a peek inside the fishbowl

I will work for free. Sometimes. And here’s why I think you should too.

Last week I was invited to a special speaking engagement. Arlene Dickinson and Sir Terence Matthews were scheduled to speak at the Ottawa Convention Centre (the proceeds went to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ottawa). It was a great morning. Both speakers were amazing in their own way, although it was Arlene’s story that really resonated with me. Maybe because she was a mother (of four kids), the kind of woman who starts with nothing and stumbles into success, who also worked very hard to earn some lucky breaks.

I won’t go into too much detail about their presentations, other than the fact that Sir Terence was adamant that perseverance is the number one trait of successful business people (“The word NO is just the first stage of a YES.”) but I mention them here because both of these extremely successful people worked for free – or very close to nothing – at some point in their lives.

Arlene worked for free at Venture Communications when it was a three-person shop that couldn’t even afford airfare to meet with potential clients. And in his very early days, Sir Matthews did the same. He paid his team in shares instead of a traditional paycheck. (If you know anything about him – and MITEL – you know this was a smart deal for many reasons.)

They worked hard, for next to nothing, and now look where they are.

Every once in a while a link to an article about working for free surfaces on the Internet. It gets passed around on Facebook and Twitter and it leaves the community all a’buzz for awhile… that is, until the next one surfaces. And then the process repeats itself.

The articles are almost always the same:

1) Working for free is bad.
2) Don’t ever work for free.
3) Would you ever ask a brain surgeon to work for free? No, well… DO NOT EVER WORK FOR FREE.

If those articles come around again, I’m just going to link back to this blog post instead of leaving lengthy comments on Facebook.

I am here to say, of course it’s best to get paid, but it’s ok – very ok – to work for free and/or give it away for nothing. And do note that I say this both as a writer and as an editor.

Some people get really upset about this whole idea of someone asking them to work for free. And I admit, I have been one of those people. HOW DARE THEY ASK ME TO (a) write a 800-word essay about [insert whatever topic here] for only a link in return (b) build a papier mâché dinosaur and post a video about it in exchange for MOVIE TICKETS (c) ask to pick my brain over coffee.

These are all real examples by the way.

It took me awhile, but I don’t get upset about it anymore. 99 per cent of these emails are deleted without a second thought. Why stew over them? It’s just a waste of energy. However, one percent of those emails give me pause, and might result in a response.

If the most valuable thing for a writer is a paycheck, the second thing is to get their name out there. You can be the best writer in the world, but if your work stays in the drawer of your bedside table you won’t ever be able to break out of obscurity.

I will consider working for free if:

• I like and trust the person who is asking.
• I have time, and doing the job won’t cause me undue stress.
• I deem the project to be worth my time. Related: I am not paid for any of the conferences/TV appearances/interviews that I do for the Fishbowl for any of the other properties with which I am affiliated, but I do them because it’s worth it.
• The project could further my career goals or open doors that might be beneficial to me in the long run. Here’s a real-life example. I did a stint as a guest blogger for Canadian Family Magazine back in 2009 for which I was not paid. Later on I pitched an article (for pay) and was accepted. What helped was that I had a relationship with the person to whom I was pitching. Later on I was offered a 9-month paid contract as a regular blogger. Was it worth the time I took to write and submit those initial guest posts? Yessir.

It’s always a good idea to know the parameters of the work you are being asked to do. If you’re being asked to do something for free, you have EXTRA incentive to ask questions about the task at hand and any expectations surrounding it. For example if it’s a blog post someone has asked you to write, find out if you are responsible for supplying or sourcing the photos, writing the captions, answering reader questions, sharing it on your own blog etc. If you have all the details going in you won’t be surprised later.

Whenever you say no, you close a door. So when an opportunity presents itself, whether it pays in a link back to your website or coupons for hot dogs or cold hard cash, before you say no, ask yourself, is this a door you want to close forever?

All that being said, I think there are some times when it’s not a good idea to work for free:

• If it seems like the person who is asking you is taking advantage of you. It’s ok to meet someone who asks you to “pick your brain,” but if you get repeated requests it’s not really fair. If you’re feeling like you’re being used, the next time you’re invited for a brain-picking session tell them that you’re now charging a consultancy fee. And then tell them what that fee is.
• If you couldn’t give a fig about the topic, even if you think it might lead to something down the way.
• If you already have all the work you can handle. If spending time on a freebie is going to leave you drained for projects that pay real money, think hard about your potential involvement. Spreading yourself too thin doesn’t do anyone any favours.

What do you think? Have you ever been asked to work for free? Under what circumstances would you do it?

My mother used to decorate the entire house for Christmas. THE ENTIRE HOUSE. This typhoon of decor wasn’t just limited to a tree in the living room, it washed over our entire house. There were holiday tea towels in the kitchen, Christmas bells in the bathroom (and more towels of course), and a multitude of other geegaws and knick knacks scattered everywhere… many of which rested on starched white doilies.

Just thinking about all that decorating makes me tired. Here at Casa Fishbowl, the decor is limited to the living room. And I’m ok with that. We don’t even have a wreath hanging on the front door this year (and I’m ok with that too).

A few years ago we bought the girls a small live Christmas tree and put it outside their bedrooms. I suspect it was either the top of a very large tree that we bought at the Christmas tree lot, or someone’s idea of a Charlie Brown tree. Regardless, it was bought, and a small stand was found. The girls, of course, were thrilled to have their own little tree. It was their job to decorate it, and since we didn’t have a ton of extra ornaments (and I was afraid they’d break our good ones) they filled it top to bottom with the Christmas ornaments they’ve made over the years: macaroni trees, pipe cleaner candy canes, Santa faces with cotton-ball beards, handprint reindeer cut out of construction paper, etc. etc.

After that year I was never able to find a live tree that was small enough. And then, a couple years ago, I spotted a compact little fake tree at Ikea. I was surprised a fake tree could be as nice as this one. The price was right and it folded up in a tidy little bag. Sold.

And now, tradition has it that the girls decorate it with their old ornaments, and it serves as a night-light outside all of our bedrooms. It casts a pretty light over our family, in more ways than one.

1. You miss them when they’re not home and the house seems unnaturally quiet.

2. They eat better dinners than you do sometimes.

3. You read the nutrition panels on their food and snacks.

4. You sometimes worry about their health and well-being more than you do your own.

5. You can never stay mad at them for very long.

6. You use their middle name when they’re being scolded.

7. They have a middle name.

8. You buy them clothing, which makes them look even more adorable. (How is that even possible?!)

9. Your camera/smartphone has more pictures of the dog on it than your children.

10. You purposely drop food on the floor for them while you’re cooking.

11. You talk to them, even though you know they don’t understand. (“Wasn’t that a GREAT walk?”)

12. When talking to your dog you make up nonsensical words and your voice raises an octave. And you’d DIE ON THE SPOT if someone you actually knew overheard you talking to your dog.

13. You wear reflective clothing when you walk them at night.

14. You make the dog wear reflecting clothing at night. And a clip-on light.

15. You imagine what you’d do if another dog attacked your dog, and what you’d do/say to their owner. And it’s never pretty.

16. You’d sell your most prized possessions to get them the medical help they need.

17. When you read news stories about abused pets it always brings you to tears.

18. You buy your dog Christmas gifts.

19. You wrap the gifts.

20. You know in your heart that there’s no such thing as loving your dog too much, because love knows no bounds, especially for man’s best friend.