Stop working for free (& what to do instead!) 🐣 🥚

Yes, you. Stop it.

Author

Dr. Abeyna Bubbers-Jones
April 20, 2025

Hello!

I see so many doctors working for free

Thinking it’s helping them get experience, build credibility, or do something “interesting on the side.”

But here’s what it’s really doing:

❌ Undervaluing your expertise.

❌ Damaging your future earning potential.

❌ And setting a low bar for every doctor coming aftteer you.

(We already did enough of these in clinical, don’t you think?)

And most of the time — you don’t even realise you’re doing it.

So let me call it out:

  • Being asked by a healthtech company to “just intro us to your primary care network / healthcare provider” and maybe get paid if it works out

  • Joining an advisory board for possible equity later — if they raise (90% of startups fail)

  • Doing a quality improvement project to help someone else hit a key milestone

  • Giving product or service feedback in a structured way, without compensation

Would they ask a lawyer or accountant to work for free?

Nope.

So why is it okay to ask a doctor?

Why should you stop?

🚀 Your insight, network and credibility are the engine behind many of these businesses.
🙅‍♀️ Free work rarely turns into real value — only more free work.
💸 You’re leaving tens of thousands on the table while they raise millions off your input.

And here’s the part no one wants to say:

Every minute you’re doing unpaid work, you’re getting paid less than if you just did your normal job.

Is it really worth it?

What to do instead?

👉🏿Learn how to package, position and sell your value — with confidence, clarity and boundaries.
👉🏿Do your due diligence
👉🏿Ask the same questions any investor, advisor or consultant would… providing some value but not getting caught in a cycle of free work.

Most doctors avoid learning how to sell themselves, and instead hide behind new qualifications, endelsss content creation, or hoping someone will “notice” their potential.

But the real shift?
It’s in how you show up commercially — not how many certificates you collect.

It’s time to stop being altruistic and learn how to earn confidently and on your own terms.

I help my Doctors in Industry Fellows avoid this costly trap every week now

The trap looks slightly different every time!

Has this happened to you?

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