Discounts are DUMB

August 22, 2025

You’d think dropping prices = more sales.

And in the short term… it does.

But the most valuable company on Earth does the opposite. Apple almost never discounts their products. And neither will I.

Black Friday, flash sales, discounts…

They seem like they’re money makers but they’re actually doing more harm than good.

There’s a reason that these offers are often used by brands perceived as “cheap”.

Because that’s the perception discounts give. If a product is discounted, it decreases its perceived value.

So for the whole time it’s not discounted… It seems over priced.

Price is a story.

And the story you tell shapes how people see your value.

Discounts say: “We need to convince you.”

Premium pricing says the opposite. It flips the dynamic.

The below will show you how price really doesn’t effect a customers decision to buy as much as you think.

What Actually Drives Purchase Decisions

  • Reviews & Social Proof - 93% of people say reviews influence their decisions. Adding reviews boosts conversion by up to 380% for high-ticket items.

  • Quality -26% of consumers say they’ll switch brands for better quality, versus 41% for lower price.

  • Brand Trust & Reputation - 81% of people need to trust a brand before buying from it.

  • Convenience & Experience - 74% of consumers say they’ll pay more for a seamless shopping experience.

  • Values & Alignment – 64% of people buy from brands that reflect their values 

  • Packaging & Design - 72% say packaging design influences their buying decision.

  • Price - 41% say price is their deciding factor. And even then, most don’t pick the cheapest, they pick what feels like the best value.

(Not my car by the way)

I’ve made £513,396.49 profit this year.

Not bad, right?

But it wasn’t 9 months of work. It was 5 years of daily sacrifice, risk, and failure that got me here.

That’s what entrepreneurship is. At the start, you won’t make much. And if you chase short term cash you’ll topple the foundations for the future. It’s taken me - a seasoned entrepreneur - 5 years to get to this point.

Entrepreneurship won’t make you lots of money very quickly. But if you’re passionate, don’t focus on money and instead focus on the purpose and the vision, the money will come.

Profit should be a By-product, Not the Goal

I’ve given over £200,000 of that profit away this year.

People laughed when I said I’d never charge anyone for help. They said it would never work. But my goal was always to help people for free not just to make money.

Ironically, sticking to that goal is what allowed me to make money. The charity model is broken. If you give away all your profits, you stunt your growth and your ability to scale.

Instead, find a problem you truly want to solve and relentlessly drive towards it while building monetisation that actually helps you solve it.

This is entrepreneurship with purpose. And it’s how I believe every business should be built. Imagine if all the million and billion-dollar companies out there used their profits to do good. They’d still make a lot of money… but they’d also change the world for the better.

My FREE money making tip

If you have a purpose (a problem you want to fix) but you don’t know how to monetise yet. You can do the exact method I did 5 years ago to get me to where I am today.

One of the fastest ways to monetise is affiliates and sponsorships. Start creating content and post it EVERYWHERE. LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok… the more the better.

It can be videos or written posts.

Then include a product you genuinely love in your bio as well as a small CTA (call to action) in the content. Use affiliate links (Amazon, or any brand you trust).

Affiliates cost you nothing, yet are an easy way to make money.

And here’s where how you can take it to the next step: set up a Stan.Store. Instead of scattering affiliate links everywhere, you have one central hub to host multiple affiliates, sell your own offers, and collect emails (which is crucial for building a community).

It makes you look way more professional from day one, and it’s free to try. Use this link to get your first month free on me, zero cost, but you have the potential to make a lot.

When I started, I used sponsorships and affiliates to monetise… and I still do now. The only difference is, if Stan had been around back then, I would’ve grown even faster.

Thanks, until next week!

-Simon Squibb