170: Stop Undervaluing Your Work: 5-Part Framework To Profit

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Have you ever wondered if you’re charging too little for what you do? Or caught yourself thinking that lowering your price will make it easier to sell?

This episode could change that, and quite possibly make you more money.

Author, coach, and 6-figure artist Miriam Schulman joins us to share her five-part framework that helps creatives and business owners turn their passion into profit.

We dive into what those five parts are, how you can apply them to confidently charge what you’re worth, stop undervaluing your work, and be ready when the right customer walks in — whether that’s online or in person.

You’ll learn:

• The mindset shift behind charging premium prices with confidence

• The five core areas that drive creative income

• Why lowering your prices doesn’t make sales easier — and what actually does

• How to believe in your customer even more than they believe in themselves

• Practical ways to turn your creative passion into sustainable profit

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Why Cheaper Isn’t Easier

Miriam has seen it repeatedly: talented people assume lower prices will draw more buyers. In practice, the opposite happens. Price creates a perception of quality and trust. “It needs to be reassuringly expensive,” she says, comparing it to vet care or a Rolex watch - items people expect to cost more because they carry importance and credibility.

Artists often make smaller, lower-priced pieces thinking they’ll be easier to sell. But customers want impact. A large painting that anchors a living room, or a full coaching package that creates real transformation, is more compelling than a “lite” version that does less. The same principle holds true across side hustles and service businesses.

The Belief Triad

Miriam’s concept of the Belief Triad goes further than self-confidence. Yes, believe in yourself and in what you offer—but you must also believe in your customer. Think of the famous Pretty Woman scene: Julia Roberts walks into a Rodeo Drive boutique, gold card in hand, and is dismissed by salespeople who assume she can’t afford anything. “We all think we’re not those salespeople,” Miriam says, “but when we hold back our best offer because we assume someone can’t afford it, that’s exactly what we’re doing.”

When a customer considers a $5,000 purchase - be it a painting, a couch, or coaching, the real question isn’t “Is it worth $5,000?” but “Am I worth spending $5,000 on?” Believing in your customer gives them permission to believe in themselves.

The five-part framework

From Artpreneur, Miriam outlines five pillars that move a creative or side-hustle business from struggling to sustainable income:

1. Production
   Are you creating enough to meet your goals? Consistent output—art, content, services—is the foundation of steady revenue.
2. Pricing
   Do the math backward. To earn $100 K, ten $10 K offers reach the goal faster than hundreds of small ones. High-value items are easier to manage and often easier to sell.
3. Prospecting
   Social media reach is shrinking: Miriam tells us Instagram engagement averages only about 0.35%, with retail around 0.15%. By comparison, email open rates hover near 24%. “You’d need 6,000 followers to equal 100 email subscribers,” Miriam notes. Build your list; it’s an asset you control.
4. Promotion
   Sales develop like relationships. “It’s like dating,” she says. Don’t expect love - or a purchase, on the first meeting. Offer value first, stay visible, and follow up.
5. Productivity
   Time isn’t the problem, energy is. Focus on the tasks that move income, and avoid “procrasti-learning,” where endless webinars replace real outreach.

Examples from real creatives

Miriam shared stories that prove the point. Brett, a Missouri artist, raised his prices from $3,500 to $5,000 per piece. Within six months, and while keeping his full-time sales job, he earned $30,000 in art income. Another client, Kayla, an Arkansas vet-tech and single mom, shifted from $100 pet-portrait tumblers that drained her time to full paintings priced around $2,000 and higher. The same client who bought her lower-priced work returned and gladly paid the new rate, ordering more pieces.

Then there’s Elizabeth in Montana, who used publicity rather than paid ads to attract buyers. A magazine feature brought her a client who spent $29,000 on art. Similarly, Grace, who paints underwater scenes, pitched diving magazines instead of art journals thereby meeting her ideal audience where they already were. Each example reinforces that premium pricing paired with belief and visibility leads to bigger results.

Mindset and next steps

Throughout the episode, Miriam returns to one truth: success depends on belief - belief that your work matters, that your customer is capable, and that price reflects value, not guilt. Lowering your rate to be “nice” isn’t kindness; it’s doubt.

Take a moment to look at your own business through this lens:

• Are your prices aligned with the transformation you deliver?
• Have you replaced outreach with scrolling or “research”?
• Do you show potential clients what’s possible when they invest?

Apply Miriam’s framework - production, pricing, prospecting, promotion, and productivity, to build structure around your creativity. Track where each area could strengthen your income flow. And remember, believing in your customer is as critical as believing in yourself.

Key Takeaway

Stop undervaluing your work. Offer what truly makes a difference, price it with confidence, and let customers decide for themselves. The ones who recognize the value will say yes, and those are the clients who sustain a business built on passion and profit.

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