Time to say No!
If I had received €5 for every time I was asked if someone could 'pick my brain', I would be near retirement target right now. Instead I have had too many cups of tea - most of them I even paid for myself (thank you to the few who felt I earned the cuppa).
To become who I am today took many years of study, trial and error - I invested time and money to get my knowledge and expertise to the level it is. Yes, it is easy for me to give advice, share ideas and point people in the right direction. And I love brainstorming - I think it's a perfect way of getting the creative juices going and can help sorting the chaos in one's head. I also believe that brainstorming should benefit all parties involved, not only the one who is doing all the 'brain-picking'. I happen to be very lucky to have regular brainstorming sessions with Jane Leonard of Really Useful who doesn't hold back and we both go away re-generated and re-energised.
But mostly, I am giving my expertise and knowledge away as people are approaching me at functions, events and conferences with 'while you are here' and I see myself spending quite some time with the person who promised 'it won't take long' and missing out on the event itself.
I started saying to people that they can book an appointment and that I am charging x-amount for one or two hour session. And to my huge surprise, I get answers like 'but we are here already' or 'what??' and similar. I also saw people who I have given free advice, walking away and having taken the advice and succeeded, never actually acknowledged the help I have given so freely. Or - even worst - went and paid for the same advice I gave them with a PR company or even Life Coach (still laughing as that particular life coach was always late for meetings with her client who never thought of actually paying me to help her with her time management issues).
I am known as a nice person (only some people will not agree) and as a passionate advocate for Cork artisan food producers, chefs and Cork and Ireland in general. And based on the many times I get asked for advice, I assume that I am also seen as an expert in food and business (after all, I have a business degree). And still, people find it ok to 'pick my brain over the cup of coffee (by the way, I don't like coffee particularly)'. Coffee or tea doesn't pay my mortgage, petrol to get to the 'coffee-brain-picking-place' or even the simple pleasures in life.
Anyhow, I decided that I will have to be more business-like and simply give people my business card and ask them to book an appointment with me for a consultation. After that, you can pick my brain and I even get you a cup of coffee.
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