That time a coffee shop in Portland made me rethink my whole rate structure

I was working from a place called The Slow Pour about two years ago, trying to finish a website for a client. I overheard another freelancer at the next table calmly quoting a project rate that was triple what I would have charged for the same work. It wasn't bragging, it was just business. I realized I was pricing based on my own fear, not the actual value. I went home, did the math on my last 10 projects, and saw I was working for about $22 an hour after expenses. The next week, I raised my minimum project fee to $1,500 and started explaining my value better. Has anyone else had a single moment that finally made you change your prices?

3 comments

3 Comments

val_williams1mo agoMost Upvoted

I always thought charging more was greedy, but maybe it's not.

daniel_martin1mo ago

What if it's not about greed but just covering costs? Like a small cafe raising prices because milk and rent went up, not because they want more profit. Sometimes charging more is the only way to stay open and pay staff fairly. It's easy to see a higher price and assume the worst, but the real story is usually in the bills they have to pay.

the_jennifer29d ago

That's a really good point from daniel_martin. It's not just about milk and rent either, things like insurance, repairs, and even the bags for takeout have all gotten crazy expensive. A lot of small shops are raising prices because their own costs went up first, not because they suddenly want more money.