PRICING FOR PROFIT, NOT FOR EGO

Most small businesses don't price for profit. They price for ego — for the imaginary customer who'll be impressed by a bargain.

Here's the arithmetic that changed everything for me: work out what the business needs to earn to pay you properly, then work backwards to your prices. Not the other way round. If the number frightens you, the answer isn't cheaper prices — it's a better offer, a different market, or lower costs.

A price you're slightly embarrassed by and can defend with quality will always beat a price you're comfortable with and quietly resent forever.