Everyone says to raise your rates after a year, but I cut mine and booked 4 new projects.

I dropped my design fee from $75 to $50 an hour for my first 3 months in Austin, and it got me the portfolio pieces I needed to land bigger contracts. Has anyone else found that starting lower actually builds momentum faster?

3 comments

3 Comments

nina_hall481mo ago

Forget the hourly rate debate for a second. You're really paying for a local network. That low intro price is like buying a ticket into a new city's word-of-mouth circle. Those first few clients in a new place talk to EVERYONE. The portfolio is great, but the local referrals you just bought for $50 an hour are the real gold. You can't get that from a cold email at a higher rate.

singh.harper1mo ago

Exactly, that local word-of-mouth circle is the real win. You bought trust at a discount, which is way harder to get later.

alice_allen51mo ago

Yeah, and like nina_hall48 said, that network can even help you raise your rates later.