Thursday, November 15, 2018

Helping Out And Getting Paid

I like helping out.  If one of my friends or family members needs a hand with a project I enjoy doing the work and spending time with them. I do not need money to help them.
I appreciate some food after the work is done, or maybe some beers on a hot day but in no way do I demand it and have it as a stipulation for my help.

I do have a different view on helping out a friend who has a business and needs an extra hand for a day.  My view on this subject is that if the person I'm helping out is making money on the job we are doing, I expect that some of it should come my way as well.  Yes we are friends, but helping out a friend in need is different from helping out a friend in need in their business is a different story altogether.

Why should your friend pocket all the money they made with your help?  They expect you to work for free because they helped you move last year?  Did you make any money while moving and not share the wealth with your buddy? No, you did not.
A favor is just that, helping out with no expectation other than they should help you out when you need it.

If I make money doing a job with the help of a friend I called in, I make sure that some of that money ends up in their pocket. I don't call it a repayment of a favor or that they owed me for something I helped them out with in the past when they needed it, so I don't have to pay them.

Business and friendship need to be separated, you do not let a friendship affect a business or vice versa. When you help someone on a job you have to put your friendship on the back burner while you are doing that job. The most important person on a job is the customer, and making sure that they are happy.  If they are not, chances are that you won't be making any money from them in the future.

There are exceptions to every rule, and if you and your friend have come to an agreement before the job then of course that will work too, but don't try to come to an agreement after the work is done, that will just come out as an argument and turn nasty. One or both of you will harbor some resentment.

Once you pay someone for something there is nothing owed afterwards, you are even.

Scott Goerz