My market value is $10-15k/mo USD for just myself (sometimes more if I'm needed in an emergency). If you have a proven track record with a solid reputation you can command that sort of pay without an issue. I also bring a lot of general web development capability to the table, so selling on an easy-to-use interface also does a lot to add to my value.

If you think about it - $35-40k for a 2-3 month dev timeline (which is what I'd say is my average) is worth it if you're cutting the salaries of 5+ people out of the equation, no need to pull out an Excel spreadsheet for the ROI that. All-in-all - you're not crazy, they're the ones who are crazy if they continue to sink money into human robots.

> Charging for value can sometimes feel exorbitant

Just get confident (this is hard advice I know). I'm incredibly confident in the problems I can solve and will put in the hours to get back on a timeline/budget if needed. Businesses aren't buying my "products" per-say, they're buying me.

Solid comment. How do you deal with getting the knowledge of the process out of the people you are trying to leave without a job? That must be rough.

They're entry level positions usually so figuring out their processes is typically not that difficult. Often I will not work directly with them vs. having a big sheet of instructions delivered with a ton of bullet points. I also get a ton of process diagrams as well.

Usually it's better for the business I'm supporting to document their own workflows before it's handed over to me for a lot of common sense reasons.

"Don't worry folks, our people are working on introducing basic income, so you'll have opportunity to develop in more important areas of your lives, instead of wasting time on such a meaningless activities." :)

I owe you a round for this. Hopefully it sticks.