The Journey Begins…
This “Freelancer’s Guide to the Galaxy” by FreshBooks covers a lot of up’s and down’s of the freelancing journey. Throughout the course of your freelancing career, you’ll come to many forks in the road. Use this guide to help shed some light on some tough decisions along the way.
Branding Essentials
One of the most important things you will need to do as freelancer is create a brand for yourself! Whether you use your name “Jason” or something grander like “NegoSentro.” Whatever you choose it’s important to create a business identity that is straightforward and clear for all of your clients to easily recognize.
So you have your new name! Now you need a logo, business cards, and a website. You have to remember that you’re a business, and all platforms that your brand is exposed on need to be polished and professional. The impact of looking professional on everything that has your brand on it can make a crucial difference when a potential client finds your website, you give them a business card, or they recognize your logo. Remember that a potential client hasn’t had the opportunity to know you by your quality of work; they only know you by what you display.
Freelancing Tools and Resources
As a freelancer, your ever-changing day-to-day routine can make it tough to keep track of everything. We recommend using tools that are friendly with your on-the-go lifestyle. For all you freelancers out there who are struggling to stay organized with your finances, invoicing and accounting provider FreshBooks makes it really easy to manage expenses and create custom invoices complete with your logo, payment terms, and client info! Use technology to your advantage to simplify your busy schedule and spend more time doing the things that you love!
Final Word of Advice
As a freelancer, it’s tempting to say yes to every project. After all, who knows when the next job will come along? Sure, it makes for some busy times – probably a few late nights, early mornings and weekend work – but it’s all worth it in the end, right?
“No,” you’ll find is the best answer you can use as a freelancer! Of course it’s not always the easiest thing to say “No” to a client, but it’s necessary at times. But how do you know when to say no? The answer “No” is a situational answer – meaning a project you might deny this week, you may consider again in a year. It’s important to find balance in the projects you take on. You want projects that are going to derive a benefit for your freelance career, and challenge your working knowledge to become a better freelancer.
As much as possible, try to diminish the blow. Be as polite as possible. It probably still won’t make you the client’s favorite person, but at least the customer might not despise you quite so much for turning down the offer. Copywriter James Chartrand highlights some useful phrases that could help you get the client to see things from your point of view:
• “I’d love to, but I really have to… (insert action here)”
• “I’m already working on (insert task here) but I can (offer alternative)…”
• “That would be great, but I’ve already committed to…”
• “My schedule is booked until (date). How about then?”
• “I really appreciate that you offered me this job but I’m presently all tied up with (insert project)…”
