You've spent years building your skills. You've invested in training, in your business, in yourself. And then someone asks what you charge, and you practically whisper the number, trail off at the end, or instantly follow it with "but I can do a deal if that's too much."
Sound familiar?
Underpricing is one of the most common and most damaging habits I see in women running service-based businesses. After 13 years of coaching ambitious women in business across the UK, I can tell you this: your pricing problem isn't actually about the numbers. It's about your relationship with your own value.
This blog is going to change that.
Here's what most pricing advice gets wrong: it treats undercharging as a maths problem. Just multiply your hours, add a margin, and away you go.
But if it were that simple, you wouldn't be reading this.
The truth is, women in service-based businesses tend to underprice for three very specific reasons:
None of these are maths problems. They're mindset and positioning problems. And until you address them, no pricing calculator in the world will fix your rates.
Your price is a signal. It tells people exactly how much you believe in your own expertise.
Here's the framework I use with my 1:1 coaching clients to help them set prices they can say out loud without flinching.
Most women do this backwards. They look at what everyone else is charging and price themselves somewhere in the middle. The problem? You're basing your entire business model on someone else's, and you have no idea what their costs, experience, or goals are.
Instead, start here: what do you need to earn each month to live the life you actually want? Then work backwards. How many clients do you need? How many hours can you realistically work? That's your minimum price point, not the industry average.
This is the single biggest shift I see transforming women's businesses. You are not selling your time. You are not selling a service. You are selling a result.
A brand photographer isn't selling "a 4-hour shoot and 30 edited images." They're selling the feeling of walking into a client meeting with total confidence, knowing every image on their website looks exactly like the business owner they've become.
When you price for transformation, not time, the whole conversation changes, and so does what people are willing to pay.
One price point means every potential client is either a yes or a no. A tiered offer suite means there's a pathway for people at different stages and a natural journey upward.
Think: entry-level offer → core offer → premium or VIP experience. Each one should feel like a logical next step, not a random menu.
This is a practical, tactical change that makes an enormous difference. When you give your price, say it - then stop talking. No justifications, no apologies, no "but I can be flexible." Just the number and silence.
Silence feels uncomfortable, but it's not. It's powerful. It communicates that you believe in your price and you don't need to defend it. Most of the time, the client will speak first, and they'll be ready to move forward.
Your prices should grow as your experience grows. If you haven't raised your prices in over a year, you're almost certainly overdelivering for what you're being paid.
A simple rule: review your prices every six months. At a minimum, apply an annual uplift in line with inflation. And if you're fully booked? That's a neon sign telling you to charge more!!
Here's one thing to do today: write down your current price for your core offer. Then ask yourself honestly: Does this price reflect the result I deliver, or the fear of being told no?
If it's the latter, it's time to raise it. You don't need permission. You don't need to wait until you feel ready. You need to back yourself.
Pick a new price that makes you slightly uncomfortable; that's usually the right one. Then practise saying it out loud until it stops feeling strange. It won't take long.
The clearest signs: you're attracting clients who question your prices, you feel resentful mid-project, and you're working full weeks but not hitting your income goals. Any one of those is a signal. All three together mean it's urgent!
Some will leave. I'm not going to pretend otherwise. But here's what else happens: the clients who stay are more committed, more grateful, and easier to work with. And the new clients you attract? They're at a completely different level. Price rises almost always lead to better clients, not fewer.
There's no single right answer, but for most service-based businesses, I recommend being transparent about price ranges or starting-from figures. It filters out poor-fit enquiries and signals confidence. Hidden pricing often reads as "we'll charge whatever we think you can afford", which isn't the message you want to send. Many of my clients, I build landing pages leading to vetting forms /questionnaires and calendar bookings, so you can be sure you've weaned out the time wasters and know thier budget and time scales if you do not want to publicly show pricing or if it's bespoke.
Pricing is just one piece of the puzzle. If you're ready to get serious about building a business around your goals, with the right strategy, structure, and support... I'd love to work with you!
I work with ambitious women in two ways:
Find out more and apply at empoweredwithemily.com — or come and meet me in person at one of my monthly events in Leeds or Sheffield. Or drop me an email at [email protected].
