The Evolution of Value: How I Learned to Price Meaning
Every creative eventually faces the same quiet question—“What is my work truly worth?”
For me, the answer evolved over decades, shaped by fabrics, paint, paper, pixels, and purpose. I didn’t start by learning to price products; I started by learning to value emotion. This journey from intuitive feeling to strategic architecture is the core of how I approach business today.
From Intuition to Economics: My Early Pricing Lessons
My first brush with pricing came through fashion design—crafting bespoke wedding gowns and costumes. The transaction was never just about the silk and stitching. It was about the transformation. This is where I unknowingly practiced Value-Based Pricing: setting a price that reflected how the design made the client feel and appear, not just the materials or hours spent. When a bride walked taller or a performer shone brighter, the price was justified by the resulting confidence and experience.
Soon after, selling handmade cards at craft fairs became my first study in Emotional Pricing. People weren't buying stationery; they were buying sentiment—the connection between giver and receiver. I learned how human connection itself becomes a form of currency.
When I started selling paintings, I discovered a new rule: beauty cannot be standardized. Two similar canvases could evoke completely different emotions. This taught me the rhythm of Aesthetic Value, where price reflects the buyer’s emotional resonance, not just the labor.
Those early markets and fairs became my first MBA—real-world experiments in consumer psychology and the direct observation of willingness-to-pay.
Pricing in the Present: From Art to Strategy
Today, pricing has evolved into both an art and an architecture designed for maximum impact and scalability.
Design Consulting (SheebaChandini LLC): I now use Impact-Based Pricing, charging for the strategic results clients gain—clarity, growth, and stronger brand identity. We price transformation, not transaction, focusing on measurable ROI.
Education (Sheeba Academy): I shifted to Outcome-Based Pricing. Learners don’t pay for lessons; they pay for what those lessons unlock—the applied success and leadership development.
Creative Assets (Books & Prints): I use a hybrid Content-Based Pricing model. A poem or painting carries weight because of its meaning, merging intellectual property with emotional resonance.
Purpose (Global Care Initiative): Here, I practice Purpose-Based Pricing. The value of the art represents a tangible contribution to humanitarian projects, aligning price directly with ethical impact.
Pricing, I’ve realized, is a mirror of intent.
Future Forward: Designing Value for Scale
As my ecosystem expands, pricing continues to evolve into a symphony of strategy and scalability:
Limited-Edition Collectibles: We will use Prestige Pricing and Scarcity to elevate perceived worth, linking the price to heritage and artistic reputation.
Strategy Tools: Frameworks and dashboards will follow Tiered and Subscription Pricing models, allowing high-value strategic tools to be accessible to audiences from a freelancer to an executive.
Digital Licensing: Design assets will use Usage-Based Pricing, with royalties determined by exclusivity, geography, or time, standard practice in creative IP markets.
Future Labs Research and Advisory: We will use Retainer-Based Pricing, where authority, foresight, and ethical guidance are the premium deliverables sold directly to organizations.
The future of pricing isn’t just about scaling; it’s about synchronizing emotion with economics.
The Philosophy of Pricing
If I were to summarize everything I’ve learned about value, it would sound like this:
“Price is the reflection of how deeply something moves the human spirit.”
When you create from integrity—whether it’s a couture gown, a data dashboard, or a book of poems—the market senses it. True pricing starts with empathy and ends with impact.
My entire journey taught me a different dialect of worth, ultimately shaping one belief that anchors my work: Art and business are not opposites—they are partners in creating meaningful value.
✨ Final Thought: Pricing is storytelling in numbers. It tells the world how much we respect our work and how much we believe in the change it can create.
What part of the pricing journey—Past, Present, or Future—is most relevant to your current business challenge?
Why Customers are Willing to Pay More for a Well-known Brand
It all begins with an idea.
1. Social acceptance: signalling competence, confidence and status
When a consumer chooses a premium brand bag in preparation for a high-stakes event (for example: “all in my heels” for an interview at a branded fashion firm), they’re operating under social-acceptance dynamics: demonstrating they “have it together,” they “belong,” they project competence.
In business terms this is about brand as social signalling—the brand communicates your access, your alignment with a desired peer group, your credibility.
Premium brands offer social utility (beyond functional utility) — the value of affiliation with a set of others, visibility, prestige. For example one study found that non-quality utility (brand image, prestige) “appears to be the dominant influencer” in willingness to pay more for national brands vs store brands. Capital One Shopping+3profrajsethuraman.net+3Branding Strategy Insider+3
From a pricing strategy standpoint: when a brand fulfils a social role (status, peer acceptance), it gains pricing power because the buyer isn’t only buying the bag—they’re buying the image.
Statistically: according to one 2025 survey, 35 % of global consumers said they’d pay more for a brand they trust—up from 25 % previously. marketingcharts.com Another found 87 % of consumers will pay more for products from a brand name they trust. Capital One Shopping+1
Example 1: A coach bag purchase before an interview—consumer aligns self with the “fashion-industry professional” social set; the brand signals you belong.
Example 2: Wearing the well-known brand in networking contexts—social acceptance via brand alignment.
Example 3: Prestige brands used as markers in board-room settings (leaders choose telling brands to signal status and credibility).
Example 4: Corporate gift procurement—companies buying premium brand items to reflect their own status, thus raising the brand’s social value.
Example 5: “All in my heels” metaphor—prepping for high-stakes event, investing in brand to boost temporary social signal.
Example 6: Brand-affiliated event attendance – wearing the known brand to show “I am of this circle”.
Example 7: Recruitment marketing – candidates choose premium brands (bags, watches) to show organisational fit for aspirational companies.
Example 8: Social media posting – owning premium brands to show peer group alignment, thus reinforcing social acceptance.
Summary of Point 1: The willingness to pay premium for a brand is grounded in social signalling and status utility—when consumers see the purchase as granting entrance, affiliation or elevated identity, the brand captures value beyond product function.
2. Confidence in superior experience: reliability, durability, and value
When consumers (for example: selecting Converse for children’s schoolwear) perceive a brand delivers superior functional outcomes—“they last long, can withstand multiple washes, stay ready like new”—they see the purchase as worth the premium because it reduces risk and increases confidence.
Business-term: this is perceived quality and brand credibility. The brand’s promise of reliability and consistency reduces the perceived risk of purchase, especially important for higher price points.
The academic literature shows that brand experience (how the consumer interacts with the brand) influences willingness-to-pay (WTP) for a price premium, mediated by brand credibility and perceived uniqueness. ScienceDirect
From a pricing strategy viewpoint: when a brand is associated with durability, reliability, and superior service/experience, it supports value-based pricing rather than cost-plus. “Premium pricing strategy” relies on perceived extra value. Swedge Media
Example 1: Selecting Converse for school kids because experience (everyday wear) meets expectations – less worry, fewer replacements.
Example 2: A corporate client choosing a high-end bag because its durability and service (e.g., repair network) justify higher initial cost.
Example 3: A hardware vendor choosing premium brand components for a critical system – reliability is paramount so paying more makes business sense.
Example 4: A SaaS buyer choosing the enterprise tier because the service experience is smoother, uptime higher – paying more yields confidence.
Example 5: A hotel chain selecting premium mattress brand for guest rooms – improved durability and guest satisfaction justify higher cost.
Example 6: A board-level executive chooses a premium smart device because reliability, service, ecosystem matter more than lowest price.
Example 7: Universities investing in premium lab equipment because reliability reduces downtime—a cost to productivity.
Example 8: Homeschooling parents choosing premium curriculum software because ease of use, updates, support convert into long-term value.
Summary of Point 2: When a brand delivers superior experience—durability, reliability, credible service—it instills purchaser confidence in long-term value; such brands can command premium pricing because consumers believe they will achieve better outcomes for the money.
3. Emotional attachment: memory, identity and heritage
When a brand becomes intertwined with life-moments—such as when your father gave you Chanel No. 5 perfume and you will “forever be connected to the memory”—it’s not just a transaction, it’s an emotional investment. That emotional bond adds delta value to the brand’s equation.
In business terms, this is brand loyalty, brand heritage, and emotional brand affinity. According to one branding statistic: 65 % of U.S. consumers feel emotionally connected to at least one brand—and these emotionally connected consumers are worth 50 % more than highly satisfied customers. Capital One Shopping+1
From strategic brand building: Emotional connection allows the brand to transcend mere utility and become part of a consumer’s identity, narrative, or memory. That helps sustain premium pricing and customer lifetime value. Colling Media+1
Case story: Chanel No. 5
Launched in 1921 by Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel in collaboration with perfumer Ernest Beaux. Wikipedia+1
The “5” was chosen because Chanel considered the number lucky; she selected vial number 5 from ten presented. Wikipedia+1
The bottle design and brand narrative elevated the product beyond a simple fragrance to an icon of modern femininity and luxury. Bookles Blog+1
Because of this legacy, when you receive the perfume as a gift from your father, it doesn't just smell good—it anchors a memory, links you to the brand heritage, and becomes part of your personal story.
Example 1: The perfumed gift becomes a tangible manifestation of personal history (father → daughter) and brand heritage (Chanel legacy).
Example 2: A luxury watch passed down in a family becomes symbolic of legacy and identity, thus consumers are willing to invest.
Example 3: A college alum purchasing branded merchandise that reminds them of their formative years—emotional attachment drives premium spend.
Example 4: A consumer choosing a car brand because their parent drove it and they feel connected—heritage and emotional tie.
Example 5: A business executive selecting a luxury brand watch brand to mark a milestone (promotion, board appointment)—emotional and identity signaling.
Example 6: A non-profit donor choosing a premium donor-recognition piece (e.g., art piece) because of the emotional resonance with the cause and the brand.
Example 7: A global care initiative choosing a premium partner brand because that brand’s heritage aligns with the cause and fosters trust/emotional bond with stakeholders.
Example 8: A lifelong consumer of one brand (say, for education, or products) remains loyal and willing to pay more because of the emotional history and identity composite.
Summary of Point 3: Emotional attachment transforms a brand from a product into a memory, personal narrative and identity signal. That bond underpins sustained willingness to pay premium, increased lifetime value, and deeper brand equity.
Conclusion
Across these three pillars—social acceptance, confidence in superior experience, and emotional attachment—we observe a consistent theme: well-known brands capture value beyond functional benefit. They offer social currency, risk-mitigation and outcome confidence, and emotional resonance. For brand managers and strategic leaders, this has critical implications:
Invest in brand trust, heritage, and reliability as key drivers of premium pricing and customer loyalty.
Recognize that premium pricing is not solely about higher cost or margin—it’s about perceived extra value, whether social, experiential, or emotional.
Align brand strategy with your organizational ecosystem (as you do with your “sheeba’s framework” of Unknown → Learning → Excellence) by exploring new brand signals (curiosity), reinforcing experiences (learning), and cultivating heritage/emotional connection (excellence).
In a leadership context (as you state in your board governance and design-tech integration work), brand equity becomes an intangible asset—one that influences strategic partnerships, governance, ESG positioning, and stakeholder perceptions.
In short: customers pay more when they believe they’re not just buying a product—but buying a signal, an experience, a story. For you, as a leader and designer of business systems, tapping into that insight unlocks both brand differentiation and sustained value creation.
Leadership Case Study: Chandini Sheeba—Creating Global Impact Before Age 24
It all begins with an idea.
Executive Summary
Chandini Sheeba’s pre-age-24 career in purposeful service serves as a powerful model for collaborative, impact-driven leadership achieved outside traditional corporate or political structures. Over 14 years, she built a holistic service platform that successfully merged faith-based mentorship with creative design thinking, yielding a global reach of over 11 million people. This case study analyzes how she identified a critical community gap—the lack of creative and faith-based avenues for emotional healing and unity—and addressed it through a scalable, consistent, and deeply compassionate strategy, executed as a team under the organizational umbrella of the church and the guidance of senior leadership. Her work demonstrates that the scale of impact is determined not by age or title, but by the strategic application of empathy, creativity, and sustained commitment in a shared leadership environment.
1. The Context and Challenge
The Leader: Chandini Sheeba commenced her extensive volunteer career at a young age, focusing on Faith, Education, Art, and Community Empowerment. Her commitment is quantified by over 15,656 documented volunteer hours, valued at approximately $391,400 USD. Crucially, all of this service was conducted as a team effort through the church and operated under the senior leadership of Rev. Paul Thangiah, demonstrating a model of distributed leadership and effective mobilization.
The Challenge: A Deficit in Connection
Chandini Sheeba identified a fundamental community deficit: a lack of unified, creative, and accessible channels for intergenerational learning, emotional support, and shared purpose. Specifically, the challenge was twofold:
Grassroots Need: Children and youth lacked consistent, guided mentorship and creative outlets for personal development.
Institutional Need: Nonprofits and faith-based organizations struggled to bridge emotional gaps and communicate their missions effectively to global and local audiences using compelling visual storytelling.
The core problem, as identified by Chandini Sheeba, was not a lack of resources, but a failure of connection. The strategic question became: How could creativity, leadership, and compassion be combined to build bridges and achieve large-scale, measurable results within an existing large-scale organization, driven by a unified team?
2. The Leadership Strategy: A Holistic Bridge
Chandini Sheeba’s approach was defined by a holistic, two-pronged strategy that ensured both spiritual depth and practical, creative execution. This model is best described as Purpose-Driven Design Thinking, implemented within the framework set by her senior leadership and executed collaboratively by her team.
Strategy Pillar 1: Faith in Action (Mentorship & Unity)
This pillar focused on building the foundational support system necessary for community resilience and individual growth. Chandini Sheeba, leading and working alongside her team, positioned herself as a consistent mentor and unifying force, operating directly within the church's programs.
Initiative
Scale & Focus
Impact on Leadership Development
Sunday School & Youth Leadership
Mentoring 70,000+ children and youth.
Developed direct mentorship skills and the ability to inspire purpose in others. This created a lasting pipeline of future leaders, leveraging the church's established education platforms and team-based teaching models.
Large-Scale Programs
Leading and performing in major programs reaching 10.5M+ attendees.
Demonstrated an understanding of organizational leadership, logistics, and large-audience communication necessary for high-impact events, relying on coordinated team roles and responsibilities.
Care & Prayer Tours
Organizing weekly care cells and state-wide prayer tours.
Established a commitment to localized, intimate care, balancing the massive reach of media programs with deep, personal community support.
Strategy Pillar 2: Creativity as a Catalyst (Design Thinking & Service)
Recognizing that emotional and institutional messages often fail due to poor communication, Chandini Sheeba leveraged her creative skills, in collaboration with other team members, to act as a strategic communication partner for community groups.
Creative Application
Outcome & Strategic Value
Nonprofit Visual Campaigns
Created art/visuals for 5+ international organizations (e.g., National Youth Bike Council).
Virtual Art Programs
Taught 50+ underprivileged children during the pandemic.
Outreach Material Design
Designed materials used for donor relations and mission communication.
3. Results, Impact, and Leadership Takeaways
Chandini Sheeba’s leadership model is validated by the sheer volume of output and the breadth of her influence across different sectors.
Quantifiable Impact Summary
The metrics demonstrate a clear return on the investment of time, driven by consistency and scalability. The impact is remarkable for a leader before their mid-twenties.
Total Reach: 11,078,000+ people globally (Attributed largely to large-scale event performance and design outreach).
Sustained Effort: 15,656 total volunteer hours served over 14 years, averaging over 1,118 hours per year.
Economic Value: Service valued at $391,400 USD, highlighting the significant economic contribution of purposeful volunteerism.
Key Leadership Takeaways
The Fusion of Disciplines: Chandini Sheeba’s success lay in the non-traditional fusion of Faith (purpose/empathy) and Art/Design (strategy/communication). This combination ensured projects were both emotionally meaningful and professionally executed, creating a higher perceived value for the service provided.
Leveraging Institutional Support: Operating under the umbrella of a major organization and senior leadership (Rev. Paul Thangiah) provided the infrastructure necessary to achieve a global reach (10M+). This demonstrates her ability to execute high-impact projects while operating within and respecting an established organizational framework.
Collaborative and Distributed Leadership: The sheer volume of impact and hours served highlights the successful mobilization of a team. Chandini Sheeba's leadership model emphasizes her ability to inspire, coordinate, and share responsibility, proving that massive scale is achieved through distributed effort rather than individual heroism.
Consistency Over Intensity: The 14-year commitment and high annual hour count demonstrate that consistency is the most powerful measure of effective long-term leadership. Her work proves that building a lasting legacy requires sustained, daily engagement, not just sporadic high-profile activities.
Purpose Over Title: The most significant takeaway is that purposeful leadership is not contingent upon age or formal authority. Chandini Sheeba led by example, using her inherent talents (art, faith, empathy) to define her authority and generate influence, inspiring thousands of children and supporting numerous institutions in the process.
The legacy of Chandini Sheeba is a testament to the fact that bridges of hope can be built where words fail, provided the architect uses the tools of compassion, creativity, and strategic consistency, all amplified through dedicated teamwork.
