> Of course, you might argue that when you get 2X better, you can charge 2X more per hour. I agree, assuming you know how to convince your (new or existing cust

> Of course, you might argue that when you get 2X better, you can charge 2X more per hour. I agree, assuming you know how to convince your (new or existing customers) that you are now two times better. This can be hard. Based on the example scenario given, it shouldn't be that hard. You just give a lower time estimate. For small stuff, the hours may be negligible. For larger stuff, they may not believe you. This is where marketing, referrals, testimonials, etc come in. From my perspective, I want to work on your project as little as possible, because it's likely tedious and boring, so I'll charge a higher rate and plan to get done ASAP. Clients see high rate and think "ah... he's going to run up as many hours as possible" (well, some do). With most projects I'm involved in, there's some reasonable upper limit on budget regardless of hours or rates. They may have a few months to get something done, and $x. When I can to the level of knowledge and trust, we can prioritize the work and scope. Those engagements end up a bit more like 'fixed bid', but the bid is "best effort on these items, in this order, by this date, for $x". Everyone's expectations are known up front, and they have the "gotta haves" and "nice to haves" prioritized. Doesn't mean nothing ever changes, but that approach - when I can get there - has been great.