On the surface, it sounds simple. Add a new tier. Introduce usage. Offer a discount for annual plans.
It feels like a business adjustment that can be handled with a few changes in the dashboard. But pricing is never just a number.
Behind every “small tweak” sits architecture. Data models define what can be charged. State transitions determine what happens during upgrades or downgrades. Contracts lock in assumptions that must hold true months later. Historical invoices need to remain reproducible even after rules change.
What feels like a 30-minute strategic decision often translates into months of engineering work because pricing changes ripple through the entire system.
- Can existing customers be grandfathered without breaking new logic? - Can mid-cycle changes be handled without corrupting usage calculations? - Can finance explain every invoice after the rules evolve?
These are not edge cases. They are the natural consequences of growth.
The real cost of a pricing meeting is not the debate in the room. It is the assumption that implementation will be straightforward.
Mature companies understand that pricing is architecture. It defines how value is measured, how revenue is recognized, and how contracts behave over time.
When you change pricing, you are not adjusting a slide, you are modifying the backbone of your business.
That is why the most expensive meeting in a startup is often the one that sounds the simplest.