c/first-gig-pricing

Spent $150 on a portfolio template pack and it nearly ruined my first client meeting

I thought spending money on those fancy pre-made templates would make me look professional. Instead the client spent half the meeting asking why my logo was pixelated and why the fonts looked weird on their phone. Turns out the templates weren't optimized for anything but the demo screenshots. Anyone else get burned by overpriced downloads that just created more problems?

My first gig setup got ruined by a $20 office chair that collapsed mid-call

I was on a Zoom meeting with a new client from Austin when my chair literally fell apart and I ended up on the floor with the camera still on. I tried to play it cool by saying 'sorry, technical difficulties' while crawling to find a replacement. Has anyone else had gear fail at the worst possible moment during a first job?

Serious question, why does everyone say to start with low prices? I tried that and it backfired hard.

I was at a coffee shop in Austin last month, finishing up my first freelance graphic design gig for a small bakery. I quoted them $200 for a logo, which was way below what I felt it was worth because every forum said to underprice until you have a portfolio. They agreed fast, but then they kept asking for changes every two days, like 8 versions of the same thing. I spent 30 hours on it total, and when I finally sent the invoice, they said they expected more for that price and acted disappointed. So I made like $6 an hour and got a bad review anyway. Has anyone else dealt with people treating cheap prices like an invitation to demand the world?

Vent: That first client project took me 40 hours more than I quoted

I landed my first real graphic design gig for a local coffee shop's menu redesign. I quoted them $300 based on a quick 5 hour estimate, but their owner kept asking for tweaks to the font sizes and color shades. It ended up taking 15 hours total between revisions and me learning how to set up print files. Has anyone else wildly underestimated their time on a first freelance job?

Why does every new freelancer think $10 an hour is a good starting rate?

I keep seeing people in this group saying they quoted $8-12 an hour for graphic design work and I just don't get it. How are you supposed to build a business when you're barely covering your coffee and internet bill?

Talked to a guy who charges $200 for logo designs and I was floored

Was at a coffee shop Tuesday and overheard this designer talking to his friend. Said he started doing logos for $50 each about 2 years ago. Then he raised his price to $200 and actually got more clients. He said people trust you more when you charge more. Made me rethink my whole $25 flier design rate I've been using. Has anyone else tried a big price jump and seen it work out?

Nearly lost a $600 logo gig in Austin because I quoted too low and the client thought I was amateur

I was sitting in a coffee shop on South Congress when a startup founder literally laughed at my $150 quote and said 'that makes me nervous you're gonna mess it up,' so now I always ask around what the going rate is before I throw out a number has anyone else had a price backfire like that?

Spent 3 hours troubleshooting a simple PDF export issue that should have taken 10 minutes

Lost a whole afternoon trying to figure out why my client's logo was blurry in the final file, and it turns out I had the resolution set wrong in export settings the entire time - has anyone else burned way too much time on a basic tech hiccup during their first gig?

Changed my mind about charging hourly after a $50 logo disaster

I was working on a logo for a local coffee shop in Austin and quoted them $50 flat. After 4 rounds of tiny tweaks to the color and font I spent almost 10 hours on it. I realized I basically paid them to work on their project lol. Now I always give a fixed price but with a limit on revisions and that has saved my sanity.

Pro tip: I lowballed my first web design quote and regretted it fast

Charged $150 for a whole site rebuild for a local bakery in Austin. Took me 18 hours and I made less than minimum wage. How do you figure out your hourly rate when you're totally new?

That friend who offered me 'exposure' instead of cash for my first logo design

I was 22 and a buddy from college asked me to design a logo for his new food truck in Nashville. He said he'd promote me on his Instagram (he had like 300 followers) and that it would be 'great for my portfolio.' I spent 15 hours on that thing, tweaked it 4 times, and he never even posted about me. Now I tell every new freelancer I meet: get paid in dollars, not promises. Has anyone here actually had a success story from working for free upfront?

PSA: Just overheard a newbie freelancer say they 'don't do contracts for small jobs' and I froze

Was grabbing coffee at a shared workspace in Austin yesterday and heard a guy maybe 22 years old tell someone he doesn't bother with contracts for projects under $500. Said it 'feels too formal.' I wanted to jump in but didn't. His first gig at that price could go fine but one bad client and he's out weeks of work with no paper trail. I charged $200 for my very first freelance writing job back in 2019 and didn't use a contract. Client ghosted after I sent the draft. Never saw a dime. Took me months to start again because I felt stupid. Anyone here skip contracts on early cheap gigs and regret it later?

Told my rate to a fellow freelancer and they laughed, now I'm second guessing everything

Found a note in my kitchen from 2019 about my freelance rates

I was cleaning out a drawer last week and saw this old notebook where I had scribbled down $15 an hour for my first design work. Now I'm wondering if I should share that number with new people or just let them figure it out like I did.

Undersold my first web design gig by $400 and I'm still kicking myself

Last month I landed my first freelance web design job through a friend of a friend. I was so scared of losing it that I quoted them $200 for a full 5-page site. Took me about 40 hours total because I kept redoing stuff and learning on the fly. When I finally invoiced them, they paid it no questions asked and even said I should charge more next time. I found out later from another freelancer that the going rate for that kind of work in my city is around $600 minimum. Now I'm sitting here realizing I basically worked for $5 an hour after taxes. Has anyone else totally lowballed their first price and regretted it right after?

Lowballed my first editing gig and it actually worked out great

I charged $50 for a 5 page website copy edit last month because I was so nervous about scaring off my first client. Turns out they referred me to two other small business owners who paid me $150 each for similar work. I guess my lesson was to start somewhere and not stress about being perfect with pricing right away. Has anyone else accidentally underpriced their first gig and had it turn into more work?

My first freelance gig I charged $20 for a logo and thought I was rich

Back in 2019 I quoted a buddy's clothing brand $20 for a full logo pack because I had no clue what anything was worth. Now I charge $350 minimum for the same work after I realized I was basically paying them to let me work for free. How did you figure out your first real rate?

Showerthought: billing by the hour actually punishes speed

I just did my first freelance web design gig for a local bakery in Austin, and I spent like 2 hours on what I thought would take 6. I was so proud until I realized I made less money per project than if I had dragged it out. Then I read this blog post from a designer who broke down how she switched to flat rates and tripled her income over 6 months. It totally clicked for me that hourly billing rewards slowness, not skill. Has anyone else tried switching to project-based pricing for their first few gigs?

I finally charged what my time is worth after a talk at the library

Last Tuesday I was at the downtown branch looking for books on small business and ended up chatting with a retired graphic designer. She told me she used to charge $25 an hour for years until a friend showed her a simple formula based on living expenses and taxes. I went home and redid my numbers for my first freelance web project and raised my rate from $30 to $45 an hour. Has anyone else had a random conversation that made them rethink their pricing?

Overheard my neighbor telling his kid to charge $50 for a whole day of yard work

I was grabbing my mail and heard this dad coaching his 14 year old on pricing for helping out the old lady next door. $50 for 8 hours of mowing, weeding, and hauling brush, that's like $6 an hour lol. I almost yelled over the fence that even fast food pays double that now. Made me think about how I underpriced my first freelance graphic design gig at $100 for a full website banner set. Has anyone else had that moment where they realized they were basically working for pocket change?

Charged $50 for my first freelance flyer design and the client asked for a refund an hour later

I did a quick flyer for a local bakery in Austin last month and only asked $50 since I was nervous about pricing. They came back saying their nephew could have done it in 5 minutes and wanted their money back. Has anyone else dealt with buyers who undervalue design work right from the start?

Charged $500 for my first freelance logo and felt like a total fraud until the client came back for more work 3 months later

Found out most freelancers undercharge by 40% - here's the math that shocked me

I was reading a survey from the Freelancers Union last night and it said the average first-timer charges $25 an hour but the market rate for basic web design is actually $40. That is a HUGE gap. The survey had like 3,000 freelancers in it so I think the numbers are legit. I always heard you should start low to get clients but 40% below market seems crazy. Has anyone else seen this survey or found different numbers from a real source?

Undersold my first logo by $400 and had to eat the extra work

Watched my neighbor go from $20 landscaping jobs to $400 a yard in 8 months

Tbh I used to think you just had to charge what everyone else charges for first gigs. But last spring I helped my neighbor Jim with his first few mowing jobs. He started at $20 a yard just to get clients. After 3 months he had like 15 regular yards. Then he bought a trimmer and started edging and blowing. By month 6 he raised to $35 and nobody complained. Then he added mulching and pruning as add ons. By August he was charging $80 for basic yards and $150 for full service with weeding. I saw his books and he pulled $400 on one big yard last month. The difference was he proved his quality first then raised prices. Has anyone else seen new freelancers start too low and get stuck there for years?