However, because of the casual nature of the work, some freelancers are in danger of ignoring the legal implications of working on the side. You might not think your side venture counts as a business but it does, and you have certain responsibilities as a result.

Whether you’re planning on setting up a full blown business or are just thinking of an occasional casual thing alongside your job, the rules are the same and you still need to register as self-employed with HMRC if you plan to make any money from your ventures.

The good news is that it’s fairly easy to do.

What does being a sole trader actually mean?

As a freelancer, you’re going to have to register as self-employed and more specifically as a sole trader.

Despite how it sounds, it doesn’t actually apply to people who just work alone. So you can take on staff if you want. It just means that you’re solely responsible for the business.

How to register

You should register as soon as you can after starting your business and can through the government’s website here.

You have until 5^th October in your business’s second tax year in order to do so. If you don’t register in time you won’t face a penalty as long as you send your tax return and pay your bill on time.

How you register will depend on whether you’ve ever sent tax returns before.

Never sent one?

If you’re a sole trader who has never sent a tax return, you need to tell HMRC you want to be a sole trader by registering as a new business.

You will then register for Self-Assessment tax returns which you’ll use to report your income at the end of every tax year, and National Insurance at the same time. For more information about the different types of National Insurance you need to know about, click here.

Sent a tax return in the past?

If you’re a new sole trader who has sent a tax return before as an individual for things like investment or rental income, you will need to register as self-employed.

You will also need to register for Class 2 National Insurance using a CWF1 form. This will allow you to continue using your Self-Assessment account.

In order to do this, you will need your Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) so that HMRC can link your accounts. You can find this on your previous tax returns, online account or from documents from HMRC. Contact HMRC is you can’t find your UTR.

Starting up again?

If you’ve ever registered or done business as a sole trader, then you will need to reregister in order to set up trading again. You will need to reregister using the CWF1 form and your UTR so that you can use your existing account.

The process of registering as a sole trader will take around 10 working days, or up to 21 if you’re registering from abroad. This is because HMRC will post you an activation code which you will need when you sign into your online account for the first time.

Once you’ve registered and set up a system for managing your finances you can then go about growing your business. You may even want to hire an accountant who can take care of your bookkeeping and taxes so that you’re free of the stress and the time that you could be spending elsewhere on working on your business.

Your responsibilities

The work’s not over once you’ve registered. As a business owner, you have certain legal responsibilities in order to comply with HMRC’s rules to avoid getting penalised.

It’s important to make sure you’re always running your business by the books and aware of how much tax you’re going to owe so you don’t get hit either with a nasty surprise or even a fine if you don’t pay your taxes on time.

In order to keep your business above board, you will need to do the following:

• Keep records of sales and expenses, including bills for expenses
• Send a Self-Assessment tax return each year
• Pay income tax on your profits and Class 2 or 4 National Insurance
• Settle debts
• Register for VAT if your turnover reaches the threshold of £83,000

Hiring an accountant will make this process easier as they will be able to give you the best advice regarding things like expenses and tax efficiency as well as making sure that your business is doing everything the right way.

Hiring an online accountant and using a free accounting software like Pandle will help you save money.

Head over to our information hub for more guides, news and advice on navigating life as a professional freelancer, from finance to tech and more.

The post How to Register as Self-Employed as a Freelancer appeared first on Freelancer News.

A popular alternative to home working is the café, but is it really that beneficial?

The pros of café working

A change of scenery

There’s a lot to be said for a change of scenery. Life can get pretty stale sitting at home, slogging away on your own. Plus, seeing the same four walls everyday can be boring.

Motivation

Setting yourself a time to get there can bring order, routine and motivation to your day. And although nobody’s paying any attention, it can encourage you to get the work done.

Inspiration

The things and people you see, and the conversations you overhear (come on, it’s not just me) can all inspire you and provoke those lightbulb moments.

Social interaction and combating loneliness

Humans are social animals and interaction with others is important for our mental health. If you don’t just work from home, but live alone too, then your contact with other people may be limited. Working in cafés gives you the chance of at least a smile from someone else, and with luck, a chat.

The Cons of café working

The cost

Few cafés or coffee shops are happy to let you sit there taking up space unless you buy something, and prices are usually higher in places that belong to a chain and boast Wi-Fi. If you don’t need Wi-Fi, or you’re happy to do any research required via the data on your phone, you can reduce your costs by finding smaller or privately run cafés.

Outstaying your welcome

However slowly you try to eat and drink, there’s only so long you can make that coffee, cake or sandwich last. Then comes that crunch point, when you look up and realise you finished your last coffee half an hour ago and are now under intense and unfriendly scrutiny from someone behind the counter.

Non-existent Wi-Fi

A lot of places (looking at you, Costa) require you to sign in before using their free Wi-Fi. Others might forget to mention that the free Wi-Fi is actually only for the first 15 minutes, and then you’re expected to start paying.

There’s nothing worse than buying yourself lunch and a coffee somewhere and then discovering you’ll need to go elsewhere to actually get a decent amount of work done. (Tip: Always check the Wi-Fi from the safety of the back of the queue first!)

Distractions

Having a lot going on around you can be great for tackling feelings of isolation or loneliness. However, depending on what you’re doing and how you like to work, having people around you can be rather distracting. Especially in a loud environment, or with intrusive people. You could always get extra focus listening to white noise to block out the background noises, check out A Soft Murmur and The Sea Cast

Strangers who are too sociable (or too strange)

Social interaction is great, but there are some people who don’t know when to stop—or take no notice of your cues indicating that it’s been lovely meeting them, but you’re jolly busy, thank you, and need to get on. And sometimes, there are strange conversations and situations to deal with too; strangers who plonk themselves down at your table, despite a myriad of other seating choices, and launch into bizarre monologues.

Café; coffee shop; pub; library; co-working space; home. Where’s your favourite place to work?

The post The Pros and Cons of Café Working appeared first on Freelancer News.

Hmm, all sounds rather lovely. Think I’ll try it myself.

Hold on. I did try it myself, 6 years ago, albeit only on a part-time basis until recently, and I have friends who freelance too. That means I know what you should be thinking about before you slap your resignation letter down on your manager’s desk and flounce out the door to start the life of working bliss described above.

Do you have skills that are saleable as a freelancer?

Some industries have been choc-full of freelancers since before freelancing was a Thing. Writers of all kinds have been freelance for, well, centuries, along with artists and sculptors. Creative industries are dominated by freelancers and IT is close behind, particularly where web skills are concerned.

A lot of small web design businesses are actually solitary freelancers plying their skills.
However, there are still some industries where freelancers are few and far between and the opportunities for making a self-employed living are few, so do your research.

How many people out there are doing what you want to do—and doing it successfully?  It’s a bit like eBay. Just because there are people out there asking £100 for a supposedly rare CD doesn’t mean they’ll get it; the sold listings filter tells a different story.

How many long-term freelancers are out there in your industry, and does your skill set match or exceed theirs? And is there room for you in the market? Yes, that sounds like business talk. Get used to it! You’re proposing to become a one-person business.

Freelance in haste, repent at leisure

If you’re searching for a new job—a new employed job—what do you do? You find out as much as you can. What’s the wage and the working hours? How flexible is your employer and what’s your line manager like to work for? Do you get a good vibe from the working environment and the people when you go for a look around or an interview? What are the perks and benefits? You need to do as much research, if not more, before you decide freelancing is the right path. Think I’ve gone off my rocker? Read on.

How much do you need to earn—and can you?

Freelancers don’t get perks and employer benefits, nor do they get sick pay, annual leave, parental leave, carers’ leave or employer contributions into their pension. If you’re earning 25K in your job, think about how much all that leave, which you currently get for free, is worth. Freelancers must earn enough to cover all the time they want or have to take off, pay all the money necessary into a pension and ideally pay into an insurance that will pay out if they are ill or unable to work.

Then, of course, there’s the cost of equipment, resources, stationery and software (not just for the job you do, but the admin. That’s all down to you now. You’re boss, employee and admin staff (we’ll get to your other roles later). What about internet, energy, mobile and landline costs? Or the cost of hiring a workspace if you won’t be working from home? Public liability and professional indemnity insurance?

While business expenses can be claimed against tax, you need to earn the money to pay them upfront, and giving yourself 25 days of annual leave does not count as a business expense (unfortunately). As you can see, 25K as a freelancer is a lot less than 25K as an employee. Unless drastically reducing your standard of living is something you’re fine with, start calculating how much you need to earn to maintain the same standard of living as you had as an employee.

Then ask yourself if earning that much is feasible with your skill set and within your industry. Root around in forums and freelance marketplaces. How much are people charging and earning?

Leave one job, take on many

Congratulations! It’s your first day as a freelancer. Now look in the mirror. Spooky… you seem to be seeing double. You’ve just split into an employee and a boss. Whoops! There (both of) you go again. Who are those other two people? Ah, the admin assistant and bookkeeper any small business needs. Oh no! It’s not stopping! Who are these next four? Ah, this will be the  marketing director, social media manager, web designer and content creator…

The stark fact is that unless they’re in a sales-based role, most employees have their work handed to them on a plate. The paperwork they need to handle is put on the desk, details of the next pipe they need to fix comes through on their phone, customers turn up to eat the food they’re paid to prepare. Their national insurance contributions, tax and leave allowances are handled by other people.

On your first day as a freelancer, unless you’re very lucky and/or well-prepared, there will be zero work to do. In fact, you’d do well to count this as annual leave and take it off your allowance…

The work isn’t there unless you generate it, pitch for it, seek it or attract it. How to go about it is a subject for a whole other article (or several), but my point here is that if you’re a shrinking violet, freelancing isn’t for you. Freelancing isn’t about tucking yourself away cosily at home and having less interaction with that most pesky of things, people. You need money, and money comes from work, and work comes from people. You will need to interact with clients, discuss budgets and estimates, and sell your skills and services confidently. If you don’t act like you believe you can do it, why would anyone else believe you can (and be willing to gamble their money on it?).

While some of the roles above can be outsourced to experts (web design, accountancy etc.), that will cost money, and there are some roles you will have to take on yourself. Marketing, admin, keeping your website up-to-date, maintaining professional social media accounts; it’s not just about doing your job (the one you’re trained for) any more. And these tasks take time, even though you’re not paid for them—something else you should think about when considering the earnings, pay rates and time dynamic.

Can you be your own boss?

Old school friends were discussing my freelance career at our very small reunion recently. My friend Della (names have been changed to protect the innocent) shook her head.

“I could never do that,” she said. “I don’t mind working from home occasionally, although to be honest, I prefer being in the office. I’ve got a proper office chair and desk there; when I work from home, I get backache! But it’s not that. I wouldn’t be able to focus on my work. There would be too much temptation! I’d end up spending half the day watching Netflix or reading a book! I just haven’t got the self-discipline.”

Della has a successful and lengthy career in insurance and is used to an office environment, and I don’t hold her lack of ability to freelance against her one bit. We’re all different. But her point about self-discipline is important. Most freelancers do struggle, at some point and to some extent, with focus and distractions (you’ll find a swathe of articles on the subject on the internet). With luck, they find strategies to overcome them by making changes to their environment or working practice.

However, some people just aren’t made for freelancing. They can’t be firm enough with themselves to be their own boss, they’re not driven enough to get in the work they need, and—another point pre-freelancers rarely think about—they don’t cope well with the stress of not knowing how much they’ll earn next month,  if they’ll even have any work,  or if this this new client will like their work/actually pay them/ leave a bad review on a freelancing site. That’s fine; just make sure that’s not you before you resign.

If I’ve made you think, then my work here is done. Don’t feel bad if freelancing isn’t for you; the economy needs employees and many households need at least one person with a steady, reliable income! If you’re sure freelancing is for you, hold fire on slapping that resignation letter down for a while. Put money aside for a financial safety net, do your research and perhaps dip your toe in the freelancing waters, finding a small project or two you can complete in your down time and contacting potential clients.
Good luck!

The post Considering Freelancing? 5 Things You Should Think About First appeared first on Freelancer News.

Develop passive income streams

If you can produce books, videos or anything that you can monetise or sell, then bingo: you have a passive income stream. Anything that you can produce and then go on to earn from again and again, with little or no further input from you, is a bonus. Passive income streams may not always earn you a fortune, but that steady trickle of money still adds up and means there’s still money coming in even if you have no work for a while.

Play to your strengths

Think about what type of work earns you the most money; what type of work you enjoy the most; and where your specific expertise lies.

If your answer to all three of these prompts is the same, then deciding where to focus your attention shouldn’t be difficult! If not, you may have to consider what’s most important to you.

Developing a niche can be useful because:

• Your knowledge of an area increases as you focus on it
• Your name and work will become associated with that niche, making you a go-to expert

At the same time, consider ditching the projects and clients that are unrewarding financially and/or intellectually. While freelancers are inclined to try to turn their hand to anything when they start out, long-term, specialising is a better strategy.

Diversify

Diversify? I hear you cry. But you’ve just told me to specialise! To develop a niche!
Yes. But within that niche, diversify.

I know freelancers who started out as photographers and then found the clients they were working for often wanted a few words written about their photos, or even a paragraph. Or more…

They took courses, honed their writing skills and began to offer photo-heavy articles in the kind of publication where they’re appropriate (sport, nature, walking, tourism and travel). Conversely, I know writers who were so often asked for photos to go with their articles that they sharpened their photography skills and began to supply the whole package.

I lost a charity contract once because the charity was looking for graphic designers and writers for children’s leaflets – or people who could do both. They loved the sample I sent with my quote, but… you’ve guessed it. The contract went to someone who had design skills as well and had offered to produce the entire leaflet content.

Consider the type of work you’re often tempted to go for but never do, because you’re aware it requires skills you don’t have. Think about work you are doing and any closely related topics or products; what could you add to your offering to make a complete package?

Pass on your skills

Teaching your skills to others can be another great way to make extra money. Whether it’s giving speeches at conferences, running workshops or seminars, recording audio or video tutorials or teaching your skills to adults at a local college, passing on your expertise and knowledge is a service worth paying for.

Do some research to see how you could teach independently and/or offer teaching to educational establishments or other clubs and institutions.

Have a marketing week (or even just a day)

Review how you advertise your services and what works and doesn’t. What other outlets or methods could you use? Devote some time to developing a new advertising strategy and materials. Create a basic mail shot and then customise it for target groups, such as family and friends who can pass it on to others; potential clients; past clients; and yes, even regular clients, who may only use some of your services and not appreciate all you have to offer.

Spend this time promoting yourself and what you do in every way possible, legal and decent – or indecent, if you prefer! You know what they say about publicity…

It’s easy to stop trying anything new, either because you’ve become complacent or because you are struggling and have become convinced nothing you do will make a difference. But don’t stop! Put your thinking cap on and find ways to use these ideas to boost your freelance income.

Do you work with multiple income streams? Which is the most profitable one for you? Please share your thoughts below.

The post Five Ways to Increase Your Freelance Income appeared first on Freelancer News.

Insurance

The best reason to get a deposit is so you’ve got some insurance in case the client does a runner or refuses to pay. While it might seem like a rarity, clients disappearing without paying is actually pretty common.

There may be disagreements, misunderstandings or the client may have had no intention of paying in the first place.

While a deposit won’t make it sting any less, it will be something at least so you’re not missing out 100%.

Filter out clients

Asking for a deposit will filter out the people who have no intention of paying. One way to tell whether they’re looking for free work is to ask for a deposit first.

If they try and get out of it or are a bit vague when the topic of payment comes up, they might not have even factored you into their budget. Steer clear of these clients!

How much to ask for

If you’ve decided to ask for a deposit in the future your next question might be how much to ask for. There’s no rule really. Some will ask for 10% of the final fee, others will ask for 50%.

Those who ask for more usually have a lot of experience and a solid reputation. Freelancers starting out will struggle to sign anyone on if they’re expecting 50% upfront because they don’t have the experience or authority in the industry yet.

Sticking with your decisions

Some clients will try to talk you down. It’s up to you whether you let them. Just know that if you do it once, you’ll probably do it again. Plus if the client intends to pay you your fee, you should ask yourself why they’re trying to get out of paying a deposit.

When should you ask for a deposit?

Many freelancers will only ask for a deposit with new clients so they’ve got a chance to experience the working relationship first. We’re not suggesting asking for a deposit every time a client wants new work if it’s too disruptive but that’s up to you and your personal circumstances.

Other freelancers will make it a policy of theirs to always ask for deposits for long-term projects. Long term projects could mean going a long time before getting any money, not ideal if you’ve not got much work coming in.

Other ways to protect yourself

Another way to protect your interests is to have late payment terms. Plenty of freelancers state in their contracts that there will be a fee for late payment. This will hopefully deter clients from paying late or will filter out those who will anyway. If not, you are somewhat compensated for your wait.

Do you ask for a deposit upfront? Have you ever had a client disappear without paying? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

The post Freelancers: Should You Ask For a Deposit Upfront? appeared first on Freelancer News.

Well it’s finally happened. It’s probably taken you by surprise and you’re wondering what to do about all this new work coming in. We’ve put together some tips to help you manage this busy period effectively.

Outsource

Outsourcing work can help you take on more but give you the breathing room you need.

If you do outsource your client work make sure you’re careful to pick someone who can create work in line with your style and experience.

If you are hesitant to outsource client work, there’s nothing stopping you from outsourcing admin tasks, bookkeeping or other tedious bits that are slowing you down or getting in the way.

Turn down clients

A lot of freelancers have trouble saying no to new clients. This is probably because they’ve been in a position where they’ve had to say yes to everyone to make ends meet.

It doesn’t always have to be that way. You are allowed to turn work down and should if you feel like you’re unable to give each new project 100%.

Offer to work at a later date

If you don’t already book clients well in advance you can offer this to clients who are willing to wait to work with you. The good thing about being too busy is that clients will see you’re in demand and are worth waiting for.

Become more efficient

If you find you don’t have a lot of time for client work it could be that you’ll benefit from tightening up your business system. Look for new ways to save time and you’ll be able to maximise your capacity.

For example, write blog posts or send query emails in batches. This can save you the time lost from jumping from one task to another during the week.

Try to automate as much as you can, e.g. social media posting, bookkeeping, sending payment reminders.

Raise prices

Starting with new clients, try raising your prices. You’ll naturally book fewer clients in but you’ll receive more money for your time. This can help to make client lists more manageable and also can help you grow.

Have you reached your working capacity? How are you dealing with it? Let us know!

The post What to Do When You Hit Your Working Capacity appeared first on Freelancer News.

However, when you go to work for yourself, you are the boss of the company. Keeping clients happy is very important but if it’s at the expense of your stress or the cost outweighs what they’re paying you, then there’s no reason why you have to continue working with a client.

Good reasons to fire your client

When do you know if it’s the right time to fire your client? This will be down to individual circumstances, but here are some top reasons to consider it:

Repeated missed or late payments

As a freelancer, this is unfortunately a common occurrence. If you haven’t experienced it yet, you probably will. Sadly not everyone takes freelancers as seriously as they should.

If you have a client who always pays late or ‘forgets’, it’s clear the client doesn’t respect your business much. One time might be a mistake but if it’s consistent, it’s only going to get worse and it could harm your business’s progress due to cash flow problems.

Scope creeps

Scope creeps are those clients who regularly ask for extra work for free. It’s important to make it clear that you’ll only do the work you’re paid for. Sometimes clients won’t even realise they’re doing it.

However, this isn’t enough to stop all clients doing it. If someone keeps asking for free work and gets angry or threatens to drop you if you don’t, then cut your losses and say goodbye before it gets out of hand.

Those who refuse to sign contracts

A good client would be thrilled to see that you’ve got contracts in place because it protects their interests as well as your own. For clients who don’t want to put anything in writing, this is a good sign they aren’t planning to pay.

Poor communication

Good communication is key to any successful business relationship. If there’s a lack of it, the work can suffer as each side misunderstands what the other wants. This often leads to unhappy clients and stressed freelancers.

Try outlining a contract in the beginning so you’re on the same page but if it’s a case where the client is being vague or keeps changing their mind, it’s best to avoid working with them again.

You have better paying clients/work elsewhere

While this might not be your clients fault, you can still drop your lower paying clients if you know you can get better rates from others. Many freelancers who increase their prices will only do it with new clients and will eventually replace those paying lower rates (who can’t/won’t pay your new rates).

How to you fire your client

So you’ve decided to fire your client, but how do you do it? It’ll be awkward, especially if you’ve never done it before but just remember your reason for doing so and stick with your decision. Here are some ways to make the process a little smoother:

Never burn bridges

If the relationship goes sour, always make sure that you are the professional here. No matter what the client has done, remain calm, professional and polite (even if they don’t deserve it).

Retaliating can cause the client in question to become angry, intent on putting negative posts on your social media accounts or leaving bad reviews.

Whether you’re firing the client because of their behavior or because you’re looking for higher paying clients, make sure you leave in a respectful way. Leaving on good terms means get back in contact during quiet periods to ask if they’re interested in your services in the future.

Voice your concerns

If there’s a problem, for example with poor communication or missed payments, make sure you’re voicing your concerns before you drop them as a client. This gives them time to adjust their behavior and could be just the thing to help the situation. If they hear you’re dropping them out of the blue, this increases the risk of hard feelings and bad reviews.

Give notice

While this isn’t a job, that doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want. Give your clients notice, especially if they’re relying on your work regularly to boost their business. Without you, they could see a halt to their own production and profits which isn’t a fair position to leave anyone in.

Similarly, draw clients’ attention to a notice period for yourself. Clients who work with you regularly should ideally give you about a month notice before they drop you. Otherwise you may struggle to replace that income in time.

Put things in writing

Having a phone conversation about ending your working relationship may be preferable. However, don’t just rely on that, make sure you put it in writing too for your own records and theirs. Include dates and details so that they can be referred to in the future if necessary.

Finish any outstanding work

Even if there’s bad blood between you and the client, try to finish ay outstanding work. Ideally you want to tie up any loose ends and leave in the best way possible. If you don’t, this could cause frustration from the client and negative reviews which could harm your business in the future.

Have you ever had to fire a client? What’s your main reason for wanting to cut ties with a client? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

The post Should You Fire Your Client? Here’s How to Do it the Right Way appeared first on Freelancer News.

While this may not be the most exciting part about being a freelancer, it is certainly one of the most important.

You can book as many jobs with as many clients as you can, but if you are not organised you will find yourself strapped for cash, missing important deadlines and damaging your relationship with clients.

So here are some more tips to help you get your business organised and on track.

1. Organise your contacts

While some of us still fondly remember the days of a paper address book, today’s online world simply demands more.

An online contact system will allow you to search easily across multiple categories, and organise your contacts into useful groupings.

It’s definitely worth keeping notes on each contact, about their needs and past projects you worked on.

This gives you a list of people you could contact again for new work and also helps if they contact you. The notes will be a good way to remind yourself of previous projects.

2. Set up Google alerts for your area of expertise

Staying abreast of the relevant news in your industry is non-negotiable. If you want to stay on the top of your game and learn about new industry developments, trends and breakthroughs, it pays to read the industry news.

Rather than scrolling through your social media accounts to find these articles or navigating to specific websites or blogs, simply set up a Google alert. This will deliver relevant news stories directly to your inbox based on the keywords that you choose.

If you have a blog or social media accounts (if not then you probably should) you can use these news stories to share with people in your network. This helps to give you more authority and also becomes a reason for people to interact with you through these channels.

3. Make sure you take time off!

This one may not sound like much of a ‘hack’ or a tip, but you would be surprised at how many freelancers neglect to take a reasonable amount of time off.

While they might feel like they are ‘buckling down’ and displaying a solid work ethic, they are actually in the process of burning themselves out. If you do not take a reasonable amount of time off per week to focus on yourself, your friends and family, your work will ultimately suffer.

How do you stay organised? Do you take enough time off for yourself? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

The post 3 More Ways Freelancers Can Get Organised appeared first on Freelancer News.

Around half of all businesses that start in the UK end up failing within the first five years. Another study from last year revealed that 8 in 10 businesses fail within the first year.

Findings like these make scary reading for anyone in business, whether you have a limited company or are a freelancer. How do you ensure you’re not one of those statistics?

The importance of having multiple sources of income

One of the most common mistakes that new business owners make is that they throw all their eggs into one basket. In order to achieve stability you need to make sure you’re covered if one source of income is disrupted for whatever reason.

For example, relying on one client either because they’re your only one or they simply pay most of your income is risky.

If that client has a budget restructure and suddenly decides it can’t pay you, then you’re left with nothing. That’s why it’s important to make sure you’ve got different clients and other possibilities for gaining income.

What is passive income?

One way you can protect your income is to set up passive income streams. This involves doing a bit of work initially but you’ll essentially be able to enjoy money coming in without the day-to-day work.

This is no replacement for your normal freelancing work, but it’s a nice stream of income on the side that can help boost your profits or cover quieter periods.

Here are some examples of passive income sources you can use:

EBooks

Take a look at some of the big name freelancing websites out there. So many of them have ebooks you can download for free or for a small cost.

The best part is you only need to write that book once but you can sell your content to an endless amount of people without losing anything. If one book becomes successful then there’s always the option to write more if you think there’s a market for it, potentially building up a strong stream of income for years to come.

Alternatively, many people will release free eBooks in exchange for an email address that they can add to their newsletter which can increase your returns in other ways.

Courses

Have you been freelancing for a while? Think you’ve done well so far? People want your knowledge and expertise and some will be willing to pay for it. Depending on the amount of content or length of the course, you can sell these for much higher prices than an eBook.

You can do this in the form of a series of emails, course materials, through video or podcasts. Make sure that you’re providing value for money so that your students go away and shout about how great your course was.

There are a whole host of websites and courses created by freelancers to help out newbies. Take a look at something like Creative Revolt for inspiration.

Advertising space

If you’ve got a nice steady flow of traffic and have built up a name for yourself, you might be able to sell advertising space which can add a nice boost to your income. The downside is that you run the risk of cluttering your website with adverts which could be a bit off putting for visitors.

So choose wisely if you go down this route. Weigh up the potential damage a load of ads would have on your traffic first to try and work out whether the revenue coming in from adverts would be worth it.

Affiliation links

People love personal recommendations and will often trust them over a traditional marketing campaign.

If you gain a big following on your blog and have people who would happily take your advice, look into affiliate links.

You can get money from companies for writing about/testing out their product or service. You’d generally get a commission every time someone clicks through to the affiliate link and makes a purchase. A good example of this is on Elna Cain’s blog, with this post on how to set up a freelancing website with Bluehost.

While some of these examples of passive income might not seem like the sort of thing you expected to be doing, there’s no harm in adapting. Anything you add to your skills and income sources is only going to strengthen your marketing efforts, your financial situation and your brand.

What passive income generator are you thinking about trying? Have you ever had any success with one in the past? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

The post How to Use Passive Methods to Boost Your Freelancing Income appeared first on Freelancer News.

However, any business big or small can use branding to further their reach and influence in the industry they work in.

What is branding?

First of all, what exactly is branding? Is it just creating a logo and throwing it on a t-shirt?

Branding is the process of creating a unique name and image for a business or product by using consistency to stay in the mind of the consumer.

This is usually done through advertising campaigns but branding should be considered at every step of your business, from your logo, to your website design, your social media presence and how you engage with people online.

Why branding is important

Memorability   

Branding can help you become more recognisable and memorable. This can help give your marketing efforts a boost by increasing traffic and therefore helping you get more custom.

Think of a car manufacturer, think of a soft drinks company. The chances are one or two names and logos will immediately pop into your head. That’s because they’ve established their brand in a way that’s consistent, instantly memorable and familiar.

People will always buy from brands they’re more familiar with.

Professional image        

Freelancers who have a strong brand are seen as more professional straight away. One thing freelancers often struggle with is that clients don’t take them seriously, usually in the form of gracing them with free work or trying to get out of paying a full fee.

Unfortunately, some people don’t see freelancers as what they are: small business owners. Branding can help to establish yourself as not “just” a freelancer, but as a brand and a business.

Establish trust

A strong personal brand can go a long way to make clients trust you as a professional. Clients are often more likely to trust big, well-established businesses over one-man or woman bands for the same reasons outlined in the point above. Emulating some of the techniques that bigger businesses use, like strong branding, can help you become a name that clients trust.

Show off your personality

Branding can also be a great way to present your personality and uniqueness to your clients. We don’t mean you should hide behind a brand, quite the opposite.

Many freelancers use bright colours in their logos, chatty copy, no-nonsense tones or even swear words because that’s who they are and what makes them different. How are you presenting yourself?

How to build a brand

Logo

Many freelancers feel that a logo is probably overkill but it doesn’t have to be a fancy graphic trying to be the next Coca Cola. It can simply be your name or the name you trade under in a certain style and colour. That’s as simple as it needs to be.

Many freelancers design their own which, depending on your skill, can be a good way to save money. If you don’t feel comfortable designing it, you might want to hire another freelancer to create one for you.

Colour scheme

Try to pick a colour that reflects your personality and the industry you work in if possible. For example, people working in healthcare often go for soft blues or greens because of the calming effect those colours have.

Website design

The way you lay out and design your website is a reflection of you and your brand. If your website has clunky navigation or unclear copy, clients are going to get the wrong idea about your brand. You need to treat your website like your storefront, if people don’t like what they see, they’ll go elsewhere quickly.

Email

If you’re using a Gmail account for your business dealings, that’s fine for the beginning but you can go one step further and get your own email address. Having your own, personalised email address is much more professional and shows clients that you’re running a serious business.

Tone

Let your website copy reflect your personality. There’s no need to write in stiff, formal prose unless that suits the industry you work in. Most people prefer a conversational style as it feels more natural and helps to build trust.

Branding can give your website the boost it needs to propel it from just another freelancing site to a well-established small business website. Whichever direction or design you choose, try to be memorable, consistent and reflect yourself as the heart of your brand.

Are you on your way to creating a strong personal brand? Has anything been holding you back from doing so? Please let us know what you think.

The post An Essential Branding Guide for Freelancers appeared first on Freelancer News.