Selenium and the Free Work Factor.

The problem with Selenium that you've not heard about.

Life is full of things that we absolutely need, but that, in the wrong amounts, are quite poisonous.

Selenium is one of those things.

It's a vital dietary mineral for us and for a lot of other animals, including the ones we eat. A lack of it stunts growth and development.

Livestock get it from the grass they eat. The grass gets it from the soil it grows in. The trouble is that Australia's soil is notoriously low on Selenium.

We need it for life to work.?

But any more than 400 micrograms a day is toxic.

Why am I talking about trace minerals?

The case of Selenium is the same case for many things in life.

A bit of something important may be all that's needed to keep you healthy. But if you keep doing too much of it, you're going to end in a world of problems.

This brings me to one thing that we do when we first start working for ourselves.

Free is often required. But not forever.

There's something about doing things for free that both rewards us and disgusts us.

On the one hand, doing some work for free to build a catalogue of experience and get some client feedback is vital when you're first starting out in most service businesses - particularly the kind where you're doing things that aren't considered "mission-critical" to people or businesses.

Yet, when we keep doing work for free without any pathway to profit, we begin to resent being asked, yet again, to do something for free.

It's those in the creative fields that strike this the most.

Singers who are asked to sing for free "for the exposure."

Photographers who asked to take photos for free "for their portfolio."

Artists who are asked to donate a painting "for the publicity."

But it happens in less creative businesses too.

Web designers who get "put your link at the bottom of the page."

Graphic designers who will "be credited as a sponsor."

Indigenous people are asked to perform a Welcome to Country because they are Indigenous and "we don't have the budget.?

It's especially insulting when others are getting paid for their work.

Like the audio-visual guy at the event.

Or the keynote speaker.

Or the caterers.

So there needs to be a point where you either stop doing work for free OR you reduce the proportion you're doing.

So, where does volunteering come in?

Is volunteering also free work?

Take it from a guy currently volunteering on three committees for community organisations - it's free work.

Every organisation will have its reasons for not paying people.

There's no budget.

This is "for purpose."

Volunteers are our backbone.

But you'll usually find that the people asking you to volunteer are, themselves, getting paid.

And while there's nothing wrong with that, it's hard to take someone seriously about all the "mission" and "purpose" when they are comfortably sitting on a six-figure salary and driving a sign-written Toyota Prado around.

But it's hard to say no - especially if this is a cause or an organisation you believe in.

How do you handle it?

Putting guardrails around your life.

We need to treat working for free like Selenium.

There are going to be times when it is either helpful or necessary for our businesses and careers.

And there's going to be times when too much is too much.

I include my free work in my business plan each year.

For every ten speaking engagements I'm paid for, I will do two for free.

For every ten pieces of paid work I do, I will do two for free.

Once that quota is reached, I stop giving away my time.?

This year, I've had a big influx of paid work, so I've been able to do more free work. And that growth, if it continues, will bring another change.

I will need to reduce my free quote from 20% to 10% simply because of the time limits.

After all, I need sleep. And the occasional day off working.

If we think of Selenium as a supplement, and it often is, then we also understand that sometimes our dietary intake is adequate, and we may not have to take a selenium supplement at all.

Likewise, if we think of our capacity for free work as a supplement, we may find that we are giving away enough of our time in our existing arrangements, so we don't need to give away any more.

There will always be people looking for you to work for them for free.?

And by all means, offer your time to the things you believe in and want to support. But every beneficiary of your work will one day expect your work for free to expand and expand until you have nothing left but tiredness, burnout and resentment.

That's all for this weekend. Just one short read about how working for free can be a wonderful opportunity and an absolute nightmare.

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See you again next week.

Cheers,

Dante

A few ways I can lend a hand if you need some help.

I have been helping a lot of people to move beyond obscurity and into owning their personal brand and thriving with it. My free online mini-course will talk you through the beginnings of developing yours. Get it here.

I am speaking at the 2024 World Suicide Prevention Day Forum in Darwin on September 11. I'll be talking about the conversations I had with others that led to me still being here today to tell the story. Find out more.

I'm working with Meta on four workshops in Darwin during October Business Month. They're all free and designed for small businesses to expand their reach, understand marketing and secure their accounts online. It's on October 2 in Darwin. Book here.

And here's some of the tools I'm using to get my work done.

I use Brevo to send over 14,000 emails to my subscribers each week. Mailchimp is rubbish, so I use this. Try it out here.

I am a member of only two paid groups. Kate Toon's is one of them. It's not just Kate though - it's her community. Find out more here.

Notion is my second brain. I organise my notes, thoughts and writing there. I even write my newsletter using it. Try it out for free here.

I've been using Neuron Writer for over a year. I now have over 100 articles ranking on Google because of it. Get it here.

Very few books will cause me to make a massive u-turn on what I'm doing in life and business. The Art of Focus by Dan Koe it one. Get it here.

Motion is the calendar I use to bring all my calendars together. It's also how people book time with me. Check it out here.