Consulting rates are something that gets talked a lot about on Hacker News, but this is one of the first times I've seen a detailed retainer agreement laid out.

Consulting rates are something that gets talked a lot about on Hacker News, but this is one of the first times I've seen a detailed retainer agreement laid out. Thanks Patrick! I recently had the opportunity to pitch a retainer agreement to a client after a successful project, I'd be curious to hear what you think of it: "I also offer a retainer service --- pay 2/3 of my rate upfront to prebook a certain number of hours per week/month, thereby guaranteeing my availability over that period. For each hour actually redeemed, the remaining 1/3 is then paid." - From a 'Next Steps Email' to the Client Spoiler --- the client opted to turn down this retainer agreement and instead sign an additional contract for more ongoing work. As an aspiring consultant, one disconnect I've noticed between the advice patio11, tptacek gives and my reality is that they are charging 8K per week for specialized conversion optimization/security work while I am only charging 100 per hour* for garden variety Rails development. At the rate I am charging, clients can afford to hire me long-term vs. the short, specialized agreements that the advice-givers previously took on in their consulting days... * In the process of moving to a daily rate! I have heeded the advice. As a bonus, here are some of my favorite comments from these two about consulting: - https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=tptacek https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=tptacek (Note Cliff Note #2) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3420303 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3420303 - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3420203 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3420203 (Main Thread) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4101355 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4101355 (Top comment) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6103350 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6103350 (Top comment) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6073015 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6073015 (Top comment) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8704303 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8704303 (Ctfl-F for tptacek or daily) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3914611 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3914611 (Top Comment)