Hola darlinghearts,

Don’t worry – it’s not just you.

Wondering what to charge is one of the BIG questions every entrepreneur or wannabeanentrepreneuroneday-er has.

In fact, this article on Sacred Pricing has been one of the most popular I’ve ever written.

So I’m here to help. Here to share what’s worked for me, and for my clients, and what’s useful to know.

After years of worrying + not worrying about this shit – when selling artwork in person and online, running retreats, doing coaching, selling programs etc – here’s what I have to say about pricing.

It’s Absoloodely Okay For You To Earn Moolah For Your Gifts

This is one thing we need to get sorted el pronto.

I think this is a massive misconception that many hippies/creatives/healers/spiritual teachers/women come into the business game with.

They are afraid that because this is the thing they LOVE doing, they shouldn’t earn money for it.

What’s more, they shouldn’t earn a LOT of money for it.

Fuck that shit.

It’s okay to earn lots of abundance/money/moolah/magic golden coins.

And it’s perfectly WONDERFUL to earn them doing something you ADORE.

In fact, that’s completely on soul purpose… for you to do the thing you freaking LOVE and are gifted at, and have an abundant life from it.

All the goodness in the world you give out comes back to you.

And GUESS WHAT? Here’s the really, really exciting thing.

You get to do ANYTHING YOU WANT with that money.

Want to pour money into saving the West African Pygmy Hippo? DO IT! (P.S. OMG THEY ARE SO CUTE AND TINY!)

Want to sponsor a hundred children (or just one or two)? You so can.

Want to start a non profit that fixes that thing you care more about than anything in the world? YEP YEP YEP!

Want to make your life + business be totally green powered? Go go gadget!

Want to eat totally organic (because that shit is expensive!), send your kids to the school you believe would help them most, live in the place that most fills your heart, replenish your energy and body with delicious self care? The whole wide world is open to you. That ain’t a bad thing at all.

You can pour your money into the world ANY DAMN WAY YOU LIKE.

How you do anything is how you do everything. Having lots of moolah doesn’t make you anything more but what you are.

(FWIW, I honestly believe that more spirited women on purpose having lots of money will deeply change the world, redistribute wealth and do HUGE things for our communities, families, planet, peoples + animals. We CAN change the world! And of course I don’t believe that money is the solution to everything. I am deeply grateful to every soul who volunteers + works directly to help. I also know the best way I can support them is by supporting their organisations with money.)

So now we’ve talked about why it’s totally, totally okay for you to earn the magic moolah coinage.

So let’s get into the nitty gritty of pricing details.

If You Are Just Starting Out

When I was just starting out running workshops and retreats and coaching and intuitive readings, do you think I was charging premium prices for them?

Heck no. I was doing it a price that I was comfortable with + knew would get people in.

I mostly desired the experience + lessons of doing those things. I knew I was destined to do them, and that they would take me to where I needed to be.

So I did. And they were incredible + sacred + wonderful + a huge huge learning lesson for me.

They got me started on my path.

Was it worth not earning much more than covering my expenses and having a little bit of play money left over?

Fuck yes. Totally yes. I wouldn’t be where I am today unless I started somewhere.

(Hey look! It’s me at my very first art markets! Living the dream! Didn’t sell a thing that day but loved the shit out of being that brave! Loved that having a setback like that didn’t deter me from running after my dreams still!)

If You’re Client-Less

You need to think about upping your marketing game.

End o’ story.

Don’t be thinking about increasing prices until clients are a steady stream.

Instead, work on making sure you know exactly who you are serving and are reaching out to them. Make sure you are getting results and testimonials. Make sure you know what problems you are solving. Make sure you are communicating that as clearly as possible.

If You’re Overbooked

You need to think about upping your prices.

Firstly: congrats on being overbooked. Obviously you’re communicating what you do brilliantly to the people who want to hear about it.

And now you want to think about either increasing your prices, creating more passive income streams (or doing both!)

Work Out What You Want To Earn Per Year

Start by looking at how much you want to earn per year.

And how many thangs you can produce/sell.

Then work out how much you’d need to be selling to get there.

That can be a really good indicator of whether you need to raise your prices, or whether you need to create more passive income, or whether you need more clients in your business.

Work Out What Your Expenses Are

Make sure you’ve got an idea of how much thangs cost for you to produce/create.

For example, even if you are running a three day retreat, it’s NOT just three days of work.

It’s probably a week of preparation, and if you’re anything like me, two weeks of downtime afterwards to recover.

Three weeks is a much bigger and more accurate representation than three days.

There’s an opportunity cost in there as well – what could you have created instead in those three weeks? What has it cost you to choose to do the retreat instead?

When thinking about selling artwork, it’s not just the expense of paint + canvas. It’s also your art education, business education, studio space, computer, internet access etc.

You need to factor in how much things truly cost you to make.

(Running a retreat in ye olden days. Delicious, divine + totally informed my work. Also takes about two weeks to recover from.)

Look At What Other Peeps Are Paying

Decide if you want to charge less + promote that it’s a great deal.

Decide if you want to charge the same (you’re still going to have to market the shit out of it anyway – just similar pricing is not a marketing strategy).

Decide if you want to charge more. And if you do charge more, you need to communicate WHY you are charging more – what’s better about your thing, why it’s so valuable. And you need to back it up with testimonials + results even more.

Most Of All, Have Pricing Resonance

You need a number you resonate with. One that you can stand behind whole-of-heart. One that feels like a good energetic match + exchange for what you provide.

This number will change as you grow your business, your mindset + your understanding of the value you bring.

If It’s Not Working, Try Something New

When I say that, I don’t necessarily mean that your price is wrong.

The first thing I would suggest if it’s not working is up your marketing game. Get a better education about the whole thing. Make sure you are promoting your thing to the right people. Make sure you are constantly uplevelling your copywriting skills. Make sure you are really talking about WHAT problems you are solving. Make sure you know what your peeps’ objections are and that you are answering them. Make sure you are proving that – through results + testimonials. Make sure you have an actual marketing system that happens every single day – not just when you feel like it.

You’re going to get results from doing those things.

By all means – you can do fancy shmancy stuff like A/B split testing your price. Asking people why they aren’t buying. Seeing if there’s a way you can make it easier for them (by proving irresistible value to help their decision making or helping their cashflow by introducing payment plans).

Don’t Get Your Head Stuck Up Your Own Ass

If the whole pricing thing is stopping you from sharing your gift with the world…

please please please, for the love of all that is good and holy, stop that shit right now.

We NEED your work in the world. We NEED you creating + sharing your work. Deeply and dearly.

The only way to success is by creating + sharing. Working out what works, working out what doesn’t, making a million little adjustments along the way.

You don’t have to set your price in stone. It can change and be tested, just like every other piece of your business.

You DO NOT NEED TO GET IT PERFECT right now + forevermore.

The most important thing in the world is to PUT IT OUT THERE. GET IT DONE. SHARE IT WITH THE WORLD.

You’ll immediately start knowing what’s working and what’s not. And you can play until it’s beautiful + seamless + perfect for you and your people.

But you can’t unfold that journey of development and growth and evolution until it’s out of you and in the world.

So please, do not let your head get stuck up your own ass. Pick a price. And just bloody well go with it.

Your work is far too important to only exist in that couple of inches between your ears.

*

And I leave you with this little song I recorded once upon a time up a tree that I think will get stuck in your head forever:

You can do this love. You can do it. Go forth, create + prosper.

all my love,