It’s a question that feels complicated. If you’re in business long enough, you’re going to have to raise your prices at some point. And yet when you do, it’s possible loyal customers may have big feelings about it. So how do you raise your prices without alienating the people who go you to where you are? Why Pricing Conversations Get Weird Costs creep up, your calendar fills, and suddenly you’re working harder for the same money. That’s not a growth plan. It’s a slow leak. But you can adjust pricing without drama, without apologizing, and without putting your reputation on the line. Pricing touches three sensitive areas at once for most business pros: Your confidence: Am I actually worth this? Your customers: Will they get mad and leave? Your market: What if competitors are cheaper? You won’t lose customers because you raised prices. If your customers leave it’s because they don’t understand the value, or they feel surprised. Price increases feel like betrayal when they feel sudden or inexplicable. No one wants to pay more, but when they see the value of what you’re providing and they understand what’s behind the increase, you can likely keep them as a customer. Before You Raise Anything, Do This Quick Check You’re trying to run a healthy business. Remember that. Costs increase. There’s no way to continue to provide your goods or services at the same rate you did a few years ago (unless you had a ridiculous markup—and if so, good for you). But for most of us, this is a necessary cost of doing business these days and you have to keep up with the times. Start with these questions: 1. What’s changed since your current pricing was set? If your costs, time, labor, or demand have changed, your pricing should change too. Inflation is a business reality. 2. What’s the real cost to deliver your product or service? Not just materials or payroll. Consider time, tools, admin hours, software, insurance, travel, prep, cleanup, follow-up, knowledge acquired to get you to this point. If you don’t count it, you’re donating it. 3. Where are you losing money without realizing it? Common culprits: · Custom work that turns into endless revisions · Meetings that don’t lead anywhere · Last-minute changes and reschedules · Free add-ons that became “expected” Three Pricing Moves That Don’t Scare Customers Off You don’t have to “raise prices across the board.” Sometimes the smartest move is reshaping how people buy from you. Move 1: Repackage instead of simply increasing If you’re worried about blowback, don’t just raise the number. Raise the clarity. Examples: Instead of “$125 per visit,” create “Standard” and “Priority” service tiers. Instead of “$2,000 project,” define three packages with different scopes. Instead of a single offering, create an upfront charge or membership, like a wine bar offering a membership club that’s more affordable in bulk than just a single glass, which benefit loyal members Instead of “hourly,” offer a flat-rate option for common work. When you package, customers can see what they’re paying for. It becomes less about you being “more expensive” and more about them choosing what fits. Move 2: Increase your minimums This is the quiet hero of profitability. Examples: Minimum project size Minimum order quantity Minimum monthly retainer Minimum delivery fee Minimums cut out low-margin work that eats your week. You’ll likely lose the most price-sensitive customers, which sounds scary until you realize they’re also the most demanding per dollar. Move 3: Adjust for urgency and complexity Not all work is equal. Not all customers are equal. Pricing can reflect that. Consider: Rush fees After-hours fees Complexity fees for extra revisions or custom requests Travel or onsite fees “Done-for-you” vs “DIY” options When to Raise Prices Timing matters because you want the change to feel intentional and not random. Three good moments to adjust pricing: When demand is high and you’re booked out When costs have increased significantly When you’ve improved your results or delivery (faster, better, smoother) When you’ve gained new expertise or value When you roll out something new If you’re already overloaded, raising prices can improve customer experience. You deliver better quality, which means higher prices. The Conversation This is where a lot of business owners hurt themselves. They over-explain, apologize, or sound defensive. Don’t do any of that. Your message should follow the four Cs: cursory, clear, confident, and customer-aware. Here are a few scripts you can adapt for your business. Script 1: Simple and direct “Starting April 1, our pricing will be updated. This change reflects increased costs and allows us to continue delivering the level of quality and service you expect.” Script 2: For loyal customers “As a valued customer, you’ll have access to current pricing through May 1. After that, updated rates will apply. We appreciate your continued support.” Script 3: When you’re shifting packages “We’re updating our service options to make them clearer and more flexible. You’ll now be able to choose between three packages based on your needs. The new options begin April 2.” You’re not asking permission. You’re informing them. What If Customers Push Back? Some will. That’s normal. The goal is not to avoid it, but to handle it professionally. If someone says, “That’s too much,” try: “I understand. If budget is a concern, we can look at an option with a smaller scope.” Or: “I hear you. Our pricing reflects the time and expertise required to deliver it well.” If someone threatens to leave, stay calm: “I’d hate to lose you, but I understand you need to choose what’s best for you.” Most of the time, the customers you want will respect you more for being steady. If you are still worried about raising prices with your loyal customers, grandfather them into their original pricing structure and raise prices for all new customers. However, this only works when you have room to take on new customers. Eventually it will be inevitable that even your grandfathered customers will see a price increase. But if you want to put it off, that’s a way to do it. A Quick Action Plan for This Week 1. Pick one pricing move: repackage, minimums, or urgency fees 2. Decide your effective date: give customers a reasonable notice window 3. Write your message: two to three sentences, no apologies 4. Update your materials: website, menus, quotes, proposals, booking links 5. Practice your response so you don’t panic when someone asks why Then stand firm. Pricing without panic is really about leadership. You don’t raise prices because you’re greedy. You raise prices because your business has to be sustainable to serve anyone at all. You’re building something that should last. Pricing is one of the ways you make sure it can. And if you want a sounding board, a few examples, or a sanity check before you hit “send” on the announcement, your chamber community is exactly the place to start. Read More: How to Build Loyalty Without Spending a Dime on Ads The Smarter Way to Grow Customer Value Winning Back Lost Customers: Smart Strategies to Reignite Trust and Revenue ----------- Christina Metcalf is a writer and women’s speaker who believes in the power of story. She works with small businesses, chambers of commerce, and business professionals who want to make an impression and grow a loyal customer/member base. She is the author of The Glinda Principle , rediscovering the magic within. _______________________________________ Facebook: @tellyourstorygetemtalking Instagram: @christinametcalfauthor LinkedIn: @christinametcalf5

If you run a small business, you know the struggle. There’s never enough time, never enough people, and the budget is always a limiting factor. So when someone says, “prioritize employee wellness,” it can sound like another big expense, not to mention something you just don’t have the resources to implement. No one will argue that taking care of your employees is important but wellness programs are for big corporations, right? Maybe yoga studios and gyms are. But there are ways to introduce and monitor wellness levels even in the smallest of businesses. Why Wellness Is Critical to Your Success Your business is only as strong as your most disgruntled employee. Dissatisfied workers aren’t good at customer service. Their dissatisfaction will be evident to those they’re trying to help. Even if your team isn’t forward facing, a burnt-out employee can spread their angst to other members of your team and erode productivity and moral. Your team’s stress level doesn’t care that you’re a small business. And if you don’t think your team has a problem, you need to consult the data, which is waving a very large flag. A recent USA TODAY|SurveyMonkey workforce survey found that 24% of workers say they’re either struggling (12%) or burnt out (12%). An article on Small Biz Trends called it a wake-up call for owners. It also encouraged simple, practical moves like regular check-ins, mental health resources, and a culture of open communication as ways to get these numbers turned around. This matters because burnout doesn’t just feel bad. It gets expensive. The Cost of Ignoring Burnout Is Real Turnover isn’t just the cost of posting a job and running interviews. It’s: · lost productivity while the role sits open · extra workload on your best people (who then start browsing job sites at lunch) · training time, mistakes, customer friction, and knowledge walking out the door Gallup estimates the cost to replace an employee can range from half to two times their annual salary. And those costs vary by role type. Gallup also notes replacement costs around 200% for leaders/managers, 80% for technical professionals, and 40% for frontline employees. Small businesses feel that hit harder because every person is a bigger percentage of the operation. One resignation can create a domino effect: missed deadlines, stressed coworkers, and customers who start to wonder what’s going on behind the curtain. So no, you don’t need a corporate wellness program. You need a culture where people can do good work without slowly melting down. What Wellness Means in a Small Business Employee wellness isn’t a perk. It’s the day-to-day experience of working for you. Think of it as your internal brand. A strong sense of employee wellness can keep employees hanging on through the tough times. Many of us have the mistaken idea that wellness is ping pong tables in the breakroom. But it’s not. It’s: · Clarity instead of chaos. · Respect instead of mind-reading. · A manager who notices instead of ignores. · A pace that’s intense sometimes, not all the time. Think of it as preventive maintenance. You’re not trying to create a spa. You’re trying to keep the engine from blowing on the freeway. Micro-Actions That Move the Needle (Without Draining Your Calendar and Wallet) Resources are stretched for many small businesses, so a company culture relaunch is probably not feasible. That’s why we compiled a list of small, realistic actions that compound into a healthier culture. Pick a few. Build from there. The 10-Minute “Pulse Check” (Weekly) Ask three questions of each of your team to get operational intelligence: · What’s one thing going well? · What’s one thing making your job harder than it needs to be? · What’s one thing I can remove, clarify, or decide? Decide Quicker A huge source of stress is uncertainty. If you can’t decide today, say when you will. Clarity is calming. Create a “Red Flag” Phrase Give employees a simple way to signal overload without shame: “I’m at capacity.” Or “My plate is full-full.” Then your job (or the manager’s/supervisor’s) is to respond like an adult, not a courtroom attorney. Be thankful that they admitted they couldn’t take on another task. That means they safeguarded the company from a disappointing customer experience. Protect One Quiet Hour Pick one hour a day (or two afternoons a week) that’s meeting-free and interruption-light. Make it normal to do focused work without constant pings. Normalize Taking PTO for Actual Rest That SurveyMonkey report even tracks people using PTO for rest and mental health. If your culture subtly punishes time off, burnout wins. If coverage is hard, rotate “on point/on call” responsibility so people can truly unplug. There should never be a reason to disturb an employee on vacation just because someone can’t find a file. Not only does that call disrupt them in the moment, but it also adds stress causing them to wonder what else will go wrong and what the next call or text will be about. Instead of relaxing, they will be on high alert. Make Workload Visible When everything lives in your head (or Slack chaos), people feel like they’re failing even when they’re working hard. A simple shared board (Trello, Asana, a whiteboard) plus weekly priorities reduces stress fast. Praise Specifically, not Generically “Great job” is adequate. “Great job handling that upset customer. You listened to their concerns and escalated the matter quickly and appropriately. I’m happy to announce that because of you, they renewed with us.” makes the employee feel good and helps to identify what’s important to you as a culture. Recognition doesn’t cost money. It costs attention. Set “After-Hours” Expectations If you text at 9:30 pm, your team feels the pressure of always being on call. If you must send messages late, add: “No need to respond until tomorrow.” Better yet, use the scheduling feature so they don’t receive them until business hours. While you may just want to shoot them an email so the thought doesn’t slip your mind, just remember your habits upset their nervous system. Build One “Safety Valve” for Hard Weeks Create a plan for crunch times such as: · temporary shift swaps · a pre-set “drop list” of nonessential tasks · a rotating admin/helper hour · shortened meetings Crunch happens. Suffering doesn’t have to be the strategy. Ask for One Improvement Idea Per Month (And Implement It) This is how you build trust: ask, choose, act, repeat. Culture improves when people see proof. No one wants to be asked their opinion just to go unheard. When you implement an employee suggestion, give the employee credit (unless they prefer otherwise. Some people don’t like to be called out in a group. Make sure you understand your employees’ motivations and preferences.) The Mindset Shift That Makes This Doable Small business owners often assume wellness requires money. Most of the time office wellness can be achieved through altering leadership behaviors that induce daily stress such as unclear priorities, constant urgency, and silence (or ignoring) when people are struggling. But stress doesn’t just go away (entirely). It leaves residuals behind so that the next time someone feels stress they’re not starting from the same unstressed place they did before. They start at a level two (or more). That means it tends to escalate quicker in the same way that when you’re run down you are more susceptible to illness. Your goal is not to make work easy. It’s to make work sustainable. Because when 24% of workers say they’re struggling or burnt out, it’s not a “nice to fix later” issue. And when replacing even one employee can cost anywhere from 50% to 200% of their salary, “we can’t afford wellness” quietly becomes “we can’t afford turnover.” Start small. Start consistent. Treat culture like the business asset it is.  Read More: The Art of Giving Feedback that Inspires Instead of Discourages Ignite and Empower Your Team with Verbal Feedback Preventing Ethical Burnout: Protecting Your Team's Integrity Under Pressure Recognition is Free - But it Might be the Most Valuable Investment You Make Transforming Employee Feedback into Actionable Insights: A Leader's Guide Unlocking Reciprocity: How Gratitude Transforms Workplace Culture --------------- Christina Metcalf is a writer and women’s speaker who believes in the power of story. She works with small businesses, chambers of commerce, and business professionals who want to make an impression and grow a loyal customer/member base. She is the author of The Glinda Principle , rediscovering the magic within. _______________________________________ Medium: @christinametcalf Facebook: @tellyourstorygetemtalking Instagram: @christinametcalfauthor LinkedIn: @christinagsmith