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.)