A Business Lesson from Asake and TG Omori
If you offer a business service in any form, as a freelancer, entrepreneur, independent contractor, consultant or small business owner, Asake and TG Omori got something you should learn from and use to your advantage in businesses with your clients.
Watch this video to learn from Asake and TG Omori: Methods for Charging Clients
The Nigerian singer Asake was too broke to afford the service of TG Omori. He approached TG Omori to shoot a music video for him and TG Omori requested 5000000 or so for his service. That must have sounded to Asake like an amount only possible if he wins a big Jackpot. Asake could not afford it so he didn’t return to TG. That was some years ago during Asake’s pre-stardom days.
Asake didn’t hit a jackpot in his life; what he hit was way bigger! He became a mega superstar dropping hit songs back to back! Thanks to Olamide and his friend Yemolee. So, Asake could buoyantly afford TG Omori’s service fees. As you might already know, TG directed many music video of Asake, such as ‘Joha’, ‘Sungba’ and ‘Organize’.
How does this relate to you as a freelancer, entrepreneur, independent contractor or service-business person? TG Omori’s charging style for his craft reflects that there are multiple models we can use to charge for our service. Let’s consider two main types.
Two Methods of Charging for Services
I observed that two common methods service providers, such as designers, influencers, cinematographers, and entrepreneurs, use to charge for their services can be classified as budget-based charging and standard-based charging.
- Budget-Based Charging: Here, the freelancer charges based on the client’s budget. For instance, a cinematographer might agree to shoot a music video for 200,000 naira if that’s the best the artiste can afford. This model results in a portfolio with a mix of high, mid, and low-quality works. Influencers use this method a lot. They charge more or less depending on the brand’s budget or perceived capacity, the scope of the campaign, and other factors. This charging method allows for a larger, more diverse client base and can be a stepping stone for freelancers just starting out.
- Standard-Based Charging: In this model, the freelancer sets a high standard and a minimum budget for a project.
For example, a cinematographer like TG Omori might not agree to shoot a music video for 2,000,000 naira, which is the highest tier for a budget-based cinematographer. TG Omori’s portfolio is super-rich with high standard projects only and can be a compelling advantage for him to win bigger music project like the Davido’s alleged 100,000,000 naira music video for his song ‘Feel’, a track off his Timeless album.
Each method has its disadvantages.
Budget-Based Charging Disadvantage: The freelancer might end up with a heavier workload for lower pay and a portfolio that lacks consistency in quality. Relative to high-paying clients, low paying clients will stress you more as the 200,000 naira video will be subconsciously benchmarked against a 1000000–100 million naira video. This however should not be a justification for you not to deliver an optimal excellent job for the amount you agree on with the client.
Standard-Based Charging Disadvantages: So a high standard can limit a freelancer’s client base, especially when they’re still building their reputation. For Instance, Blaqbonez, a Nigerian rapper, approached TG Omori for a music video, he was met with a fee of $30,000 so Blaqbonez directed his own music video for the song “Back in Uni” from his album “Young Preacher”. This bold move paid off, as it went viral seating on top Twitter trend in Nigeria at the time.
Remember, neither of these methods is wrong. It all depends on the freelancer’s level at a given point in time. A freelancer can start with the budget-based method and grow over the years to use the standard-based method, just like our very own TG Omori!
There are some advance level business services, such as music producers, DJs, content creators, event planners, professional coaches, artistes, consultants actors, project managers and so on, who still use the budget-based method.
So, whether you’re an upcoming artiste negotiating with a cinematographer or a freelancer deciding how to charge your clients, remember this — it’s all part of the journey. Embrace the process, learn from each experience, and keep evolving!
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Which pricing model resonates with you the most? Let me know which method you prefer and why? Are there other lesson(s) you deduced from Asake and TG Omori Story?
