Laura Worthington refused. The requests come from individual people, organizations seeking donations, discounts requested by customers making big orders and even other TV shows, like the X Factor. I contribute services to prospective clients without asking for payment (just like my clients provide samples to their prospective customers). My company does free monthly training webinars for our products. When I'm asked for discounts on the products and services I often cave to get the business. No one cares about our costs. No one cares about how many hours we work in a day or how many people ask us for free products. No one cares that I'm a "small business owner" and every dollar they get comes right out of my pocket. If she took six months or a year and tracked on a spreadsheet every time she acquiesced to a plea for free stuff she would know what these demands are costing her annually. There's no reason why small businesses owners like Laura can't be doing the same.
If the producers of a popular TV show asked you to provide free product in exchange for “promotion” would you? Laura Worthington refused.
Worthington owns Laura’s Little Bakery in Liverpool, England. Recently, she was asked to bake a cake for one of the stars of a popular British TV show called Love Island. Her payment? “Exposure” on the show’s social media accounts, she was promised. Worthington was not impressed.
“Exposure doesn’t pay my bills,” she told the show’s producers, according to this Buzzfeed News report. “And I’ll be honest I think it’s a disgrace that companies like you go to small independent businesses asking for free stuff.”
It’s not the first time this has happened to her. Worthington claims she gets a request for free cakes “at least once a week.” The requests come from individual people, organizations seeking donations, discounts requested by customers making big orders and even other TV shows, like the X Factor.
“It has always been frustrating, and recently I’ve just said no, this can’t happen anymore,” she said. “I work really hard. I work a lot of 17-hour days, I do it all by myself.”
Is Worthington right to no longer give away free stuff? Nope. She’s dead wrong. But don’t worry, Laura. I think I have a solution.
I’m asked for free stuff all the time and it drives me crazy too. I contribute services to prospective clients without asking for payment (just like my clients provide samples to their prospective customers). My company does free monthly training webinars for our products. We send out free newsletters…
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