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Ran into a retired freelancer at the park who gave me a pricing tip
He said, 'Kid, if you're good at something, never do it for free, but always do the first hour for half.' That was 2 years ago in Austin and I still think about it. Anyone else get a piece of advice that completely shifted how you quote jobs?
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wren2306mo ago
Charging for drive time is basic but so many people forget it. That's paying for your gas, your car wear, and the hour you could have been working. I even add a small trip fee for jobs under a certain distance, like anything under 20 miles gets a flat 25 bucks on top. It stops those quick "can you just pop over" calls from eating your whole day for almost no pay.
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brooke_jones4mo ago
Maybe it's just me but I never charge for drive time unless it's crazy far. I just build that into my hourly rate from the start so nobody feels nickel and dimed.
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ericw936mo ago
My uncle always said to charge for the drive time, that stuck with me.
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patricia326mo ago
My uncle gave the same advice, but he missed a key point. Drive time is not just about gas and car wear. It's also about the lost opportunity to do another job or be with your family. That hour in the car is an hour you can't bill for actual work. So you're right to charge for it, but remember it's about your time, not just your vehicle.
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