How to know how much to charge?

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.

Here are some things to consider courtesy of Stephen Fishman, 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!

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

Coffey Break Chat: Why Hire An Image Consultant?

Hey guys!

I’m noticing a pattern, so I take it as a sign to write and vlog about it. More and more often, I’m having conversations with friends, potential clients, and everyone in between about my personal style, and more often than not, if hiring an image consultant is a good investment.

The quick answer is simple. Curating your personal style doesn’t have to be a burden, and more importantly, we all have a few areas where we could use a helping hand from time to time.

Whether you’re looking to do a wardrobe overhaul, receive inspiration, or a few tweaks to your closet here and there; I’ve got you covered.

Still need a little more convincing? I sat down to walk you guys through 5 totally legit reasons to consider hiring (me) an image consultant:

5 Reasons To Hire An Image Consultant:

Our physical appearance is our most immediate, nonverbal, form of communication
Your vibe attracts your tribe –Feeling self-conscious about what you have on on creates self-doubt and that chit is contagious. The last thing you want to do is channel a vibe inconsistent with the connection or impression you want to make.
One less distraction! There are a million and one different things going through our minds in an interview, first date, networking event, meeting mom, and so on. Why wonder about if you’re wearing the appropriate attire if you don’t have to? Stop leaving it up to chance, and get your wardrobe in order, so you can be present in whatever situation you’re in.
We don’t have to be good at everything. Be okay with that.
Tighten the margin for error: I hate to say this, but we live in a visual society. Increase your threshold of opportunity, by attracting the people you want to connect with. Sloppy, unkept appearances are a distraction. Don’t let your physical appearance distract anyone from the good within. There are a ton of things that are out of our control, but we can put our best foot forward to reflect the greatest version of ourselves.

Gotcha thinkin’? Let’s schedule a Coffey Break to uncover the best place to get started with your personal image over at www.TheCoffeyShop.co/. Your first consultation is on me 😉
Peace, Love & Sunshine, Chelsea

Image Consultant + Personal Stylist, Houston

“The things you are passionate about are not random, they are your calling.” – Fabienne Fredrickson

This is somewhat of an about me post. For the sake of clarity, here’s the rundown: I’m an Image Consultant x Personal Stylist x Writer x Brand Strategist x Futurist

I have a nonprofit designed to provide underserved kids k-12 with confidence building experiences through fashion called Mia’s Closet, and the work we do means the world to me.

My dreamy in a perfect world goal is simple, help as many people as possible feel good about themselves, hold their head high, and look their best while doing so –kids and adults alike.

It’s not just about the clothes or fashion, it’s about positive self-expression and the confidence that builds from moments of intention to do so.

#knowyourwhy #lovewhatyoudo

🙏🏾❤️🌞 ~ Chelsea

Let’s connect? Feel free to visit www. TheCoffeyShop.co to see a list of my services or email me to learn more / book a consultation at chelsea@thecoffeyshop.co.

Coffey Break Chat: The 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:

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

Have a great weekend guys!

Peace, Love & Sunshine ~Chelsea

Coffey Break Chat: Crticism

Hi guys!

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I personally consider Thanksgiving the kickoff of the holiday season and true to the memes that have been flooding our timelines, it got me thinking about how much chit we take during the holidays sometimes. There’s extra pressure everywhere form the workplace to the home, and Lord knows that pressure doesn’t always bring out the best in us…

Today’s Coffey Break Chat is dedicated to the topic of criticism, and more importantly, how to separate the good from the bad. As always thanks for watching! Enjoy!

Peace, Love & Sunshine ~ Chels

Coffey Break Chat : Criticism