If you’ve established yourself and been blogging in the industry for a long time, you’ll have people approach you to write content for them. These people are new bloggers and don’t have the same expertise as you do, so will ask for help and feedback going forward. Your time is valuable and it’s important to charge them for your work because it’s your business and how you pay your bills.
However, sometimes, it’s not such a clear line, especially when you know the person hiring you had a rough time getting started. It makes you think about the time when you started and went through the same scenario where you had no money and needed to get someone with experience on your side. I’m not saying don’t charge them for your work, but be smart about how you position yourself going forward. Before we can continue, it’s important you find ways to understand your worth and get rid of the guilty feeling associated with charging for your service.
Start by utilizing these strategies to overcome feeling guilty charging for your work…
Time Never Returns
You’ve probably heard the phrase “Time=Moneyâ€, so why would you think it doesn’t apply to you? Sometimes, the work you are hired to do takes a lot of time because of the research and writing involved. This time could have been spent on your blog or product, converting into profits. However, you chose to help someone out and made the decision not to charge them. It was probably the worse decision you made because you lost two weeks of time toward your own personal projects and didn’t earn any money working for others. The next time you feel guilty for charging someone for your services, remember you’ll never get the time back so make the most out of it. In the end,
It’s a business, so treat it like one! You’ll understand in the next factor why there is no such thing as free.
The Money They Made
So you spent two weeks working for someone and decided to do it for free because you felt guilty charging them. Your client is just starting out and they don’t have enough money to spend on hiring you for contract work. The irony of the whole situation is that they’ve probably made enormous money from the work you’ve done for them. What’s even more hilarious is they don’t share any of the profits with you. How do I know? This has happen to me when I completed a project for a new company just getting started. They needed some SEO work done, which I did for FREE, and a boost in their rankings converted into thousands in profits. Here’s the point…
Don’t feel guilty for charging anyone for work you’re an expert in, and if you begin to, then think about the money they’ll make in the future from the work you did for free.
Added Value
Did you know by simply charging someone for your service, it creates more value and this has been proven numerous times? People value you and your service much more when they’ve paid for it because they have a vested interest in the product. What would you value more, an eBook for free or one you paid $30 for? The point is, for someone to value the business and respect your niche, then they have to understand the value you provide. The only way to truly help them understand is by charging them a fee so they become invested in your product. This way, they respect your work and you as a person much more. Doing it for free because of guilt decreases the value in your work, indirectly telling people it’s work that anyone can do.
Start Small
If you just started freelancing, then you’re not used to it so start small just like you would anything else. This means offering people a free trial or samples of your work. This also means showing them you make a difference and can increase their profits x10. It’s a known fact that when you make someone money, they’ll pay almost any money to keep the conversions going, so start small, showing them your value. Here’s something else…
Charging a small fee for extensive services will force you to appreciate your work much more. By providing value for such a small price, you’ve just increased your clientele to a point you’re overwhelmed with the demand. At this point, you’ll realize your value and won’t feel guilty for the time you’re putting in to help others.
Next,
This even works if you’re giving away value for absolutely free. People love value and by providing it for free, it will bring an abundance of clientele looking to hire you. This will help you understand your value and how important your time is that you’ll eventually begin to charge a fee for your services. The equation is simple: Value=Results=Money.