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by iamben
5039 days ago
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This is fantastic advice. The first time I freelanced I was so paranoid about getting work I took on silly amounts of work for absurdly low amounts of money. I'd also add bits on to 'sweeten the deal' - "I'll also do X and X and X!" etc. It just ended up depressing me. I'd be working harder than my friends (in their 'real' jobs) for far less cash, with far less respect from the clients. Now I'll just set a fair price and stick to it. Decent clients seem to respect you for doing it (and understand you have your own overheads) and there's a much more business like approach to the job (unlike the cheaper clients, who I completely agree, end up the most demanding). Also, feeling much happier and more valued doing the work makes me want to put in much more of an effort. |
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I think you might have stuck longer to the lower rate + spec work. The idea is to start low and ramp up very very quickly. Infact initially you should try to double your rates, and adjust(A/B test!) your rate according to response rate.
Also i think rate is not a static thing. It depends on how much work is on your plate, or how less. It also depends on the market. So when tomorrow a lot of these startups go belly up and billion dollar valuations runs dry, so might your work. You will have to adapt accordingly.
If you don't have enough work at a particular rate, there's no harm in claiming a lower rate as a few test data points. You can always bill some hours you might not bill on the higher rate. For eg. sometimes i leave off some of the research hours when i'm billing a higher rate, but i bill them when i bid a lower one for whatever reason.