Get paid to work for free ;)

I don’t think anyone should ever work for free… but the “payments” can vary.

Even people with cashflow issues can offer you one of the following alternative forms of payment:

• Direct feedback
• A case study
• A testimonial
• A contra deal – exchange your services for theirs (technically makes it not free, but…)

If your client can’t pay you, they can surely help or support you in some other way – and be happy to do it.

However, if they’re unreasonably asking you to work for them for free because “they can’t afford you”, or they’re promising paid work in the future (be careful of this, it’s often just a bribe), I’d step through the following 2 options:

1. Firstly, suggest a paid trial – a small, fixed-price project to allow them to experience working with you for a low commitment, otherwise
2. Suggest the alternative list above to them (or another alternative that is valuable to you).

People value certain skills or trades below others. In my experience, asking for free work is a signal of a cashflow problem (which is not your problem), and dangling the promise of “paid work in the future” is often just a bribe – they need you now, and are defaulting the “payment” to some future version of themselves that they have no intention of willing into existence.

Always remember you’re running a business that is intended to not only sustain you, but provide you with free time that you can spend however you like. Free time is a luxury some of us have to get used to again, after we’ve become accustomed to working all the time – but it’s you’re right.

If you choose to spend your free time helping people with the same skills you use to make money, then you’re a truly awesome human 🙂

Otherwise… I hope you never feel the need to work for free again 🙂