Well, we tried to move my subscribers to the new company. It was awful!!! It was messy, confusing and infuriating. And we made some mistakes. I went with One Shopping Cart, by the way. After studying all the options, we decided on them because I use them already for my shopping cart and all my auto-responders. The fewer gadgets the better. Between me, my assistant, my marketing consultant, my web developer and the new company, we probably had too many cooks in the kitchen. That, and I don’t think this type of thing is ever easy. For one thing, the new company was supposed to send out the opt-in message to all my subscribers telling them what was happening and giving them the link to opt-in. Then I sent out a message from my old data-base explaining the situation and requesting people to click on the link they just received. One catch- the company held the opt-in email so people didn’t get it until hours after I sent out my message. The result: HUNDREDS of people emailed me personally, confused as to my message, and saying there was no link.

So there I was. I was seeing tons of private clients that week, I was preparing for the rate-setting toolkit launch, working with my new assistant and attending to 100 other details and then these emails started pouring in. I mean, POURING IN. I couldn’t keep up. Neither could my assistant. In the middle of it I left for an appointment with the eye doctor. She was late, of course, so I was cooped up in this little room, feeling like a caged animal. I ranted to my husband on my cell phone, “I’ve got to get out of this room!!!” I think the front desk heard me ranting. I’m trying to keep my cool. (Not succeeding). Then my personal cell phone rings, and it is my dad, “What is going on with your mailing list?! I can’t find this link…” and I started to cry. Crying is not good when you are seeing an eye-doctor, by the way. It makes it hard to check your eyes….

I spent several late nights responding to many, many people. I figured, if they actually took the time to email me, they must really want to stay on my list. I am honored by this! So I had better personally reach out as best I can.

I think I’ve gained some weight. It must have something to do with all the dark chocolate bars I bought this week. I’ve been nibbling away at night, coping with the anxiety and stress. Chocolate does seem to help, by the way. People think being your own boss must be soooo cool. Those of us who actually do it know the truth—being the queen of your own world has definite ups and downs. Yes, there is no cap on what we can earn. But there is no floor on how low we can go either. So you just ride along, as best you can, sometimes trying not to throw up. I’ll be more inspirational next week. I promise.

Karyn Greenstreet, a Small Business Coach and Self Employment Expert I really like, has a great article on her website: Embarrassed to Discuss Your Prices? Check it out. I particularly like her tips on “acting as if”.

Act “as if.” How would an experienced person in your industry act, when discussing her fees? Act as if you are that person and you’ll find your confidence increasing with each conversation. Practice, practice, practice.

Yes, as she says, telling someone about your prices can feel risky. But with risk comes great reward! As anxiety provoking as it is to take the risk of telling somewhat what you charge (no discounts!) the rewards are great. But remember—don’t talk about your prices until you are sure they need your services. Find out what they would like before you delve into pricing. (“Before we talk about price, can you give me a sense of what it is you would like done?”) Then if they are an appropriate client for you, you can tailor your conversation to what they are really interested in. And like Karyn says, even if you don’t feel confident while you are talking to them, fake it! It gets easier with time.

When you forget to bring your child to school and HE IS IN THE CAR WITH YOU! Yep. I got us ready and out the door the other day. Once I was in the car, my mind went straight to my to-do list. I drove furiously to work, thinking about everything I needed to do. As I neared my office, I realized my eight year old was still in the back seat! Oops! I forgot to drop him off first! So I turned the car around and drove frantically to his school, slowed down just enough to boot him out, and raced back to my office. Yes, it is time to get that assistant. A friend tried to console me by saying, “Well, at least you didn’t leave him at home.”