The common mistake
Many small businesses start from "how much do I think the client can pay" instead of "how much does it really cost to deliver this, plus a reasonable margin". The result: projects that look profitable on paper but consume far more time than what was paid for.
What a fair price includes
- The actual delivery time, not just the optimistic estimate.
- Communication and revision time, which is rarely zero.
- A margin that also covers the slower months, not just direct costs.
How to check if your prices work
Look at the real profitability of already-finished projects, not just the invoiced amount. A project billed for a lot but that consumed three times the estimated time isn't actually profitable.
Bottom line
Fair prices aren't the lowest on the market, they're the ones that truly reflect the value and time delivered. Good clients pay for clarity and quality, not just the lowest price.