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My client payment rate went from $40 to $75 an hour in two years
Honestly, I used to take any job that came my way just to pay the bills. Two years ago, my average rate was around $40 an hour for bookkeeping work. The big change was when I started saying no to low offers and built a simple website with my past project results. Last month, I landed a steady client at $75 an hour because they saw my clear case studies. It wasn't a quick fix, it took about 18 months of turning down bad deals. Has anyone else found that being pickier actually led to better paying work in the long run?
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thea6026mo ago
Totally get that. Had a similar thing with web design. Started only taking jobs that fit a clear set of rules, like a minimum project price. It felt scary to say no to easy money. But after a few months, the clients who did hire me were way better. They listened to my advice and didn't ask for endless free changes. That let me do better work, which just brought in more of the same good clients.
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wren2304mo ago
And the funny thing is, once I started charging more, I also got pickier about the type of work I'd take. I realized I hated doing ecommerce sites (just endless product pages, ugh) but loved working with local restaurants. That focus actually made it easier to say no, because I could tell myself "this isn't my niche" instead of just "I'm too expensive." It's like the higher prices gave me permission to be a snob about the work itself (which sounds bad, but my portfolio got way more interesting).
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lewis.brian6mo ago
Yeah, the part about "clients who did hire me were way better" is so true. I do freelance writing and had the same fear of turning work down. But the cheap clients always wanted ten rewrites for the price of one. When I finally raised my rates, the new clients just trusted me to do the job right the first time. It's less stress and way more money. How long did it take for you to feel okay saying no?
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