Undercharge, and avoid promoting yourself? Here are five ways you could be stopping your business from reaching its full potential, explains author and speaker Anna Campbell.
Waiting To Earn The Right
One of the quickest ways to limit a business is to undercharge, yet it’s something seen so often. Most women already know they should increase their prices. The interesting question isn’t whether they should, it’s why they haven’t. Women who work for themselves earn around 19% less than men. It’s not about whether they’re capable of charging more – it’s understanding what’s stopping them. Charging more can feel uncomfortable because it’s not just about a number. We’re challenging long-held beliefs about staying likeable, helpful and grateful.
The irony is that undercharging doesn’t help your customers. It makes your business harder to sustain and limits your growth and impact. Charging what your work is worth isn’t about becoming money-driven – it’s about building a business that’s still thriving years from now. Instead, set yourself a target to review one price, increase it for your next five enquiries, and notice what actually happens.
Waiting Until Everything is Perfect
If you’ve ever delayed launching because your website wasn’t quite finished, your branding didn’t feel right, or you thought you needed to take one more course before you were ready, you’re in good company. Preparation feels productive, and sometimes it genuinely is. But sometimes it’s fear dressed up as productivity. One of the biggest traps for entrepreneurs is believing certainty comes before action, when in reality it comes afterwards.
I know this because I’ve lived it. I have four degrees and eventually realised I wasn’t collecting knowledge anymore, I was collecting certainty. Taking action grew my business more than another qualification ever did. Go for it: many successful businesses launch before they’re perfect and improve via customer feedback.
Staying Busy Instead of Growing
Many women are thoughtful, reliable and excellent at what they do. The problem is that running a successful business requires more than delivering great work. Research shows women are more likely to take on work that keeps everything running, but does little to grow their careers. I often see the same pattern in business. It’s easy to spend the week serving existing customers while avoiding the activities that actually grow a business: marketing, networking, and selling, for a few examples.
Women become indispensable inside their own businesses in exactly the same way they did in employment. They become known as the person who gets everything done, but leave very little time for the work that creates future opportunities. So try blocking two hours a week for work that creates future opportunities!
Saying Yes To Everyone But You
Most women don’t wake up intending to overwork; it usually starts with wanting to help. You agree to one extra request, answer emails in the evening, and throw in extra work because you want to exceed expectations. Individually, those decisions don’t seem significant, but together they create a business built around everyone else’s priorities.
I’ve done this myself. In a previous role, the business grew exponentially and I kept saying yes to more tasks. I delayed asking for support until I was ready to resign. When I finally raised it, my employer immediately hired more help, plus gave me a promotion and pay rise. Waiting hadn’t helped the organisation or me, so make a change, and replace an automatic “yes” with, “Let me check and come back to you.”
Letting Your Work Speak for Itself
Women are often brilliant at celebrating other people while struggling to celebrate themselves. The belief underneath is often that if your work is good enough, people will notice. Sometimes they do, but more often, they don’t. When my book became an international bestselling title and was shortlisted for the Business Book Awards, my instinct was to play it down. Then I realised that if I don’t share those achievements, I’m making it harder for people to understand why they might want to work with me.
Talking about your work isn’t showing off; it’s helping the right people understand how you can help them. Share one testimonial, client success or achievement, and see if it opens doors or starts conversations. If you’ve recognised yourself anywhere in this list, these behaviours don’t mean you’re lacking confidence, ambition or business ability. More often, they reflect lessons we’ve absorbed over many years about who we’re expected to be. www.goodgirlrebellion.com
