Question · Fees
Flat fee, hourly, percentage or cost-plus
What do you use and why?
Bring the real questions behind fees, clients, sourcing, software and running a studio. Get useful answers from people who understand the work.
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What do you use and why?
I sometimes feel that giving clients too many choices makes the decision harder, but I also do not want them to feel as though they have no choice. Do you usually present one strong recommendation or several options for every item?
I am trying to create a clearer fee structure for sourcing, ordering and tracking products. Do you charge a fixed procurement fee, an hourly rate, a percentage of the order value, or add a markup to products? I would love to hear what works for other studios and how you explain it to clients.
A client asks for one more option, then another room, then a new presentation. None of the requests feels large on its own, but together they change the project. At what point do you pause the work, and how do you introduce an additional fee without damaging the relationship?
You have built the room around one piece, the client loves it, and then the supplier confirms a lead time that no longer fits the programme. Do you present the delay, source the closest alternative, or redesign the scheme around something available now?
Small projects can fill the calendar while producing very little margin. For studios that introduced a minimum project value, what changed in your enquiries, positioning, and profitability? How did you communicate it without sounding dismissive?
The client has ambitious references and a fixed budget that cannot support the level of finish they expect. What is your most effective way to make that gap visible early, before the studio spends days designing something that cannot be delivered?
The project is complete and would transform your portfolio, but the client values privacy and never discussed publication. When do you raise photography, what permissions do you request, and what compromises have made clients more comfortable?
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