When I hosted the first Be Fearless Summit at Drexel University, I met a few young people who were just as passionate about the summit and asked to continue working with me as we worked on landing the next summit. I said yes and have loved meeting new people through this summit!

Over the last few weeks my assistant and some of the girls I hired to help have approached me about raising their pay. As a CEO, it’s important to me that the people on my team are just as passionate and also HAPPY about the work they are doing. If someone is unhappy working for me, that only makes me unhappy. I said yes, and they both replied saying they were scared to ask me and didn’t know how to ask for more money.

I totally understand: sometimes I’m uncomfortable asking for money from a brand for a podcast ad or a blog post. Talking about money is never an easy conversation to partake in. I’m in an unusual position because most of my employees work remotely, and I don’t have a full HR department or monthly sit downs with them like many larger companies do to touch base on progress and growth.

Always think of the topic of money like this:

What value do you bring to the table, and does the brand or person you’re asking for more money from value you as an individual?

The response you would hope to get back from them is that they equally value you and are glad you asked for a raise. If you get a condescending or demeaning response back, that means that they don’t value you as an employee and you can find another job!

I like to give a pay raise every 6 months. To me, that’s a healthy growth cycle to track the progress of whoever is working for me. I wouldn’t start working for a company and expect a pay raise the next month – you shouldn’t either.

HERE ARE 3 WAYS TO ASK FOR MORE MONEY FROM YOUR EMPLOYER:

1. EMAIL! Email is fabulous because it’s not personal. You can email me and tell me you hate me and I won’t care. Come up to me at my office and say that…well, I won’t be smiling! Begin the email thanking your employer for the opportunity to work for the company, and express your respect for how much you’ve grown as a person through the job. From there, explain in bullet points the reasons why you are requesting a pay raise…like with ($5 etc.) more per hour you’d be able to properly give the attention to this client, or simply be honest and say you are struggling with balancing work/home life so would appreciate a pay raise to allocate the proper hours per month to the company.

1. Set an in person meeting. I love meeting with someone in person because you can instantly gage their vibe. You don’t have to worry about following up via email or questioning if they hate you when you ask for more money- you can find out on the spot! Start the conversation by again thanking them for having you involved with their brand, and explain that you think your work efforts have proven a (15%, for ex.) raise. BOOM.

1. Let your boss come to you. After about 6 months, most bosses will suggest a pay raise after seeing quality work. You can wait until then so that you don’t have to approach the conversation on your own, even though I totally suggest you ask first.

How have you asked for more money in the past? #LifeUnfiltered