You Determine Your Worth – Not Clients, Competition or Others
Worth is two-fold – it’s how we feel about our personal value and it’s the literal value of our services/business. And for both of those, we should determine our worth, not anyone else.
Easier said than done, right? We’ve all done it at some point or another. We compare, doubt ourselves, our work, our prices, our client experience, our talent and the ability to make this whole business thing work. We look at others in our industry and want to be where they are. We compare styles, technique, how many clients they seem to have, prices, websites, equipment, social media following – it’s an endless mind game if you let it get out of control.
Worth Is a Mindset
Worth is a mindset, and it starts with you. When you’re starting a creative business, there’s no step-by-step manual to tell you what to do, when and how. So we look to others in our industry for guidance. But soon, that turns into comparison which leads to questioning our worth as a creative. Here’s the thing – we need to start looking within ourselves. We know what we’re capable of. We know why we started this business. We know we can do this. So why do we want to be like others in our industry? Let’s strive to be different and stand out in your own unique way.
A Healthier Mindset
“Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle” – Tim Hiller, Strive: Life is Short, Pursue What Matters.
Have you ever caught yourself spending way too much time comparing every aspect of your business to others in your field? While we waste time and energy determining our worth the wrong way, we have no idea what’s going on behind the scenes of another business. Everything could look perfect on the outside but they’re struggling to pay their rent or pay themselves. Instead of obsessing over a competitors Instagram account, let’s use that energy to better ourselves, our business, our client experience, and our profit margins.
How Does That Translate into $$$$
When you know your worth as a person, as a creative, as a business owner, it gives you the confidence to run a successful business. You stop comparing to others and get laser-focused on creating a profitable business for yourself. This means understanding your costs and expenses along with your personal and business wants and needs. Your prices should reflect those things which look completely different than your competitions. This is one of the biggest reasons you should never compare your prices to competition or listen to others when they try to tell you how to price yourself without knowing the inside of your business.
You’ll Hear It All
- “Your prices are too high/too low.”
- “Not everyone is going to like the products you offer.”
- “You offer too much/too little.”
Don’t take it personally. You know your worth and why your prices and offerings are what they are to make you profitable. Don’t change that or let a naysayer get you to start questioning yourself. Everyone that comes in contact with your business, whether personally or professionally, will have their own opinions. Only yours matters. When you start changing your business strategies only because your competition is doing it, or because others feel like you should, then you’re letting them run your business.
As a creative entrepreneur, you determine what you want out of your business. You determine which days you work and when, how much you charge, and which clients you want to work with. Being a small creative business is what you make of it so let’s stop letting others determine our worth and get back to calling the shots!
Have you had an instance in your business that you’ve had to stand up for your worth? Share your story in the comments and inspire someone to stand up for their worth.
