Wow, am I'm excited to be sharing this one. Over the last year I've been thinking more and more about how to integrate the values that I live by, into the work that I do in a deeper, more meaningful level. Transferring my offerings into a Pay What You Can model is one of the ways I hope to achieve this.
In this blog post I'm going to share my thoughts behind Pay What You Can, what it means to me and a few FAQ's that I think people might ask. If there is a particular section you're interested in you can use this bullet list to navigate:
🌱 Here's to running businesses the way we'd like the world to work.
Why Am I Shifting to PWYC?
Because, it feels deeply intuitively right for me.
Within my offerings I support a range of people all with different financial capacities, some clients may even have one project that is funded and another that is not at the same time. I've previously struggled to find a way to offer my services in a way that enables them to be accessible to everyone, and that is fair and equitable. Whilst also recognising that it would be unsustainable for me run these offerings for free.
By shifting to PWYC I hope to allow you, the people booking my offerings, to pay an amount that is right for you. I hope that this will open up my support to more people and enable more people to access on-going support.
What does PWYC mean?
It means that you can pay an amount that's right for you.
It doesn't mean that all my offerings are now super cheap, or on the other hand that you are automatically expected to pay a premium rate. Instead it means that you can take into consideration all the factors that come into pricing, how much you can afford, the value of the offering, your circumstances right now, etc, and make an informed decision about how much you would like to pay.
To help you make your decision All PWYC offerings will have a minimum price (Somewhere around £3.50) and I'll let you know how much I've charged for them in the past. This previous pricing is just for reference because if I was buying something I'd struggle to guess how much to contribute. You are welcome to pay less, more, that much, a different amount... I don't care I'm not checking.
It means I trust you. And I think that's a pretty great place to start working together.
FAQ's - So, how much should I pay?
That... is entirely up to you.
You might want to think about how much you can afford, how much you have previously spent on similar offerings and the value that this offering will bring to you.
There is no pressure to pay a particular amount. It's what works for you.
FAQ's - How do I know what I can afford?
That is a pretty tricky question I ask myself with every purchase I make!
PWYC pricing is there to give you that "YES! It's in my budget" feeling... rather than "How will I afford that". It's a great opportunity to think about what you're budget is and where this fits within it.
If you're still unsure sit with it for a little while, pick an amount and see how it feels, or chat to someone you trust.
FAQ's - Can I donate to your work?
Thanks for asking!! I'm currently registered as a Sole Trader and my business is run for profit. Because of this I don't accept donations in the same way a charity might. However, you can absolutely support my business even if you don't need a session.
You could book a session and donate it, spread the word, gift a session or sign up to Purposeful Adventure Club to support my ongoing work.
As a small business that mostly works with other small businesses I'm super grateful for any support you can give :)
FAQ's - Do you do Payment In Kind work?
Ohhhhhhh interesting question!
Will I post on my social media about your product that I don't want or take photos of it for free - No. Absolutely not. My great friend, colleague and mentor Soraya Abdel-Hadi has written a great piece on The ‘Free Jacket’ Paradox which talks about why this is problematic, you can give it a read here: https://www.soraya.earth/blog/the-free-jacket-paradox
However, there are times when payment in kind work can be really useful. I love supporting establishing businesses with content when I am genuinely interested in their services, and think there is huge benefit to creating space for this kind of collaboration.
If you are a purpose driven business that might like to collaborate through payment in kind please do reach out to me, but please understand that I only accept when this is something that I genuinely would have otherwise bought and when the exchange is of mutual value.