Pricing and Worth

Let’s talk about pricing and worth. On a Zoom call recently, I was asked about pricing. There’s a lot that can be said about pricing. As designers, that topic comes up a lot. At this time, I won’t be telling you how to price yourself or give you an easy to use formula. There’s a lot of other resources for that. What I am here to share is a lesson on pricing & worth. This will resonate with everyone, but if you identify as a lady then you’ll resonate even more.

You do NOT need to apologize or justify your pricing to anyone. Pricing and worth do not reflect each other.

A few years ago I was on the phone with a potential client. I told him my pricing (and, this was a few years ago so it was incredibly low), and he scoffed; ‘Didn’t you JUST graduate?’. Apart from this, another potential client told me just a few weeks ago that I needed to be ‘fair & community minded in my pricing’. My head spun in both instances. Who speaks to people like this? In the second instance, I made clear I did not think we were a good fit based on his timeline and budget. After that, he still insisted I send over a proposal. I never heard back.

These are just two instances in my career where I’ve essentially been asked to justify my worth, or someone has tried to make me feel I’m not deserving of the rates I’ve set. Furthermore, as a woman, this happens constantly. I’m always being asked to prove my worth – for love, affection, jobs, and so much more. Hear me say this: you absolutely do not need to convince anyone of your worth, in life or business. Therefore, if they’re asking you to do that, they’re not your people.

You do not need to convince anyone of your worth, in life or business.