FOR FEMALE AND LGBT+ SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS
What should I charge?
Start with the numbers that matter.
Pricing shouldn't be a number you picked because it felt about right.
Whether you sell your time, your expertise or something you've made, your prices need to do more than look competitive.
They need to cover the real cost of what you're selling, contribute towards the cost of running your business and — importantly — leave enough for you.
Start with the question you're asking right now.
I sell products
Physical products, handmade goods, creative products or anything where you make something and sell it.
“I'm selling things… but am I actually paying myself?”
One of the easiest mistakes when moving from hobby to business is knowing exactly what your materials cost while forgetting one very important ingredient: you.
I sell services
Coaching, consulting, freelancing, creative work, professional services or anything else where your time and expertise are a big part of what you're selling.
“How do I know what I need to charge?”
There is no single answer - but this gives you a good place to start, based on what your business actually needs.
Not Sure Which Route You Need?
Start with this:
Do you mainly sell your time and expertise?
→ Start with Can I Afford to Charge This?
Do you mainly make something and sell it?
→ Start with What's Your Time Worth?
You don't need to solve everything today. Just answer the next useful question.
Product Pricing Tools
What's Your Time Worth?
Free Calculator
A simple starting point for product makers
See what your current pricing is effectively paying you for the time you spend making your products.
Because when something is a hobby, your time can be part of the fun.
When it's a business, your time becomes part of the economics.
Does This Product Make Money?
£7
Selling price minus materials isn't necessarily what you've made.
Use this calculator to include the costs that are easy to forget:
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materials
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packaging
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selling and payment fees
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your time
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other direct costs
And see what's genuinely left each time you sell one.
Service Pricing Tools
Can I Afford to Charge This?
Free Calculator
Use this simple calculator to find the minimum your paid work needs to generate, based on:
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what you need the business to pay you
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your business running costs
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the amount of time you actually want to work
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how much of that time can realistically be client-facing or chargeable
You'll get a pricing floor — an internal benchmark you can use when making pricing decisions.
Does This Offer Actually Work?
£19
Knowing your hourly equivalent is useful. But perhaps you sell a £250 session, a £750 package or a £2,000 project. The next question becomes: Does the offer actually work?
Put a real offer into the calculator and see what happens when you include the whole job — not just the hour the client sees. Then test different prices, delivery times and client numbers.
Because sometimes the problem isn't just your price.
It's the way the offer is structured.
AND THEN THERE'S THE BIGGER QUESTION
“How much does my business actually need to give me?”
It's very easy to start with a random revenue goal.
£3k months.
£5k months.
Six figures.
But none of those numbers mean very much until you know what you actually need.
Your rent or mortgage.
Your life.
Your savings.
Your future.
The things you want to be able to enjoy outside work.
That's where your Enough Number comes in.
The Enough Number
Work out what your business actually needs to produce to support the life you want — instead of chasing someone else's definition of success.
THE REAL QUESTION ISN'T JUST
“WHAT SHOULD I CHARGE?”
It's:
Does this business pay me properly?
Does the workload fit the life I want?
And is what I'm getting back worth what the business asks of me?
That's what I mean by building a business that is both:
Financially sustainable
It creates enough money
and
Energetically sustainable
It leaves you enough time and energy to actually enjoy your life.
The numbers aren't there to judge your business.
They're there to help you make decisions.
Know your numbers. Trust your decisions. Build a business that works for you.
Want more help with your business numbers?
I'm Davinia — a Chartered Accountant and Financially Grounded Business Coach.
I help female business owners understand what their numbers are telling them, make more confident decisions and build businesses that work financially and energetically.
Davinia McGann, FCA
Chartered Accountant
Financially Grounded Business Coach.
Financial Accountability Cheerleader.
Your Personal Chief Encouragement Officer.
