What I learnt about giving free services

Can you do me a favour?

I have a weekly public speaking practice session that we do over Zoom. In the sessions I am often asked by some of my mentees whether once you are an established speaker it's ok to give free services to people who should otherwise be paying you. Should you do favours?

I have my own view about it but let me first share a story. Somewhat unrelated to speaking but demonstrating something common in that area.

It was around the year 2000. We had miraculously survived the millennium bug, and the predicted computer-induced apocalypse did not take place. The projected figures that would be required to rectify the damage caused by the bug were between $400 million and $600 billion. I guess we must have extensively felt rich after the miracle.

I was then a face painter in one of Kenya's most prestigious shopping complexes, The Village Market. What a joy it was to transform adventurous young heroes into Superman, Batman, wild animals, and more with the use of a brush. Then, I used the same brush as a magic wand to turn some beautiful young faces into princesses, flowers, dolphins, and more.

This always led to a playground full of a mixture of sounds, as Batman challenged a tiger to a fight, or some lion went chasing after a flower. I would watch that as I licked a cone of ice cream, enjoying the soothing sunrays common in Nairobi.

“Hello, Artist.” A lady interrupted me one day as I was fully engaged in a conversation with a dolphin interested in knowing how to paint flowers as I did.

“Yes, Mum,” I responded respectively.