"Bartering" with your coach

[RachelSk8er]

I've heard of adult skaters or parents with abilities or other things coaches need "bartering" their services in exchange for lessons.

I am going to be helping my coach with contract negotiations for a business he is starting, and he wanted to know how much I'm charging him. (I am a paralegal/legal intern for a company [and a 2nd yr law student] and I do exactly what he needs me to as my full-time job, so I actually have more experience in what he needs than his actual attorney. You don't need to even be an atty for this, most of the people I negotiate with are business people, brokers, etc.) My coach understands that I'm not licensed so I'm not working as an attorney and he's ok with that, he just needs someone who knows the industry. I'm estimating that I'll need to spend about 3-4 hrs at this point, possibly more work to come.

What is a fair rate to charge him? My billable rate at work when we bill my time to our joint venture partners is $120-130/hr (depending on the JV partner), I'm not charging him that much (heck, I don't even see close to half of that in my paycheck). I was thinking that $54 is fair--that's my coach's hourly rate, so he can just take it off my bill. That's saving him quite a bit of money (an atty would cost him a lot more), I'm getting some experience (I'd be negotiating the deal from the other side compared to what I do at work) and helping pay for some of my skating. Does that sound fair/reasonable, or should I be asking for more? less?

[Skittl1321]

That sounds fair to me, and I think your logic to get the rate (he'd pay more than twice as much if he went to a law firm) is good . As long as you're both happy with it, it's a great deal.

I think bartering services is a great idea. As is making deals with your coach that are mutually beneficial to both parties. I had a deal with my first coach that I would pay him in full at the beginning of the month, but at half his normal rate. If I canceled any lessons, for any reason, even if I was sick, I didn't get a refund. (If he canceled them, they were made up.) He was happy with it, because he didn't have to chase me down for billing, he had the money in his hands early, and he made money even when I canceled- it was a guaranteed paycheck in a business where that isn't always common. In the long run, I think it worked out better, money wise, for me- because even when I canceled lessons it worked out I was paying less than the full rate (which I couldn't afford). But the benefits to him were enough that he was happy with the deal. (He also offers a cash discount to other students)

[Mrs Redboots]

I got a free lesson for doing a publicity/rates leaflet for my coach once. Felt fair to me!

[RachelSk8er]

My coach has offered to just pay me, but I think that's somewhat silly. Why would I have him pay me for services just so I can turn around and write him a check for my lessons? I don't think it would screw up his accounting because he just doesn't have to record that lesson time in his billing and whatnot under the LLC he has set up for coaching. (My coach is super organized, he and a few otheres have an LLC set up together and operate like a small business for tax and a few other purposes, and all their scheduling/billing is computerized).

[tazsk8s]

I've done some occasional "barter work" for my coach. A little bit of babysitting or sewing and she would knock off the cost of a lesson.

Probably I ended up getting the better end of the deal monetarily (I don't know of ANY babysitters that would charge $60/hour - LOL), but she insisted on doing it that way so it all worked out.

[icedancer2]

I find that bartering works if you are actually getting something you want - which in your case your coach needs you to do this work and the transaction seems fair to you, so why not?

I'm a veterinarian - I have traded lessons for heartworm test (1 lesson = 1 heartworm test) and other things. It works out.

I have also had so many offers for trades with massage therapists, which I didn't take them up on - I didn't have time for so many massages and I needed the money!

Once I went to a client's house on a Sunday to treat his dog. I really needed a haircut and he was a hairdresser. I told him I wanted a haircut in lieu of payment and after I was finished with the dog, he whipped out his scissors and gave me a great haircut!

Why, just the other day someone traded me for a Dell Mini Notebook computer -I was thinking I wanted to buy one, they had one to sell, and viola! A trade was born.

So yes, you should do it. If it gets out of hand (like you are spending a lot more hours and he is avoiding the "free" lessons) then you would have to renegotiate.

[Mel On Ice]

I think it's great that you can do that! I have bartered with coaches in the past for lessons, trading lessons for babysitting, rides to the rink, designing flyers and brochures. That really helped me when $ was tight and I could help my coach out with something.

[Rusty Blades]

My coach is also my friend and most of the bartering is skating related - I cut music for some of her other skaters, sharpen skates, etc. - so we have this running argument: Coach "How much do I owe you?" Me "Forget it." We argue a bit, I refuse to take money, and my coach's bill mysteriously ends up smaller than I expect ;)

Her regular-job-rate is $180/Hr, mine is $250/Hr so neither of us can afford the other outside of the rink :giveup:

[RachelSk8er]

Turns out he actually has to pay me because he has a business partner now and he will need to absorb some of the cost. So I'm basically going to charge him a flat rate instead (around the same that 4 hrs of lessons would cost, since I figure that's about how much time I'll be putting in to his stuff).

[vesperholly]

I'm glad you were able to work something out! I'd love to barter with my coach but I don't think there's anything she needs that I could provide, short of being a housemaid :lol:

[Kat12]

It would be fun, except that I'm good for nothing and have nothing I could barter for, lol. I've long wished I could build things or make things or fix things or something, stuff that is actually useful. Instead my interests lie in stuff like music and writing and dancing and all that junk--you know, the stuff you have to be REALLY REALLY good at for it to be worth anything!

[kayskate]

Your coach may have to pay commission to the rink. This may be his concern. Depending on how your rink handles fees for privates, he may need to turn in receipts or the rink may take the lesson $ directly then pay the coach. This is how my rink works. You know how your rink charges for privates. Ask your coach if he is comfortable bartering.

Kay

[RachelSk8er]

Your coach may have to pay commission to the rink. This may be his concern. Depending on how your rink handles fees for privates, he may need to turn in receipts or the rink may take the lesson $ directly then pay the coach. This is how my rink works. You know how your rink charges for privates. Ask your coach if he is comfortable bartering.

Kay

Our coaches actually don't have to pay the rink or our club. I honestly don't think any of the rinks around here are like that. I live in an area that is so saturated with rinks (there are 4 within a 10-15 minute drive from my house, about 12 that I can easily think of within a 30-45 min drive, 5 of which have 2 ice surfaces), and with numbers in figure skating, basic skills programs and youth hockey down a bit, they're all competing for business. The view around here is that the coaches bring the skaters who make the rink or the club money by paying for rink or club ice time. If one rink starts charging coaches a commission, then they won't coach there because it's too easy to go to a rink that doesn't (most skaters and coaches skate at more than one rink here already), and then the rink or the club that charges loses the money that coach brought in. The only thing you need to coach at just about any rink is proof of PSA insurance/background check and approval from the club if it's club ice.

His issue is that he has a business partner who needs to absorb some of the cost and is using a different LLCs, and it would screw them up from an accounting standpoint. His business partner can't exactly split the cost if I'm getting just lesson time (although he is a coach, too).