How To Build a Platform When You’re Broke

Last year, I got an application I loved, from an entrepreneur/activist trying to change people’s perceptions about the difference between buying a dog from a breeder and adopting a dog from a shelter. As a dog owner and volunteer at dog shelters, I know that rescues aren’t for everybody and that all breeders aren’t unethical or running puppy mills.

On our call, my potential client clearly was excited about the idea of working with us to build up her social media presence and overall author platform. She saw the correlation between being visible online, helping more people and moving forward toward her dream of being an author. She asked how much Platform Builders Bootcamp cost, so I told her the price.

At that moment, everything changed.

Her mood darkened and she actually got visibly angry with me. How dare I charge that much! There’s no way she could afford that! There’s a pandemic and she can barely put food on the table!

No matter what I said after that, the conversation was over.

And so was her dream.

As an entrepreneur, I’ve been broke. I’ve been dependent on my husband financially. Hell, when I was an editor at Penguin, the second largest publishing house (at the time) in the world, I had to get a second job and still declared bankruptcy. I…