Last week, I had someone unsubscribe from my newsletter. And among her other comments, she said that I wasn’t giving enough FREE information (and yes, she capitalized free…), and that she was so depressed that her business wasn’t going anywhere, she couldn’t stand to read how cheerful I was about how well my life was going… *ahem* let’s not go there. Let’s talk about this issue of free stuff.

Let me be blunt for a minute - all the “free stuff” in the world isn’t going to help her with that mind-set.

And from a soul-level, let me say that, all the free information in the world isn’t going to get your business where it needs to go - it just isn’t. There is a ton of free information available online from some really great business owners. But, they don’t give you enough in those free resources to actually build a business with. And there are reasons for that.

The big one is, we’re not in business to give away everything we do - and you shouldn’t be either. I talk to so many entrepreneurs who want to barter, or who give so much of themselves away for free. Where is that getting them? Not where they want to be, I can tell you that.

One guy I was talking to a few months ago had his business for 25 years, and still wasn’t making enough money to support himself. He said he just couldn’t understand the problem, he knew so many people, and had bartered and given services away as a way to build his reputation… well - there’s your problem. He bartered so much - people expected not to have to pay, so they would always request a barter.

You need to be reciprocated for your work. You have to be - it’s just the way the Universe works. And in our society, money is the accepted energy exchange. Now - I’m not saying that all bartering is bad… there is definitely a place for it, and it can be valuable.

But, from a practical level, you won’t be able to be financially secure on bartering and giving it away. And if you’re not financially secure - if you’re always worried about money - what kind of quality work are you doing? Fear and stress do nasty things to the mind-set. And if you’re operating with them in the background… well… it’s affecting your work.

As a business owner, it’s wonderful that you feel your work is sacred, and it’s amazing that you put your work out in the world. But, bottom line - you can’t always do it for free.

Another big reason business owners can’t give everything away for free is, many recipients wouldn’t value the information enough to actually act on it. I know - that’s a bold statement. But it’s true.

Think about something you’ve gotten for free… have you REALLY valued it? How many e-books do you have sitting on your hard drive that you’ve never opened… or that you’ve breezed through and not really done anything with… see what I mean?

Let’s take the woman who unsubbed from my newsletter. I give a free report away with my newsletter subscription so people can understand my Mindful Marketing Process. That report contains practical information that you can implement in your business immediately.

If she had implemented just one of those steps, I’ll bet she would have seen a difference in her business - not a huge, avalanche-type of a difference, but a difference… enough for her to realize that she CAN do it. And the steps outlined in that report would have taken her very little time to implement. But, her mind-set couldn’t get out of the way long enough to even let her try… no amount of free stuff will change what she doesn’t value.

Finally, one last reason we can’t give it all away - overwhelm. Can you imagine what it would be like if I handed you my entire cirriculum of materials - all my e-books, recordings, group coaching packages… Ok, I know that might be cool - for 5 seconds, til you realized you had absolutely no guidance or plan on how to get through all of that material.

Once you saw the mountain of information, I guarantee you’d go into overwhelm - you’d tuck all of that away and never touch it because it would just be too much to deal with.

I know that’s an extreme example. But do you see my point? I teach - teach - marketing for a reason. Because sometimes, you need a living, breathing person who has been where you’ve been and is where you want to go, to guide you through what you need to learn.

Looking at this from another perspective - when you are building your list, don’t get all tangled up in giving information away for free. Your newsletter should contain value, of course, but don’t give it all away.

Your newsletter and building a list are about making connections and deepening relationships so that people understand what you do - it’s not about what you’re giving away for free. You’re in business because you’re passionate about what you do. And it’s appropriate to be properly compesated for your work.

If you are struggling with list building, my 3 week List Building Class might be just what you need. Check it out here.

If you’re struggling with money, or valuing your work… if you have trouble accepting or asking for payment, you should check out the Mind-Set Coaching Program I’m doing with my partner Katherine Reschke. We’re starting a new session in January.