I recently flew down to San Francisco and stayed with my mentor and colleague Karen McCall for two blessed days. Karen is the pioneer of Financial Recovery Counseling and introduced me to this awesome field. It is she who introduced me to the concept of “underearning” and the importance of getting out of the money fog. (And staying out!)  In fact, I dedicated my book to her.

 It felt sooo good to share my business and my business numbers with her. I spend a lot of time in other people’s small businesses (and personal finances), coaching them on underearning and spending issues etc. But sometimes I confess that the phrase “physician heal thyself!” or “the cobbler’s children have no shoes” drifts through my head. What about me! Sometimes I think we are too proud to ask for help in what is supposedly our own area of specialty.

To make a long story short, she asked me what I was charging private clients. This was after she listened to me be-moaning my tight schedule and my desire to free up time for the other aspects of my business. I don’t want to give up private clients. But I am also running several business support groups for self-employed women. And I want to write more. (Oh, and did I mention I have a family??)

In her oh-so-tactful way, Karen says to me, “You know, I just read this great book on how to set and raise your fees”. I rolled my eyes. (It is the workbook I wrote, in case you don’t know.) Then she told me to charge more. According to my very own guidelines, I am niched, experienced and have too much pressure on my schedule. Oh, and I’m not experiencing enough price resistance. Damn. So I took her advice. I guess that means I took my own advice!