[Hidden-tech] Re: Recession and pro-bono work

Paul Stallman paul at alias-solutions.com
Tue Dec 2 12:13:54 EST 2008


This is a great posting for everyone regarding the economy and pro-bono
work.  That's what I was trying to point out yesterday.  I think there are a
lot of good causes out there to do work for, it's a matter of watching out
for the guys that will ultimately profit from the work that you do for them
for free.  No one wants to build someone else's business and not get paid
for it.  (other than free advice on HT of course :-) ).  I think the thing
that makes Ad Club a touchy subject is that ultimately Ad Club is mostly
made up of the bigger agencies in Western Mass and for a small solopreneur
to work on the site for free ends up benefiting the larger agencies as much
or more than it does the individual, so while it is a not for profit group
it makes it an uncomfortable subject for us smaller guys.  But hey if you
aren't benefitting from the recession and you have time go do the work,
after all as they say there is no such thing as bad publicity.

 

As for the recession, I love it.  Well not from a standpoint of seeing
businesses close and people laid off, but since most of our clients are
smaller companies it means they all finally realize the need to do some
marketing and design.  No one looks at their website that close when the
business is pouring in the door, but now everyone is saying "how do we bring
in more customers?"  I'm probably taking 3-4 calls a day for new work or
extra work from existing clients.  It's great.  Keep up the recession. :-)
I know for designers and web companies that work with bigger clients and
budgets however it's hard.  Big companies work the opposite way.  They start
cutting marketing budgets when sales slow, then they start laying off, then
they reorganize, and finally they realize the need to spend money on
marketing and the work flows free again.  So if you do tend to work for
bigger clients, hold on, they will be back.  If you work for smaller
clients, now is the time to grow your company for sure.  

 

 

Paul Stallman

Managing Director

paul at alias-solutions.com

413.364.6147

alias|solutions

www.alias-solutions.com

  _____  

From: hidden-discuss-bounces at lists.hidden-tech.net
[mailto:hidden-discuss-bounces at lists.hidden-tech.net] On Behalf Of Anne
Campbell
Sent: Tuesday, December 02, 2008 10:12 AM
To: hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net
Subject: [Hidden-tech] Re: Recession and pro-bono work

 

Hi all,

I'm glad to hear that some of you are experiencing the same thing I am: I
feel very fortunate to be busier than ever, gloomy economic forecast to the
contrary. In fact, this past month was my busiest and most profitable in
five years. I'd encourage us all to keep plugging away and not get caught up
in the gloom. I keep thinking of Franklin Roosevelt's words that "the only
thing we have to fear is fear itself." 

As for pro bono work, I think it definitely has its place, and I'm learning
the delicate balance between giving my time to a good cause, and not letting
people take unfair advantage. I've done some free or low-cost work for
nonprofits, and although a couple have taken me for a sucker and tried to
squeeze everything they could from me, most have been wonderful. 

My favorite nonprofit client, Refuge International (
http://www.refugeinternational.com/ ), does amazing work for the poorest of
the poor in Guatemala, bringing health care, clean water, and education, and
giving deworming medication to millions of children. I feel great about
helping them out even though I'm paid very little, and as a bonus, through
them I found one of my best clients, who has brought me tons of repeat
business (at full fee, I might add). So the karma points do often come
around! You just have to support the causes you believe in, and be sure
you're not being drained beyond what you can handle.

-Anne

-- 
Anne Campbell, acampbell at gmail.com
http://www.annecampbelldesign.com/
http://www.riverbenddoula.com/

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