Calculate what your hourly rate needs to be. Include all expenses business and personal. Figure enough in this hourly rate to cover ALL personal and business expenses. This will be the hourly rate that you need to charge just to break even. You then need to add a percentage to this hourly rate for profit. Profit is for company growth not for your personal spending. Your personal income should allready be included in the hourly rate before you added the profit.
Don't charge the going rate or less just to get work. If you can't get work charging the hourly rate you calculated than you either need to reduce costs or become better at marketing and selling.
Don't just call other contractors to find out how much they charge and charge the same or less. You need to do the math to find out what you need to charge.
Don't assume you don't have overhead just because you don't have employees and work out of your home. Everyone has overhead. Your personal income is overhead among other things.
[This message has been edited by A-Line (edited 12-07-2004).]
