Just realized my old mentor's advice about flat rates was dead wrong

My first freelancing mentor told me to always charge flat rates, no exceptions. He said hourly billing makes clients watch the clock and question your speed. I stuck with that for about 2 years until I took on a $1,200 web project that needed 8 revisions over 6 weeks. Turns out I made maybe $8 an hour on that job after all the back and forth. Switched to hourly after that and my regulars actually said they prefer knowing exactly what they're paying for. Has anyone else found that flat rate only works for tiny, predictable projects?

3 comments

3 Comments

taylor_wells18d ago

Yep, been there. Flat rate only works for stuff you can nail down to 2-3 hours max. Once you add revisions or client indecision you're just donating your time. I do a hybrid now - flat for the base scope, then hourly for anything that moves.

grantc8018d ago

Is it just me or is life full of advice that sounds good but only works in perfect conditions? Flat rate is like those meal prep plans everyone swears by. Works great if you eat the same thing every day and nothing goes wrong. But one bad batch of chicken or a power outage and your whole week is shot. Same with projects. The minute variables show up you're losing money fast. Hourly billing handles the messiness of real life way better. Most people just want fairness not a bargain.

lee58218d ago

That meal prep comparison nails it because both assume you can predict everything ahead of time. In real life, unexpected stuff pops up every single project and flat rate just punishes you for things outside your control. Hourly keeps it honest because you're paying for the actual work, not some guess someone made weeks ago.