Will you offer them discounted “mate’s rates”?
Some family members or friends might expect you to offer them a discount when they book, simply because they know you. In fact, you might even feel compelled to offer your service free of charge.
“The first time a family member asked me to take some photographs for them - many years ago - I didn’t charge them, because I felt slightly awkward doing so,” says Paul David Smith, a Newquay-based photographer who offers everything from wedding and event photography to lighting and filming courses. “I ended up spending three days working on their photoshoot and whilst it felt good to help then, it quickly dawned on me afterwards that it wasn’t something I’d be able to do again, as I had bills to pay.”
Family or friends who know how hard you work most likely won’t press for any kind of discount, meaning it will most likely be up to you to decide how much you do (or don’t) want to offer them. Just make sure you’re upfront with them from the off, and avoid leaving yourself out of pocket simply because you feel you should.
If you do choose to offer a juicy discount on your work, make it clear. On your quote or invoice, show the normal RRP for the service you’re offering, alongside the discount. This will make it clear that there is a higher value to your work, as well as emphasising that they are receiving this discount due to being a close friend or family member. This will mean that if they recommend your work to someone else, they can quote the “real” value of it, rather than what they paid for it.
Freelancing with family as employees or partners
If you’ve realised that your small business needs another pair of hands behind the wheel, enlisting the help of a family member can make things a lot simpler. After all, they’re probably already very familiar with your business and what you do, and it can save you the time and expense of a lengthy hiring process, too. Fundamentally, they’ve also got a personal interest, too.
Simone Riches, a blogger and social media manager, helps her cousin with website maintenance and design, as well as social media management.
“My work for my cousin is on an ad-hoc basis,” she says. “Our family connection can mean answering calls a little later in the evening than a ‘normal’ work call. Working for a family member means you’re invested in helping them succeed, as much as they want to help you succeed.”
Questions to ask yourself before you approach them about the opportunity include:
- How many hours per week/month will you require assistance? Will this be during a fixed timeframe (e.g. 9-5 Monday-Wednesday) or can it be flexible?
- How much can you offer in payment?
- Where will they work: is the role remote or does it have to be carried out on your premises? If the latter, what will you need to invest in to ensure they have a proper set-up?
- What duties will the role entail, and does the family member have the skills required?
- What perks, benefits and/or training can you offer?
- How long is the role for: is it long-term or for a certain period of time only?
If your family member is already skilled in the area you’re looking for help with, getting them on-board could really prove valuable - as well as open up the potential for discussion.
“My skills learnt as a blogger fit perfectly with his requirements for growing his digital asset management software business, as well as his online marketing needs,” explains Riches. “We’re forever bouncing ideas off each other, and both have different thoughts on how online marketing can be managed. Sometimes it’s definitely a case of two people butting heads! However, we have a strong personal relationship, so after a bit of a grumble, we move on and get the job done.”
For Chris Lees, founder of Fixspec, a niche software and consulting company that serves the financial markets, taking his wife on-board to help with processes ranging from payroll to customer invoicing was a no-brainer.
“My wife comes from a HR background, and I employ her to take care of a variety of internal processes,” he explains. “What is great about this type of work here, is that - with a little bit of forward planning - nothing is time-critical and it can be quite predictable in terms of workload. This works well for our family and we operate on what I like to refer to as a "flexible part time" model. This means that we know she needs X hours per month to complete everything that needs doing, but she has complete flexibility over when that happens as opposed to having fixed working hours on any given day.”
As much fun as hiring family members might be, there can be difficult moments. From tough conversations about work that isn’t quite up to scratch to knowing whether or not they’re justifying their wages, it’s worth giving thought to how you will handle potentially awkward scenarios. Factors to consider include:
- How will you measure the success/value of their work?
- How will you give negative feedback or have difficult conversations with them?
- How will you let them know if/when their services are no longer required?
There are also some other factors to be aware of before you consider hiring a family member to join you at your freelance balance.
How will you avoid workplace distractions?
If you and your family member will be working together in the same space (rather than remotely), you’ll need to decide in advance how you keep focused on work. As lovely as a natter with your cousin might be, being distracted is the last thing you need when you’re a busy freelancer. So work out in advance how you can communicate this in a friendly way.
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