Well said!
You're so right. For providers, the cost of running their business has increased quite a bit in the past few years. Like any business, they'll pass much of that cost to customers. Fair enough. As I'm writing this, I'm thinking about the overhead providers have to worry about. Travel and hotel are obvious but photos, advertising, website, clothes, makeup, healthcare... I'm sure the list goes on.
On top of that, each provider determines their own business model.
Higher cost often equals fewer clients (low volume). Fewer clients equals less exposure which equals less risk (both LE risk and personal safety risk) and less hassle of screening and probably other up-side benefits. But if the client base is too small, maybe the provider begins to think this business isn't worth it.
I believe (with zero evidence) this is the case with many new/VIP providers. They get into the business thinking they'll make a ton of money on just a few clients. They invest upfront for web development, high-quality photos, etc, and charge $900-1000 or more an hour. Some of them likely learn the clientele just isn't there at that price point and the math just doesn't add up for them.
Seems to me the providers who have a track record and have boosted prices a little (into the $400 or in some cases $500 range) will have found the sweet spot. Maybe some clients on a fixed income or pension or whatever will reduce their frequency, but there are probably enough clients who have also seen wage increases to cover the difference.
