If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last ten years of building a successful portfolio career, it’s that you can, and should, get paid more for what you do.
Thanks for writing this piece. I too have worked on ensuring I get paid at least the same as men I work with, and try and channel them when Im pricing. It took me a few years but I do feel I'm "good" at this now. To share a couple of tips that I got earlier on in my portfolio life - "odd" number pricing. Apparently we are less likely to negotiate unusual numbers than obvious ones (I have found this to be true) so price in that way. And then push yourself up - eg £840 not £750 or £1690 not £1500 etc etc. A second tip was "ask for the biggest number you can without laughing" (as in the number just below an amount you think would be outrageous). I shared this with a client I was working with - who then priced a job at £160k (his standard priced had been £75k for this work). The client said yes and didn't even negotiate - which can be another sign you're not charging enough, if no one is saying you're too expensive. Thanks again for putting this out there.
The AUDACITY of that conference to tell you there was no fee for panelists when they were already paying another speaker!!! (And—of course—a man.) Sadly it’s so common with these gigs ☹️
I was explaining to a friend once why at this point I can only consider speaking invitations that pay REALLY well, and he was completely taken aback. He said, “Man, if I could just fly around the country and get paid like $1000 to talk for an hour I would totally do that.”
Now, this is a guy who loves the finer things in life and currently makes about $250,000 USD annually.
So I said, “Okay, how many hours do you think you would spend crafting your presentation, rehearsing it, memorizing, perhaps creating slides or other visuals? Then tweaking it or writing/rehearsing/memorizing a whole new one for a different purpose? Or researching other panelists and preparing questions for them as a moderator? How many hours do you spend getting to/from the airport, waiting, flying, perhaps having to stay overnight alone in a random city in the lowest-budget hotel the host can put you in? And how many times can you realistically do that in one year?”
Right! Of course the other speaker was a man. Luckily he is also a good friend and so was honest about it.
I'm so glad you listed ALL of the unseen parts of the job. Truth is, after you've done all of that work, delivering the actual talk is the easiest bit!
Expenses!! Yes!!!!! I’m an author and expect my publisher to pay for trains and hotels if they need me in London at all, because I live two hours away. And I don’t think enough authors ask for this! Great prompt
You're right, I don't think people know that they can ask for expenses to be covered. I live about an hour from London, a taxi home is £90-£120. I do two or three events each month, it all adds up.
This is such an important topic, something I see so often with the women I work with in the wellbeing space especially who have been used being often underpaid for the work they do in service and navigating the shift to putting their needs first. Especially as women, and for Mums, where all too often it feels too uncomfortable to talk about. Financial independence and being paid what you are due is so important, especially as the gender pay gap is so real across multiple industries. Thank you for talking about it!
Yes, I agree financial independence is very important and should be encouraged. 5 years ago when I got divorced, I was able to use my savings to buy my house. I’m sure the situation would have been even more stressful than it already was, if I didn’t have financial independence.
I totally hear you - I also went through a divorce but 8 years ago and didn’t have the savings/independence and had to move back in with my parents. It has taken me almost longer than the relationship of 7 years to get back on solid footing. I was obviously incredibly lucky to have that but in some ways I hated not having my own two feet to stand on and is why I also have to be a little aware of swinging further into hyper independence, but tbh I’d rather that than to ever be in the same position again! It’s amazing you were able to buy a place for yourself. So many Mums get stuck too because they take on the majority of the parenting and so don’t have the freedom of choice to change their life as easily as it can be with the resources that can help, like financial freedom.
That sounds tough, thanks for sharing. I'm sure many women and mums feel stuck when it comes to money and freedom, that's party why I started this newsletter. I'm new to Substack but already enjoying it here.
Totally! Me too :-) it’s always been the driving force behind my work. Personally I’m no stranger to adversity and perversely love the growth that can come from challenge! It’s also so refreshing to have these honest conversations on here as I find it can be hard to have them so in depth on other social platforms! Thank you for coming over here to share your energy! I think I’ve also seen you’re working with Hannah at Oyogo. Love her, it’s an exciting time for female business owners and entrepreneurs in many ways!
It’s also about explaining the fees to the client and once they understand how the value of the service matches the fee, they immediately feel better and gain the confidence they need to pay…and you’re so right about the network, who actually sells for you…🩶
Thank you so much! Advocating for yourself seems so awkward and uncomfortable but can be rewarding if you try anyways you never know how far you’ll go!
Such a great read, thank you! Also, this might only be my experience - but often a lot of people say "oh, my Manager really tried" - but I always encourage people to ask, "yes, but did they really?".
My experience is that there are a lot of managers who say it's out of their hands, but in fact it's not. It's just that they have to do some work, make your case and push for it, sometimes quite hard. Of course there are some great managers who really understand the value someone is adding and goes the extra mile to make a pay rise happen, but sadly there are a lot who, for lack of a better phrase, "can't be bothered".
If you smell a bit of that "can't be bothered" attitude, then my advice would be to turn up the pressure - it may be the only way to achieve the goal you're reaching for.
“We’re always declaring that we’re “grateful for the opportunity” to work. But here’s the truth: it’s still work. And just because you enjoy it doesn’t mean you should be paid less for it.”
Thanks for writing this piece. I too have worked on ensuring I get paid at least the same as men I work with, and try and channel them when Im pricing. It took me a few years but I do feel I'm "good" at this now. To share a couple of tips that I got earlier on in my portfolio life - "odd" number pricing. Apparently we are less likely to negotiate unusual numbers than obvious ones (I have found this to be true) so price in that way. And then push yourself up - eg £840 not £750 or £1690 not £1500 etc etc. A second tip was "ask for the biggest number you can without laughing" (as in the number just below an amount you think would be outrageous). I shared this with a client I was working with - who then priced a job at £160k (his standard priced had been £75k for this work). The client said yes and didn't even negotiate - which can be another sign you're not charging enough, if no one is saying you're too expensive. Thanks again for putting this out there.
Great advice! thanks Sarah
The AUDACITY of that conference to tell you there was no fee for panelists when they were already paying another speaker!!! (And—of course—a man.) Sadly it’s so common with these gigs ☹️
I was explaining to a friend once why at this point I can only consider speaking invitations that pay REALLY well, and he was completely taken aback. He said, “Man, if I could just fly around the country and get paid like $1000 to talk for an hour I would totally do that.”
Now, this is a guy who loves the finer things in life and currently makes about $250,000 USD annually.
So I said, “Okay, how many hours do you think you would spend crafting your presentation, rehearsing it, memorizing, perhaps creating slides or other visuals? Then tweaking it or writing/rehearsing/memorizing a whole new one for a different purpose? Or researching other panelists and preparing questions for them as a moderator? How many hours do you spend getting to/from the airport, waiting, flying, perhaps having to stay overnight alone in a random city in the lowest-budget hotel the host can put you in? And how many times can you realistically do that in one year?”
The look on his face 😂
Right! Of course the other speaker was a man. Luckily he is also a good friend and so was honest about it.
I'm so glad you listed ALL of the unseen parts of the job. Truth is, after you've done all of that work, delivering the actual talk is the easiest bit!
Expenses!! Yes!!!!! I’m an author and expect my publisher to pay for trains and hotels if they need me in London at all, because I live two hours away. And I don’t think enough authors ask for this! Great prompt
You're right, I don't think people know that they can ask for expenses to be covered. I live about an hour from London, a taxi home is £90-£120. I do two or three events each month, it all adds up.
Great read on my morning commute! Thank you
Thanks Celeste :)
This is such an important topic, something I see so often with the women I work with in the wellbeing space especially who have been used being often underpaid for the work they do in service and navigating the shift to putting their needs first. Especially as women, and for Mums, where all too often it feels too uncomfortable to talk about. Financial independence and being paid what you are due is so important, especially as the gender pay gap is so real across multiple industries. Thank you for talking about it!
Yes, I agree financial independence is very important and should be encouraged. 5 years ago when I got divorced, I was able to use my savings to buy my house. I’m sure the situation would have been even more stressful than it already was, if I didn’t have financial independence.
I totally hear you - I also went through a divorce but 8 years ago and didn’t have the savings/independence and had to move back in with my parents. It has taken me almost longer than the relationship of 7 years to get back on solid footing. I was obviously incredibly lucky to have that but in some ways I hated not having my own two feet to stand on and is why I also have to be a little aware of swinging further into hyper independence, but tbh I’d rather that than to ever be in the same position again! It’s amazing you were able to buy a place for yourself. So many Mums get stuck too because they take on the majority of the parenting and so don’t have the freedom of choice to change their life as easily as it can be with the resources that can help, like financial freedom.
That sounds tough, thanks for sharing. I'm sure many women and mums feel stuck when it comes to money and freedom, that's party why I started this newsletter. I'm new to Substack but already enjoying it here.
Totally! Me too :-) it’s always been the driving force behind my work. Personally I’m no stranger to adversity and perversely love the growth that can come from challenge! It’s also so refreshing to have these honest conversations on here as I find it can be hard to have them so in depth on other social platforms! Thank you for coming over here to share your energy! I think I’ve also seen you’re working with Hannah at Oyogo. Love her, it’s an exciting time for female business owners and entrepreneurs in many ways!
It’s also about explaining the fees to the client and once they understand how the value of the service matches the fee, they immediately feel better and gain the confidence they need to pay…and you’re so right about the network, who actually sells for you…🩶
Thank you so much! Advocating for yourself seems so awkward and uncomfortable but can be rewarding if you try anyways you never know how far you’ll go!
Yes, exactly!
Yes! This is an important message, especially for women and our programming!
Expenses paid: yup, the bare minimum!!
Amen
So true! Ask and it is given
Good stuff, really liked it.
Such a great read, thank you! Also, this might only be my experience - but often a lot of people say "oh, my Manager really tried" - but I always encourage people to ask, "yes, but did they really?".
My experience is that there are a lot of managers who say it's out of their hands, but in fact it's not. It's just that they have to do some work, make your case and push for it, sometimes quite hard. Of course there are some great managers who really understand the value someone is adding and goes the extra mile to make a pay rise happen, but sadly there are a lot who, for lack of a better phrase, "can't be bothered".
If you smell a bit of that "can't be bothered" attitude, then my advice would be to turn up the pressure - it may be the only way to achieve the goal you're reaching for.
thank you for sharing this!! the audacity some people have to intentionally be paying someone much less than they deserve is crazy T-T
“We’re always declaring that we’re “grateful for the opportunity” to work. But here’s the truth: it’s still work. And just because you enjoy it doesn’t mean you should be paid less for it.”
THAT PART! 👏🏾👏🏾
Thanks for writing this. Great advice.
Great read! Thank you so much for highlighting the pay inequality that exists for women. Now following ♥️