Greetings and peace be with you Muslimah_Sis;
That was some good advice from AsilahRana, you do have to take care not to harden your heart in business even though you may get 'stitched' up by customers.
It may be in your nature to be a kind and forgiving person, and it may not be in your nature to be a business woman and make money. It is difficult asking for money especially from a friend, and some people seem to specialise in making friends simply so they can take advantage of them.
I may be really cynical based on some past experiences in life but I can almost guarantee that if she has given you fifty blouses to alter she may be acting as a middle man. She will be getting the work done for free so that she can charge her nieces and friends for all your efforts.
Your past experience with baby sitting is a lesson in life that people aren’t always what they seem, bad debt in business is the cause of many failures and bankruptcies.
You could truthfully say to her that fifty blouses is too many for you to do all at once as you are just starting up; you could do maybe two or three blouses by Monday and say a price in advance. Also tell her in advance that you cannot do any more until she pays you for the ones you have done; if she doesn’t pay you then you have only done a couple. If she pays you do another five and ask her for the money, then do them a few at a time and get the money before you start each batch.
You have nothing to loose, if she is trying to gain your friendship so she can have cheap or free labour then you may not need that kind of friend, if she is a real friend she will understand and pay you a fair price for your time.
If you find it hard to ask for money put a poster up on your door or somewhere prominent with a list of charges for all your services, you could point out the poster to her and ask her if she thinks your prices are fair.
If you started of being a bit uneasy about asking for money the chances are that if you put a price on a job you may also be tempted to give a discounted price and you will end up working for less than the average hourly rate.
You need to be brutally honest with yourself in business often we end up kidding ourselves and think that we are doing better than we really are. Do a job in front of the clock and work out an hourly rate, time all the jobs you do; and learn how to price jobs according to the clock and add any material costs on top.
In business you are kind of responsible for the customers property if they are lost or damaged in your care. Even if you are dealing with a friend look at each blouse in front of her and note any peculiarities about any blouses and always give her a duplicate receipt for them and you keep a copy too.
The reason being she could come back in a months time and say she left sixty blouses with you, and you could end up doing all the work for free to compensate for the ten lost blouses she says you have lost.
In business you can make any rules you like, but you are accountable because they will work for you or against you. In business you always learn your lessons the hard way and they cost you each time.
Also from a business point of view if she has fifty jobs now she may well be able to give you more work, and you have to take this into consideration, but work is only work if you are paid.
I hope you are well, and may God bless you and help you find peace,
Eric
That was some good advice from AsilahRana, you do have to take care not to harden your heart in business even though you may get 'stitched' up by customers.
It may be in your nature to be a kind and forgiving person, and it may not be in your nature to be a business woman and make money. It is difficult asking for money especially from a friend, and some people seem to specialise in making friends simply so they can take advantage of them.
I may be really cynical based on some past experiences in life but I can almost guarantee that if she has given you fifty blouses to alter she may be acting as a middle man. She will be getting the work done for free so that she can charge her nieces and friends for all your efforts.
Your past experience with baby sitting is a lesson in life that people aren’t always what they seem, bad debt in business is the cause of many failures and bankruptcies.
You could truthfully say to her that fifty blouses is too many for you to do all at once as you are just starting up; you could do maybe two or three blouses by Monday and say a price in advance. Also tell her in advance that you cannot do any more until she pays you for the ones you have done; if she doesn’t pay you then you have only done a couple. If she pays you do another five and ask her for the money, then do them a few at a time and get the money before you start each batch.
You have nothing to loose, if she is trying to gain your friendship so she can have cheap or free labour then you may not need that kind of friend, if she is a real friend she will understand and pay you a fair price for your time.
If you find it hard to ask for money put a poster up on your door or somewhere prominent with a list of charges for all your services, you could point out the poster to her and ask her if she thinks your prices are fair.
If you started of being a bit uneasy about asking for money the chances are that if you put a price on a job you may also be tempted to give a discounted price and you will end up working for less than the average hourly rate.
You need to be brutally honest with yourself in business often we end up kidding ourselves and think that we are doing better than we really are. Do a job in front of the clock and work out an hourly rate, time all the jobs you do; and learn how to price jobs according to the clock and add any material costs on top.
In business you are kind of responsible for the customers property if they are lost or damaged in your care. Even if you are dealing with a friend look at each blouse in front of her and note any peculiarities about any blouses and always give her a duplicate receipt for them and you keep a copy too.
The reason being she could come back in a months time and say she left sixty blouses with you, and you could end up doing all the work for free to compensate for the ten lost blouses she says you have lost.
In business you can make any rules you like, but you are accountable because they will work for you or against you. In business you always learn your lessons the hard way and they cost you each time.
Also from a business point of view if she has fifty jobs now she may well be able to give you more work, and you have to take this into consideration, but work is only work if you are paid.
I hope you are well, and may God bless you and help you find peace,
Eric
