I've always said that everyone has a price.
Former NBA player Carlos Boozer recently told a story on a podcast about a house he purchased in Los Angeles shortly before being traded to the Utah Jazz. The short story is that he outfitted the house with furniture and decorations to his and his wife's liking. Did I mention it was an 18,000-square-foot house? Then, as he was headed to Utah, his agent called with a proposition.
"Would you like to rent the LA house while you're in Utah?"
"No, I just bought that house," Boozer replied.
"What about for $100,000 per month," the agent countered.
"Done, but wait, who is renting it for that price?"
The new renter was none other than musical superstar Prince. He needed a house to record his latest album, which would later become the 3121 album.
Boozer then went off to Utah to start the season, and he sort of forgot about the whole thing except when that wire would come in each month to pay the rent. Several months later, Boozer was in Los Angeles and decided to go visit the house. Much to his chagrin, the house was completely redecorated inside — purple carpet, new furniture, painted walls. Furious, he started making calls and eventually got a hold of Prince. Prince, not shockingly, was calm as could be and assured him the house would be put back together just as it was. To calm Boozer down, he sent him a wire for $500,000. Boozer calmed down.
When the lease was up, Prince moved out and had his people redecorate the house back to exactly how it was before. Approximately $1.7M later, and Boozer was right back where he started — even though his original stance was that he never wanted to rent the house out. Proving once again, everyone has a price.
I see this all the time with careers where people say they don't want to do certain roles, or they don't want to take on specific clients, or they want to avoid having to deal with certain people. But there is always a price tag attached to these stipulations. You may not do it for x, but you'll probably do it for y.
I think what's so fascinating about this concept is that we tend to say no at first with such a hard stance, but once the money starts to be discussed, it's easy to change stances. Sometimes this is the right thing, sometimes not. It really all just depends on where your head is at to start and the why behind your answer.
Here's where people get themselves into trouble. It's not about having a price; it's about not being honest about what that price actually is. They say no publicly, but quietly hope the offer gets better. They act like they're above it, until the number hits their inbox and suddenly everything becomes "worth considering." That's where you lose leverage with yourself. If you're going to move, own it. If you're going to hold your ground, own that too.
At the end of the day, this isn't really about money; it's often about clarity and expectations. Know your number. Know your line. Know what you're willing to trade your time, your energy, and your peace of mind for. Because once the offer shows up, you won't rise to the moment — you'll fall back on whatever standard you've already set. And if you haven't set one, don't be surprised when you wake up one day living in a version of your life that someone else paid you to accept.
Oh, and by the way — that house Boozer bought? He paid $8.4M for it and eventually sold it for $12.8M because a famous individual named Prince had lived in it for a year. So I guess it all worked out.