I worked for a web agency for almost 5 years before starting my own business as a web developer. You may be in a transition phase yourself and trying to figure out what hourly rate you should charge. Like many other professionals (lawyers, accountants, etc.), you want a competitive hourly rate that is fair, yet remains profitable.
It’s often difficult to choose an hourly rate because you have to compete with your competition. You are not only competing with Web Development Agency Dubai UAE locally, but also across the internet. Clients have the ability to search for Web Development Agency Dubai UAE by simply doing a search on the internet. They even have the option to hire developers from abroad.
Not only do you need to present a reasonable hourly rate, but you also need to prove why you are the best choice. Therefore, you should not set your hourly rate so low just to outdo your competition. That’s not fair to you. You want to make a profit. Here are the factors you should consider when setting your rate:
1. what do you want your annual salary to be?
2.How many hours do you want to work per year?
3.How much overhead will you have (paying contractors, current bills, etc.)?
4. how much profit do you want to make?
Being a self-employed web developer has many advantages. For one, you choose your own clients. You also determine your working hours and the type of work you want to do. You don’t have a boss telling you how to complete a project. Freelancing does have its drawbacks, though.
The biggest disadvantage is that if you’re not careful, you can feel like you’ve traded one job for another. That’s exactly what happened to me. After a few years, I stopped having fun. I got tired of finding new clients, paying bills and meeting tight deadlines.
I felt like I was back in the rat race, but this time I was working longer hours. Being your own boss can be rewarding, as long as your career doesn’t feel like a job.
