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Ask HN: Contractors, what is your hourly rate?

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Re: Ask HN: Contractors, what is your hourly rate?

#211

Post by tpxl »

Darmody wrote: post #188
tpxl wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So does my mechanic, but he does a harder job and has 100k€ in tools. Also, a mechanic can only charge when he has customers, where I can do 8hrs/day for a single customer for ages. That being said, I know the rate is low comparatively for the wider market, but it's still high locally.

Who charges when they have no customers? Who do they charge to?

A mechanic gets a customer for 2 hours, then needs to spend time finding another. I get a customer for a year, then spend time finding another.

Nobody charges when they have no customers, but some spend way more time finding them.

Re: Ask HN: Contractors, what is your hourly rate?

#212

Post by ludoro14152 »

nojito wrote: post #177
ludoro14152 wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am an ML engineer at Google looking for some moonlighting work. Could you share how you find clients? How did you start?

Since you’re already at Google. Why not reach out to former colleagues and see if they can create consulting gigs for you?

I do not have former colleagues as I have been here for < 1 year, but that’s a good suggestion, thanks!

Re: Ask HN: Contractors, what is your hourly rate?

#213

Post by woopwoop24 »

throwaway642012 wrote: post #210
woopwoop24 wrote: post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

around one offer every two days is the usual, some of them are absolute crap, some so so but some are not bad. i am on freelancermap, linkedin and xing. have to say since covid worked exclusively in banking and insurance, so not so sure what happended outside of my bubble. what is keeping you from doing it?

> what is keeping you from doing it? Mostly intertia and post-covid fatigue. Thank you for kicking me in the butt and providing the valuable information :-)

you can PM me if you have more questions or want to talk in detail :) happy to help

Re: Ask HN: Contractors, what is your hourly rate?

#214

Post by Darmody »

tpxl wrote: post #211
Darmody wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who charges when they have no customers? Who do they charge to?

A mechanic gets a customer for 2 hours, then needs to spend time finding another. I get a customer for a year, then spend time finding another. Nobody charges when they have no customers, but some spend way more time finding them.

A mechanic has multiple customers at the same time.

If they were to work for 2 hours and then find another customer they'd be broke.

Re: Ask HN: Contractors, what is your hourly rate?

#215

Post by VoodooJuJu »

brk wrote: post #134
jliptzin wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I love getting charged $75 for emails that just say “OK”

I do consulting, but not as a developer, more business growth/strategy. I tell all my clients, you are not paying for my time spent on a specific task, you are paying for access to my 25+ years of experience, learnings, and contacts. An email that just says "OK" might be the net result of a set of experiences and knowledge that would take the client 2 weeks and $2,000 to obtain on their own. $75 would therefore be a…

I too delude myself into believing an "OK" from me is worth $75.

Re: Ask HN: Contractors, what is your hourly rate?

#217

Post by Noneofya »

dinosaurdynasty wrote: post #124
edent wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wouldn't say embarrassing - I'd just say limiting. A plumber doesn't list the names of the industrial chemicals and tools. They say "we unblock your toilet quickly and safely" - because that's what the customer is buying.

Well at least there aren't 20 types of toilets where each one takes 3 years to learn how to unlock...

If you need 3 years to unlock the toilet with any framework, that says more about you than your profession.

Re: Ask HN: Contractors, what is your hourly rate?

#218

Post by Noneofya »

snotrockets wrote: post #184
tdehnel wrote: post #28

It used to be $225/hr. But I don’t have an hourly rate anymore and I basically never will. You need to understand that as a contractor clients value more than just your time and the work you do. They value flexibility in staffing, getting an outsider’s opinion, their own time, working with a true expert, and making progress on projects which they can show off to their boss. That’s why for all my work I scope project…

THIS. If you're not charging per project, you're a salaried employee, only without the guarantees and protections given to one.

If you’re selling your time, you’re a salaried employee. The project fee will, in the end, also just account for the time you need to finish the project + some safety buffer. You’re basically just being both your boss, who would usually transform a client payment to savings and your salary, and you the employee.

Re: Ask HN: Contractors, what is your hourly rate?

#219

Post by ipaddr »

imtringued wrote: post #189
treeman79 wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We don’t have a VAT tax. Free just means you pay with other peoples money while they pay with yours.

For profit healthcare just means doctors have no incentive to cure diseases and just charge for ongoing therapy that treats symptoms instead.

It also works that way for socialized medicine. When doctors are paid per action more actions are taken.

Does any country pay doctors per outcome?

Re: Ask HN: Contractors, what is your hourly rate?

#220

Post by b20000 »

tdehnel wrote: post #40
nonameking2026 wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you working in a specialized field or going on reputation mostly ?

There are probably a half million people who do what I do. I go on reputation and sales ability. Anyone can learn to improve both for themselves.

so how do people find you and how do you convert them? do you do cold calling?
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