Took a client's lowball offer and it actually worked out somehow

I had this web design gig back in March where this small bakery owner offered me $350 for a whole site. I was ready to walk away but my buddy told me to take it just for the portfolio piece. Spent about 12 hours on it total and the site got them like 40 online orders in the first month. Now they refer me to other businesses and I've gotten 3 bigger jobs from their connections. Has anyone else had a cheap first gig that ended up paying off way more than the actual money?

3 comments

3 Comments

shanes664d ago

Just be careful undervaluing yourself sets a bad precedent for future clients.

the_hayden4d ago

Been through this before and honestly the "precedent" thing gets blown way out of proportion sometimes. Clients come and go, they don't all talk to each other. Charging less for a trial run or a small project never ruined anyone's career long term. If anything it gets you started and builds confidence. Plenty of people charge low rates for their first few gigs and just scale up as they go. The real precedent is you being able to pay rent while you figure out what works.

flores.mark4d ago

Had a buddy who did his first few design gigs for like fifty bucks just to get stuff in his portfolio. Fast forward a few years and he's charging four figures no problem, none of those early clients ever came back asking for the same rate lol.