If you’ve ever caught yourself saying… “Next year, I want to make more… but I can’t keep working like this,” …this is the message you needed to hear today.
Because here’s the truth most entrepreneurs never realize:
- Your income doesn’t grow because you work more.
- Your income grows because your clarity does.
You don’t need more clients, to hustle harder, or to work more hours in the day.
You need alignment, positioning, and the confidence to believe in yourself.
And today, I’m walking you through four steps to giving yourself a raise in 2026 — without adding more chaos to your already full plate.
Let’s dive in.
🎧 Prefer to listen? This post is based on Episode 54 of the Waves of Impact Podcast! Click below to tune in!
Why Entrepreneurs Have to Create Their Own Raises
Unlike traditional jobs, no one is calling you into an office to say:
“You did an amazing job this year — here’s a 10% salary increase.”
- We decide when we’re ready for more.
- We set the bar.
- We choose our prices.
- We position the brand that supports the income we desire.
But most entrepreneurs never give themselves permission to upgrade their income because they think they have to “grow more” before they charge more.
The truth? Your raise begins the moment you choose to own your value — and position your brand to reflect it.
4 Steps to Give Yourself a Raise in 2026
1. Upgrade Your Positioning
You cannot charge premium prices with beginner branding. You just can’t.
That doesn’t mean your branding is bad — it means your branding might reflect an older version of you.
Ask yourself:
- Do I look like someone who charges premium prices?
- Does my messaging clearly communicate the transformation I offer?
- Would I buy from me if I landed on my website today?
If the answer is “not quite,” you don’t need to burn it all down — you need an upgrade.
Here’s the mistake people make when they want to raise their prices: They raise their prices first… and then scramble to justify it.
That’s the wrong order.
Your brand should communicate your value BEFORE your price tag does.
When your brand presence reflects confidence, clarity, and capability…
…your prices feel aligned instead of questionable.
Want some support with this? Grab my free guide: How to Turn Strangers Into Paying Customers Online at https://jessierichardsdesigns.com/blueprint
2. Narrow Your Focus
If your brand is speaking to everyone, it’s converting no one.
So many creatives resist this step because it feels like narrowing your audience means reducing your opportunity. But the opposite is true. Focus creates income.
When you focus:
- Your message becomes magnetic
- Your offer becomes irresistible
- Your brand becomes unmistakable
Instead of trying to serve all women, all entrepreneurs, all industries… focus on the one person whose life you’re uniquely positioned to change.
When your message becomes laser-focused, your confidence grows, your clarity grows, and your conversions grow with it.
3. Make It Easy to Buy From You
This step is massively underrated.
You can have the best offer, the perfect pricing, and an audience full of ideal clients…
…but if your sales process is clunky?
People won’t buy.
Not because they don’t want your offer — but because confusion kills conversions.
Ask yourself:
- Is it crystal clear how someone can hire me or buy from me?
- Is my messaging speaking to where they are right now — or where I wish they were?
- Is my client journey smooth, simple, and obvious?
Sometimes your “raise” is hiding inside a confusing sales page, a vague offer description, or a missing call-to-action. Small tweaks to your buying experience can unlock MAJOR revenue shifts.
4. Own Your Value Out Loud
This is the step that makes everything else work.
If you don’t believe in your value, raising your prices will feel terrifying.
You’ll second-guess every decision, find yourself over-explaining your offers, offering discounts when no one asked you to, and you’ll shrink yourself instead of stand out and shine.
Owning your value means:
- Speaking confidently about WHAT you do
- Being unapologetic about the transformation you deliver
- Standing firm in your pricing
- Showing up as the guide, not the “service provider”
Your confidence communicates more than any sales page ever will.
When YOU believe you are the person who delivers the transformation you promise… your clients believe it too.
Ready to Increase Your Income in 2026?
I created a free guide called: How to Turn Strangers Into Paying Customers Online. It walks you through exactly how to turn cold leads into paying clients online — without doing more, posting constantly, or lowering your price.
Inside the free guide, you’ll learn:
- Why your current content strategy might be missing the mark
- How to build trust before someone even reaches out
- The exact funnel I use to help clients convert consistently
If you’re not getting clients online, it doesn’t mean your offer is bad. It might just mean your brand isn’t doing the heavy lifting it needs to.
Let’s fix that. Start by grabbing How to Turn Strangers Into Paying Customers Online
You’ve got this! And I’m cheering you on every step of the way.
