Designers’ biggest problems come from confusing work and passion. I am one of the worst offenders: Not billing for time worked; Writing-off massive parts of budgets; Allowing excitement to affect estimates.

Sometimes I bill improperly because I enjoy design. At others, it’s because we need work, to keep cash flow even. The most embarrassing reason I have for not treating my business like a business is that I feel guilty. I look at deliverables and think, «Those are just images and words; how can I charge that much?»

Of course, this is just anxiety. Pricing is simple: we charge by the time involved. Most jobs look easy until you know what it takes to complete them. This is even worse in design, as good solutions are often simple—which makes them seem like they required little time/effort. (Hah!) Regardless of your hesitations, prospective clients call because of the promise design holds. They don’t buy a commodity; they hire designers to remove obstacles.

Eric Karjaluoto.