Cubing Related Profits [How much $?]

[IamWEB]

Hey, somewhat of a quick question for those of you who have gained monetary benefits for cubing related activities:

I have the opportunity to help a company at a trade show at the end of the month. To quote their message to me, "We have a marketing push that we are doing that involves creating a 3D solution with software in our industry. We are using the Rubiks cube as a high level tool to present this."
They will have a booth at their trade show for 3 days. To sum up things, though, I will be involved in helping them for 7-8 hours on a single day. They want me to be at their booth, cubing and helping out people with the cubes that will be given away. This is a job, so they are going to pay for my services. My question to you is how much should I be asking for? I've never had an opportunity like this, so I don't even have a range to work with. It's likely that I'll ask them how much they are willing to pay, just to know what I'm working with...

It would be useful if anyone with experience in charging $ for cubing activities could post about their experiences. That could also serve as a premise for this thread beyond my own circumstances. Thanks in advance!

 

[Dene]

Quick question: Which country do you live in?

Actually, another question: What's the minimum wage there?

 

[IamWEB]

Right Here ...just kidding.
USA
In this state, minimum wage is $7.25/hr

Also, edited post to include that it's likely I will first ask them how much they are willing to pay.

 

[Dene]

Well, to be fair you shouldn't expect too much over the minimum wage. Might be worth asking for $10, but really I'm just shooting in the dark.

 

[Stefan]

Lol, minimum wage, don't be a fool. I've done something like this a couple times and always got like 100 Euros or more per hour, plus travel costs. These companies have a lot of money and are already spending a lot of money on their trade show spot, their booth, their regular staff and the giveaways. You'll be providing something special, so expect to be paid accordingly. In your eyes, you might think you're just doing what you love anyway so you're happy to get paid at all, but for them, you're a kind of expert or artist. Don't treat yourself like you're cleaning toilets or selling burgers at McDonalds.

 

[applemobile]

Personally I still think anything over minimum wage is a bonus. Ask what they are willing to offer you first.

 

[Stefan]

Personally I still think anything over minimum wage is a bonus.

If you ever get such a job offer, let me know and I might pay you minimum wage just for not showing up and letting me do it instead.

And I'm curious: Do you disagree with my experience, my explanation, or both? Or do you have an inferiority complex?

 

[applemobile]

I believe your experience and what you have been paid. But I wouldn't expect this to be the norm. These companies have huge amounts of money, and that's because they don't like to spend it. It's no different to say, working in Pc world or what ever you have in your countries, sure you may have collosal amounts of knowledge of the subject, but you will still only be paid a a minimal amount. Their trade stand will still run without him, making him expendable, meaning they won't want to throw money at him for doing something he enjoys.

 

[Stefan]

Six out of six times despite it not being the norm. Wow, I must just be really lucky. And the actual business guys who gave me much of the explanation I presented above must be total it1ots (and no, they didn't gain anything from telling me). And that company that - without any need - doubled my agreed salary after the event because they felt it more appropriate and for me to promise to return the next year, holy shoot how can that be?

tl;dr you're wrong

 

[applemobile]

I would offer minimum wage and free travel + 1 hot drink of your choice with a pastry.

 

[Stefan]

Doesn't matter, you're not them.

 

[IamWEB]

Well, I'm happy to say that Stefan was right.
I don't want to share specifics about this, but I let them throw out a possible price for one portion of my work. We kind of used that a basis for how much I would make in total.

While I would be happy to basically make anything from doing something cubing related, I agree with Stefan in that about how you aren't just a speedcuber who gets paid for something. You have a certain (not exactly common, and therefore rather unique) skill that you're using to help them achieve something. For me, I'm solving customized 3x3x3s they have, and I will help others with figuring them out. The customization is based around the technology they're developing, and I will showing how their work can result in a solution by solving it.

I think the viewpoints here are going from the ground ($0) up as a speedcuber VS contributing a specific ability for the benefit of a company. In this case, the latter wins.
Thank you all.

 

[Dene]

Triple figures per hour? o.O I certainly underestimated how much they'd be prepared to pay you for this. Well done, sounds like you'll be having a good pay day :tu

 

[IamWEB]

Not per hour! I meant in total! But still, a nice profitable experience.

 

[Meshack]

Don't treat yourself like you're cleaning toilets or selling burgers at McDonalds.

I agree. You're not selling burgers, you're showing off what few people in the world can do. People who can't solve the cube look with awe upon those who can. We mystify and astound them. They think of you as being super-human, intellectually. For your abilities I doubt they're expecting you'll charge minimum wage. There's nothing minimum about cubing.

 

[applemobile]

Passing yourself off as intelectually super-human for being able to solve a cube makes you somewhat of a charlatan.

 

[Stefan]

Charlatan? How is it our fault if they think it?
And I don't think I've ever seen someone passing themself off as intellectually super-human for being able to solve a cube. Please show where that ever happened.

 

[mark49152]

Maybe not intellectually superhuman, but solving the cube in <10s is pushing the boundaries of human ability and is seen as an astounding feat by most people. Last year I saw the Faz WR on Youtube after seeing something on TV and wondered how the heck that was even possible - my own disbelief was what got me interested in cubing again after 30 years off. Also I have some experience of these trade events and a few hundred bucks to add something special that will pull people to a booth and get them engaged is pretty good value, not to mention insignificant compared to the multiple $10k's of budget they probably spent on the event. Nothing to do with being clever - it's purely about what value you can add for the hirer.