Have you ever been asked what you charge, and felt something happen before you had even said the number? That half a second where your mind is already running. Is that too much? Is it not enough? What will they think of me?
If you know that feeling well, you are in very good company.
This is part two of the Love and Money Series, and today I explore the fear of being paid what you are worth. It shows up most for us as sole traders, because when the business is you, being paid can feel deeply personal. But the fear is rarely about the number itself. It is about the meaning we have attached to it.
In this episode I walk through the five ways this fear shows up:
- Overdelivering to feel you have earned the right to be paid
- Dropping your price before anyone has even asked
- Rushing or softening the number as it leaves your mouth
- Overexplaining and justifying your fee
- Avoiding naming a price at all
Chapter Timestamps:
00:12 Introduction to the Fear of Pricing
02:50 Understanding Personal Value in Pricing
05:27 Signs of Fear in Pricing Conversations
10:49 The Impact of Undercharging
14:08 Shifting Mindsets: From Sole Trader to CEO
15:54 Practical Steps to Embrace Your Worth
We look at the resentment cost of undercharging, the shift from sole trader to CEO of your own business, and the questions that opens up. What does the business need to run profitably? What is the market willing to pay for the result I create? What is the cost of undercharging?
And I leave you with one practice for this week. Say your price, then pause. Don't soften it. Don't explain it. Just sit with it, and notice what arises in your body. This is my fee. I am allowed to be paid for the work I do. It is safe for me to receive.
Because being paid what you are worth rests on a much bigger question underneath the number: whether you believe you are allowed to receive, and whether you can hold your price steady enough for someone else to trust it.
So carry this with you. What do you make money mean, in the moment when someone offers to pay you for your work?
A lot of this work is about worthiness, boundaries, people pleasing, and inner worth. If you would like a safe space for these deeper conversations, come and join us in the Money Circle. It is our free online community, with a monthly newsletter of resources and a live monthly call where we hold space for exactly this.
Head to https://themoneypanel.co.uk/newsletter and you will receive an invite for the next circle call in your welcome email.
If you missed part one of the Love and Money Series, on why love and money are so deeply connected, listen to that first.
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://yt.openinapp.co/op9cg
Much love, Catherine x
