I will be eternally grateful for your great gift of taking in to the fullest extent what it is that I
have to offer, living it, and then reflecting it back in terms of the potential experience of others.
You have given words to a process that defies words. And you’re constantly in a position to help
me continue to hone that, deeper and deeper and more and more resonantly, who I am and what I offer,
which is truly invaluable. — Jon Hansen, 
Working together was absolutely key, and I think that’s what made it such a great
experience. I felt like you were my partner in this. I felt like my success was your
success. To me, someone who has that attitude and the skills to go with it —
that’s an unbeatable combination! — Daniel Stone, 
I have a website I’m proud of — but for me, the hugest benefit has been
increased self-confidence. Because of the process we went through, and the validity that
came with the process, I trust what I think and I trust myself to speak about it. I have
greater confidence and clarity in my message about who I am and what I do. — Bev
Dwane AICI CIP, 
What you’ve sent me is so darn perfect it hurts! It’s a sheer pleasure to work with someone
who writes as beautifully as you do — and in “my” voice. — Ariane Goodwin, Ed.D,
You have a real gift for words. You’re really, really good at it. — Sherry Essig,
Unpaid work (usually) doesn’t pay
TANSTAAFL – There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.
Robert Heinlein coined the acronym (though not the sentiment) 44 years ago in his book The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. And it’s still true.
When you’re just starting out in business, a lot of people tell you to give away your work. “For the experience,” they suggest, or “To get referrals and testimonials.”
There are those who say they’ve been very successful with this. And that may be, though I suspect their success is the result of a well-crafted marketing strategy, which is quite different from giving away free work - and which is something most newcomers to small business and self-employment are seldom knowledgeable, aware, or skilled enough to do.
What I experienced instead, and what I’ve seen others experience, is an exhausting, discouraging grind of very hard work for very little return.
When you’re starting out, it’s also very tempting to accept free work from others, or to exchange (barter) your work for theirs.
This can be a great partnership. But it must be entered into with care to ensure that it really is a partnership. You need to be sure that the work you’re getting is of a quality you’d actually pay for - that the person doing the work is someone you’d be willing to hire.
A client of mine accepted free website design, hosting, and implementation in return for favors he’d given in the past. Because he knew the person, it didn’t occur to him to do the due diligence he’d have done if he were planning to pay.
To cut a long, painful story short, it was a disaster, plain and simple. Fortunately, my technical and consulting background allowed me to step up and handle the project management, testing, troubleshooting, and problem resolution that weren’t being done.
When work is free, both parties feel different about it.
The receiver tends to devalue it. If you’ve ever hosted a free class, for instance, you know that only a few of the people who sign up actually show up.
And the service provider is often uncommitted – as my client discovered – to delivering a quality result.
This is not to say it never works, because it does. My business partner and I started out with his offer to work with me as a very generous gift – a gift for which I’ll always be grateful. And I’ve happily worked on his website in return.
But it only works when both parties are wholly committed to showing up in the relationship – showing up with 100% of who they are and what they do.
And it only works when the service being delivered is one that the recipient would find worth paying for.
Otherwise? Well, like my client, you may find that TANSTAAFL is a rule that holds true for you, too.
“Oh, ‘tanstaafl.’ Means – There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.’ And isn’t,” I added, pointing to a FREE LUNCH sign across room, “or these drinks would cost half as much. Was reminding her that anything free costs twice as much in long run or turns out worthless.”
“An interesting philosophy.”
“Not philosophy, fact. One way or other, what you get, you pay for.”
- Robert Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, 1966
Posted under Alignment with your message.
Tags: Credibility, Money