(Part of a series that began with You Need to Get Paid)

Another way to make your services affordable without sacrificing your right to get paid is to create products.

As I’ve said, before, it’s tough to find people who can afford to pay what your work is worth if you’re serving them one on one. But if you find a way to spread the cost out over many people, it can get a bit easier.

One way to do this is with products. Is there any way you can take the good you’re generating and put it into a product?

An example of this is a book. If you take what you know and put it into a book, as opposed to delivering it in person, suddenly it becomes cheaper for both you and the person on the receiving end. Few people can afford to pay you for a book’s worth of your knowledge, delivered one-on-one. But if you write it all down and charge, say, $20 per copy, most people can afford that.

Bottle up some of your awesome and use it to bankroll your operation.

Bottle up some of your awesome and use it to bankroll your operation.

You could also do this with an e-book, podcast, video, DVD, workbook, design template, analytical tool, or any other kind of product that would act as a vehicle for your work.

The fringe benefit of products is that they also create the possibility of reaching far more people than you ever could one-on-one.

Of course, creating products isn’t an automatic license to print money. I wrote a book myself, so I know that after you factor in the resources needed to write it, edit it, design it, and print it, you have to sell quite a few copies to make it financially worth while. But it’s a potentially useful piece of the puzzle:

  • It may be a nice, accessible way for a future lucrative contact to check you out at a relatively low price point.
  • If you’re asked to speak for free at an event, it becomes a bit more justifiable if you can be selling your products while you’re there.
  • If you do decide to give someone a bit of free one on one time and they ask for more, you can offer them your product(s) as an alternative to more freebies.

Having products for sale moves you further towards financial stability in your do gooding, and offers people more ways to engage with your work. It’s a win-win.

You might also enjoy: Why The Hell Are We All Broke?!, You Need to Get Paid, How to Get Paid, Part 1: Events, How to Get Paid, Part 3