A company isn’t like a clock. A clock is made of complicated parts that interlock, yes. But shove a clock into a safe and keep it there for a century, and it will still be able to work. Its elements and their relationships are static.
In other words, very much NOT like a company at all. Organizations and relationships within them EVOLVE. For better or for worse, so does our relationship with them.
Sure, they initially got in touch with you because they needed that urgent thing delivered. But now it’s two years later, and you are no longer just delivering anymore – you’re helping them steer the whole thing.
However, your contract still says “doer” and not “advisor”. Of course, that means that your billing and pricing methods are stuck in the past as well.
The deeper the partnership, the more dangerous it is to leave old terms untouched. Fielding big decisions on an hourly rate is a surefire recipe for suffering performance penalties (the more efficient you are, the less money you get), which inevitably breeds the gunpowder of deep resentment. Then, it’s just a matter of time before a “quiet month” blows it all up.
The solution is obvious: update the pricing model to match reality. It’s not about charging more just because you can. It’s about reflecting your actual role sustainably.
For stability’s sake, when a client leans on you like a partner, your pricing should say so.