When I started doing consulting work, I had to decide: hourly or fixed pricing? I chose fixed pricing, and I want to explain why.
The Problem with Hourly Billing
Hourly billing sounds fair. You pay for the time I spend. But it creates weird incentives:
For me: The longer something takes, the more I earn. There's no reward for being efficient. If I solve your problem in an hour instead of four, I make less money.
For you: Every question feels like it starts a meter running. You hesitate to ask for clarification. You wonder if I'm padding hours.
Neither of us is happy in this arrangement.
How Fixed Pricing Works
When you reach out with a project, I assess:
- Scope — What exactly needs to be done?
- Complexity — What technical challenges are involved?
- Risk — What could go wrong or expand?
Then I quote a fixed price. That's what you pay, regardless of how long it actually takes me.
Why This Is Better for You
Budget certainty. You know the cost before we start. No surprises. No "the project ran over" conversations.
Aligned incentives. I'm motivated to solve your problem efficiently. The faster I deliver quality work, the better my effective hourly rate. You get speed and quality.
Focus on outcomes. We talk about what you need done, not how many hours it takes. The deliverable matters, not the timesheet.
Why This Is Better for Me
I get rewarded for expertise. If I can solve a problem quickly because I've seen it before, I shouldn't be penalized. Fixed pricing lets experience pay off.
Less admin. No time tracking. No defending hours. Just do the work and deliver.
Better conversations. We focus on the problem and solution, not the clock.
What's Included
My fixed prices include:
- Initial discovery/scoping call
- The actual work
- Reasonable revisions and clarification
- A clear deliverable (code, document, review, etc.)
What's Out of Scope
- Major scope changes mid-project (we'll re-quote)
- Ongoing work beyond the deliverable (that's a new engagement)
- Hand-holding through implementation (unless that's part of the scope)
When Fixed Pricing Doesn't Work
I'll be honest: fixed pricing isn't always right.
Exploratory work where neither of us knows what we'll find — this needs time-based billing or a discovery phase first.
Ongoing maintenance is better as a retainer or hourly.
Very small tasks might not be worth the scoping overhead.
For these, we'll figure out what makes sense.
The Bottom Line
Fixed pricing means I'm betting on myself. I'm confident I can deliver value in the time I estimate. If I'm wrong, that's on me, not you.
You get predictability. I get the freedom to work efficiently. We both win.
Interested in working together? See my packages or reach out.