Most independent creatives track exactly one financial number: how much came in this month. That number feels informative and is actually one of the least useful ones available, because it says nothing about whether the business behind it is getting stronger or quietly running on fumes.
Effective hourly rate, not project rate
A project priced at a flat fee can hide a wildly unprofitable hourly rate if scope creeps, which it usually does. Dividing total payment by actual hours spent, including revisions and calls, tends to be uncomfortable the first time it is calculated honestly. It is also the single most useful number for deciding which kinds of projects to keep taking and which to quietly stop accepting, regardless of how impressive they look on a portfolio.
