"I'm not ready" and other myths that are holding you back

If you were part of the traditional school system, you learned to wait for permission.

Before asking a question.

Before sharing an insight.

Before stepping out to the bathroom.

Patience and permission are among our most important life skills for sure. But when it comes to following our purpose, we can’t wait for permission. We have to begin.

Over and over (and over again) I hear these two phrases “I’m not ready” and “I have to be an expert.”

And that begs the question: “according to WHOM?”

You show me a baby who nailed their first step.

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Rachel Dorsey
Just because they can’t afford it doesn’t mean it’s overpriced

Whether you sell tacos, or towels, or piano lessons or earings, or photography or…. whatever, there is always going to be someone who thinks your work is overpriced.

But just because your work is outside of their budget, doesn’t mean it’s unfairly priced.

Read that again. And maybe one more time.

Just because your work is outside of their budget, doesn’t mean it’s unfairly priced.

“Fast-fashion” and “hand-crafted” are very different beasts. “Cookie cutter” and “bespoke” aren’t in the same world. “Mass produced” and “ethically practiced” cannot be compared.

So what can you do if someone tells you that your work is overprices?

First, remember: You get to set your own prices.

You get to set your own prices based on materials, time, intellectual property, the cost of living and so much more.

Then consider: Is it selling out too fast? It’s time to raise your prices.

Is it not selling at al? It’s time to make an adjustment - maybe price, maybe stronger marketing, maybe something else entirely.

“But Rachel” you think, “I want to make a fair wage AND be accessible”:

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Rachel Dorsey
How to Price Your Work

Before you pick a random number that sounds sexy - take a step back and reflect.

1. Your time is valuable. What do you need to earn per hour of working time to make you feel good about the decision to do X instead of whatever you’d be doing otherwise.

When you say yes to one thing, it means you’re saying no to something else. To feel good about your “Yes” - weigh the hourly rate against that walk, that project, that post - whatever you’d be doing otherwise.

2. How long will it take?

Get really clear on the scope of work. Drill down into every category of work product. It takes longer on the front end, but it saves time, confusion, and disappointment later on.

Consider how much time to allocate to execution, how much time to allocate to presentation, feedback, refinement, etc. Be open about the resources you need to make a project happen. You can always scale down the deliverables to fit the budget, but you want to be transparent about the true time commitment.

3. Are there expenses?

…

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Chelsi De Cuba
Commitment to Justice

I believe that when everyone has a seat at the table, our ideas, our work product and our world are elevated.

Unlearning racism is a lifelong pursuit. I am committed to justice, equity and inclusion and take my responsibility as a leader, mother and friend seriously.

In addition to learning from BIPOC leaders, supporting BIPOC business owners, reading books by BIPOC authors and amplifying the voices of the many brilliant and talented BIPOC creatives and thinkers in my own community, I am committed to the following:

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Rachel Dorsey
Why is it so hard to put ourselves first?

Why is it so hard to put ourselves first?

Towards the end of a mentorship session this morning, we explored the challenge of finding purpose and meaning while living under the constraints and challenges of our current set of circumstances.

We talked about the desire to cultivate a hobby, we talked about carving out time, and after all of that, we got to the heart of the matter - which is this:

We’ve been conditioned to look for external validation. We’ve been conditioned to feel useful, impactful, meaningful when we’re doing for others.

We make time to work. We make time to parent. We make time to check on our friends. We make time to be accountable to others.

It is SO HARD to be accountable to ourselves.

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Rachel Dorseymotherhood, priority, self care, hobbies, values, how to
This is a story about money

I know, I know - it's not polite to talk about money. I think that's a problem. If no one talks about money, how does one effectively negotiate salary? How does one know how much to charge for a project? How do we attach value to effort? If the wage gap is real (and myriad studies indicate that it is) what can we do about it?

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Rachel Dorsey