Working for friends
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- 14 Responses
- vaxorcist0
I've screwed up a few of these sorts of things......
I've settled on offering a free lunch advice session, or maybe even a few hours of helping them debug stuff, but not a "project committment"
- CALLES0
dont do work for friends... just have sex with them
- Fabricio0
My worst experience was when a friend, asked me to help him... forge a diploma he didnt receive, using my "designer" skills..., because he was looking for a job here in Brazil, and as a immigrant, he needed that diploma....
So after I told him "OFC not!" then he started listing all the favors he did for me over the course of our "friendship"...
- Continuity0
Easy: don't accept work from friends, period.
If a 'friend' won't pay your full fee and/or pay on time, you really have to question how much respect they've actually got for you, if any. A real friend would pay your full fee _and_ pay it on time like everyone else, not try to get a free ride out of someone they're supposed to care for and respect.
- identity0
Don't do it in the first place.
If you feel COMPELLED, however, to put your head into this proverbial bee's nest - I'd suggest hammering out a solid contract with them - as you should be with any client. Withhold work without payment. If they say you're being a shitty friend - let them know you were expecting payment (As you agreed before) and were DEPENDING on it (as they are depending on your design work). He/She's the asshole and not you.
- detritus0
Easy: Always work with a friend, not for one.
If you can't, work with, then don't work at all.
Depends upon the friend.
- “If you can't work with” even, blasted commadetritus
- You going Bill Shatner on us, Detritus? ;)Continuity
- coldarchon0
not doing that anymore. Lost 2 friends because they didn't pay even the low amount of 300€, lost another friend when he didn't let me take pics of his new restaurant when I made his page for free so he had to pay 8.000€ for some other designer, lost another 2 friends because I told them their brother is a fucking idiot when he wanted to make the page of a band that played in front of 10 people because I didnt think about CDN & load balance if their page gets hacked.
Do I regret losing these friends? No ..
- numbers0
Just say no
- big-papes0
Yep I do it all the time. It's a major pain.
- Josev0
I second and third everyone else's comments here. I've been working for myself for almost twenty years and for some reason, when approached by someone near to me, think "it will be different this time". I'm old enough and have been doing this long enough to know that it wont. You (I) start with the thinking that you'll have more control over it, will be able to make something cool because they trust you. This is what you'll get out of the exchange for working for less of pay. Instead it's like every other client but worse because you're barely getting paid and there are even fewer boundaries between you and the friend/client. So they're even more of a pain in the ass (at least that's been the case with me).
The only exception was when I was asked to design a wedding invite for a friend who was a designer. She said "do want you want, I trust you".
- Ambushstudio0
worst mistake ever
- inteliboy0
agreed with detritus -- working 'with' friends is fine, can be a great thing. working 'for' friends, don't do it.
- jon_d0
i agree with Detritus as well. here here.