Freelancing continues to grow, seeing a 12% increase in new freelancers due to the pandemic in 2020. In fact, in 2021, 36% of the U.S. workforce did freelance work. As a freelancer, you are responsible for your own administrative work and organizing your tasks to maintain a freelance career, because after all your talent is your business. At Buzzzy, we work with the best freelancers, and we are here to help you; that is why we’ve outlined the top tools every freelancer should consider using to make their life easier.
Important note: Buzzzy is not affiliated with and does not sponsor or endorse any of the tools or services discussed in this section. These tools and services are provided only as potential options for freelancers. Each reader and company should take the time needed to determine the tools or services that would best fit their specific needs and situation.
Freelancer tools for marketing
As a freelancer, you need to build a brand, and having a social presence can be an important way to engage with others. Freelancers can grow their client base through word of mouth, and the following tools can be a growth tool for your career.
Linkedin is one of the most visible social media platforms to have a presence. You can make sure you have a concise and well-written bio that describes your freelance career. This can also be a platform where your clients post reviews or endorsements, giving you social proof of your work. LinkedIn is an excellent source of organic traffic and leads to your profile.
Dribbble and/or Behance are great options for freelance designers, photographers and artists. They both offer you the ability to share and promote your portfolio and are great tools to get your work out there. Having your portfolio here, is a great resource for recruiters and clients to find you. You can also navigate these sites to find inspiration.
Freelancer tools for tracking your time
You may find yourself working on multiple projects and multiple clients simultaneously, and it becomes challenging to quantify the amount of time you spend on each of them if you are not tracking yourself. Here are some tools that can help you better track your time.
OfficeTime is a time tracking and expense-keeping tool. It’s a one-time payment for a software that allows you to import your tracked time directly into a report or invoice, and it’s seamless with your Mac, PC, or iOS device.
Toggl is a time tracking tool with a click of a button that runs in the background. It offers a free and paid version with the capability to sync across your devices as you work from a computer to a mobile phone. It also has an extension that works with your Gmail, Asana and other platforms.
Freelancer tools for organizing and managing your projects
Managing your work is an administrative must in your day-to-day life as a freelancer, and it keeps you focused on your upcoming tasks as daily distractions can sneak up on your day. These are two productivity tools that can make your life easier.
Asana is a popular tool for project management. It is great to track the progress of your work, and it can serve as a communication tool with your clients. You can give access to each client to an individual board of projects. It is also a great tool to outline your tasks and subtasks for a given project visually.
Trello is another great option for organizing your work. Similar to Asana, it can serve as a great tool to visually outline your work's progression and communicate with your clients. Each card you create can store information regarding the project and any communication.
Freelancer tools for accounting and payments
Bookkeeping and invoicing are essential in your freelance career to ensure you are compensated for the service you're providing. It is best to stay on top of what you are making throughout the year to avoid being unprepared come tax season. These tools are helpful in your accounting needs.
Quickbooks is a great option to itemize your work and upload payments, expenses, or any freelance-related costs. It also offers an option to create invoices to bill your clients and collect payments. You do need to connect your bank accounts to collect payments.
Paypal is a popular payment option used by freelancers. You can seamlessly create an invoice and send it via a link to a client. Paypal fees can vary depending on the transaction, and you can make sure to forward the fees to a client and be transparent on additional fees on top of the cost of your work.
Final thoughts
At Buzzzy, we build a platform that simplifies these administrative needs for freelancers—removing the headache of planning for your next client or the insecurity of how you'll be paid. We allow freelancers to focus on their work, what they know and love best. We facilitate many of the administrative work required of freelancers and offer you support from our team to be a part of your overall success.
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Image Source: Andrea Piacquadio
