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Just realized my free 'trial' logo gig cost me $260 in fonts and stock art
A guy in Austin wanted a full brand kit to 'test my skills' and promised paid work after, so I grabbed a $49 font set and $210 of stock vectors to make it look pro. He ghosted me two days later and I saw my exact logo on his food truck menu last week. What is your rule for trial work before someone actually pays a deposit?
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evancarter13h ago
A buddy of mine installs cabinets and he told me his rule years ago: no real work until the deposit clears. He said he learned it after losing about three weekends to a "sure thing" remodel gig. I read somewhere that a deposit is really just a test of whether the client is serious at all, and that stuck with me. Trial work with your own money is gambling on a stranger's word. Fonts and stock art cost real money, so make the guy put skin in the game first. If he balks at a deposit, he was never going to pay you anyway.
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