[herewego]

I generally disagree with the “charge more” recommendation in the beginning. The reality is that until you have a sustainable client base, taking lower rates is often a necessity. In time, though, you should raise your rates to be market center.

One more mistake I would add was that I didn’t specialize at first. I marketed myself as a general full-stack software developer and that was the wrong move. Now I specialize in a particular area that I focus on and excel at and that is something companies are willing to pay for. The value proposition is clear; they’re paying for a specialization that they won’t ever have (or need long-term) in-house.

Edit: I own and run a very profitable consulting company, among other things.