Episode•August 27, 2021•30 min

Becoming A Successful Entrepreneur with Pauline Malubay | Ep. 67

About Our Guest Pauline Malubay went from grappling with imposter syndrome and anxiety in the corporate world to becoming the CEO of her business growth agency. Her passion lies in empowering visionaries with strategy, coaching, and implementation support so they can be unstoppable. Combining her experience in Fortune 500 companies, she now help others own their time, wealth, and joy in life. With her extensive background in big tech and finance corporations (Google, Aberdeen Standard Investments), and working with tech start-ups, she is the business growth strategist that was in the belly of the beast. She uses her expertise from time in corporations and startups to set businesses on a path to prosperity, and help women be successful CEOs without sacrificing their happiness. Connect with Laura Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ceopaulinemalubay/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/iamprofitable Email: [email protected] Connect with Tiffany 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
Pricing is deeply personal and tied to self-worth rather than external certifications or experience alone
Struggle with pricing often stems from imposter syndrome, comparisonitis, and childhood limiting beliefs
Perfectionism and patriarchal socialization cause many women to undervalue their services despite delivering results
Men also struggle with pricing, as evidenced by Tiffany's husband undercharging for video production work
2
Price the value you deliver to clients, not your personal worth, and iterate upward as confidence grows
Start with market research but avoid over-researching competitors which breeds fear and paralysis
Plan price increases as milestones—Pauline helps clients raise prices within 3 months of working together
Higher pricing naturally filters for ideal clients who value your work and reduces burnout from over-delivery
3
Not everyone is your client—learn to say no to protect your energy and make space for dream clients
Tiffany limits free speaking engagements to one per quarter after realizing free work led to burnout
Pauline had to fire a client after one week due to burnout, which immediately made space for a dream client
Saying no doesn't burn bridges—you can end relationships professionally while maintaining reputation
4
Teach clients how to treat you by asserting boundaries and refusing to twist pricing per client
Tiffany's career coach helped her start charging by simply stating her rates to a long-time free client
Framing entrepreneurship as 'your job' helps clients understand why free work isn't sustainable
Avoid creating different pricing tiers for different clients based on their budget objections
5
If you're struggling with pricing blocks, hire someone to help you work through the mental barrier
Tiffany hired a career coach/PR person who helped her transition from free to paid speaking
External perspective provides accountability and prevents self-sabotage like breaking down payments unnecessarily
Once you charge what you're worth, the mental block often disappears and future negotiations become easier

Intro

Tiffany Grant discusses the universal struggle of pricing services with Pauline Malubay, a former Fortune 500 professional who overcame imposter syndrome to become a business growth strategist and CEO of her own agency.
Pauline Malubay transitioned from corporate roles at Google and Aberdeen Standard Investments to founding her business growth agency. She helps visionaries—particularly women—own their time, wealth, and joy through strategy, coaching, and implementation support.

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– Why Pricing Is So Difficult for Entrepreneurs

Tiffany opens the conversation about the universal struggle with pricing, sharing her own journey from $20/hour to gradually increasing rates as demand grew.

Pricing is so personal... it's a lot to do with how you feel about yourself and your self-worth.
– Pauline Malubay

Pauline emphasizes she doesn't price-shame because of demographic differences and lifestyle variations across the world.

– Imposter Syndrome and the Certification Trap

Tiffany shares her background in HR (not finance) and how lack of certifications held her back from charging appropriately despite delivering results.

I can't charge that much. I've only been doing this for X, Y, Z years... I haven't even got this XYZ certification. But they still get those results with clients.
– Pauline Malubay

Pauline points out that perfectionism and patriarchal socialization cause entrepreneurs to measure themselves against unreachable ideals.

– Comparisonitis and Competitor Research Paralysis

Pauline warns against excessive competitor research that leads to fear and inaction, especially for experienced professionals entering online spaces.

Don't do any competitor research because I know what you're going to do. You're going to get in your head about it and you're going to get scared.
– Pauline Malubay

She advises that pricing is iterative—the more confidence you gain, the higher you raise prices over time.

– Elevating to Supreme Clientele

Tiffany discusses losing her original $50/month clients after raising prices, but gaining clients who see the value and don't complain about cost.

We want supreme clientele... the people that's not going to complain about how much we charge, that actually see the value.
– Tiffany Grant

You become the Apple of whatever your service or product is.
– Pauline Malubay

– The Danger of Twisting Prices and Violating Your Own Boundaries

Pauline warns against becoming the entrepreneur who asserts boundaries then immediately violates them, which damages reputation and self-trust.

You basically teach your prospect clients and your clients how you want to be treated.
– Pauline Malubay

She emphasizes developing habits of keeping your word even during feast-or-famine stages.

– Practical Steps to Improve Pricing Confidence

Recognize what you're good at and build your business around that
Build positive relationships from the first sales call
Learn to be assertive (not aggressive) in expecting genuine exchange
Start saying no—dream clients can't arrive if you're burnt out
Raise prices 1-2 times per year as a deliberate CEO milestone
Join masterminds for accountability on price increases

Saying no, that's not mean that you have to upset the relationship. You can end on good terms.
– Pauline Malubay

– How Tiffany Finally Started Charging

Tiffany shares how hiring her career coach as a PR intermediary finally got a long-time free client to pay her rates.

So all this time, all I had to do was ask.
– Tiffany Grant

She now limits free speaking to one engagement per quarter after realizing unlimited free work led to burnout without revenue.

– Teaching Clients That Entrepreneurship Is Your Job

Tiffany reframed the conversation with a reluctant client by asking if they'd work their corporate job for free—helping them understand entrepreneurship is her livelihood.

British people, we don't like to talk about money. It's a very taboo subject, which I don't understand. It runs the world.
– Pauline Malubay

Pauline shares sending her first five-figure proposal and feeling physically ill, only to have it accepted within an hour.

– Hire Help for Pricing Blocks and Avoid Self-Sabotage

Both hosts emphasize: if you're struggling internally with pricing, hire someone to help you break through the mental block.

Tiffany helped her husband price a major out-of-state video project; despite his hesitation, the client accepted the full amount upfront without negotiation.

Don't try to then backtrack and break it down into payments... unless it's needed.
– Tiffany Grant

Topics

pricing strategyimposter syndromeself-worthentrepreneurshipbusiness coachingboundary settingclient acquisitionwomen in businessvalue-based pricingovercoming fear