What Should I Charge? How to Price Your Product or Service the Right Way
Pricing is one of those things that almost every business owner wrestles with at some point. In this episode, I’m walking through how to actually decide what to charge instead of guessing, copying a competitor, or picking a number that just “feels right.” I’ve done that before, and spoiler alert: it is not a strategy.
I’m breaking down the three main pricing approaches: cost-plus pricing, value-based pricing, and competitive pricing. Cost-plus helps you understand your floor, value-based pricing helps you think about what your product or service is really worth to the customer, and competitive pricing gives you market context without letting someone else’s numbers run your business.
I also share a real Salt + Charm example with our Sriracha Bacon Deviled Eggs, because once you start looking at food cost, labor, overhead, and margin, it becomes very clear why pricing can’t just be based on vibes. A price can sound perfectly fine until you realize how much of it is already spoken for before you’ve made a dime of actual profit.
This episode is really about getting honest with your numbers so your pricing supports a business that is sustainable and profitable, not just busy. And for my service-based business owners: stop undercharging. I know it feels safer, but being underpriced usually leads to being overworked, underpaid, and burned out.
If you listened to Episode 27 on reading your P&L and balance sheet, this one is the natural next step. Pricing and financials go hand in hand, and understanding both is what helps you make better decisions instead of running your business on instinct alone.
Business From Scratch with Abbye McGee is for people who are building a business while rebuilding their life. Abbye, a single mom and three-time founder, shares clear and honest talk about the real work behind mindset, money, identity, and daily life when you start from zero. The show gives you steady guidance, simple steps you can use right away, and real conversations with founders, creatives, and friends who built their own way. Each week helps you focus, test ideas, and keep moving even when the process feels messy.
