Latest / Solopreneur Sessions with Fexingo: One-Person Businesses, Freelancing, and Independent Work / How a Solo Consultant Got Paid for Unused Vacation Days
Transcript
- Lucas: So, Luna, I want to talk about a pricing move that sounds almost backwards at first. A solo consultant I've been following recently started charging her clients for vacation days they don't use. Luna: Wait, charging for days they don't use? That seems like the opposite of what you'd want. Wouldn't clients just see that as a penalty for not taking time off? Lucas: That's exactly what I thought. But she framed it as an 'unused vacation credit' — a line item in her retainer that covers the cost of her being available even when she'd rather be away. And it's working. Luna: I'm intrigued. How did she land on that? And what does it actually cost? Lucas: So, before we dive in — if these conversations have moved your work forward in some small way, honestly, if today was worth a coffee to you, that's the link: buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It keeps the show ad-free and it's the smallest possible ask. Luna: Yeah, and it genuinely helps us keep doing these deep dives. Okay, back to the consultant — what's her name and how did she start? Lucas: Her name is Dana Whitfield, and she's a former corporate project manager who went solo about three years ago. She runs a niche consulting practice helping small manufacturing firms digitize their inventory tracking. And her 'unused vacation credit' is a $500 monthly line item in her retainer contracts. Luna: So $500 a month — and that's on top of her regular retainer? What does she tell clients it covers? Lucas: Exactly. Her standard retainer is $6,000 a month, and the vacation credit is an additional $500. She explains it this way: if she's on vacation, she's not available for urgent issues, but she's still 'on call' for critical problems — she just might respond slower. The fee covers that standby availability and the peace of mind that she'll pick up if something breaks. Luna: And clients actually go for that? It sounds like she's charging for a service she isn't really providing. Lucas: That's the thing — she's providing a real service: guaranteed response time. She commits to responding within four hours even during her 'off' days. That's worth something to a factory that can't afford downtime. She's essentially selling certainty, and that's a premium product. Luna: So the psychology is that clients pay for the guarantee, not the vacation itself. That's clever. But how did she come up with the idea? Lucas: She told me it came from a burnout moment. Two years ago, she had a client who kept calling her during her honeymoon — this is actually in her case study. She was in Santorini, trying to enjoy a sunset, and the client was panicking about a shipment delay. She handled it, but she was furious. Luna: Right, so she decided to monetize that friction instead of just complaining about it. Lucas: Exactly. She drafted a new contract clause that defined what 'vacation mode' meant: she'd check in once a day, but not be glued to her phone. And if the client wanted her to be fully responsive — meaning within four hours — that was a $500 monthly add-on. Her first client actually signed it without even negotiating. Luna: Wait, so it wasn't about charging for unused days — it was about charging for the option to have her fully available. The 'unused' part is just how she frames it when clients don't use that availability. Lucas: Exactly. And that framing is key. She's not charging for a vacation; she's charging for the option to interrupt hers. If the client never calls, the fee sits there as a credit — but it's not refunded. It's essentially a premium for priority access. Luna: So it's like a concierge fee. I can see how that would appeal to a certain type of client who values reliability over saving a few hundred bucks. Lucas: And that's the bigger lesson here — as solopreneurs, we often underprice certainty. We charge for hours and deliverables, but we give away our responsiveness and our peace of mind for free. Dana flipped that. Luna: But there's a risk, right? Some clients could see this as nickel and diming. How does she avoid that? Lucas: She's very transparent about it from the start. It's in her proposal, it's in her contract, and she talks about it in her discovery calls. She says it's never a surprise at the end of the month. And she's also structured it so that if she never uses her vacation days — meaning she's always available — the client gets a discount on the next year's retainer. Luna: Oh, that's a nice touch. So if she's a workaholic, the client benefits. Lucas: Right, it aligns incentives. But the interesting part is that she's actually using her vacation days more now, because clients are paying for the option, so she feels obligated to take time off. She says it's the first time in her career she's actually taken a full two weeks off. Luna: So it's not just a pricing hack — it's a behavioral nudge for herself. She's paying herself to take breaks. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the meta-lesson: your pricing structure can shape your own behavior. If you charge only for billable hours, you'll never stop working. If you charge for outcomes and availability, you can afford to step away. Luna: I love that. But I'm curious — has she ever had a client actually call her during a vacation and use that availability? Lucas: She says it's happened twice in two years. The first time, a client's system went down and she spent an hour on a call — she was annoyed, but she was paid for it. The second time, a client just wanted to brainstorm a new project, and that call actually led to a $15,000 expansion of her scope. Luna: So the fee paid for itself tenfold in that case. That's a great story to tell prospects. Lucas: And she does tell it. She has a case study on her website that breaks down the ROI of her vacation credit — it's a great sales tool. It shows that the fee isn't just a cost; it's an investment in access. Luna: Okay, but what about the legal side? Can you really charge for unused days without it feeling like a penalty? Is there any risk of a client claiming it's unconscionable? Lucas: I asked her about that, and she's careful to frame it as a separate service, not a penalty. It's called 'priority access' in her contract, not 'unused vacation fee.' That's a key legal distinction — it's an optional add-on, not a default clause. Clients can opt out, but then they agree to a 48-hour response time during her vacation periods. Luna: So it's a choice. That feels fair. And it's transparent from the start. Lucas: Exactly. And she's never had a client accuse her of being unfair. She's had a few who negotiated the fee down to $300, and she's fine with that. It's about starting the conversation. Luna: So what's the takeaway for our listeners? Should they all go and add a 'vacation credit' line item to their invoices? Lucas: Not exactly. The takeaway is to look at what you're giving away for free — your responsiveness, your off-hours, your willingness to drop everything — and consider whether that's part of your value proposition. If it is, you should be pricing it. Luna: So it's about auditing your own availability and putting a number on it. Lucas: Right. And the secondary lesson is that constraints can be a sales tool. Dana's vacation policy isn't a weakness — it's a signal of confidence. She's telling clients, 'I value my time, and I charge for the privilege of interrupting it.' That positions her as a premium provider. Luna: I can see how that would repel the wrong clients and attract the right ones. It's a filter. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the thing that surprised me most — she says her close rate actually went up after she added the fee. Because it made her look more in demand, more professional. Clients assume that if you charge for availability, you must be worth it. Luna: That's the classic Veblen effect in B2B services. Higher price, higher perceived value. Lucas: And she's not the only one doing this. I've seen solo lawyers and even some freelancers in creative fields add similar 'expedited access' fees. It's a broader trend toward productizing your time. Luna: So what would you say to someone who's worried about alienating their existing clients if they suddenly add a fee like this? Lucas: Good question. Dana's advice is to not surprise existing clients. She suggests grandfathering them in for a period, or offering it as a voluntary addition. And to frame it as a value-add — 'I want to be able to give you my full attention, and this ensures I can.' Luna: That's smart. It's about communication, not just the fee. Lucas: Right. And the final thing she shared: she tracks her own vacation days now, and she's actually taking more of them. She used to work through holidays, but now she's motivated to unplug because clients are paying for her to be available — so she wants to honor that by actually being on vacation. Luna: So the fee is good for her mental health too. That's a win-win. Lucas: It is. And I think that's the real story here — it's not just about making more money, it's about designing your business so that you can be a healthier, more sustainable solopreneur. And if that means charging for your vacation days, so be it. Luna: I love that. I'm going to look at my own retainer terms tonight and see if I'm giving away my weekends for free. Lucas: Do it. And if you end up adding a 'weekend access' fee, let us know how it goes. We might have to do a follow-up episode.