ideas worth stealingWhy I said No to $10,000
Today, I said no to a $10,000 project.
A project where the team probably would have done whatever I said they should do. A project where I likely would have had complete control over the design. A project I believe would have resulted in a very good solution for a valuable service.
So why did I turn it down?
Getting information out of my contact at the company was … painful. Mind you, I didn’t seek out this client—he came to me. Yet every email was replied to with far fewer details than were asked for. When we spoke on the phone, I had to ask question after question to get even the most basic facts. Nothing was volunteered. There was no excitement in his voice when he talked about this new venture that would inevitably take over his life for many months to come. There was no passion. It was all very … matter of fact.
Despite this, I’m sure I could have done some good work and played an important role in creating what would surely become a valuable resource for a lot of people. And hey, who couldn’t use another $10,000?
But then I remembered something.
People without passion don’t succeed. Not in this business.
Even if I had delivered a good solution, and even if I had guided them every step of the way, I fully believe this effort would have been wasted on a project that will never get off the ground. Will never succeed.
And with that thought, the possibility of taking on the project disappeared.
Odds are that if you’re reading this blog, you do something pretty well (or would like to). Whatever that something is, don’t do it for no good reason. Do it because it matters. Do it because it makes a difference.
If it doesn’t, stop doing it.
I may have said No to $10,000 today, but I said Yes to something far more important. I said Yes to my reason for being a designer in the first place.
Today wasn’t the first time I’ve turned down $10,000. It almost certainly won’t be the last. But if I stick to what I believe in—what I care about—I’ll most certainly make up for it doing something that matters.
Posted by Robert on June 20th, 2008
9 comments
It is very good and stimulating to see that some people still have integrity and while money is still important is not #1 motivation all the time. Congratulations, even if you are one of the very few.
This is something I’ve never really bothered to verbalize before, but I think strongly dictates which projects I take on and which I pass. I don’t like working with cogs in an old machine, I like working with the people who are inventing the next model.
Good to hear from you, Dave! And thanks for the kind words, Emanuele.
Good to know others think this way as well. It would be a very sad state of affairs if everyone just took design and development jobs like it was factory work. I’ve certainly seen companies that do—they see their job only as implementers, regardless of what’s being implemented.
So uh… who’s that client and are they accepting bids? ;-)
This was a great post. I have unfortunately had a few experiences where I found out too late that I should have said no. The thing is there are always signs right from that start and as I look back I kick myself for not bolting.
Sometimes the money looks too good to turn down, but speaking from experience, with clients like this you usually end up losing money (time).
Very inspiring post. I particularly needed to hear “People without passion don’t succeed. Not in this business.” Just what I needed to hear this morning actually.
Thanks,
M
raise the price to 20k, they may get passionate about it then
Cent percent true Robert, well said! People without passion don’t succeed. And it’s not only applicable to software industry but everywhere. I don’t really care about the company, does not look like they have a bright future but what I care about people who believe in value of their work and not only money. Kudos!
Posted on June 26th, 2008
While it is necessary to have passion, integrity and drive, invariably, just like in caring professions such as teaching and nursing that require these virtues in abundance they are under-valued and under-paid.
Let’s remember that we are NOT, in most cases, saving lives or nurturing new minds. We are creating experiences that are by and large temporary and solving communication problems by identifying them and executing the best solution.
I don’t like to name drop, but Andy Rutledge has a great post on the topic of pre-bid discussions (26th May 2008). I think it “puts the meat on” the philosophy and, for those of us without the glowing portfolio and decades of experience, a useful yard stick to judge value in all its contexts and stakeholders.
Look beyond the job quote, the costs are more than they seem, there are great benefits for getting it right though.
Great post Robert.
Jesse Harding, great comment and I am currently going through the same thing for the first time and it’s soul destroying…