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Appreciation post: A client's budget breakdown I saw on a shared screen was a real eye-opener
I was on a video call with a new client last month, going over their project goals, and they accidentally shared their whole screen instead of just the presentation. For about ten seconds, I saw their internal budget spreadsheet. They had a line item for 'creative work' that was about 15% of the total project cost. The rest was for 'platform fees', 'admin', and 'management', which was basically just their own salary. I mean, I always knew agencies marked things up, but seeing the actual numbers, where the person doing the work gets the smallest slice, really got to me. It wasn't even a huge project, maybe a $10k total budget, but that split felt wild. Idk, maybe it's just me, but it made me rethink how I quote my own services now. Has anyone else had a moment like that, where you saw the real math behind a client's ask?
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theacooper6mo ago
Yeah that "smallest slice" thing is brutal. Read an article once where a freelance writer found out the agency charged the client $1.50 a word and paid her 15 cents. She was the whole product. It's just how that model works. The fee is for them finding the client and dealing with the hassle. Still feels bad when you see it. Makes you want to cut out the middleman.
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jake_sullivan6mo ago
That writer's story is wild but honestly, how many clients are paying a buck fifty a word? Most places I see are charging way less to begin with.
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