Hashir
Influencing has become a popular career choice for a lot of people these days. Undoubtedly, it is one of the most easy ways to earn money, but of course, nothing is achieved for free. Whatever one does, they have to work hard to get and put in great effort to make their work liked by millions of people around the globe. The human brain can never stop thinking. As long as we are alive, our brain will keep thinking, processing and creating new and innovative ideas. People take those ideas and put it on the internet. They show their talent and share their knowledge with the world. They influence the world and inspire others in many ways.
Unfortunately, some people take advantage of their fame by getting stuff for free. When someone has a good fan-following and they are in a position of making an impact, they would contact local businesses and offer marketing of their brand in exchange for free goods/services. Although it’s a pretty fair deal and local/ small businesses get promoted among thousands and millions of people who follow these Influencers, but giving out free stuff puts a business at loss. Reshmi Bennett, an award-winning artisan patisserie and mastermind behind Anges de Sucre said “NO” to all those entitled “influencers” who asked her for free cakes for their events in exchange of Influencer marketing. Scroll down to find out how she said no.
More info: Anges de Sucre | Instagram | Facebook
Meet Reshmi Bennett
The cake is simply WOW!
Oh my! Snack us some cake please.
The girl’s got talent!
Whoa! Would ya look at these cakes right here. We’re drooling already.
Honestly, would do anything for a snickers cake.
Just get in my belly.
All these cakes are just mouthwatering. Bennett is extremely talented and creative when it comes to baked goods. These cakes are simply irresistible. Reshmi Bennett is based in London and she took training in French cuisine from Paris at École Grégoire Ferrandi. Not only that, she also worked in Paris under Michelin before she started her very own cake shop “Anges de Sucre.” Like, whoa! That’s all we need. She’s popular for her cakes, especially for her extremely aesthetic cakes for special occasions. A lot of influencers ask her to make them a free cake for their personal events in exchange for a shoutout on their page. Well, the thing is that baking a cake that is this decorated and aesthetically pleasing is pretty darn time consuming and expensive. So giving it out for free for a few followers doesn’t seem like a fair deal. Here’s what Bennett replies to those asking her to work for free.
“I would ‘thank you for reaching out’ but I won’t, because I’m not thankful for your ‘opportunity’ to work for free, and it’s also clogging up my DMs and inbox. In particular, hand-made, edible works of art, i.e. cakes, are expensive to produce. They are a luxury.”
Bennett shared an interesting flowchart for the freeloaders.
Feed your mind. Here’s some useful information.
Quality over quantity.
The truth has been spoken.
Here are some of the messages/DMs Reshmi gets regarding free cakes.
If people can host a party for over 25 people and make all the arrangements, how come they can’t pay for a cake? It’s insane. Freeloaders are everywhere, scattered in all walks of life. Just wondering what makes them think that someone who’s running a successful business would provide them with free services? Not everyone likes to work for likes and followers. Talent speaks for itself. There is no need for shoutouts and exposure.
“Cake makers and in fact all food and hospitality businesses are pestered on the regular by these requests. Normally, the influencers try to dress it up by calling it a ‘collab’, and I’m thinking that’s because they themselves are embarrassed to call it what it is — begging for a freebie. Usually they respond very defensively, as though they’re shocked that I wouldn’t take up on their offer for ‘FrEe PuBLiCiTy’, or that I’m not flattered that they’ve chosen me for a free cake. It’s baffling really.”
Here’s another one and this time it’s for a privileged cast member of a popular TV show. Sad…
“The reaction to my blog post and flowchart has been incredible,” Bennett said. “So many small businesses and creatives have been in support as they all suffer the same. The general public too, who are sick to the back of their teeth being fed the empty and vacuous #gifted #blessed #sponsored #obsessed content by influencers. I’ve heard from so many people that they are actually put off by the companies themselves who enable these blaggers by gifting them freebies. If they think it’s a job, then get paid in cash to do the job. I don’t know any landlord that will accept a cupcake in lieu of rent, so how can these influencers think bagging freebies is a job when it won’t pay their rent? Am I missing something?”
More power to you girl!
“The most important realization I had was that I cannot do it all. There are certain things I’m good at and certain things I’m not so good/hopeless at and identifying the latter in time has been a challenge in itself. I couldn’t focus, I made brash decisions in order to tick boxes, I missed reading the fine-prints and above all, I was tired of feeling tired.”
Here’s what people are saying about the baker.
Much agreed.
Glad someone took this step and stood up against this “freebies” culture. These so called “influencers” should now stop asking for free stuff, they’ve just been put back into their place. Someone started their business from scratch and build it up to the point where it’s the best in the city. Anyone asking them for a free service in exchange of some exposure is simply insulting the business. What do you guys think? Let us know in the comments below.