I was going to make this a Facebook post. Then remembered: I have my tribe on my blog, whom I’ve not fed for two months now, since I missed February’s post.

Ahhhhh... the Nigerian Presidential elections shewed me shege. It really dealt with all of us, and we’re hopeful that the judiciary will do right by over 200 million Nigerians.

But that is talk for another day.

Today, let’s explore why you should not do work for free. (And I will do my best to keep this as ‘real’ as night and day)

A long, long, long time ago... in my first year of practice as a rookie lawyer, I had a very interesting boss who would drop these interesting nuggets unsolicited from time to time, but I have since then come to appreciate as real life lessons

(I have a feeling he follows this blog, and is reading this).

Let’s call him O.B.

One day, from out of the blues, O.B. called me into his office, sat me down, and started explaining to me that as a lawyer, I should never do work for free.

Ah. My rookie self wondered why he decided to share this epiphany with me.

He continued; “Not even family. Don’t ever give your professional services for free”.

He proceeded to give me his reason unhindered, which I will share with you below, as well as other reasons I have found in the course of my sixteen year career...

Here goes...

1. You will never graduate.

Confusing right? Lol.

This was O.B.’s own explanation actually, which I have also come to learn first-hand.

You know how you’re a law student, or medical student, or even engineering student, and members of the family fondly refer to you as “baby-lawyer” or “baby-doctor?”

Well it’s cute and all, until you actually become a professional and it’s time to charge for services.

“Ahh ahh ahh... see this one that was a baby doctor the other day o. Charge for wetin?? Abegi”. So you never actually graduate into a ‘serious’ professional, if you start giving services free to family and/or friend.

As O.B. would advise, instead, you could have discounted rates and call it “family price” (lol, my inner Nigerian giggles about this lingo all the time). This is what you offer to those close enough to be considered ‘family’.

And that is what has worked for me ever since.

My first client ever was courtesy of my sibling, and as I tell anyone who requires my services, if I can charge my sibling, best believe I will charge you.

2. Freebies are never diamonds

There are indigent persons, or perhaps, not-for-profit organisations that would require your services, but would quite frankly be unable to afford it.

Like me, you could decide to provide probono services or do volunteer work for such organisations, in these (limited) instances. And it is clear that you are providing pro-bono or volunteer services, for the greater good.

You know however those prospective clients who can actually pay for work, but ALWAYS have a “quick question”, after which they let you know that they got a “second opinion’, and are going with that second opinion?

Ehhn, the second opinion had to be gotten, because who actually does agood work, for free?

The hard truth is that (more) value is usually placed on services that have been paid for. If you randomly provided services for free, those services are likely to be taken for granted.

And as O.B. Would point out to me, you are not likely to be first tipped for significant work that is actually paid for, since the value placed on the free work you have given will be at the minimum.

Place proper value on your work, and be paid for it.

3. Exposure will not pay your rent

Lol. This one unfortunately is a favourite used against creatives.

“Come and perform for us... you will get exposure”.

And when it’s time to do your weekly groceries, you will fill your wallet with exposure, and pay the casher... ehhn??

I understand that for newer businesses or professionals, there is a need to publicise your services. The temptation to provide services for free to already established people will be high, with some taking gleefully taking advantage of these new entrants and actually asking for the free services, in exchange for ‘exposure’.

And boy, will you feel the pressure to just cave in.

Just like in 1) above, this could be the time to pull the “family price”. You can offer highly discounted rates, showing what the original cost would have been. You can pull a Beyonce at Coachella, ask to be paid a quite minuscule amount in cash, while being paid the rest in other kind, such as an irrevocable license.

My personal favourite in working with young start-uppers in whom I believe but who may not be able to afford my services is receiving payment in kind, such service for service, or shares.

(Who knows.... it could be the next Amazon?)

4. You could get in trouble

When you provide services for free, there is the temptation to allocate minimum time/resources to it, since it is not being billed.

If you are in a regulated profession, like Law, you could easily get into trouble.

How?

The definition of a client is regardless of payment of ‘consideration’. So that if you give work for free (other than humanitarian pro-bono or volunteer services), and are deemed to be negligent or make the client suffer some harm due to poor quality of work, you would still be held liable.

What that means is even if you did work for free, you’d still have to apply optimal resources for that work to your highest quality expected for a Client, regardless of the absence or adequacy of payment for said services.

Otherwise, you could be punished for doing a ‘good’ deed, albeit at subpar.

5. Don’t enable bad behaviour

The thing with giving free services (other than volunteer or probono as enumerated above) is that you could be sowing seeds of entitlement, which the next professional will bear the brunt.

Edakun, ask to be paid for your services, because we cannot all pay for electricity bills with ‘exposure’.

And if you must give free services, make it very clear that same expectation should not prevail with other professionals offering same services.

Just like ‘exposure’, “I got it for free the last time” will also not pay for groceries o.

(Have you seen the cost of eggs??)

Now you know why you should insist on getting paid for services. The next time someone asks for free services, and you feel shy to complain, just forward them this post, and let me be the bahd ghuy.

And if you feel I’m just being a stingy winch by this post, please share your comments on why, and what you advise instead.

Paz,

Meg.