365 days between two proposals.

My first client paid me $12,000 for a 3 month project in 2018.
Just a year later, the same client paid $86,000 for the next one.

I still remember to this day when i sent that project proposal in 2019, just a year after we started out our App Development company. I was 26 years old. Was too anxious from within to even type that number down onto the proposal. It was just too much money. I've never handled such amounts before. Wasn't really sure if we could deliver that huge project that we were pitching for. I had a great co-founder though. He was my best friend from 8th grade. He believed we could do this & I believed in him.

With nervousness, i sent over the proposal in an email. I broke down all the costs for the $86,000 in an excel sheet attaching it to the email. Wasn't sure what the client was going to ask me next. I was already thinking too much. My heart wouldn't settle until i knew the client's response on it. But i didn't know when they would call me. Fortunately, I received the call in just 20 mins. And what did they say?

"Thank God! We were expecting it to be MORE expensive than this."

That statement got my heartbeat down from the moon to the ground. I was relieved. I just had to further explain what already was on the document to have received a convincing yes to go ahead. I called my partner in joy & shared this news with him. He was thrilled that we got such a big project so early in our career.

The answer to us quoting a project 7 times more price to the same client just a year later lies in my journey of the 365 days between those proposals.

The secret was Good Advice.

I happened to meet a software company's co-founder who explained to me how project pricing works. There was no Chatgpt then. I could never find a convincing "How to price your project" article on google. That person helped me understand it. She broke down how she runs her company. I had an aha moment after speaking to her for the couple of hours she gave me. She funnily explained how it would be no use of doing something so challenging when the reward was not worth enough. That changed my thought process since then. The result was such a big project in hand.

7 years later, i still receive great advice. @darius-baltunis helped me understand how to price @immerzyve. He continues to provide me with knowledge that took him years to learn. I'm thankful for this. For anyone who read this so far, I highly advise you to reconsider your pricing if you are not satisfied with it. Quote the price that you believe you're worth. Look for advisors in the industry who can help you understand whats missing. Your life will surely be more joyful & less stressful. All the best.

Thank you for reading.
Sai Mutyala
the cognitive founder