[Transcript starts at 0:40]
Hello, hello, hello my podcast people and thank you for joining me for yet another episode of my
favorite online business podcast. If you're listening, if you are tuning in, if you are, wow, if you are
watching with your eyes on the day that it drops, it is Monday, April 27th. Welcome to the back
half, very back half, the end of April.
Things continue to fly by. Today we're gonna riff a bit about pricing, about pricing and prices. But
before we get into that, no real life updates.
I did buy a machine from Timu and by machine I mean a hip ab and adduction machine from
Timu. Haven't dyed yet, put it together, was actually really happy with it so far. There's one piece
on it that I'm like, but it's not, the thing is it's not a Timu brand, so I did a bunch of research, you
folks already know me.
I did a bunch of research on the Reddit, on the Reddit, on the Reddit, the subreddit about home
gyms and a lot of the gym owners, home gym owners were like, yeah, I buy things off of Timu
because it's the actual name brand item, it's just sold through Timu. And so this was, this is a
company called HBO and this is their hip ab and adduction machine and so I got it. I'm not a big
person, if you ever met me in person, I'm 125 pounds on my best day, so I don't need like the big
machines and so I was like, this will do.
And it does, it does do, it is definitely not a, you know, gym quality, I don't know what the word is,
industrial strength, industrial quality. I can't think of the word right now, but I wouldn't put it in a big
gym, but for home use, somewhere my size, Lexus size, works fine. But that's really the only life
update.
But I do have a quick market research question. So I have been thinking about running a small
session, small workshop for folks that are interested in learning how to vibe code. I've mentioned
this on my other podcast, Prompting Curiosity, if you've listened to that, thank you, but I want to
throw it out here.
I have been doing a lot, I continue to do a lot with vibe coding and I love it. I think that it is what
we can do, it's one of these, probably the technological advancement of our lifetime. All of the
shitty leadership aside, right? I've talked about this on my other podcast and I think about this
every day, this idea of like, yeah, fuck these leaders and the people that are running the
company, but like not using it and not leaning into this seems like it only hurts us and doesn't
actually do anything to them.
It is, there is time to be gained from this, right? There are things that you can avoid paying, I'm
going to go into that. You can make things that are exactly what you want and you're not going to
have to die from this big company. So I've been doing a lot with it and I think that there's folks, not
I think, I know there's folks that aren't really diving into vibe coding because they're like, I just
want something to hold my hand, like I'm not really sure and I want to show you that it's easier
than you think.
Yeah, it takes some tech tenacity, but all to say, if you are someone who's like, hey, I want to get
into vibe coding, I want to take my cloud usage to the next level, I am thinking about running a
small group training on this. It'd be a few hours long, probably like three hours long. Pricing, I'm
thinking about like $150 and again, for those who want to get into vibe coding and using cloud
and they want someone to hold their hand and show them the ropes and introduce them to this,
the focus would be on building your own personal web apps and understanding that, making your
own personal dashboard, some workflow automations and just getting the start with that and then
you go on and learn on your own.
But if you're interested in that, something like that sounds interesting to you, shoot me a DM, the
movement maestro and if I have enough interest, I will run it. So let's jump in and talk about
prices, specifically the question that I posed in today's episode title, the title for today's episode,
which is, would you pay your own prices? So circling back to the AI conversation real quick, the
ability to build and make things myself for exactly what I need has made me aware of what I'm
willing to pay for in general when it comes to tech and how much I'm willing to pay. Also just like
that everything's going up, prices for everything are going up.
I'm very cognizant of like, do I want to pay this? But especially with tech because I'm able to build
things myself. So this past weekend, I vibe coded a personal web app that allows me to edit
fillable PDFs inside of Google drive. I actually made the fillable PDF using cloud as well as I did a
few months ago.
But I want to be able to be able to edit them and save them directly inside of drive and not have
to like do it over here and use like Adobe or some shit. Like I just want to be inside of drive and
that doesn't exist. Not for free and not as like an extension.
It's something that I use every single week, multiple days out of the week. Very helpful for my
website messaging audits. So before I was using a service called DocHub and that costs $16 a
month.
The free tier gives you access to three documents and then you have to pay. And it's a fine web
app, but it has all this stuff that I don't need. Like I literally just need to be, I don't need people to
sign it or anything like that.
I just need to be able to fill it out and then flatten it and then send it out. So I vibe coded it. I vibe
coded exactly what I need and it is free.
Yes, it is absolutely free. I deploy it via a platform called Vercel, which is free for the tier that I
use, but I would also be willing to pay for Vercel. The question there is how much would I be
willing to pay? $5, $10, $15, but I use it a ton.
It's super valuable. It's worth it. Same thing for just AI in general.
Like right now I pay $20 a month for Claude, but yes, I would be willing to pay more if the price, if
they raise the price on it because it's super valuable to me. But all of this has made me very
aware of the number that I'm willing to, you know, I put a number on things very easily and we all
have that, right? We have that ability to put a number on things and that makes sense to me,
right? And the number is going to be different because we all value different things. So how does
that play into your own pricing? Just full transparency, this episode, as I was sitting and thinking
about it and sitting and writing it down and outlining it, it is more musings than anything.
I try to, you know, bring these episodes in and they have kind of lessons and like points and
action items, but sometimes it's just like, I got to get this out of my head. I want to share it. My
guess is that if I'm thinking about it, you're thinking about in some way, shape or form.
And there's also value in just, you know, having these communal quote unquote conversations.
I'm going to call the conversations. It's very much one sided because I'm just talking to you, but I
would love it if you messaged me back and we could have a conversation.
So, you know, with all the horrendousness that continues to go on, fuck Trump now, always and
forever, you can't help but take a moment and ask, how did we get here? How are we still here?
What are the biggest contributors to all the bullshit that just keeps coming and coming and
coming? And like I said, in so many episodes, corporate capitalism will kill all of us. And it is at
the heart of so much of the worst that we are experiencing today. And what we continue to
experience.
And yes, AI included, like we see corporate capitalism having its tendrils and people are just
making these data centers bigger for no fucking reason. So I look at these things and then I ask
myself, how am I contributing to things? How am I perpetuating the bullshit? And so today I want
to speak about that specifically as it relates to pricing. My guess is that you listening to this, you
watching this, you are likely not perpetuating the bullshit at all with your pricing, right? You folks
watching this, you folks listening, you're great people.
I already know. I know that my audience is the best because the ones that aren't, they leave a
fucking review and they're like, this is bad. And I'm like, get the fuck out of here.
It's always a white man, always fucking know. All right. Always.
So my guess is that you're not perpetuating the bullshit with your pricing, but, and you're likely not
perpetuating the bullshit, you know, at least as it relates to your business. But like I said, this
episode is more musings than lessons and I just want to get it out there. So I saw a quote and
sometimes I just put things out there kind of like in general retaliation or like in response to what
the online business environment ecosystem is and what I know is out there and like what gets
said.
And sometimes I'm like, all right, I'm just gonna throw my hat in the ring. And here's my take on it.
That's sometimes the opposite of what is like just being, you know, shouted from the rooftop.
So I saw a quote on threads the other day from Joey T. Itmouse or maybe Joey Titmouse. I don't
know where the words break up. But the quote was bars and it says growth for growth's sake is
the ideology of the cancer cell.
That's fucking bars. When we have growth for growth's sake is the ideology of the cancer cell. It
makes you think that is the approach that corporate capitalism so readily takes on growth for the
sake of growth.
Let's increase the shareholder value year after year after year after year. Who are we fucking
over? The consumer and our workers. But market share and shareholder value is up.
So again, don't forget there is a difference between commerce and capitalism. And when it
comes to setting your prices, I would love and you know, this is kind of where my head was at
with this episode. And we're thinking about commerce and setting our prices and part of the
thinking that goes into that can be would I pay that? And I think inherently many of us and most of
us do that.
And on the surface it does seem like a valid question. I think there is validity to it. Would I pay
this? The amount that I'm charging, would I pay it? But there's the flip side of that as well that, you
know, having knowledge about something will sway how much you value that thing, right? If you
can do it yourself, perhaps maybe you don't value it as much.
You value it in one way, but you're not willing to spend it because you're like, okay, I'll do it
myself. You can solve the problem yourself. On the other hand, if you can do it yourself and you
realize how much effort goes into it, then perhaps you value it more, right? Which is why I always
encourage people to start their own podcast and do the editing for it.
And if they're going to have an online business, I want them to like do the things themselves and
build the sales pages and build out the, you know, website and the first site and the first things
and understand email. Because when they go to outsource it, then they're like, oh, this is like
difficult. This is a lift.
And they're willing to pay whatever someone is charging. I definitely think that for things that we
like doing and things that come easily to us, that's where the difficulty lies in asking ourselves,
would I pay X for this service? Because it becomes a kind of a tainted question. We're thinking to
ourselves, it's definitely helpful, but it's easy.
It's fun. And like, you know, it's just how my brain works. It comes naturally.
So no, I wouldn't pay that. But what I want to throw out there when we're thinking about pricing, I
think it's a valid question to ask, but I think that a question that, or something that James Olivia
Chuhillman said during a Maestro Mafia dinner, which has really stuck with me and I want to
share it here, which is, what do you need? We have spoken about many times, one of my favorite
quotes from my good homie, Jesse Ryard, and that quote is, the opposite of scarcity isn't
abundance, it's enough. Right.
So I think we can tie these two things together and ask, how much do you need in order for it to
be enough? And I realized those fucking greedy motherfucking CEOs, it's never enough. They
need more because they have literally a mental illness and they are hoarders, right? And they're
hoarding money and it's never enough. But it is a good question, in my opinion, to sit with and
like, what is enough? How much do I need for it to be enough? And yes, the answer is going to
be hugely subjective, but at least the question is being asked at all.
We're not approaching our pricing and our business as endless growth for the sake of endless
growth, right? And so as I was sitting here and outlining this episode, like I said earlier, it's my
guess that you folks watching this and listening to this are like the best people and maybe you
undercharge for things, which is why I'm like, yes, this question can be tainted and we undervalue
our services. And so like, probably may be helpful for you to charge more because then you need
people to ask the question, how much do I need? How much, what do I need in order to survive,
right? And for this to be enough. And so that's why, as I'm writing this episode and I'm outlining it,
I'm grappling with like, hey, charging more for the sake of charging more ain't it.
But there's a good chance that you listening to this may need to charge more because what
you're charging right now ain't it. And so, like I said in the beginning, this episode largely more
musing than it is lessons or specific action items, but what prompted largely what prompted this
episode was paying for volleyball lessons. So Kim was in town.
She's a professional volleyball player that stays with us sometimes and she ran a lesson for us
and it was like $35 a person. And there was like six of us, which is super cheap, right? Our coach
that I use here, Steven, my guy, he's usually like $40 a lesson, $50 a lesson. So for class, it's $40
a lesson, $40 a class.
And there's eight to 12 of us in class, right? And it's six weeks long, you know, but he lives here.
Kim lives in Florida. There's a difference, right? And on top of that, many folks in the volleyball
world don't make much money and that's a known thing.
And so Kim was kind of like, I don't know, she wasn't shocked at his prices, but she was kind of
like, you know, made a face about it. And I was just like, I think people should charge more here.
Like if everyone in the volleyball community is like couch surfing and like, can't really like make a
living, then maybe like the price needs to go up.
Would I like to pay less? Like, sure, that's fine. But only if I knew that it was covering what my
coach needed in order to, what he needed, right? And I get it. Things get murky and interesting
when we move them online, right? And when there's also like no physical product tied into like
anchor things.
But, you know, from the online perspective, I live in California, but I'm delivering a service to
someone who lives in a lower cost of, in a lower income place, a lower cost of living place. I'm not
trying to be anyone's CPA, but I think about these things. And it's great for the person going the
other way that they live in a low cost of living area, but they work online and they charge in
California prices, right? So, you know, on top of that, y'all already know how I feel about
outsourcing digital work to the Philippines and then paying Philippine prices.
And, you know, it feels very whack to me. And I know that a lot of judgment comes with that on
my end of, I'm just like assuming what their quality of life is. And like, it definitely makes me feel
some kind of way, right? Because it's also well known that, you know, global capitalism is
propped up by exploitative labor practices in the global South.
So I was kind of like, eh, but I know ramblings, but a lot more musings today than like action
items. But, you know, bringing it back to my point of, you know, for this episode and responding
to the online business market and online business world in general, it just feels to me like you
cannot be charging high prices and then not willing to pay them for other services that we value,
right? I charge high prices for my stuff and then I cannot in the same breath be like, but I don't
want to pay Steven what he's charging. Like, it's less than what I charge, right? $40 per lesson is
less than what I charge.
Although I do do workshops, right? And I'll put it around there. So it's fine. I also charge more
than that, right? An hour session with me, one-on-one, $4.97. How can I complain if his rate for
that is $120, right? Like, again, I know it's more musings and lessons than action items, but for
me, this is all rooted in that energetic approach to things, right? Put out the energy that you want
to receive.
Price based on what you need, but also be willing to pay based on what others need, right? And
this is definitely the benefit of shopping small, which is I don't mind paying him, right? He's one
person. It's not, it's like corporation that's just like, I need more, I need more, I need more, right?
And, you know, you shop small and hopefully that they're not just trying to maximize profits
endlessly and they're not giving a shit about their employees and the customer. And I feel that
way with Steven.
Like he is, he definitely cares about me. He will be my coach forever. That man cares about me.
That man loves me. He has told me. And I'm like, yeah, I will pay your prices.
I do continue to struggle with sliding scale pricing. And I think that's largely a product of the
demographic who directly interacts with my stuff because it's like, yes, I'm like, people have
money. Like people are very resourced that like, that directly interact.
And I can't represent everyone, right? But this is to me, the case to be made for having
scholarships and also building out the product suites such that there is something there for
everyone and they will all get, you know, a quality service. But a big takeaway which is, you
know, perhaps this is more niche content because I don't know your financial situation. I don't.
But I'm not a fan of looking to maximize what you're charging while looking to minimize what
you're paying others. And I am saying this as a business owner who has an offer that's $12,000,
you know, for the year. I just, I'm overall, I'm looking with this episode, looking to reiterate the
importance of being generous in all aspects as often as we can and being cognizant of this social
economy, right? You know, the big problem is up.
It is the never-ending price increases. It's housing costing literally $2 million. Like there's a house
that's being built right next to me that they cost $2 million.
I rent, I don't pay $2 million, right? It is the rich getting richer and everyone else having to
constantly raise their prices in order to stay afloat because their need keeps going up, right? So
yes, on the one hand, resist. Don't buy shit that you don't need. Shop small.
Repair things. Get things secondhand. Absolutely.
When it comes to your business, root your prices in what you need and what your enough is,
right? And on the other hand, as you continue to engage in commerce, don't be a dick. Don't
raise your prices and then complain that everyone else has done the same. We can't charge
premium prices and then not be willing to pay that to others, namely to other individuals, right? So
I'm going to leave you another quote from threads since I kind of opened it up, sort of opened it
up with the cancer quote from threads, which is, this is from a user named girlchild, G-U-R-L,
child.
It's weird how Cardi purposely made her haircare line affordable for everyone and people are
saying she should raise her prices to make it more exclusive. Some of y'all prove every day that
you don't want equality or equity. You just want to be included in exclusion.
More bars. All right, I'm going to put it up there. Like I said, more musings than lessons today, but
I am always grateful for all of you listening to my yapping.
So don't forget if you're interested in that vibe coding small group workshop, shoot me a DM, let
me know. But more than that, I know there's a lot of musings, a lot of rambling today, and I'm
grateful, always, always grateful that you give me the space for that. So my usual wrap-up as
always, endlessly, endlessly, and I mean it one more time, endlessly appreciative for every single
one of you.
Until next time, friends. Maestro, out.
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