Wasted $80 on an online course about freelance pricing strategies...

I spent $80 on a course that promised to help me figure out how to charge for my first gigs, but it was all generic advice that didn't apply to my field. Turned out the instructor had never done hands-on work like roofing, so their formulas were useless for real-world jobs. Has anyone else thrown money at a pricing guide or class that just made things more confusing?

3 comments

3 Comments

noahwood1d ago

and that's exactly where most of these courses miss the mark completely. i fell for one too, paid like $60 for a "pricing mastery" thing from some guy who clearly hasn't worked a day of physical labor in his life. he kept talking about value-based pricing and hourly rates but never mentioned how to account for weather delays or gear wear or the fact that you might have to spend half the day driving to a job site. its like these formulas assume every client is sitting at a desk nodding along perfectly. the roofing thing you mentioned is a perfect example, you got to factor in material volatility too, lumber prices spiked like crazy last year and none of those cookie cutter guides ever adjust for that.

faithpatel1d ago

Hang on though @noahwood, is it really that deep? I mean yeah those courses are mostly garbage and overpriced, but $60 is like two pizzas. At that point you just shrug and move on. Weather delays and gear wear are just part of the job, you figure that stuff out after a few weeks. Material volatility sucks but anyone paying attention knew lumber was gonna spike. Not every little thing needs a formula.

maryr431d ago

That "two pizzas" comparison really puts it in perspective.