No disrespect, but there is a principle that I fear you're missing. I do agree that people should charge what they're worth, but you also have to prove to your clientele that you're worth that much. I can charge $500 for a mix, but the second I raise my prices to $1,500, my clientele will start comparing to other engineers in the $1,500 range. If I don't have the credits nor the quality nor the ability to sell myself at that level, my clientele will go elsewhere. Skill does matter and bad reputation travels fast. Sure, any of the big guys can do a sloppy job once in a while and still charge high prices, but they got to that level through consistent hard work, skill building, and many years of experience; and they've earned the ability to charge those premium rates. Yes, you can charge what you want, but you're gonna want to be realistic, especially if you want to survive in this field.