Sarah charges less than the graduate
Feb 04, 2026Sarah has fifteen years of experience. Degree. Client list that took a decade to build. Results she can point to.
The woman who graduated last year charges more than Sarah does.
Sarah knows this. It bothers her. But not enough to change it.
She'll tell you she's being fair. Competitive. Realistic about the market. She'll say her clients can't afford more.
Three of her clients drive BMWs. They can afford more.
Here's what happens every time Sarah writes a proposal: she types a number. Feels a pinch of something. Deletes it. Types a lower number. The pinch eases.
She thinks she's reading the market. She's reading her nervous system.
Sarah grew up watching her parents fight about money every Thursday night. Pay day. Which should have been a relief but was always a war. Who spent what. Who wasted how much. Scarcity was the weather in that house.
She learned something no one taught her in words: wanting more is dangerous. Taking your share starts a fight. The safest thing is to ask for less than you need.
That's subconscious programming. It's setting her prices. Not the market. Not her competitors. A Thursday night kitchen in 1994.
Her business coach told her to "value herself more." She nodded. Went home. Quoted the same low rate.
Because the instruction went to her conscious mind. The programming lives somewhere her coach doesn't know exists.
Perry Mardon
