Dear Readers: I recently received this question from a reader: “I work in marketing. Lots of friends want to launch an Instagram or Etsy shop. They always want to ‘pick my brain.’ How can I start charging them? Or stop the freebies that are eating up my time?”

This comes up a lot among entrepreneurs whether you have an online shop, a successful social media account or something else, it’s important to set boundaries. Though it’s easier said than done, setting clear boundaries can also feel awkward when you need to assertively push back among family and friends. While it may feel flattering that they respect your expertise, you may start feeling resentful that they expect you to generously give your important knowledge and time — valuable knowledge and time that you typically charge — for free.

Dorie Clark, author of “The Long Game: How to Be a Long-Term Thinker in a Short-Term World“ and a member of the executive education faculty at Columbia Business School, suggested ways to be helpful while creating boundaries. If you like helping out once, you can let people know that’s it so they don’t keep returning with follow-up questions.

“You could say, ‘Of course I’d be glad to offer some advice. Normally this is the work I do with my consulting clients, but I’d be happy to do a one-time chat with you to see if we can help move the ball forward on your project.’”

Clark also suggested signing up for a service such as Clarity.fm or one of its competitors — you’ll get paid by the minute or hour for advice calls. If the person asking you to “pick your brain” is a friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend, you may want to send them the link to book your calendar though it could be more challenging to send this to a friend. “You could say, ‘I’d be glad to help! I offer advice calls through this service and you can book time here if you’d like.’”

Additionally, if you enjoy being helpful, you may limit the format — coffees often take longer than you anticipate, plus you need to factor in transit time to and from the venue.

“You could say, ‘I’m glad to help, but my schedule is crazy right now, so I can’t meet up in person. But if you can send an email with your questions, I’d be happy to answer them.” Then, you can include links and create an FAQ with answers to your most commonly asked questions so when friends and family do reach out, you can cut and paste the answers.

Another suggestion includes offering a discounted “friends and family rate” too. Archer Chiang, CEO and founder of Giftpack, an AI-powered corporate gifting company, suggested offering alternatives that respect your time as well as their needs.

“You might suggest they attend one of your public talks or direct them to resources where they can find the information they need. If the requests become frequent, consider setting up a consulting service with a friends-and-family rate. This way, you can offer your insights in a structured manner that also compensates you for your time,” said Chiang.

Vicki Salemi is a career expert for Monster, an author, a speaker and consultant, TV commentator and former corporate recruiter. /Tribune News Service