Dear Queenie,
I am a beautician and my relatives and friends expect me to give them my professional services all the time at their homes and for free.
Queenie, how can I get them to stop asking me?—Imposed on
Dear Imposed on,
Grow some backbone and learn to say “no.”
Tell them it is impossible for you to do the work at their homes because it would mean carrying around too much equipment, so they should make an appointment to come to your place of business. Then, if they do, feel free to hand them a bill for your services and if they object, tell them you had to turn away a paying customer to accommodate them so you expect to be compensated for lost business.
Either they will pay up then and in the future or they will (eventually) stop asking you for favours.
