Ran into a retired copywriter at the library who gave me a solid tip

I was at the main branch downtown last Thursday, looking for a quiet spot to work, and this older guy saw me struggling with a client brief. He leaned over and said, 'Kid, you're charging by the hour, right? Stop that. Charge for the project and add 20% for the headache tax.' He explained he did that for 30 years and it saved his sanity. Has anyone else switched to project rates and found it works better?

3 comments

3 Comments

henderson.avery13d ago

That headache tax is real, I add 15% automatically for any client who's been difficult before. Project pricing lets you focus on doing good work instead of watching the clock. I also build in two rounds of revisions in the flat fee, anything past that gets billed extra. It filters out the clients who want endless changes for free. My income got way more predictable once I made the switch.

the_lucas13d ago

Disagree, @henderson.avery. Flat fees just invite more scope creep.

riley_miller2513d ago

My contract caps revisions at three, after that my hourly rate kicks in.