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RealToughCandy.io
RealToughCandy.io

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How I went from charging $100 to $10,000+ for a website

Freelance web development is lucrative.

Companies and other organizations have a LOT of problems...Often these problems can be solved with the help of a website.

But websites aren't what they were in the '90s! These days a "website" can refer not only to a site (i.e. a WordPress site or a static site), but also can extend to (or incorporate) web apps, integrations & APIs and SO much more.

As a freelancer, commanding $10K for one project is fantastic but I'm still busy building my portfolio and social proof for a higher tier. Because there really is no limit to how much you can charge, as long as you bring results and can prove that you're responsible for those results.


It's not easy... And it takes time. But it can be done.

Sound interesting? I produced a top-rated book and video course that shows you exactly how to get started.

👉Freelance Newbie book: https://amzn.to/2WWtFNq
👉Freelance Newbie Udemy course ($9.99 coupon): https://www.udemy.com/freelance-newbie/?couponCode=RTC-YOUTUBE


This video originally appeared on www.youtube.com/realtoughcandy.
Come follow me there!

Top comments (3)

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yaser profile image
Yaser Al-Najjar

I really like the way you put your points... natural speaker 😁

However, the odds of landing a $3000+ are pretty low in freelancing world.

Just want to highlight couple of stuff (might be part of the sauce to increase the odds):

  • From your GitHub, you use the latest tech (React, Vue, Gatsby).

  • 10,000 subscribers on YouTube is a great number to get better chances of having word of mouth.

  • A great way of speaking (actually convincing).

  • The location (mostly US) affects the price tags for any gig.

So, before someone starts charging higher, they might want to consider those.

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aschwin profile image
Aschwin Wesselius • Edited

A good company, a economically healthy company doesn't care about the money that comes in.

It cares about how much it can turn over. Yes, this indirectly makes it care about the money that comes in, but that is not the end.

If you can add value to make that turn over increase higher and higher, your worth will be higher too. Make that count.

From another point of view, John Sonmez (Simple Progammer fame) states it differently in his video:
How YOU Can Charge $300 AN HOUR As A Freelance Developer

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realtoughcandy profile image
RealToughCandy.io

Thanks for your comment, but I disagree. I have never worked with a business owner who didn't directly care about their income (i.e. "money that comes in").

Mind you, I'm not working with the Apples and Amazons of the world, but small US-based business owners.

Sonmez discusses an hourly rate, which is something you rarely see in web development project contracts. Hourly rates don't make sense in this context because I may as well take 40 hours to complete a 10 hour task. A client would never allow that. Freelancing is about product delivered, not hours worked.