What Price Accessibility Means to Me: A Service-Based Business Owner's Perspective
Can we please have a moment of silence for the most overused piece of business advice on the internet? You know the one: "Just charge your worth, babe!"
Insert eye roll here.
Look, I get it. The sentiment is sweet. But here's the thing – your worth as a human being is infinite and priceless. Your business services? Well, they need to be priced in actual dollars that actual people can actually pay. See the difference?
After running my agency for over seven years and coaching almost 300 agency owners, if there's one thing I've learned, it's that price accessibility isn't about being cheap or undervaluing yourself. It's not about playing small or apologizing for taking up space in the marketplace. It's about creating genuine impact AND building a sustainable business that doesn't require you to eat ramen for dinner every night.
So grab your coffee (or wine, no judgment here), and let's have an honest conversation about what price accessibility really means.
The Reality Check: Not Everyone Has the Same Starting Point (And That's Not Anyone's Fault)
Here's something that might blow your mind: people have different financial circumstances. I know, revolutionary concept, right?
Some folks are bootstrapping their first business while working a day job and paying off student loans. Others inherited their grandmother's house and have a trust fund that covers their groceries. Some live in areas where $50 goes a lot further than it does in Manhattan or San Francisco. Some are supporting elderly parents or have medical expenses that would make your head spin.
And you know what? None of that is a moral failing on anyone's part.
When someone says they can't afford your services, they're not necessarily saying your prices are unreasonable. They might literally be choosing between your coaching program and their kid's soccer cleats. There's a massive difference between "can't afford" and "won't prioritize," and pretending there isn't just makes you look out of touch.
I'm not saying you should work for free or feel guilty about your prices. But acknowledging that people have different financial realities isn't the same as devaluing your work. It's just being a decent human who lives in the actual world.
What Price Accessibility Actually Means (Spoiler: It's Not About Being the Bargain Bin)
Real talk: price accessibility isn't about being the cheapest option on the market. It's about creating multiple pathways for people to work with you or benefit from your expertise.
Think of it like building a bridge instead of a wall. You're not lowering the bridge so far that it's underwater and useless. You're creating different entry points so more people can get where they need to go.
Price accessibility means offering value at every price point you choose to serve. If someone pays you $47 for a digital course, they should walk away feeling like they got way more than $47 worth of value. If someone invests $4,700 in your done-for-you services, same deal – they should feel like they hit the jackpot.
It also means being transparent about what each option includes and excludes. No bait and switch nonsense. No making people feel like losers for choosing the more affordable option. Just honest communication about what they can expect at each level.
And here's the kicker – it means respecting budget constraints without shaming or guilt-tripping. When someone tells you your program isn't in their budget right now, the appropriate response is "I totally understand, and here are some other ways I might be able to help," not "Well, if you really wanted it, you'd find the money."
Because that second response? That's not helping anyone. That's just being a jerk.
The Bread Aisle Principle: There's a Price Point for Everyone (But Not Every Baker)
Let me paint you a picture. Walk down any grocery store bread aisle, and what do you see? You've got your 99-cent white bread sitting right next to the $8 artisanal sourdough that some hipster baker probably blessed with organic intentions and fair-trade tears.
Both are bread. Both will make your sandwich. Both serve a purpose, and both have their market.
The artisanal baker isn't evil for not making 99-cent bread. They'd go out of business trying to source organic flour and pay their team living wages at that price point. The budget baker isn't lesser for serving price-conscious families who need to feed four kids without breaking the bank.
Your job isn't to be every type of bread. Your job is to be YOUR type of bread, and to make it so well that people are happy to pay what you're charging for it.
The Handbag Reality Check: From Goodwill to Birkin
Or let's talk handbags, because why not? You can buy a $5 purse at Goodwill that will carry your stuff from point A to point B. You can also drop $50,000 on a Hermès Birkin that will also carry your stuff from point A to point B, but with a side of exclusivity and craftsmanship that makes people whisper your name in reverent tones at charity galas.
Both are valid choices. No one expects Hermès to start making $20 bags, and no one shames Walmart for not being luxury. The market has room for all price points, but each business doesn't need to serve all of them.
The magic happens when you know exactly which type of handbag maker you are and you own it completely.
How I Actually Implement Price Accessibility in My Business (The Real Behind-the-Scenes)
In my world, accessibility looks like having multiple ways for people to work with me or learn from me, depending on where they are in their journey and what they can invest.
I've got free resources that actually provide real value – not just glorified business cards disguised as lead magnets. I'm talking about content that could genuinely help someone take their next step, even if they never buy anything from me.
Then there are my mid-range options for people who are ready to invest but aren't quite at the "let's plan a luxury retreat at my house" level. Think Pick My Brain sessions, Week of Voxer support, or group programs where you get expert guidance without the premium price tag.
And yes, I have high-touch premium services for people who want or need intensive, personalized support. Because some situations require more than a group call and a workbook, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise.
The key is that each option delivers on its promise. The person who pays $397 for a strategy session gets the same quality of thinking and care as the person who invests in year-long coaching. The difference is in the depth and duration, not in how much I care about their success.
The Business Fundamentals: Why Your Pricing Must Work for YOU
Let's get serious for a hot minute. Your pricing needs to work for your business, not just your heart.
If you have a team – contractors, employees, that virtual assistant who keeps your life together – your pricing needs to cover fair wages for them. Not "exposure" or "experience" or promises of future riches. Actual money that pays their actual bills.
You've got overhead expenses: software subscriptions that seem to multiply like rabbits, professional development, insurance, that fancy project management tool you swore you'd actually use this time. All of that costs real money.
AND, you need to pay yourself consistently. Not just when there's money left over after everyone else gets paid. Not just enough to cover your ramen budget. Enough to live like the skilled professional you are.
There's a sustainability test your pricing needs to pass: Can you maintain this pricing and service level long-term without burning out, going broke, or resenting your clients? If the answer is no, then your pricing isn't accessible – it's unsustainable.
The fact is, there will always be people who can't afford your services, and there will always be people who can afford way more than your highest package. Both of these are completely normal and totally okay.
Your sweet spot is serving the clients you CAN serve exceptionally well within your business model. Trying to serve everyone usually means serving no one particularly well, and that's not doing anyone any favors.
Price Accessibility Doesn't Mean Frozen Prices Forever (The Dave's Killer Bread Reality Check)
Remember when you could buy a loaf of Dave's Killer Bread for $3.99? Yeah, me too. Now that same loaf – same bread, same ingredients, same hippie messaging on the package – costs anywhere from $5.99 to $7.99 depending on where you shop.
Did Dave's become less accessible? Did they suddenly become greedy corporate overlords? Nope. They adapted to economic reality. Ingredients cost more. Transportation costs more. The teenagers working at the bread factory want to be paid enough to afford more than instant noodles.
Your business isn't exempt from inflation, rising costs, or economic changes. That $100 service you offered in 2020? It has the buying power of about $85 today. Your software subscriptions have gone up. Your contractor rates have gone up (as they should). Your insurance costs more. Even your coffee is more expensive.
The solution isn't to eat the cost increases forever and slowly go broke. The solution is to adjust your prices thoughtfully and communicate those changes professionally.
When you need to raise prices, give your existing clients reasonable notice – usually 30 to 90 days depending on the situation. Be clear about your reasoning: "Due to inflation and increased business costs, I'll be adjusting my rates starting in January." Don't apologize for running a business like a business.
Consider grandfathering existing clients when it makes sense, but don't feel obligated to honor 2019 prices forever. Many of your long-term clients have seen tremendous ROI from working with you. Their businesses have likely grown alongside yours. A reasonable price increase often reflects the increased value you now provide.
Here's the thing: good clients understand business realities. The ones who don't understand that costs go up over time probably weren't ideal clients anyway.
The Strategic Business Case for Price Accessibility (It's Not Just About Being Nice)
Having accessible options isn't just about being a good human (though that's a nice bonus). It's smart business strategy.
When you create multiple entry points into your business, you're building a sustainable ecosystem. Someone might start with your $47 course, love your teaching style, and eventually invest in your $4,700 service. But they might never have found you if that higher ticket service was their only option.
You're also creating multiple revenue streams, which means you're not dependent on landing one type of client at one price point. Some months might be heavy on the lower-ticket items, others might bring in several high-end clients. The diversity keeps your income more stable.
And here's something that might surprise you: having accessible options can actually make your premium offerings more valuable. When people can see the clear progression from your free content to your mid-range programs to your high-end services, they understand what they're getting at each level. The premium option feels premium because there's contrast.
Addressing the Pushback: "But You're Devaluing the Industry!" (Oh, Please)
Every time someone talks about accessible pricing, there's always that person who pipes up with "But you're devaluing the industry!"
This argument drives me up the wall because it completely misses the point. There's a massive difference between race-to-the-bottom pricing and strategic accessibility.
Race-to-the-bottom pricing is when you compete solely on price, cutting corners on quality and service to offer the cheapest option possible. That's not what we're talking about here.
Strategic accessibility is about offering excellent value at multiple price points, with clear differences in what's included at each level. It's about making your expertise available to people at different stages of their journey, not about being cheap.
If anything, diverse pricing elevates the industry by showing that there are multiple ways to structure a service business. It demonstrates that success doesn't look the same for everyone, and that's actually a good thing.
Practical Implementation: Getting Started (Without Overwhelming Yourself)
If you're thinking about making your services more accessible, start by auditing your current offerings. Look at what you have now and ask yourself: Is there a way for someone to get a taste of working with me without making a huge financial commitment?
Maybe that's a one-off strategy session. Maybe it's a lower ticket service. Maybe it's a digital course that solves one specific problem really well. The point is to create one stepping stone, not to rebuild your entire business model overnight.
Ask yourself these questions: What's the smallest problem I could solve for someone that would still create meaningful value? What's the lowest-risk way for someone to work with me? What would I have wanted when I was starting out in business?
Start small and test the waters with one accessible option. See how it feels, how it performs, and whether it attracts the kind of clients you want to work with. Then you can decide whether to expand from there.
And remember: measure success beyond just revenue numbers. Are these clients getting great results? Are they referring others? Are some of them graduating to your higher-level offerings? Those are the metrics that matter for long-term business health.
The Bigger Picture: Business as a Force for Good (Without the Cheese)
Here's where I get a little sentimental, so bear with me.
When you make your expertise accessible to more people, you're creating ripple effects you might never see. That business owner who couldn't afford your premium mastermind but could swing your group program? They might use what they learn to grow their business, hire their first employee, and change that person's life.
The mom who bought your course instead of hiring you one-on-one might apply those strategies to build a business that lets her work from home while her kids are little. Her kids grow up seeing entrepreneurship as normal, and maybe they start businesses too.
This isn't about saving the world with your service offerings. It's about recognizing that when you help more people succeed, everyone wins. Including you, because those success stories become your best marketing.
You get to build a business you're proud of, not just one that's profitable. And in a world where so much feels out of our control, that's actually pretty powerful.
Your Business, Your Values, Your Choice (No Pressure, But...)
At the end of the day, how you price your services is your choice. You get to decide what accessible means for your business, your expertise level, and your lifestyle goals.
Maybe accessible means having a $47 course alongside your $4,700 done-for-you option. Maybe it means offering payment plans for your services or programs. Maybe it means doing one pro bono project per quarter for a cause you care about.
Or maybe you decide that your expertise is best served at one premium price point, and that's totally valid too. The handbag market has room for both Walmart and Hermès, remember?
The key is making that choice intentionally, based on your values and business goals, not out of guilt or pressure from others.
Whatever you decide, own it completely. Price your services in a way that lets you do your best work, serve your clients well, and sleep peacefully at night knowing you're running a business that aligns with who you are.
Because at the end of the day, that's what price accessibility is really about: creating a business that works for everyone involved – your clients, your team, and you.
And if someone has a problem with that? Well, they're probably not your ideal client anyway.
What does price accessibility mean to you in your business? I'd love to hear your thoughts – drop me a line or share your perspective in the comments below.
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