New freelancers in ABQ keep pricing by the hour and it's costing them real money | Abq Local Freelancers - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals
New freelancers in ABQ keep pricing by the hour and it's costing them real money
I've been freelancing here in Albuquerque for about 9 years now, mostly web design and some copy work, and I keep seeing the same thing with folks who are just starting out. They charge by the hour, and I get why, it feels safer when you're not sure what a project is worth. But back in 2019 I did a full site rebuild for a shop on Central and quoted 40 hours at $60, so $2,400. It took me 70 hours because the client kept changing their mind and I ate every one of those extra hours. A friend who's been doing this way longer than me over in Santa Fe told me to stop selling time and start selling the outcome. Now I quote a flat project rate, pad it for the mess, and if I get faster I keep the difference. Last month I did a 5 page site in 3 days flat and made the same money I used to make in two weeks. Anybody else here switched over, and how do you handle clients who still want an hourly breakdown?