When to Say YES to Working for FREE
Working for free, experience or exposure is a trap that many of us fall into, especially if we are just getting started with our career or if you are new to building your personal brand.
But starting off by doing free or cheap work to get experience is not shameful at all... It’s just that this phase can last longer than it should for many. Sometimes, though, there are very good reasons to say YES to working for FREE.
To set the record straight, I am STRONGLY against doing anything for “FREE.” But different people are in different phases of their career, so I think it is important that you take a step back to ask yourself: where are you at and where do you envision yourself in the future?
Saying yes to working for free to build your portfolio may be a fantastic option for you. But you should absolutely set a limit of, for example, six free portfolio projects before you begin charging future clients. Setting boundaries before you begin a habit of offering free or discounted work is key to keeping you moving forward.
To prevent workplace burnout and create a career that’s thriving, you have to be EXTREMELY mindful of your time and energy.
So, whether you’re just starting out or just want to get some of your free time back instead of doing work for free, keep reading!
STRATEGIES TO ENSURE YOU ARE SPENDING YOUR ENERGY & TIME WISELY BEFORE YOU SAY YES TO FREE WORK.
At the end of the day, only YOU get to decide what FREE means. Just because you are not getting paid the $$$ to do some form of energy exchange, there MAY be some value in your services.
Understanding when you are still getting value from doing work for free is essential here. And “getting value” may just mean that you will feel joy by volunteering and doing free work for an organization. It’s all up to you!
If an opportunity doesn’t meet your criteria, that’s totally fine too. Politely decline the offer, recommend a few solutions to them, and you’ll leave the cards on the table for doing paid work together in the future. Saying no the first few times may be uncomfortable, but I believe that those few awkward experiences will help you become more confident about ONLY accepting work that aligns with your goals.
Here are my top tips for when to say YES to working for free:
If the speaking engagement or podcast strategically aligns with the clients, students, or that you want to work with and you are able to talk about your services, business, and ways people can work with you. This turns a free work opportunity into a marketing opportunity too.
If you want to support a friend or colleague when you can influence their brand in a positive way. If each of you have a platform to talk about and an audience to share with, it could be valuable to collaborate for free to contribute positively to each other’s communities.
If you have absolutely ZERO experience and want to see if you actually enjoy the work. This type of work needs to be for a very specific timeline with CLEAR boundaries or else you may be taken advantage of.
You are a mentor to other professionals who could use you support
You are committed to being a philanthropist and you want to give back
Personally, any work opportunities that don’t fall into these categories have to offer payment for me to agree to. This is the ONLY way I was able to gain control of my career, income, and free time.
This applied to me too, but I think too many of my clients over commit to experiences such as speaking engagements, contracts, and work. This can happen because they enjoy what they are doing or like working with others. In the end, this leads to unfair compensation and burnout really quick!
The most important thing to prevent burnout and prevent overwhelm: If it is not a HELL YES, then it is a HELL NO!
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