I Refused to Work for Free so They Fired Me

I told myself it was for the best. I insisted that I was definitely better off. But the truth is, getting fired for establishing a fair boundary stung more than expected. And I’m just getting over it.

They were my first big client. I was thrilled when they offered me the ongoing contract work. The opportunity to get my words in front of a huge following was, in a word, exhilarating.

And the words flowed. The niche was an excellent fit for me. I found the content super easy to write, the topics enjoyable to research and think about, and the feedback editorially and from the readership, in a word, validating.

So perfectly paired were writer and client that the scope of work widened. What began with reworks of viral stories and fresh takes on age-old evergreen topics blossomed into sponsored-content topics, fully supported by paying marketing clients eager to reach a fervent four million followers.

My sales and marketing background served me well in this role. It was not the first time I’d crafted compelling content that softly sold brands and products to a primed readership. I was flexing skills that had not been put to use in quite some time. And it felt great.

Image by janeb13 from Pixabay

The clients loved my work. The editor loved my work. Everyone internally loved working with me. I was fast, on point, professional, and creative. Everyone wins, right?

Then it came to compensation as it frequently does. I found myself doing tons of revisions for particular clients, which is fine. Everyone wants to please a paying client. But it seemed to me that this kind of project should pay more because they required significantly more time.

I discussed this with my editor, he agreed, and they offered me a *slightly* higher fee for sponsored posts. I wanted more, but I loved the work and felt the trade off was acceptable. Fine.

Over time, it became evident that I not only possessed writing skills but that I could quite effectively manage client-facing interactions as well. I could attend virtual meetings with clients, pitch them content ideas, drum up outlines, and then write stellar content, too.

Yes, I could do all of those things. And be damn good at it, too. But I was being asked to come up with ideas, pitch them at a meeting, run with whatever idea they chose, and see it through revisions. For the same fee we agreed upon for *just* doing the writing.

And it felt a whole hell of a lot like I was being taken advantage of.

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

Don’t get me wrong. With any client, I fully expect to engage in meetings and be in regular communication. That is part of the writing and collaboration process. One that, it is worth mentioning, I quite enjoy. But this work was most definitely extra. Am I wrong?

I very professionally made a case for an increase in fee, based on time spent in preparation for and pitching ideas in client-facing virtual meetings. After all, I explained, these are very different skills than writing and they require a very real investment of my available working time.

Instead of agreeing to compensate me for my time and skill set, I received a very impersonal Slack message dismissing me entirely from service to the client who could no longer “afford” my services.

After two years of producing high-quality work together, I was kicked to the curb because I dared to establish a boundary for myself, financially and professionally.

I still have a bad taste in my mouth about it. But I do not regret it. I am a freelancer. But I am not free.

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This post was previously published on Medium.

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