Standing firm on pricing
Thursday, 18 May 2017
When I first started Gosh Golly in 2008 I had a bucket load of experience behind me. I had been studio manager and creative head at full service agencies, winning every pitch we did and being involved in all levels of the creative process from customer facing to getting the work out of the door. Experienced in pretty much everything except talking money. I knew I was being charged out at £95 per hour and what the print mark up was, but that’s where my knowledge ended. So when I needed to deal with this side of running my own business I had no experience to draw on. I set up the pricing structure based on experience and overheads, so quoting for work was not a problem. I admit I did used to feel a little bit embarrassed when handing in invoices for the first time, but I soon got used to it, and admin is now part of my skill set. I stand firm on my prices. I am nowhere near as expensive as full service agencies, but with 25 years experience and many happy customers whose creative work I’ve done with a team of amazing people around me, we are worth what I charge. I saw some marketing material recently from a direct competitor and couldn’t believe the price they were offering - it was incredibly cheap! There were examples of the work which did reflect the cost to a certain degree, but this has niggled me. I am proud of my industry of which there are a lot of incredibly talented, hard working creatives out there. I do wish that some do not cheapen what they do by offering work at knock down prices which can only make designers busy fools. If someone thinks I am too expensive, I am absolutely fine with that. I am aware there are logos you can buy online cheap, but what Gosh Golly offers is a much more in depth design process. I pride myself on practical, creative design - inspired ideas that work - and if you want to know what I charge, ask away, I won’t be embarrassed!
