Welcome to another episode of the podcast that teaches you how to be a ridiculously good virtual assistant.
Today I want to talk why your VA rates are not the problem.
Today’s Quote: “When you undervalue what you do, the world will undervalue who you are.” – Oprah Winfrey
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Connect with Tracey D’Aviero, VA Coach and Trainer
Episode Notes:
If you are struggling with your rates as a virtual assistant, it probably feels like a pricing problem.
Naturally. We are talking about rates so it seems like that’s the culprit if things aren’t going right.
You might be thinking you need a better number, a better structure, or more proof that you are allowed to charge more.
But … your rates are not the real problem.
They are a symptom. And until you address what is underneath them, no pricing strategy will ever feel solid or sustainable.
Why Most VAs Focus on the Wrong Thing
When a VA tells me they want help with pricing, what they are usually asking is: How much should I charge?
But not only that, they also ask: What are other VAs charging? What is the “right” rate?
Those questions feel productive. They feel safe. They feel logical.
But they avoid the harder questions.
Questions like: Do I trust myself? Do I believe my work has value? Am I willing to be seen as a professional? Am I okay with not being the cheapest option?
Because here is what happens when you shift to the harder questions: You can copy someone else’s rates. You can follow a pricing formula. You can raise your rates on paper.
And you will probably still feel deeply uncomfortable saying the number out loud.
That discomfort is not about math, it is about not feeling confident that your services are worth that rate, that they aren’t valuable enough. Even if you see it on paper, that doesn’t automatically translate to confidence. You have to believe it.
The Mindset Gap You Need To Address
Most VAs set their first rates before they ever see themselves as business owners.
They are thinking like helpers, not decision-makers. I tell you this often because it’ just true.
We have always been assistants, helpers.
So we naturally think like service providers, not strategic partners. Like beginners, even after you are not longer a beginner.
Your rates reflect who you were, not who you are now – or who you want yo be seen as.
And over time, this creates an identity gap. A mindset gap.
You gain skills, experience, responsibility. But your pricing stays stuck in the past. It is the one thing that our business relies on, and yet we usually leave it to the last thing to adjust.
So there’s a gap. And that gap creates tension.
You start questioning yourself. You feel awkward in conversations. You hesitate to raise your rates because it feels like becoming a different person. And in a way, it is.
Raising your rates requires you to step into a stronger identity. Not necessarily a different one. I think that’s an important distinction.
Why “Just Raise Your Rates” Never Works
You have probably heard advice like: Just charge more. Clients will pay it. You are worth it. (I’m not gonna lie, have said exactly those words to you!) While that advice is not wrong, it is incomplete.
Because confidence does not come from saying affirmations. Affirmations are great, and they can help you shift from the negative mindset to a positive one.
But just saying it out loud doesnt make it more comfortable. You have to believe in your value.
If you raise your rates without shifting your mindset, one of three things usually happens: You panic and walk it back. You overdeliver to justify the higher price. Or you attract clients, but feel constant anxiety about being “found out.”
None of those lead to confidence.
If you have ever been on a sales conversation or a discovery call with a client, and fumbled when you started talking price, that’s what I’m talking about.
And you need to know, I have fumbled LOTS of conversations. I’m telling you this because I know about it.
It’s not easy to talk price if you don’t quite believe you are worth it.
This is why pricing has to be an internal decision before it becomes an external change.
What Your Current Rates Are Really Telling You
Your current rates are a reflection of what you believe you are allowed to earn, what you believe clients will tolerate, how much discomfort you are willing to feel, how much you trust yourself to deliver.
Let’s stop on this for a sec. Can you see it? What are you charging? Are those four things factoring into your rates right now? They probably are and that’s totally normal. It’s not a judgment. It’s just information. Data. When you look at the information, it is powerful, eapecially if you are willing to look at it honestly.
Instead of asking, “How much should I charge?” Try asking: why did I choose this number? What felt safe about it? What felt scary about charging more? Those answers tell you far more than any pricing chart ever will.
You might not even know the answers to those questions, but hopefully something comes up for you when you pause and ask yourself those questions.
Confidence Comes Before the Rate Increase
Confidence is not something you wait for after you raise your rates, it is something you have to build before.
It is built by making clear decisions, practicing saying your rate without apologizing, letting go of the need for universal approval, and trusting that the right clients will not need convincing. Because I can promise you they don’t. Even if it feels like they might.
Confidently stating your pricing comes from knowing why you are charging what you are charging, and believing it’ the right rate for your services.
This Is the Work That Changes Everything
If pricing has been a sticking point for you, it is not because you are bad at business. Those two things are not even related.
It is because pricing sits at the intersection of self-worth, boundaries, and visibility. It’s personal. And those are not things you fix with a spreadsheet.
They are things you strengthen with intention, support, and repetition.
I remember very clearly when I started my VA business that I set a rate of $18/hr. I had been making $16/hr at my job and I added $2/hr for ‘overhead’ (air quotes). Why was that my rate? No idea! I picked it out of thin air. I felt I could sell it. It was based in nothing but my confidence.
I struggled for a long time. I couldn’t afford much in the way of expenses so I did everything manually – emails, billing, scheduling, marketing.
I started working with decent clients, then I could raise my rates, and even then I only raised them to $25/hr.
I left them there for many years. I was so grateful to have clients, I didn’t want to have money conversations anymore.
Crazy. My clients were 6 and 7 figure business coaches. Charging hundreds of dollars an hour to their own clients. Paying thousands for coaching and strategic planning with their own set of experts. And I was supporting them, doing everything they needed to help them find and sign clients to their coaching programs.
Staying on top of the trends in their industry. Learning new programs and software so they didnt have to. Keeping all their balls in the air.
And I was charging them less than a lot of VAs because I didn’t want to have a conversation about my value.
They could afford me. They definitely needed me. They valued me (I found out when I asked them) so my rates were a ME problem that I didn’t even know existed.
Finally when I started working with a business coach, I could see it. We put it on paper. And then I doubled my rates. I doubled them, guys! One day $25, the next day $50.
And I got clients. I kept nearly all my existing ones, but new ones didn’t bat an eye: Where do I sign!?
Because I could then describe the value they would get by working with me.
Let’s come back to Oprah here: When you undervalue what you do, the world will undervalue who you are.
If you believe you are not ready to charge more, your business will prove you right. If you believe you can grow into stronger pricing, your business will rise to meet that too.
It starts with figuring it out, then understanding it, and finally totally believing it.
It helps to have the first client say yes, of course, but you’ve got this! I’m here to help. It’s the only reason I’m here at all, to help you become a ridiculously good virtual assistant.
I’m going to stop it here for today.
In the next episode of this mini series, we are going to talk about what clients really think about your rates, and why most VAs are worrying about the wrong things entirely.
Because once you understand that, pricing conversations become a lot less scary.
Do You Need Help?
If pricing has been coming up for you as you listen to this mini series, that’s not an accident.
Most VAs don’t struggle with rates because they’re doing something wrong. They struggle because their pricing no longer matches the level of work they’re actually doing.
That’s why I’m running a live Packages Workshop next month.
In this workshop, we’re going to focus on turning your services into clear, confident packages that make pricing easier to communicate and easier for clients to say yes to.
This is not about templates or scripts you have to force yourself to use.
It’s about creating packages that:
✓ identify your most valuable and in-demand services
✓ create billable time that actually reflects the work you do
✓ set clear boundaries for the scope of work you provide to your clients
✓ and help you stop undercharging without feeling awkward
If you’re ready for pricing to feel simpler and more aligned, I’d love to support you inside that workshop.
Read more and register here: YourVAMentor.com/va-packages. Or drop me a DM to chat about it.
I’d love to have you join me.
That’s all I’ve got for you this week. See you next time!