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Freelancing is the new wave of employment. It can offer workers more money and more freedom.
And the optimism for freelancing continues to grow. So much so that AND.CO reports that 45% of the freelancers said they feel more secure in their employment.
If you’re looking to dive into freelancing, you’ll need more than just your good looks and skills. You’ll soon learn that freelancing is a business.
So, like any successful business, you’ll need tools to help you thrive. Below are nine recommended tools to help you.
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Accounting Software
Accounting can feel like uncharted territory as a freelancer. You don’t know where to start or what steps you need to take. Lucky for you, accounting software exists to make your business run smoother.
As a freelancer, you don’t want to waste time with bookkeeping. Accounting software simplifies the financial process and gets you back to doing what you do best—serving your clients.
1. FreshBooks
FreshBooks makes accounting simple with its all-in-one solution. You can put your business on autopilot with invoice reminders. Say goodbye to paper receipts and use Freshbooks’ log to organize your expenses in one place.
Want to get paid faster? You can accept credit card payments via the platform. No more chasing clients for checks. Plus, you can do your accounting from anywhere with the mobile app.
2. Wave
Built for the budding entrepreneur, Wave gives you a complete picture of your financial success. You get to make, move, and manage your money on your terms. You can create professional invoices with advanced features, like recurring billing and automatic payments.
If you have a few contractors on payroll, no problem. Wave can run payroll in minutes and guaranteed accuracy. That way, you get peace of mind when it comes to your team and tax season.
Web Hosting
Web hosting may not be a sexy topic, but it’s a necessary tool. Without web hosting, no one could view your amazing freelance website. What’s great is you don’t need to worry about the technical mumbo jumbo. All you need is a hosting provider.
3. HostGator
We like to think HostGator is an unbeatable choice for web hosting. You get unlimited storage and unmetered bandwidth along with one-click WordPress installs. Plus, a free SSL certificate adds a layer of security for your website domains and subdomains. PCMag gave us a glowing review:
“HostGator is an excellent web hosting service that’s simple to use and offers an array of useful plans for consumers and small businesses. It’s our top pick for shared web hosting and novice webmasters in general.”
Signing up for any of HostGator’s web hosting plans also means a free domain registration. Claim any available name and build your freelance website today.
Project Management
Discipline. That’s what it takes to be a successful freelancer. You need the resolve to get things done, even when you don’t feel like it. Achieving your goals can be chaos if you don’t know what task to complete first. Project management software keeps you more organized.
4. Asana
Asana brings your work together in one shared space. You can organize and assign tasks, see how work maps over time, and define each stage of the work to see what’s important.
This platform integrates with 100+ apps, like Google Sheets, Zoom, and Slack. Also, take advantage of real-time charts to pinpoint potential problems in your workflow.
5. Trello
Now is the time to reach a new level of productivity. Trello is a powerful tool for customizing your workflows for freelance client meetings, projects, and events.
From timelines to metrics, get everything you need to organize your work. Trello’s built-in automation also reduces the number of mundane tasks on your project board.
Proposal Software
Creating proposals is usually the last thing a freelancer wants to do. But you can’t secure the bag without sending a proposal to a potential client. Well, proposal software is here to save the day.
6. PandaDoc
Reach nirvana in your document workflow with PandaDoc. No more annoying headaches with manual data entry, filing, and mailing. You’ll get access to e-signatures, templates, and approval workflows to ensure your proposals and contracts get processed quickly.
PandaDoc equips your freelance business with stunning, customizable documents. On top of that, the software’s form tool allows you to collect data from clients via direct link or by embedding it on your website—no coding necessary.
7. Quoters
You have a lot on your mind as a freelancer. From client meetings to upcoming to-dos, you don’t have time to keep track of one more thing. Quoters is here to rescue freelancers from the frenzy of business proposals.
With this platform, you can save the common parts of your proposal documents and re-use them for future projects. You also can track any changes and send the right version to the right client.
Time Management Tools
Freelancers have the freedom to plan their day as they choose. For some, it’s a challenging task to stick to a schedule and stay on deadline. Fortunately, time management software makes it easier for you to map out your 24 hours.
8. TimeCamp
Reinvent how you track your time with TimeCamp. It’s your go-to tool for managing how much time you spend on each project. So, forget those pesky spreadsheets. You can now track your time in a single dashboard and focus on the most important work.
Not only can you gauge your performance, but TimeCamp also gives you a glance into project profitability as well as your overall productivity. Know exactly how much time you spend on different websites and apps.
9. Toggl
If you’re a visual person, Toggl is the right platform for your creative mind. This flexible solution gives you a visual overview of how you spend your time. With its drag-and-drop feature, you can quickly get clarity on how to plan your day.
Toggl ensures that none of your client work slips through the cracks. See what you got scheduled for this week, next week, or even next month. Shareable timelines also help show clients your progress.
Essential Tools for Your Freelance Business
While freelancing offers freedom from traditional employment, you still need to run it as a business. You need a wide range of tools to make that happen. Try any (or all) of the above-mentioned tools to jumpstart your freelance business.
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