We’ve put together 6 motivational and inspirational quotes for you, along with why we think they are ideal for freelancers and small business owners.

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and starting on the first one.” – Mark Twain

We thought we’d start with a quote from one of America’s greatest writers and humorists, Mark Twain.

It can be easy to procrastinate or worry about things that haven’t even happened or focus on what our competitors are doing rather than keeping in our own lane and doing what needs to be done.

But simply taking action is one of the most powerful things we can do. And to make the big, seemingly overwhelming tasks more manageable, break them down into smaller, more manageable chunks.

If you want to go freelance, break down the steps you need to take to break free from the 9 to 5. It will make everything much more straightforward. If you need to, hire a freelance coach or mentor who has done it already.

You’ve got this!

“Today is your opportunity to build the tomorrow you want.” – Ken Poirot

If you are stuck in a 9 to 5 job but dreaming of running your own business or becoming a freelancer, now is the time to start putting your dreams into action.  

Start planning how you’ll make your dream future better by taking action today. And it doesn’t have to be anything too drastic, either. You could start by putting money aside to act as a buffer fund for when you do go freelance, or you could do freelance gigs on the side now while you have a salaried role and transition to being a full-time freelancer later. 

If you are already running your own business, how can you improve it, what do you want to achieve, and what’s your vision for what’s next? 

Remember – good is the enemy of great!

“If you don’t build your dream, someone else will hire you to help them build theirs.” – Tony Gaskins

The message here is a simple yet candid observation. 

If you have a dream – go for it. 

Why build someone else’s dream business and life and not your own? Wouldn’t you rather be working toward your own retirement and legacy – instead of building up someone else’s nest egg? Why pass over the opportunity to someone else?

When you look at it this way, if you dream of building your own business, this quote will spur you into action. 

And if you are already self-employed, it should remind you of why you did so in the first place. 

Dream big and keep on going!

“Trust yourself that you can do it and get it.” – Baz Luhrmann

The right mindset plays a huge role in success – any success. 

Without self-belief, you’ll struggle when it comes to running your own business. Whatever you think will turn out to be true – so if you think you can’t – you’ll be proven right. 

You have to have trust in your abilities and have a will to succeed. 

Most people experience self-doubt, that’s normal – but don’t let it stay for long or rule your life. 

Know you can do it and attain it – this advice is universal, not simply for those just starting out but for those running businesses. 

You’ve done it before; you can do it again. Trust yourself.

“Success isn’t always about greatness. It’s about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come.” –  Dwayne Johnson

We love this quote because it reminds us all that it doesn’t matter how naturally gifted someone is – if they are inconsistent and don’t dedicate themselves to repeatedly doing whatever it is that they strive to do, i.e. run a thriving and profitable freelance business, produce top quality work day in and day out, etc., then it is unlikely they will ever achieve sustainable long-term success.

As they say, ‘Consistency is the key! If you can’t be consistent, then you can’t be anything.”

“If not you, then who? If not now, when?” –  Hillel the Elder

We’ve left the best till last. 

If this quote doesn’t energize and inspire you, we don’t know what will. It’s a great reminder to keep you motivated and focused on your business journey. You have a calling, and now you need to listen to it and take action. Why wait any longer? Why can’t it be you? Why can’t you do something great and live the life of your dreams?

Accept your path and be a winner.

~

Of course, one of the great things about running your own business is doing what you love and getting paid for it – the faster, the better. That’s where Invoice Ninja comes in.   

Invoice Ninja is a leading free invoice software specifically developed for freelancers and small businesses like you. It’s got a user-friendly interface for creating and sending professional-looking and custom-branded invoices. It integrates with a range of payment gateways, enabling you to invoice clients and receive payments with a single click!

Try it for free here.

From the initial discovery call to project update meetings to project completion, here are 4 considerations to ensure your client project meetings are effective, productive and a win-win for all parties involved.

Agree on meeting schedule/frequency in advance

At the start of a project, agree in advance on the number of meetings you will be expected to attend, the duration and the purpose of the meeting.

For example, for long-term projects, there may be regular check-in meetings, strategy meetings, ideation meetings, etc. You should also clarify if these meetings will be in-person or online. Knowing and agreeing on meeting attendance (and etiquette) in advance can mitigate project scope creep and hopefully ensure there will be no surprises (for either party) down the line.

You’ll also want to include your time spent at meetings in your project fees/estimate. In-person meetings will require you to budget for travel, accommodation, food and drink expenses, etc., and, of course, time spent ‘out of office’.

Naturally, this should all be recorded in writing as part of your freelance proposal and written agreement.

Take note of meeting etiquette

An often overlooked factor to take into account with client meetings is the expected etiquette.

If you are joining a team of in-house employees, do they run their meetings in a set format, or is there a specific reporting requirement for update meetings, or perhaps there are set ways they are managed and run?

For example, is there a requirement for minutes, and if so, who is responsible for them? What about changes to meeting times and agendas, and what do you do if you cannot attend? If you are attending meetings online, is there any particular software you’ll need to download to attend securely – and is the requirement to have the camera on or off, or is it optional?

If you are to attend in-person meetings, is there a requirement to dress professionally (you could be presenting to the board), or is it more casual?

You could also take these opportunities to add a little extra personal touch – bringing in donuts or cookies on special occasions or just stopping by the local coffee shop and bringing in refreshments for the team.

You don’t have to overdo it – but remember this; a little goes a long way in forging successful freelancer-client relations.

Make the best use of time

How freelance project meetings are run will most likely be led by the client, but you might want to set some boundaries on your time so that your contribution to any meeting is as productive and effective as possible. 

Generally speaking, meetings should have a clear objective and be kept as short as possible to get the most value and not to inadvertently waste anyone’s time – especially if significant time zone differences are involved. Therefore, if you are in a meeting that you don’t need to be in – or the course of the meeting changes, you should be able to politely excuse yourself if your presence is no longer required.

It’s advisable (even if you aren’t responsible for the minutes) to take your own notes at meetings. If you are online, you could even use a recording and transcription tool, but make sure everyone is aware and okay with this before you do so. 

Also, make sure you are aware of the outcome of the meeting, what needs to be done, by whom and when. If you haven’t received an agenda, politely request one before the meeting.

To charge or not to charge

The waters may become somewhat muddy with some client interactions.

For example, if you are invited to a social event, should you charge for your time and travel expenses or view it as an excellent opportunity to further bond with the team and potentially win more business and, therefore, waive your fee? Likewise, should you charge for your time if the client has invited you to be a special guest at an industry event? What about one-off ad hoc meetings that don’t fit the regular project meetings (or aren’t even part of that particular project but an opportunity to be briefed about another project)?

These are all factors you need to consider when starting a project and ultimately billing your clients. There are no right or wrong answers; it will all depend on the way you run your business.

Fortunately, Invoice Ninja has some super client and freelancer-friendly features that are perfect for project billing and keeping seriously organized.

Our tasks and project features allow you to create projects and tasks and track time spent on billable work. When you’re done with a task or series of tasks within a project, simply click and send your work time to an invoice with just 1-click!

We’ve even got a nifty Google Chrome extension and super handy project management Kanban boards designed to make planning, managing and completing tasks easier.

With our recurring invoices and auto-billing option, you can automatically bill long-term regular clients – perfect for retainer and project clients.

And, of course, it goes without saying that you can also send regular, professional-looking customized invoices for any ad hoc meetings and one-offs at the click of a button.

Try it for free here.

We hope these tips are helpful. If you know of anyone else who might benefit from them, please share. Thank you!

But not to fear!

If you have recurring invoicing with auto-billing, you can move over to Stripe with zero interruption!

We also support 15+ other payment gateways options!

Migrate your invoice auto-billing to Stripe

1. Create a Stripe account and request PAN from WePay: https://stripe.com/docs/payments/account/data-migrations/pan-import

2. Wait for Stripe to migrate your payment tokens from WePay….

-After Stripe has completed migrating your gateway, *if you have not yet migrated to the new Invoice Ninja v5 platform, please migrate now: https://invoiceninja.github.io/en/migration/#v4-sunset

3. Use “Stripe Connect” in your Invoice Ninja account & use the “Import Customers” feature to pull in your customer data (and payment tokens) from Stripe.

That’s it!

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Looking for more payment gateway options?

–Our updated PayPal integration also offers Venmo!

–Invoice Ninja integrates with 15+ payment gateways! Click for more!

Need assistance? We are here to help! Contact Us!

Excerpt from CardRates.com

“In a Nutshell: Founders and entrepreneurs go into business to solve consumer problems and earn a livelihood. But the administrative details of running a sole proprietorship or small business can cloud their inspiration and cost extra time and money. When a solution arrives to alleviate their concerns, they flock to it. That’s what’s happened with Invoice Ninja, a sophisticated yet affordable invoicing and expense management solution that does what it’s supposed to do without causing problems. Since 2014, hundreds of thousands of small businesses have adopted Invoice Ninja as their go-to invoicing tool.“

See the full article: https://www.cardrates.com/news/invoice-ninja-makes-getting-paid-seamless-for-smbs/

But you probably didn’t take into account the extra hours you’d be working, how to plan for a vacation or take time off for the holidays.

If this sounds like you, here are 6 things to consider to avoid freelancer burnout and enjoy some excellent work-free quality time.

Plan ahead

Whether you are going on a long vacation or just taking a short break away to recharge your batteries, it makes sense to plan ahead.

What you don’t want to be doing is rushing around in a mad panic, trying to meet deadlines on your last working day before your time off – as this will inevitably increase your stress levels and most likely lead to mistakes and oversights.

Give yourself a few days buffer both before you go away and when you return. You can do this by breaking down larger tasks and getting them done in advance.

This will, of course, require a few tweaks to your daily workflow, but if you plan for it, the few extra hours you spend getting stuff done spread out over the weeks and days will be worth it.

Let clients know in advance

Let all your clients know ahead of time that you will be taking time off. It would also be sensible to remind them a week before and then again a day before you plan on taking time off. People have busy schedules and can easily forget.

If you have a shared calendar or use a tool such as Slack, make sure you note that you are away. You could even include the dates you are away in your email signature.

Likewise, leave an out-of-office message on your emails so that people will know you are on leave and will get back to them on your return. Alternatively, if you have a team or VA, you can ask people to refer queries to them. The key is to ensure emails are responded to, even if it is telling them you are unavailable and won’t be reading your emails until you return.

If you are planning an extended break, you could consider finding cover for your regular clients – perhaps another freelancer in your network could help with the workload, or you could consider sub-contracting if this is acceptable according to your contract.

Automate your invoices

Just because you are on vacation doesn’t mean you can’t send out your invoices and get paid.

Invoice Ninja, a leading free invoice software specifically developed for freelancers and small businesses like you, offers a user-friendly interface for creating and sending professional-looking and custom-branded invoices.

You can save time by automatically billing long-term clients with recurring invoices (so you don’t need to do a thing). You can also make good use of our Bulk Email Invoices & Quotations feature by quickly selecting multiple invoices and emailing them out together before you go on vacation. You could even add a message to your invoice letting clients know when you are away.

If you are waiting on a client deposit, Invoice Ninja has a partial payment feature that can convert a deposit invoice into a regular one once the client has paid it.

You can focus on relaxing – we’ll help with the invoicing!

Try it for free here.

Social media marketing

If you use social media for marketing your business, you can bulk-create content and schedule posts in advance.

You can do this via the social media platform itself (if it allows) or use a social media scheduler. Some social media schedulers allow you to create and view all the content for different platforms within the app, so you don’t need to switch between platforms.

If you have an email newsletter, you can also create it and schedule it to go out in advance.

So, as far as potential clients, email subscribers and social media followers know, you are still ‘active’ and therefore staying ‘top of mind’.

Plan finances ahead

A significant factor for freelancers taking time off is that, unless you have passive income streams, you don’t get paid for time away.

This makes planning in advance even more crucial for freelancers. Ideally, you should incorporate time off for vacations/holiday periods in your freelance rates. So, when setting your rates, don’t assume you’ll work 52 weeks per year (or all your hours are billable).

There may also be slow periods in your freelance work that are specific to the industry you work in (or the nature of the work you undertake) that need to be taken into account. In any event, you should add some buffer for any potential freelance feast and famine cycles.

You could also consider creating passive income streams to act as an additional buffer. These can be anything from affiliate income, info products, courses or even subscriptions. Budgeting in advance for your vacation might also be a good idea, so you save a bit each month.

Set boundaries

Setting appropriate boundaries is not just for your clients (so they don’t contact you when you are on vacation) but for yourself. It can be tempting to whip open your laptop while vacationing just out of curiosity or feel like you are ‘missing out’ or that there might be an important message you just have to read.

However, once you start doing this, it can quickly become a slippery slope, and you could find yourself working over the holidays instead of enjoying quality time with loved ones.

If you’ve properly planned ahead – there’s no reason for you to be working on vacation.

However, if an emergency work situation does arise and you have to work – limit your time as much as possible, and don’t beat yourself up about it.

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We hope these tips were helpful.

Wishing you an enjoyable well-deserved vacation and Happy Holidays!

At the beginning of your freelancer journey, you may find ideal client acquisition challenging and could end up taking on all the work offered to you, even if the client isn’t the right fit.

If this is something you struggle with (or wish to avoid), here are some considerations to take into account to attract your perfect dream clients.

Review your marketing message

If you are unclear about who your ideal clients are in your marketing communications, then you’ll most likely attract clients who aren’t the right fit.

Even if you don’t have a niche, it’s helpful to create an ideal client persona or avatar to know exactly who you are targeting (and why). This may well change over time, but it is good to have it in place at the beginning of your freelancer career.

In your marketing message, are you specific about who you are targeting? From your website, social media presence, and other digital and print media assets, is it clear who your ideal clients are and the service/transformation you offer?

For example, if your ideal clients are high-ticket business coaching clients already turning over 1 million and want to increase sales by 10% (thanks to your help and expertise), do your communications specifically highlight this?

Also, how (and where) does your service or skill set fit into their transformation journey?

Zeroing in on your marketing message, your ideal client, your positioning in the market and how you help will go a long way toward attracting your ideal clients.

Qualify them before you ‘meet’

If you get leads from your website or social media, a good way to filter ideal clients is to ask them to complete a brief questionnaire before they get on a discovery call or have a one-to-one meeting with you.

This way, you’ll know what they are looking for beforehand and, most importantly, if you can help them or not.

You can ascertain their needs and also any deadlines. For example, if you are a freelance graphic designer and your prospective client needs a super fast turnaround on visual resources for a last-minute holiday promotion (think Black Friday), it may be that you can’t fit them into your schedule at this time.

Another benefit of having a call or in-person meeting is that you’ll be able to see if you are a good fit and have the right rapport. You can also better identify any ‘red flags’. In addition, you can also find out if the person has the authority to hire you – and what the ‘chain of command’ is if you do go ahead – who will you be corresponding with – and when, as well as payment terms and conditions.

These are all points to consider to ensure you are the right fit, processes align, and things go smoothly.

Include prices or a price range on your website

If your service has a known cost or price, then consider displaying this on your website.

If you work on a project basis rather than hourly, or your service doesn’t have a fixed price, consider including a price range.

Knowing your prices (or at least a ballpark estimate) in advance will filter out clients who aren’t the right fit or haven’t got the budget to spend.

You might also want to state your payment terms and conditions, for example, if you require a partial or full deposit in advance.

Ask for client referrals

Ask your current clients (or ones you’ve just worked with) for referrals within their network.

If you like working with the client, it’s likely that you’ll also find similar clients with the same ethos within their network.

You can even add a message asking for a referral to your final client invoice.

Clients will be happy to refer good freelancers to their network as it looks good on them, too. Word of mouth is a powerful and effective way to get clients.

Although there is always the possibility that now your current clients have found gold, they want to keep you all to themselves!

You can also ask other freelancers in your network if they know of any good clients to work with – or if they have an overflow of work you could help them with – or even ask them to refer you to anyone who might need your help.

Have client-friendly systems and processes in place

Having client-friendly systems and processes in place can not only streamline your business and take care of tedious and time-consuming tasks but also help make you come across as easy to deal with, trustworthy, and professional.

A slick client onboarding process, as well as good invoice software so your clients can pay you via a range of online payment gateways in just one click, can go a long way to attracting the right clients to your business.

Invoice Ninja is a leading free invoicing software for small business invoicing, online payments, tracking expenses and billable tasks. It also includes attractive, professional invoice template designs you can customize with your logo and brand colors.

Try it for free here.

Take care of low-hanging fruit

If you already have a client you love to work with, it’s worth considering if there is anything else you can help them with and maybe forge a longer-term relationship (and more pay).

For example, if you are a freelance translator, could you also offer a blog writing package to help with your client’s marketing in their target language?

Identify areas where your client could need your help and offer solutions to their problems.

If you like working with them, the feeling is likely mutual. Plus, searching for and hiring reliable freelancers can be time-consuming for clients.

So it’s better for them to work with someone whose work (and processes) they already know, like and trust.

And it also means you don’t need to search for a new client.

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All the above can help take your freelancer business to the next level so you can attract better clients and increase your earnings potential. If you know of anyone else who might benefit from reading this – please share. Thank you!

For a start, it’s good for freelance cash flow (so you are not as susceptible to the freelancer feast and famine cycle) and also great for cultivating good freelancer-client relationships.

Furthermore, if you are in this fortunate position, there are also several options open to you as to how you can potentially charge them.

Here are some billing options to consider.

Retainer contract

A retainer is an agreement to pay you a set amount (usually per month) in return for a fixed set of deliverables. The advantage of this is that you know exactly how much you will be paid each month (or whenever it was you agreed), and the client can better manage their budget.

Retainers are generally sought after by freelancers as it means there is less uncertainty when it comes to freelancer cash flow. If more tasks are requested, the freelancer can simply bill more via an ad hoc invoice.

This type of arrangement is suitable where a set of deliverables are known and fixed in advance.

For these arrangements, where clients need to be billed on a fixed schedule, you can save time with Invoice Ninja by automatically billing long-term clients with recurring invoices. Auto-billing is a feature that enables the payment system to capture your client’s credit card details and store them for billing at a future date.

Fixed project rate

As with the retainer agreement, setting a fixed project rate provides a level of reassurance for both parties on the payment due date and amount.

However, there are some things to take into account for this type of arrangement, including whether you’ll require a partial or full deposit upfront and the billing frequency. For example, will you require full payment upfront, will you invoice monthly, or will you require payment at the end of the project?

Some issues can present themselves with this type of arrangement that should be ironed out from the get-go. These include the project’s scope and deliverables (to avoid any potential scope creep), so it’s wise to have a written agreement or contract in place.

Invoice Ninja’s partial payment feature is ideal if you require a partial deposit upfront. Once the client pays it, it converts a deposit invoice into a regular one. After your client pays the partial payment (deposit), the invoice will automatically update itself with the balance due and set a new final invoice due date.

Hourly or day rate

Longer-term relationships can also support hourly pricing or day rates, especially if the work is service-based or ongoing external support to the in-house team.

With both types of billing, you’ll need to accurately track your time and any expenses incurred, if applicable. This can be tricky if you are tracking hours manually, and you’ll also need to ensure you stick to the agreed budget.

Fortunately, Invoice Ninja’s tasks and project features allow you to create projects and tasks and track time spent on billable work. When you’re done with a task or series of tasks within a project, simply click and send your work time to an invoice with just 1-click!

Try Invoice Ninja for free here.

Progress or milestone invoicing

This is similar to the project rate, but you receive payment once you’ve hit certain milestones, and the client is billed incrementally throughout the duration of the project.

This can benefit both parties as the freelancer gets regular cash flow, and the client can manage the budget accordingly throughout. They can be especially beneficial for longer-term projects with large budgets.

Invoice Ninja’s Kanban boards can help you organize and plan your long-term client work.

A Kanban board is a project management tool that provides a visualization of single or multiple tasks and workflows. They are designed to make planning, managing, and completing tasks easier, thanks to a visual overview of the entire work process. You get to see what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, who needs to do it, and how much is left to do, all on one color-coded board.

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As with all the above billing options, a lot will also depend on the nature of your work, the client relationship, as well as accounting and regulatory compliance reporting and rules in your jurisdiction.

Another consideration is if the client is open (and able) to be billed in your preferred way. That’s one of the reasons why offering multiple online payment gateways is a good idea.

Some larger corporations will have their own payment policies in place that could include net 30-day or longer payment cycles. Also, keep in mind that some work might not lend itself to deposits or project rates.

All these factors need to be taken into account to ensure you agree on the optimum way to delight your clients and get paid on time – every time.

Knowing where both parties stand, what to expect (and when), and communicating this clearly adds to a harmonious freelancer-client dynamic and builds trust so both client and freelancer can flourish and prosper.

Communication, communication, communication

Did we mention communication?

It’s vital to communicate regularly and clearly with clients. This doesn’t mean you need to contact them every day, but that you keep communication channels open and know when and how to contact them.

For example, do you have several communication channels and contacts depending on the specifics of the project? You might communicate via Slack for short status updates or queries and via email for longer updates and issues, or you may even use a project management tool to communicate and track hours.

Likewise, you may have weekly strategy meetings or ad hoc status ones.

Either way, knowing how and when you make contact will make it easier for both parties and will go a long way to managing client expectations as to when and how a project will be completed.

Keeping communication channels open also means you can effectively deal with issues that crop up that could have a bearing on the success or otherwise of a project.

Get clarity early on

Another essential ‘c’ word is clarity.

It’s important that you are clear on everything that is required from you (and your client) from the get-go.

If you are unsure of anything, ask before the project commences, as it might be too late down the line and may even contribute to scope creep. Also, if the client has to repeat the information they laid out in the project brief, it can be time-consuming, costly, not to mention unprofessional and potentially annoying!

It’s advisable not to start any project unless you know exactly what you are doing and what is expected of you.

Be clear on turnaround times and budget, especially if you charge extra for discrete services. It’s important to be transparent here as nobody likes to be surprised with additional unexpected costs.

These are all points that can be nicely ironed out in your client onboarding process and included in your written client agreement.

Be clear on payment terms and conditions

There are several things to consider when it comes to your payment terms and conditions, managing client expectations, and getting paid on time.

Your client should know how much you charge and when payment is due, but it’s a good idea to set up and schedule payment dates in advance and even send out reminders when payment is due.

You may also want to consider if you’ll apply late payment fees. If so, ensure this is clear by including a statement to this effect on your invoice (and including it in your contract).

Likewise, will you apply fast-track fees (for when the client wants an urgent turnaround) or a kill/cancellation fee (should the client cancel the project at any time before completion)? Again, these are all things that should be laid out in writing in advance, along with how you will be paid.

This is where quality invoice software can help.

Invoice Ninja is a leading free invoice software specifically developed for freelancers and small businesses like yours.

It supports multiple payment options, making it easier for clients to make payments, and integrates with a range of payment gateways, enabling you to invoice clients and receive payments with a single click. It offers a user-friendly interface for creating and sending professional-looking and custom-branded invoices as well as email automated payment reminders. You simply set up the frequency, and your clients will get reminders when it’s time for them to pay.

Another great feature is the branded client-side portal where your customers can view their invoice history, payments and quotes.

Try it for free here.

Add a little extra

It doesn’t take much to add that little extra to a project and exceed client expectations – completing a project early or adding an extra special touch can go a long way to fostering good client relations (and winning more business).

If you’re working as a freelancer in coordination with an in-house team, do all you can to be a part of the team rather than just be seen as outside help. This way, you can be up to date with everything going on and, where possible, do things that will enhance results – even if it’s just suggesting good ideas – always be helping.

For example, if you are invited to a team social event, see it as an excellent opportunity to network and bond with the team. Depending on the circumstances – you could consider not charging for your time – not everything needs a price tag. Gaining clients’ trust and providing excellent service to good clients who appreciate it is invaluable and will pay you back many times over.

In this scenario, a little goes a long way.

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We hope this post provided you with some helpful food for thought. If you think someone else might benefit – please share. Thank you!

Therefore, it makes sense to automate as many tedious admin tasks and business processes as possible, giving you more time to serve your clients and work on your business (as well as in it).

Here are 5 admin tasks to consider automating to save you time (and money).

Appointment/Meeting Setting

Nobody wants to play email ping-pong, where you are constantly going back and forth with potential clients, trying to figure out a mutually suitable time to meet. This takes up time and can lead to mistakes, especially if you and the client are in different time zones.

A link to your online calendar can save you (and your prospective client) a lot of hassle. You can add a link to your website, social media bios, or email address. Schedulers such as Calendly can also integrate with online meeting apps such as Zoom and Google Meet, making the process even more streamlined.

The benefits of an online scheduler are that clients can easily see when you are available and arrange a meeting at the click of a button. You can also block out times when you are unavailable or just open up one day a week for client calls.

Or you can simply send out an invite to meeting attendees from your Google calendar. Either way, the key is to automate it to make it as seamless as possible to get on a call or set up a meeting.

Social Media Scheduling

To generate a regular stream of leads and attract your ideal clients as a freelancer, for best results, you need to find a way to continuously market and promote your services.

Nowadays, one of the most common (and free) ways to do this is with a strong social media presence. Naturally, you are not going to have time to be on all the various social media platforms 24/7, and that’s where social media scheduling tools come in extremely handy.

Not only can they schedule your posts in advance, but you can create them all in the scheduler instead of switching between social media platforms. This puts all your social media content on auto-pilot, giving you more time to spend on your business.

Most schedulers can also provide helpful analytics so you can see how well your social media campaigns are doing.

There are plenty of apps and tools to choose from online. Examples include tools such as Hootsuite, Vista Social, Spout Social, Buffer and many more. Just search for one that meets your needs, budget and personal preference.

Onboarding New Clients

They say first impressions count.

So, having a seamless client-friendly onboarding process for new clients will make you look professional, trustworthy, and easy to do business with.

Good communication is vital when onboarding new clients. A slick, automated onboarding process will also save you time.

Onboarding processes can range from pre-discovery call questionnaires, pre-populating standard proposals, automatically connecting client details to your CRM or having a welcome email sequence in place going through your ways of working and requirements, and even follow-up emails to ensure you have all the documents (such as a written agreement) and requirements in place before you commence the client project.

It’s a good idea to go through your current onboarding process, see what is a repeatable action (i.e. something you go through with all your clients) and automate it as much as possible.

Task/Project Management

When working solo, getting tasks completed (and on time) is up to you. There’s no one internal who will give you a heads-up. So it makes sense to have some task reminder or project management system in place where you can add your to-do list and, for project management, even allow clients access.

Having everything in one place and a daily reminder will go a long way to making your business run smoothly. There are lots of apps online that offer some or all of these features.

Examples include but are not limited to, Trello, TikTik, Todoist, Asana, Basecamp and Monday.com.

You’ll likely need to track your time when working on some freelance projects.

Invoice Ninja, a leading free invoicing software for small business invoicing, online payments, tracking expenses and billable tasks, has a task time tracking system in place that allows you to accurately record every second spent on each individual task and quickly transfer timed data to the relevant client invoice.

When you’re done with a task or series of tasks within a project, you can simply click and send your work time to an invoice with one click!

We’ve even got a nifty Google Chrome extension to help.

Quick, simple, and easy!

Invoicing Clients

Finally, when it comes to billing your clients, good invoice software with professionally designed and branded templates is a must-have for any freelancer or small business who wants to come across as professional and trustworthy.

Not only can it save you from having to cobble the invoices together yourself (which, unless you are a design pro, can be cumbersome), but it can also save you from making errors and help you get paid on time. With a range of payment gateways, you can send (and get your invoices paid) at the click of a button.

With Invoice Ninja’s recurring invoices and auto-billing option, you can save time by automatically billing long-term regular clients. Another excellent time-saving feature is the ability to track inventory levels, which automatically updates your product inventory and reminds you when it’s time to re-stock up.

View more time-saving automation features here.

Or try it for free at the link here.

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