Self-employed facilitators, trainers, and consultants work with great passion and a strong belief in the benefits they can bring to individuals, organizations, and communities. At the same time, we must remember we run businesses and need to make money.
Occasionally, we face the dilemma of deciding between a fantastic project and profit, or trying to balance these two aspects. I recently experienced two situations that have made me reflect on my passions, purpose, abilities, the value of my services, and the importance of financial success.
Situation #1: I was asked to volunteer as a facilitator for a strategic planning session with an organization that serves the community, including some of my family members. The project demanded substantial work for a volunteer role, but I chose to do it without charge because it aligned with:
- My love for what this organization does (passion)
- Their services that help my family (passion and purpose)
- My belief in their mission and how my contribution could further it (purpose)
- My confidence that I could successfully meet their needs (performance)
Situation #2: A potential client recently called to request a day-long facilitation session. The team, the desired results, and the challenges all matched what I love to do, so passion, purpose, and performance were clearly aligned. However, their proposed budget was much lower than my usual rate. I felt conflicted because I wanted the work, but I knew I would be unhappy about accepting such a low fee. After friends and colleagues reminded me to honor my value, I offered three options that provided excellent services at a price I could accept. Fortunately, the team agreed, and we created a win-win situation.
These factors outweighed my need for profit.
Nine months later, the organization asked me to provide significantly more services—this time at my regular fee.
Here are my deciding factors for such situations.
- Passion: Know what excites you and whether it aligns with the project. Will you enjoy doing the work? Will you be challenged?
- Purpose: Determine if the organization’s purpose aligns with your own. Do you believe the world needs their services? Does your contribution further their mission?
- Performance: Honestly assess your ability to do the work well. Do you have the skills and capacity?
- Profit: Decide how much you need to earn to make the project worthwhile.
My overall question is: Will I resent taking on this work because of the low price? If I feel uneasy—physically, mentally, or emotionally—I know I won’t perform sufficiently to meet the client’s needs. That makes a lose-lose for them and me.
This post utilizes information from the Purpose Venn Diagram, a core foundation I use in my business. I appreciate the work by @Anais Bock https://www.letsworkmagic.com/about-anais-bock about this concept.