Have you ever questioned whether hourly rates truly reflect the value of your work? One of our very own Xolo community members, Mihai Dragomirescu, has, and he’s sharing his journey and insights in our latest blog post. Mihai initially challenged the system of hourly rates in his contribution to the Xolo Pledge back in the spring.
This insightful piece explores the challenges and potential alternatives to hourly billing, offering real-life experiences and expert advice. If you’ve been thinking about changing the way you charge for your services, this post is a must-read!
Why you should check it out: Explore alternative pricing models Understand the impact of hourly rates on your client relationships Get inspired by a fellow solopreneur’s experience
Dive into the discussion here:Read the full story and let us know your thoughts!
Thanks for sharing this interesting article! It made me reflect on pricing.
As a freelancer, I have a mixed approach:
New clients: I avoid hourly rates, preferring fixed prices based on project value
Long-term clients: I use hourly rates, especially for maintenance
I understand Mihai’s point. My trick? I multiply the value of one hour by three to cover taxes and expenses. It’s not perfect, but it works and the result for me is the same as a fixed price based on project value.
I’ve experimented with various options and realized that flexibility is key. The beauty of fixed rates? You can offer a 10% discount to those who want to negotiate (and in italy is a rule…). The downside? For maintenance, clients often prefer an hourly rate.
For years in Italy, there have been attempts to create a professional association for creatives, designers, and marketers. It could help with standards and unfair competition. It has never materialized, but teaming up among professionals could bring similar benefits.
Hourly rates have pros and cons. The important thing is to adapt, always remembering the value we bring.
What do you think? I’d be curious to hear from others in the forum!
Cheers and thanks for raising this topic!
Yes! Flexibility and remembering the value we bring are key.
Regarding associations, it’s so hard to align everybody behind some standard and most times it’s more valuable both for us and the client to be in a category of one.
Hourly rates often miss the mark when it comes to valuing a freelancer’s expertise and efficiency. It’s definitely worth exploring models that reward quality and results instead. What do you think—should we move beyond hourly rates?
Why you should check it out: 
Explore alternative pricing models 
Dive into the discussion here: Read the full story and let us know your thoughts!
topic which also touches on pricing models and strategies.
