How do you deal with family and friends who wants discounts? I own a small cookie business. I make about $200-$300 per order for my work so these aren’t cheap cookies. I get family members and friends sometimes messaging me to do custom cookies for them for events for such a small (basically just covering my expenses without making me any money at all) amount or sometimes I feel they even expect it for free and it’s really awkward for me to tell them my actual pricing because I know they won’t spend the money. However, my time is valuable and making these orders is very time consuming - time I can be working on another order that’ll bring me a lot more money.
So, how do you deal and gently tell them “no” or “it’ll cost you XY amount” which would be pretty much the same as any other client? I have done a few free orders for close family and friends and a few really cheap ones but I’m done with this. I’m busting my ass for nothing.
Real friends and family do not expect a discount from a small business. They respect it’s your livelihood. You can a choose to give them one! But those that you know feel somehow entitled to it, hard no.
I’m starting a business. My mom and a few of her friends placed orders for my items. I offered to do them for free (for my mom) and at cost (for her friends). I was so happy they liked my things, ha ha, and was looking forward to maybe some free word of mouth from them to get me started.
None of them would accept my offer. Not one.
You can can help them out by telling them what your cost is and how many hours of time the order will take you and nd work up an adjusted rate. You can make a gift of doing it for free for a special few. But by no means does anyone you ever called a friend get a discount, least of all those that expect it. If anything they get someone who goes the extra mile for them, throws in that extra touch, actually cares about their event etc. that’s more than they’d get elsewhere.