She Stayed Affordable And Stayed Broke - A Bookkeeper's Tale

Monica called it “charging what felt fair.” But fair usually means you're underpaid.

Monica was a wedding photographer with a beautiful portfolio and years of experience. Her work was art. Her clients adored her. Sadly, even thought she was always booked out, she was barely scraping by.

When we reviewed her numbers, she hadn’t raised her prices in three years. THREE YEARS!!! Crazzzyyyyyy. Plus, she discounted for “dream clients,” lowered her rates for referrals, and waived travel fees because she felt guilty asking.

“I just want to be affordable,” she said.

But the truth was harder for her to admit, she was scared to value herself. Every discount wasn’t generosity. It was fear. Fear of being too expensive. Fear of being passed over. Fear of claiming her worth. Fear of people not booking her.

Discounting didn’t fill her calendar. It drained her confidence and self worth.

We rebuilt Monica’s pricing using EPI: Expenses + Profit = Income and the Cost of Labor worksheet. Once she saw the data on what it took to run her business, she stopped apologizing for her rates. She was in awe when her calendar didn’t empty and  stay filled with clients who saw her value and respected her boundaries. And for the first time, she paid herself wwaaaaaayyyyyyy more than she ever thought possible.

If your prices are built on fear, they’ll never fund your freedom. When you price with data, you don’t just raise your rates, you raise your confidence and self worth.

Lub you,
Crystal 🦄