Are you in the creative industry charging less than you desereve?

If you're in the creative industry charging less then $50 an hour for your services, you are severely undercutting what you are worth. As a creative consultant in the Boston and New York markets, it's not uncommon to pull down $100-$150 an hour.

Allow me to challenge your thinking for a moment... Why do Ferrari's cost so much? Because they go fast? If that's your answer, then lets take the Ferrari engine and place it in a Chevy Cavelier. Would you now pay $200k for the Cavelier.? Is it because Ferrari's are good on gas? Nope, guess again. It's because they're beautiful, unique, carefully crafted. Said another way, they're designed well.

Given this, wouldn't it be fair to assume that the Ferrari design team should reap the rewards for creating such a cash cow. I think so. And, it's time that you start thinking so too. Too often creative people charging rediculously low rates for their services. Why? When you accept a creative job for less than you should, it impacts the rest of the community. "why hire Joe Schmoe at $100 an hour - when I can hire Joe Blow at $15.

I'm a realist, so I'm not expecting the design community will wake up tomorrow with unified bill rate averaging $100 an hour. However, armed with the knowledge that other creative professionals in your area are pulling in five times more than you are, perhaps you will think twice about what's an acceptible bill rate.

If you need help getting higher rates, ask me how and I'll be happy to help you out.

-J