March 1, 2017  • Newsletter

Santa Barbara, CA
January 2017

“What will that cost?” is one of the most challenging questions to answer for a creative entrepreneur. Mostly because “it depends” isn’t really an answer. But in fact, it does depend. It depends on how long the work will take to complete. It depends on what competing priorities this project might distract from. It depends on whether or not the work seems appealing and fulfilling. And every once in a while, it depends on whether or not we really need the money.

 

Developing a coherent, flexible, and fair pricing strategy is one of the best things you can do to support your creative business, so this month, we’re focusing on building a strategy that complements your practice. If you’ve already got one, let’s focus on revamping it, and maybe—just maybe—increasing your rates.

 

By the end of the month, creative individuals will be able to:

  • Understand a “unique value proposition” and how to connect it to those you serve.
  • Recognize how cost, competition, customers, and competences affect pricing.
  • Communicate value confidently and clearly.

 

What We’re Doing

Webinar

Our webinar this month is Pricing Strategies on Monday, March 20, 2017 at 3:00 EST. As always, there is no cost to join the webinar, but registration is required.

Pricing Strategies (1 hour, Free)

Curious about how to price your work or your time? This one-hour webinar will provide a few strategies that can help. We’ll cover cost-informed strategies, plus problems with overly simplistic calculations, and we’ll end with the most important aspect of pricing your work—your own competencies.

Register

 

Self-Study

If you’d rather go a bit deeper on your own time, our online, self-study class on Pricing Strategies is available as well. It usually takes 3-5 hours to complete, and it is completely self-paced. That’s right: You do it whenever it suits your schedule.

Pricing Strategies (3 hours, Self-Study, $49)

As artists and designers become more entrepreneurial, discussions about pricing art and time have become more common. Four factors—cost, competition, customers, and competencies—affect the price for a creative entrepreneur’s work or time, and we’ll explore the science (and the art) behind each one in this course.

Register

 

What We’re Talking About

Follow along with the topic this month through our blog. These posts are meant to help all creative individuals – writers, musicians, dancers, artists, designers – manage their artistic finances in authentic, effective, and creative ways.

 

Here’s a sneak peak of what we’ll be publishing each Monday:

  • Changing Times: When and How to Increase Your Rates – Ready to increase your rates, but not sure how to do it? These conversation starters can help you find the words that feel right to you.
  • The Art of the Punt – The Super Bowl is long over, but punting can still make sense in the context of a creative career. Even if it didn’t work for the Falcons.
  • Range Pricing: Buying Wiggle Room – Practice with me: “A project like this usually costs between $1,200 and $1,500.” Building wiggle room into your conversations can protect your time on a project… And save you upfront time as well.
  • To Discount Not to Discount…That is the Question – Everybody loves a deal, but is dealing the right choice for your creative practice?

 

Pricing Strategies

We hope you enjoy this month’s content as you connect your own creative value to the price of your time. Next month, we’ll focus on Cash (getting it, managing it, dealing with its unpredictability). Until then, all the best with your financial empowerment…

 





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Arts & Numbers

You don’t have to do this alone. Arts & Numbers is a comprehensive financial guide for creative individuals… and anyone else with a passion for something other than accounting and finance. This book aims to provide basic information on finance and financial matters for creative entrepreneurs to take ownership of their financial situations, thus ensuring their long-term success, creative and otherwise.

Written in short story form with fictional anecdotes supporting the financial advice, Arts & Numbers promises to be an easy and useful read for creative entrepreneurs at any stage.

Check it Out