Day rates: why so cagey?

[Bloom]

20 hours ago, Dendrologen said:

So your rate is not at all influenced by what other people charge? Nice to be in that position

In reality it can't be. When you start out, yes, you might try to undercut or be on par with others. A few years down the line you'll have a better idea of your running costs. So when you quote a job you'll total, subbies/staff + running costs per day + profit + VAT = price to customer. It doesn't matter what others quote. 

[doobin]

20 hours ago, Dendrologen said:

Sod all Devon folk yet though, sadly, Steve. Perhaps if I ad myself, I won't be able to put the phone down!

 

Maybe I should invest in a machine, can charge more to sit in a cab all day getting fat!

Honestly, I think you should. 
 

Each of my machines makes me way more per day than the profit on a subby or employee without the hassle, and they are assets on the books rather than a liability. 

[637547]

Quite a few greedy bastards in the world that treat self employed subcontractors like they are on a zero hour contact without the benefits, think they own you and seem to think it's their right to get £100 out your pocket for a days work anything else is outrageous.

Better way of pricing is for everyone to have a rate and that's what you get, just the "employer" has their bigger rate to cover kit/tools and fancy shiny truck.

Trouble with everyone knowing rates is that some of the slow, lazy, or just new and inexperienced ones find out then they want it despite actually doing half as much or sometimes less work.

 

[Mick Dempsey]

2 minutes ago, 637547 said:

Quite a few greedy bastards in the world that treat self employed subcontractors like they are on a zero hour contact without the benefits.

 

Therein lies the rub.

Don’t work for those people is the answer.

[Rich Rule]

I once mentioned my day rate in the pub one night to a (so called friend) another freelancer.

 

He said be careful asking for that much as some one might go in asking 10 quid cheaper.

 

A couple of weeks later some of the firms I had a good relationship with mentioned this guy and that he was cheaper than me.

 

They stuck with me as the other bloke was a wreck head!

[Ty Korrigan]

On 30/09/2022 at 17:15, Steve Bullman said:

Or a fourth….you’re simply not worth what you’re asking 

 

I was about to post along this line myself but thought for once I'll read the whole thread beforehand.

 My main climber charges a sum which represents his worth and allows me to make a margin I'm happy with.

 A less capable climber would mean a lower margin (which is why I rarely climb)

I'm in business and my goal is net profit so am happy to pay for a fast efficient climber.

    Stuart

  

 

 

 

 

[alex_m]

When i first went freelance around 10 years ago I let the companies set the rate, which seemed the done thing at the time (with the companies I worked for anyway). Every climber got the same £120 rate and we were ok with it because we were young and stupid. 

Even earning closer to £200 doesn't seem that much now with how much everything has increased. Back then a saw that's £700 now was £450, boots and trousers have gone up 50%. But wages have stayed fairly stagnant.

[JLA1990]

1 hour ago, alex_m said:

When i first went freelance around 10 years ago I let the companies set the rate, which seemed the done thing at the time (with the companies I worked for anyway). Every climber got the same £120 rate and we were ok with it because we were young and stupid. 

Even earning closer to £200 doesn't seem that much now with how much everything has increased. Back then a saw that's £700 now was £450, boots and trousers have gone up 50%. But wages have stayed fairly stagnant.

firms would rather beat their subbies/staff down on price rather than raise their fees to end clients through fear of loosing jobs/contracts. 

[Mick Dempsey]

1 minute ago, JLA1990 said:

firms would rather beat their subbies/staff down on price rather than raise their fees to end clients through fear of loosing jobs/contracts. 

It’s a free market economy.

 

There’s loads of arb jobs about, all round the world.

 

No one is trapped, if you think you’re not getting what you’re worth, there’s never been a better time to change.

 

 

 

[JLA1990]

1 hour ago, Mick Dempsey said:

It’s a free market economy.

 

There’s loads of arb jobs about, all round the world.

 

No one is trapped, if you think you’re not getting what you’re worth, there’s never been a better time to change.

 

 

 

Of course, just providing another angle. Firm believer of voting with your feet.