Disney+ sent me an email early this morning letting me know that they’re increasing my monthly subscription rate, which prompted this post on LinkedIn.

If you don’t want to click over to the actual post, the gist was: I didn’t care they raised my price, they probably didn’t stress about sending the email, life went on.

Moral of the story: I sent out my “price adjustment” emails to clients last Friday…when are you sending yours? :o)

Great follow up question in the comments from Natalie (fellow 15Hr Accountant subscriber here):

Absolutely! Let’s do it!

Here’s the copy I used (verbatim) in my emails last week:

To my valued clients:

With the end of the year quickly approaching, I’m providing you with my annual rate schedule update for your current tier of service, which will go into effect Jan 1, 2025.

As a reminder, pricing is based on the size and complexity of your business. Rates are reviewed periodically as your business and its needs continue to grow and evolve.

Mini CFO Level

2024 Rate: $1,500

2025 Rate: $1,550

New rates will be reflected on your Jan 1, 2025 invoice and auto-draft.

It’s truly a pleasure to work with you and I look forward to a prosperous 2025!

Thanks,

Erica

(Also, ChatGPT is really good at writing these emails if you tell it the tone you want to use. You can totally delegate this to AI.)

For me and my business model, the monthly rate changes were client-specific and based on when they onboarded (I don’t change rates if they onboarded during 2024), what their last rate change was (I try to keep the 2-year increase in line with inflation, all else equal), and any scope / complexity change in their business.

Out of 11 clients, I sent 6 rate change emails. At the time of writing this, no one has fired me…or worse, yelled at me. ;o) I did have one client ask a clarifying question (kindly) and another client tell me the change sounded great.

So, I ask again, if this is at least your 2nd year of business…when are you sending out your rate adjustment emails???

Talk soon,

Erica

Behind-the-scenes in my business this week:

With my annual pricing review behind me (yay!), I’m moving into 2025 planning mode later this week. I’ve set aside a big time block on my calendar to let my brain wander and think through what I want 2025 to look like in my business. (I usually like to do this next to a pool, at a spa, or on a plane - I’m weird - but it didn’t work out this year.)

I’ll use the time to think through intentions, set a financial & time budget, and review my 2024 costs to see if there’s anything I need to cancel or downgrade.

My ChatGPT knows my business well, so I asked it for some prompts to get my brain juice flowing. Here are a few good ones:

Vision Alignment: What is your long-term vision for your business, and does it still align with your current offerings and target market?
Operational Efficiency: What processes or systems need streamlining or updating to improve efficiency and client experience? Are there any tech tools you want to explore or eliminate?
Marketing Strategy: How do you plan to market your business in 2025? Are there new channels, partnerships, or content strategies that can drive awareness and engagement?
Time Prioritization: How will you ensure that your time is divided meaningfully between your professional goals, family, and personal interests? Are there boundaries or schedule adjustments you need to make?
Rest and Recovery: What strategies will you adopt to prioritize self-care, rest, and hobbies so that you feel rejuvenated and avoid burnout? How will this impact your work satisfaction?