow their audience, oftentimes the people who propose this just want free work. For a proposal like this to even begin to work, true value has to be given to the person giving their time and service. Furthermore, don’t ask a seasoned professional to work for free; they probably don’t need help building their resume.
Now that you know some of the ways that free work requests can present themselves, let’s discuss why you shouldn’t ask an entrepreneur to work for free. There are numerous reasons; but I will just share 3 in this post:
Entrepreneurs have to pay their bills, just like you.
They have debt, vacation & retirement plans, and daily living expenses just like you… But unlike you, they are paying expenses that probably aren’t even crossing your mind (their own health insurance out of pocket, legal fees, business licenses, materials for products, basically a ton of costs that are related to managing their business). I know that’s not your problem, but when you ask them to work for free, you are being inconsiderate.
Entrepreneurs must spend their time and resources to complete a service or provide a product.
Unless it’s my birthday or I saved up coupons, I receive nothing for free at my favorite stores and restaurants. I’m sure it’s the same for you. The reason is because unless it is a special promotion, it’s just not smart business to provide free products and services for free. Every time you expect someone to work for free, you are declaring that you don’t value their time and you don’t think they are worth a dime. Period. When an entrepreneur says no to free work, it’s not being mean, it’s simply that they VALUE their own time and expertise. And the only way that they can stay in business is if they make smart business decisions that will generate revenue for their business. Working for free for you won’t.
9 times out of ten (based on my own experience), you have probably never even supported them.
Unfortunately, people hate their 9-5 jobs. Just look at social media, Mondays people are stressed out and Fridays people are excited. So when they see your post or email promoting your business or side hustle, they never like it; they never share your business with others; they never forward your newsletter or flyer; if you have a brick and mortar, they don’t stop by and buy a product; they never provide any type of support (virtual or physical)—but those are often the ones who want the hook-up. Serious side eye…
The point is that it’s important that we uplift entrepreneurs and support them so that we can create jobs and build up our communities through small businesses. We often want people to support our dreams but wait until our friends and family are famous before we publicly celebrate them or acknowledge their business.
Note that I love helping people but the constant requests for free free free is overwhelming. If I don’t show up to your 9-5 and ask you to give me free work, don’t do it to me.
Are you an entrepreneur who gets free requests? Drop a comment below or tweet us at @BoriquaChicks!
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Photo Credit: #WOCinTech Chat
Rebecca
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It’s a failed empire of hustlers and hucksters all trying to get rich. It is sad, really. A failed country of shallow, empty individuals using each other for a buck.
sounds like more american hustlers and moochers. they want stuff for free, and the CEOs, and other shysters are living the life in mansions, lux cars, and trips. Stop being an american sucker–do NOT work for free. When ya pick my brain, ya pick my pockets.
Harlan Ellison–pay the writer u tube vid too.
Do NOT be an american hustler and opportunist shyster.
Yesss!! I totally agree. I have a Wardrobe Styling & Image consulting firm – Indigo Aqi & I’m constantly getting asked by folks to style them for this or that, to revamp their closets, etc. But nobody wants to pay. “Friends” won’t even promote your business unless it benefits them. Haha! Like you said, you have to be smart when running a small business or a business period. Feel free to check out my website & book me. 🙂
This is definitely part of my struggle as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). Your first example about “picking my brain” was spot on. I provide consulting services as well as tax planning services and both of them are hourly billing services. “Picking my brain” is definitely the equivalent of saying that I value your expertise and knowledge enough to use the advice you’re providing me, but not enough to pay for it. Yet, let me give them some false information and they will likely be the first ones lined up to sue me for this FREE information. So sad!
Thank you for this!
As an event planner, I get hit up all the time to plan people’s business events for the sake of ‘exposure’… Sorry, the portfolio is built. Not looking for pics for my website either… I got bills to pay and kid’s tuitions to pay!
I had one person ask me to plan a product launch for her business for free, plus want me to help her find other vendors like the caterer, venue, and a liquor sponsor to lend their services for free as well. All why they ended to charge a ticket price and collect 100% of the profits! #shetriedit
It’s so disrespectful and tacky. If you wanna hook up? How about you hook me up with a client or two. I’ll hook you up by referring your business to others too. The only way we make it to the top is if we PAY for each other services and refer other people to do the same.
Death to the 5-finger discount!
Thank you for posting this! People need to know or at least be called out on it!
Hello! This article is SPOT ON. I help companies learn how to sell to the federal government and I get the “may I pick your brain” all the time. I usually point people to my website where I have 18 hours of federal contracting expertise in a blog talk radio show called “The Federal Sales Sherpa Show” with my compliments and I invite them to connect with me on LinkedIn so they can read my 175 articles posted. THEN if they want to “pick my brain” I invite them to pay for my three-step one-on-one federal sales action plan program up front to get on my calendar. Then they’ll be able to pick my brain for 7.5 hours through three sessions. If someone asks me to “speak in front of our group which will get you great exposure” and I have to pay my travel and expenses, I give them my competitor’s phone number.
#Shoutout to all of the photographers like myself who getting approached DAILY, from “models” who assume Instagram likes pay bills. Big Shoutout to business owners, many entrepreneurs like myself, who approach me assuming exposure from their brand will pay my bills. BUT THE BIGGEST shoutout goes to the ladies and gentlemen, who submit me a request, pay their invoice on time and returns again and again lol .
Check me out also – IG: iam_GavinB & ChimerasDream
Soooooo I have a jewelry business and can I tell you that one time one of my friends, asked to wear a piece to borrow for an event. So I am thinking to myself “You want to wear one of my new pieces, stink it up all to be damned… Sweat etc on the jewelry while you party and not just buy it? Girl Bye. I told her flat out no.
Family always want the jewelry at discount, as if I am doing this as a hobby. The list goes on and on…My advice do not bend ever. We set the tone for our businesses.
I loved this so much!
Great post! True indeed! This has always been my weakness as a small business owner. I have always had a strong inclination to serve but these days I only serve people who can respect my worth.
Thank you for all of the comments. So many entrepreneurs have related to this blog post because we are so often taken for granted. I’m glad that this post could be used as a tool to encourage others to think twice before asking an entrepreneur to work for free.
I feel this is almost selfish and pro vendor/seller or entreprenuer, whatever you want to call it. It is indeed a rant and is one to extinguish the thought of help for a community and a justification for greed.
Appreciate this so much Rebecca. So many of us are expected to provide services for free in the birthing community. And that we also have obligations towards our own sustainability.
This post is 110% true. I’ve been a business owner for over 20 years and one of the most irritating parts is when you find yourself having to defend the “NO” to not doing free work. Even when it comes to non-profit organizations that will ask me to donate my services, but will pay three times the cost for the venue or other companies that said no… (Go figure).
Thank you for this post because I can share it so that people don’t think it’s just me..
Rebecca, you were on point. I’m custom blending a product for natural hair, and the “friends” that were constantly asking for samples NEVER purchased a full-size product; nor did the samples that they requested for their friends produce any revenue for me. So when I placed a price on the samples, the requests ceased. Like you’ve emphasized, people fail to realize that every component of your business is an out-of-pocket expense.
My experience with people wanting business information or free advice — people asking for proprietary information about my product. Sorry, I’m not giving you my recipe ingredient ratios, every detail of my process, what equipment I use, nor revealing where I purchased my raw goods; and NO, you can’t come see and contaminate my work space!!
Just for some advice tho? There are other people trying to become owners also. I bet you would have gladly taken some free advice before yours was established.
Yes, we who are entrepreneurs will gladly accept advice that is offered free of charge. There is a significant difference between accepting an offer and requesting someone work pro-bono. Why should the business owner be giving you products and services to benefit you and yours at the expense of their family?
All.
The.
Damned.
Time.
I’m a process server. Someone asks me how much to serve documents in my city – I tell them $65 plus tax. Invariably, it’s “whoa!!! Why so expensive? I know someone who’ll do it for twenty!”
Well, let’s see: with me, you get maximum three attempts at the same address.
That’s three times I’m getting in my car and driving over there.
At three different times of day: morning, afternoon, evening.
That’s three times I have to work in this trip in with everything else I’m doing.
Minimum one weekend attempt: buh-bye Saturday or Sunday R&R.
If I don’t serve the recipient personally but leave with an adult who appeared to live there, I have to mail a second copy – I eat the printing/copying/postage charges.
Then I have to do up a 6b: Affidavit of Service and get it commissioned. I eat the commissioning fee either in cash or trade.
If I am unsuccessful, I have to do up an Affidavit General describing my efforts and the results – which can take an hour or more – and get that commissioned.
Along with all that, I have to deal with dogs (I’ve had them sicced on me), verbal and physical violence, and assault with various items (usually the envelope containing the documents which are often bound with a metal done).
For $20, you get one attempt and one only and it’ll probably be at 2pm on a Wednesday. They will keep trying at $20 a pop.
I have been instructed to serve the DJ at a very sketchy and probably illegal after-hours club;, a farm in the middle of Armpit, Nowhere; a truck stop at 2am.
I’ve had to wait over four hours before the guy would come out of the house.
At any time, I can be called into court and questioned by the judge. I can tell the judge the address, what it looked like, who I spoke with, and what exactly were the documents served.
And then to hear from my own friend and family “well, it’s not like it’s a difficult job – when it comes down to it, you’re just a jumped-up courier”!!?
Thank you thank you thank you for creating this post! As a new Travel Stylist in my industry people expect me to just create travel itineraries for free, which takes a lot of time! Not to mention often times they then go and research on their own and go with different options! Drives me crazy! I had to restructure how I provide my services and the fee’s involved! This only confirms that I don’t need to give away my services for free! Especially for entrepreneurs that are starting out!
I loved this post and reposted! Lol
Well said! Struggling with this issue at the current moment. Latina with a brick and mortar founder of Skin Candy Spa Products. Everyone loves the handcrafted soaps and other bath and body products. Most don’t want to pay. Steady looking for the free samples. Signs fustrated entrepreneur.
http://Www.skincandyspa.com
By saying yes to the time it takes to do your free work, I am saying no to the time I have to do paid work.
Would you ask any other profession to do their work for free? Plumber unclogging drains for free? Electricians installing one potlight so you can “get a sense” of their work? “Please build three stairs of the staircase so I can get a sense of how you do things.”
I design custom cakes and I get constant requests for free cakes. Very annoying and disrespectful.
Great great article!! As an entrepreneur myself, I agree with all these points!!
LOVE this post! You are speaking truth. My business sell products. I finally wised up to folks asking for product donations for giveaways or events. I NOW ask for something in exchange; especially if they have NEVER purchased any items from us!
AMEN! First time visiting…I’ll be back. 😉
I’ve gone through this a lot especially in my early days of business. I still get this though…and people wanting things on the cheap. I don’t do cheap. Doing things right takes time and I’m not a half-assed kind of girl. Let’s do this RIGHT.
I am developing a list of five tasks that I will ask people to do for me before I do something for free. They will include posting about me on Facebook, Twitter, recommending me for an award and a written letter of recommendation. Let’s see how that works.
Good response Deb!
Awesome article! Yes, I have had this experience a few times. By the third, oh I really had to set boundaries to prevent brain picking. These are family and those I considered “friends”. I had to cut some ties but It’s quite ok, now I don’t feel used and abused. My clients are complete strangers and never asked for a discount or expect pro bono🤓👍
Love this article. Thank you thank you thank you!
Yes!!! I have a retail store. People always ask for discounts. “What’s the best price””
Great article! You had a lot of great points. Good luck with your business.
What is a way to convert their ask into a teachable moment and maintain the relationship? Do you have any language suggestions. My past response to family was that the light company does not accept love checks. Kinda snarky, not always appropriate . Appreciate your wisdom. I am a former restaurant owner.
Hi, Monique. Great question. I would recommend 2 ideas (they may not work for every business of course):
1) Consider not working with friends or family at all. I would say, “I love you but I find it becomes complicated when I work with family or friends, so I no longer accept loved ones as clients. I just don’t want to mix business with pleasure. I respect our relationship too much.”
2) Consider asking them to reverse roles…”It sounds like you are asking me to work for free or at a fee below my rate. To provide this service or product, it involves my time and materials, which cost money and utilize my energy. If I do this for you, I lose a customer who will pay my rate. What would you do if you were in my shoes?”
Some of the other commenters gave good suggestions too. Check them out.
Excellent article. Can’t begin to tell you how many times people have asked me for my service and never asked, “How much do you charge?”
Thank you for this!
fantastic article and very timely
This is so true. I’m a writer and many people believe that writers are just sitting around able to read, provide feedback, edit and check all of their peers work (and provide new ways in which to express an idea or two or ten) FOR FREE. What are writers when they work on everyone else’s work and not their own. NOT writers, but editors. Please hire one. LOL
This post is so on point. I am an author and independent publisher, and people are always asking to read my novels for free or wanting services at a discount. Its annoying and disheartening.
Thanks for this article.
omfg YES! PEOPLE TRY AND DO THIS TO ME ALLLLLLLL THEEEEEEEEEEEE TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIME. I just say nope or what’s your email???? I need to send you an invoice!
Follow Me!
@mffoodies
I LOVE this article. Gladly will share this! Inquire if you must, but I feel like if you can’t afford it, why go further than the question??
So this article is absolutely EVERYTHING and I actually think I am going to do a Periscope about this and of course refer back to your article. So many things you have touched on I have dealt with and currently dealing with and it’s so frustrating as there is a clear disconnect. The million dollar question is finding out how to fix that issue.
Well, I must say this was very refreshing and enlightening because I have experienced that because they feel because I am a new babepreneur and not as well established as themselves I can afford to do mockup designs for free. It makes you feel disrespected and looked over as a woman entrepreneur. I pay for my services, products and more.
You have said a mouth full here and I just have to share. Thank you so much.
Follow me on IG: @melesha_designs
@creativesurpriseschef
Like. Love. Hearts!!
Yes! Happens all the time! I don’t people understand the True Life of an entrepreneur. Especially the non support! Just wrote a post about that on my blog!
All I can say is, amen, amen and amen!! Thank you so much for this post.
Great article!! This empowered me today! I am a health coach and this used to happen often… No more!
let the church say, AMEN!
This article hit the nail on the head! It is also our responsibility as entrepreneurs to simply say NO. I’ve often found that people will pay for a service and then try to get more than they pay for for free. I’ve had to learn how to set clear boundaries and communicate my expectations about getting paid..on time and in full! Thanks for this write up 🙂
Truth! Thanks for speaking up for us!
Hi Rebecca,
This was an EXCELLENT post! Thank you for sharing your experience and educating those who want something for nothing. I’m bookmarking your post for future reference! Keep up the amazing work and have a great day!
Sincerely,
Melodee
I love this article! It is so accurate it is not funny!
I had an acquaintance of a client of mine do exactly this. “Can I pick your brain?” I am a freelance makeup artist with 15 years of experience in the field. The person texted me for MONTHS asking me questions about foundation and contouring and trends. You name it she asked. The questions were endless and the more she asked the more I knew she was not trying to pay for services. I was very nice to her and loosely answered her questions as if she was a paying client. (Big mistake right there ) I guess she felt comfortable because we went shopping twice together with another young lady, but we are not friends by any means. She kept saying I am not ready to book a makeup lesson yet but I am going to! Keep in mind everyday on Facebook she is bragging about how ell her business is doing. One day i just got fed up and asked, “What do you do?” Hilariously enough she too is an entrepreneur. She started explaining and I was totally not interested in hearing any more so I said, ” awesome”. She then was like anything else you want to know about what I do I said nope. She clearly knew that she had gotten on my last nerve. Needless to say she never booked a makeup lesson and honestly I feel like I dodged a major bullet because I cannot imagine working with her on any level.
Yes. This has happened to me many times. Someone asked for my pricing of service, I told them a price (50% cheaper than original price). Quickly, they said they couldn’t pay it but wanted me to work for $20 hr. I mean that’s what we charged with tips when we were in training.
We have to support our families full price. Stop asking for a “Homie Hook Up”. It costs the person so much to do their work. You’re paying for their service, expertise, bills, and products.
Wow! This is so true. People always want things free or on a discount. Last I checked supplies cost and so does my time. Great article ~Boricuas Rock
Seriously! This is everything. I don’t ask people to work their 9-5 for free. I keep thinking that to myself. Definitely going to be saying no more often!
Lord have mercy! This is right on point!!! Thank you!
Excellent read and well said. Why do this sound familiar!!!
Constantly!!! So then I ask what have they budgeted for this type of service, as well as the quality they are expecting to receive.
Once I hear them out, I simply guide them to my FB Fan Page and testimonial page of my website.
Then I remind them, depending on the service, it could qualify as a tax deduction! lol
Every bit is this article is 100% true. As an entrepreneur somehow people think you either rich or don’t have any other bills whatsoever. I’m just not sure what goes through their mind. Smh