Most freelancers automatically set up business as sole proprietors. In most countries, running a sole proprietorship is as simple as hanging out your shingle — the government only cares whether you pay your taxes on time. Just because operating as a sole proprietor — also known as a sole trader in some parts of the world — is the easiest option, however, doesn’t mean that it’s the best. For some freelancers, making the switch to a corporation or another business structure can offer some benefits.

If you just automatically moved into running your freelance business as a sole proprietor, there are a couple of questions worth asking yourself. Depending on the answers you may find that incorporation makes sense for your business.

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As freelancers, there are times when it is essential that we save money or spend it very economically. But there are other times when being cheap will wind up costing more.

I learned this the hard way when I set up my freelance writing business in January 2004. The biggest mistake I made, over and over again, was thinking of myself as having a home office, not a home business. I thought of myself as being small – and as a result, wound up spending money twice. Here’s how:

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We all know there are advantages of being a freelancer, especially if get have the luxury of working at home. Unfortunately, it’s hard to be creative every single day, especially if you’re worrying about payments, existing clients, finding new clients, feeling overworked, or whatever.

Don’t get overwhelmed. Here are some general tips to get the most out of your freelancing efforts.

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As everyone is preparing for Halloween this evening, we thought we’d share some interesting reading for those freelancer’s with their porch lights off trying to avoid the trick-or-treaters. On a dark and scary night, who wouldn’t want to read about design and small business tips. Consider it virtual candy!

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“I would rather earn 1% off a 100 people’s efforts than 100% of my own efforts.” – John D. Rockefeller.

Most freelancers I’ve talked to have aspirations to start their own businesses. And build up a team of talent so good that they can dominate their entire niche. There are a lot of benefits of moving ahead from simply being a freelancer. But there are quite a few risks involved too.

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