Charging per hour felt right until I ran the math on a 40 hour project

Used to bill hourly at $75 and thought it was fine, then I tracked 3 weeks on a Seattle gig and realized my actual output was closer to $50 an hour after unpaid admin. Switched to flat project pricing last spring, same type of work, and netted 30% more without rushing. Anyone else find hourly rates just punish you for being fast?

2 comments

2 Comments

hannahj493d ago

Hourly billing is basically a tax on being good at your job, you work faster and you get punished for it. Flat pricing at least lets you keep the upside of your own speed instead of handing it back to the client as a discount. Sounds like you found the cheat code, just don't tell the whole crew or they'll want a raise.

the_rowan2d agoMost Upvoted

man that hit way too close to home, i still feel guilty every time i quote flat and finish in half the time. like i know it's fair but my brain still goes "should i have charged more or worked slower?" never really goes away, even when you know it's the right call.