On the "raise again mid-year?" question: one way to decide is to tie it to the cost that moved, not the calendar.
- If payroll went up in January and your 4% covered it, a mid-year rise needs a new reason (a wage change, fuel, insurance renewal). Customers accept "costs went up again" when it's true, and they notice when it isn't.
- If the January rise was deliberately modest and you're still under target margin, a second step is fine. Say so in the January letter next time ("we're phasing this in over the year"), so the second one isn't a surprise.
- Keep new-customer pricing separate. You already raised first-time services by 5%, which is the cheapest place to recover margin because there's no existing expectation.
Whatever you pick, put the next review date in the calendar now and give the same written notice each time: new price, start date, how to cancel. Losing 2 of 400 suggests your clients trust you. Keeping the process predictable is what protects that.
