Worth-It Wednesday

I often take the “wordless” route on Wednesday, but this week I had a different thought.

There’s an issue with which many mompreneurs struggle and I have been wanting to write about it for awhile. The issue is charging the appropriate amount for the services we provide, the advice that we give and the products that we create.

Many of us end up as mompreneurs because we pursue our passion for something and when we’re doing something that we’re passionate about, it often comes easily to us.  That  doesn’t always feel like work.  Combine this with the fact that so many women are nurturing by nature and want to help others.  The result is that we want to help, it’s easy to help and because it’s so easy, we feel guilty about charging anything significant for doing it.  Actually, some of us don’t feel comfortable charging anything at all.

This is an issue with which I personally have struggled, but I’ve been getting better at it. 😉

That said, I find I often need to remind others that they are worth it and how much value their service/advice/product is worth.

I once gave a whole ‘talk’ to a friend’s daughter who didn’t want to charge me for an afternoon of being a mother’s helper.  I told her that she had to remember that not only is her time valuable, but that there was value in it for me (the customer) given that I was able to clean up the house in half the time because the kids were not running around everywhere.  Understanding that she was just “starting out” on her new ‘career’ path, I agreed that she might charge a little less than an experienced babysitter, but I reminded her that she had to charge SOMETHING.  I told her that I wanted her to practice asking for a fee because if her Mom & I had practiced that from a young age, maybe we’d be more comfortable putting a value on our work as adult women.

I plan to teach my kids the same lesson.  And it’s not about entitlement.  It’s also not about raising kids who won’t do anything for free.  In our house pitching in with chores is part of being a family and it is not attached to money.  The lesson is that when you choose to embark upon a “career” – be it in babysitting, tutoring or being a camp counsellor, that your skill set and your time are of value and you are deserving of compensation for that value.  In short: You, and the service, advice  or product that you provide are WORTH IT.

A few weeks ago, I read a post by Carla Young of MOMeo Magazine and she spoke about overcoming the fear of charging what you’re worth.  I emailed it to several colleagues and I want to share it with you as well.  To read it you can just click here.

Although this is something I speak about often with other mompreneurs, it’s one of those things that although we know, we have to remind ourselves and like most things in life we have to practice. So this is something I’d like to remind you:

The knowledge & skills that you have accumulated through research, study & experience all took TIME and likely cost you money, as well. This is the reason the ideas, answers and recommendations come to you so easily. That is worth something. In fact it’s worth a lot to someone who is looking for those very ideas and recommendations. You can provide them with assistance that will not only save them time but can help them to generate income.

Crafters often feel that anything they get for selling their crafts is just a bonus because they’d have made them anyway, and love doing so. Allow me to remind you: Your time is still worth something. And when that big order of handmade anything comes in..then you’re working under pressure. You’re not only incurring the cost of production materials but you are now rescheduling your days to meet your order deadline. This is not something being done during leisure time anymore…this is a business. You need to factor in your time and price your goods accordingly.

I can go on and on about how the client buying your quilt has neither the time nor the desire to learn & do, but just wants to gift a gorgeous quilt to her daughter away at college. I can remind you that the client who asks for your marketing advice has neither the time nor the ability to complete his degree, intern and put in ridiculous hours for a couple of years prior to making his next marketing decision. That’s why he wants and needs your help.

Never gouge. Price yourself fairly, but always remember that you are WORTH IT.

If this doesn’t speak to you, then think about setting an example for your kids: By modelling that your work and skills are of value, they will learn that theirs are as well. Continue to model that there are times when you do things for free and that not everything is attached to money: volunteering, certain responsibilities around the house and helping out a friend. Model the difference.

Value yourself as much as your clients do. If your client doesn’t value you, then you’ve got the wrong client…Move on until you find the next client who does. And you will. You know why? BECAUSE YOU’RE WORTH IT.

Do you struggle with this issue or have you in the past? I’d love to hear about it

Wishing you a wonderful Wednesday with realizations of self-worth,

Tanya