Liz Fleming is an Australian grant application writer and Chartered Accountant specialising in government grants. As the founder of The Grants Club, she works with impact-driven organisations across Australia to identify funding opportunities, develop grant strategies and secure funding to support their growth and impact.
You know those lessons you think you've learnt, only to find yourself learning them all over again? Well, I've just had one of those moments, and it's reminded me that people don't always value what they get for free.
Over the years, I've spent a lot of time working with business owners, sharing my knowledge and experience, and helping them work through the challenges of running a business. It's something I genuinely enjoy, particularly when I see someone take the advice they've been given and put it into action. Recently, a few experiences have made me question whether offering something for free always delivers the value we'd like it to.
Now, I'm not suggesting everyone who receives something for free takes it for granted. Plenty of people genuinely appreciate the opportunities they're given, but there's a difference between appreciating an opportunity and actually doing something with it. Lately, that difference has become painfully obvious.
Free Mentoring Sounds Great - Until Nobody Commits (or actually locks in the session)
I've been involved in several mentoring programs over the years, including programs where mentoring is provided free of charge to participants, and the mentors are paid. These programs give business owners access to professional advice and support they might otherwise struggle to afford or have available to them. I genuinely believe in their value, but I've noticed a recurring problem. When people aren't paying for mentoring, they don't always prioritise it.
A recent mentoring program really brought this home for me. I had three mentees who were apparently keen to participate. They'd expressed interest, wanted support and seemed enthusiastic about the opportunity. Wonderful! Except when it came time to book their sessions, that enthusiasm seemed to disappear.
I sent emails, followed up and made several phone calls. I offered different days and times, including evenings and weekends, something I don't normally do. I genuinely wanted to make it easier for them to participate. Yet despite all that flexibility, I couldn't get them to commit.
Meanwhile, I was spending valuable time chasing appointments instead of doing the work I was there to do. And quite frankly, I found it incredibly frustrating.
At some point, you have to ask yourself: If someone isn't prepared to make time for their own business, why am I bending over backwards to make time for them?
Free Doesn't Mean There's No Cost
Just because a service is free to the person receiving it doesn't mean it costs nothing to provide. Someone is paying, whether that's a government-funded program, an organisation sponsoring the service or a business owner contributing their expertise.
Even when a program is funded, there's still the time spent sending follow-up emails, making phone calls, juggling appointments and accommodating people who won't commit. That's time I could spend with paying clients, developing my own business or enjoying a round of golf.
My time has value, so does my knowledge and the years I've invested in building my skills. When I allocate time to mentoring someone, I'm making a professional commitment to them. Surely it's reasonable to expect the same in return?
I'm happy to be flexible when there's genuine commitment, but flexibility shouldn't be a one-way street. A free service is still a professional service, and professional services deserve professional respect.
The Mentoring Program I Walked Away From Before I Even Started
Another experience really reinforced this lesson, and this time I was volunteering my services as a mentor. Yes, volunteering. No payment whatsoever.
And I was completely fine with that. I'd signed up because I wanted to support the business community, and I could also see some value in the exposure and connections the program might provide. It was a conscious decision to contribute my time.
As part of the mentor induction process, I was required to observe an existing mentoring session. Fair enough, I thought.
The first session was cancelled about ten minutes before it was due to start because the mentee apparently had another important meeting to attend. Not a great start, but these things happen.
The session was rescheduled for a couple of weeks later. This time, three of us were waiting on Microsoft Teams: the mentor delivering the session, me as the observer and a government staff member.
We waited and we waited.
After ten minutes, the mentor followed up with the mentee. No answer. It eventually turned out the mentee was sick and hadn't bothered to let anyone know they wouldn't be attending.
So that's three people's time wasted, for the second time, by someone receiving free mentoring.
Here's where things got even more interesting - I discovered that every mentoring session in this program had a government staff member sitting in on the Teams meeting so they could record it.
Say what?
I've personally mentored more than 350 businesses, and one thing I know is that trust is absolutely essential to a successful mentoring relationship - business owners need to feel comfortable talking openly about their challenges, financial pressures, mistakes, concerns and sometimes very personal circumstances. In my experience, having a government staff member sitting in on those conversations, recording everything, is hardly going to encourage that openness. I certainly wouldn't expect business owners to be completely honest and forthcoming in that situation.
Between the lack of respect for people's time and my concerns about how those mentoring sessions were being conducted, I'd seen enough and I politely withdrew from the program before I'd even mentored a single business. The government staffer completely understood where I was coming from, in fact, she was a great co-ordinator!
I had volunteered because I wanted to make a positive contribution, but volunteering doesn't mean accepting arrangements that don't align with how I believe effective mentoring should work.
Why Do People Value Things More When They Pay?
Think about the last time you paid for a course, workshop or business event. Chances are, you made an effort to attend because you'd invested your hard-earned money.
Now think about a free webinar you've registered for. Did you attend every one? Or did you occasionally think, "Oh well, it was free. I'll catch the recording later"?
We've probably all done it.
When there's no financial investment, it's easier to put something off. What people then overlook is the opportunity they're losing -the advice they didn't receive, the questions they didn't ask and the business challenges they could have worked through.
Paying doesn't automatically guarantee commitment, and free services can certainly be valuable. In my experience, having some ‘skin in the game’ often changes how seriously people take an opportunity.
And Don't Get Me Started on Grants Being 'Free Money'
This same attitude comes up in another area of my work - grants!
I've had conversations with business owners who seem to think that because government grants are available, there's a pot of free money waiting to be handed out. And somehow, because they're applying for that money, I should provide my professional services for free too.
Grants are not simply free money, and grant writing is not free work.
Grant programs have eligibility requirements, assessment criteria, deadlines and obligations. There's work involved in finding suitable opportunities, understanding the requirements and preparing an application. Yet people sometimes expect me to research available grants, explain their eligibility and advise them about their options without charging. Then there's the expectation that I'll help write their application for free as well.
Apparently, because they're trying to access government funding, they shouldn't have to pay for professional assistance.
I'm sorry, but that's not how business works (or grant application writing).
I've spent years developing my knowledge and experience - identifying suitable grants takes time, and preparing a strong application requires expertise. Why should that suddenly have no value because someone hopes to receive funding?
I'm not suggesting every business needs a professional grant writer. But if you want professional advice or assistance, you should expect to pay for that service, just like a lawyer or accountant.
The grant might be free to apply for, but my expertise isn't. Paying for professional assistance doesn't guarantee you'll receive funding, but you're paying for the work and guidance involved, not a guaranteed outcome.
Being Keen Isn't the Same as Being Committed
There's a world of difference between saying you want help and being ready to accept it. It's easy to say you'd love some mentoring or need help growing your business. Genuine commitment means making appointments, turning up prepared, asking questions and taking action afterwards.
Mentoring is a relationship, and both people need to contribute. I can share my experience, offer guidance and help someone see opportunities they've missed, but I can't want success for their business more than they do.
I certainly can't keep chasing them to participate in something they've already said they want. That's not mentoring -that's me becoming someone's unpaid appointment coordinator!
Why I'm No Longer Giving Away My Time
So, after these experiences, I've made a decision. I'm no longer offering my professional services through mentoring programs that have a 'free' component for participants. This isn't because I don't care about helping business owners, it’s quite the opposite. I genuinely enjoy business mentoring and supporting people who want to grow their businesses, work through challenges and make positive changes. What I've realised is that I need to be more selective about the programs I participate in and the expectations that come with them.
I want to work with people who are genuinely committed to their businesses, who value the mentoring relationship and who respect the time and expertise being offered. People who are willing to make appointments, turn up, participate and take action, because that's when mentoring can make a real difference.
I'll continue sharing useful information and supporting my business community, but I'll be more intentional about where I invest my time and energy. When it comes to grant advice, grant writing and other professional services, I expect that expertise to be recognised and paid for, because generosity without boundaries can quickly become an expectation.
If you're fortunate enough to receive professional support at no cost, please don't confuse free access with an absence of value. Please remember that someone has invested their time, knowledge or money to make that opportunity available. The least you can do is take it seriously.
I've learnt this lesson before. This time, I'm listening.
Just remember that FREE doesn't mean worthless and my time certainly isn't.
I'd love to hear your thoughts. Have you experienced this as a mentor, consultant or business owner? Do people value services more when they pay for them?
Written by Liz Fleming, Chartered Accountant and grant application writer at Grants Club. With a background in financial management and grant funding, she helps Australian not-for-profits develop practical, sustainable funding strategies.