soyrex

So, for the past few years as a freelancer the one part work that i’ve hated is paperwork, specifically accounting. The best part about working for someone else is that they chase the money for you, so you don’t have to ask for your pay - it just appears in your bank account.

Obviously anyone who has ever freelanced already knows this. What we may or may not know is that there are some great tools online to help us to keep track of what we do.

Timesheeting

One of the first jobs I worked in had a very open, transparent method of billing clients. Each of the workers in the office kept a running (by the minute) timesheet of what they were doing, associated to client - at the end of the month, our boss would compile invoices for the clients based entirely on that timesheet data. This model is probably dubious if you want to keep your profit margins secret from your employees… but there is a valuable lesson for the freelancer here. Everything you do should be timesheeted, it doesn’t matter if you are billing flat rate, hourly, weekly , whatever… the fact is having a running timesheet of the work you do for clients is a brilliant way to measure your own productivity (and analyse whether your clients are worth having - an issue that I am trying to deal with at the moment).

So, what’s the best solution for keeping track of timesheeting? I use an online web app called Harvest (www.harvestapp.com). It has a few killer features that made me choose it (and even open my wallet for it).

Multi-client, multi-project management

I can add clients, and then projects underneath. Some of the work I do is for clients who run a variety of web sites, some direct to clients and some sub contracted to other web agencies - so be able to associate different jobs (at different rates) to different customers is golden.

Multi user support.

During my trial of Harvest i added a second “freelance” user to my account, to get my friend Omar to test out how the multi user features worked. At the end of the trial I discovered that the harvest guys had left a bug in their software that let me KEEP my second account when i signed up, even though the account i paid for was supposed to be restricted to one user. (As an aside: honesty is always the best policy. As soon as i discovered this bug i contacted the guys at harvest and let them know… in return for the information, they let me keep my freelancer user account for nothing).

Works on my Iphone

This may sound dumb but let me explain. I have one client who is having an on-going love affair with meetings. I find them pointless and timewasting.. SO: i use my iphone to fire up my harvest timesheet when i arrive at their office and track the time i waste in their meetings. For now i’m not billing it on, but at least i can present an argument if it ever becomes an issue.

In built Invoicing.

See below, this is a biggy..

Invoicing

Harvest recently added the ability to create and track invoices from within their system. Which means in short that at the end of the month(or whatever billing cycle you use), you can generate a PDF invoice for your client and automatically send it them via email. The system is robust and flexible enough to suit my needs (and so any freelancer that i can think of) - saves me firing up a document, writing out my bill items, adding up the totals and exporting a PDF for every client. A job that USED to take me the better part of a day at the end of every month now takes me abut 1 hour.

Harvest also lets you log the acceptance of invoices and track outstanding payments - which is golden when you have to send lots of little invoices to lots of little clients!

So, coupled with Fluid on my mac, I now have a desktop (albiet web reliant) application that handles all my timesheeting and invoicing - leaving me free to be creative.

My quick guide to how to go freelance..

After nearly ten years working in the web site industry, I’ve gone through the rather scary transition of switching from a fulltime (or at least secure) job, to freelancing a couple of times. It’s scary, people call it “taking the plunge”, “going out on a limb”, “the big step”. My aim here it to point out that if you know your stuff, it’s not really that scary! The big secret to going freelance is really having a backup plan - mostly just to make yourself feel comfortable.

If you’re currently working a well paid job, and you want to try your hand at freelance (since you’ve heard the money is better and there is more beach time..), then my biggest piece of advice is: think hard! Everyone has had a freelancer for a friend and been envious of their “free” time and their “freedom” - but freelancing isn’t all about freedom… in fact… having worked jobs and freelance, I can confidantly say that freelance is much harder, more stressful and often less rewarding (at least on a shallow level). Now, backup plans! If you have a steady income and you’re thinking about freelance, then the first thing you need is some cash put away. So, work out how much a month’s living expenses, rent etc cost you.. then save twice that. “Yes mum” I hear you saying… but I’m serious! I’ve seen people decide to go freelance only to have minor nervous breakdowns within to weeks because their bank balance is shrinking. Two months savings is easy to raise and should give you the buffer zone you need to land on your feet and start running.

To really make it work, you need contacts - if you’re a programmer and you like to work without the lights on, wearing a darth-maul tshirt and have 3 facial piercings (or for some other reason you find social interaction challenging), you may find it harder to freelance. You need to give a friendly yet professional impression to your potential customers (who are EVERYWHERE.. ALL THE TIME!) - I’ve often given my business cards out in clubs, bars, ice cream shops.. you name a place and I’ll hand out my card there. On a side note.. it helps to like talking about yourself… you’d be amazed how easy the conversations go:

me: “Hi, I’m rex” them: “Hi… I’m -name-” me: “nice to meet you… what do you do for work?” them: “i’m a -insert boring job-, you?” me: “I’m a graphic designer, and i make web sites” them: “really? we need a website!”

Clock one for the freelancer. Of course, 3 in 5 times… you give her your card… and she never calls you.. and that’s the end of that. But the more cards you give out.. the more exposure you get. You’d be amazed how people will come out of the woodwork, months later, “Hi.. my friend had a friend, she gave me your card…” - bam.. we’re back in the game.

Anyways, taking the plunge… you’ve decided to take the plunge, and you’re ready to save 2 months of expense money. Get your business cards… get them now… make them simple, personal - give your email and mobile. If you don’t already have a website then put up a simple one, dump some portfolio in.. whatever, it doesn’t need to be too fancy to begin with - but you need the site and your own email address to get a card. Don’t use your hotmail, or your gmail as your email address… buy a domain name (they cost about 10$ a year - don’t be cheap.. you have to spend money to make money!). Ok, so you ordered your business cards.. they arrive.. what do you do? Start giving them to everyone you meet. Give your friends 5 each, give your parents 10 each… The more of those cards that are out there… the more exposure you are getting. So.. you work the last month of your job.. and spend every waking moment trying to find ways to give people your business card. You go for drinks after work.. buy a pint and ask the guy at the bar if they have a website (assuming you make web sites) - give him your card… whether or not he says no.

Ok, so enough ranting about giving away business cards, what’s next? Let’s jump ahead to our first day of freelance ‘work’ - what do you do? My first suggestion is: sleep in. The whole point of putting yourself through the added stress of freelance is to improve your lifestyle; work to live, don’t live to work… and all that jazz. SO: sleep in, get up.. go up to the local coffee shop and have a big breakfast, then head home and fire up your computer. Check your email… maybe one of those business cards in the pub on Friday night will have paid off (although it’s unlikely ;). So? Now what?

Now i have to do some real work.. so tune in for the next instalment ;)