Your Stuck Type playbook
Your impact has raced ahead of your pay. You're delivering real value; your comp and your leverage just haven't caught up. That's fixable — with evidence and a plan, not hope.
Let's be honest about the uncomfortable bit first: nobody is going to spontaneously notice you're underpaid and fix it out of guilt. Pay gets corrected when you make the case, on evidence, to the person who can actually move the number. Here's how.
Work out two things: the value you actually generate, and the market rate for your role. That's your evidence — not a feeling, not "I've been here three years." When you know your number, the conversation stops being emotional and starts being obvious.
Bring the market data and your impact, and drop the shrinking language — the "sorry," the "I was wondering if maybe." You're not asking for a favour, you're re-pricing an asset. And ask the person who can actually move the number, not the one who just sympathises.
There's a limit to how much you can save, but no limit to how much you can earn. Saving is defence; earning is offence. Turn a skill into an asset — a side income, a specialism, equity — so your income isn't capped by one salary line.
When the raise lands, don't let it vanish into nicer dinners and a leased car — otherwise you're not rich, you're just broke wearing nicer shoes. Use money to make money first: a pension match is basically free money, and it compounds while you sleep.
Start with knowing your number. Everything else is easier once the figure is on paper.
— Kajol, your corporate aunty 👋🏽
That's what my 1:1 coaching is for. This week it's 10% off with code STUCK10.
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