i made $300/hour today using value-based pricing
I bet you're pretty eager to find out exactly how I made $300 an hour today... y'know, the step-by-step process for how I did it and how YOU can do it too!
Well, I'm here for you. So that's what I'm talking about today.
The backstory
It's important for you to know that my rates are the way they are because of value-based pricing.
As a remote freelance copywriter, what that means is that I charge my clients based on rates we've negotiated together — what I know my services are worth + what my clients can realistically pay.
Value-based pricing is important to note here because it's not necessarily an hourly rate... although you CAN calculate the hours you worked on the project and how much you were paid and see your hourly rate that way.
Now, let's get onto what happened today.
How I made $300/hour today using value-based pricing
For one of my clients, in particular, I USED to be paid about $75 an hour to write her newsletter that went out once a month.
That hourly rate is not what I charged her — again, it's the number I got when I calculated my monthly rate to write her newsletter divided by how many hours it actually took me to sit down and write.
Comparing how long it USED to take me to do the work versus now... it's laughable.
Something to point out: with time and a deeper understanding of your client comes efficiency.
You end up working quicker as time goes on because it becomes second nature. You know your client's audience, tone of voice, etc. and it becomes much easier to get it done.
Now, that's not how I made $300 an hour today, but it was a huge contributing factor.
I have had this client since the beginning of my freelance career. I met her at a Freelancers Union networking event and 3 months later she asked me for help with her newsletter. Now, I know her style and what is relevant to her audience over the months of working with her.
That ALWAYS helps.
But, as I said, it's not how I made $300 an hour today.
How I made $300 an hour today was taking a step back, making sure my cup was full AF before moving on to work.
What I normally accomplish in 4 hours (or $75 an hour) I was able to do in 1 hour. Hence, the $300 an hour day.
What it took
It's a Monday, but I felt energized from the start. There was just something blocking me from sitting down and taking action on the projects I have on my desk right now.
"No big deal," I thought. I know what to do when I feel uninspired to work.
STOP WORKING.
Well, unless there's an impending deadline and you really can't take a second off, but that's not the situation we're talking about here so moving on.
Literally, step away from my desk and do something I love (or that at least gets me outside of myself and mentally in a different/better place):
Walk the dog
Take goods to the recycling center
Do my skincare
Cook a good meal
Watch YouTube videos
Shower or change into clothes that make me feel good
Play with my cat, Willow
Nap (not likely, but sometimes I lay down in bed and pretend lol)
Hit the gym
Step outside on my beautiful balcony
There are endless ways to get outside yourself and enter a different place mentally. But, regardless of WHAT you're doing, I think this is the secret.
I know, so lame to call it that.
But it's TRUE.
It's like this secret no one is talking about yet it works every single time.
Writer's block?
Step outside in nature and you'll come back refreshed with more clarity and focus.
Can't function after hours of preparing for an important presentation?
Go get dinner with friends! You'll come back happy, full, and actually capable of prepping because you're not trying to make things happen with an exhausted brain.
It's simple. The thing is... it's not EASY.
I talked about that before, about things being simple but not easy.
It can be so tough for freelancers and business owners, myself included, to stop working. Period.
We want to do better, make more money, grow more.
We have this pesky little voice in the back of our heads screaming, "YOU CAN'T STOP WORKING NOW?! THERE'S STILL WORK TO DO! DON'T FORGET ABOUT THAT DEADLINE! YOU CAN'T TAKE A BREAK IT'S GO-TIME!"
I'm here to give you permission to tell that voice to screw itself.
Pardon my French.
It's amazing how hustle culture has infiltrated and overtaken our society so quickly. I think capitalism may have something to do with that too.
But here I am, trying to remind you and everyone else that hustle is IMPORTANT but not ALL THE TIME.
There is 100% time for rest. And when you're not feeling your best, not inspired to write or design or strategize, what quality of work are you giving your client?
You're giving them shit.
Fill yourself up so you can do your best work.
The money you desire, the growth you're looking for, and the success you want it on the other side of giving yourself some damn space to be human.
We are not here to work 24/7.
We're human beings, meant to connect and communicate and live life.
Sometimes I forget that and I bet you do too.
But that's what I'm here for. To cut through the noise and remind you that above all else, what will make you the most efficient, focused, and successful freelancer, business owner, and human is to take time to get outside yourself.
Try it for ONE DAY and tell me you don't see and feel a difference.
Also, come find me on Instagram and tell me how that day went! I love chatting with other humans about mindset and success and doing things just a bit differently. Happy to connect!