4 ms·

I learned this the hard way in my early days of freelancing as a web developer. The main reason I think it's important not to work for free isn't the fact that

I learned this the hard way in my early days of freelancing as a web developer. The main reason I think it's important not to work for free isn't the fact that you're not being compensated for your time (which of course sucks) but that your client doesn't actually feel comfortable giving you honest feedback about the work your producing because they know you're doing it for free. So what happens is you end up with a sub-par delivery because the client often feels too guilty to look a gift horse in the mouth and you're not properly motivated to make it better than you might if you were being fairly compensated on top of it.

marvel_boy 11y ago
Good point
didgeoridoo 11y ago
However, it's often better to work for free than for peanuts. The client who's paying you a few tens or hundreds of bucks will often treat you like garbage, AND give you poor feedback. Stick with your rate (if you don't have one, decide what you're "comfortable" charging... and triple it) and explicitly provide a "one-time discount" for the client to land on what they can pay. Clients treat you better the more "expensive" you seem — which seems to hold true even if they aren't actually being charged all that money.
- hwstar 11y ago
  I learned this early on in one of my side businesses: "The one who pays the least complains the most". Charge enough to communicate that you are a professional. Don't take clients who are low bidders. Let your competition take those and watch them suffer.
tonyedgecombe 11y ago
It's worse than that, most people value things by their cost, if they aren't spending any money then how much will they value your time.
- EarthLaunch 11y ago
  Exactly, it's enjoyable working with people who value my time, not wasting it on boring calls or long emails. With a high rate, clients are VERY careful not to dick around.
omegaham 11y ago
> that your client doesn't actually feel comfortable giving you honest feedback about the work your producing because they know you're doing it for free. I call this the "friends moving your furniture" problem. You aren't going to complain to your friend that he's damaging shit because he's volunteering with a tedious task for free. You need all the help you can get, right? Of course, in your friend's case, he's not making a business out of moving furniture. But in a web developer's case, the bad habits you'll inevitably create but won't get corrected will end up hurting you later when you do decide that you're going to charge for your work.
hippich 11y ago
This is very on point. I will also add that client who is not paying is usually care way less. Also, if client can not pay this quite often in my practice meant that what they are working on is not good idea to start with (there are exceptions of course!) It all boils down to client should have some stake in the game.
brianmcconnell 11y ago
25 years of experience as a small business owner here. Always start high, and only lower your rate in exchange for a guaranteed amount of work. Also consider charging different rates for different types of work as part of your agreement. Always get everything in writing, and keep relevant communication. All I'll say it is almost a law of physics that lowball clients will abuse you, constantly change the scope of work (after all, you're cheap!), and generally treat you like a cheap whore. Don't be a cheap whore, be a high class and expensive escort!
- Mandatum 11y ago
  OT: If you're ever in Auckland, NZ or Vancouver, CA let me know. I'd like to buy you a beer.

marvel_boy 11y ago

Good point

didgeoridoo 11y ago

However, it's often better to work for free than for peanuts. The client who's paying you a few tens or hundreds of bucks will often treat you like garbage, AND give you poor feedback. Stick with your rate (if you don't have one, decide what you're "comfortable" charging... and triple it) and explicitly provide a "one-time discount" for the client to land on what they can pay. Clients treat you better the more "expensive" you seem — which seems to hold true even if they aren't actually being charged all that money.

hwstar 11y ago
I learned this early on in one of my side businesses: "The one who pays the least complains the most". Charge enough to communicate that you are a professional. Don't take clients who are low bidders. Let your competition take those and watch them suffer.

tonyedgecombe 11y ago

It's worse than that, most people value things by their cost, if they aren't spending any money then how much will they value your time.

EarthLaunch 11y ago
Exactly, it's enjoyable working with people who value my time, not wasting it on boring calls or long emails. With a high rate, clients are VERY careful not to dick around.

omegaham 11y ago

> that your client doesn't actually feel comfortable giving you honest feedback about the work your producing because they know you're doing it for free. I call this the "friends moving your furniture" problem. You aren't going to complain to your friend that he's damaging shit because he's volunteering with a tedious task for free. You need all the help you can get, right? Of course, in your friend's case, he's not making a business out of moving furniture. But in a web developer's case, the bad habits you'll inevitably create but won't get corrected will end up hurting you later when you do decide that you're going to charge for your work.

hippich 11y ago

This is very on point. I will also add that client who is not paying is usually care way less. Also, if client can not pay this quite often in my practice meant that what they are working on is not good idea to start with (there are exceptions of course!) It all boils down to client should have some stake in the game.

brianmcconnell 11y ago

25 years of experience as a small business owner here. Always start high, and only lower your rate in exchange for a guaranteed amount of work. Also consider charging different rates for different types of work as part of your agreement. Always get everything in writing, and keep relevant communication. All I'll say it is almost a law of physics that lowball clients will abuse you, constantly change the scope of work (after all, you're cheap!), and generally treat you like a cheap whore. Don't be a cheap whore, be a high class and expensive escort!

Mandatum 11y ago
OT: If you're ever in Auckland, NZ or Vancouver, CA let me know. I'd like to buy you a beer.