I do not want to lose my friendship with this person but I also do not want to continue offering them free services. How do I tell my friend I can render them a service if they won’t pay?
Eva CunninghamNew You
What do I do if a friend is always requesting for free services from me?
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Just learn to say no and don’t feel bad about it. I get asked to do a lot of favors and I always find that the people who want something for free are more demanding than my actual paying clients. Why this happens, I really do not know. You would think people wanting something for nothing would be humble about it. If I really feel bad not helping out, then I give them a deadline up front and tell them I can not and will not be able to work on their project except for when it is convenient for me.
My rule is to work for free for a friend one or twice and then after, I’d say no unless there is compensation involved. You end up selling yourself short if you keep saying yes.
Business is business and I’m quite strict with it, friendship shouldn’t affect your judgment. Even if you are working for free, they have the right to make reasonable deadlines and criticize your work because they are trying to make a product out of your work. Of course, in reverse, you’re allowed to make paying work your priority and put their pro-bono work last on your list of things to do. I think you need to make this clear to your friends if you do free work for them.