Why should I work for free?
November 26th, 2009I read a brilliant exchange of emails today. They are incredibly rude so don’t look if you are easily offended: http://www.27bslash6.com/p2p.html
It represents a problem that I encounter a lot from certain types of people. They are the types of people who go into the Dragons’ Den with no real business proposition (i.e. “I am convinced I can make loads of money from selling personalised socks with Comic Sans names on even though the unit price is so low that the profit margins are tiny therefore I’d have to sell billions to make any money, but people won’t ever buy billions. Oh and I value this company at £2.5 million with no justification because I made up the figure.”)
I am sick of people saying the following:
* “This could be worth millions” (‘could be’ being very different from ‘is’)
* I haven’t really got any money to spend (then why are you here? Stop wasting my time)
* Would you like to swap a complete branding exercise including a website for my services? (No, because if you pay me, I can buy your services if I want them, but a painting that I don’t like won’t buy my dinner)
* I don’t really want to spend much money (Hmmm well I don’t really want to do much work, then.
It just amazes me, that people will start up a business and be determined that it will make them loads of money without any investment from themselves. It is all take, for themselves. And why do they always try to skimp on design? It is like me going to the supermarket and saying “I’ll have this shopping but I don’t want to pay for it” well then I can’t have it can I? Or another classic analogy: “You can do all of my accounts for me, but I am also getting other people to do them and if I don’t like yours best I won’t pay you and all your time is wasted. I might keep yours for next year though, but I’ll put my name on so you don’t get paid. I just copy your work.”
You just don’t treat people like that in any other sector so forgive my short fuse on the issue. If you think you can do it yourself on MSPublisher then please be my guest. If you can’t then please treat me fairly and accept that I have to earn a living, just like you.
You do, however, get dream clients. These are the people who acknowledge that design has to be done properly, that it increases the company value hugely and that it works. These people put in a budget for their design work and, if they cannot do it themselves, employ someone else to and accept their authority on it. I love these people.
November 27th, 2009 at 09:22
Haha, there are plenty of the first type of people but I think sadly it reflects our current “take” society. Builders who presume to earn £200 per day for nothing other than doing the basic work, a scaffolder who owns a single lorry but owns 2 £50K pick up trucks and lives in a council house, my neighbours, some of whom are living off benefits yet fill up and overflow a bin and recycle box every week whereas I am lucky to produce one sack of rubbish every fortnight and still pay the same council tax.
Roll on heaven! xx
November 28th, 2009 at 12:31
I guess the comment “I don’t have much money” identifies the modest sole trader , like me, who knows that he has to bring his business advertising into the 20th century but hasn’t a clue what things cost. He also knows that certain individuals appear to splash money around and don’t care what things cost. We all worry when we are in the middle of an earnest consultation with a professional and nobody will mention any figures. In some businesses, like mine, there is a natural cap on earning potential, because the “product” is the person’s time. So you are only ever looking to fill up the time spaces available. So you earn a living, but not much more.
Answer? Maybe a “small person’s package deal”? I’m sure you are doing lots of those already!! Roll on the Big Break!!!