This week, I’m answering a boundary question that came in from an entrepreneur who asked how she could get more grounded and confident charging what she’s worth.
The first thing I want you to do is stop talking about your fees and your worth in the same sentence! Your worth is unmeasurable. You are too precious to talk about worth as a dollar amount. No dollar amount can define your worth.
You have needs. Yes. And you might have a dollar amount that you’re charging that takes care of your being able to exist comfortably in a world that demands that we pay money for goods and services, shelter, clothing and food. But none of that has anything to do with your worth!
So when we unhook those things… when we unhook your worth from your productivity. Then we can look at the numbers as something that’s more neutral. Often when we start talking about charging what we’re worth, there’s all this stuff that comes up about proving ourselves and being good enough in order to fill the shoes of worthiness. And, though I do think it’s important to care about the value of the services you’re offering, I don’t think any of that has anything to do with your worth.
Because you are already worthy. You were worthy the moment you took your first breath. Even if you’re napping… even if you didn’t get out of bed this morning… even if that presentation you gave today didn’t go the way you wanted it to… Even if they don’t hire you… you are still worthy.
So when you’re thinking about fee setting as a boundary issue, start with those numbers. What is the life that you are creating and what is the dollar amount that supports that life? And then you can do the math backwards and figure out what is the fee that’s gonna support that life.
As you look at those numbers, you can start to think about where you are in business and what the market is doing and all of that. But first, start with you… understanding what your needs are. Don’t go out there and ask what other people are charging until you’ve answered that question. Because fundamentally fee setting is an act of self -care.
