What's enough for ambitious empaths

Recently, I had a conversation with a business colleague who I admire and we were talking about rates and how we price our services.

Now, this is someone who’s opinion means a lot to me.

You can imagine I had a flurry of internal reactions when I heard her share that one of her values as a business owner is to price her services lower in order to be more affordable for her ideal clients.

Internal reactions, some of which sounded like this…

• “Noooo. How can you be a leader in your field and underprice yourself.”
• “You’re paving a new niche for yourself. Don’t sell yourself short.”
• “Uggg, you’re decades beyond me in experience. Really?!”
• “But your Ideal Clients WILL pay you top dollar because they appreciate that they get what they pay for and they don’t want you to discount yourself.”
• “You have daughters who could become entrepreneurs. What lesson are you modeling for them?”

Perhaps this is something you relate with as well?

I have so many thoughts about this topic.

Honestly, it’s a bit of a heated topic for me. And while I can’t make a difference for everyone and I’m certainly not everyone’s coach that I speak with…

I care deeply about ambitious empaths charging what we’re worth. No one else gets to determine our value other than ourselves.

Also, I’m mindful that I was just talking on the podcast about dismantling internalized capitalism and you might wonder how can I hold both of these beliefs as true?

Here’s why I think both of these beliefs ARE in fact mutually supportive rather than mutually exclusive.

When we charge competitive rates for ourselves and price ourselves as our competitors would, we are sending out several messages.

We’re sending the message that we’re as talented and skilled as our competitors and often our peers.

We’re affirming that we’re worth the rates we’re pricing our services at.

And we’re acknowledging that when we fill our practices and are fully booked out, that that’s our “what’s enough” measure. From there, we can look at growing more strategically and outside of the paradigm of “more is better, and work harder.”

Because here’s what I know from working with ambitious empaths:

• You are clear on what you want to earn.
• You know what your annual gifting measures are and the charities and mission you’re committed to supporting.
• Work-life balance means something to you and you’re committed to building a business that supports your lifestyle.
• Contrary to the internalized capitalistic belief of more more more, you know what is enough and what this looks like in terms of your business metrics.
• Routine is important to you and as such you’re mindful of your ideal schedule and building your business in alignment with it. You recognize that if you discount your rates, you’ll need to work more to earn what you said you would.

Fundamentally, you know that when you discount your prices, you’re discounting your dreams and what you went into business for in the first place.

Freedom, more time with your family, more autonomy over your schedule, more flexibility to work on your own terms with whomever lights you up.

Here’s what I know to be true, when ambitious empaths stand for their full value and worth, you model what it looks like for those who follow in your footsteps, your biz besties, your ideal clients and clients-to-be, the next generation of heart-centered entrepreneurs, and those committed to doing business for good.

When empath entrepreneurs stand for their full value, everyone benefits.

Empath entrepreneurs choose collaboration over competition. We’re committed to reinvesting our business profits in the missions, causes and communities we believe in.

So the next time you question your rates or whether you should discount your services, here are 3 practices to ask yourself:

Reconnect with your “What’s Enough” measures

What are your milestones and metrics when you are fully booked? (Your take-home earnings; your ideal schedule including your working hours; your living schedule; your charitable contributions)

Get clear on what message you want to communicate

When you stand for your full value, what are you communicating to your ideal clients, to your community? What message are you sending to the universe and making yourself available for?

Envision the lifestyle you are building your business in service of

Spoiler alert, this is why you went into business in the first place! Take the lunch break, pick up your kids from school; retire your husband. Stay connected with your larger goals and what dream you went into business to realize.

ARE YOU READY TO TRULY CREATE YOUR PURPOSE-DRIVEN BUSINESS ON YOUR TERMS? 

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Catherine is a Master Certified Coach and bestselling author of Belonging: Overcome Your Inner Critic and Reclaim Your Joy.