Shoutout to the guy who told me to charge by the project, not the hour

Thomas Miller · 2026-03-20T11:10:06.051627+00:00

I was sure hourly was the only fair way for my web design work, but after a client in Austin argued over 15 minutes of extra time, I switched. My first project fee was $1200 for a site that took me 3 days, way more than I'd have made hourly. Anyone else find project pricing works better for them?

burns.ruby6mo ago

My first flat fee project was a mess because I lowballed myself so badly. I learned the hard way to estimate time better, but it still beats watching the clock.

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the_willow6mo ago

My Austin client argued over a 15 minute phone call too. Honestly, I now add a 20% buffer to every project quote for those little extras. It saves so much stress.

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oliver_mitchell5mo ago

My Austin client did the same thing, and @burns.ruby is right about the lowball trap.

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