When I look back upon the last decade I spent in business, it’s filled with different stories. Different narratives. Some moments I cringe at, and others I embrace. Yet, there’s part of me that is thankful for all the mistakes I made while growing up in the business world. In each mistake was a lesson, and the biggest lesson was to charge what you’re worth.

In my younger years, I was talented enough to get places, but I didn’t have the character enough to keep me in those same positions. I would be afraid of failure or pressured by “more respected persons” that said my work wasn’t good enough to charge what I knew was fair. This usually gave them a bunch of free labor from me and left me resentful of the work I was doing. That is why the biggest mistake I made while growing up in business was not charging what I was worth.  So my advice, charge what you’re worth. 

Check People’s Motives

Charging a fair amount for my work was one of the biggest problems I had when I started out in business. I guess it started as a confidence thing. It was true that I knew more than the average bear, but I didn’t feel confident enough in my skills to charge what I deserved to be paid for my services. In that, I ended up doing a lot of unnecessary work for free. It was ridiculous! My friends in the field told me to charge but I had some mentors that explained I should be doing things for free to build my portfolio.   

Obviously I think it’s a big deal to have a proper portfolio, but at the same time, I don’t think this means selling yourself short. It is only the clients that I’ve given discounts or not charged a fair amount to that I’ve had problems with when it comes to payment. They either would pay late or not pay at all. It becomes a tug of war match to even get your money from some of them after the work is completed. So be wise, and don’t devalue yourself to please other people.

Never Second Guess Yourself

Never ever second guess yourself when it comes to charging for your work. Charge a fair amount. Be honest. And do what you promised. Everyone in business knows marketing is a lot of trial and error, so if you have a client that pushes you against the wall for a sure outcome explain that there’s no magic formula. Just show your case studies from the past and let them come to their own conclusion.

Think about the ads we all see on tv for weight-loss drugs. These huge results and always in the fine print even says results not typical. Every client is different and so is every marketing push you help set up for them. Don’t get trapped in the anxiety of not delivering dramatic results. Do your best and let it go if they try to downgrade your work so they don’t have to pay a fair amount. 

Charge What You’re Worth

Also, it’s important to pick the right clients for you. The truth is, not every person is the right client for you despite what you may think. Niching down and handpicking the RIGHT clients is something that you should be doing. For example, if you are a digital marketer or social media person you need to pick clients that embrace this. Not people that don’t value these things. It’s not your job to convince people to get on the boat but it is your job to help the people that are already on to get to the destination they want. 

I hope this helps someone not make the same mistakes I did. Love yourself. Love others. And do the best that you can always!

Stay Pushing,

Tia