You work hard to give your clients incredible results… so why doesn't your bank account reflect all that effort?

You may be stuck in the Expert Trap – where doing the thing you do comes so easily to you that you are blind to the effort and time it takes to deliver an outcome to clients.

Read Daniela’s story to learn how to uncover the invisible work you do so you price your services to fully account for your outcome, expertise and effort - and stop second-guessing your rates.

The Flamingo Spotlight: Working More And Earning Less

Daniela knew that if she kept up her current pace, she would soon be running on fumes and dropping the ball with her clients.

Her VIP Day offer was supposed to be simple — 2 hours of prep, 4 hours facetime with the client. Yet every time she wrapped up a VIP Day, she felt drained… and resentful. She put in a lot of effort, but her business bank account did not reflect it.

Something wasn’t adding up, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Maybe I just need to become more efficient. Maybe I just need to make my delivery process tighter. Maybe that would save time and I can take on more clients without screwing up my reputation.

That’s when she decided to hire Freida Flamingo.

The Flamingo Fix: Escaping The Expert Trap

Within minutes of hearing Daniela’s issues, Freida knew what was happening. Daniela had fallen into the Expert Trap — that sneaky pitfall where your brilliance becomes your blind spot.

Daniela was so good at what she did that she couldn’t see the value in her own expertise. She took a lot of the work she did for granted. That probably meant she also underestimated how long it took to do the work and therefore undercharged for her services.

Freida knew that this was a “show not tell” moment. Daniela needed to discover this truth for herself as they worked together.

So, during their first session together, Freida guided Daniela through two powerful people-centered steps designed to make her more efficient and effective at delivering her services while positioning her to uncover the truth about what it takes to deliver that work.

🦩 STEP 1: Mapping Out the Process To Reveal the Invisible Work

Freida and Daniela narrowed in on the tangible outcome that Daniela delivered to clients that enabled them to get the results she offered. Though Daniela helped "clients get more consistent sales", the tangible outcome of her VIP day was a playbook with a customized path to accomplishing the results.

Once the outcome was clear, Freida worked with Daniela to break down her VIP Day client fulfillment process into traditional project management process groups: Initiating (Preboarding and Onboarding), Planning, Executing, Post-Implementation Support and Closing (Offboarding).

Work (all the necessary steps and resources it took to get the outcome) was accounted for from two people-centered perspectives:

• The Work Daniela Did (all the prep, strategy, and expertise that went into creating results)

• The Work Her Clients Did (their tasks, decision points, etc. that it took to get results)

As they mapped it out, Daniela’s brain spun faster. Each sticky note on the virtual whiteboard revealed something new — all the steps she did without thinking because they came naturally to her.

"Wait... I do all that?" Daniela muttered.

Freida smiled. The expert (Daniela) was finally realizing how much of her work she took for granted.

🦩 STEP 2: Applying the Three-Point Estimation Method to Reveal the Hidden Hours

Next, Freida introduced Daniela to the Three-Point Estimation Method — a powerful tool that calculates realistic timelines based on best-case, worst-case, and most likely scenarios.

Daniela skepticism rose when they zeroed in on the planning phase that covered her prep work. "I know how long this takes," she said. "It’s just two hours."

But when they ran the calculations, reality hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Twelve hours?" Daniela’s voice shook. "I’ve been doing 12 hours of prep for every VIP Day… on top of the 4 hours of face-to-face client time?"

Daniela’s so-called "2-hour prep" was actually a 12-hour marathon — deep dives and audits of client materials, custom content creation and reports for the VIP Day to ensure flawless delivery. She had been working herself into exhaustion, all while charging for a fraction of her time.

When Daniela saw those numbers, her heart sank. Her plan to serve 10 clients a month? Impossible. She barely had capacity for five — and even that was pushing it. No wonder she felt like she was drowning. No wonder her profits were thin. No wonder she kept feeling like she was failing her family and stepping farther away from the time freedom she started her business to achieve.

Freida let the silence linger. With the unveiling of the expert trap, she knew her clients tended to have one more realization that would lead them to take a third step.

Daniela’s outbursts said she was right on the brink.

🦩 STEP 3: Shifting Her Price To Account For The True Value of Her Service

Daniela felt relief. She finally understood a truth that eluded her for months.

"I’ve been giving my service away for free. I’d been putting so much pressure on myself,” Daniela admitted. “I was always spiraling — feeling like I was on the verge of failing my clients, my business, and my husband. Now I see why — I was trying to squeeze 19 hours of work into a 6-hour price tag.”

Her mind raced as she kept talking.

"You know, I priced this thing as a four-hour appointment because it's a VIP day. But my goodness, I do 12 hours of preparation work in advance for this, and that all draws on my personal expertise, my real zone of genius, the things I never really gave any credence. You've really illustrated to me that I'm more brilliant than I give myself credit for so thank you for that. And now I know what I need to do. I need to double my prices. What I do and the way I do it makes it worth it!"

And that’s exactly what she did. Daniela doubled her prices — not out of greed, but out of respect for her time, her expertise, and her well-being

🦩The Ripple Effect: Working Less and Earning More

At the end of the first session, Daniela shared with Freida: “Working with you was life-altering. Not only have you saved me countless hours per client, but you saved me from all the self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and procrastination that had me stuck. I’ve never felt more confident making offers even though I am doubling my prices. Now, I know my clients are getting the absolute best of me — and I’m not sacrificing my life to deliver it.”

And the best part for Freida was when Daniela exclaimed, “I feel like I’ve rediscovered my passion for what I do and I thank you for that!”

Daniela finally escaped the expert trap when she learned and accepted the truth Freida knew all along. Her journey wasn’t just about numbers and efficiency — it was about freedom. Freedom from resentment, overwork, and self-doubt. And that freedom only comes when you recognize that your brilliance is your greatest asset - only if you value it first.

The Flamingo Touch:

Flamingos may look graceful and effortless above the water, but beneath the surface, their legs are constantly moving to keep them stable.

Like flamingos, your hidden business efforts are what make your results exceptional and keep your service afloat. Those efforts need to be seen, valued, and accounted for so you don't burnout or cheat yourself out of the freedom, time, profits and fulfillment you’ve worked so hard to achieve.

💡 Need a Fix?

If you're tired of working overtime while feeling underpaid, know that your brilliance deserves to be seen — and paid for. Let’s transition you from “giving away hours of hidden effort for free” to “ensuring you're charging for your effort and what your service is truly worth. Book a curiosity call here.

P.S.: Here are other ways we can help.

OPTION 1: Join CEO Like A CEO - our high-touch mentorship for growing CEOs and leaders. Step out of the weeds, scale smarter and lead stronger with structure, strategy, and sanity backed by human-centered business optimization tactics and data-driven decision-making.

OPTION 2: Invite us to speak or do a business workshop/training. Drop us an email.

OPTION 3: Grab the "How to Train Your Clients" Workshop. Just $99 to learn how to set rock-solid boundaries (and get clients to actually respect them).

OPTION 4: Subscribe to Flamingo Fix. Weekly, no-BS strategies to scale smart, enforce boundaries, and build a business that actually feels good to run and grow. As a bonus, the first issue shares our proven client onboarding process, complete with the tools to create a red-carpet onboarding experience that wow your clients without utter chaos or losing your sanity.

Because your next-level business? It’s built on true leadership where you aren't holding everything together—you've built a business that holds you up, too.

Here’s to running a business on your terms—without the guilt. 💕

Be amazing,

Danielle & Chanel