So say you have a passion and truly enjoy the headache that most people fear. It has nothing to do with your sadist ways. Maybe you are doing something on the side, or can't say no to a friend - but how do you set your price? Some ask and you don't quiet know what to say and you don't feel comfortable taking money from friends. Some understand and simply send you a check or a gift in the mail. But you can't keep working for free.
While it's great to know your worth and ask a fair price, when you're starting out, your friends are your clients because you can't yet rely on word of mouth. So how do you name a price for your services? Yes, you may think that you can do a good job, but you don't have the experience yet and there's no industry stardard. . .
. . . it's almost 6 p.m. on a Friday night, I need to go make some plans instead of drone on here. . .going dress shopping with a friend tomorrow, wooohooo! Kleinfelds and Pronovias here we come at 9:30 am on a Saturday morning :-). . .
DISCLAIMER:
ANYONE WHO I AM HELPING OUT, I'M GLAD TO DO IT, I PROMISE (AND WILL GLADLY HELP WITH ANYTHING THAT I CAN, PROVIDED THAT I HAVE THE TIME) :-)
May 2, 2008
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so i totally dont understand what you just wrote..and i dont think i am incompetent..its time everyone stop beating around the bush- ie: you, and just beat the crap out of it, and name their price...
ReplyDeletethe thing is
ReplyDeletea. you practice on your friends, thus service is free
b. your service is their gift at whatever that is you're doing for them so instead of bringing $500 for a wedding, you provide friends with a service :)
just my 2 useless cents
c. you name your price and become enemies :)
Okay,
ReplyDelete1. this is not a HINT to anyone - read the disclaimer, it's just Random Thought #352645
2. practicing is great, but I'm good at what I do
3. People don't see your service as a gift necessarily and assume that you will help them out and then still bring $. I prepared about 10-15 returns this year, some were easy, some a bit more complicated. I didn't ask for money from anyone. I received a check from 1 person (whose taxes I've been doing for the last 3 years) and a gift from someone that I haven't seen in the last 10 years - that's it. I'm glad to do the work and help my friends out, but when it's gorgeous outside or it's my first weekend off in 2 months and I'm at home working on people's stuff . . . well, you get my drift. . .
2nd is rather questionable, you're only as good as people thing you're god.... considering you haven't made much money ... you get the point ;)
ReplyDeletesorry, you just walked into that one.
as far as 3 goes, the don't do it for your friends, nobody will get upset and that's all. easy, you can't please everyone, and apparently you're not thrilled that people use you. Just don't do any favours.
Nobody thinks I'm god yet, but people do think I'm good. I know I'm good and I'm just looking for an outlet - the problem is I'm hoping that it will find me. . .
ReplyDeleteI can't say "no" to my friends. It's the same thing as my friend who is a doctor or a nurse or a PA or a pharmacist not giving me medical advice or my friend that's a lawyer not giving me legal advice. And yes, I understand that advice is different than actually providing a service, but . . . I forgot where I was going with this. Either way, as the saying goes, "no good deed goes unpunished," you never know how things will come back to you and in what way, so "be nice to people on your way up, because you'll meet them on your way down."
I don't mean to nickle and dime, but it's my blog and here's my 5 kopeek. :-)
I like helping people - especially my friends, but it really goes back to this post, http://alla-randomthoughts.blogspot.com/2008/02/cognitive-dissonance.html (I don't know how to insert hyperlinks into comments, sorry) and this famous phrase by Rabbi Hillel, "If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I?"
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's a bit of a different angle, but it's the same underlying issue.
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