Embracing balance

How much do you charge?

Good evening, good evening ,

You may not know this if you look at me now, but growing up, my biggest weakness was expressing myself.

(and being “julbent”, Swedish for, well, having legs you can fit a wheel between 😅).

Over the past month, I’ve done A LOT of journaling and networking (online and offline) which opened my eyes to a topic so hush-hush, yet so common.

A topic I see many tip-toe around, and yet, it plays a crucial role for us to have time for ourselves, (balance), work with clients who value our expertise (stability), and do what gets the best out of us (meaning).

Wherever I go, most people, online and offline say something like…

“How are you?”

“Great.”

“Oh nice, how’s business?”

“It’s good.”

Breaking the mold…

Dear colorful bean of this vibrant community, I know you…

Yes, I’ve been stalking you (and I LOVE receiving the 2-3 replies I get to each issue that motivates me to keep writing and helps me learn more about you).

You are solopreneurs, consultants, and founders (co-founders). You are your own HR-, Sales-, Finance-, Marketing-, and Operations Department.

You read books, watch documentaries, and listen to podcasts to educate yourselves and stay on top of all things new.

You are multi-passionate and would love to share EVERYTHING you like with the world - but then there’s this thing called “niche” and you don’t want to bother people.

And oh, did I mention the little mini-you:s?

The kids.

Not everyone has kids, but ALL of you have one thing in common…

Please tell me if I’m wrong (just click reply).

You give, give, and give - you love helping others, getting the best out of people, and connecting cultures - but you are not even close to getting the highest payment in return.

Was I wrong?

Undercharging and getting paid less than your worth is more of a norm than an exception in this community.

How much do you charge?

Brrr, Mufasa, Brrr (everyone with kids gets this one).

So, no, it’s not great, business is not doing good when being in an endless cycle of client search, small gigs that drain your energy, and undervaluing yourself.

Selling yourself.

A hush-hush, yet so common struggle by many.

I’ve been there.

Because money doesn’t fuel me. Impact, joy, love, freedom, meaning, peace, and connection do.

All, or most, of those sales tactics experts and gurus teach, feel too pushy for me (yes, I had to work with my relationship with money).

But I got broke.

And learned a hard lesson of business: your values, talents, ambitions, experiences, hard work, visions, or heck, even your purpose, don’t matter - unless you have a positive and sustainable cash flow.

I had to start selling - myself.

In a way that felt natural and effective, without losing my authenticity or feeling awkward.

This is when I discovered how our full, authentic story began dancing a sensual tango with the sales conversation.

Shying away from it, and you will probably lean into the many aggressive tactics out there.

But by embracing it, ohh hello more time for self-care, meaningful relationships, and purposeful living.

Having discovered that, even the word “sell” got a different meaning.

So, how do you use your story?

Ohhh I’m so excited to tell you ALL about it.

Stay tuned, that’s what the next edition is all about, and I’ll use a mix of two proven frameworks: Storybrand by Donald Miller and the Golden Circle by Simon Sinek.

And if you are living in Barcelona, I’m even running in-person workshops on how to do so (just reach out for info about the next session).

P.S. The 2 or 3 replies I get from this newsletter (yep, this very one) keeps me inspired to keep sending it out to you. I see every reply. Thank you.😃