Increasing rates and establishing boundaries. The uncomfortable side of business growth

I’m in the midst of business planning for 2023 and reflecting on the highs / lows of the past year. One skill that’s been particularly difficult to master - shocker - is setting boundaries and saying ‘no.’ However, because of overall demand and big life changes this year, this people-pleaser has had to do it more than ever. There just hasn’t been extra space. Yet ironically, as I assess where we were and where we’re headed, I’m realizing that the more I’ve pushed back, the more we’ve advanced toward our big picture goals.

This discovery has been a welcome relief as I continue to overcome the discomfort of increasing client fees in order to grow MTD. This has been a massive challenge for me, mostly because I suffer from anxiety, imposter syndrome, and I hate rejection. The thing is though, as I look back at the pain points where I held my ground, I’m more motivated than ever to stand by my / our work. 

Here’s some background on how I got to today - in the first year of M.T. Deco, I burned out taking on every client opportunity out of fear that there would never be enough work. After that, I stretched myself thin with name recognition clients for the client experience section of the MTD website. And now, after four years, I’m finally starting to PROactively focus on those I want to work with. Here’s how I’m approaching it…

First off, I’m setting a new base rate for clientele so that no matter what demands pop up, we can handle it without burnout, the business can continue running, and we can ensure an amazing experience for every partner. I’ve defined this range by carefully tracking how much time and effort our work actually takes [any of you familiar with digital strategy know how literally endless the to-do list is] and measuring it against the value we provide.

And what do I mean by value? If you’re new here, let us convince you why you need digital strategy, but the way I boil it down is that we help individuals and brands cultivate a highly engaged community invested in them, no matter what they do or where they go. Your community is everything and it’s what everyone wants because it’s what drives business forward in today’s digital landscape, and that equals tremendous value. We believe the value we bring to our clients is huge, and we do a ton of work to get them there. Our new rates reflect that value.

Second, and speaking of community, we’re listening harder than ever to what current and potential clients actually need. We have an airtight, proven methodology for onboarding and retaining partners. But the reality is that just as digital platforms themselves are constantly evolving, we too need to evolve in order to meet client needs. 

This year I learned more than ever just how versatile our work can be. We’ve expanded our offerings dramatically, mostly by listening even more closely to our clients. While we can easily handle big picture macro strategy playbooks, as well as micro strategies by platform or medium, we need to ask the right questions and map out the plan with the right partners. When a client brings a new challenge we haven’t tackled before to the table, it can be scary to take on. This year alone we mastered running leadership workshops, hyperfocused on YouTube and TikTok, and created a monetization strategy for cross platform use. These were all new experiences for us, born from clients expressing their needs, and will serve as blueprints for us to further customize for other clients. It’s pretty cool [seriously, if you need a kickass LinkedIn, YouTube or monetization-specific strategy, email me]. 

And third, good, old-fashioned networking. From nurturing relationships with past and current clients we love - especially when it comes to circling back with new opportunities that we KNOW will be amazing for them - to identifying dream clientele in new and different categories to connect with, it’s an exciting time to reset and get back to basics across the board.

And while networking is a fundamental aspect of business, it takes time and intention in order to do it well, which I don’t have unless I set boundaries for everything else. I know it’s cliche, but the more I’ve gritted my teeth and said ‘no,’ or had a bunch of proposals this year rejected because the recipient felt the price was too high, the more space I’ve had to fully level up the work we do have, with partners who are a pleasure to collaborate with. Life’s funny isn’t it?

At any rate, if you too are in a client services business and figuring out what to charge / where your boundaries are, here are my top tips and how to decide what clients are right for you - largely learned from Linda Ong, CEO and Founder of CULTIQUE and my mentor. Clients = relationships, it’s that simple and that complicated. 

Xo, Melissa