Dear random guy selling CD’s in front of the gas station,

No, I think I’ll take a pass at supporting “local artists” today and simply put this $5 on pump number 3. You see, it’s rather hard for me, or anyone for that matter to truly consider paying for too much of anything these days, let alone a CD with your name written in a Sharpie. Take for instance the television; ratings have been consistently declining since the creation of the internet. Now, with even more cutting edge technology like Youtube and Hulu, it almost renders plopping down on the couch in front of the big screen an urban legend that will only be told to little children in front of camp fires.

But that’s just the beginning. Running low on cell phone minutes, just Skype your best friend for free. Looking for a portable basketball court in Ashburn, VA, here’s a free one on Craigslist. Search engine Bing will even consolidate all travel search sites into one comprehensive easy to use analysis to help you purchase your travel tickets. You guessed it right, all for FREE.

Bing

And for some reason, this philosophy of free seems to go undiscovered by many. I’ve seen many business owners fall flat on their faces attempting to squeeze every dollar out of loyal supporters in the early run, only to sell themselves short by not offering up free services that people have come to expect.

Not to say, that you should give everything away for free (you certainly don’t see free AOI shirts everywhere) when you’re starting out, I simply suggest eating some of the costs early in the game to gain supporters. Folks like Johhny Cupcakes make it a point to include a little extra something for every order he sends out. Even if it’s just a sticker.

So CD guy, next time you consider making that sells pitch, ask yourself is it really worth it.