092: When a deal is not a deal.
Breaking the scarcity pattern that's sabotaging your success
"What a deal!!!" we say, often connected to the price tag associated with the service or product you are trying to buy. In Portuguese we have a saying that says "o barato sai caro" - it doesn't have an exact translation to English, but it would be something like what you thought was cheap ended up being expensive.
The closest one in English I think would be "you get what you pay for," connecting low price with low quality.
If we pause before what we automatically consider a "deal," there is so much that says about our disconnection with our own abundance essence in this.
There are many behaviors that should trigger an alert and make us think.
If you go to a clothing store on sale and it says everything must go, the best promotion ever, everything half price, notice if you have ever done that - went to a store where everything was cheap, just to buy "a lot" of things you don't want or even need, because it was a deal. And the cheap ended up being expensive.
Now you spent a lot of money you weren't planning on spending, and have a lot of things you don't really need.
It seems like a simple situation, but for me, in reality, this is very profound.
It is a pattern of disconnection that is fed by our mentality of scarcity around money.
The other day, someone was telling me they got a great deal - a photographer would help her with her social media short clips. The thing you need to know about this photographer is that they were not an expert social media content creation, videography or marketing which was the primary intention for the clips. Additionally this photographer was chosen due to network proximity rather than being an expert in what my friend really needed.
They agreed on price, the photographer of course had nice equipment, and my friend had her “deal”!
Days later, she calls me upset saying that she spent hours and hours recording her message, the editing was awful, and she could barely use the clips because it wasn't what she had in her mind. Now she is trying to adapt what she had in mind to use what she has so it feels less worse than not using anything and calling it complete garbage.
The deal was not a deal!
She lost time, money and did not get the result she was looking for.
If she, or you, or me, were to ask the question: if money was not the problem, would you go to that store to buy a lot of crap you don't need? Would you hire someone that is not specialized in what you need?
My answer is no. And I hope yours too.
When I hired Phil as my marketing consultant and business coach my decision was made, yes because of my burning desire to have a successful business, but also my willingness to see and change my own patterns related to money.
Those patterns are your energy around that topic, and changing them can be more powerful than you think.
The question in my mind was: if I am not willing to pay an expert his premium rate (because he sees the value of what he offers and knows the transformation he provides), how the heck do I want to be seen as an expert and charge premium for my own services?
You receive what you give.
That's the energy underlying your relationship with money. If I don't go after experts to help me, if I don't pay what they believe their services are worth, it's because I don't have that in me. And I would keep attracting people with this same scarcity mindset that I have.
PAUSE. What about you? Maybe this message isn't for you. But maybe it is, if you're not willing to pay the real value of a service. If you are always chasing a deal, chasing the better price, expect people to do the same with you.
For me it was like day and night. If I am paying, if I am seeing his value, if I admire and respect his work and I am supporting this, I can do that for myself as well.
At that time I was the queen of trades, and honestly, I loved it. I got to experience many people's work and got to know many cool modalities and awesome people doing that. But one day he opened up my eyes to the energy around trades as well.
There's nothing wrong with experiencing other people's work through trades, and letting them experience yours. But even in this exchange, we need to be mindful of our time.
When we operate from a scarcity mindset, we don't value time properly.
We give our time freely and scattered, we're messy with our schedules, because we don't honor our own time.
We value money more than time, but here's the thing - time is life, and we forget about that.
But going back to the trades situation, he asked me: if you had the money to pay for this work, would you choose this person?
And quite honestly, very often the answer would be no.
So then the question is: so why are you trading your most valuable thing, your time, with someone you wouldn't even give money to?
Again, because of an unhealthy relationship with money.
We hunt for the cheapest option, always trying to pay as little as possible, because deep down we're terrified we won't have enough. We hoard our money like it's going to disappear, because we don't truly believe in abundance.
And this energy feeds your unsustainable business and more than that, feeds your un-abundant life. I'm still healing these patterns - it's ongoing work.
But every day I choose abundance over scarcity. I choose to respect other people's services and gifts. I choose to pay for the love and care people put into their craft.
I moved back to Brazil last year after 13 years living abroad. I am still building my network and support system here. I found a lady to help me with my kids - she wasn't a formal babysitter, she was helping me with cleaning my house, but she said she could help me with them too. Without having many options, I said yes.
What a deal, it was cheap and she was "doing the work."
The energy was off. I wasn't content with her service, neither were the kids.
But I wasn't paying for a service, I was paying for a deal.
It wasn't her passion, she was doing it for the money, and I took what was available, but it didn't feel right. So I kept looking. I found someone new.
She charges quite a bit more, but that's her passion, that's her business that she wants to grow.
If I want people to support the business that I love, that is my passion, I believe I should support people who love what they do as well.
I hired her.
Kids are happy and so am I. She keeps surprising me with her ideas, with her games with them. The way they feel when I leave the house is so different. They are now around someone who loves deeply what she does, and charges accordingly.
We don't realize how our bargain hunting keeps others trapped in unsustainable businesses, while our own businesses struggle for the same reason.
Yes, I acknowledge my privileged position in being able to do what I just described - not everyone has this choice. That's exactly why I should use this privilege intentionally.
However, I know people with far more resources than me who still chase the cheapest option.
This isn't about wealth, it's about mindset.
My neighbor was all happy she found a cleaning lady that charges less than all the others. What a deal. She works her whole day in pretty heavy work, cleaning a house and making less money than everyone else.
What is this deal? When we celebrate paying someone less than living wages, or when we refuse to invest in people who honor their own value and charge premium rates, we're not getting a deal - we're perpetuating a cycle of mediocrity.
If all parts involved are not winning, I am sure this can't be a deal.
What is the world you are trying to live in?
When you choose to pay fair prices, you're not just buying a service - you're voting for the kind of economy you want to live in. So before you look for the next deal, I invite you to think what is the world you want to live in, how you want to contribute to a world of abundance, to a world where people can create business from their heart and live the life of their dreams.
How would it be to live in a world with more business owners having sustainable businesses not at the cost of others, but feeding other people's success, paying the real price for services and good quality products?
Maybe it's time to redefine what a deal really means.
What if an awesome deal is about receiving exponential value that transforms your life? A real deal is when you invest in someone's expertise and passion, and they deliver results that far exceed your investment. It's when both parties win: you get transformation, and they get to build a sustainable business doing what they love.
The best deals create abundance for everyone involved.
With Love,
Carolina
Happenings
Today is the last day of our Serve & Receive challenge. It was such a beautiful and powerful week! It's amazing to watch people flourish and give themselves permission to own their expertise. Clarity combined with confidence and consistency is a recipe for success!
We decided to create this challenge after seeing hundreds and hundreds of people answer our assessment, with the vast majority having businesses for years yet still not being sustainable. Your ability to create the right structure and be clear about the transformation you provide to your clients is crucial to building a sustainable business.
I love the network we're creating. I love the level of authenticity and support we see among our members from all over the world, with completely different backgrounds but everyone sharing a common goal: to serve the world and create a business that serves them.
This is what Sacred Business means to me, and I'm happy to report that we're seeing more and more sacred businesses emerge all over the world.
Here is what I want to share this week …
JoHutton- Yoga for tired People
Jo Hutton joined us in our Sacred Business Stories this week on Substack, and I absolutely love her work and message. Her publication "Yoga for Tired People" is truly inspiring. Having a yoga background myself, I love when people bring their own unique approach to yoga and make it accessible to those who might otherwise reject the idea based on preconceived judgments around the word.
Her language is simple, her exercises are accessible, and honestly, I believe she's helping more people find their center, feel better in their bodies, and spend more time in a physiology that feeds healing and creativity.
Living in a high level of stress is not normal, even though it's very common. Being exhausted all the time is also not normal. Yes, you might need to change your outer world and adjust some things, but it starts within—with the right physiology, respecting and honoring your body.
If you want to check out her work, here's her Substack.
Useful not TRUE by Derek Sivers
We live years without questioning our beliefs, forgetting that our beliefs are what shape our lives. We often choose to be right rather than happy, and it's such a hard way of living.
This book offers insightful perspectives to help us question what we think is true. As Sivers shares beautifully, most things we think are true aren't.
I strongly recommend this book, especially if you feel stuck in life, thinking that the outer world should change. Maybe all you need is a shift of perspective!
Who We Are Celebrating
Malinda Zarate
I'm celebrating Malinda Zarate. I had the opportunity to connect with her on one of our calls last week, and I love what she's bringing to this world.
She's the creator of Agile Aging and the Guided Self-Compassion process. She helps women 50+ reconnect with their bodies, quiet their inner critic, and awaken their vitality—physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
We live lives of disconnection, and I believe it's never too late to begin again—to connect with our bodies, to do something we love, to connect with our wisdom, change our self-talk, and feel more alive than ever. I find it fascinating that she focuses on women 50+. It's beautiful and powerful.
Sometimes, without guidance, you might think 50+ is too late to reestablish a new connection with yourself. She's here to prove the opposite.
Go Malinda—beautiful work! This is where you find her.
About investing in services/ in your business :)
P.S. You can read all previous editions of the newsletter here, and you can upgrade your subscription here.
What’s next?
Phil and I are ready to support you in creating a business that aligns with your heart's calling. Here's how we can help:
Discover Your Sacred Business Alignment (Free): Take the Harmony Map Assessment and read our Sacred Business Manifesto to understand where you are on your path and how to move forward with clarity and confidence. Perfect for entrepreneurs wanting to understand how everything in their business connects.
Read the Sacred Business Manifesto (Free): Learn the core principles of building a Sacred Business through our founding story and framework. See how we transformed our approach to business by understanding that everything is connected.
There’s only a few things that people buy with money that they actually need, like some articles of clothes, not much, transportation if it’s necessary for work, a home or a place to live, food and things to drink, necessities, soap, toothbrushes, etc., but everything else, things buy…. Go shopping because they feel like buying new stuff. They go clothes shopping buy new cars they buy all kinds of food snacks, tons of shoes, sneakers, things for the house, decorations plants they buy pets…. Millions and millions of things piling up in cities and towns….. none of it is needed in fact it’s a waste… people are feeling their lives with things because they are empty inside.. they don’t even realize that comes from ongoing people having no biblical principles… escalation and shopping has skyrocketed where people are buying so much stuff and it goes along with most people not believing in God like they did 100 years ago in this country. There was such a difference in how people shopped for themselves and bought things for themselves even in 1950…. On an average most people bought things that were necessary, and if they believe in God, they were buying things for other people just as much if not more…. Parents would buy very little for themselves and they would buy everything for their children., and buy things for their neighbors things for people that didn’t have money…. That is completely flipped around today… when people buy things for themselves and almost never for anyone else unless they have to or it’s a holiday or some kind of event where they feel obligated. People are gluttonous.. just go to the Whole Foods and you’ll see lines of people standing there with boxes thinking they are living a more technological, advanced life by using Amazon to have things delivered that they don’t want or didn’t like when they got the package then they put it in their car then when they go to Whole Foods, they stand in line to return the items… it’s lunacy… not to mention they’re holding pets in their arms with little boxes hanging on the leash with plastic bags so they can pick up the feces all day… something I’ve never seen in my entire life until the last few years, especially… Los Angeles is exploding with this kind of behavior… probably Ground Zero for severe mental illness that hasn’t been diagnosed yet because people think they’re actually living normal lives… EarPods, the phone in the hand, the dog in the arms.. shopping on Amazon, sucking on vape pens… basically walking around in a living coma… anyway maybe I went off the rails here, but I think I made a point… people don’t need almost anything that they have almost everything they wear. They don’t need everything they shop for they don’t need…. And what they do need they don’t have…. They don’t even know what it is.
Thanks for featuring me in your article, Carolina! So grateful and excited!