Knowing Your Worth: How to Increase Self-Worth in Business

Self-worth matters, in business and in life. 

Self-worth gets talked about in therapy and coaching, but not necessarily in business. Yet, your level of self-worth determines how you feel about yourself and your business. A solid sense of self-worth can make the biggest difference in navigating the challenges of entrepreneurship. Here’s what you need to know about self-worth in business and how to increase yours.

What is self-worth in business?

The definition of self-worth is the internal sense of feeling good enough and worthy of love and belonging from others. Yes, it matters in your personal life and relationships… and it also matters in your business and career!

Self-worth in business is feeling and knowing that you’re good enough and worthy, no matter what. 

Good enough to start and run a business. Good enough to be a health coach, energy healer, yoga teacher, or whatever you are. And most importantly… feeling that you’re good enough DESPITE any challenges or disappointing situations happening in your business.

Your self-worth is unchangeable, unfazeable, a constant that accompanies you no matter where you are, who you are, what type of business you’re running, and what type of day you’re having.

Why self-worth matters in business

Self-worth matters in business just as much as it matters in life. Think about it: If you don’t have high self-worth, you’re going to struggle.

You’ll find yourself:

• Questioning yourself every time you go through a downturn
• Going down a shame spiral if someone criticizes you online
• Wanting to give up any time you something doesn’t go your way

Your self worth has to be VERY STRONG to run a business. In fact, improving your self worth is one of the BEST things you can do for yourself as a business owner. 

Your self-worth acts as a type of protection, much like insurance, that buffers you against any of the common, normal, “negative” things that inevitably happen, including: 

• prospective clients ghosting you
• clients wanting to cancel their packages
• criticism or judgment on social media
• being rejected as a podcast guest, summit speaker or anything else

… to mention a few!

Your work is not your worth

Many people have trouble separating their self-worth from their business success.

Instead, they take things personally. Didn’t get that new client? You must not be good enough. Not getting any likes on social media? No one must like you. No one signed up for your new program? Must be because you suck. 

Social media hasn’t helped this. All the “overnight success” stories that we see when someone shared one thing and went viral with followers and brand deals and millions of dollars. 

If you’re not careful, you might start thinking, “Wow, that’s how it’s supposed to work!” and “What’s wrong with me if it doesn’t work that way?” 

If I could shout this from the rooftops, I would. Your self-worth should not be dictated by how your business is currently performing.

Common signs of low self-worth in business

So how do you know if you are suffering from low self-worth in your business (or life)? These are some examples of how low self-worth can show up in business. 

1. Underpricing & overgiving

• Setting prices far below market rates to avoid rejection.
• Breaking your own client agreement or contract to please a client.
• Discounting before the client even asks or at the first sign of hesitation.

2. Weak boundaries

• Saying yes to clients who aren’t aligned because you fear turning away income.
• Letting clients text, call, or email at all hours without limits.
• Not telling a client when they have violated a boundary or allowing repeated boundary violations.

3. People-pleasing 

• Agreeing with a client (when you don’t actually agree with them) to keep the peace.
• Avoiding difficult conversations about payment, scope creep, or missed deadlines.
• Overly apologizing for things you don’t need to be “sorry” for.

4. Hiding your work or voice

• Delaying pitching yourself to a podcast or summit because you’re not ready yet.
• Watering down your message so it appeals to everyone.
• Polishing your website and/or offerings for weeks and months because it’s not perfect yet. 

5. Scarcity mentality

• Taking on clients who are a bad fit because you’re worried another client won’t come along.
• Copying other people’s offers because you think they will sell better than your own.
• Avoiding investments in skills, systems, or support because you don’t trust yourself to make it work.

Indicators of high self worth in business

Conversely, high self worth looks and feels a lot different in business. Here are some ways high self-worth can show up in business.

1. Pricing and value

• Choosing pricing that reflect your skills, expertise, and results — even if they’re higher than competitors.
• Knowing and believing that the right clients will pay your price. 
• Creating packages that honor your time, energy, and scope instead of over-delivering for less.

2. Clear boundaries

• Saying “no” to clients or collaborations that aren’t aligned, even if it means turning down money.
• Protecting your time and energy instead of being “always on” and clearly communicating this to clients.
• Limiting extra calls, revisions, or support time without being compensated for it.

3. Confident decision-making

• Being willing to make decisions in your business and accept the consequences, knowing you have free will and can make another decision at any time.
• Staying firm in your convictions instead of caving to be popular or liked.
• Trusting your judgment on offers, strategy, and marketing without needing constant external validation.

4. Visibility and voice

• Being willing to show up and be visible without being perfect. (No one is!)
• Sharing your opinions and expertise without diluting yourself to avoid criticism.
• Speaking up when you have a strong opinion, even when others have more experience or louder voices.

5. Long term plans

• Making investments in your business because you believe in your potential to grow.
• Choosing sustainable growth over quick wins that compromise your integrity or health.
• Not falling prey to the “sunk cost fallacy” when it’s time to make a different decision or call it quits.

How to strengthen your self-worth

By now, you might realize your self-worth in business needs a little work. That’s OK! You’re human. Nearly everyone can benefit from increasing their self-worth. Here are 7 tips to raise yours. 

1. Know your value (and remind yourself)

• Make a list of your talents, gifts, skills, experience, qualifications and read it on the regular.
• Collect client words, compliments, and testimonials (even from pro-bono clients!) so you have concrete proof of the transformation you provide.

2. Set, communicate, and enforce boundaries

• Define how much client support you’re willing to provide in between calls and your response times. Communicate this to clients and stick to them!
• Practice setting boundaries and all the ways you can say “no” or “not right now.” 

3. Choose your prices with confidence

• Do market research and set your pricing to reflect both your expertise and the results you deliver.
• Instead of discounting, offer payment plans that make your services accessible without devaluing them.

4. Invest in yourself and your business

• When you notice a skills gap or a knowledge gap, find ways to invest in what you need, whether it be enrolling in a course, hiring a VA, or working with a coach.
• Understand that investments in your business (when they are wise) can be a vote of confidence in yourself.

5. Strengthen your mindset

• Consider using affirmations (that you actually believe), visualizations, or meditations to reinforce your own sense of self-worth and deservingness.
• Journal daily on your business lessons and learnings to show yourself how you’re growing and evolving. 

6. Show up and be seen

• Commit to sharing your offers, ideas, and results, even if they aren’t perfect.
• Speak up in networking and marketing spaces, knowing your perspective has value.

7. Be mindful of people you surround yourself with 

• Spend time with fellow business owners and mentors who reflect the level of self-worth you want to have. 
• Limit time with people (including clients) who question your worth or constantly push you to lower your standards.

Daily self-worth ritual for business

Knowing how to build self-worth is one thing; doing so is another. This daily ritual can help you increase your self-worth in business. Make this a practice for 21 days to make it a habit!

Morning (3–5 minutes)

• Choose an affirmation, do a visualization, or listen to a meditation.
  • Focus on a belief that builds your self-worth, such as:
    • “My work changes lives.”
    • “I bring unique value to every client I serve.”
    • “I am worthy of success, abundance, and joy.”
• Set an intention for the day ahead.
  • Answer the question, “How will I show up today in a way that honors my worth?”
  • Examples: Show up confidently on a discovery call, decline a misaligned client, or share your offer on social media. 

Day time (1-2 minutes)

• Catch and reframe negative self-talk.
  • Notice times of low-self worth or self questioning. 
  • Replace your negative self-talk with more positive self-talk, i.e.
    • “The right clients value what I offer.” or
    • “I deserve to be compensated for my expertise.”

End of workday (3 minutes)

• Celebrate your accomplishments.
  • There’s nothing too big or too small!
  • Remember to celebrate the action you took and not the results you got. 
• Acknowledge a boundary you honored.
  • Recognize any time you said no, communicated a boundary, or declined an opportunity that’s not aligned.

Growing your self-worth in your business benefits you — and your business

There is basically no downside to working on your self-worth. It helps you in business and in life! 

Having high self-worth in business will reward you exponentially. You won’t take it personally when a client doesn’t sign up to work with you, or when no one likes your Instagram post. You won’t fixate on making the wrong decision, feel paralyzed with fear, or wait for perfectionism. 

When you have high self-worth in business, you’ll know that your business results aren’t a reflection of you personally. You’ll be able to take the actions that are most aligned with you, knowing that you are worthy no matter the outcome.