I’ll admit it—my optimism might not always land. The whole raise your prices and you’ll be glad you did mantra? For some, it feels out of reach, not in sync with the professional “fate” they experienced. And in three distinct scenarios, they might be right.
1. I’m just dead wrong because although you do expertise-based work the market sees you as a commodity and there’s nothing anybody can do about that.
2. The industry’s broken norm expects you to give away your main value upfront—strategic insights and problem-solving—for free. In return? A “shiny” chance to be considered to get paid by the hour for low-value execution tasks anyone cheaper could handle. Yay! By the time compensation arrives your real value has already been forgotten, buried under admin and execution.
3. You’re trapped as the market’s “best-kept secret.” Sure, your value gets recognized and often highly praised—after the fact. But the real issue? You blend in with the crowd at the top of the funnel, indistinguishable from hungry and motivated mediocrity. You don’t belong there, but nothing about you screams “standout” or “competitive” on first impression.
Here’s the thing—even if one of those hits home, experience tells me there’s no reason for you to stay down. Every type of value creator can learn to dodge, parry, and block their way to a better outcome. It’s not fate—it’s a shadow you can step out of.