The Dance Costume Makers' Show
Season 1 - Episode 5How to price a custom dance costume – S1 E5
How do you know what to charge for a custom dance costume?
If you are not sure of the answer, then you are not alone.
It’s the number one thing I get asked about when working with dance costume makers to help them grow their business.
I’m passionate about helping you get your pricing right so that you can enjoy doing the job you love, knowing that you are getting paid what you are worth.
There are so many trains of thought on the subject of pricing that it’s hard for someone new to the business to know who is right.
While I do respect others and their decisions about their pricing formulas, I’m often astounded at the approach some people take to calculating what their time and skills are worth.
In this episode I’m going to talk you through some of the do’s and don’ts of pricing a custom dance costume.
Perhaps it’s best that we look at what you shouldn’t do first.
I don’t usually like to use words like ‘should’ and ‘shouldn’t’ because I it’s quite a negative way of thinking. It can be quite triggering for some people too and that’s not my objective here.
So if you’re feeling triggered by any of the things I say in this episode, I’d like to ask you to step back from those triggered feelings and ask yourself why whatever I’ve said has got you riled up.
Dig deep and really think about why you disagree. Then I would ask you to do a little experiment. Try out some of the advice I’m offering today. Go look at your latest costume makes and apply the methods I am going to walk you through. You may find that it helps iron out a problem area for you.
If you do that and still feel that my methods are not useful or helpful then I would really like to hear from you. This isn’t about being right or wrong for me, it’s about furthering our own practise and constantly checking in on ourselves that we are aligned with our intentions and serving our customers well.
I would love to hear from you to see how you choose to calculate your prices and hopefully it will lead to some good debate.
Tune in to discover more about how to price your next custom dance costume.
Here’s some highlights including timestamps so you can easily find the info you are looking for.
- If you are feeling triggered (04:06)
- Asking on social media “How much would you charge for this?” (07:17)
- Profit or wages? (07:47)
- Asking friends and family what they think about your pricing (11:52)
- Using strange pricing formulas you find on the internet (13:32)
- Undercutting your competitors (16:15)
- Checking where you sit in the marketplace (19:53)
- The things you SHOULD do (23:46)
- Respecting other costume makers (23:51)
- The individual cost of making a costume (25:11)
- The Costume Costing Checklist (27:50)
- Calculating your hourly rate (28:17)
- Looking for BETA testers for the pricing course (33:54)
Info & links mentioned in this episode:
Some of these are affiliate links and I may earn a small commission if you purchase from them. You won’t pay any more, but you will be helping to support the podcast and keep it free for everyone. You can read more in my disclaimer here.
Freebie! The Costume Costing Checklist – https://www.pinkgiraffe.co.uk/freebie-ccc
The waiting list to be a BETA Tester on the Pricing Course – https://www.pinkgiraffe.co.uk/pricing-beta
Hopefully this episode has been useful and given you some things to think about with regards to pricing your next custom dance costume.
If you’d like to chat with other costume makers about all things costume and business related you can join my free Facebook Group ‘Grow Your Dance Costume Business’ where you can post pics, ask questions and network with other costume makers.
Enjoy your day and stay safe x
Where you can find me
Website – www.pinkgiraffe.co.uk
FB Page – www.facebook.com/PinkGiraffe
FB Group – The Pink Giraffe Sewing Business Community Group – www.pinkgiraffe.co.uk/group
Pinterest – uk.pinterest.com/PinkGiraffeUK
Instagram – www.instagram.com/pinkgiraffeuk
Twitter – twitter.com/PinkGiraffeCC
YouTube – www.pinkgiraffe.co.uk/YouTube
LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/in/nicky-merrick-/
Big credit to the guys from Purple Music for allowing me to use their track for my intro and outro music.
Music:
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Episode 0 – Trailer
The Dance Costume Makers' Show is a podcast for costume makers looking to make an income from their talents or to take their business forward. Nicky has been a costume maker for several years and a small business owner for over a decade. The podcast will cover...
