For every person who has response along the lines of “it’s just coffee — why can’t you just help someone who has reached out??” — here’s my reply:

If I accepted every offer of coffee that was sent my way, not only would I not be able to pay my own bills, but I also would have very little opportunity to see my family. Literally everything (everything) we do has a cost somewhere, and if you’re asking me to choose between donating my time to help make you rich or to spend time with my kids…

Before you get bent out of shape, please know that I DO often have coffee or a chat with people I don’t know, with people who need help, non-profits who need a little expertise, or any other activity that may not have an immediate/foreseeable financial return.

The other dirty little secret is that the value people place on your insights is proportional to what they paid for them— people feel much more empowered to ignore free advice than paid-