if you want to make $250k, you need to charge much closer to $250/hr. Billing hours as a contractor or consultant is not the same as working hours as a FTE. You need to basically figure you’re going to average 20 hours/week to cover non-billable time, leave, taxes, etc.

The good news is that clients paying these rates will actually listen to you rather than treat you as a cog in a machine. (Another reason i prefer the term “consultant” to “contractor”)