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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nProspective clients thought that it was a good idea to charge low, low rates, and had short-term goals and expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And that\u2019s a bad thing because I had to spend a lot of time searching for new clients. This lead to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Not nearly enough time to write<\/li>
- A lot of dissatisfaction<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
A major creative block, that was so bad that I nearly gave up on my freelance business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yet, I\u2019ve now been freelancing for two years now. And I\u2019m proud to say that I didn\u2019t give in to the temptation to \u201cgive up and do something else.\u201d But what changed my mind?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It started with one of the most important realizations of my freelance journey so far:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No matter what, you\u2019re the boss, not your client!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you\u2019re new to freelancing saying, \u201cyes\u201d to every offer is extremely tempting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But to really grow your business, and reach your long-term goals, you have to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Learn to say \u201cno\u201d sometimes<\/li>
- Only charge what you want to charge<\/li>
- Confidently take ownership of that rate.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
New freelancers often ask what they should charge. And that is what often causes someone to chime in and say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Charge what you\u2019re worth!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although that\u2019s not necessarily bad advice, there\u2019s a really serious problem with that statement. \u201cWhat you\u2019re worth,\u201d means something totally different to everyone. And that\u2019s not necessarily a bad thing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t get me wrong. I don\u2019t want you to pick a random, numerical, dollar value and stick to it. What I\u2019m really telling you to do is pick your rate, based on a per project rate that suits your individual needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because the truth is, there are no right answers to the rates question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s what you need to ask yourself that will help you \u201ccharge what you\u2019re worth\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. WHY ARE YOU FREELANCING?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
People\u2019s reasons for freelancing are extremely diverse. This is exactly why telling people what rates are right or wrong is a really bad idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example: are you doing this full-time? Are you doing this while juggling a full or part-time job? This is a great way to figure out how to freelance comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. WHAT\u2019S THE COST OF LIVING, WHERE YOU CURRENTLY LIVE?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Are two freelancers with the same specialty charging two different rates? Because the cost of living varies worldwide, their location might be to blame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Small town or rural county-based freelancers are often okay with charging less. And this isn\u2019t about how much experience they have. It\u2019s as simple as the lower cost for essential expenses such as food, rent, and clothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Freelancers based in large cities, have a higher cost of living and are more likely to charge more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So where are you located, and how much do you have to pay for everything from rent, to a nice night out at a restaurant? Don\u2019t compare and contrast yourself to other freelancers. Instead think carefully about what you need to charge to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE YOU TO COMPLETE YOUR FREELANCE WORK?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
If you don\u2019t know the answer to this question, do a practice round of the freelance work that you specialize in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s a time-consuming activity. I get it. But that\u2019s what slow periods are good for. This is an amazing opportunity to know exactly how much time it takes you to complete a task. It\u2019s also a great way to enhance your skills, and make your clients love you even more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Use the amount of time it takes you per task to figure out how much you need to charge to reach your income goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. ARE THERE ANY EXTRA EXPENSES?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
I offer copywriting, blogging, and editing services, so all I need to get started is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- WIFI<\/li>
- My computer<\/li>
- A really good cup of coffee<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Yet, this isn\u2019t the case for everyone\u2019s niche. If you need anything that actually costs money, to complete your work factor it into your quoted rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. WHAT ARE YOUR LONG-TERM INCOME GOALS?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
People\u2019s income goals are extremely diverse, and everyone\u2019s got a dollar value that they want to make:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Per month<\/li>
- Per year<\/li>
- Per week<\/li>
- Etc.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
And I\u2019m sure that\u2019s the case for you as well. Don\u2019t be afraid to raise your rates, if you\u2019re not reaching your income goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you raise your rates you\u2019re going to only attract clients that can afford you. But that\u2019s not necessarily a bad thing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keep on pitching with your brand new rate, and don\u2019t give up! You\u2019ll likely find that the right client for you isn\u2019t just anyone. It\u2019s someone that\u2019s happy to pay whatever is necessary to produce high-quality work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No matter what rate you decide on, don\u2019t use how much or how little experience you have to justify how much your clients should pay you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And don\u2019t let the opinions of other freelancers determine what the right or wrong rate happens to be for you. Because let\u2019s face it, they likely don\u2019t know you well enough to judge what\u2019s suitable for you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Also known as \u201cwhy there isn\u2019t a wrong answer to the \u2018rates\u2019 question\u201d I wasn\u2019t always as transparent as I currently am about my rates. In fact, when I first started freelancing, I adjusted my rates based on the client\u2019s budget. This turned out to be a really bad idea. Prospective clients thought that it … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/freelancetofreedomproject.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/freelancetofreedomproject.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/freelancetofreedomproject.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freelancetofreedomproject.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freelancetofreedomproject.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=162"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/freelancetofreedomproject.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/freelancetofreedomproject.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freelancetofreedomproject.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freelancetofreedomproject.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}