Learn about a few different freelance hacks you can use to grow your business
Working as a freelancer gives you the opportunity to work on your own terms, set your own rates, and enjoy the freedom of being self-employed. But just like with any career, most freelancers have goals to grow their businesses. That could include raising your rates, adding your dream client, or moving into a more specialized field.
None of these things will happen without a system and a plan. Doing the same thing every day won’t give you different results, but here are a few steps you can take to keep your freelance business moving in the right direction!
Think like a business owner
Business owners have to think differently than employees do. Now that you’re a business owner, it’s time to change your mindset.
You can start by thinking of problems as opportunities for growing your business. Keep searching for chances to expand your offerings, focusing on finding your ideal client and what services you want to offer. You also need to make sure your business has good financial habits and that you’re creating a long-term growth strategy for your business.
Prioritize your list of things to do
As a freelancer, your to-do list has a lot on it. Juggling work for multiple clients, catching up with your income and expenses, staying on top of paying bills, and everything else on your plate can make you feel overwhelmed. You may be so busy thinking about all you need to do that you don’t know where to begin.
It doesn’t have to be like that, though. Prioritize your tasks by the due date and importance level, roll up your sleeves, and get to work on the first item on your list. Beginning each day with a couple of tasks to accomplish for the day gives you direction and keeps you from spinning your wheels.
Use automation (if possible)
Since you do have so many things to do, wouldn’t it be great if you could take a few of those things off your to-do list forever? That’s the goal of automation.
Here are a few tasks you may be able to automate:
- Sending reminders to clients for unpaid invoices
- Using Calendly or a similar app to help schedule your appointments without your input
- Automatic payment of regular bills
- Payroll
- Automatic to-do list creation for similar projects
- Automatically save for quarterly taxes
Every business involves different tasks, so not all of these may apply to you. There may even be more ways you can automate your business. Look for tasks that are repetitive and have standardized steps when you’re looking for tasks your freelance business can automate.
Take on one task at a time
You have a lot to do, but you don’t need to do it all at once. Switching tasks takes not only a lot of mental resources, but a lot of time. It can also cause you to become scattered and make more mistakes.
Whatever you need do, focus on one thing until it’s time to move on to the next task. If you have trouble focusing, try using the Pomodoro technique or limiting the time you spend on a task before moving on to the next one.
Schedule time for administrative tasks
Your freelance business involves a lot more than just the work. You’re now keeping up on tracking income and expenses, staying on top of taxes, marketing your services, and more. All of these are important parts of your freelance business, but they can seem like an inconvenience since you aren’t doing the work your clients are paying you for.
Schedule time to do these tasks each week, so they don’t pile up and become overwhelming. It may be best to spend a little time each day catching up on these tasks, or you may choose to spend a block of time one day a week to focus. Whichever method you choose, stick with it, and don’t procrastinate!
Turn down clients that are a bad fit
When you first started your business, you were probably thrilled to get any client at all. And while that may have worked to help you get your company up and running, that’s not a good long-term strategy.
Certain clients are going to be a bad fit for your business. It could be because they don’t want to pay your rates, because your communication styles don’t mesh well, or because they want you to do work that is outside of your expertise. And that’s ok!
Turning down a client who is a poor fit doesn’t mean you’re rejecting the opportunity to earn more money. By being selective with your clients, you’re making time on your calendar for opportunities to do work you love with clients you enjoy working for. This keeps your freelance business growing and helps you avoid getting bogged down with projects and clients that aren’t a good fit.
Conclusion
Growing your business as a freelancer takes planning, patience, and time. Use these freelancing hacks to help guide you to a more productive and effective business model.
One more hack? Finding ways to save time when you manage your money. Your indi account can help you save time by automatically saving for taxes, managing your income and expenses, and avoiding fees.1 These smart tools help you save time and manage stress so you can focus on doing the work you love.
1. indi’s Tax Savings Goal feature is not a substitute for individual tax planning or for legal, financial, or tax advice. This feature is intended only as a tool to provide a basic sense of your potential tax savings needs. Because indi will not know everything about your finances or your personal situation, your Tax Savings Goal may be more or less than your actual tax liability. The Tax Savings Goal does not account for local taxes. Using funds designated as Tax Savings for other spending may leave too little money to pay your taxes.
Calendly and all related trademarks and brand names are the property of their respective owners. indi has no affiliation with these products and does not endorse their use.
This article is not intended to provide financial, tax or legal advice and the information provided may not address your individual circumstances.