Cynthia Barnes used to earn less than $90,000 a year building systems that powered entire companies—until she realized her expertise was worth far more than a pay cheque. In this electrifying piece, she breaks down the mindset and math behind reclaiming your value: the same knowledge that once earned her $89K a year now commands $25K a day. With sharp wit and unflinching truth, Barnes challenges every professional—especially Black women—to stop letting employers rent their brilliance at discount rates and start charging the true market value of their genius.
The price of genius: How Cynthia Barnes turned her salary into a six-figure invoice
“They asked me what my expertise was worth.
I pulled up my bank statements from the previous 5 years.
$67,000. $72,000. $78,000. $82,000. $89,000.
That’s what I charged when I called it a salary.
Then I started calling it consulting.
$50,000 for 2 days. $75,000 for a framework. $175,000 for implementation.
Same brain. Same expertise. Same Black woman.
Different invoice.
𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬:
My annual salary for creating frameworks: $89,000
My daily rate for explaining them: $25,000
They paid me $89K/year to build their future.
They pay me $25K/day to understand it.
Last month, I invoiced $175,000 to three companies.
For teaching them systems I built while making 63 cents to their dollar.
One CEO called it “highway robbery.”
I called it market rate for highway construction.
Because I didn’t just build their systems. I built the roads their entire business runs on.
The Framework Value Formula™:
Take your last salary.
Divide by 2,080 (work hours/year).
That’s what they paid per hour for your genius.
Now multiply by 100.
That’s your consulting hourly rate.
Because scarcity creates value.
And you’re not their employee anymore.
Real numbers from Black women using this formula:
• Former salary: $95K → Consulting rate: $4,567/hour
• Former salary: $120K → Consulting rate: $5,769/hour
• Former salary: $78K → Consulting rate: $3,750/hour
One woman invoiced her former employer $182,000.
For a 10-day engagement.
Teaching them the system she built for $78K/year.
They called it “excessive.”
She called it “retroactive market adjustment.”
They paid it. Because their new hire couldn’t figure out her documentation.
To every Black woman wondering what to charge:
Your expertise isn’t worth what they paid you.
It’s worth what they can’t function without.
Your knowledge isn’t valued at employment rates.
It’s valued at replacement cost.
Your frameworks aren’t priced by the hour.
They’re priced by the millions they generate.
Stop letting them rent your brilliance at employee prices.
Start selling it at market value.
The formula is simple:
What they paid you ÷ What you saved them = The crime
What you charge now × Their desperation = The correction
Invoice accordingly.
Thank You; It’s True™
P.S. My client just sent her first $100K invoice. Her former salary? $72,000. Their response? “When can you start?”
Your expertise has always been expensive. You just haven’t been billing correctly.
© Cynthia Barnes 2025