No.
142
Oct 5, 2026
Pricing
6 min read
The price you’re afraid to charge
Why the number that scares you is usually the right one, and a three-step way to raise it without losing anyone you want to keep.
Every small business owner I know has a number they’re afraid to say out loud. It’s usually about 30% higher than what they charge now, and it’s usually right.
Last month I raised the price of our most popular mug from €28 to €36. I expected angry emails. I got two, and both were from people who had never bought anything.
Why the scary number is often the right one
Your price is a story about how good the thing is. When it’s too low, the careful customers — the ones who come back — trust it less.
Raise prices on new customers first.
Give existing customers a date and a reason.
Add something small that makes the new price obvious, like a handwritten note.
Nobody ever told me my prices were too high. Plenty of people told me with their wallets that they were too low.
Try it on one product this week. Reply and tell me what happened — I read every email.
— Lena
Reply to this email and tell me what you tried. I read every one.
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No.
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The price you’re afraid to charge
Why the number that scares you is usually the right one, and a three-step way to raise it without losing anyone you want to keep.
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Hire slower than feels comfortable
The two hires I rushed, the one I didn’t, and the paid trial week that now does most of the interviewing for me.
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Your best customers are hiding in your inbox
I searched four years of email for the word “again”. Here’s what the people who come back have in common.
