Still charging like it’s 2019? Do this 30-minute pricing check

Most small business owners set their prices once, tweak them now and then, and get busy actually doing the work. So if you haven’t revaluated your prices in a while. It’s time to take stock.

The problem for many business owner is costs creep up quietly.

Supplier prices rise. Software subscriptions stack up. Your skills improve, yet your pricing often stays stuck in the past.

Don’t worry, you won’t need a spreadsheet marathon or a consultant to sense-check your pricing. You can do a practical pricing audit in about 30 minutes. All you need is a clear head, a pen and paper, and a willingness to be honest.

Here’s how.

1. Pick your top three money makers

Start by listing your top three products or services. Not everything you offer. Just the ones that bring in most of your revenue or chew up most of your time.

For each one, write down what you currently charge and when you last reviewed the price. Then ask yourself whether your costs have gone up since then. If the answer is yes, which it usually is, you already have a reason to keep digging.

These are the prices that shape your income more than any others. If they’re wrong, everything else in the business feels harder than it should.

2. Do a fast cost reality check

This is where many pricing audits fall over. Small business owners tend to count the obvious costs and forget the hidden ones.

For each of your key offerings, think through what it really costs you to deliver. That includes materials or stock, any software or tools tied directly to the work, and the full amount of time it takes from start to finish. Be realistic, not optimistic.

Then factor in overheads like rent, insurance, vehicles, fuel, accounting and marketing. You don’t need perfect figures here. Rough but honest is good enough.

Once you’ve done that, ask yourself a blunt question. If I paid someone else a fair rate to do this job, would I still make money at my current price? If the answer makes you uncomfortable, your pricing needs attention.

3. Check what the market is actually charging

Next, spend ten minutes looking outward instead of inward. This isn’t about copying competitors or undercutting them. It’s about understanding where you sit.

Look at a couple of direct competitors, one business that positions itself as premium, and one that competes on price. Notice the range. Then ask yourself where your pricing sits and whether it matches the experience you deliver.

If you’re charging less than most but offering strong service, reliability and expertise, that’s a warning sign. And if you’re charging more, make sure you can clearly explain why without tying yourself in knots.

Customers don’t analyse spreadsheets. They respond to confidence. If your pricing doesn’t line up with how professional your business is, they feel the mismatch.

4. Ask the uncomfortable value question

This is the part many people skip because it feels awkward.

Instead of focusing on hours or tasks, think about the problem you’re solving. What does success look like for your customer when the job is done properly? And what would it cost them, financially or emotionally, if it wasn’t?

You’re not charging for time alone. You’re charging for experience, judgement, reduced risk and peace of mind. If your skills, systems and reliability have improved over the years, your pricing should reflect that growth.

5. Test a small increase, not a massive leap

A pricing audit doesn’t mean slapping a huge increase across everything overnight.

Pick one service and apply a small increase, somewhere in the five to ten per cent range. Communicate it simply and confidently. No long apologies. No justifying your existence. Just a clear update that reflects rising costs and the value you deliver.

Most customers won’t push back. The few who do are often the ones who take the most time for the least return.

A quick pricing check for trades-based businesses

For trades-based businesses, pricing audits are even more important because time leaks turn straight into lost income.

Start by working out your true hourly rate. This isn’t just the time on the tools. It includes travel, quoting, admin, loading and unloading, tool maintenance, fuel, rego, insurance and the unpaid extras that sneak into your week. Take your weekly revenue and divide it by the total number of hours you actually work, including evenings and weekends. The number often surprises people, and not in a good way.
look at your call-out fees and minimum charges. If you’re showing up with experience, equipment and problem-solving skills, that’s value. Your pricing should reflect it.
Lastly, think about the jobs you dread. The fiddly ones. The ones that always run over time or end in arguments. These are often underpriced. Either increase the price or stop taking them on.

Good pricing for tradies isn’t about charging more for everything. It’s about charging properly for the work that keeps your business healthy.

Thirty minutes of checking can uncover underpriced services, costs that have quietly crept up, and opportunities to earn more without working longer hours.

If you don’t review your pricing, inflation will do it for you. And it won’t be in your favour. So set a timer, grab a coffee, and give your pricing the attention it deserves.

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