How this ex-teacher built a 6-figure coaching business (pricing secrets inside)

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THIS WEEK’S LESSON

Inside a Former Educator's Guide to 6-Figure Pricing Strategy

Last week I spent 90 minutes with a group of former educators who left the classroom to build businesses (you can watch the replay here).

The big question on everyone's mind? How to price their offers without tanking their impact or profits.

Here's the thing about educators-turned-entrepreneurs: We're great at solving problems and serving others, but we often struggle with the business fundamentals.

Especially pricing.

The discussion kicked off with a framework I call PEAK:

• Picture your future self

• Examine your reality

• Architecture your offer

• Kickstart with momentum

But the real gold came during our discussion of what I call "good, better, best" pricing. Here's how it works:

The "Better" offer should be what you actually want to get paid. Your "Best" offer is what you'd love to charge but are too scared to ask for. And "Good" is your entry point - just enough to capture some value while providing value.

One participant, shared she was charging $37/month for her membership program targeting school principals. "I figured I'd start low to get 100 people, then raise prices later," she explained.

I had to stop her right there.

The math seemed logical: 100 members at $37/month equals $44,400 annually. But here's what most founders miss - it's often harder to get 100 people to pay you $37 than to get 10 people to pay you $370.

Why? Because low prices often signal low value. Plus, servicing 100 members requires way more work than nurturing 10 high-value clients.

Another participant, nailed the core tension: "When I think about the outcomes we deliver, I know we should charge more. But then I remember we serve teachers, and I keep dropping the price."

This is a classic trap for former educator founders.

We know the budgets in education are tight. But by undercharging, we actually make it harder to deliver transformative results.

I shared my own pricing evolution. When I first started coaching school leaders, I charged $50/month for weekly group calls 🤦‍♂️

This month I raised my mastermind program to $400/month and $4,800/year.

The key? Stop looking at price from your perspective. Look at it from the outcome's perspective.

I'm currently advising a tech startup pursuing $8M in funding. My pricing options? 3%, 5%, or 10% of that $8M. That’s $30K, $50K, and $100K.

Why those numbers? Because when I help someone secure millions in funding, my payment is a drop in the bucket.

For Former Educator Founders, this might mean:

• Looking at the cost of teacher turnover ($20k+ per departure)

• Calculating the ROI of improved student outcomes

• Quantifying time saved through better systems

After one conversation with an edtech startup and seeing the outcome they can help generate (in literally seconds) … I asked about their pricing.

We doubled it on the call.

The real breakthrough came when we discussed webinar strategy. Instead of leading with your solution ("here's my membership program!") …

Lead with the problem ("here's why most school improvement initiatives fail").

Give massive value upfront. Plant seeds about your paid offerings naturally throughout. Then spend the final 30 minutes on a direct pitch - but only after you've demonstrated clear expertise. And if you want to see me model this from last week, here is the 90-minute training.

One founder worried this felt too "salesy." But here's the truth: If you truly believe in your solution's impact, selling isn't just acceptable — it's ethically required.

The Takeaway

Former Educator Founders often price based on what feels comfortable rather than what drives results. The solution isn't just raising prices - it's restructuring offers to deliver (and capture) more value.

Quick Tips:

• Start with outcomes, then work backwards to price

• Give yourself permission to charge more

• Create entry points without devaluing your premium offers

• Use webinars to demonstrate expertise before pitching

• Remember: Serving fewer clients well beats serving many poorly

BTW: Watching educators embrace their entrepreneurial side gives me hope for education's future. When mission-driven leaders build sustainable businesses, everyone wins.

Just don't ask me about my first pricing strategy. My mentor would never let me charge that little today.