A friend of mind on Facebook was making a public service announcement about the fact that you can’t hire him for free, even if you’re pals.

To which I responded:

Um, it’s not hiring you if it’s free. Where’s that “will you work for free” infographic?

What I do with people who ask me that is ask them for something free of equivalent value.

“No, you can’t have my motorcyle/ big screen TV/ iPad / Laptop for free!” – is how they respond.

To which I say “exactly”.

And it’s not just for practical reasons – if you can’t afford the services you want, your business isn’t mature enough to reap the benefits.

I am, however, still in the “discount for friends” mode. The referral is usually valuable enough to meet the shortfall if the friend realizes three things.

• If you want full speed, pay full price.
• If I have expenses, you have to pay them – there is a real cost beyond that of my time and it has to be shouldered by someone.
• The instant our interaction is no longer friendly, we must mutually agree to quit. No business is worth friendship. (No business under $2.5 million, anyway.)