{"id":7852,"date":"2020-03-02T06:32:04","date_gmt":"2020-03-02T06:32:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mooninvoice.com\/blog\/?p=7852"},"modified":"2020-09-29T12:24:09","modified_gmt":"2020-09-29T12:24:09","slug":"how-to-survive-your-first-year-as-a-freelancer-with-the-help-of-invoice-application","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beta.mooninvoice.com\/blog\/how-to-survive-your-first-year-as-a-freelancer-with-the-help-of-invoice-application\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Survive Your First Year as a Freelancer with the help of Invoice Application?"},"content":{"rendered":"

You\u2019ve finally taken the plunge and launched your own creative business. Congratulations! Welcome to a new way of working. Now you have to worry about surviving the first 12 months, so you never have to return to full-time employment again.<\/span><\/p>\n

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It will be tough. The income will be inconsistent, and you\u2019ll initially struggle to find new clients and get your name out there. That\u2019s why you have to hit the ground running, immediately proving how good you are and why you\u2019re better than the competition. You have to establish how you position yourself, decide which clients you want to pursue and set routines in place to get going in the right direction with the perfect online invoicing application<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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As someone who has gone freelance, grown a small agency and survived nearly nine years of running a business (with some battle scars to prove it) \u2013 I thought I\u2019d take the time to share some of my tips I\u2019ve learnt along the way. And because I\u2019m by no means an expert, I\u2019ll also attempt to share the advice of people I admire \u2013 so you get a good dose of inspiration.<\/span><\/p>\n

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If you\u2019re a little anxious about your first year of freelancing, don\u2019t be. Aside from the obvious advice of ensuring you have plenty of savings before you take the plunge, follow my tips, and you should be well on your way to establishing yourself as a successful business owner.<\/span><\/p>\n

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1. Note the things you\u2019ll have to do<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

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There are many things you have to do to build a thriving business. Some will come naturally, while others will take you well and truly out of your comfort zone. Speaking of my own experience, I\u2019m quite the shy introvert, but most people who meet me would never guess it. I\u2019ve learnt how to be confident (although I do still struggle sometimes) and cope with anything my business throws at me. Before you kick off your own company, understand that you\u2019ll have to do the following critical things if you want to survive:<\/span>
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Become a businessperson<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

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Yes, you\u2019re terrific at graphic design \u2013 but how do you fare as an entrepreneur? Because when you run your own business, you\u2019ll soon discover that you need to wear many different hats to survive. You\u2019ll become a bookkeeper, an account manager, a marketer, a receptionist and a cleaner \u2013 all in one hit. Because it\u2019s you, and only you running the show.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Look and act the part<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

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You might be working from home, but that doesn\u2019t mean you can adopt the scruffy look or forget your manners over the phone. You\u2019re the owner of a small business, and you\u2019ll be meeting and speaking to people from all walks of life. So dress and act accordingly.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Be confident and assertive<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

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If you\u2019re usually shy and reserved, freelancing is going to be challenging for you. Running a business requires you to believe in yourself and not be afraid to speak up or sell your skills and ideas. If someone hires a freelancer, they expect that person to be highly experienced and able to carry out the job at hand. There\u2019s no room for hesitation or insecurity when clients are looking at you for all the answers.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Market yourself<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

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Now is not the time to be quiet or humble. If you want to generate business and build your profile locally, you\u2019re going to have to learn how to market yourself. Marketing, as you\u2019ll soon discover, is going to play an incredibly important role in making your business a success. More on that later.<\/span><\/p>\n

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2. Establish your brand<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

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Choose your business name, sort a logo and consider your value proposition. Figure out what makes you unique compared to your competition and be confident about how you sell that. It’s an exciting opportunity to establish your brand before you go out there and attract new business:<\/span><\/p>\n

 
\n\"Establish
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Pick a name<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

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When choosing a name, think of something memorable and relevant. I decided on Boomerang because it seemed friendly and gave a perception of \u2018giving back\u2019 \u2013 as in, I\u2019ll throw your business out there with PR and marketing, and you\u2019ll get back results. A Boomerang is also a weapon of communication.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Be careful about how you position yourse If <\/h3>\n

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Seems ridiculous to offer this next piece of advice, but don\u2019t call yourself a \u2018freelancer\u2019. The word has negative undertones and to many suggest your unemployed or unreliable. That is changing, but \u2013 to play it safe \u2013 avoid the word altogether, especially if you\u2019re thinking of adding \u2018freelancing\u2019 to your chosen business name. \u2018Katy Cowan Photography\u2019 sounds far better than \u2018Katy Cowan Freelance Photography\u2019, after all.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Instead, position yourself as an established company providing services. You\u2019re not lying. People don\u2019t need to know that it\u2019s just you. Allow them to pick up the phone or make contact first before you divulge that information. Because once they\u2019ve enquired, you can win them over with your telephone manner or sell yourself in that initial meeting. <\/span>By positioning yourself as a larger sized firm, you\u2019ll give the impression of stability. So bear that in mind.<\/span><\/p>\n

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3. Know Your customer<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

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Ok, so you\u2019ve established who you are and what you do, and you\u2019re pretty sure you know how to sell yourself. Now it\u2019s time to consider the customer you\u2019re targeting. Who are they? Where are they active, and what are they reading?<\/span><\/p>\n

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Once you fully understand the type of clients you\u2019re chasing, you\u2019ll be able to better build a marketing plan around reaching them. Just need to be found online? Get your local SEO nailed. Are they more likely to read Creative Review? Send the magazine some of your latest work. Are you merely targeting agency owners? Get out to any local networking events where they might be present.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Once you\u2019ve figured out who you\u2019re targeting, craft a \u2018customer persona\u2019 so you always have that person in mind whenever you\u2019re writing a blog post, crafting fresh copy for your website\u2019s home page or even just meeting people in person.<\/span><\/p>\n

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One final tip \u2013 consider your customer\u2019s problems. What things do they want to be resolved? How can you address those issues? Make it clear on your website how you can add value as a freelancer. Talk directly to your customer in everything you write.<\/span><\/p>\n

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4. Get online and activate your content<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

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Now that you\u2019ve established your business name, figured out how you\u2019re going to sell yourself and started to build your brand \u2013 it\u2019s time to launch an online portfolio or website.<\/span><\/p>\n

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You don\u2019t need to spend thousands to get online. There are plenty of solutions to get you started quickly and cost-effectively. Squarespace is marvellous and incredibly easy to use. WordPress is still going strong, and there are plenty of themes to choose from over on ThemeForest. Just make sure you choose a platform that\u2019s SEO-friendly, so you can work towards smashing your \u2018local\u2019 keywords, such as \u2018graphic designer Manchester\u2019.\u00a0<\/span>Check out my six easy steps to create a successful online portfolio and 60 ways to create a successful website for some further reading.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Once the website is up and running, don\u2019t just let it sit there. You have to make it work hard for you and attract traffic. Keep adding new work to your portfolio; blog regularly for SEO and to have something to share via your social media channels (remember to consider your customer and their wants and needs); market your website via directories and listing sites, such as Behance. Be bold, be active and make a name for yourself every single day.<\/span><\/p>\n

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5. Spend every day marketing yourself<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

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Once you\u2019ve got your brand, value proposition, target customer and online presence established \u2013 it\u2019s time to start throwing yourself out there to show potential clients the quality of your work and your availability. How you do that varies greatly \u2013 from basic SEO to smart techniques that will get your name in front of the right people.\u00a0<\/span>One key point is that you need to be present across many channels these days. It\u2019s not just a case of relying on one type of marketing \u2013 you have to hit your potential customers at different times of the day and via various means.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Be active on social media, get your work published on one of the many great art and design blogs, go to all your local networking events, work on your SEO, get into your local newspaper or business magazine, and exhibit your work locally. Do anything and everything to build your profile.<\/span><\/p>\n

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6. Create some personal work or launch a side project<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

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No work coming in despite your marketing efforts? Phone not ringing? Not got enough to showcase in your online portfolio? Don\u2019t just sit there, twiddling your thumbs. Be proactive and carry out some of your projects.<\/span><\/p>\n

 
\n\"Create
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Craft a new typeface to raise your profile and see if you can sell it through Hype for Type or MyFonts. Rebrand an existing company that you admire, and make it your best work to date. Write and illustrate your fictional book. Start a creative blog (that\u2019s what I did with Creative Boom) and share other people\u2019s work whom you admire\u2026 with their permission, of course. Curate a local exhibition with other creatives.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Then, when you\u2019ve carried out your idea \u2013 tell the world about it! Get in touch with all your favourite art and design blogs: It\u2019s Nice That, Creative Review, Design Week, Computer Arts, Creative Boom. And tell them about what you\u2019re doing.<\/span><\/p>\n

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7. Get out and network<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

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Make a name for yourself even before you register as self-employed. Get involved in local creative events by volunteering to help out or contributing in some way. Hell, do a talk, if you can.\u00a0<\/span>Go to anything and everything, armed with a positive attitude and plenty of business cards. Nothing beats face-to-face communication, and in all my years of running my own company, networking remains to be the best way of making new contacts and finding work.\u00a0<\/span>For further reading, check out my article on how to make the most of networking if you\u2019re a freelancer.<\/span><\/p>\n

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8. Work smart, work efficiently<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

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Time is money \u2013 so ensure you have tools and processes in place and a massive dose of self-discipline to get the work done, on time and budget. Don\u2019t mess about and waste precious working hours on procrastination or self-doubt. Get to it.<\/span><\/p>\n

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I use loads of tools to make my life easier as a business owner. Teamwork for team management (although I’m thinking of a change \u2013 here are some suggestions); FreeAgent for accounting; Mailchimp for e-marketing; SproutSocial for social media management; Buffer for a little more social magic and Squarespace for my agency website \u2013 why use anything else? These tools are cheap, reliable and save me loads of time and money.<\/span><\/p>\n

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As for self-discipline, in my early days as a freelancer \u2013 before I had my own office and staff \u2013 I used to follow a strict work routine. It was especially important, as I worked from home. I turned a spare bedroom into my office, allocated working hours and adopted a professional image, i.e. I got up every day, got showered and dressed, and adopted a \u2018work\u2019 mode. Whatever it is that\u2019s holding you back, change it. I\u2019m a lover of change, and it\u2019s never done me any harm in business. It will only lead you down more fruitful paths if you\u2019re wise enough to choose the ideal online invoicing app<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You\u2019ve finally taken the plunge and launched your own creative business. Congratulations! Welcome to a new way of working. Now you have to worry about surviving the first 12 months, so you never have to return to full-time employment again.   It will be tough. The income will be inconsistent, and you\u2019ll initially struggle to… Continue reading How to Survive Your First Year as a Freelancer with the help of Invoice Application?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[217,218],"class_list":["post-7852","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-online-invoicing","tag-online-invoicing-app","tag-online-invoicing-application","entry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/beta.mooninvoice.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7852","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/beta.mooninvoice.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/beta.mooninvoice.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.mooninvoice.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.mooninvoice.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7852"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/beta.mooninvoice.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7852\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8557,"href":"https:\/\/beta.mooninvoice.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7852\/revisions\/8557"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/beta.mooninvoice.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7852"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.mooninvoice.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7852"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.mooninvoice.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7852"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}