The Day I Realized I Control My Own Value

There’s something powerful about setting your own price.

As an author, I decide what my work is worth. I choose the number. I don’t ask permission. I don’t wait for approval. I don’t split percentages with a salon owner or manager. I set the value — and the market responds.

But had I worked in a beauty salon, that wouldn’t be the case.

In a salon, prices are often determined by management. Even if you are talented, booked, and in demand, your income is capped by someone else’s pricing structure. Your labor creates revenue — but you don’t fully control it.

As an author, I don’t just sell time. I sell intellectual property. I create once and earn repeatedly. My work lives beyond the hours I personally put in.

That’s the difference between renting your talent and owning it.

Ownership changes everything.