[w0rd-driven]

I think understanding the value you're giving is key but it's somewhat of a black art. Freelance bidding sites that have something like 'build complete Facebook clone for $29.99' are a huge red flag to me. The client obviously has no clue what goes into something like that, even if you paid someone $0.99 an hour it would blow past their 'budget' almost immediately. On the backend when what you delivered was functional if it was Facebook scale with ad networks would likely rake in far far more than their budget. As a developer I can't expect to charge the expected revenue stream but there is an art to finding the happy medium.

I find myself in this even in a salaried position. If I'm constantly solving problems that brings the company I work for millions in revenue, my paltry salary that is lower than market rate starts to seem like a liability. I know there's a risk I'm not taking but in an ideal world I would be adequately compensated for any increase I'm directly involved with. I know we don't live in that ideal world but it would be nice to be somewhere close to it.

[bigmanwalter]

Communal workplaces are sprouting up around the US and I'm in the process of searching for one myself. Generally they act as consulting/freelancing/contracting firms. Ownership is shared by all workers in accordance to their level of participation in the firm. Profits above the time and materials required to build a project are shared by investing into communal assets or by distributing them as dividends to all members.