c/freelance-survival

Unpopular opinion: I stopped chasing every lead and my income went up.

I tracked my time for a month and found I spent 15 hours a week on calls and proposals for projects that never panned out. I raised my rates by 30% and only responded to referrals, which cut that time down to about 3 hours. Has anyone else found that being less available actually improved their freelance business?

I finally told my accountant friend about my quarterly tax panic

He said 'You're not saving for taxes, you're just paying a bill late' and it clicked... I've been doing this wrong for three years. How do you guys actually set aside the money without touching it?

Overheard a regular at my bar talking about his 'good enough' client calls

He said he stopped trying to be perfect and just aimed to be clear and helpful, which cut his prep time in half. Has anyone else found a simple change that made client work way less stressful?

Talking to a client in Phoenix made me see my rates differently

I was on a call with a client from Phoenix last week, and she mentioned she budgets $5,000 per project for freelance help, no matter the scope. I've been charging by the hour and always come in under that, leaving money on the table. It made me realize I need to start quoting project prices based on the value I provide, not just the time it takes. How do you figure out what a project is really worth to a client?

Just realized I was charging way too little for rush jobs after a client told me 'this is cheaper than my normal guy'

That one time a client's check bounced at the Denver coffee shop

I was meeting a new client at a spot on Colfax Avenue to go over a landscaping plan, and they paid me with a check for the deposit. Two days later, my bank called to say it bounced. I had already bought $500 worth of plants and materials. Now I make all new clients pay half upfront through a direct bank transfer or a card before I even order supplies. Has anyone else had to switch their whole payment system after one bad check?

Vent: The coffee shop on 5th Ave has a 'freelancer discount' now

Went to grab a coffee at Brew & Go yesterday. Saw a sign for 10% off if you show your freelance website. Felt weird, like they're trying to buy our business with a tiny discount. Makes me think they see us as desperate. Anyone else feel patronized by stuff like that?

I thought fixing a client's broken payment plugin would take an hour, but it took three whole days because of a weird server setting.

What's the most time you've lost on a problem that seemed simple at first?

My worst week ever started with a $5,000 client ghosting me

It was a Tuesday in March when the email chain for a huge branding project just went dead, two days before the final payment was due. I had already turned down other work to focus on it. By Friday, I was scrambling, sending out ten pitches a day from my kitchen table in Austin. Anyone else had a big client vanish right at the finish line? How did you bounce back?

PSA: Just saw that 70% of freelancers have no emergency fund

I was reading a report from a freelance union site last night. It said a full 70% of people working for themselves have less than three months of living costs saved. That number hit me hard because I'm in that group. I've been going project to project for two years and never built a real safety net. It makes sense why a slow month feels so scary now. How are other people here setting money aside when income is so up and down?

I finally stopped charging by the hour for my graphic design work

For years, I thought hourly was the only fair way to bill, but a project last month changed my mind. A client needed a logo and a simple flyer, and I quoted $50 an hour, thinking it would take about 4 hours. The logo idea came to me instantly, and I finished the whole job in under 90 minutes. When I sent the $75 invoice, I felt like I was cheating myself out of the value I delivered. Now I charge a flat project fee based on what the work is worth to the client, not how long it takes me. Has anyone else made this switch and how do you figure out your prices now?

I switched from hourly to project pricing last month and the difference is wild

I used to charge $50 an hour for web design work, but I was always fighting about time logs with clients. Last month, I gave a flat $1200 quote for a full site rebuild for a local bakery. I finished it in 15 hours, which worked out to way more per hour, and the client was happy because they knew the total cost up front. The stress of tracking every minute is just gone. How do you decide what to charge for a full project?

Am I the only one who raised my rates by 30% and immediately landed a better client?

I was scared to do it, but after a slow February I told the next inquiry my day rate was $850. They hired me for a 3 week project in Chicago without even negotiating. Has anyone else had a client just say yes to a big jump?

Saw a bunch of freelancers working together at a coffee shop in Portland

I was grabbing a coffee in Portland last week and noticed a whole table of people sharing a power strip and talking about their projects. One guy said he was a writer, another did web design, and they were swapping tips on finding clients. It made me think about how we all work alone so much, but maybe we should team up more. Has anyone here tried sharing a workspace or teaming up with another freelancer on a job?

I switched from billing by the hour to a flat project fee for a website redesign, and the client was way happier.

Serious question, what do you do when a client ghosts you after a big milestone?

I was finishing a website build for a client in Austin, and right after I sent the final mockup for approval, they just stopped answering. No replies for two full weeks. I had already put in about 40 hours on the project. I finally sent a firm email saying I'd pause all work and hold the files until the invoice for the completed phase was settled. They paid the next day. Has anyone else had to put a project on ice like that to get paid?

I paid $200 for a project management course and it saved my whole month

My accountant mentioned that 70% of his freelance clients don't set aside money for quarterly taxes, and it's the main reason they get into trouble.

I started putting 30% of every single payment into a separate savings account immediately, and it saved me from a huge panic last April.

Just read that 70% of freelance writers have a client ghost them at least once.

Found that stat in a survey from a freelance writer's blog. It made me feel a bit better about the guy who vanished after I sent his first draft. How do you handle a client who just stops replying?

I just hit 30 days without a single 'scope creep' email from a client

After a bad project last fall where a simple logo turned into a full brand guide for free, I started using a super clear project brief template. I list every single deliverable, down to the number of revisions, and make them sign off before I start. It felt like overkill at first, but it's saved me so much stress. I even had a client ask for an extra icon last week, and I could just point to the brief and say 'that's a new project'. Has anyone else found a specific document or step that really cut down on those endless little requests?

Warning: I tried to raise my rates by $10 an hour and lost my best client

I've been doing freelance web design for about two years and finally felt confident enough to charge more. Last month, I told my main client, who gave me steady work, that my rate was going from $35 to $45. I thought it was a small jump. They said they'd think about it and ghosted me a week later. Now I'm scrambling to find new projects and my income dropped by half this month. I learned the hard way that you need to build up a bigger client list before you make a move like that. Has anyone else had a client bail after a rate increase, and how do you make it less risky?

Showerthought: My 'good enough' portfolio site cost me a job in Denver last month

I lost a solid contract because the client said my site took 8 seconds to load on their phone. I spent $20 on a basic speed test tool and fixed the biggest image files, which cut that time in half. Anyone else get caught out by something simple like site speed?

Showerthought: I put my hourly rate on my website and got a weird call

Last month, I added a clear 'starting at $95/hour' line to my HVAC service page. A guy called, said he loved the honesty, then asked if I'd fix his neighbor's unit for free to 'build my brand' in his gated community. I said no, obviously. The lesson? Being clear just filters out the people who were never going to pay anyway. Anyone else get wild requests after being upfront about pricing?

Serious question, I was at a coffee shop in Austin and saw a guy working on a huge project for $15 an hour

Honestly, I overheard him talking to a friend about a website redesign that should have cost at least two grand. He was using some freelance platform that takes a huge cut, and he looked totally burned out. It made me think about how we all set our rates when starting out. How do you figure out what to charge for your first few jobs without getting stuck like that?

Showerthought: My old client binder from 2020 is basically a museum piece now.

Back then, I'd mail paper invoices to a PO box in Chicago, but last week I got paid in crypto from a client I've never met. Has anyone else's payment process changed that much?