Going pro: What should I charge?

To charge or not to charge? This is a surprisingly common question in the tarot reading world. There are a huge portion of readers who believe that the ability to read is a gift and should not be charged for. We respect that opinion, but be warned this article is not for you. We are talking to those of you out there who are ready to go pro and are at a loss as to how or what to charge. Keep reading to see how to price your tarot readings the best way possible.

How much is your time worth?
Your time is valuable isn't it? You likely are juggling a family, a job, social life and more. Now you are thinking about adding more to your plate? Think about how going professional will make your day busier - you don't want to add more responsibility with no compensation do you? So sit down and make a list of what your daily responsibilities are(in order of importance), including your tarot reading. How high up the list should your tarot reading should give you the rough idea of how important your time spent doing it is.

So how do you start thinking about what to charge?

• Who is your target audience? If you live in Beverly Hills you can plan on asking more then if you live in Lincoln Nebraska. Think about who you want to be reading for, and what their disposable income is likely to be. You want to be priced low enough that they can afford you, but still high enough for you to sustain your business.
• Experience Level? If you are just starting out then you can't expect to get top dollar. Because if you are asking top dollar you better be able to deliver an AMAZING reading/
• Other Skills  Do you have a background in life coaching or counseling? Maybe you can actually contact spirits - all these skills can be added to the reading, making it possible to charge more then if you are just delivering a basic reading.
• Business Costs  Do you work online or from a shop? You need to consider the costs of business licensing, rent, phone costs, tarot cards, business cards, marketing, etc... These are important factors in deciding on pricing.
• Income Goals  This one is one of the most important things to consider. Do you want just a little extra pocket change or are you looking to make this a full time career? In a few minutes we'll discuss this in a little more detail.

Breakdown of your costs
Some of the costs we have mentioned above and are considered business expenses. But what other things are important to consider. Every reading uses energy, so even though you can't put a dollar amount on that it should still be considered. How many years have you studied? And in that time you probably took classes, paid tuition, private mentoring costs - all of which cost money. Add in the business expenses and the number can be pretty staggering. Now think about how long you need to work to break even. Yikes!

Income Goals
Let's assume that you want to be able to quit your job and make tarot reading your full time job. Your current job pays you $500 a week.  In order to make the same amount of money you need to do either

• 100 readings at $5 each OR
  
• 50 readings at $10 each OR
  
• 20 readings at $25 each OR
  
• 10 readings at $50 each

But wait, did you take into account your expenses? Uh oh! Let's assume that your monthly expenses add up to $800 a month. Now to make that $500 income each week you actually need to make $700 a week. Little different story now isn't it? Now you have to do

• 140 readings at $5 each OR
  
• 70 readings at $10 each OR
  
• 28 readings at $25 each  OR
• 14 readings at $50 each

And since the average reading might be 10 minutes, to make that $700 so you can pocket $500 if you charge $5/reading then you are essentially working 24 hours JUST on readings. It may not seem like a lot, but consider that list of responsibilities we talked about earlier. How much of an impact does that 24 hours have?  Now if you charge $25 per reading now you are only having to work a little over 4.5 hours a week  - what could you do with an extra 20 hours a week in your schedule?

So really what should I charge?
You should first do a little investigating in your area. Are there other readers? Get an idea what they charge because you want to be pretty competitive. Generally speaking though if you are a reader with less then 5 years of experience you should looking at around $30/hour. Readers with 5 to 20 years of experience average around $80/hour and those with over 20 years experience can be around $120/hour!

Free readings are great for getting practice, growing your client base, or for getting some feedback to build your business. Be really careful about reading for free too long - this gives people the wrong impression. They may take it as you being inexperienced. Maybe they will think if you don't charge that you don't believe in what you are doing. Also, people FLOCK to free readings. If you aren't careful you will get burned out really fast. If you think it is important to offer free readings you should make them available for special days. You can always offer a discounted rate for first time customers to get them to try you out.

Take all these factors into consideration along with what your income goals are. Really think about what you want to make and how much you want to work. Don't be afraid to play around with the figures before setting your prices.

OK, so how do I know when it is time to raise my prices?
It is time to raise your prices if the sheer amount of readings has got you feeling drained. You likely have too many bookings to handle well, which sort of cheats your clients out of your best work. Being overworked will lead to burnout, resentment, longer delivery times (if you read online) or longer periods of time before you recover. Another indication that it is time to adjust your prices is if you are not making your income goals. If you haven't raised your prices in a while it might be time too.

What if I am still confused? You can ALWAYS reach out to us with your questions to admin@tucumcaritarot.com or post a comment and we will respond.

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