My Top 10 Pricing Commandments

Pricing: Do Not Be Afraid

Let me say this loudly for the freelancers, consultants, creatives and soloists at the back: Do. Not. Be. Afraid. Pricing isn’t a taboo. It’s not dirty. It’s not “awkward”. Pricing is your power, and if you are afraid of the “Cost Conversations”, you’ll end up burning out by Christmas.

So here are my Top 10 Pricing Commandments. Tattoo them on your wrist. Stick them on your fridge. Recite them to your mirror before your next quote. Whatever it takes. Just don’t forget them.

1. Do Not Be Afraid to Price for Your Value
Stop charging by the hour. Charge for the transformation you deliver. They’re not hiring you for time; they’re hiring you for results. Think of all the years you have spent learning, doing courses, networking, delivering campaigns, projects, strategies, proposals, concepts - you have an arsenal of real lived experience that needs to be valued accordingly.

2. Do Not Be Afraid to Include a Profit Margin
You're not a charity. You’re not here to break even. Build in a profit margin. It’s not greedy. It’s business. Let me tell you a secret; that’s how businesses operate. They build in buffer for operating costs as well as profit. Otherwise, what's the point?

3. Do Not Be Afraid to Account for Tax and VAT
Uncle Taxman will come knocking. Don’t let your invoice get cannibalised by avoidable ignorance. Calculate it in, upfront. When I talk about learning the hard-way, this is exactly what I mean. And there is nothing like the stress of overdue Revenue bills…

4. Do Not Be Afraid to Include Holiday and Sick Pay
You are not a machine. You will get ill. You will want a break. If you don’t budget for that in your pricing, you’ll pay for it out of your own stress.

5. Do Not Be Afraid to Have Different Pricing for Corporate, SME, and Startup
One-size-fits-all is for baseball caps. Big brands pay big fees. Startups might get a lighter touch, but that’s your call. Not a favour. A strategy.

6. Do Not Be Afraid to Set Payment Terms
30 days. 14 days. Whatever works for you. Just don’t leave it blank and pray. You’re not a bank. Also - DEPOSITS! Deposit to book you, your work, your calendar. You’re not revving your engine until they’ve put fuel in the tank. 50% upfront is standard, not scandalous.

7. Do Not Be Afraid to Pause Work if Payment is Delayed
You are not offering credit. You are not a nice little invoice fairy. Ask. Remind. Demand if necessary. Late payment? Project pause. No drama, no tears, just business. You are not a martyr to their cash flow.

8. Do Not Be Afraid to Charge and Issue Late Penalties
Interest. Late fees. Respect is a two-way transaction. Sometimes you have to put on your Big Business Boots and issue a legal letter. Don’t flinch. Contracts exist for a reason. Enforce them.

9. Do Not Be Afraid to Include Expenses
If it costs you to do the job, it costs to hire you. Do you need to travel? Do you need sustenance? Do you need to feed a team of sub-contractors? Did you print anything? Unless you have priced for contingencies within your proposed price, anything you spend that is for the benefit of the client is an expense.

10. Do Not Be Afraid to Remember You Are Not an Employee
No pension. No perks. No parties. No laptop. No phone. You're not a cog in their machine. You are the whole damn machine. Price like it.

So repeat after me: I will not feel bad for charging my worth. I will not second-guess myself after I quote. I will not discount because I’m worried I won’t get the job.

You’re not scary. You’re serious. And your pricing should reflect that.

I have a section in my Consulting Workbook dedicated to all things pricing by the way. I talk about pricing structures, managing VAT and expenses, milestone-based invoicing, late-fees (and how to politely / but firmly explain costs for rounds of feedback. I also talk processes, tools, systems, handovers, marketing AND SO MUCH MORE. I would love for you to take a look and let me know your feedback.
Buy Here: “So You Wanna Be A Consultant”

Now go forth and invoice with boldness.

PS - I am fortunate enough to have spent so much time working every side of the career paradigm; in-house, consultant, contractor, self-employed etc.
As much as I know the challenges consultants need to watch out for; brands I got you - I intimately know the watch-outs on the reverse.
Coming up imminently.