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?

2 comments

2 Comments

avery62913d ago

Notice this happens everywhere once you get good at something. My mechanic charges by the job, not the hour, because he knows exactly how long a brake change takes him. For projects, I add up all the hours I think it'll take, then double it for problems and client changes. What's the hardest part of your project to guess the time for?

james99513d ago

Doubling time for problems sounds smart but it can backfire. Clients start expecting that padded timeline as the new normal, then rush you anyway. The real trick is getting better at spotting the unpredictable bits before you even give a quote.