Episode•September 12, 2019•20 min

Assigning Value to Yourself with Amelia Roberts | Ep. 9

I've always struggled with how to price my services as an entrepreneur. Our guest, Amelia Roberts, breaks down how she helps people discover their value. We discussed being in the market as African-American females and making sure you create circles of influence to reach your goals. Also, we talk about how to use research to your advantage when asking for a raise or a promotion. About Our Guest Amelia Roberts is a digital native who officially became a practitioner of online marketing twelve years ago with a role as a virtual assistant. One thing lead to another and now alongside other hats, she works as a visibility expert and digital marketing consultant. In this role, Amelia helps under-recognized professionals become thought leaders by skipping the maddening Facebook Ads, sales funnels, and algorithm changes and go straight for online collaborative partners such as podcast hosts, bloggers, and who already have the “know, like, and trust” of thousands of supporters Follow her on Twitter: @rn_solutions Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rn_solutions/ Like her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ameliarnsolutions Links Visit our blog: www.moneytalkwitht.com Black Enterprise Article: https://www.blackenterprise.com/state-of-black-women-owned-businesses/ For people who want to know how Amelia paid off 18k of student loans as a nurse: https://thebusinessofnursing.com/earn-more-now Connect on Social Media Facebook: Money Talk With Tiff Twitter: @moneytalkwitht Instagram: @moneytalkwitht LinkedIn: Tiffany Grant YouTube: Money Talk With Tiff Channel Pinterest: Money Talk With Tiff This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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Key Takeaways

1
Know your value before you ask for it
Amelia explains that if you don't feel you have value, you'll ask for less and get less
Imposter syndrome is real and more pronounced for women of color due to societal messages
Black women-owned businesses average $24K annual revenue vs. $100K+ for all women business owners
2
Research the market to build confidence in your pricing
Tiffany used salary research to discover she was underpaid and successfully negotiated a raise
Amelia researched virtual assistant rates and found the range from $7/hr to $100/hr for the same tasks
Knowing market rates gives you concrete numbers to present when asking for raises or higher fees
3
Build your confidence through smaller asks before going for bigger ones
Amelia started with $97 asks, then moved to $297, $300, $500 before asking for $1,000
Nothing happens overnight - practice asking for what you're worth with confidence
The worst they can say is no, and if they do, you just move on
4
Surround yourself with people who are already where you want to be
Tiffany's career coach introduced the "circle of five" concept - the five people closest to you shape your expectations
If you want to make six figures, surround yourself with people already earning that amount
This can be done virtually through podcasts, YouTube channels, and online communities
5
Use collaborative partnerships instead of paid ads to reach your audience
Amelia helps professionals become thought leaders by partnering with podcast hosts and bloggers who already have established audiences
This approach skips Facebook ads, sales funnels, and algorithm changes
She helped a client get in front of hundreds and thousands of potential buyers through strategic outreach

Intro

Tiffany Grant discusses the challenges of pricing services as an entrepreneur and how to recognize and claim your value in the marketplace, particularly as African-American women in business.
Amelia Roberts is a visibility expert and digital marketing consultant who helps under-recognized professionals become thought leaders through strategic collaborative partnerships rather than paid advertising. She started as a virtual assistant 12 years ago and now works as an online marketing practitioner.

Twitter Instagram Facebook Website The Business of Nursing

– Recognizing Your Value in the Marketplace

Amelia shares how she came to realize her own value after working in a regulated industry where she was under-recognized. She noticed a huge gap in what virtual assistants were charging - from $7/hour to $75-$100/hour for the same tasks.

If you don't feel as though you have any value to offer, if you feel as though you're worth about $20 an hour, that's what you'll ask for and that's what you'll get.
– Amelia Roberts

Tiffany shares her own experience of underpricing her coaching services when she first started and gradually increasing her rates over time.

– The Impact of Imposter Syndrome on Women of Color

Amelia explains that imposter syndrome affects women of color differently due to additional societal messages about their value compared to men and women of the majority.

She references a Black Enterprise article showing Black women-owned businesses average $24K annual revenue versus over $100K for all women business owners.

Black Enterprise Article on State of Black Women-Owned Businesses

– Finding Role Models and Building Courage

Both hosts discuss the lack of financial and career role models in their families and how they sought examples elsewhere through podcasts, YouTube channels, and Facebook Lives.

Many of us may not have those sort of career role models handy. And so there's definitely a need for us to seek out examples from other people that might be outside of our family.
– Amelia Roberts

Tiffany shares how she finally got the courage to ask for a raise by doing market research on her job title and salary range in her area.

– The Power of Research in Negotiations

Tiffany explains her approach to coaching others on asking for raises: do thorough research on market rates for your job title in your location before the conversation.

When you start hitting them with stats and numbers, there's not much they can say after that.
– Tiffany Grant

Amelia shares how seeing virtual assistants making $100K+ opened her eyes to new possibilities and helped her understand what the market would bear.

– The Circle of Five Concept

Tiffany introduces the "circle of five" concept from her career coach - the five people closest to you shape who you become and what you expect for yourself.

If you want to make six figures, everybody that you're surrounding yourself with is nowhere near that. So you need to change your circle, start interacting with people that are already there.
– Tiffany Grant

Amelia emphasizes that these role models don't have to be in your physical location - podcasts and online communities make it possible to learn from people worldwide.

– Landing a $1,000 Client in One Day

Amelia shares the story of landing her first $1,000 client for done-for-you outreach services, helping a client get on podcasts and blogs to reach their ideal buyers.

That same day I had a thousand dollars in my bank account. That was an amazing moment. It was the first time that happened for me and it really opened my eyes to what's possible.
– Amelia Roberts

She notes that she later discovered similar services charging $4,000/month, showing she had underpriced her services initially.

– Building Up to Bigger Asks

Amelia explains that her $1,000 ask was built on smaller previous asks: $97, then $297, then $300, then $500, building confidence each time.

What builds up to these asks are smaller asks. Nothing happens overnight. But you do have to get in the practice of knowing what you're worth and then asking.
– Amelia Roberts

She emphasizes inviting people to recognize your value with confidence rather than just asking for money.

Resources

Topics

pricing strategyimposter syndromewomen in businesssalary negotiationentrepreneurshippersonal brandingnetworkingvisibilityBlack women entrepreneursself-worth