Ask Can you sustain freelancing long-term without ever raising your base rates?

[Brendan]

It seems like keeping the same rates for years would eventually become a problem, especially as living costs go up and your experience grows. Some freelancers are afraid to raise their prices because they worry about losing clients, so they stay at the same rate even when they are doing much better work than when they started. That kind of thinking can keep you stuck. At some point, your income needs to reflect the value you actually bring. Have you ever struggled with the idea of raising your rates, and how did you handle it?