Establishing Business Processes as a Freelancer
If you’re like most beginning or growing freelancers, you probably are worried about how all the business tasks will get done and the right way to do them. They can be overwhelming and time consuming to set up, plus you want to look professional and make sure everything is working together correctly. So let’s not waste your limited time and get down to business! In this post, we’ll go over simple processes you can implement to make sure business is taken care of and how to know when it’s time to upgrade.
There are a ridiculous number of programs out there that you can use to power your business. But the truth is, until your business is really robust and has more than 8 or so clients, you can get by just fine with simple and free tools.
(Please note this post contains affiliate links that allow me to share special deals and promotions with you, which I may be rewarded for)
Online Appointment Scheduling for Small Businesses
Typically you need two things when it comes to scheduling appointments with clients:
A calendar
Video conferencing software
Google has free versions of both of these. I like to use Google Calendar and Google Meet for scheduling client meetings and offering a virtual meeting option.
When to Upgrade: If you’re feeling like you spend way too much time back and forth trying to set meeting times and get everyone the correct meeting link, Calendly is a great option for automating this process.
Invoicing Freelance Clients
My favorite (and free) tool for invoicing is Waveapp.com. It ties directly to my bank account and has the ability to send invoices, store client information, and send proposals too if you like! It even allows you to accept credit card and ACH payments online. Like most payment processors, there is a small percentage fee you pay for each transaction. This isn’t something you have to worry about, but more something you should be aware of so you can build this fee into your pricing.
Another added benefit of Wave is it makes tracking my finances super easy. It reads my bank transactions and categorizes them for me. If it doesn’t know what category something goes in, I can take time to review it and the platform learns over time where certain types of expenses or income should be organized. This makes it really easy to see where my money is going and track income and expenses, plus see at a glance when invoices are outstanding. Payment reminders can also be auto-scheduled to send to clients on a reoccurring schedule, so you don’t have to remember to constantly follow up.
When to Upgrade: If you are forgetting to send invoices, sending them late, or making errors on your invoices, if may be time to upgrade to a more automated system. Honeybook and 17Hats are both great options and include additional features at a monthly fee.
Business Banking for Freelancers
Speaking of banking, I highly recommend separating your business bank account from your personal bank account. This makes it easier to track your income and expenses and will make tax time much more simple. You can still pay yourself by moving funds from your business account to a personal account at any time. I find it helpful to use a bank that has an online option so I can check balances and transfers on the go, as well as do mobile deposits if a client sends me a check.
When to Upgrade: If you constantly feel like you have no idea what state your finances are in, investing in a bookkeeper is usually one of the first and most rewarding tasks small businesses and entrepreneurs outsource. Make sure to find a bookkeeper that is versed in your industry so they understand how your business is set up and can help you at tax time.
Time Tracking for Freelancers
When you’re starting freelancing, you might feel like your time and attention is being pulled in a thousand different directions, which often means you run around doing everything, yet not getting anything crossed off your list. I recommend tracking your time to see exactly what things are taking your time and you can spot places to be more efficient or establish a new process to simplify things. This also allows you to know how much time you are spending on each client and know if your rates are appropriate. I recommend Toggl Timetrack for this because it’s easy to classify things, start a clock timer when you start a new task, and you can review all kinds of reports that break down your time into categories.
When to Upgrade: After you have been tracking your time for a while and have found ways to be more efficient, you probably don’t need to continue this practice. It’s a great checkup to circle back to when you get a new client, change processes, or start to feel like your time management isn’t quite where you would like it to be.
Proposals & Client Reports
I like to keep proposals and client reports simple and free. There are a lot of software options out there, but I’ve never found them helpful enough to pay for since my clients are typically long term and I’m only preparing proposals a couple of times per year when we have space for new clients. However, if you onboard new clients frequently, you may find benefits to a client management system that includes proposal and invoicing options. For me, I simply prepare proposals and reports in either Canva or Google Drive using a template I created years ago that has proven highly successful. You can get access to that template for free here.
For client reports, I simply update the information for the monthly billing cycle with statistics we track for them (typically from social media or their website), then email a pdf version to them.
When to Upgrade: Similar to business banking and invoicing, you can upgrade to a paid software program to simplify this process if you are managing more than about 8 clients, or are onboarding clients more than just a few times a year.
File Management Software Options
Freelancing typically comes along with managing some files for your clients. My preferred free method for this is Google Drive. It remains the best free option, and the most affordable option when you need to expand to more storage. My favorite hack for organizing client assets is to use a client ID code. Typically I use an abbreviation of the client’s name, so for example, if my client was Danny’s Donut Shop, my client ID code for them would be DDS. I then label all of their files with the prefix DDS, which allows me to quickly search for their files, even if they get misplaced in the wrong folder.
When to Upgrade: If Google Drive isn’t cutting it for you or you are looking for other options, another favorite of mine is Microsoft OneDrive. I organize files in OneDrive the same was I do in Google Drive. I started using both Google Drive and OneDrive when I outgrew my 30 GB plan with Google because I found OneDrive to be more affordable (about $9 per month for a TB of storage). I still use Google Drive for text-based documents that take up less room, but store photo and video assets in OneDrive.
Planning and Client Review
Every freelance business is going to differ in this area, but it is likely you will need to communicate with your client in some way that allows you both to stay organized. The most flexible and free tool for this is AirTable. You can utilize spreadsheets, calendars, or whole libraries of information, links, photos, and videos that can easily be shared, organized, and viewed in multiple different ways. AirTable is EASILY my favorite tool online and honestly, if you’re a bootstrapping online business owner, it’s the most powerful tool for running your business.
When to Upgrade: AirTable is seriously a powerhouse. If you’re needing more than the free version has to offer or are ready to automate some things, there is a paid version available for about $10 per month, as well as many integrations you can connect to make AirTable do even more work for you.
Ready to get your next freelance client?
You can find support, resources, and guidance in our Facebook group Purposeful Scaling Freelancers as well! This is a free community of people committed to starting or growing their freelance business to support their ideal lifestyle, bring them purpose, and provide an income.
More Content for Freelancers:
Time Management and Productivity Hacks for Quick Business Growth
Planning Your Freelancer Daily Routine for Work-Life Balance
The Only 3 Things You Need to Start Freelancing
Freelancers Guide to Busting Burnout
3 Pricing Mistakes Freelancers Make
