If there is one thing I miss about working in the corporate world, it is having teams of people working in the background that I can call on for any type of support my business may need.

Have a legal question? Dial the extension to get someone in legal. Marketing? They are also at the touch of a button. HR question? Their extension was one number away from marketing. IT? Who else literally comes running when your computer network dies and you are on deadline?

But now that I am a freelancer, my entire team consists of me, myself, and I. Which means that I needed to cobble together a team to back me up and—surprise—most of them are freelancers too. Here’s who you need on your back-up team:

1. Lawyer

While you probably don’t need one on retainer, it is a good idea to find a lawyer that you can call on if you need help. The type of lawyer that you will want to meet (and interview, as many provide free initial consultations) could range from one who specializes in copyrights and patents to business law to contract law.

Remember, legal advice is worth what you pay for it, so posting a problem on a website instead of hiring a lawyer to save money and getting free feedback is worth…about what you paid for it. Continue Reading

I got a call from a friend a few days ago and it seems his small business is getting smaller by the minute. Not only is he on the brink of collapse financially, his one major customer looks like they will be folding up shop soon and that will leave my friend broke, bankrupt, and unemployed.

After a minute of doing the “oh you poor thing” thing (I’m not much for having a pity party over a business because a business is either viable or it isn’t) I asked him what he was doing for the sales end of his business. Turns out, not much.

This is a very common problem among freelancers and small business people. We love to do what we love to do–for me it is writing, for others it is photography, designing websites, coding a new video game, designing purses…whatever it is that made you want to go into business in the first place.

BUT, and this is huge, if you don’t spend as much time selling your product as you do making your product, you won’t have a way to make money and that is what we are in business for. This seems like a simple concept but for many people, being a salesperson, especially when they are selling themselves and their own product, is really difficult. After all, if we wanted to be salespeople we would be working elsewhere.

SO, here’s a few tips to help you sell your service or product. Continue Reading

In the business world, CYA euphemistically refers to the actions you take to “cover your ass” at work (ie: taking actions to not get in trouble, get your company in trouble, or worse, get fired).

In the freelance world, you still need to keep yourself covered, but in a slightly different way. Here are 10 tips on how to do that.

1. Get licensed. If your business requires a license, than by all means get one. This allows you to operate legally (and keeps you out of trouble for operating illegally if you don’t have said required license). Ditto if a professional license—such as for a Notary, doctor, or CPA—is required for the services you provide.

2. Get insured. Self-insurance in nearly impossible these days what with record-setting lawsuits so cover yourself by obtaining the proper insurance (everything from medical and car insurance to a business liability and umbrella liability insurance policy). Continue Reading

As many freelancers eventually realize, going into business for yourself means you actually take on two separate (very different) full time businesses. How’s that for a surprise when you originally thought that you could blissfully code away and somehow the money would start rolling in? Continue Reading

I have been a freelancer for more than a decade and over that period of time, I have seen a lot of changes–everything from a giant increase in credibility if you actually are a “freelancer”, to technology changes in such a short period of time as to rival any other sort of change over the last century.

Through all of these changes, one major thing has happened. Specifically, the list of things that were once considered de rigeuer in order to have a successful business no longer apply.

Of course there are tools we couldn’t live without as freelancers, but following are ten things that I no longer need to be successful in my business. Continue Reading

If you are a typical freelancer, your office may range from your home to your car to the local coffee shop. While I used to inhabit my local coffee shop—to the tune of having my drink waiting for me at the counter before I even got there—I am now a convert of working at my local library.

Here’s Why

• Free high-speed WiFi. Yes, my local coffee shop had free WiFi, but it also seemed to have every online movie watcher and gamer there too hogging up the bandwidth. Their “free high-speed WiFi” was usually quite slow and frustrating. This hasn’t been the case at the library.
• A quiet place to work. Coffee shops are usually so loud I can barely think, let alone create. With people talking, orders being shouted, blaring music, and coffee grinding in the background, the cacophony could drive you mad. The library has enforced quietness, which I like.

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Photo by e-strategyblog.com.

If you were formerly a cubicle dweller, it’s a good bet that someone else was responsible for making sure that the smoke alarms in your building worked, that all staff members knew CPR, and that the company had a business continuity plan in case of disaster. Now that you are on your own, disaster preparedness and all that it entails is yet another task that falls squarely on your shoulders—along with janitorial jobs, stocking jobs, mail room jobs, accounts receivable jobs, and all the other parts that make up your business. Being prepared for a disaster is not as hard as it sounds. Here are some tasks to get you started so that no matter what kind of disaster strikes, you’ll be ready.

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Photo by Ella's Dad.

Once you have left the land of COLA raises, paid sick days, and employer-matched 401Ks, not only do you need to be the writer/programmer/web designer for your business, you also need to be your own CFO.

Here are some absolutely necessary components for your business (and life) financial portfolio:

1. You need insurance. In addition to car and home insurance, you must also now fund life, health, and disability insurance. Without these critical coverages, not only could you be swamped with debt brought on by an unforeseen medical situation, but your business could lose its most important asset—you!

2. You need to pay your taxes. Religiously. As soon as income hits your mailbox or PayPal account, it is imperative that you take 30% off the top and tuck it securely away in a separate (interest-bearing) savings account. This money will then be ready to pay your monthly, quarterly, or annual IRS bill, in full and on time. Continue Reading