I have been self employed for about 6 years now and I have seen it all. The clients that never pay up until you chase them and those that wait until the very last day to pay. I have seen clients that want all for nothing. They are happy to pay you peanuts and keep all the profits for themselves. Earning money as a self employed person is hard work. Don’t believe the stories that tell you it is easy to earn a living from home because it is far from easy. Trust me, I have 6 plus years worth of experience to know that being a self employed person, running your own business from home is hard. Which is why you should charge what you deserve.
My reason for doing this
I found myself working from home full-time after my twins were born. Going back to my old job was not an option. I hated it and the commute and income won’t be worth the hassle at all, so I ended up focusing on making money online. It worked! I started earning a full time living wage from this blog and my freelance jobs (mainly copywriting and blogger outreach). It wasn’t easy. I had to work every free hour I got and I hardly slept all those years, but the money started coming in.
It got easier as the twins got older and started pre school and now primary school. I have more free time to focus on my hustle and even throw in studying for a whole new degree. However, the journey has been a rollercoaster ride and has taught me a lot. What kept me going all these years was my “why”. To be a happy self employed person, you have to have a “why” because you will need to remember the reason when the days get tough.
Which is why I charge what I deserve
I love what I do and the opportunities it brings are too numerous to mention but I also have my own fair share of dealing with people who don’t want to pay the right amount for what they want. A really funny email came in yesterday and it was the lowest fee I have ever been offered and it make me giggle. Obviously I didn’t bother replying but I am pleased with how far I have come because on a good day I would have been fuming at the audacity of the email.
My rates are my rates. I charge what I deserve and I don’t apologise for it. I believe there is value in my work and I would now let anyone take advantage of me by accepting low fees just because that is what they are willing to pay. The first rule when it comes to self employment or running your business is to charge what you deserve. There is enough to go around for everyone if people stop being greedy and I believe to unblock the flow of abundance, we need to charge the right amount of money. There will always be people who will happily pay your rates once you are comfortable asking for it.
When it comes to self employment, the pros outweigh the cons massively for me. Which is why I am still doing what I do full-time for now. It is great to be able to work from home. I won’t charge that for anything now. Are you self employed? Do you feel you charge what you deserve? Do drop your comments in the comment section below.
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