How the day rate calculator works
Day rate ≠ hourly × 8
A consulting day is not eight identical billable hours; it is prep, travel, follow-up, and the meeting itself. Day rates that come from hourly × 8 systematically underprice, which is why experienced consultants build from yearly targets and honest day counts instead — the same math as the hourly calculator, on a different calendar.
Choosing your billable days
13 billable days a month (≈157/year) is a strong, sustainable consulting load; 16+ is a sprint. Everything else — proposals, conferences, the pipeline — lives in the non-billable days. If your actual month is 9 billable days, price on 9, or your income quietly becomes 9/13ths of your target.
Using day rates to sell
Day rates simplify buying: "two days on-site, one day of write-up" is easier to approve than 24.5 billable hours. Anchor with the deliverable, not the time: "Discovery sprint — $X for two days and a prioritized roadmap."