Category: Life

How to know how much to charge?

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Hey guys!

How do I know how much to charge? I get this question all the time, ask myself this question all the time haha, and the truth is that the answer is fairly complicated. There are a number of different variables that go into calculating a final rate, package, fee, etc.

How to know how much to charge? Chelsea Coffey The Coffey Break

Here are some things to consider courtesy of , J.D. over at nolo.com:

Calculate Your Hourly Rate

Business schools teach a standard formula for determining an hourly rate: Add up your labor and overhead costs, add the profit you want to earn, then divide the total by your hours worked. This is the minimum you must charge to pay your expenses, pay yourself a salary, and earn a profit. Depending on market conditions, you may be able to charge more for your services — or you might have to get by on less.

Determine your annual salary. To determine how much your labor is worth, pick a figure for your annual salary. This can be what you earned for doing similar work when you were an employee, what other employees earn for similar work, or how much you’d like to earn (as long as your goal is reasonable).

Compute annual overheard. Next, compute your annual overhead. Overhead includes all of the costs you incur to do business — for example:

  • telephone expenses
  • office equipment and furniture
  • rent and utilities
  • stationery and supplies
  • postage and delivery costs
  • clerical help
  • business insurance
  • business-related meals and entertainment
  • travel expenses
  • professional association memberships
  • legal and accounting fees, and
  • advertising and marketing costs — for example, the cost of a yellow pages ad, website, or brochure.

Overhead also includes the cost of your fringe benefits, such as medical insurance… read the rest of his article here.

There’s a sweet spot for most things, and I’d like to think that time, prayer and dedication to ironing out processes are keys to finding it!

Enjoy the journey, and more importantly, don’t be afraid to go for whatever it is you envision for yourself!

How to Know How Much to Charge Chelsea Coffey The Coffey Break

I’ll leave you guys with a quote from Brene Brown that I shared on Instagram earlier this week:

Choose growth 🙏🏾❤️ // When we choose growth over perfection, we immediately increase our shame resilience. Improvement is a far more realistic goal than perfection. Merely letting go of unattainable goals makes us less susceptible to shame. When we believe “we must be this” we ignore who or what we actually are, our capacity and our limitations. We start from the image of perfection, and of course, from perfection there is nowhere to go but down. –#BreneBrown

Peace, Love & Sunshine -Chels

 

Instagram Algorithm Change

The Coffey Break Instagram Chelsea Coffey 3

Hey guys!

As some of you may know, Instagram is my favorite social media platform. So, any big announcements catch my attention. There’s a lot of commentary going on about the upcoming change to their algorithm. I tend to do a little research before jumping on a bandwagon, and I finally came across the information I was looking for from one of my favorite writers @ggrenewrties (seen above).

The beauty of social media is connection, and say what you want about the downsides, it has been the coolest thing to see this network of real life and virtual friends build their brands and/or simply share their journey.

I’ve spent the greater part of the last year redefining my own personal online presence for The Coffey Break, Mia’s Closet, and The Coffey Shop, and I totally understand the apprehension about the changes. Nonetheless, I think it’s important to understand the full scope of what this means for us and our brands.

The Coffey Break Instagram Chelsea Coffey 4
@thecoffeybreak
The Coffey Break Instagram Chelsea Coffey 1
@thecoffeybreak

Assuming I’m not the only one who feels this way, I did a little digging and found the following article:

Ignore the Uproar. The Instagram Algorithm Change Is a Good Thing.

Here’s an excerpt.

Chronological newsfeed was truly effective only in two instances: businesses posted to Instagram every half an hour or their followers had a very limited number of handles they followed. This cannot be a widespread trend, because according to Optical Cortex data based on 20,000+ Instagram users, average number of people they follow is 822. So, for a majority of brand’s following those images most likely weren’t the first thing they saw; and that chronological order didn’t really matter anyway.

Now what really made a difference, and still will continue to do so, is getting ahead of the game with smart strategies. What you have (to continue) to do as a smart marketer is to focus on quality content that drives engagement.

A lot of people who follow brands and celebrities will deliberately go to the handle to see what’s new. People follow Nike, Lexus or Kylie Jenner, because they know that each new post will be amazing (whatever their definition of amazing is). So, strive to make your Instagram account a mecca for striking visual content. This is the only way to ensure people won’t stop engaging with your content, whatever the algorithm is.

There are also a few other tactics you can employ to stay ahead of the curve…

You can read her entire article about the Instagram algorithm change by LESYA LIU here.

Sometimes the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Happy Monday guys!

Peace, Love & Sunshine, Chels

Let’s connect!

Twitter/Instagram @thecoffeybreak

How to create a WEALTH mindset + Daily Devotional 3.23.16

  
Good morning guys,

I saw this online a while back and made a mental note to share it at some point. 

How to Create a WEALTH Mindset: 
W-Write down what you want

E- Envision your future

A- Affirm your desires (*We have to believe we’re worthy of them!)

L- Listen to your inner voice

T- Take action and transform 

H- Hold the vision

I was a grad student on a budget for so long that I’m just now realizing it’s time to hit the reset button on how I look at money. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve never been motivated enough by money –it doesn’t equal happiness, but there’s no denying the benefits of being in position to be a blessing to the ones you love and live the life you’ve dreamed of. 

Update: *And then, God blows me away with a confirmation. There’s no better feeling than a sign that I’m exactly in tune with whatever it is He’s calling me to. Check out today’s Bethany daily devotional:

Daily Devotional for March 23, 2016
But you brought us to a place of great abundance.
—Psalm 66:12
Three powerful verses in Proverbs 11 remind us of the ageless principles of giving. First, you cannot outgive God. Proverbs 11:24 says, “It is possible to give freely and become more wealthy, but those who are stingy will lose everything.” Giving is the secret to abundance and increase. 
Second, if you purpose in life to “refresh others” (Proverbs 11:25) and not just be concerned for yourself, God will be sure to supply your own needs as well. You must make it your goal in life to bring joy and happiness to others through generously giving to them. You will be personally refreshed from watching their joy, and God will make certain that someone comes along occasionally to refresh you! 
Finally, if you hoard what you have been given instead of sharing it, you will be cursed instead of blessed (Proverbs 11:26). Because giving is so much a part of God’s nature, your gift brings you into His heavenly economy. Even though you may have a need, invest in others, and you will gain, prosper, and be crowned with blessing!
Daily Readings: 

Num 36:1-13-Deu 1:1-46

Luke 5:29-6:11

Psalm 66:1-20

Proverbs 11:24-26
*😩 And I wish I could drop everything to be back in Newport Beach, California haha 

Pray for clarity, claim favor over your life, and trust the process. All things are working together for the good. Xoxo -Chels 🙏🏾❤️

#2016

#latenightsearlymornings

#wanderlust 

#PathMinded #TheCoffeyBreak

REST: Daily Devotional 3.22.16

Chelsea Coffey Daily Devotional Streams in the Des

Fret not/Fear not/Faint not: Brenda Coffey always seems to know what to send and when. (The irony 😏)

 

My current checklist:
-Rest in the peace of knowing He’s always right on time.
-Take a dive with Him at the helm day by day.
-Remind myself of the vision daily to filter opportunities from distractions.
-Set clear cut metrics for success. *My motivation style is accomplishment.


In my experience, and to my dismay at times haha, God has always rerouted me whenever I’ve gotten off course. Trust the path, and put in work. Hope this is encouraging for someone. I know I needed it. Happy Tuesday guys! 🙏🏾❤️🌞 ~Chels

Let’s connect! 

Instagram / Twitter @thecoffeybreak
#PathMinded #TheCoffeyBreak

Coffey Break Chat: The 5 Simple Rules to Showing Love

CBC 5 Simple rules to showing love

Hey guys!

This week’s Coffey Break Chat touches on a topic that has come up a million and one times over the last 4-5 years, online engagement. The original title for the post was 5 simple ways to show love without coming off like a fan… groupie, etc.

And this is something that I attribute especially to the digital space. There are conversations I have in person or via text that I express differently online, and what I’ve come to realize is that every time I do that, I’m essentially watering down the beauty of a sincere moment by overthinking my response.

One day, I rolled my eyes after spending more time than I’d like to admit overthinking the right response, and I was just over it. I said to myself that from there on out, I’d choose to respond, comment, post and show love as authentically as possible. It’s a good thing haha

I pulled the following quote from Show Your Work and serves as the inspiration behind this post:

“If you want fans, you have to be a fan first.  If you want to be accepted by a community, you have to first be a good citizen of that community.  If you’re only pointing to your own stuff online, you’re doing it wrong.  You have to be a connector.  The writer Blake Butler calls this being an open node.  If you want to get, you have to give.  If you want to be noticed, you have to notice.  Shut up and listen once in a while.  Be thoughtful.  Be considerate.  Don’t turn into human spam. Be an open node.”

Encouragement is all about empowering whoever those kind words are intended for. Enough with the cool antics. I’m too old for that. Life can be tough, and the world could use a lot more a lot more cheerleaders.

Nonetheless, there’s a sweet spot for just about everything.

Check out my video blog below on 5 Simple Rules to Showing Love:

 

  1.  Be sincere
  2. Have or get your chit together
  3. Be intentional about keeping an eye out for opportunities that benefit more than just you
  4. Establish boundaries
  5. Stop worrying about what other people might think

Have a great weekend guys!

Peace, Love & Sunshine ~Chelsea