You’re busy. You’ve got your freelancing business…and of course, there’s also life.

With all of that going on, it’s easy to forget to do some basic tasks. It’s easy to fall behind.

In this post, I list a dozen things that you need to update regularly if you want to stay current. If you find that you aren’t up to date in one or more of these areas, update it today (or as soon as you possibly can).

Get Up to Date

Is your freelancing business up to date?

It’s a rare freelancer who can answer “yes” to that question. If you’re like many freelancers, you’ve probably let a few things slide.

Fortunately, it doesn’t take long to bring your business up to date. Now is a good time to do just that and I’ll show you how.

Here are twelve important aspects of your freelancing business that may not reflect current information:

1. Online portfolio–Have you updated your online portfolio recently? Your portfolio should always reflect your current skills and very best work. If your online portfolio is over a year old, it’s probably out of date. Take a look at it and add some newer samples.
2. Blog–How often do you publish a new post to your freelance business blog? Most freelancers don’t post often enough. For your business blog to be effective, you should publish several new posts every month. If you don’t, prospective clients may assume you’re out of business.
3. Social media profile–Do your social media profiles accurately describe your freelancing business? Do they contain a working link to your website and freelance business blog? If your social media profiles are out of date, you could be missing on vital leads to new clients.
4. Online photo–When was the photo that you use online taken? Do you even look like that photo anymore? Is it a professional shot? If your online photo no longer looks like you, it’s probably time to change it for a newer and more professional shot that represents who you are today. You need to put your best face forward, literally.
5. Resume–Yes, freelancers still need resumes. Many organizations still ask for them before hiring freelancers for larger projects. If you’ve been ignoring your resume since you went freelance, now’s the perfect time to update it.
6. Software–Most software packages have regular upgrades and patches that need to be applied. Often those patches and upgrades fix problems in the tool. If you are several versions behind with your software updates, it’s time to catch up.
7. Smartphone apps–Likewise, your smartphone and tablet apps need to be updated regularly. Don’t ignore the update notifications that you get. Stay current.
8. Computer–How old is the main computer that you use for your freelancing business? Is it more than two years old? The good news is that if you use the computer mostly for business, you may be able to claim a tax deduction when you replace it.
9. Skills–Are your skills up to date? Do you know how to use the latest tools? If you want to stay competitive in your field, the answer had better be “yes.” It’s important for freelancers to get regular training so that they stay current.
10. Budget–Over time, your expenses can change. Your current business budget should reflect those changes. It’s a good idea to review your business budget at least every six months. If you don’t, you may find that you don’t earn a profit.
11. Business Goals and Business Plan–Are you meeting your business goals? What part of your business plan is working and what part is not? Like your freelance business budget, you should review your goals and business plan about every six months.
12. Contact information–It’s very important to keep your contact information current. Without it, prospects and clients won’t be able to reach you. It always surprises me when I find a freelancer’s website with no valid contact information.

Once you’ve reviewed and updated these areas, it’s a good idea to keep this list on hand for future reference. To stay on track, you’ll want to review these areas every few months.

What About You?

Is your freelancing business up to date? What other areas should freelancers update regularly?

Share your answers in the comments.

Image by xlibber

There’s a better way.

It’s called part-time freelancing. There are some definite advantages to beginning your freelancing career as a part-timer. We’ll share over 15 of those advantages in this post. If you freelance part-time, feel free to share your prospective in the comments.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like 10+ Signs That You’re Not Ready for Full-Time Freelancing or Part-Time Freelancing–Is It Worth It?.

Advantages of Freelancing Part-Time

If you’ve read this blog for a while, you know that freelancing has many benefits and some disadvantages. Fortunately, you can avoid some of the disadvantages of freelancing and still enjoy the benefits of freelancing. This is especially true if you’re just starting out as a freelancer.

Here are over 15 advantages of part-time freelancing:

1. Steady income. One of the biggest struggles freelancers face is a variable income. One month you may earn a lot and the next month you may earn very little. As a part-time freelancer, you can keep your day job and maintain a steady income while freelancing in your spare time.
2. Determine a business plan. There’s a lot of strategizing that goes into successful freelancing. You need to decide who you will market your freelancing services too, what your core business will be, and how much time and money you want to invest. Starting out part-time lets you try out various scenarios.
3. Develop an online presence. A successful freelancer needs a strong online presence. Usually that means a blog, an online portfolio, and several social media accounts. It takes time to build an online presence. As a part-timer, you can develop that online presence before making a full-time freelancing commitment.
4. Benefits. Freelancers do not get benefits through their employment. There is no employer-subsidized insurance or retirement plan for a freelancer. If benefits are important to you, you may be better off holding onto a traditional job and freelancing on the side.
5. Allows for outside connections. Because most full-time freelancers work from home, they can fall into an almost hermit-like existence–rarely interacting with others in person. Part-time freelancers, however, are more likely to interact with others face-to-face.
6. Paid days off. For a full-time freelancer a day off means a day when he or she is not paid. This can make it difficult to take a vacation or sick day. However, if you keep your traditional job and freelance in your spare time, you can get paid through your traditional job for the days you don’t work.
7. Extra money. Even if you never want to become a full-time freelancer, part-time freelancing is a great way to earn extra money. Just be sure that you charge professional rates for your services if you want to be thought of as a professional in your field.
8. Build savings. I always advise those who are considering freelancing to build up enough savings to cover several months of expenses before they go full-time. Starting out as a part-time freelancer gives you a chance to build up your emergency fund.
9. Grow client base. As a part-time freelancer, you can build a strong client base and even cultivate a few repeat clients. Think how nice it will be to start freelancing full-time and already have some clients with projects you can work on.
10. Polish skills. Part-time freelancing also gives you the chance to build your professional skills. As a part-timer, you can devote the necessary time to take courses and practice without worrying about compromising your only income.
11. Build a portfolio. Many new freelancers struggle to get those first assignments–assignments that they will showcase in their portfolio. As a part-timer, you have more flexibility about getting those portfolio assignments. You can discount your services or even volunteer to get a portfolio piece.
12. Get testimonials. Getting testimonials is another problem new freelancers face. As a part-time freelancer with another income, you have the option of the same pricing flexibility for getting testimonials that you had with getting portfolio pieces.
13. Test the waters. Is there a market for your skillset? Is the market for your skillset overcrowded? If you’re not sure of the answers to those questions, part-time freelancing is a great way to test the waters. This is especially true if you don’t know of many freelancers who do what you’re planning to do.
14. Easy to change your mind. If you start freelancing full-time and decide after a month or two that you don’t like freelancing after all, you may feel trapped. If you don’t continue freelancing, you may have no income coming in at all. Part-time freelancing gives you options.

Most of these reasons assume that you are combining part-time freelancing with a full or part-time job, but that may not always be the case:

15. Ease back into the marketplace. If you have been out of the job market for a while (after a career change or unemployment) or if you are entering the job market for the first time (new graduates), part-time freelancing can be a great way to ease back into a work mentality.
16. Bonus advantage: Need for greater flexibility. If you need to earn money while serving as the caretaker for a loved one or watching a young child, traditional jobs may not have the flexibility of hours and workplace location that you need. Part-time freelancing is a good alternative.

Your Turn

Are you a part-time freelancer? What benefits of part-time freelancing did I leave out?

Share your answers in the comments below.

Finding new clients can be stressful and quite frankly, it is a lot of work.

It’s easy to understand the attraction of freelancing through an intermediary. An intermediary (also known as a go-between or middleman) is someone who matches freelancers with freelancing projects.

Freelancing through intermediaries is extremely popular and many freelancers get their start by working with a go-between.

In this post, we’ll explore the pros and cons of working through an intermediary. You’re also invited to share your own thoughts and experiences.

Types of Intermediaries

If you rely on a company, website, or individual to match your skills with available freelancing projects, you may already be freelancing through an intermediary.

Here are the most common types of intermediaries that freelancers encounter:

• Creative agencies. Creative agencies often turn to freelancers to handle their overflow work. They may also seek out a freelancer in an unrelated field if a specific project calls for that type of expertise.
• Job boards. Many job boards match freelancers with freelancing projects. Not all job boards are the same. However, if the board takes a percentage of your earnings, the job board probably functions as an intermediary.
• Other freelancers. Occasionally freelancers hire other freelancers to work as subcontractors on large projects or to handle their own overflow work.
• Contract agencies. Some agencies are set up specifically to fulfill contracts with larger organizations. If you work for a contract house, you may be an independent contractor or you may be an employee of the contracting agency.

Of course, there are both advantages and disadvantages to freelancing through a go-between.

Advantages to Working Through an Intermediary

The most obvious advantage of working through a third party is that you spend less time marketing your freelancing business and more time working on billable projects.

There can be other advantages, though. Here are just a few:

• Simplifying the paperwork. Many go-betweens handle the financial paperwork for the end client. That means that you are paid through the intermediary and not through the end client. At tax time, you only need to worry about receiving 1099 forms from the middleman instead of a bunch of forms from the end client.
• Problem resolution. If you are working directly with an end client, you have nowhere to turn if something goes wrong. However, if you are working with a reputable organization, they should take steps to resolve or prevent any problems with the project.
• Collections. As a freelancer, you are responsible for getting payment. However, when you work through a third party, your payment is likely to come from that party rather than the end client. The task of collecting payment for the project falls to the go-between.
• Access. A freelancing intermediary can give you access to more challenging projects and higher profile clients–opportunities that you might not have found on your own.

Even with the obvious advantages to working through a go-between, there can be problems.

Problems of Working Through an Intermediary

Things don’t always go smoothly when you freelance through an intermediary. Here are some of the things that can go wrong:

• Communication issues. When you work through someone else, you may not have direct access to the end client. This can lead to communication problems. Project information as well as any questions and answers may be filtered through the go-between.
• Who do you work for, really? If you accept work through a middleman, be sure to get an agreement about who is responsible for what so that there are no misunderstandings. It is particularly important to specify how you will get paid and who will pay you.
• Non-compete clauses. Many freelancing intermediaries require you to sign a non-compete clause. Often, this means that if the end client approaches you directly after the project is completed, you cannot agree to work directly with him or her.
• Lower pay. Nearly all freelancing intermediaries pay less than what you would receive if you worked directly for the end client. This is because they receive a percentage of what the end client pays for the work.
• Putting all your eggs in one basket. It’s easy to become too dependent on others to find work for you. If you get all of your freelance work from just one or two sources, you will be severely impacted if those sources of work dry up.

Your Turn

Now that you’ve read some of the advantages and disadvantages, it’s time to make up your own mind.

Should you turn to others to find freelancing work for you? Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? Have you in the past or do you currently freelance through an intermediary?

Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.

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