The Americans like to call it “scope creep”.
You quote on a job for a client, you agree on a price, you shake hands and you start work. Then things start to change.
The client wants this part done differently. They’ve changed their mind on this colour, or that design. They’ve decided to scrap this part of the project and add in this bit.
As a start-up entrepreneur trying to make your name, you’ll most likely suck this all up and accept it as just another part of the job, which is fair enough.
But these changes do cost you time and money and it’s important to learn from these losses.
On jobs that do change, try and keep a record of how much things change, how long it takes you to address those changes and the cost of resources used in addition to what had been planned.
You might casually mention this figure to your client, but more importantly you should use it to review your pricing structure such that it has a bit of built-in fat to account for these changes.
Your hourly rate may need to increase, or you may need to add an amount for revision to each job.
What’s crucial here is to recognise that your time is extremely valuable and should be priced as such.
Get it done – today!
