Freelancing Organization Resources
When it comes to my day-to-day, I use a lot of programs to help my business run smoothly. In the beginning, I resisted systems, but I learned throughout the years that the time they save easily offsets the cost.
When I first started as a freelancer, I never thought it would be a long-term situation. For this reason, I resisted spending any money or time on business software or organizational programs. I operated on pen and paper, used scrappy Excel documents for accounting and didn’t even have formal contracts. If I could go back and shake myself by the shoulders now, I could have streamlined sooner to expand my bandwidth for more business. When the admin side of my business became so unbelievably overwhelming, I have my husband and my fellow freelancing pals to thank for all of their help in seeing my faults from the outside and helping me address them, one by one. In the end, I still do some scrappy pen and paper organization (eep!) but I have SO much more free time to take on new business or to breeeeathe. Here are my favorite additions:
Business Banking. I searched high and low for free business banking and went with U.S. Bank’s checking because it came with the least amount of fees. If I have a large check, I have to deposit it in person to avoid a fee, but otherwise I don’t get charged for anything. As far as taking payments, I use any and all forms (Zelle, Venmo, PayPal, checks, direct transfers, etc.) - but it all flows into one account that is entirely seperate from my personal account. Do this ASAP! Do not combine your business banking with your personal banking. Just don’t! The best part about a business banking account is that you can write yourself paychecks and it feels super legit. Kidding, but not really :)
HP Instant Ink. I absolutely love. love. love this. The HP printer I bought came with smart ink cartridges that automatically track the levels and they automatically ship new cartridges when it’s time. The best part is the price - it’s only $2.99/month for 50 pages and unused pages roll over (and that includes the cartridges!).
Freshbooks. Best customer service, reasonable pricing and SO easy to use! I highly recommend automatic invoicing when possible and late payment fees.
An accountant. Find one you love! I cannot stress enough how much time and effort on my part is saved by hiring an accountant. When it comes to paying quarterly estimates, all I need to do is send my totals from Freshbooks (easy to find!) and they take care of the rest. They even set up auto-debit so I never even have to write checks. The fee felt high at first, but I can’t stress enough how important it is to hire an expert (and they save me money that I wouldn’t have been able to do myself!).
Hootsuite. Whether you’re managing social media accounts or even just keeping up with your own, I highly recommend this scheduling tool. I love Sprout Social for my higher paying clients and the stellar reporting, but I ultimately use Hootsuite for the majority of them because it’s free. The free account option is pretty hidden on their website (and has a 3 account limit), but you can find it here.
Helpers. Find some freelancers that are similar to yourself in case you become overwhelmed. Leaning on the help and expertise of others has relieved me when I’m flooded and allowed me to keep more business flowing. Inevitably, clients will come and go, so I’ve learned it’s best to enjoy the busy times (with help!) because it’s only a matter of time before the wave comes back down.
Canva. Even if you aren’t creating social media posts, the easy design platform of Canva and the pre-made templates come in handy for SO many items like pamphlets, business cards, pricing guides, etc.
