Those light bulb moments are so life-altering, aren’t they? 🙂

It’s what you said, Sharon — that lower rate is not sustainable. We hang on to clients too long out of some misguided sense of loyalty, duty, fear. But seeing for yourself that others do value your skills is so enlightening!

Yes, it’s a different situation when you’re paying someone so you can work! I love your husband’s advice. It really does make sense but I think a lot of us get caught up in the idea that busier is better.

Yep, sometimes it’s the back-to-the-wall moments that push us to stand up for ourselves. Way to go, Krista! It probably didn’t hurt that you had to pay for daycare, either. That in itself would have motivated me to charge more.

My husband is often my source of sensible advice. He told me once as I was complaining how I had way too much to do that I should just charge more. That way, I’d make the same amount without killing myself.

I took that advice right to the bank.

After he came along, I put him in childcare part time and gave myself 25 hours a week to work. I turned down the lower paying stuff because there was only so much room in my schedule. I was also hyper focused for the hours I was in the office. And guess what? My income went up by about 10 thousand a year while I was working about half of what I did before. I still can hardly believe it. And these days I don’t have all that much trouble politely telling potential clients their rates aren’t in line with what I typically earn.