Feel Awkward Charging for Your Services? Here's Why Pricing for Profit is Essential...

Over the years we’ve helped thousands of creatives start and grow their own kids arts and crafts businesses and a theme we’ve noticed is that many of them feel awkward about charging for their products or services.

What ends up happening is they charge too little or even feel the need to provide constant discounts or ‘freebies’, none of which make sense in the long run.

We’ve found that these club owners undervalue their service mainly because of three reasons:

1. Lack of confidence in themselves,
2. Because their service is for kids, and
3. Thinking they can’t charge too much for something that is FUN for them too.

Is this you?

Well, we’re here to tell you it’s more than OK to charge a decent amount for your classes, workshops or creative kits, in fact it’s essential, and here’s why…

 #1: Others will value what you do 

Everyday, people pay good money for products and services that make their lives better. Why should it be any different for the products and services you offer at your club?

Too often we see arts & crafts club owners undercharging what they should be because there’s a mental block that’s preventing them from seeing the true value of what they offer.

We need to get through our own misconceptions and limiting beliefs of what we are charging and the value of our products and services.

Charging a decent amount for your classes, parties, workshops or creative kits doesn’t make you “greedy” or “obsessed with money”, it’s just a basic part of doing business.

It’s as simple as this: just like plants need water to survive, your club needs money to survive.

And if you are taking your business seriously, your customers will too!

People who pay, pay attention.

Handing out freebies or under-pricing your classes or kits will give people the impression that you’re casual about what you’re offering. It will seem more like a hobby than a business. When you’re casual, others will be casual too. They’ll show up late for your classes or cancel last-minute. They won’t place the value on your business that it truly deserves. 

TIP: this is why we highly recommend you take pre-payments for your classes as this will ensure your customers take it seriously and show up!

You put a lot of prep and effort and love into your business and are delivering a fantastic service or product - and it's more than that really, it's a whole experience for your students! You are helping kids develop a whole host of processing skills, essential daily fine motor skills (like tying shoelaces) and problem-solving skills that are getting them ready to solve real-world problems one day. 

You have a lot to offer, and the sooner you realize that the sooner you’ll feel totally comfortable charging what you deserve. And your customers will value what you do too!

That brings us to point number two. If others aren’t taking your business seriously, neither will you…

 #2: You will value what you do 

Just because you’re having fun doesn’t mean you should be undercharging for your service! You never go to the hairdresser or gym or to a yoga class and not pay, so why should your arts & crafts business be any different?

Remember, this is your DREAM. You’ve spent so long placing value on your dream, spending hours planning and preparing to turn it into a reality. 

You’ve chosen a name, you’ve set up an online presence, you’ve designed and printed out flyers, you’ve scouted out venues, you’ve tracked down the cheapest places to buy supplies in bulk… the list goes on! 

Now ask yourself (after all these hours of planning and preparing): “how much is my time worth?” Pause and think on that for a second.

The answer is A LOT!

The passion and dedication that you put into your business won’t go unnoticed. When kids run into your studio or class for the first time and see the polka dotted wallpaper and all the crayons on the table organised by colour, you’ll see the sparkle in their eyes and realise that those perfect little details are what makes your business special and unique, and how can you put a price on that?

Bottom line: don’t let under-pricing devalue your dream. Your time and effort is worth more than you know.

And finally, point number 3:

 #3: It creates longevity for your business 

How long do you want to run a kids arts & crafts business? A couple weeks? A month? Well, if you want it to last any longer than that, what you’re gonna need is money.

Look, I know that money probably isn’t your primary goal here. You’re in it for the fun, the creativity, the flexible work schedule, the opportunity to work with kids and impact little lives… There's so much more that comes along with running a kids arts & crafts business than just filling up your piggy bank.

But here’s the thing: at the end of the day, running a kids arts & crafts club is a business and for your business to be profitable you need to price your classes and creative kits for profit, simple as that. 

If you’re enjoying yourself but barely scraping by financially, here’s what’ll happen: You won’t be able to grow, expand, or upgrade your business - you’ll end up limiting yourself or worse, you’ll give up. And after all the time and energy you’ve put into realising your dream, do you really want to be held back because you’re not properly pricing your services and products? NO!!!! 

So let’s recap. Tons of creatives just like you end up undervaluing and undercharging for their services, but we’re here to tell you that it’s essential to price for profit...

Because...

1. It’ll make others value what you do (remember, if people pay, they pay attention).
2. It’ll make you value what you do, and
3. it’ll give your business the longevity and opportunity for growth that it so deserves.

Did today’s mindset session resonate with you? I’d love to know your thoughts! Please leave a comment below. 

Until next time!
Christelle & Stefanie
XO 

P.S. Need help calculating what you should be charging for your classes? Grab our free pricing calculator here.