What do I charge?

How to think about pricing your contracting services

Congratulations, a client wants to hire you! After writing up your first proposal you get to the most important question: what do I charge? This is a critical part of the proposal. Ask for too much and your client may shelve the project or go with someone cheaper. Ask for too little and you feel like a sucker, especially when the scope gets bigger. Luckily, there’s a better approach to pricing where you don’t have to agonize over rates or try to come up with a number that captures the value of your time.