How To Do Pro Bono (the right way)
A big part of going into business for yourself is being able to set your own priorities, and choose who you serve – and how. But once word gets out that you do great work, you can trust that the requests for freebies will start rolling in. It’ll feel great to help everyone out…but don’t forget that you’re running a business now – and that means getting paid.
In today’s edition of The Smiley Sessions, we’ll be looking at why and how to take a strategic approach to your Pro Bono work.
You love what you do, and you want to help as many people as possible. But goodwill? Karma? They don’t pay the rent…
Helping others and contributing to causes you care about is central to a lot of entrepreneur’s mission statements. But it can be easy to get caught up in offering free products and services to family, friends and charitable groups – and forget that at the end of the day, you’re a business. And you need to support yourself. And your bank isn’t going to accept a stack of glowing testimonials instead of the mortgage payment you owe them…That means, limiting the freebies.
Your Smiley Sessions Challenge:
Set yourself a freebie, or pro bono quota. Maybe that’s 2 a year, or 1 a month – whatever works for your business, your heart AND your pocketbook. Are you making strategic pro bono work part of your business?