For some this wouldn’t be such a big problem…I’m not one of those people that can do this comfortably, it reeks chaos in my life to charge those that I care about my “Full Price”
I am person that will say ‘yes’ while in her head can already hear Fred yelling, ‘you volunteered us to do what, and when!? Followed By a few..make that A LOT of four letter words . But I know I’m not the only one I see this question come up in a lot of my circles as well.
So first let’s talk about why doing freebies for everyone is a problem…the bottom line is that, this is my business. Yes, while I love what I do and I am blessed be able to have a business that I love and one that affords me the schedule and lifestyle that I have today, the bottom line is this is still a business and it’s still how I bring in income for my family.
These people aren’t saying ‘hey can I borrow a cup of sugar?’ In a sense they are saying ‘hey, will you give me your paycheck for today?’
On average I invest 20 hours into each client I work with from first contact to product delivery. Because of where I set my priorities, I have had to set a strict limit on the number of sessions I book on weekends. This is important I want to maintain balance since my husband already works a very odd schedule.
My clients invest a lot amount per session, If I give that spot to a someone who doesn’t want to pay, then I’m hurting our family’s financial stability, and my kids are looking forward to going to Disneyland. If I try to take on friends and family session in addition to my a regular session I loose balance at home. I have a bottom line associated with every session that I do, so if I do it for free I’m essentially paying them to let me take their picture. I know you’re seeing the issues!
5 Guidelines that have helped me set ‘friends & family’ boundaries:
#1. I only offer a limited number of family/friend session a year. For my business I try to book those at the beginning of each season. Sometimes I make a day of it and offer a friends/family mini session day. If the family/friend wait list is too long for them they may want to find another friend with a camera.
#2. It is never 100% free (unless it’s charity and that would be totally different if that also fell under the friends and family “plan”). It’s not free for me, I do not do my own editing and if I decide to take on the post processing in order to save the money then I throw my family life out of whack and that is not acceptable to me. So free is not an option unless I 100% plan to gift it to someone, which sometimes I do!
#3. Create a policy that is written ahead of time and when someone Facebook’s, email’s or whatever I can just send my canned response. It’s obviously generic and this is on purpose so that they can understand and appreciate that I get asked to do this a lot but it’s also sincere and from the heart.
#4. Not all friends are created equal (and neither is family). I have friends who have done so much more for me that I feel I could never repay them and for them I would do anything. Now on the other side, there are very extended family members who in the name of “family” feel they somehow deserve my services for free…in that case I can say no.
#5. You can say yes, but not right now. If it’s summer time or peak wedding season for you it’s completely okay to say that that you have no availability right now but you’ll be more than happy to schedule them in when things get quite. That way you can spread good will and still keep up your calendar full. Make it work for your schedule, after all you are the one doing a favor and you shouldn’t feel put out as a result of doing someone a favor.
I don’t have this one all figured out. These 5 guidelines are just a few things that I have tried to follow in MY BUSINESS. Your business, whether you are a photographer or chef, will be different. I guess you just have to follow your heart and do what you think is best for your and your family. I try not to let emotion run my business but also have to think about whats in the best interest of my kids and husband. Is shooting more for FREE the best thing? Sometimes yes. Others not so much. There will always be more money to be made but good friends are hard to come by and I think the most important thing to consider when determining your offering is your family (I’m talking about your spouse and children) their time and their needs should never ever be compromised, no matter what.
