When Free Isn't Free

When Free Isn't Free
One of the great attractions in starting an online business
is that you can get your business up and running with
minimal start-up costs. You can run a Google search and
find free web templates, free hosting accounts, free
teleconference services, and free PLR content, among other
things. However, you need to remember that the old adage
is true: you get what you pay for.

It's important to do your due diligence in researching a
free product, just as you would with something you would be
paying for. Consider the company's reputation, customer
satisfaction, and make sure you can terminate or uninstall
it if it isn't working for you.

This is not to say that there aren't some great free
resources available out there. So how do you know when
free isn't really free? Answering the following three
questions will help you decide if a free product is really
going to be free for you.

1. What is my time worth?
We all have three personal resources to draw from: time;
money; and energy. If you're not spending money for an
Internet resource or product, chances are you're going to
be spending time and energy.

Say you decide to use a free website template rather than
hiring a web designer. Unless you know something about web
design and html, you will most likely spend a much larger
chunk of time to develop your site than a designer would.
The web designer charges $75 an hour and it takes them an
hour to design your site, while it may take you 6 hours to
do the same job. Your time was worth $12.50 an hour. If
you consider your time to be worth more than that, say at
least $25 an hour, your "free" website template just cost
you $75.

2. How much control do I want over details?
Many free resources have limited or no options available to
you. It's like buying pre-bagged fruits or vegetables.
The quality as a whole might be okay, but each individual
piece may not be what you would pick out yourself.

For example, if you choose a free web hosting company, you
may be limited to one domain name and not much disk space
or bandwidth. When you are just starting out, that might
fit the bill. But what if you want more than one domain?
Chances are you'll have to pay for each additional site.
And what happens when your business grows? How much time,
money and energy will you need to spend to upgrade or
change hosting accounts?

3. What are my skills and abilities, likes and dislikes?
This is a critical question and it's important to be honest
with yourself. Are you a computer techie, or is
copywriting your forte? Can you get lost in the creative
process, or would you rather be researching new sales
techniques?

If you love to write and the thought of free PLR content
inspires you, then it's definitely a great bargain. But if
you spend hours agonizing over rewriting, formatting, and
publishing, then you might be better off paying a
ghostwriter or a freelancer. If you're a techie, that free
shopping cart software might be a great deal, but if you're
not, you may end up paying the support fees for somebody
else to clean up the mess you made trying to set it up.

So when deciding if "free" is really free, be sure to
calculate the true cost to you in terms of time, money, and
energy, as well as whether you're going to be stuck doing
something that you truly dislike or that is beyond your
ability. The bottom line is that you are going to be
spending a certain amount of time, a certain amount of
money, and a certain amount of energy operating your
business. To be successful, you need to find the balance
that works best for you.

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