Freelancing is a serious business. That’s why you have to work smart and not hard. In our last blog post, we established that as a freelancer, you’re also a business owner, and you should treat your work, as such, as business. That said, we’re here to bring you some more professional hacks for freelancers you can implement ASAP.
Let’s not waste any more time and dive right in!
Amazing Professional Hacks for Freelancers
Get in Front of the Camera
Every communication tool serves its purpose. With this in mind, emails and other types of written communication that don’t take place in real-time do serve their purpose. That said, this form of communication can also have its drawbacks. From possible misunderstandings where instructions are concerned to delays in responses on both ends, asynchronous communication can cause huge drawbacks in projects and even delivery on time.
This is where getting in front of the camera comes in. As a freelancer, the beauty of what you do comes from being able to work remotely from anywhere. So how do you still show up ‘in front’ of your customers? The answer is video chat. Video chat makes it so much easier for you to communicate with your clients, and it reduces the chances of having any misunderstandings. A useful tool for freelancers to maintain communication with their clients and show their presence is web chat API or in-app chat API for iOS or Android apps, which can enable real-time chat and reduce the likelihood of miscommunication between you and your customers.
Using this medium for communicating gives both you and your client the opportunity to communicate in real-time, you can address anything that doesn’t seem to be clear and minimize any cause for confusion. You’re also able to instantly answer any questions your client may have and even do brainstorming sessions. There are so many possibilities that can take place for your freelance business by just getting in front of the camera.
Consider Using Templates
Saving yourself time is a choice you’re going to have to make all the time. Freelancers are usually the only ones running their business for the most part, which means that you’re responsible for doing everything. From sending invoices, to following up on emails, to doing up contracts, it’s all on you. That’s where reusable templates come in.
Save yourself all that brain power and put templates in place to have some ease when doing those tasks that are a must for your business. After all, you have so many more things to focus on, and that energy could be put to much better use.
If you didn’t think of reusable templates before, or have been considering them but haven’t quite gotten around to getting them done, there’s no time like the represent to get going. Think of your reusable templates as one of those steps you take to be proactive in your business and to ease some of the burdens you have to deal with frequently.
On the other hand, you can use pre-made templates found on websites. This uncomplicated self-employed billing template from Keeper is perfect for your clients and records. If you’re audited, you can show the IRS these documents as proof. You can also use online invoice templates from Invoice Simple if you need a bit more customization.
Stick to Professional Processes
Within your freelancing business, everything that you do should have a process. Developing these processes is the hard part, but once you have it down, everything should flow smoothly afterwards.
Processes help with quality control, something that all businesses, no matter the nature, need to have. Of course, there are steps you need to take in order to create the processes that work best for you. Here are a few things you need to consider:
- Your incoming projects; what are the goals of each? What exactly is required of you?
- Write down the steps you’re going to take when tackling each project
- Make an estimate of the length of time each step will take to get done
- Keep track of everything by creating notes and documenting them. Of course, these documents can be saved to cloud spaces such as Google drive.
- Get someone to proofread everything. Monitor your information to ensure that it is clear and understandable.
- Understand how you’ll keep track of payments and prove your income to the tax man, especially when addressing working remotely taxes. Will you use a digital receipt, an invoice, or something else?
Congratulations! You just developed a process, and now all you have to do is go ahead and keep working on it to make it better and more efficient. As long as you stick to your processes, all should be well, and managing your freelance business should get better over time as you stick to it.
That’s a Wrap on Professional Hacks for Freelancers!
As a freelancer, you’re provided with opportunities that suit your preferences and your lifestyle without apologies or the need to settle. It is also a business where you play a key role as both administrator and project manager. If you’re not careful, you could end up losing a few hairs because you weren’t deliberate in being proactive and prepared. That’s where we come in to help you with some neat hacks to keep your head above water.
Don’t forget that here at Day Translations, we’re all about making life easier for our clients by providing them with an easy process to gain access to all the translation, localization, audiovisual, BPO and interpreting services you need. Our team of professionals are available 24/7 to provide you with the best translation services out there.