Have you ever been asked to answer free consultations about your work or profession? Have they told you it's a way to network, get your name out there, help others, or show your generosity? If so, you may have been tempted to accept, thinking you have nothing to lose and that it could be an opportunity. However, answering free consultations has a cost, and that cost is your time, your energy, and your value.

When you answer consultations for free, you are giving away your experience, your knowledge, and your skill. You are essentially saying that what you know and what you do has no price, that it doesn't deserve a reward, and that it isn't important. You are devaluing your work and your profession, and you are opening the door for others to ask for even more favors without any compensation.

Additionally, when you answer free consultations, you are losing time that you could dedicate to other more productive activities, such as attending to your paying clients, looking for new projects, training yourself, resting, or enjoying your personal life. You are spending energy that you could invest in improving your quality of service, in innovating, in creating, or in solving problems. You are wasting a limited and valuable resource that cannot be recovered.

That is why you do not have to answer consultations for free. You have to charge for your work, for your advice, for your opinion. You have to put a fair price on your experience, your training, and your career path. You have to respect your work and your profession, and make others respect it too. You have to value your time and your energy, and use them in an intelligent and efficient way.

It is not about being selfish, not collaborating, or not sharing. It is about being professional, defending your right, and recognizing your merit. You can choose who, how, when, and why to help, but always with judgment and with limits. You can offer your work for free if you want, but only if it is a voluntary and conscious decision, not an obligation or a pressure.

Answering consultations for free does not benefit you; it harms you. It does not give you prestige; it takes away your credibility. It does not generate opportunities for you; it closes doors. Therefore, the next time you are asked to answer consultations for free, remember that your experience is worth a remuneration, and that you have every right to demand it.