And the unfortunate part of that story - is that you've anchored them to what you're worth. It's unlikely that you get that church to pay you a market rate for that event. They will forever be "poisoned" from having had a $200 DJ.
In my experience, that comparison you're making is part of how rates will ultimately rise. You'll see another DJ do a gig one day... and find out they are making $600 a night. And they're using worse stuff, not engaging with the crowd correctly... and you'll think.... "Oh... well I'm at LEAST as good as that guy. I should be worth what they are... if not more."
There is nothing wrong with being a hobbyist in this space. Most full timers and serious professionals started out as just that. But the more samples you have to compare to... if you're doing good work, the more you'll increase your perception of your own value.
I'm not looking for a market rate; it's dances that my kids and their friends go to. Unsurprisingly, they had a terrible DJ, so I offered to do the dances and that was their budget. It's closer to charity. And honestly, if they came to me and said they were cancelling future dances because the church pulled their entire budget, I would probably offer to keep doing them for free.
But if a school or some group I had no ties to called and asked for the same type of event, they wouldn't get the same price. It would be at least $225.
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