Hear me out before you get angry.

Free is the absolute fastest way to grow, if you can master it.

But most people are scared. They reject free work because most free work is structured badly.

What you should never do is work for free with no defined return.

When someone asks you to work for exposure, do not accept “I’ll give you credits”.

Say: introduce me to five business owners who buy this kind of work, with a personal recommendation.

A free internship is not the end of the world, if there is a great project, and a clear path to turning it into a career. Free shouldn’t mean they pay nothing, it just means they don’t pay money.

You need to trade for something that is helpful to you and free is a barter for some other helpful things.

Google, Instagram let you use their service for free in exchange of showing you ads. Uber used to give free credits. Chatgpt and Claude give you intelligence for free.

People give away books and useful information because they want the right to sell to you later.

Free is a trade, you should get something in return, it need not always be money.

So don’t let people exploit you, but don’t be afraid to work for free.