Costing & Pricing Your Creative Work Confidently – Spring 2024
Are you charging enough for your creative products, commissions or craft training? Do you know how to calculate your cost price, daily rate or wholesale prices? Do you need to increase your prices but are you worried about losing clients?
Is your business profitable and making you enough money to cover your business costs and salary? Want to become more confident around money & pricing?
We created this practical but strategic and thought-provoking one-week online course for creatives like you!
We will take you step-by-step through the various stages to cost & price your creative products and services confidently.
Over 5 consecutive mornings (12 hours in total), from Monday 29 April – Friday 3 May, you will go into depth about how to calculate your cost price and hourly rate, how to price for wholesale, how to increase your prices and (finally!) charge what you are worth AND you will create a financial forecast to make your creative business viable and profitable. In the final session, we will focus on how to cost & price workshops and commissions and two participants will get a ‘hotseat’ coaching session and you can ask any costing and pricing questions you may have.
With the increase in costs and the Cost of Living crisis it’s even more important that you charge properly for your hard work!
Want to get confidential one-to-one advice about your costing & pricing challenges? Then choose the upgrade to get an expert session of 45mins with Patricia which will take place online after the course in May – July. We have only got 10 places for these 121 sessions.
Can’t make it live that week? Although we highly recommend that you try to join us live … all 5 sessions will be recorded and you will have access till 1 November to do the course at your own pace.
Money a little tight? You can pay in 3 monthly instalments. Pay 1/3 today, a 1/3 in 30 days, and the final 1/3 in 60 days.
Get your costing & pricing sorted this spring!Sign up to this powerful course below:
the key facts:
- 5 online live workshops in one week – Mon 29 April until Friday 3 May from 9.30am – 12noon (UK)
- Especially for creatives, incl. products, art, freelancers, illustrators, craft workshops, commissions
- Tutor: Patricia van den Akker, award-winning creative business adviser, trainer and coach
- Time commitment: There will be 2 x 1 hour homework to calculate your own cost price, retail price, and do your financial forecast.
- Do you want private advice on your costing & pricing? Make your business profitable? Upgrade to get private coaching from Patricia
- Can’t make it live? No problem! You will have access to the course recordings, presentation + course hub till 1 November 2024
‘The course made me realise that I am too expensive for retail. I always thought that it was prestigious to sell to galleries or shops, but I have realised that it is no good if that comes at a loss or just a break even’.
Yvette Green – Mosaic Artist
‘My pricing now includes all my costs, including a decent salary and my overheads. It turns my stomach to think of all the money left on the table. That is behind me now and I have moved forward and are committed to proper numbers now’.
Kim S. Joy – Glass Artist
THE COMPLETE COURSE FOR CREATIVES TO COST & PRICE YOUR WORK … CONFIDENTLY!
Back by popular demand! Our Costing & Pricing Your Creative Work Confidently workshop has been one of our most popular courses in the last 9 years.
Especially created for creatives, this live online course shows you EXACTLY how to do the calculations to cost your work and time, shows which common pricing mistakes to avoid, and gives you the skills and confidence (!) to actually increase your prices or design fees and make your business profitable.
This course is full of creative practical exercises and expert advice to help you charge the right prices and fees for your products, art, illustrations, design services, commissions, craft workshops and more.
Whatever stage you are at with your creative business, costing and pricing your work professionally and confidently is crucial for your success.
This Costing & Pricing for Creatives course is hosted by Patricia van den Akker, the Director of The Design Trust, an award-winning creative business adviser, trainer and coach who has worked with 1,000s of creatives for over 25 years. This is a live course that will run over 5 consecutive mornings from Monday 29 April – Friday 3 May from 9.30am – 12noon (UK).
In 5 sessions of 2.5 hours each, we will take you through the key steps for becoming more confident in charging confidently – from costing and pricing your work, to what to do if you are too expensive or too cheap, to how to charge what you are worth.
session 1: Do you charge enough? Costing your creative work – Mon 29 April 9.30am – 12noon (UK)
In this introductory workship we will focus on costing your products, services and time:
- Why is costing & pricing your creative work so difficult?
- How to calculate your cost price, wholesale price and retail price (with the easy 7 step calculation which shows you exactly which costs to include)
- How to calculate your daily/hourly rate (as a freelancer)
- Homework: Calculate your cost price or hourly rate
- Why charging an hourly rate might be a mistake for your creative business
- Why keeping time sheets is so important (with examples of time sheets)
BONUS: Get Excel templates to calculate your cost price, wholesale price, retail price and hourly rate
session 2: Pricing is an art form – tue 30 april 9.30am – 12noon (UK)
In this 2nd workshop we will focus on pricing:
- What’s the difference between costing & pricing?
- The 5 most common pricing mistakes creatives make
- 15 ways to price your creative products & services. Which ones are best for your creative business?
Homework: Decide on the right pricing strategies and start to price your creative products or services properly.
session 3: Pricing for wholesale + what to do if you are too expensive – Weds 1 may 9.30am – 12noon (UK)
In this 3rd workshop we will focus on costing and pricing for wholesale (e.g. for galleries and shops) and what to do if you are too expensive (which is often the case when you start selling wholesale)
- What are the 3 major challenges when you start selling wholesale?
- Why do shops and galleries charge so much commission?
- Homework: Create a visual price list (for trade)
- 16 different ways to increase your prices confidently and charge what you are worth! From strategic decisions to really practical ideas
Homework: Create a mini-action plan to increase your prices
session 4: make your creative business profitable – thu 2 may 9.30am – 12noon (UK)
This is such an important strategic session that will open your eyes to how to make your business viable and profitable!
- We will start with The big 3 Financial Questions Exercise to make your creative business viable!
- Homework: Set a financial goal for 2024 and create a financial forecast for 2024. Patricia will take you through this process step-by-step so you get clarity on what you need to do to create a financially sound business.
- What to do if your numbers don’t stack up? Practical and strategic solutions to make your creative business profitable.
- How to become more confident and charge what you are worth.
Homework: Create a mini-action plan with practical actions & strategic decisions to make your business profitable and you more confident!
session 5: pricing of commissions & workshops AND q&a – FRI 3 may 9.30AM – 12noon (uk)
In this final session, Patricia will explain how to cost and price (craft) workshops and commissions, and she will work with 2 – 3 students on their specific costing or pricing challenges. A great opportunity to get specific expert advice!
- How to create a quote & proposal for a creative service or commission
- How to budget, cost & price (online) workshops
- How to talk about money with your clients
- Costing & Pricing hotseats: Patricia will work with 2 – 3 students on their specific costing & pricing challenges.
Can’t make it live on 29 April – 3 May? No problem! All workshops, presentations and the course hub will be available to you till 1 November 2024.
want to get private expert advice on your costing & pricing challenges?
You can upgrade and book a 45min online coaching & advice session with Patricia to discuss any of your costing & pricing questions or challenges. She will give you honest and practical advice, looking at your goals and motivations, your specific products and services, and much more!
Your 121 session will need to take place by the end of July 2024.
meet your tutor
Patricia van den akker
director
Patricia has developed this practical Costing & Pricing your Creative Work Confidently course over the last 9 years.
She knows why costing and pricing your creative work can be so difficult … because it’s often a combination of things: You need to know what your costs are and how much time it takes to create, so there are maths and calculations involved. (She will give you those calculations in this course!)
But then there are ‘softer’ and more psychological elements like what is the perceived value for the client, how well known or unique are you, and what are your clients prepared to pay for your creative products and services? Plus … how confident are you to charge what you are worth?
In this step-by-step course, Patricia will tackle all these different elements around costing and pricing your creative products & services so that you know how to charge properly in the future. She will give you the knowledge to calculate your cost price and hourly rate, how to avoid common pricing mistakes, how to raise your prices and influence how your clients might see you and position you, and … she will give you a confidence booster too!
Patricia has been a creative business adviser, trainer and coach for over 25 years, and has worked with 1,000s of creatives. She loves talking about money and challenging creatives to get them to tackle their finances! To get them into action to charge the right amount, and to create a more profitable business.
Be prepared to do the practical homework exercises in between the sessions to make the most of this course.
Got any questions about this practical online course?
Click on the arrow in the circle to get your answers
Who is Costing & Pricing your Creative Work Confidently for?
This 5-half day live online course is designed specifically for creatives at any stage of their business who want to cost and price their creative products and services properly, and confidently!
Whatever your creative skills or products (from handmade jewellery to giftware), craft workshops, creative services and beyond, we will help you charge the right amount for your creative work.
You might be a recent graduate, a part-time maker or you might have been selling for many years … if you want to learn how to calculate your cost price or hourly rate, how to increase your prices, or why shops charge so much, or you want to create a more profitable business in 2024 this practical online course is for you.
This is an online course. What if I am not very tech-savvy?
The Design Trust is an online business school and Patricia has been teaching online for over a decade now, and has worked with 1,000s of creatives, so she knows how to create engaging online courses.
We make it as easy as possible for you to join the live 5 workshops, and to access the private online learning hub for this course which is available until 1 November 2024.
We will give you clear and simple instructions, and show you how to sign up for the live sessions and access the private course hub.
You can post your costing & pricing questions and your homework at any time in the private hub … up until 1 November 2024 to get a personal answer!
The 5 online workshops will take place on 5 consecutive mornings, between Monday 29 April – Friday 3 May. You will have to sign up in advance for each session individually if you want to join us live. You will get a reminder email and then two reminder emails if you can join us live.
During the live sessions you can ask questions via the chat or unmute. You just need to have access to a computer with reliable WIFI to join our online classes.
Can’t make it live? No problem at all! You will have access to the recordings until 1 November 2024, so you can do the course at your own pace.
Can I get extra support if I get stuck?
We have loads of different ways to help you succeed!
We recommend that you join us live so that you can ask questions immediately. Also do the homework exercises to help you, and you can post any additional questions on the private course hub at any time till 1 November 2024. We will give you individual written feedback till then!
During the final session on Friday 3 May we will have ‘hot seats’ where we will invite 2-3 participants to share their specific challenges around costing and pricing their creative work. Any participant can put themselves forward for these live online coaching.
We will finish the final session with a Q&A, when Patricia will answer as many questions as possible.
Need more? Want confidential & private advice? Then upgrade to book a 121 coaching session with Patricia after the course has finished.
Can I share this course with a friend or colleague?
Sorry, you can’t.
When you purchase this course it’s for you only. You will get a single use license.
If you work in a formal partnership then you can share it, but please do not share with others who have not paid for this course.
Like you, The Design Trust is a small creative business and this course is based on our 25 years+ experience. It’s full of our proprietary knowledge and copyrighted strategies. Please do not share it with others.
We can provide access to the Costing & Pricing Your Creative Work Confidently course as a group course or offer a bulk discount. Get in touch with us at [email protected] to find out more.
Can I get a refund if it’s not for me?
Yes! We want you to be completely happy with your purchase. That means that if you decide the course isn’t for you, you can claim a full, no-quibble refund any time BEFORE your first scheduled online workshop on Monday 29 April 2024. All you have to do is request your refund in writing to [email protected] before that date.
If you suspect you might change your mind about the course, please make a careful note of the date of your first workshop.
Once the course has started we are unable to give you a refund. This also includes your 121 coaching session, which needs to take place before the end of July 2024.
Remember that if you are unable to attend the live sessions then you can catch up with all the recordings on our private course hub till 1 November 2024.