TIL the fixed retainer I quoted at $3,500 for a Denver client was the wrong call, and I had to eat $1,200 to fix it

Miles Roberts · 2026-10-25T18:10:03.514818+00:00

Everyone in this group keeps saying to lock in a flat fee before scope creep kills you, but I went the other way last month and it bit me hard. I was sitting in my car outside a client's office in Denver after the kickoff when I realized I had quoted $3,500 for what turned into a 9 week rebuild, not the 4 weeks I planned. Instead of going back and asking for more money, I ate $1,200 of my own margin to keep the timeline, because the client had referred me two other accounts and I didn't want to risk it. My call was to protect the relationship over the invoice, and it worked out, but it stung for a while. Curious if other owners would have gone back to the table or just swallowed it like I did.

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TIL the fixed retainer I quoted at $3,500 for a Denver client was the wrong call, and I had to eat $1,200 to fix it | Agency Owners - The Design Community Hub