Rules are subjective. The only rules you have to follow in business are the rules you think you have to follow.

Everywhere you look, you will find someone with a rule that you have to follow. I still freaking catch myself, as an anti-rules business coach, find myself thinking that certain rules have to be true. It’s always interesting to catch myself and get curious about why I think it and if those rules could be broken. We are gonna talk about this a lot today, so I’ll pause for now. 

What you need to know is that your brain is a powerful thing and it’s also a very compliant thing. What you tell it, it will believe. Including the rules that you have to follow to be taken seriously or to receive the success you want to receive. I am not a scientist or a psychologist or any of those guys - but with the quick flick of your fingers you can look up hundreds of studies that go in depth about this placebo effect. WHat you believe manifests before your eyes. Even the necessity of rules. 

When I launched Unruly Business last week, there was a TON of feedback flooding to me about the idea of having a no rules approach to business or an anti-rules approach. There is always someone who says “well, there are SOME rules” or “there will ALWAYS be things in business you don’t like”. And they bring me fistfuls of evidence to back that up. And it’s true -- for them. The rules you’ve subscribed to will continue to be true until you unsubscribe from them. 

You may be thinking something like this “It will take time for my highest priced package to become my best seller.” Or “I can’t hire help until I’m at X stage in my business.” or “Custom work is the only work people want from me. Even though it’s not sustainable.” - and you have SO much evidence that proves them to be true, right? Because you believe it’s true, it’s true. As soon as you decide it’s not, it no longer applies to you. Do you get it? Are you annoyed by this idea? 

I’m not going to lie, the first time I heard this concept I was super flipping annoyed by it. There had to be *some* sort of absolute, right? I mean, being raised with a very religious background, the concept felt almost sinful to me. But still, I walked around confused as hell as to why I was carrying all these freaking rules I hated on my shoulders while others were succeeding left and right without them. And THAT was beyond annoying to me. Like, WHY was it so easy for them? Why did they have such a clear path to what they wanted? I looked closer and closer but the ONLY consistency between the variety of approaches I studied was this. They did what the heck they wanted and they were convinced it was the right way for them. 

Happiness and alignment. That is key. Money is going to come to you. I’m certain of that. Money never ends and you’re going to make it in your business. What I care about is HOW you make the money you make in your business. You get to choose what rules you’re subscribed to and you can shake it up at any time. Literally. 

What you have subscribed to before no longer matters. You don’t need to have ill feelings towards it. It served you and it got you to where you were now. You can keep it for as long as you want and discard it when it’s time to pick up a new belief that serves you better and motivates you more. I’ve seen it look so many ways - I’m convinced there is nothing you can bring me that cannot be worked out for you. From believing that day-of wedding planning was something she would never be able to get away from...to making $10,000 minimum for each gig, doing full planning only, -- my client realized that just because people wanted something, didn’t mean she had to sell it. And that the quickest way to stop doing services she didn’t love was to stop offering them. She is now fully booked 18 months in advance and has brought on additional team members to expand the capacity she has for clients. From believing that being political and advocating for marginalized groups *too* loudly might cost her the business she’d built in a very conservative state, to quadrupling her income with a VERY progressive brand voice and the ability to be and advocate for those she loves. My client learned that who you are is your biggest money maker and separating personal and business is SO 20th century. It is SAFE to be seen as you are. It is safe and necessary to fully express yourself as a business owner. From believing that the self-love work she offered was too vulnerable for group programs and that she would always be sentenced to working 1:1 with clients, never able to scale her business...to selling out her first ever group program in less than 24 hours. All because this girl has built a small (key word SMALL) but mighty following of folks who are obsessed with her approach to wellness. From believing that she had to do weddings to make a licable wage as a photographer, to redirecting to corporate events and headshots (putting her mental health first) and having more money in her bank account than she’s ever had before. (And hiring team members to take even more mental stress off of her in life and business). I could spend the next 2 hours reciting case study after case study of my clients alone who have stopped following rules they hated and started to pursue new possibilities - but I hope in these few examples you were able to see a bit of yourself. I hope it has your wheels turning as to what is possible for you and what rules you’re about to drop like a hot potato.

SO as we’ve been talking here, I’ve said over and over again how important it is for you to “unsubscribe” from the beliefs that you no longer want to be true for you. Or the rules you no longer want to have to follow to get what you want. It is most times easier said than done though. I honestly got so mad when I tried this. I remember being in my room thinking “I DID DECIDE!!! Why the F isn’t it here yet??” Like, I was *actually* angry at the notion that I chose to follow rules I hated. ...you may honestly be fuming at me for suggesting this too. The truth is, this concept is simple and hard. It’s simple in that you really only have to decide. That’s it. Fully believe in your new rule. It’s hard because...well, that’s freaking hard. Believing something new when alllllll the evidence you have goes against it - when everything you’ve ever KNOWN goes against it, can be really crazy hard. I will not lie. I’m going to put my best foot forward in helping this sink in for you today. Of course, feel free to hit me up and ask more questions outside of this episode if you wanna workshop it a little more. Most of the beliefs you hold the most resentment to are ones that have been hammered in for many years AND have a lot of evidence built  up to support them (because you believed them). We talked about this.And I personally am not about toxic positivity in that you basically gaslight yourself by saying “It’s my fault things have been this way” and forcing yourself to think and repeat inauthentic thoughts until you’re blue in the face. 

So for example:  if you have a $3000 package, $5000 package, and a $10000 package and most clients buy your $3000 package, some splurge for 5… and you have YET to sign a client at the $10,000 level. You know this going into every consultation, so maybe you remind yourself of this subconsciously. You know you have a really good booking rate, it’s just a matter of if they choose the $3k or $5k package. But maybe after listening to this episode, you realize that you want the new rule to be that people mostly book your $10k package - even with no evidence of this ever happening before. Much less EVERY time. It probably won’t feel normal to say “I always sell my $10000 package” on day one of giving this a go. You can and I suggest that you definitely work your way up to that. But what you need to offer yourself FIRST is a toe-dip of curiosity. A flick of a light switch to help you see another reality you could possibly have - and feel into it first. Don’t sentence yourself to culture shock if that’s not something that feels right. Because if you do, your brain is going to shut that shit down immediately. She’s gonna be like “no. that has literally never happened” and it won’t. Maybe that looks like saying, “What if from now on people only bought my $10000 package?” And what you’ll find by coming from that approach is a flood of new emotions - usually good feeling ones. Feel that! Let that be what takes the lead. Keep asking yourself that question over and over again. ““What if from now on people only bought my $10000 package?” “What if from now on people only bought my $10000 package?” “What if from now on people only bought my $10000 package?”Let’s do another real life example. I’m going to use an actual case study from a client of mine who is a stylist and has an online and a storefront boutique. Before we worked together, she invested in a lot of social media managers and growth “experts” who has basically put their entire focus on growing her following number - not ever focusing on quality, engagement, or any of the metrics that indicate social media success. After years of having a following hovering between 30 and 40 thousand, and still only receiving 15-30 likes per post; and Instagram expert told her that her account was “dead” ( a term used when an Instagram account has too much algorithmic damage to make a comeback or grow ). His advice was to announce a new account and try to get as many followers to transfer over as possible. When I spoke with my client that evening, she told me she was sick. She did not want to lose the followers she had or the Instagram features that came with them, the vendor access she had because of her large following, etc. I could tell right away that she did not want to do it. So we dropped the idea right away. It was a no for her. And instead, we got curious about what other opinions she might have. One option was to make a duplicate account and keep the original for all the perks it had - simply mirroring the content and having two separate focuses on each account. The second option was to go back to her foundation which was building intentional connection with each person who did show up on her instagram, all the folks who DID engage with her content, and slowly stir that pot. Being the hard headed and super determined gal she is, she decided to take option two and prove this Insta guru wrong. Within two weeks she went from making MAYBE $100 a month on a random instagram sale. To make 60% of her 40 thousand dollar a month revenue from her Instagram. 

What has been proven true time and time again, that dead instagram accounts cannot be revived, was proven incorrect for this gal. Why? Because she decided it was. NOw we joke about it all the time but I am so thankful for that experience for her. It just packed on more evidence that she gets to make the rules around here. And the same is true for you. What you decide is a rule, is a rule. And any rule you decide does not apply to you, doesn’t. 

There are a lot of people out there with an opinion. Business coaches, self-proclaimed (even world renowned) gurus, friends, mentors, etc. who will try to get you to subscribe to their set of rules. They will come locked and loaded with backpacks FULL of evidence to prove it. And they WANT you to buy into it. Because you buying into it gives them the indication that maybe it is true. That this rule they hate. This rule they are chained to, IS , infact, a necessary evil. They don’t want to believe they could’ve got where they are without it. So the more people that believe in this rule, the more closure they get. One of my favorite quotes from Michelle Obama is rather fitting for this as we come to an end. She says, "I have been at probably every powerful table that you can think of, I have worked at nonprofits, I have been at foundations, I have worked in corporations, served on corporate boards, I have been at G-summits, I have sat in at the U.N.: They are not that smart." The same is true for those around you who are “making rules”. They don’t *actually* get to do that for you.

When Michelle says this quote in an interview, she’s talking about the self-doubt that sneaks up on her and the reality check she’s given when she’s sitting in some of the most important places literally in the world. That those powerful folks around her really aren’t any more than she. The idea is this: we each have something sovereign inside of us. You are the guru for your life. You are the success mogul of your world. You write the rules for you. I write the rules for me. Michelle writes the rules for her and the man in the moon writes his own rules as well. 

As a creative this might be equal parts freeing and terrifying. In this world you’re always being shouted at to conform! Conform! Conform! Or else… Often pitted against your own desires and who you truly are, you’ve likely come to the conclusion that being your whole self and surrendering to how you want to do things will inevitably mean that you’ll fudge it up or it just won’t work out for you. You’re stuck between doing it their way and hating it, or doing it your way and messing everything up. That is not the truth. I want to invite you to trust yourself today. Trust that your desires are actually literally there as small arrows pointing you on the path that is best for you. I’ve given lots of examples today of my own clients who have found this freedom. They’ve spent a year writing their own rulebook and building piles on top of piles of evidence that it works for them. They’ve spent 12 months allowing me to guide them back to themselves time and time again when things get loud or scary or new. If you are ready to dive into that journey and find out what kind of magic is waiting on the other side of you ditching the rule books and relinquishing your grip on trying to please every person under the sun with your business - let’s talk. Book your intro call with me at www.talktomak.com and we will find out if a 12 month, high touch, life changing mentorship is what you need! Talk soon.

If you’re not happy with what you’re being paid for the work you do, it’s time to change that...like YESTERDAY.

If you’re not excited about the way and the amount you are being compensated for the work that you do, you’re doing yourself a disservice. You’re doing your clients a disservice. And you’re doing future clients a disservice. 

THIS is the most important lesson for you to learn in your business first. Now if you’re here and you’re listening to this episode I can guess that this is not day one in your business. You’ve probably been around the block for several years now and operating within your trade in some capacity for a good amount of time. Which is why if you haven’t learned this - today is the day it has to be done. This is priority 1. If you charge a price for a body of work either service based or a physical product it is imperative that you stop and you listen fully to this episode, because it’s going to be THE thing that lights your creative fire back up again. Or turns up the heat if your fire is still going. You may have been thinking you need better gigs or clients or to upskill in some way. You have been thinking you need to challenge yourself creatively. Or maybe you bought into the idea that this is just how it goes when your passion is also your job. Eventually the magic just dies down a bit. 

Listen to me - That is not the case. Money, compensation, is an energy exchange. And if you are giving yourself anything less than what you honestly believe in your soul that you desire for the work you do, then you are spending more energy than you’re receiving. Of course you’re freaking exhausted! That’s just the law. If you eat a double decker sandwich every day when you only bought enough bread for a two-slice-per-day bread budget...you’re not gonna have a sandwich by the end of the week. It’s science. It’s math. It’s all of that. So, this is what we are going to tackle on today’s episode of Unruly Business - turn it up!

When I first began my photography business I did NOT want to be where you are right now. Everybody has their thing that they do not want to experience when they go into business. You have it, I have it. That was my thing. THIS was my thing. I did not want to ever become burnt out in my craft because I was feeling undervalued or not taken seriously. I spent my entire life watching the adults around me settle for less than what they desired, have poor self esteem, and be at the mercy of others around them. That terrified me. I knew I didn’t want this. I didn’t set out to “find the secret” so-to-speak, to escape this version of doing things. I was just really diligent about surrounding myself with the most badass and audacious photographers out there. Before I even had my professional camera, I joined IPS groups and just listened to the way that these artists spoke and the things they prioritized. And almost as if by osmosis, the good stuff sunk in and became a part of the way I did things. That’s the key here. I”m going to give you more tangibles during this episode but I want to pause here and just reiterate what you’ve heard a bazillion times which is that you are who you surround yourself with. What goes in your ears, comes out. If you hear something today in this episode that feels better than what others around you have said, there’s no secret to it being true for you other than to believe that it is and start surrounding yourself with other people who also believe that it is. Start with your circle. And of course if you’re really serious about that then, you and I need to sit down this week and talk about you joining my mastermind. Some of the most badass creative women became and continue to be the highest paid in their market because of the work we did and the influence they allowed themselves to be immersed in, as a part of my mastermind. If that feels like your jam you can book an intro call with me at www.talktomak.com

Now for the sake of the lesson, let’s dissect my story a little more. I went from charging a portfolio price of $50 to having my very first “real” client end in a $1500 senior portrait session. Out of the gate. In my second month with a professional camera. I remember leaving that ordering appointment LITERALLY pinching myself because I could not believe how easy it was to make the same money my husband made for one hundred and fifteen hours of work - with one client - in MAYBE 7 hours total from consultation to the swipe of the card. Because big numbers are fun to say, that’s nearly $250 an hour. Mmmmm. Yes. 

All because I decided on a price that I thought was exciting for all the reasons. Charging that meant I wouldn’t have to fill every crevice of time with clients. Charging that would make leaving my newborn son for a few hours feel like it wasn’t in vain. Charging that would mean that I could possibly replace my husband’s income with a fraction of the work. Charging that would mean someone would pay that much for what I create and THAT was the biggest mind frick of them all. Nobody would have to see what I created for them FIRST, before they decided it was worthy. They would trust and believe in my abilities THAT MUCH - which was a complete honor and kiiiinda unfathomable at first. Until that night when I walked away from Starbucks with a big fat check and an order to place with my printing company. And I didn’t give myself any other option. This is what I was charging no matter how long it took. That’s the next key. Decide that you’re not accepting any less. Get comfortable with saying your new price. Get excited for your clients because of the version of you that shows up when she gets paid that much. We’ll talk more on that next!

Your prices should excite you to begin with. If you are not excited about your prices right now you need to do nothing after you listen to this but raise them. If you already have clients booked at your current price, cool! They’re the last ones and they got one hell of a deal. If you’re worried because you’re not even booking clients at your current price, you literally have nothing to lose. The Universe has been doing you a solid by not allowing you to give yourself anything less than what you desire. Raise them! Believe in them! See how fast you’re booked. You just better come back and tell me about it!

Charging less than what you desire to charge at this moment is disrespectful to yourself. Think about if you were ANY OTHER person. If your significant other, your child, your best friend, came to you and said they feel like they desire to charge more than what they’re currently charging...would you say the things you currently say to yourself? I want you to actually imagine that. Picture the person you love SO much coming to you and telling you a desire they have...and you rattling off the list of hoops they need to jump through or reasons they cannot have that. The same standards and limits you’ve placed on yourself. Picture their face. Picture the pain, shame, disappointment they’re feeling. That is your face. That is what you’re doing to yourself. It may not feel as intense because you’re used to it. You’re desensitized to it. And because you would never say that harsh of things to another human. But you’re doing it to yourself. That alone should be enough to put a stop to it my friend. So I want to affirm you right now. I want to give you a slice that you can take away and chew on. THings you can say to yourself until you believe it. YOur desires are not wrong. Your desires are not bad. They are right. They are real and you deserve to have them. Not for anything that you’ve done. You are worthy of them because you are. You’re worthy because you are. Period. Full stop. BUt I won’t pretend that it’s a walk in the park to make changes solely on your own behalf. It’s gotten eerily easy for most of us, you included, to put yourself last. Or to feel like it only makes sense for you to earn what you desire IF you can prove to an invisible panel that you should, in fact, have it. Hear ME: If you’re not excited about the compensation of your work - you’re not going to bring your best to the table. You cannot trick yourself into it. Whatever comes will be muddied with unworthiness and desperation to prove otherwise because you WANT DIFFERENTLY for yourself. It will cast a cloud over what you’re capable of creating. You will literally self sabotage and hold back from the full potential of your work. Because you’ve just told yourself that you can’t have what you desire...BUT you still have to give everyone else what they desire from you. And you have to do it with a smile on your face. WOMEN - HELLO! Of course we just feel like this is normal, right?? It’s so disguised by normalcy that you can hardly see it until it’s pointed out to you because it is the same sandwich we’ve been served every day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner our entire lives. 

So if you can’t emote how you feel about that, then of course you’re going to find other ways to make it known, even if only to yourself. It’s your survival mechanism. I want you to really allow this to sink in. The fact is, If your work is not at the level you feel is worthy of the prices you desire, it’s not because you need to practice more. Or because you’re not yet capable of that level. It’s because you’re unconsciously holding back the most magical versions of yourself until you get what you deserve. And like a vicious cycle, you’ve unknowingly used your subpar work to give yourself more ammunition and evidence as to why you aren’t “there yet”. Bleh, that’s heavy right?

But hold on for me because, what happens when you liberate yourself in the form of charging a price that sets you on fire is that it unleashes a version of your work you may not have even met yet. You deserve to operate in that way. You deserve that level of unbounded expression. And your clients deserve it too. Your prospects, people meant to work with you, deserve to see that version of you. The world needs that version of you. People need to know what you can REALLY create. Not this weird, watered down version of you.

Okay, I’m going to stop shouting at you for a minute. Let’s talk a little about the logistics to how I went from charging $50 to having a $1500 sale, so that you can find a connection for your own situation.

I do not believe in “working your way up” to a price you’re excited to charge. In setting a goal to work your way up to a price, you’re not giving yourself  clear parameters around when you will allow yourself to move to the next pricing level. It’s all based again around perceived worthiness. Meaning when you have a bad gig or a difficult client, though it’s not your fault, it could send you over the edge into thinking you’re not good enough or there’s still more to be earned before you can adequately compensate yourself. I did not value the product of my work at $50 and then one day decided that it was actually worth $1500.  I do, however, believe in portfolio building in a way that makes you excited.

Which is why for one month, I held very specific mini sessions and charged $50 only to retain the space. I set boundaries around that time and those sessions. I knew it would end in exactly one month. I made explicit the purpose of these sessions and let everyone know they were getting a REALLY crazy deal. I wanted to have a large portfolio quickly. That was my goal. And being at home with a 3 month old for 98% of my time did not give enough time and space to build at the speed I wanted. $50 asked my portfolio clients to show up and it asked me to show up. That’s it. There was no pressure of proving anything to anyone. I already knew what I would be charging for real at the end of the month. I was trading my time for a collection of work that would allow me to confidently accept thousands per session. 

SO for you, what boundary can you place around your prices right now so that you’re getting what you desire. How can you make a change for new AND old clients? How can you set up parameters that are productive and are NOT based on worthiness. More on that in a minute. 

I do not think that you must charge the most you could ever imagine charging starting today. At this moment. I knew when I was charging $1500 that I would eventually have $7000 sales. But I felt freaking GOOD about $1500 then. And I knew that I would eventually grow and provide even better experiences. That I would learn how to cater to my clients (who i LOVED catering to because they were amazing) in new and remarkable ways that would ask more energy of me, and in return I would require more energy from them.I trusted myself very much to know what that felt like. You have to set clear boundaries around your prices and what you’re committing to do for that. THAT is the parameter for increasing your prices. Not the bullshit that you’re sold in courses that says you’ll know when you’re booking mostly your highest offer or the :supply and demand” tip that says if you’re booked solid you need to raise them. Those are terrible indicators. Here’s why: you can be completely unbooked BECAUSE your prices are too low. If you know inherently that you are a match for higher priced clients but externally you’re priced lower, you’re sending out all kinds of energetic confusion. You can also be completely unbooked because there is resentment around what you’re charging. People can sense your energy before you even enter a room. So if you’re putting out all kinds of “no” vibes with the way you’re showing up because you hate the offers or prices you’re trying to get people to buy into - THAT’S what’s getting the most attention from potential clients. 

Trusting yourself is the parameter. YOu don’t have to earn anything anymore. You’re established. YOu’re great at what you do. You know this. Waiting on anything else is asking others to validate your worth and YOU KNOW that is subjective. YOU KNOW that depending on who you’re asking, will determine the answer you get. Here’s the final key. If everyone you ask might have a different answer, then YOU set that standard. YOU set the standard by setting your price and believing and behaving as the version of you who gets those prices. THAT energy attracts people who are happy to pay it. 

And if you did not come from a long line of audacious, bold, and self loving people to set an example and give you permission to be all of that too. Look for new examples. You still have it in you. Like I did by immersing myself with successful people in my field, learning from how they behaved and what they believed about themselves. I decided that would be me. Decide it will be YOU and do not wait another day to change it. You are you NOW, right now, as you’re listening to my voice. And that’s all you need to be to allow yourself to allow your desires to be met - instead of put off until later. There is nothing else you need to do. No scenario to wait for. I was a new girl on the scene, a VERY SMALL fish in a BIG Dallas/Fort Worth pond of photographers, wielding a second hand camera. That is not the picture of someone you’ll typically paint when you think of high end photography, but I decided that none of those things got to determine what kind of photographer I was. I did. Me as myself decided that.

If you feel like this episode just changed your life, I am buzzed about that. This message is the catalyst for a huge change in your life and in your business. I’m so honored to get to deliver that for you. If you want to keep the good vibes flowing. If you want messages like this created for and spoken directly to you, because you know that kind of challenge, encouragement, and accountability is what will elevate you to your next level then give yourself permission to be mentored by me. Go to www.talktomak.com and book an intro call with me to find out if a 12 month partnership would change your life like it has for every single one of my clients. Talk to you soon!