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Rant: That coffee shop client who wanted 'free exposure' instead of cash

I met this owner at a local shop in Austin last month, she runs a small bakery and asked me to do her website. She loved my work but then hit me with the old 'can you do it for exposure, it'll bring you so many clients' line. I get that small businesses struggle, but I've got rent to pay too, and exposure doesn't cover groceries. I offered her a discounted rate of $400 for a simple 5 page site, she said she'd think about it and ghosted me. So is it fair to ask freelancers to work for free when you're new, or should we all hold the line on payment no matter how small the client?

1 comments

1 Comment

wells.evan5d ago

That $400 offer was already pennies for a 5 page site, honestly I'd have taken it just to keep the lights on. Exposure only pays off if you're a photographer shooting weddings, not for code that breaks every time Chrome updates. I mean, I once did a free logo for a friend's cousin and all I got was a shoutout in a Facebook group with 12 members, so yeah, hold the line.