Going freelance is a big decision. There are plenty of perks but it’s not always easy. You get to be your own boss, set your own workload and work at your own pace. It can be an invigorating and creative way to earn money. It can be a way of gaining more control over your day to day life, which many people crave. However, the decision to go freelance should never be made lightly. While there are lots of great things about freelancing, there are difficulties too. You are officially self-employed, which means arranging certain processes yourself. Whether you’re a freelance writer, developer, graphic designer, so on and so forth, you need to make sure your skills are up to scratch. This means you need to make sure you are up to date with consumer trends, technology, training and anything else that can help you further your career. Now that the industry is becoming so much more saturated, there is a lot of competition out there, so you need to try to stand out. Here are some tips on going freelance… Use an invoicing template As a freelancer, you will spend lots of time creating and sending invoices. It’s important to ensure they’re as accurate and professional as possible to avoid payment delays. Unfortunately, some clients will take a long time to pay you, so you don’t want to give them any excuses. Using a template will help to make the invoicing process more straight forward. It puts all the information in the right place and ensures your invoices meet the industry standard. They can be personalised to look creative, too. For more information, check out this freelance invoice template UK . Invoices really are something you can’t afford to get wrong if you want to get paid the right amount on time. Hire an accountant One of the most difficult things about going freelance is organising your finances and paying tax. If you’ve previously been employed, taxes will have come out of your pay check automatically. While some freelancers like to do their taxes themselves, hiring an accountant is beneficial , especially when you start out. This simply means that your taxes will be correctly calculated and you won’t encounter charges later. If you aren’t sure where to find an accountant, ask other freelancers for recommendations. Create a routine One of the best things about being freelance is that you don’t have to do the 9-5 if it doesn’t suit you. If you hate mornings you can have a lie in, or you can take a long lunch when you fancy it. However, it’s still important to establish a routine. You won’t be productive if you get up at different times every day. The best freelancers establish a routine that works for them and stick to it. This might change depending on your workload per month, but finding a level of stability helps in an unreliable field. You must also take note and have an idea of when […]
