When purpose-led solopreneurs can’t pay themselves, the system wins

For the longest time, I thought my values required me to struggle.
That being ethical meant being broke.
That low-cost was synonymous with accessibility, and that financial ease was some kind of betrayal to my people.

So, I built things that didn’t pay me.

I said yes to everyone.
I kept prices low so I could feel like a good person.
I overdelivered, overcompensated, overextended.
I tried to take money out of the equation completely thinking that was the most just, ethical thing to do.

But what really happened is that I burned out. I started resenting my business and my clients, which was the worst.
I doubted everything, including the value of my work.
I almost gave up, (many times….) because it felt like doing good meant being exhausted all the time.

And if you’ve ever found yourself in that same spiral of gaslighting, telling yourself you shouldn’t want more, that maybe you’re not cut out for this, that real changemakers don’t charge high fees, I want you to know that:

✨ Struggling does not make you more credible.
✨ Burnout is not proof of integrity.
✨ You don’t owe capitalism your self-sacrifice to prove you’re doing good.

We think removing money from our work will dismantle the system.

But all it does is erode our capacity to build something better inside it.

This is why I call myself The Reluctant Capitalist™.
Because I loathe this system—but I’m inside it.
I resist it every day. And I also benefit from it.

What I’ve learned, after years of navigating this tension, is this:

When we undercharge, when we undervalue ourselves, when we opt out of earning in the name of justice... We don’t create a new system.
We just stay stuck in one that was never designed for us to thrive in the first place.

That isn’t transformation.
That’s survival.

And while surviving is valid and revolutionary in its own right, it isn’t the whole story.

There is another way.

You can build a business that centres equity and healing.
That honours your capacity and your community.
That creates access and stability.
That makes money and makes a difference.

A business that lets you rest, pay your bills, care for your people, and keep showing up for the work that matters, without burning out, selling out, or giving up.

You don’t have to choose between ethics and income.
That binary is a lie we’ve been sold by a system that profits off our exhaustion.

You can do good.
You can make money.
And you should.

Thanks for reading

Warmly,

Marisa

P.s. If you want to learn how to price your offers in a way that feels fair, sustainable, and aligned with your values, my free masterclass, Fair and Fearless: Ethical Pricing Strategies for Solopreneurs Who Want to Do Good and Make Money will help you break free from undercharging so you build a thriving business that works for everyone.