If you do this long enough, you’re going to be asked to do work by friends, and they’re going to want a discount or simply not value what your services are worth. Here’s how to handle that potentially awkward situation.

Of course, before we get into anything, if you want to offer discounts to friends, there’s certainly nothing wrong with that. More so, the problem tends to arise when friends expect a discount you’re not prepared to give or simply don’t understand the value of your services. As someone who’s a people-pleaser to a fault, I’ve been in that situation a few times, and I’ve regretted just smiling and agreeing to their lowball offer as I sat at my computer, editing photos and calculating in my head what my discounted hourly rate worked out to. As this helpful video from Olufemii Tutorials details, while it’s a potentially awkward conversation, it can generally be handled in a way that preserves both the relationship and the integrity of your worth as a creative. Just don’t make the mistake I’ve made in the past: remember your value and don’t feel the need to give in to pressure from friends who are either leveraging the relationship or simply don’t know better. Follow the advice in the video.

Lead image by slon_dot_pics, used under Creative Commons.