Guide: A time and energy based approach to money in your business
My quarterly guide to support you in your business π
I have a confession to make. I love talking about money. I love hearing other peopleβs money stories. And I love getting a behind-the-scenes look at how other people make their businesses work financially.
It didnβt always use to be this way. When I started my business, money was almost an afterthought. I started my business because I had a vision of the kinds of people I wanted to support, and I wanted more autonomy and space in my life. Underneath this wish for autonomy and space was definitely the desire to make money too. But for the longest time I was afraid of voicing that desire. I canβt remember how I first set prices in my business, but it felt akin to closing my eyes and picking a random number. I just really didnβt know how to go about it.
I heard that I ought to aim for a six-figure business. That I should have a six-figure business. Why didnβt I have a six-figure business in my first year?!? (or, for that matter, in my fourth year as Iβm writing this).
I read about needing to set prices low when you get startedβeven though at that point Iβd had over a decade of experience mentoring people as part of previous jobs. I heard that no, I shouldnβt price low in the beginning, because then Iβd not be taken seriously.
For years, I avoided most business money talk. It seemed that all the money talk was rooted in hustling and productivity culture and that didnβt sit right with me.
In early 2022, something shifted. A lot of things came together: I started confronting my own money stories more, read a book about money with a friend in our mini-bookclub, and started making a longer-term plan for my business that felt reasonable, rather than plucked out of thin air.
I canβt tell you that since that shift Iβve reached all of my money goals. I havenβt.
But I feel in such a better place financially, both in terms of the prices I set, the money Iβm making and the goals Iβm setting.
Iβve put everything that Iβve learned in my business around money since together in this quarterβs guide for paid subscribers.
In this guide, I share a time and energy-based approach to money in your business. Before I developed it myself, Iβd not seen an approach like this anywhere else. Pretty much all advice about setting money goals starts with either setting prices or with figuring out your expenses. The all-important step that goes before thatβknowing how much time and energy you can and want to spend on your businessβis left out.
In the guide Iβll help you get clear on money in your business through the money framework that I use myself. Then, Iβll guide you through pricing for space and growth and share the scale that I use myself to determine how much I need, and want, to charge.
Iβve written this guide with the kinds of business owners and freelancers I work with in mind: those who have a service-based business or a product-based business, work freelance in various ways, or are artists.
My quarterly guides are one of the bonuses that paid subscribers receive. These guides are actionable, reassuring and all about helping you create a slow, gentle and profitable business. No hacks, no pressure, I promise.
Paid subscriptions allow me to write all of my newsletters, including the free ones, and powerful bonuses like this one. If my work is useful to you, Iβd love to invite you to become a paid subscriber for β¬5 a monthβwhich is less than weβd spend if weβd have coffee and cake together. If youβd benefit from a paid subscription but are unable to afford it, let me knowβIβd be happy to compensate you.
Upgrade your subscription here:
This 20-page guide consists of:
part I: creating your money framework:
determining how much time and energy you have
knowing your numbers
my experience + examples
exercises for you and your business
part II: pricing for space and growth
a quick checklist for setting prices
a note on hourly rates
pricing for space and growth: developing a scale
my experience + examples
exercises for you and your business
further resources to explore
Paid subscribers will find the link to the guide below.