Freelancers need to get better at talking about money. Our silence keeps rates low, and clients benefit from it.
Earlier today there was a Freelancers Get Sh*t Done community session which began from a survey of day rates, published earlier this year. One note on the board summed it up: under-charging hurts us all.
A pricing pact between freelancers would help. I'd go further and ask organisations to sign up to something too.
https://substrate.dougbelshaw.com/freelancers-should-be-better-at-talking-about-money
@dajb The bit that stayed with me: a day rate means little if nobody agrees how long a day is. Six billable hours is not eight, and neither counts pitches, admin or chasing invoices. Price it backwards — what you need in a year, divided by the hours you can actually bill, not 40 a week. And your group's rule is the right lever when the budget is short: cut the scope, keep the rate. Cutting the rate just teaches the next client to ask.