It's not so much about technical ability as it is the ability to sell. Build up your brand and you increase your value in the eyes of others. The best paying cl

It's not so much about technical ability as it is the ability to sell. Build up your brand and you increase your value in the eyes of others. The best paying clients may not even know what Ruby/PHP/JS is. One of your disadvantages right now is that you can't meet people face to face in the U.S. That doesn't mean you can't charge good rates, but this removes a certain group of clients who require this. In some cases you have little choice but to charge $100+ per hour. If you live in Sydney, Los Angeles, New York and any other crazy expensive city, then charging these rates would be expected because everything else is crazy expensive also. People know how much it costs to live in that city. However, it still comes down to sales. Always be networking. Always be looking for new clients. Always be raising your rates as you keep the sales machine going. You mentioned only one client, try landing a bunch more.