Ahhh, pricing... it leaves us confused. I bet you're there thinking "am I undercharging? am I over charing? How the heck do I price my work?"
I totally hear you.
I was once in your shoes. It's one of the most commonly asked question I get from other henna artists.
This may not be what you want to hear, but...
Only you will be able to determine your own value and worth.
There are so many variables to consider here;
How experienced are you?
Your speed to finish a design?
How clean and polished your design looks?
Where you live?
The cost of your materials?
The cost and time it took to travel to your destination?
The cost of living?
How many other artists are available in your location?
The problem with pricing, if you don't set it right you're not only harming your entire community, but you're harming yourself in the process as well.
If your rates are too high, you may lose out on potential clients. And if your rates are too low, you're driving down the value of henna (not just for yourself, but for the entire henna market).
Whether you think your value is $100 or $1000 then you're right!
But you should still take some time to determine what your true value is.
But I made it SUPER easy for you by creating this calculator to help you determine your worth.
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**Please note, this calculator is NOT accurate. It is just a super rough estimation and is mainly applicable for Canada and North America. ONLY YOU CAN DETERMINE YOUR WORTH - NOT EVEN A CALCULATOR. You still need to scan your market and do the research.
Do not take this calculation to be your face value. I've just set up an algorithm and we all know that human research is so much more effective!
While on that note, these are super basic steps to know how to determine price your work...
1) SCAN YOUR MARKET
A little googling oughta do the trick! Literally just scan your market online.
Look up other henna artists in your area and see how they price their work. You should compare your skill set level to theirs and determine whether your work should be valued the same, higher or lower.
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2) JOIN FACEBOOK GROUPS
You can literally ask directly other henna artists in private facebook groups by posting a picture of your work and follow their advice or expertise. Henna facebook groups have been seriously a strong resource for me not just to find out how I can price my work, but also acts as a source of inspiration, and can get you client referrals.
I recommend joining both international and local based henna groups! You can easily find them by typing in "Henna" then add "your country or city" in Facebook's search bar...
Example: "Henna Toronto" or "Henna Canada" then see what comes up.
And cause I got you covered, here are some facebook groups I recommend you join:
Henna Hub (international)
Henna Artisans (international)
Mehndi Henna Designs (international)
Canadian Henna Artists (Canada)
You're welcome :)
3) CONSIDER YOUR COSTS + EXPENSES
I see a lot of artists do this mistake way too often. You really need to keep track of what your costs and expenses look like. How else will you know whether you'd be able to profit or not?
So some expenses to consider are: the cost of your supplies, taxes, cost of living and transportation (bus fare if you're not driving, or gas and parking if you own a car).
4) TAKE YOUR SPEED INTO ACCOUNT
This is usually the case for mehndi parties, events and fairs where you have a fast turn over rate. Your speed is directly proportional to your pricing.
Obviously the faster you are, the higher you should set your price (and the opposite is true). This should especially be the case when you're charging hourly as opposed to per design.
FREEBIE ALERT
FROM STARVING ARTIST TO FULL-TIME HENNA PRO
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TAKEAWAYS
Generally speaking, there's no one pricing size fits all for everyone. It really depends on you and how much you were able to progress your skills as a henna artist.
I've mentioned that speed should be taken into account, but don't get obsessed with becoming fast, you should really be focusing on practicing and perfecting your designs and make them look as clean and polished as possible.
Do a little bit of research, scan your market and keep track of your costs and expenses to be able to determine your henna pricing.
Your detailed breakdown of henna pricing is incredibly helpful! It's great to see the transparency and thoughtfulness that goes into your pricing structure. The added insights on the factors that influence cost really provide a clear understanding for customers. Keep up the fantastic work!"