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Freelancer
- Article Index
NAMING
YOUR FREELANCE HOME BUSINESS
by
Rachel Goldstein
owner
of Allfreelancework.com -
1000s of freelance jobs
If
you want to be taken seriously, you will need to name your freelance business.
Make sure that your business name reinforces the image that you want to
project for your company. For example, one of my websites names is AllFreelance.com.
You automatically know from the name of this site that it has to do with
freelancing. Try to do the same thing with your business name. Don't choose
a business name that you will have to spend much time on promoting or explaining
what it means. If you are a graphic designer, try to use "Studio" or "Creative"
or other buzz words in the name unless you don't mind clients looking past
your company because they aren't quite sure that you are a designer.
My
company's name is Deezin Studios. Originally I thought that everyone would
understand that "Deezin" was just an intentional misspelling of "Design"
but it didn't quite work out that way. I always land up having a 5-minute
conversation with clients about my company's name. "How do you pronounce
Deezin?" I really don't mind; it is a great icebreaker. But, the point
is that since "Studio" is one of the buzzwords in my business name, clients
always know that my company is a design company.
Another
thing you want to remember is that the world is categorized for the most
part alphabetically. Try to choose a name that starts with a number or
a beginning alphabet letter. Watch out with numbers though because some
directories, including dmoz.org, will categorize by the first letter in
the title. In other words, if you name your business 1Design, dmoz.org
would categorize under the "D". Since most web surfers don't go past the
first search engine results page, it is important to start your name with
an A, B, C, or D.
You
probably are thinking, "Great, I am done!" Nope! You should register your
business name with your county. They will need to check your name against
previously filed names to make sure the business name you chose isn't already
taken by another business.
Just
imagine working for months or years with an unregistered business name
and then getting a notice in the mail to stop using someone else's business
name. You would have to start all over from scratch again. You would have
to toss your business cards, letterhead, envelopes, invoices, and everything
else you printed for your company into the trash. And what a disaster you
would have created on the web. You would have to find everywhere that is
linking to your page and ask them to change your business name. What a
mess! So, register your business - it is worth it!
Before
you fill out the paperwork to register your business name, pick 3 names,
so you don't have to refile if they reject your business name. Also, scan
your phonebook and do web searches to make sure that you cannot find the
name that you have chosen. I recommend using mamma.com or google.com for
your search…these are the 2 most comprehensive search engines on the net.
Now
that you have registered your business name, go on ahead and print business
cards, letterhead, and invoices. The business name you have chosen belongs
to you!
<===============================================>
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- 1000s of freelance jobs, articles, and resources.
<===============================================>
SHOULD
YOU TAKE THAT FREELANCE GIG? by Rachel Goldstein
owner
of Allfreelancework.com -
1000s of freelance jobs
Believe
it or not, there are certain projects that you probably shouldn't accept.
Turning down work is probably the hardest decision you will need to make
when running your business, but sometimes turning down a gig is necessary.
In this article I will explain to you the details that you need to consider
when you aren't sure which route to take. Consider the following:
1.
Will
I Learn From This Gig? - As a freelancer, especially one in a technical
field, you are expected always to be on top of new advances in your field.
Therefore, taking a gig that will help you learn about something is probably
worth taking on. However, it is important to make sure that you can do
the job well even though it is new waters for you.
2.
Is
The Money Good? - If the gig pays a lot of money, taking the money
without any other benefits is probably a good idea. I am sure that you
have an hourly rate, use this rate as a gauge to decide whether to take
a job or not.
3.
Do
You Trust The Client? - If a potential client gives you the heebie-jeebies
then your instincts are probably telling you something. Do the potential
client's references check out? If you mistrust a potential client, but
the pay looks good, perform a background check. An untrustworthy client
could cheat you out of a lot of money, and isn't worth the collection efforts.
4.
Does
The Project Fit With Your Moral Code? - If a potential client offers
you a gig that really disgusts you, you need to turn the job down. If you
do take it, you are definitely going to regret it. In addition, you won't
be able to add this project to your portfolio … it just isn't worth it.
5.
Will
This Gig Help Build Your Contact List? - If taking this gig gets you
in good with a few other contacts, then taking this job on is probably
a good thing. Do your best on this job and soon it will lead to new opportunities.
A gig that helps your networking efforts is very worthwhile.
6.
Will
This Job Lead to Widespread Exposure of My Services? - There are some
gigs that don't pay well, but that lead to wide exposure. For example,
designing a website that you feel is going to be big some day, or writing
a column for a big website. Certain gigs will lead to a great exposure
of your talents and will lead to a new influx of clients.
7.
Does This Job Interest You? - If you feel this job will bring you great
joy and excitement, take the job on.
Take
a look at all of the above considerations. Ideally, a gig will encompass
all seven of these considerations, but in reality this rarely happens.
If not even one or two of these is true, turn down the job. Good Luck.
<===============================================>
http://www.Allfreelancework.com
- 1000s of freelance jobs, articles, and resources.
<===============================================>
HOME
OFFICE DEDUCTIONS FOR FREELANCERS by Rachel Goldstein
owner
of Allfreelancework.com -
1000s of freelance jobs
Home
office deductions are one of the perks of working from home, however, there
are clear drawbacks too. If you meet the IRS guidelines for deducting your
home office, you can expect to get a hefty tax break. On the other hand,
deducting your home office can increase your chances of getting audited.
Additionally, by claiming your home office you can get taxed when selling
your home. This article will cover the ins and outs of home office deductions.
IRS
GUIDELINES
Is
your home office your "principal place of business"? Is your office used
"regularly and exclusively" for business? All of the above questions must
be answered with a "yes" if you want to meet IRS guidelines for deducting
your home office.
"PRINCIPAL
PLACE OF BUSINESS" -
How
do you know if your office can be determined as your principal place of
business? Well, do you spend most of your time and make the most of your
money from your home office? If you work onsite at a client's office the
majority of the time, then you probably aren't eligible. On the other hand,
if you perform all of your daily tasks from your home office, you probably
are eligible. However, if you are offsite a majority of the day, but come
home and perform substantially administrative activities from your home
office, you may still be eligible. You cannot perform these administrative
activities anywhere else but from your home office.
"REGULARLY
AND EXCLUSIVELY" -
You
must use your home office regularly and exclusively. Your office doesn't
need to be a separate room, but it does need to be used "regularly and
exclusively" for business. This means that you need to keep all family
activities and items away from your office. Keep your children off of your
computer and your personal mail off of your desk, amongst other things.
Additionally, if you have more than one business, you cannot use your home
office for your other business. For example, if you are a salaried web
designer, you cannot work on projects from your salaried job in your home
office.
You
have decided that you are eligible for a home office deduction. Now what?
I would contact an accountant and make sure that you have made the right
decision. Then:
a.
Measure square footage of your entire home
b.
Measure square footage of your home office
c.
Divide office's square footage by your home office's square footage
d.
This number is your percentage….Apply this percentage to indirect expenses,
like your mortgage taxes, utility bills, real estate taxes, and upkeep.
So, you can deduct a percentage of home-related expenses based on the percentage
of space in your home that your home office takes up. So if your house
is 5,000 square feet and your office is 500 square feet, you can deduct
10% off indirect expenses and home cost. Don't worry, direct expenses are
still deducted in full. For example, don't use the percentage on things
such as a business phone line.
e.
Find out home purchase price and add to that all home improvements
f.
Find out the value of land
g.
Find out the market value of your home.
REASONS
HOME OFFICE DEDUCTIONS ARE SOMETIMES NOT WISE TO TAKE
Yes,
taking a home office deduction sounds like a great idea, but remember there
is a downside too. If you deduct your home office, your office may be considered
business property. This means that you will need to pay taxes on the amount
the business depreciated when you sell your house. Because of this, a home
office deduction might not be profitable for you. You might save a few
hundred dollars every year with the home office deduction, but have to
pay thousands of dollars when you sell the house. Because of this, I recommend
visiting a tax accountant before deducting a home office.
Another
reason not to take the home office deduction is because the IRS might decide
to audit your business when they see your home office deduction. Taking
this deduction is like throwing a red flag in front of the IRS, so it is
up to you whether you want to take the risk and deduct your home office.
<===============================================>
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- 1000s of freelance jobs, articles, and resources.
<===============================================>
LEGAL
CONSIDERATIONS FOR YOUR HOME FREELANCE BUSINESS by Rachel Goldstein
owner
of Allfreelancework.com -
1000s of freelance jobs
So
you are ready to set up your freelance business in your home? There are
a few legal regulations that you should keep in mind.
ZONING
LAWS
There
are millions of businesses being run from a home office in violation of
local zoning regulations. You might want to check with your local county
office or zoning department to find out what the zoning laws are in your
area. Only then will you know for sure if it is legal to run your business
from your home. If your business is going to be run in a residentially
zone area, you will need to follow strict guidelines. Some of these guidelines
might be where the home business is allowed, type of business, and the
amount of space. These guidelines may not inhibit the running of your business
at all, but you should find out what these regulations are. And, if you
are renting an apartment, check your lease to make sure that you are allowed
to run a business from it.
SALES
TAX PERMITS
Are
you planning to buy goods for resale or purchasing materials used in creating
a product? Then you require a sales tax number. You will be collecting
tax from the buyer and then sending it to the government tax office. An
example of this is an artist selling his art. Contact your state or provincial
tax office for more details.
BUSINESS
NAME
You
will need to register your business name ... Find out more here.
INSURANCE
Whether
you are renting or own your own living establishment, you most likely have
insurance. With a standard homeowner policy, your home business will not
be covered. This means that your homeowner's policy won't cover you for
accidents involving your business. To cover your business, you should look
into extending your liability insurance. You should also look into a policy
endorsement, which will increase your business-related coverage and liability
protection.
<===============================================>
http://www.Allfreelancework.com
- 1000s of freelance jobs, articles, and resources.
<===============================================>
FREELANCERS
NEED A BUDGET by Rachel Goldstein
owner
of Allfreelancework.com -
1000s of freelance jobs
For
people with a salaried job, budgeting their income and expenses is an easy
task. A regular paycheck comes in for them every two weeks with taxes and
benefits already taken out. For them it is easy to predict how much income
will come in and what expenses will go out. But when you leave your full-time
job for a freelance career, you also leave behind your stable paycheck.
So how do you make sure that you have enough money to pay your rent? You
need to learn how to create a budget. This article will explain to you
the basics of budgeting for your freelance business.
ADD
UP YOUR EXPENSES
The
first step in creating a budget is to add up your monthly expenses. If
you are new at freelancing, then calculating your expenses the first few
months is going to be tough for you, but stick with it. Below, I have provided
you a chart to fill out. For the personal expenses listed, take a look
back on last year's checks, bills, and credit card statements to see what
you paid out last year. Figure out what the average month was for each
expense by writing down all twelve month's expenses and then dividing this
number by 12.
For
example:
| January |
112 |
| February |
84 |
| March |
96 |
| April |
130 |
| May |
65 |
| June |
98 |
| July |
101 |
| August |
59 |
| September |
75 |
| October |
84 |
| November |
96 |
| December |
115 |
| TOTAL |
1115 |
|
Divide
Total by 12 |
92.92 |
$92.92
= Average Monthly Phone Bill
In
the above example, you would use $92.92 as your monthly phone expense on
your budget.
MONTHLY
EXPENSES
| Utilities
(Telephone, Electric, Gas, etc.) |
|
|
Mortgage
/ Rent |
|
| Cable |
|
| Food |
|
| Loans |
|
|
Transportation |
|
| Entertainment |
|
| Health
Insurance |
|
| Life
Insurance |
|
|
Home
Owner's Insurance |
|
|
Advertising
/ Marketing |
|
|
Licenses |
|
|
Office
Supplies |
|
| Memberships |
|
|
Taxes |
|
| Miscellaneous |
|
| |
|
| TOTAL
EXPENESE |
|
You
are going to need to guess or estimate for business expenses unless you
have a full year of freelancing under your belt. Don't worry if your estimate
is off, you can always readjust your budget next month. If you have been
in business for more than a year, then use previous year's records to estimate
this year's expenses.
In
order to figure out taxes, first you need to come up with your target monthly
income. Lets assume that your monthly target income is $2,500. The government
wants about 45% of this money. But, this will depend on what tax bracket
that you fall into and what state that you live in. Your taxes each month
would be about $1,125. (When you are self-employed, you will need to pay
quarterly taxes on April 15, June 15, Sep 15, and Jan 15.)
REQUIRED
INCOME
After
you have estimated what all of your monthly expenses will be, you need
to figure out how much income you need to bring in. It is quite simple
to figure this out. All that you need to do is add your target monthly
income and your monthly expenses together. The number that you get is your
required income. For example: If your target income is $2,500, and your
monthly expense is $3,200, then your required income is $5,700.
Once
you figure out how much income you are required to make to keep budget,
figure out if your target income was too high or too low. Are you going
to be able to make this amount of money each month? Review your numbers
to assure that they match your goals.
Now
you have an idea of what your cash flow should be like this year. As the
year goes on, you will probably readjust your budget a few times to meet
new goals, increase your profit line, and anticipate problems.
<===============================================>
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- 1000s of freelance jobs, articles, and resources.
<===============================================>
FREELANCERS
- GET YOUR MONEY by Rachel Goldstein
owner
of Allfreelancework.com -
1000s of freelance jobs
Great!
Wow! Hooray! You just finished your first project ever! Hey, when are you
getting the dough you were promised?
Getting
paid is the single most important aspect of being a freelancer, so make
sure that you take your time and do things right. If you don’t, you might
land up getting screwed in the end. Just because you have completed a huge
profile job and you are looking to receive big dough in return, doesn’t
mean that the client is going to pay on time or even pay at all. There
are many strategies to deal with delinquent clients, but there are also
many precautionary measures that you should take when initiating a relationship
with your client.
1.
CHECK CREDIT REPORTS –
If
you are taking on a substantial project that is going to occupy a big chunk
of your schedule, you should spend the money on a credit report. The most
reliable website to find this sort of information is Experian. Their reports
include credit status, legal filings, collection agency filings, payment
behaviors and trends, and company background information.
Experian
-
Searching
the database is free. When comprehensive information is available, Experian
will provide a full Snapshot report, including a credit risk category,
for $14.95. When little information is available, a limited report without
the risk category costs $5. Of course, if
Experian
has no information about a business there is no charge.
2.CONTRACT
/ LEGAL AGREEMENT –
A legal
agreement is the most important step in the whole process of getting paid.
Make sure on your contract to specify the time schedule, price for your
service, and terms that were agreed upon mutually between you and the client.
I was screwed out of
getting
paid on my first freelance gig because I didn’t insist on a contract. If
for some reason a client won’t sign the contract, then they aren’t a trustworthy
company to work for. So learn from my mistakes and find a contract to use
in your freelance business. MAKE SURE THE CLIENT SIGNS AND SENDS TO
YOU A COPY!!!
On
AllFreelance.com there is an entire section devoted to contracts, which
can be found at http://allfreelance.com/contract.html.
**Get
Ideas for Your Client Contracts from a Contract Swipe - http://provider.com/contracts.htm
- This swipe file is filled with example contracts that you can use. My
suggestion is to take a little from one and add to another until you have
a perfect contract. These contracts are meant for web developers but can
be used for any profession with a little change on your part. Remember,
it is always a good idea to have a lawyer look over your contract.
3.DOWN
PAYMENT / RETAINER –
I always
have clients pay $100 - $200 up front to show they are good for the money.
Also, this enables me to have at least some money in case they back out
of the contract early. Don’t forget to take the retainer amount out of
the last invoice amount. I know that one of my associates ask for a 20%
retainer to help pay for the upfront costs that he pays to printers and
other vendors. This is a wise system to follow for you if you also have
many out-of-pocket purchases.
4.TERMS
–
Make
sure to use net 30 on your contracts. What this means is that your client
has 30 days to pay up the money that they owe you. Since many companies
routinely pay 30-90 days late on all invoices, I would never make your
terms net 60 or net 90. You might also want to consider implementing a
late fee, but I would suggest instead raising your fee a little bit and
then offering a 5% discount if your client pays on time.
5.SCHEDULED
PAYMENTS –
It
is easier for a client to remember to pay if you have a schedule for his
payments. Also, if you break up the payments into smaller invoices, you
can always refuse to continue if you aren’t receiving the money that you
are owed. Most clients won’t risk falling behind schedule and they will
pay up. Think of it this way … your clients won’t have very much to lose
if you ask for all of your money at
the
completion of the project, because they already received the completed
work.
But,
Rachel, I have implemented these measures and STILL my low-life client
isn’t coughing up the money. What is a poor freelancer like myself to do?
1.SEND
OVERDUE NOTICES IN WRITING –
You
should always send something first to the client in writing stating their
delinquent status. I find it helpful to both email and snail mail overdue
notices.
2.CALL
/ EMAIL REGULARLY –
Call
regularly and make an annoyance of yourself. Make sure not to use vulgarity,
curse words, or threaten violence to express yourself – this is illegal.
Keep things professional, but DO make a huge fuss over the matter. Email
works well too.
3.MAKE
IT PERSONAL –
Tell
your client how much this payment means to you. You rely on this payment
to pay your bills, to pay for medical care, to feed your children. Tell
your client that you are a real person, and that you can’t make ends meet
and feed your children if you don’t get your “paycheck”. This might put
a face on the bills that have been sitting on your client’s desk.
4.USE
EMBARRASMENT TO WORK FOR YOU –
Draw
phone calls out to embarrass the client, making sure to bring up previous
conversations that negate his or her comments. There is nothing more embarrassing
than being called a liar.
5.COLLECTIONS
–
If
your collection efforts have all but failed, you can try to hire out a
collections agency. You don’t have to pay collection agencies out of pocket.
The way it works is they take a percentage of whatever they win back for
you. It usually is about 20%, but I have seen
it
as high as 45%. Shop around and find a collector that doesn’t charge too
much.
6.SMALL-CLAIMS
COURT –
If
you have a signed contract like I recommend, winning your case should be
quite easy. File a complaint with your local small claims clerk. Unfortunately
it isn't easy. Form after form is awaiting you. But if you want to get
that money, or even if you are suing out of anger, it will be worth it
to you. The best part of small-claims court is that there is NO LAWYER
NECESSARY. In addition, usually once a client sees that they are being
sued, they pay up. It is easy as that…you don’t need a lawyer in small
claims court. For more advice on small claims court, check out this article.
.
If
you still cannot get your money back, all you can do is use your experiences
as a learning experience. Think about what you might have done wrong and
do things differently with your next client. Good Luck!!
<===============================================>
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- 1000s of freelance jobs, articles, and resources.
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