My mentor told me to always charge for a color consultation and I thought it was a bad idea until a client in Portland tried to get me to match a five year old magazine photo for free.

Learn from my mistake, I used to give away that time like free samples at the grocery store. I once spent forty-five minutes on the phone with a nice man who just wanted his living room to feel like a 'sunset in Santa Fe,' and then he hired his nephew instead. Now I just say the fee lets me put my full attention on their project, phone away, swatches out. It saves my sanity.