If you’re a freelancer or you’re contemplating a move to the freelance life, you’ll need the right set of tools to get your work done as efficiently as possible, look like a legitimate professional while doing so, and, most importantly of all, get PAID. Over the years we’ve worked with many a freelancer, and here are our favorite technology tools and resources.
Tracking Your Time: Toggl
We’ve written about Toggl before and it’s one of the rare tools that we’ve fallen in love with. You can easily keep a Toggl time-tracking tab open in your favorite browser; it takes up very few resources and it allows you to effortlessly time your tasks, or record them after the fact, whichever is easier. Export a .CSV report and use it to generate invoices in a flash. The best part—all Toggl’s best features are free!
Invoicing: QuickBooks Self-Employed
QuickBooks is certain the standard bearer for small business billing, but did you know that there’s a version just for freelancers? On top of sending out invoices, it helps you pay your quarterly taxes on time and it comes with an app to help you track mileage. It doesn’t come with a time-tracking app—you’ll still need something like Toggl for that—but it does come free when you file your taxes through TurboTax. You’ll still pay for credit card processing for customer invoices.
An alternative: Wave is very similar in functionality, minus the mileage tracker and plus a payroll tool. It makes money off the payment processing fees when your customers pay their invoices.
Domain Names: GoDaddy
Having your own domain name is a must for at least your website if not your email, and GoDaddy is the cheapest registrar that’s still easy to use. Many services are set up to work with GoDaddy domains already, which can make your life easier. We recommend registering your domain for multiple years at a time, as well as springing for privacy protection.
Websites: Wix or Squarespace
If you’re running a lean and mean operation, there’s nothing like a website builder to get you up and running quickly. If your business is not in one of the design field, it may be worthwhile to hire one to prevent your site from looking amateurish and clunky.
Email and Business Apps: G Suite
Make no mistake: Office 365 is our office suite of choice because it comes with PowerPoint, Word, Excel, and Outlook. With the least expensive Office 365 plan, you’re looking at $20 per month… although these apps can be installed on multiple computers. The least expensive G Suite plan is only $5 per month, and Google’s email and office suite offerings are definitely competitive with Microsoft’s.
Business Cards: Uprinting
Moo has the most beautiful pre-designed business cards and luxe printing options out there, no question. But they’re also quite expensive. Uprinting offers many of the same special effects—such as rounded corners, spot UV treatments, painted edges—for much less.
Do you have any essential tools you swear by as a freelancer? Let us know in the comments!
