The Day I Learned My $10,000 Website Was Worth $100,000

I used to price everything like a grocery store clerk. Cost plus markup equals price. Simple math, right?

A website costs me $10,000 in time and materials to build. Add 50% markup. Charge $15,000. Done.

What We Get Wrong About Value

Most of us think value means "what something costs to make plus a reasonable profit." That's not value. That's accounting.

Value is the problem you solve. The pain you eliminate. The opportunity you create.

Here's what took me years to understand: the cost of creating something has zero relationship to what it's worth to the person buying it.

A heart surgeon doesn't charge based on the cost of their scalpel.

The Hamster Wheel Problem

Most professional service firms run like hamsters on wheels. More hours equals more money. Need more revenue? Work weekends. Still not enough? Hire more hamsters.

I see this everywhere. Law firms billing by the hour. Consultants selling days instead of outcomes. Web designers (like I used to be) charging by the page instead of the result.

The problem with hamster wheels? Eventually, you run out of hours in the day. And your best people burn out trying to keep up.

I learned this when I hit my own wall. Sixty-hour weeks, constant client demands, and I was making less per hour than I did fresh out of college. Something had to change.

Three Things That Actually Matter

Forget human capital, structural capital, and all that business school nonsense. Here's what really drives value in the real world:

What you know that others don't. This isn't about degrees or certifications. It's about insights. The accountant who spots tax loopholes that save clients millions. The designer who knows exactly which colors make people buy. The lawyer who's seen this exact case a hundred times before.

Who trusts you. Relationships aren't just nice-to-have. They're your business moat. People pay premiums to work with people they trust. Always have, always will.

What you can make happen. Results. Outcomes. The thing that happens after they hire you. Everything else is just paperwork.

Efficiency Is a Trap

There's a difference between doing things right and doing the right things.

Doing things right? That's efficiency. Faster processes, better tools, optimized workflows.

Doing the right things? That's effectiveness. Solving the actual problem. Moving the needle on what matters.

I spent two years obsessing over efficiency. Faster design software, automated invoicing, streamlined proposals. My time per project dropped 40%.

My income stayed flat.

That's because I was optimizing the wrong thing. Clients don't pay for speed. They pay for outcomes.

The breakthrough came when I stopped asking "How can I build this website faster?" and started asking "What result does this client actually need?"

Once I understood that, everything changed.

The Real Question

Instead of "What did this cost me to deliver?" ask "What is this worth to them?"

The logo that helps a startup raise their Series A? Worth more than the months you spent designing it.

The marketing strategy that doubles a company's revenue? Worth a percentage of that revenue, not an hourly rate.

This isn't about being greedy. It's about being honest about the value you create.

What Changes When You Price for Value

Everything.

You stop competing on price. You start competing on outcomes.

You stop selling time. You start selling results.

You stop being a vendor. You start being a partner.

You stop working harder. You start working smarter.

Most importantly, you stop undervaluing the impact you have on people's lives and businesses.

Because here's the truth: if you're good at what you do, you're probably changing lives and don't even realize it.

The Bottom Line

Value pricing isn't a strategy. It's a mindset shift.

Stop thinking like a grocery store clerk adding markup to cost. Start thinking like someone who solves problems that matter.

Because when you solve problems that matter, price becomes irrelevant. People will pay almost anything to fix something that's keeping them up at night.

The question isn't whether you're worth it. The question is whether you're brave enough to find out what you're actually worth.