Do you ever pause and think about how far you’ve come?
Yeah, me neither ?
Okay, I’m half-joking. Between my present work and future goals, I don’t spend a ton of time thinking about the past… unless something prompts me to do so.
I stumbled across something the other day that jolted me back to 2011, aka my scraping to survive days.
Check this out…
In case it’s not clear what you’re looking at, that’s a check stub from a client. For this particular project, I wrote 20 blogposts for $250.
DANG.
I remember accepting microscopic fees in my early days… but I forgot how many different ways I ripped myself off back then.
You’d have to write 8,000 blogposts at that rate to hit six-figures. And there are only 8,760 hours in a year.
Double DANG.
Thank God things have changed.
Today my fees are 100 times bigger (and it’s about time for them to go up again). Instead of scraping to survive, I turn down practically everyone who tries to throw money at me.
What made the difference?
Developing visibility and authority in the marketplace (which, if we’re honest, is only partially about results or ability)…
Working on the right projects for the right people…
And the confidence to ask for more (based on a proper understanding of how much value I bring to the particular project).
None of these are easy. But if I can do it, you can do it. Probably a lot faster than I did.
What would it be like finally charge what you deserve? To do the work you LOVE to do… with people you actually want to work with? To stop having to play by everyone else’s rules?
That can be your reality, and I encourage you to start today.
1. Work on building your visibility and authority. Publish authoritative content. Be seen associating with other respected authorities.
2. Get as specific as possible about who your perfect client is. Then determine what’s the most profitable result you can provide for that client.
3. Try to find out how much impact you’ve had on those you’ve already helped. Find out the value of getting the job done right… and the cost (financial, emotional, lost time) of allowing the job to remain undone or to be done poorly. Then set your fees boldly, knowing the value you bring.
Today’s a good day to get started. Make it a productive one.
P.S. Whether you’re selling a product or service, this is possibly the quickest way to multiply your income.