Unconventional approach to pay a freelancer

"How much am I worth? Or rather, how much is an hour of my time, my work? "- this is the first question that asks a person entering on the path of freelancing.

Find the answer is not so simple. Especially newcomer without a solid portfolio. Most do so: study the "market" (copywriting, web design, programming, etc.), determine the the average cost of services in this area and derive their "formula $ / hour", based on personal experience and qualifications.

Developer, web designer and programmer Josh Gross (Joshua Gross) came up with an unusual approach to pay a freelancer.

+ $ 1 each hour

Josh Gross - freelancer with more than 10 years of experience, at various times worked with companies such as HelloSign, CloudPhysics, Coca-Cola and others.

At first he followed the "traditional" approach to assessing the value of their work, but one day decided to experiment.

Gross did odnostranichnik - OneHour.me. There he described the range of its services, working conditions and put the original price tag - $ 1 for the first hour. Every next hour - a dollar more expensive.

In other words, the first one for an hour hired Gross paid only $ 1, the second had an hour to pay $ 2 already, the third - $ 3.

"Funded" system - Today the hour of his working time is worth $ 129 already.

In Gross variety of clients - from developers to Brooklyn students startups. They use its services at various stages of their projects.

Scope of activity Gross - consulting. It helps its clients to work out business strategy, provides advice on the design or JavaScript.

According to Gross, do not be afraid of a low price. Even when the hour of his work was worth less than $ 10, no one took it lightly, do not be late to meetings and not overthrown phone calls.

Despite the fact that the price was very low, everyone respected my time.

Of course, more than an hour of work, the lower orders. First there was a real boom - just a few days Gross hired a total of 76 hours. Accordingly, the price per hour of work began to make $ 76. After that, there was a lull. But then customers "back."

The viability of the approach

Gross is full of optimism:

I think many freelancers and coachers might try this approach. He really taught to value their time and expanding customer base.

But, despite all the originality of his ideas and the obvious advantages of this approach (constant growth earnings, new customers, the level of which increases with professional experience), there are limitations.

Whether the scheme is applicable in other areas, not in consulting? What to do when the price tag reached the "ceiling", and whether it is possible in principle? Is it possible to long-term cooperation with such pay?

Write your opinion about it in the comments.