Especially during the holiday seasons, as freelancers and small business owners we often find ourselves getting ready for some time away from our desks. Since we work for ourselves, this can feel both exciting and worrying in equal measure. On the one hand, we’re looking forward to some well-deserved rest and relaxation. But on the other hand, we’re unlikely to be earning much while we’re away.

Unfortunately, if we’re worrying about making ends meet at the end of the month, we’re unlikely to have a very relaxing break! But the good news is that if we adjust our prices to take into account the time we’re going to have off, we don’t need to worry about our finances.

Click here to learn the benefits of building time off into your prices as well as what you should be considering and how to set your allowance.

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Taking a period of extended time off from your business can feel daunting. When you work as a freelancer, there’s no-one else to keep things ticking over while you’re not there. Both your business and your customers rely heavily on you as an individual.

As freelancers, we experience so many worries and fears when we take leave. We’re afraid we might end up losing our clients because we’re not available, or that our business simply won’t be able to survive without our constant presence.

However, the financial side of things doesn’t have to be a concern. If we adjust our prices to take into consideration the time we’re going to have off and our new financial requirements, we should still be able to earn enough money to make ends meet and maintain our business.

In this blog post, I’m explaining how to prepare for parental leave, or any period of extended time off, through your pricing.

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Negotiating with clients can be intimidating. It’s something that many freelancers and small business owners struggle with, but it’s also an essential part of ensuring you earn enough on your projects to make a decent living.

One of the biggest hurdles you’re likely to encounter during a negotiation is being persuaded to agree to something you’re not actually happy with in the heat of the moment.

Preparing thoroughly for a price negotiation and fully understanding your numbers can help you avoid ending up in this situation. If you know what you’re not willing to accept before you even start your discussion with the client, you’re far less likely to find yourself agreeing to something you don’t want.

In this blog post, I’m setting out the 3 most common negotiation scenarios for freelancers and explaining how to identify your ‘walk away’ point in each situation.

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In the past, I’ve spoken about how common it is for freelancers and small business owners to set their prices based on what others in their industry charge. Another approach that many freelancers take, particularly when they work predominantly with agency clients and are just starting out, is to accept whatever rates their clients offer them.

However, pricing your services in both these ways can lead to problems. This is because what others charge and what your clients offer won’t guarantee you’ll be earning enough to cover your expenses and make a decent living without having to work all hours.

When you accept a rate proposed by your client in particular, it can lead to you feeling underpaid further down the line, and you might not know how to rectify the situation.

I’ve been asked about this topic a few times recently, so here’s a 5-step plan to help you raise your prices if your clients have always set your rates.

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As freelancers and small business owners, it’s easy to feel as though there’s a limit to how much we can earn. Having said that, the likelihood is that you’re actually able to earn far more than you think you can.

While I often talk about understanding your minimum hourly rate being crucial for running a sustainable business, another part of what I teach through Charge with Confidence is how to calculate an aspirational hourly rate that would bring in enough money for you to live your ideal lifestyle.

Sometimes when you calculate your aspirational rate, the result is a number that you can't imagine ever being able to charge. However, I’d argue that this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Here, I’m looking at why it’s useful to have a minimum and an aspirational hourly rate, as well as explaining how your aspirational rate can benefit both you and your business.

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When your business grows, you might find yourself too busy to manage all the work that comes your way. You’ve built your client base to such an extent that you can no longer do everything requested yourself.

There are various ways of dealing with this problem, one of which involves increasing your capacity by outsourcing paid work to other freelancers and trusted colleagues.

However, it’s important to ensure that going down this route doesn’t have a negative impact on your business. Outsourcing work to other freelancers is only worthwhile if you can earn enough by doing so.

Since outsourcing work often involves a delicate balance, I’ve created a 3-step strategy to help you put together a quote for a client when you want to outsource work to fulfil their project. Read on to find out more!

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In my role as a pricing mentor, I’ve noticed that a lot of freelancers and small business owners have a drive to help others through their work.

One of the benefits of running your own business is being free to make decisions in terms of who you help and how you help them.

Having said that, it’s all too easy to fall into a situation where you're helping others at the expense of your own financial stability. If you choose to help others through your work, you need to make sure that your business remains financially viable.

In this blog post, I’m explaining how to account for volunteering and unpaid work in your pricing so you can make sure you’re running a financially viable business while still enjoying the freedom to help others.

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Preparing to contact your clients about a rate increase can feel daunting, especially when you want your working relationships to continue in a positive light.

To reduce the risk, and the fear, I always recommend that freelancers and small business owners raise their prices with one client at a time. However, even then, I know it can be hard to find the courage to take concrete action.

One thing that often helps my mentees is to consider all the possible outcomes of the negotiation before starting a conversation about raising your prices with a customer. By doing this, you feel better prepared and already know how you’re going to respond to whatever your client says.

Here, I’m sharing the 4 most common outcomes of raising your prices with existing clients to help you prepare for your next customer negotiation.

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