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Had to pick between a flat monthly retainer or per-project billing for my client last month
Went with the retainer since they promised steady work, but after 3 months I've got 40 hours of extra requests they expect for free and I'm wondering if I should've stuck with charging per project like I originally planned.
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gavinperez19d ago
The "40 hours of extra requests they expect for free" part really got me. I used to be all about retainers because they felt like steady money, but seeing this makes me think per-project is safer. With per-project, you avoid that creeping scope where clients think everything is included. It's easier to say "that's a new project" when it's already set up that way from the start.
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zara_hunt19d ago
Three retainers tried pulling that on me last year and @gavinperez is exactly right. Per-project keeps the boundary solid so you never have to explain why a "quick tweak" costs extra. It's just cleaner for both sides honestly.
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