It’s very much a chicken-and-egg question.
I recently asked a knowledgeable and capable “hobbyist” who sometimes charges something to share costs:
Q: “Why don’t you charge full price?”
A: “Because I’m not professional yet.”
Q: “Why don’t you feel professional with all these results?”
A: “Because I’m not charging real money.”
Look, if the transformations you achieve cannot be replicated by a hobbyist giving it a good go, you are already doing professional-level work.
I know, you still see many faults in your work. We are all our harshest critics.
I promise you, charging for a service won’t change much about that inner voice.
When to start charging is a question of confidence and finding clear boundaries of professionalism, like:
- Earning a diploma
- Achieving certification
- Getting awards, book deals, etc.
- Having been employed in a similar role
However, all of these are essentially paying a third party (i.e., someone not buying or selling your service) to become interested and aware of what you can do.
Pre-Internet, third-party certification was basically the only path toward trust.
Now, we have portfolios, live demos, authorship, risk shares, recommendations…
Yes, successfully charging money for a service rendered is also a great way to validate your status as a professional. The only one who needs to be convinced of your value-for-money is your client, full stop.