I had one more example this week of one of the hidden costs of our business. I went to Costco to have my tires rotated only to find out that they were worn to the point where they were borderline, needing to be replaced very soon. (Safe to drive but not for very long.)
This was a big surprise to me because it wasn't that long ago that I put a new set of tires on my car. To be exact, I had just 28.5k miles on this set - Michelines with a 90k mile warranty! Turns out that the type of driving many of us do tends to put more wear on a set of tires (lots of stops and starts vs. freeway driving). Naturally, I was very disappointed in these tires (I've had great success with Michelines in the past), but that's a whole other issue. [I was told they design tires for a smoother ride, but they don't last as long. I got neither...  ]
Fortunately, Costco pro-rated the remaining life under warranty. Unfortunately, the only equivalent tires they offer have gone up in price significantly, so it still cost me a couple hundred $, but the amount pro-rated was almost what I paid for the entire 'old' set of tires. (I did get their $70 discount back then, though.)
The point here is that if you're one of those people who justifies your low fees by saying "I already have a car", or "I already have a printer", or "I already have a cell phone" etc., you're deluding yourself if you're not factoring in replacement and maintenance costs for everything you use for your business. Our cars are probably our biggest expense. The increased mileage means more time in the shop and possibly sooner replacement than would be necessary otherwise.
These kinds of 'surprises' are just a normal part of being in business for yourself. When you have a job and you're an employee, someone else pays for all your expenses, so you don't have to even think about them. But when you're the boss, you need to consider ALL potential expenses when setting fees! If you don't, you're not making as much as you think you are...
|
