TLDR (too long didn’t read): What you need to know
- Pricing with integrity means having an ethical pricing strategy that is both fair to customers and fair to yourself.
- Anchor prices to the value delivered, not your self-doubt.
- Build a simple pricing model, review quarterly, and pair it with cash flow discipline.
- Use transparent tiers, clear scope, and payment terms that protect your time and energy.
- If margins are too tight even after a price reset, consider funding options rather than discounting.
Feel like you’re undercharging? This blog shows how to create an ethical pricing strategy that allows you to price with confidence, maintain fairness, and ensure your business is sustainable for you and your mission.
By Deborah Edwards
Deborah is a Chartered Accountant, Harland Director, entrepreneur, and business transformation expert with over 20 years’ experience.
The moment you realise the price isn’t the problem
I recently had a client who had just signed a new customer at the lowest tier she offered. It should have felt like a win. But instead, she was just wracked with worry, wondering how she would deliver the promise without evening work bleeding into family time. The truth wasn’t that her customer couldn’t pay more. It was that she had priced the work to match her nerves, not its value. Her customer was delighted. But she felt quietly resentful. That gap is where I find many purpose-led founders live: keeping prices gentle for the world, and hard on themselves.
What integrity looks like in pricing
Integrity in pricing is not the same as being the cheapest, and your ethical pricing strategy should be about clarity, fairness, and sustainability. You can hold your values and still set firm boundaries. Pricing with integrity looks like this:
- A clear definition of the outcome you deliver, and the limits of your scope.
- Transparent tiers so customers can choose their level of support.
- Prices grounded in value and costs, not just competitor guesses.
- Terms that protect delivery quality and your wellbeing.
- Regular reviews so today’s price reflects today’s reality, not last year’s.
A simple values-led pricing method
Here is a practical method we use with founders across Cornwall and the South West.
- Define the value and outcome: Write a one-paragraph promise for each service or package. What result does a client walk away with? How will they feel? What will change? Integrity comes from telling the truth about outcomes and then pricing accordingly.
- Know your true costs and capacity: List direct costs, software, subcontractors, travel, and your time at a fair founder rate. Then factor realistic delivery capacity. If your week already runs at 85% utilisation, your price must rise or your scope must narrow. Otherwise, quality or health suffers first.
- Set a value-anchored price range: Create a floor (your minimum viable price covering costs and target margin), a middle price (best-fit for most clients), and a stretch price (premium, faster turnaround, extra access). The spread lets values-conscious buyers choose without pushing you into discounts.
- Publish scope and boundaries: Spell out what’s included, what’s optional, and how change requests work. Clients appreciate honesty more than vagueness. If additional work is needed, have a pre-agreed day rate or add-on menu. That is integrity in action.
- Pair pricing with payment discipline: Move to deposits, progress billing or retainers where relevant. Align payment milestones to your cash outflows. This protects your team and removes the anxiety that leads to undercharging.
- Schedule a quarterly pricing review: Block two hours every quarter to review profitability by service line, win/loss notes, delivery effort, and client feedback. Adjust prices and scope based on evidence, not emotion.
- Don’t believe that everyone wants the cheapest: Sometimes you can actually put people off by pricing too low. It makes them question your credibility.
Pricing tiers that feel fair to everyone
For most purpose-led SMEs, three tiers work well:
Essential
The core outcome with well-defined scope and standard turnaround.
Plus
Adds workshops, faster response, or extra implementation.
Partner
Strategic access, monthly reviews, and priority turnaround.
Each tier should cover costs and pay you properly. Resist the urge to pack more into the entry tier to make it “nice”. Integrity means the Essential option remains sustainable without you subsidising it with personal time.
When discounting harms your mission
Discounts feel generous but can erode trust if they force you to cut corners. When a values-aligned customer genuinely cannot afford your standard package, consider alternatives:
- Offer an ‘Essential’ tier with reduced scope, not reduced margin.
- Provide a time-limited scholarship place, funded in your annual plan.
- Create a funded pilot with clear success criteria and a path to standard pricing.
- Partner with a grant funder or local programme rather than self-subsidising quietly.
Pricing and cash flow should be friends, not strangers
Even a great price fails if cash flow is lumpy. Strengthen both sides:
- Use deposits and milestone billing to fund delivery.
- Align subscription/retainer dates to your payroll and supplier cycles.
- Introduce small late-payment fees and clear credit control steps.
- Build a three-month cash buffer so you never price from a place of panic.
When funding is smarter than discounting
If your price needs to rise but growth requires upfront investment, explore funding rather than shaving your margins. Short-term working capital, asset finance for equipment, or a small overdraft can bridge timing gaps. This allows you to hold an ethical price while building capacity to serve more people fairly. We help founders weigh the options against risk, repayment, and mission.
How to talk about price without losing heart
Values-led founders worry that firm prices will make them sound corporate. The opposite is true when you lead with empathy and clarity. Try language like:
- Here is the outcome we’ll deliver and the scope that protects quality.
- These are the three ways we can work together, depending on the support you need.
- This is the price that lets us do our best work sustainably, with fair pay for our team.
- If that’s a stretch now, we can start with the Essential option and grow together.
And practice pricing statements in front of the mirror. It really works!
A quick integrity check before you send a quote
Run each proposal through this checklist:
- Does the scope match the price and the promised outcome?
- Will this price cover costs, tax, your salary, and a healthy margin?
- Are payment terms clear and cash-flow friendly?
- If the client doubles their requests, do you have a priced add-on path?
- Would you feel proud explaining this price to a peer?
Generosity without burnout
If this has stirred something, that’s good. Pricing with integrity is a muscle you can build. Start with one service, sketch three tiers, and set a date for your first review. Pair the new price with payment terms that respect your time and your mission. If margins still feel tight, explore funding options rather than discounting. That’s how you stay generous without burning out.
FAQs
Quarterly is ideal for active service businesses. At minimum, review twice a year. Tie reviews to data from your management accounts, win/loss notes, and delivery effort.
If your packages are well-scoped, publishing at least from-prices builds trust and filters poor fit leads. Keep bespoke work behind a discovery call but show clear ranges so buyers aren’t guessing.
Competitors can be cheaper for many reasons: Different scope, lower overheads, or strategic discounting. Anchor to your value, not their tactics. Explain your scope and outcomes clearly, then let buyers self-select. Often, competitors are simply cheaper because they have their own fears of being too expensive. This is simply a race to the bottom and good for no-one.
Certification signals commitment, not a pricing premium on its own. You can charge more when your process, quality, and outcomes are measurably stronger. Use your values to shape the offer; let results justify the price.
Create a small, visible pro-bono or reduced-rate budget each year. Allocate it intentionally rather than discounting ad hoc. When the pot is used, offer the Essential tier or schedule the work later.
Want a partner who gets your mission?
Book a discovery call
If you’re new to Harland, book a free discovery call to explore how we can support you with values-aligned financial strategy, growth planning to fuel your impact, and advisory support that helps you make confident, well-timed decisions.
