As a freelancer, you probably spend a disproportionate amount of time thinking about your income. You might wonder how long your current client base will stick around, crave a higher overall revenue stream, or worry that you aren’t making enough money to retire.
One of the best ways to address these concerns is to diversify your income stream and supplement your income with other sources. How can you accomplish it? [Read more…]
When you’re a freelance writer, you might think the only gigs you’ll get offered are writing gigs. Often that’s true, but sometimes you’ll get offered other parts of the project.
When a client likes you, they’ll want to know what else you can do. If you can’t do the task yourself but you’ve got resources, you can bring in other professionals and offer a set of other services to your client and not only impress them but make more money. [Read more…]
As a freelance writer, you love what you do. You also need to make sure that your cash flow keeps flowing so that you can afford to stay in business. Getting paid on time is an essential part of running your business, and there are some things you can to so that you can take charge of your receivables and get paid faster. [Read more…]
Have you ever taken the time to look back at your former client list and think about the question, “How much does losing a client cost a freelance writer?” If you are looking at only the lost income that you will need to replace, you are missing the point. There are also hidden costs associated with losing a client that have an impact on your business.
Becoming a freelancer is something that many people try at least once during their lifetime. It’s an appealing situation—becoming your own boss, choosing your clients, and working from home are all definite positives. But depending on how successful your freelancing career is, you may want to consider actually starting a business at some point. You may want to go from freelancer to founder.
Though it might seem like an overwhelming endeavour, it can actually benefit you in many different ways. Take a look at this post to see when you should consider turning your freelancing life into an actual business, including what types of businesses you can choose from, and what you will need to get started.
The biggest difference between a freelancer and a business owner is that a freelancer works under their own name, with no office location or employees. A freelancer works for clients and may subcontract work to other freelancers on occasion. An entrepreneur builds a business by hiring employees, developing products, and registering a company.
You should consider switching from being a freelancer to founder if:
There are a few different types of businesses out there, and which is right for you depends entirely on your goals and preferences. Most freelancers who wish to transition to a company should either start with a sole proprietorship or a partnership.
A sole proprietorship is when you, as an entrepreneur, start a business as the sole owner. That means that you are responsible for all aspects of the business, including debts and liabilities.
A partnership is when you and another individual (or more) all wish to be co-owners of a business. The percentage of your ownership can vary based on your capital contribution. You and your partner(s) share responsibility for the company.
While you might have big dreams to start a thriving corporation down the road, starting out small will help you to scale your business while still giving you the time you need to grow.
After you make the decision to start a sole proprietorship or a partnership, you’ll need to get a few basic things in order, such as:
If you are going from freelancing to starting a sole proprietorship, you likely won’t require a lot of funding to start. However, if you plan on expanding by offering products or in-office services, you will need to consider what that will cost and how you will pay for it.
When building a business, it is best to scale conservatively, so don’t worry about hiring all of your employees at once, or about having the most expensive or trendy office space. You need to create a business model that provides you with repeatable income first, and the only way to do that is to spend every penny wisely.
Once you have planned out your business and decided on the perfect name, you can get involved in some of the more creative aspects of your business. Before your official launch, take some time to consider whether you want or need any of the following:
Business profiles on social media. You can start with the most common, such as Facebook and Twitter, and expand down the road if need be. Match the platforms to your industry so you don’t waste time building audiences on platforms that won’t provide you with any benefit.
Website. Virtually every business has a website. Whether it’s a simple one-page site with a summary of services, or a large, multi-page e-commerce site, your customers will expect you to have some kind of online presence.
Business email addresses. This might seem like a small thing, but having a business email that matches your domain name adds validity to your business. It will also help you to organize your professional communications down the road.
Business cards. These will definitely come in handy when you start networking, and they are perfect for referrals, as per this post. You can also get them for relatively cheap, depending on your taste, so it’s a small investment that could provide you with a lot of positives.
Logos. The visual aspect of your business is what makes the biggest first impression on your potential clients. A simple logo can go a long way in adding to your site, business cards, and brand presence.
Consultants. Chances are that your clients may end up wanting services that go beyond your skills, so it’s probably a good idea to meet a few consultants and add them to your roster. This could include designers, writers, editors, web developers, marketing professionals, or others.
Starting your journey as a freelancer is hard enough, but once you have a solid foundation, don’t limit yourself. You can still grow your business as a professional without having to invest a large amount of money. As long as you scale slowly and adjust your goals according to your performance, you could end up building a successful and lasting business that could benefit you and yours for years to come.
Are you planning to go from being a freelancer to a founder? What prompted you to go ahead?
This post was written by Brittany Foster, a Marketing Writer for LawDepot.
If you have been working as a freelance writer for any length of time, you know that life can sometimes get in the way of work deadlines. All freelance writers should have a plan in place for when they need backup and strategies for how to find subcontractors to work with during challenging times.
As your freelance writing business grows, how much thought have you given to the kinds of clients you want to attract? If your goal is to work with larger companies, you will need to start taking steps to create the right image to attract them. Clients at this level want to know that you have the experience to handle larger projects and your business can be depended on to deliver the project on time, and on budget. Here are some tips to help you make your freelance writing business look bigger than a home-based venture so that you can make it appealing to a wider variety of potential clients.
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Have you ever had a client ask what forms of freelance writer payment you accept? Do you list them on your website so that clients know up front which ones are available to them? You have several options available and by offering more choices, you may be able to increase your client base.
Most freelancers have run into the dreaded scope creep at some point during their careers. It occurs when you start working on a project that you think is going to encompass one set of parameters and then what is expected of you starts growing beyond your original understanding. If the client ask for a minor change to something, your first response may be to deal with it and move on, especially if you have had a good working relationship so far. But what do you do when you continue to get requests to “add this” and “change that” and “I wonder if you could….”.
Any time the question of freelance writer rates comes up, a heated discussion rapidly ensues. No doubt there are many different opinions about whether it is appropriate to post rates on your website for potential clients (and your competition) to see, or if you are better off inviting your clients to contact you for a quote instead. We’re going to examine different options so that you can decide which will work best for your business.
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