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7 | Setting your fees: Charge what you’re worth, and make yourself worth it – Lactation Business Coaching with Annie and Leah
“We’re talking about money — and money is scary to talk about.”
— Annie Frisbie
How do you set your fees so that they’re fair and compassionate to your clients… without undervaluing your worth?
In this episode, we talk through the tough topic of setting your fees for your private lactation practice.
Money is an uncomfortable topic for many people, especially women. And it can be difficult to ask for what your work is actually worth (or even realize your worth in the first place). But you’re not truly serving anyone when you set a low bar for your pricing. To run a business, you need to have money.
When it comes to choosing a number for your pricing, nobody wants to be in a race to the bottom — including your clients! Undercharging not only prevents you from making the type of income that your work deserves, but it can hurt the profession as a whole… as well as your clients. Charging too little can lead to demotivation, resentment, and “calling it in” during your client visits. Your fees and revenue goals should challenge and motivate you to be the best lactation consultant you can be, and provide you with a living.
It’s important to know your worth as a business owner, and to represent that fairly within your specific market. For this reason, market research is a must when figuring out your fee system. The next step? Learning how to effectively communicate your incredible value through your marketing.
Once you’ve set your rate, you can begin working towards long-term goals for your business as a whole. So, let’s get started.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
- How to come up with your fees — and what your fees say about your business
- Why a sliding scale system is the most ethical, professional way to offer lower rates
- How to communicate your value — and where to make your best client-attracting connections
Links and Resources
- Subscribe to the Deeper Dive Membership: https://learn.paperlesslactation.com/subscription/deeper-dive-membership
Have an idea for a podcast episode or a Deeper Dive? Let us know! https://learn.paperlesslactation.com/form/collaborate
“Don’t look for your fees to solve that very complicated world problem which is that people can’t afford lactation services — you are not going to fix that by having low fees.”
— Annie Frisbie
Highlights:
01:30 Leah’s marketing moment
05:04 Why is fee-setting so scary?
08:10 Danger of underpricing
11:22 Coming up with your number
16:53 Goal-setting benefits
18:19 Intention & challenge
20:14 Pricing comparisons
23:14 Low-income clients
26:28 Presenting your fee & value
34:10 Annie’s tech tip
37:28 Manifesting
About Us
Leah Jolly is a private practice IBCLC with Bay Area Breastfeeding in Houston, Texas. Annie Frisbie is a private practice IBCLC serving Queens and Brooklyn in New York City, and the creator of Paperless Lactation.
The Lactation Business Coaching podcast is produced by us and edited by Jillian Grover, who also writes our show notes. Our theme song is by Silas Wade.
