Dan Mall's Papa Bear Pricing

When pricing or estimating work, learn (as best you can) what your clients want and then lay out options. Asking for their budget may not be possible, or even useful. Instead, ground your assumptions in the marketplace and in their current reality. It will evolve, but for now you're both trying to figure out whether to take the next step together.

• Option 1: The big vision, the expanded body of work, the wish list. Priced well beyond their stated budget and timeline.

• Option 2: What they've asked for, but priced over their budget so you can do it properly.

• Option 3: The minimal solution. Lo-fi, short timeframe, half their budget.

The point is to give clients the best information you can so they can make the right choice for themselves. They decide, and we stay useful whichever option they pick.

Papa Bear Pricing, by Dan Mall, 20 Feb 2026

Via Dave Smyth