[ridesthemiles]

I have been self employed since 1980.

I have set my hourly rate at $20 an hour since Jan 1, 1989. Still at that rate.

I didn’t have benefits-—

I didn’t have paid vacations-—

I didn’t have paid holidays-——

I worked or I didn’t get anything paid to me.

One year, I averaged 78 hours a week on billing time.

I was also completely out of town 61 days that year.

I was doing bookkeeping, and I had deadlines I could not change. Nothing was late.

[dangus]

I don’t know what you’ve been doing at $20 an hour, but you seem to be bragging you’ve been severely taken advantage of. If you’ve been willing to put those hours in at those rates, because your business has been appreciating, that has nothing to do with what I’ve posted. Otherwise, it’s time to raise your rates, find new clients, or find a new line of work.

But even so, you’ve cited twice the hourly rate I referenced and about three times the billable hours.... so that’s six times more income.