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One thing we've never found easy in business is pricing.
Greeting cards are relatively straightforward.
But what about a custom pet portrait?
Or a paper workshop?
Long before Solia Venture existed, we got our first lesson about pricing.
When we were about 6 and 7 years old, we spent a day at a flea market in Estavayer-le-Lac, Switzerland, painting seashells we had collected from the lake.
We weren't trying to make money.
We simply had a little table where we painted shells and gave them away.
But people started insisting on paying for them.
We told them they were free.
They paid anyway.
Not because the shells were expensive.
Not because the paint was expensive.
They simply wanted to.
In a way, paying seemed to be part of the fun.
By the end of the day, we had made a surprising amount of money from something we were giving away.
At the time, we didn't think much of it.
Looking back, maybe we were already learning something about value.
We would see the same thing again years later.
When Zélia started painting pet portraits, she charged $20.
She wasn't sure anyone would want one.
Then her very first customer paid $100 because he wanted to support her work.
Since then, the price has gradually increased.
Customers still leave tips.
Solène has seen the same thing with her paper workshops.
One of the hardest parts is deciding what to charge when friends might be among the participants.
Part of her wants to keep the price low.
Yet parents have left tips there too.
Materials and time are important.
But they're only part of what people are paying for.
A pet portrait is not just paper and paint.
It's a portrait of a beloved pet.
A workshop is not just paper crafts.
It's quality time spent creating and learning with friends.
And those little shells at the flea market were never really about the shells.
In all three cases, people were paying for more than the materials and the work involved.
They were paying for the experience too.
Most prices start with a best estimate.
Then customers respond.
They buy.
They don't buy.
Sometimes they tip.
Sometimes they tell you the price is too low, or too high.
Little by little, you learn.
Looking back, the customers at that flea market taught us something we've kept relearning ever since:
Value isn't decided alone.
It's something you discover by putting your work in front of people and paying attention to what happens next.
Have you ever struggled to put a price on something?
We'd love to hear your story. 😊
Before you go
💌 New here? You can still catch up — read our previous newsletters here.
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Solène & Zélia, for SoliaVenture
P.S. If you're in San Francisco this weekend, we'll be at the North Beach Festival on June 20th and 21st!
We'll be sharing our greeting cards, painting live pet portraits, and helping visitors write letters to their future selves.
If you stop by, we'd love to say hello. 😊
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SoliaVenture is our creative adventure as young entrepreneurs, and we’re excited to share it with you! While we design and create the cards ourselves, we receive the support and supervision of our parents for managing the business operations as we continue learning and growing.