The Happy Pricing Podcast The Happy Startup School

Jim Ralley helps with the design and strategy of learning experiences for NGOs, governments and corporate clients. Last year he tried to find the right balance between work, parenting and time for himself… and failed.
This year will be different. He has a solid plan. He has the support of his family, colleagues, and clients and a strong desire not to get into that situation again.
He says that "to be a good parent and partner, I have to find work that doesn't exhaust me, and that I don't mentally take home with me."
His aim is to work less which means having to raise his prices.
On this episode, Carlos and Ben hear about how Jim has accomplished this (by nearly tripling his daily rate) and what more he can do by pricing his work differently.
If you're in a position where you need to change the way you work so you can give space to other important things in your life then you'll get something from this conversation.
LinksJoin the Happy Pricing courseJoin the conversation live

What’s the value of a personal brand? When building your reputation, what would this reputation do for you? What financial value does it have? What’s it worth to get on the radar of the people that you’d love to collaborate with? How much time and effort should you invest in building your personal brand?
You could write a book to build a personal brand, and so what are the costs of writing it? What are the benefits in terms of royalties? What are the benefits in terms of it being a marketing vehicle for your company?
What’s the value of the work of someone helping you build a personal brand? What is the relative value of your work compared to a 5 page website, a tweet or an illustration?
On this episode, Carlos speaks with Anne Miltenburg, founder of Brand the Change, about her own experiences of pricing a brand.
LinksConnect with Anne via LinkedInJoin the Happy Pricing courseJoin the conversation live

If you want to increase your prices, it has to start with an understanding of your value. Not just the mechanical tasks you perform, but the trust, familiarity, and unique value you bring to your clients. This can lead to a dramatic increase in price, which gets closer to reflecting the true value of the service provided.
Mark Steadman is a podcast consultant who works with individuals contemplating their “second mountain”. He helps people use their voice to achieve change, as he believes the voice is the most persuasive tool we have.
In this episode, Carlos, Ben, and Mark discuss increasing price so it aligns more closely with the real value you provide.
LinksJoin the Happy Pricing courseJoin the conversation live

Being polarising in your pricing and your offering is way more impactful than trying to appeal to the masses. But it means being clear about who you want to work with and focusing tightly on them.
This not only helps attract the right customers who’ll find value in your offerings, but it saves your time and theirs, by allowing those who aren’t a good fit to self-select themselves out of the process early on.
In this episode, Carlos and Ben explore how having a clear, distinct stance can help find the right clients, along with how pricing sends a signal that attracts those we want to work with, and repels those that aren’t right for us.
Join the Happy Pricing course

Changing the way you present your product can greatly affect how people see its value and price. When you’re faced with a sticky patch, lowering prices or costs might not be the right thing to do. So instead, what might happen if you took those constraints and reframed the experience for the customer?
In this episode, Carlos and Ben discuss the importance of creativity and perception in selling products and services, using the example of a restaurant owner. They explore how changing the presentation and packaging – not the product itself – can influence customers' perception of value. They also touch on the impact of physical and emotional exhaustion on an entrepreneur's ability to think creatively, emphasising the need for self-compassion and reframing one's perspective during challenging times.
LinksJoin the Happy Pricing courseJoin the conversation liveWhy we need to end things – Episode 127 of the Happy Entrepreneur podcast, with Ben

Pricing expertise is not determined by traditional models. It’s about understanding the value and aligning incentives with the customer. By challenging conventional pricing logic and considering factors like value and skin-in-the-game, you can better convey the true worth of your products or services.
This week's guests are Claus Raasted and Filip Fučić. Claus is an “overpaid rockstar consultant” who specialises in areas like innovation, change management, leadership, public speaking, and marketing. He is also an author of 37 books.
Filip is a pricing mentor who helps people charge more for the value they provide. He has a background in marketing and has made mistakes in pricing his expertise, which led him to write a book on the topic.
Together, they discuss “pricing logics” and the importance of aligning incentives when pricing expert services. They challenge traditional pricing models and advocate for pricing expertise based on value rather than per unit or hour.
LinksJoin the Happy Pricing courseJoin the conversation live