How We Can Move from Hustling for Free to Hustling for a Fee
You want to be paid for your work, am I right?
My chum asked me this question a day back.
“Hey, Aldric. I have been hustling on the side for a couple of years. I run social media campaigns for small businesses, and I write copies to help them become searchable online. Should I start charging them for my services?”
I get such questions all the time.
But questions like that baffle me. Why are we working for free on the side when we insist our employers pay us for one second of overtime?
My chum, Joe, would give me this retort without fail.
“Aldric, I just started out. No one will pay me for trying things out.”
I found it funny, and I left it as it is. We are entitled to our opinions. My point is a simple one. Beyond passion and love is compensation.
We have zero chance of converting our side-hustle to a main-hustle IF we are not earning a single dime from it.
“Joe, if you want to build an empire that belongs to you in the future, you have to access the feasibility and potential of your side-hustles today. Do you have a market for your work? How much is the market willing to pay for your output and time? Can you compete with the scores of copywriters out there, selling projects for $10?”
Joe’s face twisted.
I know he recognizes the reality behind my words. My chum is uncomfortable with selling. He enjoys doing what he is doing today, for free and not for a fee.
“Buddy, you are right. And maybe, after hustling for one more year to build my credentials, I will finally have the confidence to charge my clients without losing them.”
I sipped my coffee and listened. Joe sounded confused, but I decided to leave him to his inner thoughts.
I Worked for Free for 6 Months. Then, I Started Charging a Fee.
Working for free is known as a rite of passage or paying our dues.
By all means, work for free if all you have is a passion for your chosen side-hustles. You have to start somewhere. Seek out a mentor, define a period of apprenticeship, and learn the ropes aggressively.
When I started copywriting as a side-hustle, I wrote for free for 6 months. I was clueless, but I refused to be directionless. So, I tucked myself under Adeline’s wing (I chose her as my mentor) and absorbed everything she imparted to me.
Adeline would go out, get copywriting projects, and then assign me sections to deliver.
“Take the introduction for the Case Studies page. Write it such that I will want to read all the boring case studies featured below.”
I would say yes, and then write, re-write, re-re-write that introduction until Adeline accepts my draft. She would go through her feedback with me, one by one.
“This sentence is short and sharp. Good. Short sentences at the beginning of the introduction encourage readership. You are too generous with commas. I don’t want to see them. Use periods.”
By the end of 6-months, which is (really) a self-imposed deadline, I asked Adeline out for coffee and asked the question that mattered.
“Ad, be brutally honest with me. Do you think I can start charging a fee for my work?”
She stared at me as if I lost my marbles. I will never forget her candid response.
“You should have done that long ago. There is always a market for your services.”
That conversation happened 4 years. I still remember what Adeline told me.
“There is always a market for your services.”
The Confusion Between Value-for-Free Versus Charging-a-Fee
“If I wanted to work for free. I’d choose to be a volunteer, not a freelancer. Learn the difference!”
- 10 Sarcastic ‘Work For Free’ Quotes For Freelancer, Artist And Designer
Value-for-Free is a sales funneling strategy, not a commercial arrangement.
Many side-hustlers, including Joe, thinks that they can grow a business by doing work for free. But the danger is this. When people get comfortable having you do work for free, they want you to work for free forever.
In short, get ready to be taken for granted.
Avoid that circumstance at all costs.
If you are currently on the Value-for-Free camp, as with Joe, then I urge you to consider the following steps to get paid from your chosen side-hustles.
Using copywriting as an example:
- Study various freelancing marketplaces such as Fiverr, Upwork, and others.
- Look through all the listed copywriting services.
- Study what they offer as a la carte, as a package.
- Study the proposed duration of their projects.
- Study the price points.
- And then, seek out the lowest and highest price points.
- Starting from the lowest price point, ask yourself if you can do what they do.
- If you can, move up the pricing ladder.
- Repeat this exercise until you find the highest price point at your current level of competence.
- Start charging that fee to new clients.
This was the same exercise Adeline encouraged me to perform years ago. I would dig into the details of the freelance copywriting market, be in awe of the breadth and depth of the market, and figure out where I am.
Then, I start by exchanging words for dollars. It was difficult because I am not a natural salesperson. Over time, as confidence in my work grew, I charged more for the same quantity of words. My side-hustler self-confidence spiraled upwards.
Joe had his chin supported by his left palm while listening to my story.
“I would like to achieve that one day.”
I looked into his eyes and smiled.
“Make that day today, buddy.”
Summary
There are 2 rules I believe in.
- We want to do brilliant work.
- We want to be paid.
These 2 rules reinforce each other. And it motivates us to do better.
Sure, we start somewhere. If we are absolute newbies in our chosen side-hustles, we need time to learn the ropes.
But we cannot be students indefinitely.
We need to put food on the table. We must pay bills.
And so, for how long do we hustle for free?
I would say for a maximum of 6 months. We must respect our time and skillset after that.
Remember.
There is always a market catering to different levels of expertise and years of experience.
As a content contributor, I write my observations from daily life and my business exposure. Because our life experience is the bedrock of our unique perspectives.
