That client who paid me in exposure instead of cash back in 2018

I was doing freelance graphic design out of my apartment in Austin, had this one guy reach out for a full brand package. Logo, business cards, social media kit, the whole thing. We talked for weeks over coffee at a local shop, and he seemed really excited. Then when I sent the invoice for $800, he said he could offer me 'great exposure' on his blog with about 50 followers. I laughed at first, thought he was joking. But he was dead serious, kept saying it would lead to bigger clients. I ended up walking out of that coffee shop without a dime, but I learned a hard lesson about setting payment terms upfront. Have any of you had someone try to pay you with something other than money, and how did you handle it without blowing up the relationship?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_oscar1d ago

...and that's exactly the kind of thing that makes you wonder if people even think about what they're offering, you know? I had this one time where a guy wanted me to redesign his whole website, and he offered me a 'lifetime supply' of his homemade hot sauce. Which is cool and all, but I can't pay my rent with hot sauce. I ended up just telling him I was flattered but I needed actual money, and he got super defensive. Like, sorry I don't want to barter for condiments, dude.

kevin_martin21h ago

So he got defensive after you turned down his hot sauce offer? Was he like actually mad you wouldn't work for free, or just embarrassed he thought that was a fair trade?