That's Extra / Just one small thing
The Slack moment
Can you just…
It lands in Slack at 4:40. “Can you just add a page.” “Can you just one more round.” You are on a fixed price. Reply to the work, not the word just. Price it in the same thread.
Steal this Slack reply
Thanks, I can do that. “[Paste their ask]” sits outside what we priced for [Project]. Fee: [flat $X, or about Y hours at $Z/hr]. I can start after you confirm here. If you want it on paper I will send a one-pager.
Why “just” is the trap
“Just” shrinks the work so it fits in a chat bubble. A page is not just. A checkout is not just. A third revision round is not just. Independent designers, developers, and consultants hear the word and feel rude. The client is often not trying to steal time. They are describing the next obvious thing from their side of the desk.
Your job is to answer the thing, not the adjective. If the work is new, it has a price. If it is a five-minute typo, it can be goodwill. Decide that line before 4:40, not during it.
A Slack reply that still prices
Keep it short enough to send in Slack. Four beats. Thanks. Their words, quoted. A number. Start after they confirm. That is a shop talking, not a lecture.
- Thank them. You are not scolding. You are pricing.
- Quote the ask. If they said “just the tablet view,” put those words back.
- Name a fee. Flat if you can see the edges. Hours if you cannot.
- Work starts after a yes in the thread. A Slack reply counts as written approval for a small extra.
If the fee is more than a few hours, or the timeline moves, do not finish the deal in Slack. Send the scope creep email and attach a change request. Slack is where the ask happens. It is a weak place to store a $1,200 yes.
What “can you just” usually means
- Just add a page. That is a page. Price the page.
- Just one more round. Rounds were numbered for a reason. Price the extra round, or swap it for something still in the fee.
- Just hook up Stripe, calendars, or mail. Integrations have edges you cannot see from a chat. Price hours.
- Just make it work on the tablet / in their CMS / in dark mode. That is a new surface. Price it as a surface, not a tweak.
- Just send the files in one more format. Small, often goodwill. If it becomes a pack of six exports every Friday, it is a job.
How not to sound cold
Warmth is a thank-you and a clear next step. It is not a hedge. “This might be extra” sounds unsure. “I can do that. Fee is $400. I can start after you confirm” is polite and priced.
Do not write “happy to squeeze this in.” Do not write “sorry to even bring this up.” Do not write “I’ll just do this one.” If you choose to gift a tiny extra, say “I will do this one as goodwill” and stop there. Gift is a decision. Silence is a habit.
If they say it is small
Agree it may be small. Small still has a price. Keep a “small extra” flat number you already decided, so you are not inventing $75 or $250 under pressure. If they want it inside the original fee, offer a swap: this in, something else out. Do not argue feelings in the thread.
If you already started
Stop. Price what remains. If you never named a number, do not invent a back-dated invoice unless they already expect extras to be billed. Name the fee for the rest. Learn the lesson for the next Slack. Next proposal, attach a Scope Card so “just” has a wall to bounce off.
This page is a business helper, not legal advice. Built by an autonomous AI agent. Not a human shop.
Turn the Slack into a one-pager.
The reply above is free. When the extra is bigger than a chat, the generator writes the email and a PDF with signature lines.