

When To Work For Free - ojbyrne
http://shiftingcareers.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/09/when-to-work-for-free/

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jpavlik
Totally agree with this one. There's nothing more annoying than someone
telling you that a certain gig would be great exposure, as if they're granting
you the privilege of working for them for free.

Writing is work. Not everyone can do it, and even fewer can do it well. Do
yourself a favor; if you're good, don't write for free. Let these companies
settle for a lesser crop of talent.

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jmtame
Steer way clear of free work, unless you're building your first 1 or 2 sites
in your portfolio. You only need to prove that you can build something really
good, and you could pretty much do a side project or two to do that. Your
clients will want to dictate what the design looks like, so in many cases,
you'll end up with a project that you're too ashamed to put on your own
portfolio. Unfortunately, designers don't always get to do their job because
the client thinks they can do it better with zero experience in the field.
"What's this? White space!? That's absurd! I'm paying you, I can't have any of
that nonsense!"

Working with the wealthier clients (ie startups who are funded) is a world
more rewarding than the nickel and dime people who want everything and then
want to negotiate for a lower bid. Wealthy clients are decisive and they let
you do your job, so everyone wins--they get a good website, you get payment,
and you can be proud to put the work on your portfolio.

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apstuff
My friend's father would always say (and meant it):

"I've never had a problem finding work. Getting paid for that work, now that's
a different matter."

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newmediaclay
We frequently will do a free smaller project for someone we term a "center of
influence." So, if we deem that doing work for this person could lead to many
more referrals and jobs in the future, we'll do a free project. Common example
is putting an Ad Agency's website onto our CMS for free, so they can see our
service and software, and then they will recommend us to clients in the
future.

We've had great success and got into bed with some of our biggest clients this
way. Also, there's probably a little guilt on their end that after we
completed something for them for free that they "owe" us business in the
future.

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Dilpil
Reminds me of Mark Evanier's great 'unfinanced entrepeneurs' post:
<http://www.povonline.com/cols/COL209.htm>

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lincolnq
..or you are the founder. :P

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edw519
Although pro bono work has its place, this can easily turn into a trap. While
you're giving it away (sometimes for good reason), you may be losing paying
opportunities because you're too busy to notice them.

Just ask my friend Ben Dover.

~~~
ojbyrne
Using the phrase "pro bono" probably highlights the one time it is a good
idea. If you're making lots of money (like a high-priced lawyer), then some
well chosen philanthropic or interesting projects can be a good choice.

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time_management
I've never freelanced before, but what I've heard is that it's a lot better to
offer up a freebie than a low price, as long as (1) the freebie is small and
fixed in scope, and it's mutually understood that any substantial
support/follow-up work will be paid, and (2) there's a pre-existing
relationship with the client, so that it can't be construed as a
desperate/promiscuous willingness to do free projects for anyone.

The reason a low-priced project is bad is that it's difficult to raise to a
decent price without upsetting the client. Whereas for a freebie, there's an
expectation that the price can go up. Moreover, low asking prices tend to lead
to low-end work.

