put·here
Put it here. Make sense of it later.
Pick AirDrop to send it to your Mac. No AirDrop? Email it to yourself or save it to Notes.
The phone app can’t import yet. Open this link on a Mac to put it in put·here.11 pieces by people who price for a living, on hourly vs value, the first number, raising prices and what to say when a client pushes back.
Start here
What: 11 pieces on pricing your own work, from people who do it for a living.
For: solo founders, freelancers and consultants who set their own price.
How: each web card comes with a card of our notes on it. Select a card to see labeled lines showing where sources agree or disagree; older versions of the app import it without the lines.
Notes: Hourly Billing Is Nuts
What it is: A short book arguing that solo professionals should stop billing by the hour.
Why read it: It is the plainest case for value pricing, written for one-person businesses rather than agencies.
Three points:
1. Hourly is a way of sending invoices, not a way of setting a price: it has nothing to do with what the work achieves.
2. Billing hours makes the client see you as hired hands; selling the outcome makes you a partner they consult.
3. The alternative is a fixed price per engagement, set from what the result is worth to the client.
"Hourly billing for professional services is a horrible practice for everyone involved." (Jonathan Stark)
Official (author's site) · book page, undated · link checked 2026-10
Notes: How Much Should I Charge Clients?
What it is: An hour-long audio answer to the question every freelancer asks first.
Why read it: It gives an actual rule of thumb instead of 'it depends'.
Three points:
1. Start from the business value your work creates for the client.
2. A rough anchor: price at about a tenth of that value.
3. Quote one fixed price for the job, and give the client a reason to pick you that is not the price.
"Set price 1/10th of the business value" (Jonathan Stark (episode notes))
Official (author's site, audio) · 2017-02 · link checked 2026-10
Notes: Don't Call Yourself A Programmer, And Other Career Advice
What it is: A long career essay for engineers; the pricing idea in it applies to anyone selling skills.
Why read it: It explains why people pay: for more revenue or lower costs, not for your skill as such.
Three points:
1. Describe your work as money made or money saved, not as the tools you used.
2. Pay is set by perceived value and by negotiation, so it is always negotiable.
3. Always have a counteroffer ready before you talk numbers.
"Add revenue. Reduce costs. Those are your only goals." (Patrick McKenzie)
Official (author's blog) · 2011-10 · link checked 2026-10
What it is: Stripe's guide to the three common ways of setting a first price.
A conversation between two people known for telling freelancers to charge more.
What it is: A conversation between two people known for telling freelancers to charge more.
A pushback on 'just charge more' from a founder who has sold both cheap and expensive products.
What it is: A pushback on 'just charge more' from a founder who has sold both cheap and expensive products.
A step-by-step way to tell current clients your rate is going up.
What it is: A step-by-step way to tell current clients your rate is going up.
A payments company's playbook for changing prices on a subscription product.
What it is: A payments company's playbook for changing prices on a subscription product.
An investor's warning about raising prices on people already paying, with gentler alternatives.
What it is: An investor's warning about raising prices on people already paying, with gentler alternatives.
A short script for the moment a client says it's too expensive.
What it is: A short script for the moment a client says it's too expensive.
Three consultants on how they priced and grew their practices.
What it is: Three consultants on how they priced and grew their practices.
[ ] Write the result your client wants in one line, and put a price next to it, not hours.
| # | Source | Type | Date | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jonathan Stark — Hourly Billing Is Nuts | Official (author's site) | book page, undated | 2026-10 |
| 2 | Jonathan Stark — How Much Should I Charge Clients? | Official (author's site, audio) | 2017-02 | 2026-10 |
| 3 | Patrick McKenzie — Don't Call Yourself A Programmer, And Other Career Advice | Official (author's blog) | 2011-10 | 2026-10 |
| 4 | Stripe — Pricing a product: A guide to getting it right | Official (Stripe guide) | updated 2025-07 | 2026-10 |
| 5 | Ramit Sethi and Patrick McKenzie On Why Your Customers Would Be Happier If You Charged More | Official (author's blog, podcast with transcript) | 2012-09 | 2026-10 |
| 6 | Justin Jackson — Should we always charge more? | Official (author's blog) | 2019-04 | 2026-10 |
| 7 | Brennan Dunn — How To Raise Your Rates With Your Existing Clients | Official (author's site) | 2016-05, updated 2022-02 | 2026-10 |
| 8 | Paddle — How to change your SaaS product pricing | Official (Paddle blog) | 2022-08 | 2026-10 |
| 9 | Jason Lemkin — 5 Reasons Not To Raise Prices on Existing Customers | Third party (SaaStr) | 2021-08, updated 2023-07 | 2026-10 |
| 10 | Freelancers Union — How to handle price objections without coming across as pushy | Third party (Freelancers Union blog) | 2016-05 | 2026-10 |
| 11 | Kalzumeus Podcast 3: Growing Consulting Practices, with Brennan Dunn | Official (author's blog, podcast with transcript) | 2012-10 | 2026-10 |
Summaries are our own words; each quote is one line from the source. Links are checked before publishing and again every month.