Just realized I was making way more before I shifted from retainer clients to one-off projects 6 months ago

My monthly income dropped from $4,200 to $2,800 after I said yes to four short-term gigs instead of renewing two long-term contracts, and now I'm wondering if steady work or variety actually pays better in the end - what's your experience with retainer vs. project-based work?

3 comments

3 Comments

riverreed1mo ago

Nope, variety keeps you from getting stuck with deadbeat clients who haggle every invoice.

felix1471mo ago

Oh man, tell me about it. Had a guy last year who would pay me $50 for a logo, then ask for 14 revisions over 3 weeks and still try to short me $10 because he "didn't love the font." That's exactly why I keep a mix of small quick jobs and bigger retainer clients now. Keeps me sane when one of the cheap ones starts acting up.

simonp4719d ago

And @riverreed is right on the money with that. I once had a client who loved my initial sketch but then spent two months asking for tiny changes like moving a button 3 pixels left. By the end I was basically paying him to work with me.