You Don’t Need Another System — You Need to Face the Real Problem in Your Business
This might ruffle a few feathers, but it needs to be said. If you, like entrepreneurs I talk to every day, think that a new system is going to save your business, I’m talking to you.
Entrepreneurs think they need:
A New Website
CRM (Dubsado, Honeybook, 17 Hats)
Email marketing (Flodesk, Mailchimp, Convertkit)
Automation
Would you believe me if I told you systems weren’t the problem?
Why Everyone Runs to Systems First
This week, I had a discovery call with a beauty entrepreneur. She was interested in website design. During the call, we looked at her website, social media, and Google My Business Profile. She has a business Instagram page, great brand photos, and good reviews on Google. She claims her website is getting traffic, but very few conversions. She also kept saying she wanted the website to be easy to navigate.
I wish systems were the problem. That would have been easy.
Diving in headfirst, revamping her Squarespace website, creating Flodesk emails, optimizing her Acuity, and developing a social media marketing strategy would have seemed productive. Working on these systems makes me feel comfortable and safe. You know the behind-the-scenes “real business work.”
Why do entrepreneurs love systems? When you’re busy figuring out automations, you aren’t confronting your pricing, offer, or how the market sees you.
The Pricing Reality No One Wants to Admit
Last week, I was having matcha, catching up with a friend. She’s in the marketing industry too. While chatting about different things, she asked how often I raised my prices. I admitted I hadn’t raised the price of certain services in a while, but I let her know that I actually send custom quotes to my clients. I explained that it depends on the level of service they are interested in. An example, the price varies based on whether I’m creating the content, they are providing the content, or I’m doing intense editing on the content.
Pricing can be a touchy subject. You don’t want to be the cheapest in your market, but you don’t know if you deserve to be in the highest tier with the businesses you want to be when you grow up, either. You may have given yourself an imaginary milestone you need to reach before you can charge what they charge. You get scared you’ll lose clients if you charge higher rates.
Speaking of, how often do you find yourself explaining your pricing to make someone comfortable?
Maybe you’ve noticed a few clients choosing the cheapest option on your proposal; that’s feedback. What is actually happening? They dont’t understand the value. The experience doesn’t justify the price yet.
You may have even said, “People don’t value quality anymore.”
Or maybe you have potential clients mentioning your competitor’s pricing directly, asking for discounts, and feeling like you have to give long explanations about pricing.
Internal Growth vs. External Brand (This Is the Real Problem)
I work with entrepreneurs who’ve been in business a little over a year to some who have been in business over 15 years, across industries. I started noticing a pattern.
They want to reduce the number of appointments they’re available for or reduce the number of events they do each month. Why? They started feeling burned out.
These women grew internally, but their brand hadn’t caught up.
They were still taking any and every client. Slashing their own rates to match competitors. Creating new packages for each client.
As talented as they are, with years of experience, they were presenting their offers at a beginner-level. They have premium skills, but the client thinks of them with a bargain-bin perception.
Are you meeting clients at the budget they put on your intake form? Giving discounts and then resenting the client during the service? Are you feeling unseen and overworked? These are signs that pricing might be the issue.
Signs You Don’t Have a System Problem
Which one of these hit a little close to home?
Clients asking for pricing after you sent the pricing guide
Your website is getting traffic, but no conversions
Immediately adjusting your price when someone names a lower budget
Over-explaining your rates
A website that feels “unfinished.”
People not respecting your process
Branding Before Foundations Is Backwards
Getting back to the beauty entrepreneur, I was just as confused as her potential clients.
Yes, she has a pretty studio, brand photos, a logo, and a color palette, but pretty branding doesn’t convert.
During the call, she mentioned her monthly membership, where clients get beauty treatments each month. This is great! But, she wasn’t saying anything about it on her Instagram posts. No clear messaging. She isn’t emailing her current clients about it. No clear messaging. The monthly membership isn’t mentioned on her website…AT ALL. It’s like the offer lived in her mind, and no one knows it exists. We had the aha moment that she doesn’t have a solid client base.
I believe clients need to have solid business foundations first and branding second.
The Work People Avoid (But Need)
At any stage of entrepreneurship, this isn’t the sexy work—but it works.
These actually change businesses:
Offer Clarity
Pricing Confidence
Client Experience
Decision-Making
Who This Message Is For (And Who It’s Not)
This is for experienced entrepreneurs. The ones who want to be valued, not price-shopped. The one who wants to stop pretending things are fine, knowing they are on the verge of closing each month.
This is not for anyone offended by honesty, shortcut chasers, or people unwilling to be accountable for the role they play.
Soft CTA (Close Without Selling)
If this hit a nerve, that’s not a bad thing.
We have a few new ways we can work together:
Foundations Before Branding
Brand audits
Applications
Wishing you luck and success this year!
