Emergencies happen. The very nature of the beast is that we don’t have any warning and we can’t stop them.

More often than not, a true emergency means that you don’t really have time to worry about your freelance business — you may stress out about letting clients down, but you have your hands full.

If you can spend time emergency-proofing your business ahead of time, though, you can reduce your stress in the moment. It’s important to set up your business so that someone can step in during an emergency and keep everything running smoothly until you return. Continue Reading

Being easy to find is crucial for a freelancer.

That used to mean making sure that you had a name — your own or a brand name — that started with ‘A’ so you came first in the phone book. These days, it means having something unique that ensures that prospective clients find you immediately when they plug it into a search engine.

It can seem easy to set up a brand name: you just have to buy a domain name and suddenly you’re in business under your new name. But there are some legal concerns that you need to deal with, sooner rather than later. Continue Reading

Many freelancers work out of the house. But there are situations in which at least having access to office space is important: Maybe you need a place to meet with clients. Maybe you need a place where there aren’t kids demanding attention. Maybe you just need a safe place to keep gear that pets can’t get at. Sure, for many of these purposes, you can just head to your local coffee shop. But it’s worth considering office space, especially if you can get it inexpensively.

Shared office space, whether we’re talking about a coworking space, a conference room you can rent, or even just a cubicle that you can use in a bigger office, can make a lot of sense for freelancers, especially considering you can get a lot out of a small space. Continue Reading

Freelance business owners often struggle with the question of whether to hire a contractor or an employee. Many claim that contractors are the way to go, hands down; still others have only hire employees and claim they would never do anything different. So, what should you do when faced with this decision? Is there one that is better over the other, overall, or does the “right” choice depend on your type of small business?

When mulling over this decision, it is important to realize that you actually need to consider four simple questions. Answer these questions specifically to your business and you will be better educated and more confident in your choice between hiring employees or contractors as a freelancer. Continue Reading

Subcontractors can make a world of difference when it comes to how quickly you can complete a project. But if a problem creeps in, the back and forth with a subcontractor can drag out a project.

Making sure that you work with reliable people, whether we’re talking about a subcontractor you work with normally or another freelancer you’re bringing in just for a particular project, is important.

After all, on a project subcontractors are helping you with, you’re ultimately responsible for their work, as well as your own. If anything goes wrong, you have to fix it or take the ding to your professional reputation.

There are certain warning signs that are worth looking for, to make sure that you have the best opportunity for a smooth project. If you see any of the signs listed below, it may be worth choosing another subcontractor. Continue Reading