My First Sponsorship Pricing Mistake—and How to Avoid It

When I was just getting started, landing sponsors felt like a huge win. I was ecstatic each time a sponsor signed on, and my primary goal was simply to cover the event costs. I thought, 

“As long as the expenses are paid, I’m golden.”

But by the time my event wrapped up, I realized a huge mistake:

I hadn’t paid myself anything.

Yes, my sponsors had covered the event—but I’d left out one crucial piece. I hadn’t built any profit into my pricing model.

I learned the hard way that when you don’t price your sponsorships with a clear revenue goal—including a buffer for the unexpected—it’s you who ends up covering any gaps.

And unexpected costs? They’re almost guaranteed.

Here’s the lesson I took away from that experience:

💡 Pricing for profit isn’t an extra—it’s essential.

You deserve to be compensated for the hard work, energy, and countless hours that go into planning. You’re building something remarkable, and your revenue goals should reflect that. You need to bake profit into your model, covering both expected and unforeseen costs without cutting into your earnings.