Know Your Worth: Why Women Need to Value Their Professional Time

08 May Know Your Worth: Why Women Need to Value Their Professional Time

Are you constantly second-guessing what to charge clients? Wondering if that hour you spent researching brand colours, helping someone with an emotional problem, or picking fabrics for a new home is really ‘worth invoicing?’ You’re not alone.

We’ve Been Taught to Undervalue Ourselves

Let’s be honest: most of us have grown up in a world that doesn’t recognise the work women do. Managing a household, supporting aging parents, caring for children, being the emotional glue for the people around us—this kind of work has always been expected, rarely acknowledged, and almost never paid.

So when we start our own businesses—especially service-businesses that focus on creativity, care, or communication—we bring that same conditioning with us without even realising it.

The Value Gap

This mindset shows up in subtle but powerful ways. We undervalue what we offer, telling ourselves things like, “Everyone knows how to arrange furniture,” or “Most people can choose a great colour palette. We think, ”Anyone could do this,” especially when it’s something that comes naturally to us.

But is that really true?

I see this all the time with women running service-based businesses—coaches, consultants, designers, VAs, writers, wellness professionals, social media managers—you name it.

Many of us assume the skills we’ve built over time are common knowledge, or not that special. Over years of experience, we forget how much we’ve actually learned and how valuable that knowledge is. Thinking everyone else knows what we know leads to undervaluing our expertise. However, this is far from the truth.

“Just because it comes naturally to you doesn’t mean it’s not valuable. It usually means you’ve spent years building the skill to make it look easy.”
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Put yourself in your client’s shoes—beginner’s shoes. Remember: they’ve come to you because they don’t know what you know. They can’t do what you do. They’re seeking you out for your expertise. That’s why they’re hiring YOU.

• A business coach isn’t just chatting on Zoom—they’re helping clients untangle big decisions and avoid expensive mistakes.
• A copywriter isn’t just writing emails—they’re helping businesses convert leads and build trust.
• A photographer isn’t just snapping a few photos—they’re capturing a brand story in images.
• A virtual assistant isn’t just ticking off tasks—they’re creating systems that give business owners their time back.

“Your business isn’t a hobby or a favour to friends.”
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Whether you’re running a design studio or your own coaching practice, your time is valuable. Your clients aren’t paying just for the hour they spend with you—they’re paying for your knowledge, skills, and years of experience.

• The interior design client isn’t just paying for pretty cushions—they’re paying for your years of knowing exactly which fabrics work in high-traffic areas.
• The counselling client isn’t just paying for a 50-minute session—they’re paying for your training in recognising harmful patterns.
• The small business getting marketing advice isn’t just paying for a strategy document—they’re paying for your decade of learning what actually converts to sales.

“The fact that it’s easy for you isn’t a reason to charge less—it’s a reason to charge more.”________________________________________

Try This: Your Billable Hour Check-In

Here’s a simple practice I often share:
Every hour or so, pause and ask yourself: “Is this a billable hour? If the answer is yes—but you hesitate to invoice the work—ask why. Chances are, it’s not about the work. It’s the old stories we’ve believed about our value.

You might think:

• It was too easy.” → It’s easy because you’re good at it.
• “It only took 15 minutes.” → That’s efficiency, not a discount.
• “They’re a small client.” → Your time is still worth the same.

“Unless you’re fixing a mistake or doing admin, that time belongs on an invoice.”
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We have to unlearn the idea that only certain kinds of work are ‘worth’ money. What you do—whether it’s organising workflows, designing websites, writing newsletters, or holding space for someone in crisis—it’s real work.

It takes skill.
It creates results.
And it deserves to be paid for.

You’re not just helping. You’re not ‘just’ anything.
You’re a business owner, and your expertise has value.
Start invoicing like one.