Stage 2 of 60 of 3 steps complete
Pricing & Money: Set Your Rate and Keep Track of It
Quick answer
Calculate your hourly/per-visit rate from your target income and real billable hours (not a competitor guess), set aside roughly 25-30% of income for quarterly taxes, and track revenue and expenses monthly from day one so you always know if you're actually profitable.
Typical cost
$0
Typical time
1–2 hours
Work backward from your target take-home income and realistic billable hours — not a guess based on what competitors charge. The companion Pricing Calculator does this math for you.
Further readingPricing Calculator Framework (PDF/XLSX)
As a self-employed business owner, taxes aren't withheld automatically. Set aside roughly a quarter to a third of income as you earn it, and pay estimated taxes quarterly to avoid a painful bill (and possible penalty) in April.
Further readingQuarterly Estimated Tax Worksheet (PDF)
Revenue isn't profit. Track direct costs and overhead against income every month from your very first client — it's far easier to build the habit early than to reconstruct a year of records later.
Further readingProfit & Loss Statement Template (PDF/XLSX)
Downloads for This Stage
Three companion resources: a rate calculator, a quarterly tax worksheet, and a monthly profit tracker.
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