What Am I Worth - To you?

I was chatting to someone yesterday who was talking about how much other coaches charge, some £5000-20,000 a DAY!!!!  I guess, depending on how much money you want to make, a couple of clients a year would keep most people happy but £20K a day?  As the client, I’d be looking for a hell of a return on investment!

Last year I bought myself a pair of Louboutins, my first (and only) pair of designer shoes.  Ever since I watched The Devil Wears Prada, I’ve been fascinated by the red flash on the sole. They ooze sassiness and chic.  I adore them, but what have they got to do with coaching I hear you ask?

Well, after I wore them out for the first time, the sole was scratched and I was a bit miffed, having spent a fair bit of my hard-earned cash on them; to me now, they were spoiled. They were now resembling a black pair of patent shoes that had cost £30 instead. A friend recommended Payne Footwear (https://www.hepaynefootwear.co.uk) for a more permanent solution (sol-ution, get it?  OK, soz, I know, that was bad ). I was reading through their blurb and saw this, “We do not charge more for a repair simply because the item has a higher price tag. The same level of care, dedication, time and quality will be given to every repair brought into us.”

I fell in love with them immediately, because that’s my exact approach to coaching.  I slashed my prices during the pandemic and gave some coaching for free. Not because I felt I wasn’t worth it, in fact, it was the exact opposite.  I have a fundamental desire to help people and was very conscious and grateful that I had still been able to work in lockdown; many people had lost their jobs or businesses during the pandemic and were struggling.  I considered it a way of giving back.  

I am lucky, or you could say I have made my luck.  It hasn’t always been that way. I’ve worked hard since the age of 14 and have often been in despair over the lack of funds in my bank account, which was sometimes in the red and sometimes hovering around zero. However, that hard work has paid off and I no longer worry about whether I can afford to pay my electric or gas bill, or, how I can make a chicken and veg from the market last a week for food. Charity shops were my friend as I prioritised funds to clothe my kids. I can remember what it’s like to struggle, the constant overwhelming pressure and worry of losing our home, or my job.  I was too proud to tell people that I needed help and there was no way that I could afford coaching at that time. 

I think it’s sad that we now live in a society where we believe that we have to pay small fortune to receive something of superior quality. I find it greedy, but maybe that’s just my values kicking in. I made the exception for the Louboutins’ because they evoked a feeling in me that had nothing to do with the price, however, after that one outing they were renegaded to fall in line with the other high street shoes and left me feeling disappointed. 

I don’t intend to suddenly dramatically increase my prices, despite others saying I’m ‘charging too little’, or, ‘if someone thinks you are worth it, they will pay’. I don’t care whether you have £10 or £1M, just like the shoe company, the level of service I give you will be the same. I don’t give less of myself to you because you are paying me less. To me, you are a human being first and my intent is to help those in need; those who can’t always access coaching services because it is seen as an elitist service and out of their league.