477. Stop Being Afraid to Work for Free (Let me explain)

This episode might ruffle some feathers. Recently, I posted that I was looking for a photographer and videographer to help capture The Shifting Focus Experience in exchange for a ticket to the event. Almost immediately, the criticism started: Why would an educator who teaches people to raise their prices ask someone to work for free? So I decided to talk about it. There's a massive difference between someone expecting you to give away your work and you strategically choosing to invest your time, talent, or services into an opportunity that can move your business forward. In this episode, I'm talking about the difference between a scarcity mindset and an abundance mindset, why I still say yes to unpaid opportunities, and why I continually see some of the most successful people in the premium and luxury market sponsoring events, donating their services, and finding ways to get themselves into the right rooms. Your network is a lot like a 401(k). The investments you make today might not pay you tomorrow, but over time, relationships compound. We'll talk about how to decide which opportunities are actually worth saying yes to, why "exposure" isn't always a dirty word, and how thinking only about what pays you today could be keeping you stuck in the middle market. If you know where you want your business to be in two years, start asking yourself: What can I invest today that gets me closer to that room, that work, and those relationships? Because sometimes the opportunity that doesn't pay enough today is the opportunity that changes everything tomorrow. The Shifting Focus Experience: https://john-bunn.com/the-shifting-focus-experience    Chapters   00:00 Why This Episode Might Ruffle Some Feathers 02:18 The Controversy Around Working for Free 04:11 When "Exposure" Is Actually Worth Something 05:39 Why Successful Creatives Sponsor Events 08:36 Scarcity vs. Abundance Mindset 09:18 The $2,000 Ticket Controversy 13:00 Why Getting in the Room Matters 16:24 Stop Thinking Only About Today 19:51 How Free Work Helped Build a $50K+ Brand 21:21 Get in the Room and Build Your Brand 24:19 Your Network Is Your Business's 401(k) 27:17 Why Action Takers Eventually Win 29:12 Build Your Two-Year Plan 33:10 Shift From Scarcity to Abundance 34:16 Final Thoughts + The Shifting Focus Experience     👋 Join My Circle Community: https://shifting-focus-with-john-bunn.circle.so/   🎧 Listen to the podcast on your favorite platform: https://bit.ly/4owsWiM   📱 Instagram: John Bunn - http://bit.ly/2AYTiE2 John Bunn Films: https://bit.ly/43S3866   Get in Touch: ✅ Brand deals, promotions, podcast info, etc., email john@johnbunnfilms.com   Sponsors and Affiliates: ⭐️ Bride and Groom Video - John's Personal Editor for Video: https://bridengroom.video/johnbunn/ - $100 off the first project of $400, promo code JOHNBUNN100 ⭐️ Get 1500 Free Edits with Imagen.ai: https://imagen-ai.com/?ref=johnbunn ⭐️ Vidflow - Deliver your films and photos with the best - Try it free here https://signups.vidflow.co/ref/johnbunn ⭐️ Musicbed - The Best Place to License Music: https://bit.ly/45HQjhC - 14 day free trial ⭐️ Inly - CRM for creatives: https://bit.ly/41Akxkf - 10% off with promo code JOHN ⭐️ Lemlii -  CRM for creatives: https://bit.ly/45rhAnl Promo Code - JohnBunn25 (25% off any plan for 12 months) ⭐️ Multiply Media - https://bit.ly/46OdZCe - 15% off with promo code JOHNBUNN ⭐️ PlotLine Pro - AI Powered, Story First Filmmaking Tool - 3 Free days - https://www.plotline.pro/?via=john ⭐️ Spingle - AI culling and editing - https://bit.ly/4m80XnZ - 2 week free trial ⭐️ Honeybook - CRM for creatives: https://bit.ly/4lmrKvf - 30% off ⭐️ Gamut - Color Presets and LUTs: https://gamut.io/product/luxe/?gamut=johnbunn ⭐️ Flodesk - Emails Made Easy: https://bit.ly/4md3ltE - 50% off ⭐️ Second Society - The best place to find second shooters https://my.secondsociety.io/signup?via=john-bunn The Shifting Focus Podcast, all rights reserved. All links are affiliate links and result in a commission for John Bunn Films if used. I appreciate the support. Help me by supporting my sponsors. #weddingvideography #weddingphotography #shiftingfocuspodcast