You're pricing your projects wrong

You're pricing your projects wrong

Author: The Happy Startup School November 24, 2021 Duration: 40:21

Most projects a priced based on people's time.

The proposal, as well as containing lots of justification for choosing you as a supplier, is essentially a shopping list of project member's time and how much their hourly rates are.

This is helpful in terms of being transparent and making feel the client is informed.

But IS it really helpful?

More information doesn't necessarily mean more power.

Unless your client is empowered to make a choice and believe that the price you're giving them is worth paying then it doesn't matter how granular and transparent you are about your pricing it won't help them.

In the end you're providing a number and your client needs to able to make sense of that number and explain it to others.

Also, when it comes to doing work that includes some inherent uncertainty, such as creative work or developing an innovative app, then defining price based on time isn't necessarily helpful either.

More than anything clients want certainty about what they're going to get and what they're going to spend in order to get it.

And they want to avoid any regrets about how much they spent (i.e. they want to feel good about spending more money).

They want definite outcomes without feeling like they've been conned.

They want solutions and good feelings.

How does you project pricing help create these?


For freelancers and founders who believe their work has genuine purpose, the conversation around money can feel like the most awkward part of the job. The Happy Pricing Podcast, from The Happy Startup School, steps directly into that discomfort. It operates from a simple, radical premise: pricing shouldn't be a silent calculation of fear or greed, but a clear, confident dialogue about shared value. This isn't about racing to the bottom to please clients or inflating rates to exploit them. Instead, each episode focuses on building the practical capability to have those necessary, often avoided, financial conversations. You'll hear real strategies for articulating your worth in a way that feels authentic, ensuring the exchange is equitable and that you are properly compensated for the impact you create. The discussions move beyond theory into the nuanced reality of running a purpose-driven business, exploring how to structure fees, negotiate with clarity, and ultimately create arrangements where both you and your clients feel good about the investment. Tuning into this podcast means re-framing pricing from a transactional headache into a core component of your professional integrity and happiness. It's for those ready to move past anxiety and into a practice where everyone truly shares in the value being delivered.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 75

The Happy Pricing Podcast
Podcast Episodes
What to Do When People Say You’re Too Expensive [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:55
Understanding your value can help you price more confidently, without being brash. When we understand our target audience and what they need, we can create a perception of value that resonates with them. But we need to b…
Find Your Ideal Client by Telling Your Story [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:23
Storytelling is a powerful tool in marketing and selling. It lets us connect with our audience on a deeper level and create a sense of trust and authenticity. By understanding our own journey and values, as well as those…
How can I put up my prices? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:50
If you’re struggling to charge enough for your work, you're not alone. The solution is simple: raise your prices. It's the easiest way to increase your earnings. But lots of us face resistance and doubt when it comes to…
Playing with pricing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:41
Bringing play and experimentation into pricing can lead to more positive and valuable conversations with clients. Approaching pricing with ease helps us create a space for dialogue, rather than showing up with tension or…
Pricing and positioning [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:46
Pricing is not just a number, but a signal that sends messages to customers about the value, safety, and reassurance of what we offer. Positioning plays a crucial role in how pricing is perceived, and it’s important to b…
Should you put your prices on your website? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:51
How comfortable are you talking about money? That, along with what you sell and who you want to sell it to will dictate whether you want to – or should – put prices on your website.As ever, the answer is never black-and-…
How to price well without talking about money [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:24
Pricing well means understanding the value of the work to the customer, and being willing to have open conversations sensitivity. We need to tell a story about the value of the work and the expertise of the person or bus…
How to you remove the guesswork from your pricing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:35
When pricing feels like guesswork, that uncertainty can damage the trust we’re hoping to build with our clients. If we explore the change we’re helping our clients achieve, we can gain a better understanding of what’s im…
Money goals that excite you [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:33
There are four layers of goals: the crazy layer, the control layer, the concrete layer, and the everyday. To work effectively towards a goal you need to break it down into output you can control and create steps you can…