Early in my career I noticed something that made no sense.
I was getting better every year. Faster modeling, cleaner shading, fewer revision rounds.
And my income per project was shrinking.
Same clients, same day rate, same quality of work. But what took me eight days in year two took me four days in year five. So the invoice halved while the work got better.
I was literally paying for my own improvement.
That's the mechanic built into every day rate, and almost nobody sees it until it's cost them years: a day rate prices your time, and your skill exists to reduce your time. The better you get, the less you bill. Your growth and your income pull in opposite directions.
The client, meanwhile, gets the same result either way.
Your works value to them is identical whether you needed eight days or four.
So why is the price attached to the part only you experience?
The way out is pricing the result instead of the days. The finished spot, the product film, the launch package. One number for one outcome. Then every hour of skill you've built works for you instead of against you, because getting faster stops shrinking the invoice and starts widening your margin.
Speed should be your profit.
On a day rate, it's your client's discount.
– Moritz
Tiny tactical tip:
Take your last finished project and do the honest math: total invoice divided by days actually worked.
Now compare that day-equivalent to the same calculation from a project two years ago.
If the number hasn't grown as fast as your skills have, your pricing model is eating your progress.