Episode
271. Why Charging Hourly Penalizes Your Expertise (And What to Do Instead)
- Podcast
- Only Girl On The Jobsite
- Published
- Mar 17, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2219
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://devignierdesign.com/flat-fee-vs-hourly-interior-design
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Summary
I billed hourly for my entire career. It felt honest, transparent, fair. But one morning, I had a realization that changed everything: the better I got at my work, the less I was making. My earlier clients paid me to build relationships, vet contractors, develop expertise. Now my current clients were benefiting from all of that, for 15 minutes on an invoice. That was the day I decided to stop charging hourly. Today, I'm walking you through why hourly starts working against you as you grow, the 6-input framework I use to build flat fees (no formulas), how to present your fee with confidence, and what to say when clients push back. Mentioned in this episode: Grab Your Free Script Guide here: https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/push-back-script-handout Access the full video interview with Elana Steele of Steele Appliance here: https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/appliance Find the full shownotes at: https://devignierdesign.com/flat-fee-vs-hourly-interior-design