Drag, drop, copy, paste
I have recently been questioned about my pricing structure, with a person (from my industry) criticising that I not only 'cheat' by using WordPress software to help me make websites for people, but that I shouldn't charge for something so simple as 'drag and drop'. I quickly informed this person that not only do I charge people £25 per hour to 'drag and drop', I also charge to 'copy and paste' too.
Interestingly, I wasn't actually irritated nor offended that this person made the comments, in fact it has actually been rather helpful to be able to answer such a comment publically. The fact that I can be so very honest about the simplicity of my skills that I offer my clients, allows my clients to see how transparent my business, my services and my charges are.
What I do for a living is not 'rocket science', but it does make a huge difference to so many people. Let's not forget, there are people out there who are not skilled in the 'drag, drop, copy, paste' actions, but they are phenomenal at what they do. Some of my clients cook, some fix machines in foreign countries, some advice politicians and others have more letters after their names than I have in my postal address. All of these clients use my service, as simple as it may be, because it helps them.
I have integrity, passion and kindness, and that's why I have a successful business with over 300 clients and 10 years of business behind me. Believe me, £25 per hour doesn't actually allow me to retire to the Maldives in 5 years, but it does allow me to buy clothes and toys for my son.
It's important to remember that when someone charges a hourly rate they have to! This is because they don't get the opportunity to actually 'work' each hour of every working day, people like me have to spend other hours in the day doing marketing, accounting, researching and many other business tasks like making the tea.
This little piece is dedicated to all those people who are faced with other people trying to make them feel guilty for doing a good job, for making a living and for being good at what they do. This is for people who are judged by others in their industry who have clearly not taken the time to learn before criticising, this is for the lovely people I work with and respect.
Finally, let me just say 'thank you'! Thank you to those who support me, who are my clients, my friends and my family. Thank you to those who remember that I am a person, who runs a business, who runs a home. Thank you for letting me be me.
Be the best 'you' you can be, you are lovely, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise!
P.S It took me way longer than an hour to write this thing, let alone create an image to go with it. 😉