When it comes to work stuff, few and far between are the things that I will do pro-bono, and when it comes to stuff related to future tech, no. Not at this moment. Don't even think about it. Don't even ask me about it. Not gonna happen.
No one works for free in this world. At least, don't expect it, and don't expect people tp buy into it- even if they do, they'll always want something back.
Someone once suggested that we work together to create an industry-specific solution using future tech, whereby Partner A would provide the industry expectations and industry expertise, whilst we would provide the working tech, adapt the tech for that particular industry and then, after we succeeded in making it a working prototype, or MVP as I think we call it now, to knock the doors of the many, many players in the industry, and offer it to them for FREE.
Because, "oh, they don't know whether it will work, so they won't pay for it until they have tested it with their user base."
Right, so I take my in-development tech, assemble a team of future tech programmers, coders and 3D modelers, customize it for your industry, get your feedback, make relevant changes etc etc etc, then after it is a saleable product for your industry, go around cold-calling door by door and offer it them on a silver platter. Go ahead! Take it! It's free! Sample it, try it out, and if you like it, give me a call and we'll take this further! If you don't like it, no worries, we have a return policy, no strings attached.
I'm expected to say that? Seriously?
When are people going to realize that the more free expertise you offer, the lower your valuation will be? When are they going to realize that business is not about giving your expertise free, but it is about creating value? We're not talking about deliberate pro-bono services done to help the disadvantaged in need. We're not talking about sharing expertise to those whom we believe have something going but just lack the necessary piece of knowledge.
We're talking about a frame of mind. A frame of mind that seems to assume that they can afford to do stuff for free because someone (don't know who) is going to sponsor them or grant them the resources anyway. A frame of mind that eschews self-sufficiency and stage by stage monetization for the purpose of awareness and branding. In other words, it's like a busking thing. Stand there, offer it out to everyone and see who will like what you do or who will like you enough to pay you. But even buskers want to get paid. That's why they put the hat there. If it was all about awareness they could just do away with the bucket or the hat.
It was on the tip of my tongue to blabber on about whose cost it was going to be, who was going to pay for the programmers, coders and the like and who was going to pay for the cold-call time running around player by player when the product is not going to generate revenue.
But I didn't say all that. No point, when I could easily guess the answers I'd be getting.
"You must also put consideration on the table. Like that it shows your sincerity" (Is a six figure sum in the future tech that we're slogging through sincere enough?"
"Market validation and prototype testing, just account for it that way." (Maybe that should be your market validation because it is being customized for your industry? Mine's already being validated and tested and presented at all the tech cons.)
"You need them anyway, don't you? It will help your foray into this industry." (Bro, who is it you're saying I need? Bureaucracy exists, you know.. talk till when like that...?)
It does not cut with me.
We're not doing this for fun. We're not just only starting out on this s***. And we're not building a portfolio here. At least, not with players who do not know what they want, who will have no use-cases for it and who, even if they had, would be dismissed by others in the industry. People who have done work for Samsung and HP and Roche are not going to toss their work everywhere and muck around with it.
We know what we do, we know where to put it, we know who we wanna customize it for, and trust me, we're going to find a way to charge it to those who respect it enough to take it seriously, and who are able, willing and ready to pay.