How I deal with money guilt

When I first started my business, I wanted to make my skills accessible to everyone. I had this branding package that was only $500 CAD (even if you were in the US), that took a long time to complete, and was beautiful and high value for the client, but lead to me feeling really burnt out by my work, and if I’m entirely honest, a bit resentful. I’d been doing a lot of unofficial brand coaching and spiritual advising, especially as people were getting ready to launch and got cold feet, and the energetic investments between the client and I weren’t equal. This isn’t their fault – part of this was my own money stories and valuing my time, my talent, and my experience, but there was also some residual corporate guilt. I was lucky to have the ability to build my business without having to invest in marketing support, graphic design, or websites… and I felt bad that others couldn’t do the same. My motto was “big business marketing at small business pricing”… but my friends, I’m not Walmart. I’m one gal and it was too much to pull off on my own.

I’ve been gradually raising my rates over the years, and integrating more skills into my packages. There isn’t anyone doing branding quite like I do, and it’s a pretty special experience. At the time of writing this post, my brand package is over $3K – and whenever my shadow stories around money rear their ugly heads (“Who are you to charge so much? What makes you special? How can you charge THAT hourly rate – it’s higher than corporate!?”) I’ve been able to come up with some ways to feel completely confident doing the work I do, priced at the way I price. The first part of that is doing incredible work that I’m really proud of, that my clients love, that helps them feel empowered and supported, and that attracts more goodness their way… those kind of wins are a bit of a no-brainer. But I’m also a big believer in giving back. While it’s easy to pull out my chequebook (or PayPal account) and donate to the latest charity or Go Fund Me (I do a bit of this as well), giving  my time and expertise to the people I don’t wanna leave behind (but who can’t as of yet afford to work with me) has been the thing that makes me feel the most in service. Here’s how that shows up for me:

I contribute to communities

In most cases this is in Facebook groups, however I’ve also done this at networking events. I’m a big believer in sharing my experience freely, and I trust that the angels will send the right people who will resonate with it the most. With groups, most of my time is spent crafting high-value posts that solve a particular problem (even if it’s something that’s not directly related to my biz, so it’s relationship building, not sneaky selling), but when I’ve got time to cruise through a group, I also look for posts where I can add some value and comment on them. It helps too that I have a pretty decent memory, so I can reference different articles that would support them. I’m also a natural connector, so often if I don’t know the answer, I know someone who does, and I’m really happy to share my network.

I speak at events (sometimes even unpaid)

If I only offered value to my own community (my followers, my list, my personal network), I’d be pretty limited in who I’m able to help. I love getting to bring business knowledge, angel messages and ways to have a more soul-aligned life to events and markets because I get exposed to totally new audiences which extends my reach. This isn’t just a great marketing technique, it’s being of service in a bigger way. (If you’re local to me, I’ll be doing angel message readings in the marketplace at the UnApologetically Her event next month and would love to see you there.) Plus, I work from home, so a little face time not only feels good, but also helps the bandwidth of the message… because some things are just better processed in person.

I teach group programs

Not everyone needs a 1:1 program with accountability, some people in fact THRIVE in community. Group programs are a way of being able to help more people with the same amount of time, which means less cost for them, and more lives touched for me. My group work with Origin has touched so many lives, and it’s an honour to do this work, and The Sacred Soul Experience Membership is a great space for ongoing connection (to the self and to each other.) I’m actually super looking forward to the new program I’m launching this year to support women experiencing big life transitions.

I host a cozy FB group for spiritual entrepreneurs

If you haven’t been to The Tribepreneur Collective, I highly suggest joining. It’s a space devoted to the honest exploration of the entrepreneurial journey, so you’ll get community, support, recommendations, referrals and so on. It’s also one of the few spaces where sales are still allowed (because selling can be soulful) so when you’re an active member, you’re encouraged to share your latest offerings and opt-ins.

I create high value opt-in content

My Sacred Soul Song quiz has been a wonderful tool for hundreds of people. They had fun taking the quiz, sure, but the 10-page guide they got at the end which gave them a new understanding of themselves, and some tools like journal prompts, and self-care supports, made it super valuable too.

Ultimately, you won’t feel the need to compensate for what you make, or balance any karmic scales. But if you do, these are a few ways you can give back with your heart, not just your wallet. Only you can decide what feels good for you. You set the rules.

With love and magic,