Kieran Blake
Jul 25, 2017 · 3 min read

Between the lines…and then some.

An old schoolfriend of mine sent this picture to me yesterday evening. Just as I was drifting off to sleep, my WhatsApp notification goes off, I spend around 30secs deciding whether or not to check it. Anyway, I grab my phone and see the image above, with a message that says “haha, you would give this geezer a run for his money”..

Now I know what you’re thinking, at least I hope I do. This old schoolfriend had missed the ENTIRE point of what the guy in the pic was attempting to do. Instead, he (in a roundabout way) was making light of the fact that I used to like debating, I technically still do, I like to challenge low level thinking (I’ll do a post about this soon), or in simple terms (his terms) have an “argument”.

I didn’t respond to his message, instead my mind focused on the title of the meme. “If you are good at something, never do it for free”. This didn’t really sit well with me, now of course, if you are able to evidence your competencies in a specific area and someone is willing to pay you for those skills — fantastic ! But, (and this is a Nicki Minaj / Kim K level BUT) sometimes it pays to offer your service for free, at least initially.

There have been many projects and tasks that I have undertaken for free, simply because there was a bigger picture as to why I was doing it:

  • Building a longer term professional relationship not initially based around money
  • Personal learning & Growth
  • Building my portfolio
  • Because I enjoy to do what I do
  • Provide a different sort of value for the person I was working with (which usually leads to longer term paid opportunities)
  • Easy word of mouth marketing

Some may say that I’ve delved too deep into this, like “hey, it’s just a meme, chillout” or “damn, no need to take it that far, it’s supposed to be funny”. I get that, I really do, but, if everybody charges everybody for everything, people like myself, who are confident + experienced in their competencies and skills, see the wood from the trees (mostly) will always end up winning in some way. Why? Because businesses run on money, most professional relationships don’t have to.. initially. Making a longterm connection with someone who requires your skills at a certain time, usually means they’ll come back again at some point, especially if your follow-up game is on-point. And because they’ve built a relationship with you during project 1, they’ll be less likely to look elsewhere come project 2 or 3 or 4, they’ll trust you AND the work that you do. Win-win.

I’m not saying that this will work for everyone, nor will it work for every single offer you recieve (gotta’ pay the bills, right?), but sometimes, if you’re good at what you do, you’ll know when the time is right to undercut the competition entirely and provide that service for free. Is it strategic? Absolutely, and that’s the point.

Maybe it’s just me, but I honestly doubt it. Let me know below if you’ve ever done something for free that you could’ve charged for. What was the result? A lot of times I hear that it results in a somewhat rapid word of mouth about the service you provided..without that person stating that they actually got it for free.

But let me know.

Oh, and about the old schoolfriend. He still hasn’t realised the point of the meme and I still haven’t responded. I mean, honestly, why would I pay a dollar to “argue” with someone? Even if I’m that good I win the argument, I’ve lost a dollar (or the equivalent in British Pounds)..to what? Spout hot air? Those that really know me, know that’s not what I’m about.

If you enjoyed reading this, hit the heart ♥, if not, take a second and let me know why in the comments below.

🇬🇧✌️🏾🇬🇧

Kieran Blake

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