This is a great opportunity for you!

A few times a month, someone asks me to work for free, and then is surprised when I ask about compensation. My favorite example happened back in 2019. It started with an email I got from a VC I hadn't met before.

VCs are always trying to get a look at potential investments, so cold requests to connect with CEOs are common. And as investors started ramping up their view into AI a few years back, I started to get a lot of pings like this from funds looking for me to advise them in addition to those looking for Textio investment opportunities. I replied asking for a little more information.

Usually at this point the VC replies to clarify what they're looking for. Sometimes they want a conversation to explore investment. Other times they're looking for help with an event, an advisory conversation, or something similar. 99% of the time it is a totally reasonable ask. So I was a little surprised by her reply.

Ultimately, I decided to pass on this particular great opportunity!

That said, there are times when I do work for free. When is it worthwhile for me to say yes?

It's a great cause

It feels good to support a cause that you believe in. If you don't already volunteer for a worthwhile charity, you might consider it. Not only will you help the cause, but volunteering supports your own mental health too, especially when you can connect with other people who share your values.

Of course, helping a VC isn't exactly food-banking or cleaning up a public beach. But there are times when I volunteer my unique skills for free in a professional context: doing a talk for a charitable organization, using my data storytelling skills to support a political campaign, presenting my data about kids and AI to our school community, to name a few. In these cases, it is worth my time to work for free because I feel personally invested in the outcome of the work.

I put helping friends in this category too. You can't say yes to everyone who asks. But sometimes, the cause or person asking is important enough to you that it is worth your time to do it.

You're getting paid another way

When I was CEO of Textio, I was often asked to speak for free at industry events to share our data about HR and bias. If the audience included enough HR execs, it was worth it to me to agree. A great keynote slot allowed me to introduce hundreds of potential partners to Textio's data and value proposition; these events ultimately brought us customers.

In other words, I might agree to uncompensated work if the work clearly creates business opportunities for me that I might not get otherwise. I use metrics to assess each ask. For instance, if I expect an event will create 10 new customers but I only end up with two, I say no to similar events in the future.

Sometimes, people asking you to work for free pitch you on doing it "for the exposure." If you consider these asks, be clear about the kind of exposure you're looking for. Are you looking to build a portfolio or build a case study? Are you trying to meet 20 sales prospects from a specific background? Do you expect the publicity to generate 50 new inbound leads for your business?

Most "for the exposure" pitches aren't worth your time. But some might be. Without a metric and a goal tied to that metric, there's no way to tell.

What I've done for free in 2024

Your bar on working for free will vary based on how busy you are and the opportunities you're trying to create for yourself. I've said no a lot this year: panels for audiences that aren't in my lane, writing a chapter for a textbook, podcast recordings, and lots more. But I've also said yes sometimes:

Media wanting to republish nerd processor case studies with attribution. This has driven awareness of my work and created several consulting opportunities. I've also packaged up my data about kids and AI for our school communities just because I want them to have deeper access to it.

Helping founders. I love early-stage founders and their problems. I've also built a robust coaching and advisory business this year. There's no way to explore those engagements without investing some mutual time upfront to explore fit. These meetings have led to several great partnerships.

Occasionally, people have tried to take advantage, looking not just for exploratory discussions but for several hours of free coaching. But most of the time I've spent getting to know founders has been worthwhile and fun, even in cases where we've ultimately decided not to work together.

Donating my data analysis and storytelling skills to political campaigns. It's an election year and I care about the outcomes. I have time to help right now, and it's worth it to me.

Coaching girls' basketball. I've done this for many years now, and this summer I started a competitive program. I charge to cover gym rental and tournament fees; beyond those basics, I donate 100% of my time because it supports my community and gives me tremendous joy.

The bottom line: In the end, you say yes if it is worth your time to do so. This takes into account the impact the opportunity will have for you or others and how much time you have. You're likely saying no a lot more often than you're saying yes. But you might say yes once in a while and find it is time well spent.

What do you think? When do you work for free?

Thanks for reading!

Kieran

​Catch up on nerd processor case studies | Subscribe | nerdprocessor.com​

kieran@nerdprocessor.com
​Unsubscribe · Preferences​