The moment I stopped selling my services by the hour

I was hustling to finish a $500 landscaping job in 6 hours when I realized I was making less than a plumber per hour, and that's when it hit me that value pricing was the only way to grow. Has anyone else switched from hourly to per-project pricing and seen their margins jump overnight?

2 comments

2 Comments

river18315d ago

My uncle ran a landscaping crew for 30 years and he always warned me about this mindset. I get the appeal of value pricing, but I've seen too many guys jack up their rates for a project and then watch the client get mad when the work takes longer than expected. The real problem isn't hourly billing, its that you're undervaluing your time. I charge $85 an hour for my handyman work and I've never had a client complain because I show up, work fast, and finish on schedule. What happens when you quote $500 for a 6 hour job and it ends up taking 10 hours because the soil is rocky or the client changes their mind halfway through?

the_viola15d ago

Clients changing scope mid-project is exactly why I switched to a flat rate per task plus hourly if it goes over. Saves us both from the awkward conversation when things get complicated. Your uncle was right, showing up and delivering on time makes the rate feel fair no matter how you charge.