‘charge your worth’
‘CHARGE YOUR WORTH’
Why this statement is misleading, damaging, and plain confusing for entrepreneurs (especially newbies).
I was mindlessly scrolling one of my favourite freelancing groups on Facebook when one particular post caught my eye.
It was a young, new graphic designer, trying to understand what she should be charging for a logo. She was very clear in her post… she had no formal training under her belt and no previous paying clients. She is teaching herself as she slowly builds a portfolio.
She wanted to charge someone $50 for a logo. Well, cue the outrage.
‘You are doing us all a disservice by charging so low!’
‘You should be charging at LEAST $500 for a business logo!’
‘You are undervaluing your work by charging this!’
And of course… everyone’s favourite...
‘Charge your worth, girl!’
Just log into any freelancing group on Facebook and you’ll see the cries ‘Charge your worth!’ throughout. It’s almost become the female empowerment catch cry of the entrepreneurial world.
While these sentiments come from a good place, they are often misguided and downright confusing for new business owners.
The ‘Charge your worth’ movement…
Years of being underpaid and undervalued has led to this (very empowering) movement of women wanting to be paid what they are worth. And rightly so. We should ALL demand to be paid our worth.
But here’s the thing… too many young professionals confuse their personal worth with their professional one.
We (obviously) cannot attach a dollar value to our personal worth. Professionally, it's a very different story. Our dollar value is associated with the value we can provide our clients.
Our education.
Our experience.
Our level of skill.
Our client process.
The results we can expect to get our clients.
Professionally, a person who has years of experience, a long list of clients and some level of training is worth more than the self-taught newbie who is building her portfolio. And that’s the way it should be.
The author of that post probably just isn’t ‘worth’ that much right now, just like I wasn’t ‘worth’ very much professionally 10 years ago. Sure, I was a hard worker and dedicated as fuck, but I just didn’t know all that much compared to what I do now.
We all start somewhere and work our way up. We don’t just ‘start at the top’ because we think we’re worth it (although that’s a lovely notion).
I make good money now, but it didn’t start this way. Prior to starting my business, I worked MANY free hours at a news station before getting my first job as a paid journalist. When I started my business, I charged $500 for my first full website, and it took me more than a week. That works out to roughly what…. $12 an hour?? BUT it gave me a proper piece for my portfolio and a glowing testimonial which opened the door for more business. Because I had proven work under my belt, I could quickly raise my prices in line with demand.
This notion that we should all charge top dollar straight out of the starting gate is unrealistic and disillusioning for new entrepreneurs.
Also, it devalues the work of those who are at a higher levels, and whose prices reflect that.
Finally, it’s a massive disservice to business owners who commission our services. It’s our responsibility (as good people who don’t want to rip others off), to make sure that they are getting what they pay for. Especially the new, small businesses who are on tight budgets as they try to get their businesses off the ground.
We’re not all in this together… you have to prove your worth.
Finally, the notion that we should ALL ‘charge more’ so as to not decrease the value of our services for other entrepreneurs is nice in theory, but it just doesn’t work that way. There will always be people who are willing to do a blog post for $5 on Upwork, and those who will do it for $1500. That’s up to them.
It’s up to YOU to show why you are worth the dollar value that sits alongside your services.
Cheering on female founders… one piece of realistic advice at a time.
I want to get one thing straight. I LOVE to see women business owners succeed (and make good money.) I am always on the side- lines cheering on female founders, convincing them that they can do it. And you better believe I’ll be the FIRST to tell somebody if they are undercharging (trust me, a LOT of women can vouch for this). But I don’t do it blindly. My advice is usually strategic, based on market research and a deeper understanding into what they can offer their client.
So, next time someone asks how they should be pricing their services… instead of just saying ‘Charge your worth! Up your rate!’ Maybe ask them some more specific questions…
How much experience do you have?
What does a junior, medium and experienced copywriter typically get paid in your area? (and yes - the area matters).
Are you booked out or struggling to get clients?
When was the last time you increased your prices?
Have you done any training lately to upskill and improve your services?
Do you have a list of previous happy clients who can vouch for your work?
Maybe then they will have some real, practical pieces of information to work with.
And finally, be transparent about rates. Let them know what you charged when you first started v now. Let them know where you live and what training and experience you have so they can compare their own situation. The more understanding we all have about going rates for different levels of experience, the easier it is for everyone to price.
So, while it’s a nice idea that would charge all charge our worth, let’s not forget what that actually means.
