On Making Web Things

More Upfront, Less Available

25 June 2012

Update: Since the original posting, the numbers I specify have changed and will continue to change. Current rates and availability will always be up-to-date on my about page.

I’ve updated my about page to included some no-nonsense information on availability and pricing. It’s a direct and transparent approach that I’ve been interested in adopting since hearing Sam Soffes discuss it1 on The Industry Radio Show. I’m excited to make this change. Here’s what’s new:

Upfront Rate

$125/hr. $250/hr for PHP work2. That’s it. Neither me nor my clients have to worry about playing the negotiation game. Instead we can focus on what services I can provide within their budget.

Minimum Commitment

20 hours minimum. This is rarely a problem, but projects big and small have overhead. I prefer to bill for coding tasks only. Four billable hours behind eight hours of project management and research quickly works against me.

Maximum weekly hours

This is the biggest change. 20 hours of work per week maximum. I’ve been working full 40+ hour weeks since October of last year. It’s time for me to pull back and start down a new path. This will give me time to focus on a product I’m developing, as well as finish some longstanding projects: Move Back to the United States™ and Get Married™.

  1. Sam’s hire page is no longer up since he’s working on his own app, Cheddar, full time. But you can still check out the GitHub repo

  2. This is meant to dissuade work in a technology I loathe. I picked this up from somebody on a podcast, but I can’t remember which one or who said it. If anyone knows what I’m talking about please let me know.