Starting out as a freelancer: What do you need?

4 Aug

So, you’re starting out as a freelancer. Congratulations, welcome. After the initial excitement wears off, in comes the ‘OMG what do I need to do to prepare for this life change?!’ feelings. Well, fear not, here at The Doers we are powered by freelancers, which we hope gives us some authority to fill you in on what you need to get going when you first take the self-employed plunge.

In this blog post, we’re going to cover everything from handling your finances to making sure you feel connected with others in your industry. Grab a cup of tea, and let’s dive in.

First, finances

So, first up let’s talk money. When it comes to freelancing you suddenly inherit the responsibility of sourcing money and managing it, which let’s face it, can be a little daunting. We get it, we’ve all been there but as with anything in life it is all about breaking the tasks down and managing them.

Our first recommendation is even as a sole trader you should look at separating your business and personal finances. By doing this it helps to keep everything where it needs to be, your capital as a balance, a pot for your tax, and of course, your hard-earned money in your personal account.

It only takes a quick Google to find a multitude of business bank accounts, using a good comparison site should help you narrow an ideal account for your needs. Ideally, you want an account that allows you to send invoices, FSCS protection, and mobile banking for instance.

We’re a big fan of Starling at The Doers, not only is the app modern and easy to use, but for a subscription fee of £7 a month, you get access to business features such as accounting software, HMRC estimates, and VAT tax recording.

There is a temptation at this stage to say yes to every given project, in order to keep the money rolling in. Take it from us, this isn’t the best approach! Saying yes to the wrong projects will lead to sucking your energy from more fruitful things. Trust the process and take your time!

Your portfolio

When looking to find new projects and contracts, a portfolio is essential. No matter how big, or small, having a place to display your work can help you land new clients. It’s easy to prioritise getting paid work in, but taking a little time to invest in your personal brand can make a huge difference in terms of finding aligned clients.

When you’re starting out you’ll want to get something professional up pretty quickly, this could look like a one-page Squarespace or Showit site, but it also could look like a Notion page or a linked interactive PDF in your social bios.

The truth is, when you start out it doesn’t have to be perfect, we all make the mistake of trying to ensure we’re only putting out the best of the best, but in reality, any portfolio is better than none. Plus, you can always dedicate some monthly time to improving your portfolio or website content.

Business protection

We insure most things in life, right? Our cars, houses, our mobile phones… You guessed it, we also must insure ourselves as businesses too. Whilst it’s easy to feel like that’s a later down-the-line aspect of business, it’s actually best to hit the ground running with business insurance. As with all types of insurance, your best hope is that you don’t need to use it, but if you do, it’s better that it’s there waiting for you.

There are a lot of different types and levels of insurance out there, and it can feel a little overwhelming. Luckily, there are a few helpful companies out there that are ready to give advice specifically for freelancers. Our network recommends: Policy Bee, With Jack, and Superscript!

You’ll go through a form and decide what’s important to insure and what level it needs to be insured too. For instance, if you’re a freelance photographer you’ll want to make sure your equipment is covered to the correct monetary value.

Business insurance helps cover you with everything from professional indemnity to equipment coverage. Trust us when we say, it’s just a weight off your shoulders when you’re all covered!

The tools of the trade

It sounds silly, but coming from full-time employment to self-employment can be a little bit of a culture shock when you think about the niceties you’re used to. That comfy ergonomic chair in your old office, the top-spec MacBook and those endless free Nespresso coffees. Now? You’ve got to provide all of that yourself, which can be quite a cost depending on your industry.

It’s best to think about what is essential right now for you to actually be able to do your job, and what you can put in place once you’ve built up some capital. Don’t forget now, as a freelancer you can claim expenses back on certain types of equipment like your laptop or camera (p.s. check with your accountant for the specifics!)

That community feel

Whilst the rest of our checklist is a little bit more tangible, we think that this particular point is pretty important. Going into self-employment is a dream a lot of talented individuals have, but the reality can be quite jarring at first. Being at home all day alone, not being able to bounce ideas around, no ideal break room chat and no definitive work hours. It’s very odd to start with.

The best thing you can do for yourself is find your community, it’s something freelancers absolutely thrive with. The great thing is community means different things to different people, it can mean a co-working space for some, and for others it can be an Instagram audience. We all have different levels of needs when it comes to community in our work.

Look, we may be biased but we like to think of ourselves as a pretty welcoming and inclusive community of freelancers at The Doers and we’re always on the look out for new talent to join it. Whether you’re a copywriter, digital marketer, photographer (or pretty much any creative/marketing role!) head over to our application - we would love to hear from you. Being a freelancer is amazing, especially when surrounded by amazing freelancers.

Get specific

For marketing freelancers, many are proficient at several different skillsets. Whilst this knowledge will always be fruitful to have, you will have more success at client conversion if you have a clear offering of one key skillset. If you’re a social media freelancer for example, don’t then offer email marketing, advertising, PR, SEO, copywriting. You can’t do everything well. Own what you really LOVE to do and gear your portfolio of work to it.

Hopefully you’ve found a few helpful tips to go forth in your new venture as a freelancer. Fancy more free freelancing advice and fun (of course!), why not subscribe to our freelancer newsletter and join us over on Instagram too!