You're charging too little.

I don't know what you're building or what you charge. But statistically, you're almost certainly underpricing it.

Most solo founders are. It's one of the most common and most costly mistakes.

The Underpricing Instinct

Why do founders underprice? The reasons feel rational:

"I need to be accessible." Lower prices mean more customers, right?

"I'm not established yet." Maybe when I'm bigger I can charge more.

"The competition charges less." I need to compete on price.

"Nobody would pay more." I'm already lucky anyone pays at all.

These feel reasonable. They're mostly wrong.

Why Cheap Doesn't Work

Low prices create problems:

Low prices attract bad customers. Price-sensitive customers churn more, complain more, and value your work less.

Low prices signal low value. People assume price reflects quality. Cheap feels like not-good.

Low prices require volume. At $9/month, you need thousands of users to make a living. At $99/month, you need hundreds. Which is more achievable?

Low prices leave no room. No margin for support, for improvements, for sustainability.

Cheap is a trap.

The Math That Changed My Thinking

Here's a simple calculation:

At $10/month: To make $100k/year, you need 833 paying customers.

At $50/month: You need 167 customers.

At $100/month: You need 84 customers.

Which is easier? Finding 833 customers or finding 84 who value what you make enough to pay more?

For most products, fewer higher-value customers is simpler, more sustainable, and more profitable.

What Happens When You Charge More

When you raise prices:

You attract serious customers. People who pay more are invested. They use the product. They stick around.

You can provide better service. More revenue per customer means more time per customer.

You respect your own value. Charging what you're worth changes how you approach the work.

You build a real business. Sustainable margins. Room to grow. Actual profit.

How to Know If You're Underpricing

Signs you should charge more:

You have no churn. Everyone stays. Either your product is perfect, or it's so cheap leaving isn't worth thinking about.

Nobody complains about price. Ever. Not a single objection. You're probably too cheap.

You're drowning in customers. More demand than you can handle suggests your price isn't filtering effectively.

You feel resentful. The work doesn't feel fairly compensated. Listen to that.

How to Raise Prices

The mechanics of charging more:

Just do it. For new customers, raise the price. Watch what happens.

Grandfather existing customers. Or don't. But new pricing applies to new signups.

Test doubles, not increments. Don't go from $10 to $12. Go from $10 to $25. The feedback will be clearer.

Watch the data, not your fear. Your fear will say it's too much. The data will tell you the truth.

Pricing Is a Feature

Your price isn't just about revenue. It's a signal.

It communicates value. High prices suggest high value.

It sets expectations. What kind of product is this? What kind of customer should buy it?

It shapes customer behavior. Higher prices filter for serious users.

Price is part of the product.

The Permission to Charge More

You have permission to charge more.

Your work has value. Your time has value. The problem you solve has value.

Charging appropriately isn't greedy. It's necessary for building something sustainable.

Charge more.

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