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These bottles are filled with exposure, if you think it is hard to see the exposure try spreading it on bread or feeding it to your kids…

Asking me to shoot for exposure, first of all let me congratulate you on building a awesome brand known all over the world or South Africa I am sure that took hard work and dedication but you have made it, awesome. You can now ask other people to work for free?

No you do not have the right to do that, asking someone to work for free is not acceptable I don’t care if you are a Fortune 500 company and your name is well known in every household in the world or a small start up.

What you are doing is wrong and hiding it under the pretense that if people see you did work for me the business will start flooding in is not okay. It is like buying a homeless person a lottery ticket. Yes there is a very small possibility that it might pay off and he or she actually wins with that ticket but let us face it the probability is very very small.

You might argue that you are helping this business or person by advertising on their behalf or at least mentioning their name in the credits. Again you could be helping who knows? Someone might actually read the credits or be so impressed with the work that they actually take the time to contact that business or person. The probability is again very small yet you are benefiting immediately from the work or service they provided.

If you are really interested in helping someone grow their business or promote their service or talent. Pay them even if you agree to a reduced fee and then promote them or give them credit, let them feed their families or generate an income while growing their business and yours, or perusing their dreams or try to achieve their goals. Do not insult them by letting them work for free under the pretense of helping them. If you cannot see the value in their service or product then do it yourself if you say you don’t know how to do it yourself or don’t have the equipment or time to do it. Well there is the value you are not seeing.

We all have overheads we all have financial obligations just like you are working on a budget so are they and every minute or hour spent shooting for exposure is time that could have been spent on work that actually pays the bills at the end of this month not some maybe month in the future.

Yes we all started somewhere or we are attempting to start and money is tight but don’t exploit others on your way up. When you get to the top of that ladder or you look back down on your way if if you see other people behind you on the ladder still climbing well done you will be blessed in your business. But if you see nothing but dead bodies on the floor at the bottom good luck staying up there, not if but when you fall may the bodies break your fall.

May God bless you for taking the time to read this and may you succeed in all you attempt.

Awie Greyling
5Past2 Media (PTY)LTD

Foot note: So will I shoot for exposure the short answer is NO. Will I be willing to sit down with any small business owner or individual and discuss a reduced rate YES