Dear Customer: My Small Business Pricing Is Not a Personal Attack
- Lena S.
- Jun 9
- 5 min read
Let’s talk about something that makes a lot of small business owners take a deep breath, blink twice, and whisper, “Oh geesh, be a customer service representative.”
Pricing.
More specifically, the moment a customer looks at your price and says:
“Can you do it cheaper?”
“Is that your best price?”
“That seems kind of high.”
“My cousin can make it for less.”
Or my personal favorite…
“I’m going to send you a lot of business.”
Friend.
That last one is not payment. That is a promise wrapped in glitter and uncertainty.
Now listen, I understand budgets. I understand money being tight. I understand wanting to support a small business but not being able to buy everything you see.
We have all been there.
But what many customers do not understand is that when they ask a small business owner for a discount, they are not just asking for a lower number.
They are asking that business owner to absorb the difference.
And baby, we are already absorbing plenty.
Why Small Business Pricing Feels Expensive (And Why It Isn’t): Small Business Owners Are Not Just “Making Stuff”
From the outside, it may look simple.
A customer sees a cup, a shirt, a banner, a candle, a cake, a website, a custom gift, a service, a setup, or a handmade item and thinks, “Oh, that’s cute.”
Cute?
Cute took four hours.
Cute required supplies.
Cute required software.
Cute required a machine that cost more than your first car.
Cute required packaging, gas, electricity, glue sticks, printer ink, shipping labels, replacement materials, and three YouTube tutorials because something went left at 11:47 p.m.
Cute also required experience.
That is the part people love to skip over.
They are not just paying for the product.
They are paying for the know-how. The creativity. The problem-solving. The trial and error. The “I messed this up three times so yours could come out right” of it all.
And when we price something, we are trying to account for that.
Not always perfectly. Because let’s be honest, many small business owners are undercharging themselves into exhaustion. But the price is not random.
It is not a dare.
It is not an opening bid.
It is the cost of doing business.
We Pay Full Price Everywhere Else
Here is where it gets funny.
Customers will walk into a big store, pick up an item, look at the tag, sigh, and pay.
No negotiation.
No speech.
No “Can you bless me?”
No “I’m supporting your dream.”
No “Can I get a discount because I follow you on Instagram?”
They just tap the card and keep it moving.
But let them get into a small business owner’s inbox and suddenly they become a professional haggler with a calculator and a testimony.
Why?
Because they can reach us.
Because they can see our face.
Because we answered the DM ourselves.
Because we were friendly.
Because we said “Hey love!” and now they think we are financially related.
But being accessible does not mean being discountable.
That is a word today.
Discountable.
Custom Work Costs Custom Money
One of the biggest lessons in Make Your Small Business Dreams Come True: Lena’s Easy-Peasy Guide & Journal to Being a Good (SMALL Business) Customer is that customers need to understand what really happens behind the scenes.
Custom work is not the same as grabbing something off a shelf.
When a customer wants a personalized item, a rush order, a special color, a matching set, a different size, a certain theme, a name added, a logo cleaned up, or “something simple but cute,” that requires time.
And time costs money.
Small business owners are often doing the work of five departments with one tired body.
We are the designer.
The maker.
The customer service team.
The shipping department.
The photographer.
The social media manager.
The accountant.
The complaint department.
The janitor.
And sometimes the emotional support human for people who waited until the last minute.
So no, the price is not just for the “thing.”
It is for the whole process.
Discounts Can Become a Boundary Problem
Let me say this gently but clearly.
Every customer who asks for a discount is not being rude.
Some people truly do not know better.
That is why this book exists.
But as business owners, we have to understand that constant discounting trains people how to treat us.
When we keep lowering our prices just to make the sale, we teach customers that our first price was optional.
When we waive rush fees, we teach people that our time does not matter.
When we accept “exposure” instead of payment, we teach people that visibility pays bills.
Spoiler alert: Georgia Power does not accept exposure.
Neither does Canva.
Neither does Shopify.
Neither does Etsy.
Neither does the gas station.
Neither does the IRS, and they are not playing with any of us.
Discounting can be a strategy when you choose it.
It becomes a problem when customers pressure you into it.
There is a difference.
Business Owners Need Language, Too
One reason I love this chapter is because it does not just fuss at customers. It gives business owners language.
Because sometimes we do not need to explain our whole life story. We just need a professional response that protects our peace.
Something like:
“Thank you so much for your interest. My prices reflect the time, materials, and custom work involved, so I’m not able to discount this order.”
Or:
“I completely understand working within a budget. I’d be happy to suggest a smaller option that may be a better fit.”
Or:
“Rush orders require an additional fee because they shift my production schedule.”
See?
Clear. Kind. Firm.
No attitude needed.
Even though the attitude may be sitting nearby in a folding chair.
The Bigger Lesson
This is not really about being cheap.
It is about R.E.S.P.E.C.T.
Respect for labor.
Respect for creativity.
Respect for skill.
Respect for time.
Respect for the fact that small business owners are not playing business. We are building something.
And when customers understand that, they become better customers.
They ask better questions.
They plan ahead.
They respect turnaround times.
They stop comparing custom work to mass-produced prices.
They stop treating the owner’s inbox like a bargaining table.
And business owners?
We get better, too.
We stop apologizing for our prices.
We stop overexplaining.
We stop shrinking our value to fit someone else’s comfort level.
We stop acting like charging fairly is rude.
Because it is not.
Final Thought
Small business owners do not need every customer to buy.
But we do need customers to understand that our prices are not personal attacks.
They are not punishments.
They are not ego trips.
They are part of keeping the business alive.
So the next time a customer pauses at your price, remember this:
You are allowed to charge for your work.
You are allowed to protect your time.
You are allowed to say no to discounts.
And you are allowed to build a business that feeds you, not just one that flatters everybody else.
That is exactly why I wrote Make Your Small Business Dreams Come True: Lena’s Easy-Peasy Guide & Journal to Being a Good (SMALL Business) Customer.
Because small business owners need better customers.
And customers need a loving little wake-up call.
Preferably before they ask for 50% off and free shipping. 😒
TTFN ✨✨
Helena 'Lena' Speights
Your Business Bestie
PS—If you've ever felt caught in the 'your pricing vs customer' situation, the Sparkle Journey™ was created for you. Because authentic leadership begins with personal boundaries. ✨
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